Chapter 12
Fatigue pulled at every muscle, but Kendall set her phone alarm to go off every two hours so she could check on Marc. She would like to think she would have stayed awake to watch over him without it, but did not trust herself not to fall asleep.
Hearing the wind still howling, she peeked outside, disheartened to still see the heavy snow falling by her flashlight. The darkness still blanketed the early morning, keeping her from seeing clearly how much snow had fallen.
Glancing over at Marc, she noted his steady breathing, glad he was still sleeping. Leaning over, she gently placed her hand across his forehead, breathing a sigh of relief that it was cool to the touch. Digging through the first aid kit, she came across a bottle of aspirin. I’ll get this down him when he wakes up.
His phone vibrated and she searched to locate the sound. Her hand stilled over his crotch as she realized it was in his front pants pocket. Anxious, she jerked her gaze back to his still-sleeping face. The vibrating started up again and she carefully slid her hand in his pocket, her fingers moving along his jean-clad, thick, muscular thigh. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she latched onto the phone, sliding it out.
The vibrating had stopped, but as she checked the missed calls, she saw the name Luke. Not knowing the names of his co-workers, she had no idea who that person might be. But what does it matter? I can at least let them know what is going on.
Pressing call-back, she heard it connect on the first ring.
“Marc? I was getting worried when you didn’t pick up. I’ve been trying and trying but haven’t been able to make it through. I know it’s early there, but we wanted to do a status check.”
“Um…this isn’t Marc. Is this—?”
“Dr. Rhodes?”
“Yes…this is Kendall Rhodes.”
“Where’s Marc?”
“He’s…wait, who is this?”
“Dr. Rhodes, this is Luke. I’m a co-worker of Marc’s and I’m here with some other co-workers. What’s happening?”
“Oh, okay. Um, well, Marc fell and hit his head and has hurt his ankle. I was able to get him back to our shelter, but I don’t really know how to help him.”
“Dr. Rhodes, I’m putting you on speaker, so the others who are with me can hear.”
“Um…okay. And you can call me Kendall.”
“Kendall, this is Chad. What injuries does he have?”
Reciting what she knew and explaining what she had done, the men on the other end praised her. “It sounds like you’ve done an amazing job so far,” Chad assured.
“I didn’t know how to wrap his ankle, so I just kind of wrapped it around and around,” she explained.
“Don’t worry about it,” Chad said. “The most important thing is…support and…swelling down. What about…head injury?”
“Wait! You’re breaking up! Did you say head injury? He’s got a gash on his forehead, but when I cleaned the wound, it’s not as big as I was afraid.”
From what she could hear, Chad once again praised her first aid attempts.
“Ma’am, this is Cam here. What is the status of your site?”
“Status?”
“What kind of shelter do you have?” he queried.
“Well, we’ve built a tent and Marc started a little fire inside. I’ve been able to keep it burning, but with the wind, I have to admit the tarp is taking a beating.”
“Kendall, it’s Luke again. The reason…I’ve now been able to get a satellite image on the location of Marc’s signal…a small wooden structure about a mile south of where you are…determined this earlier, Marc could have gotten you to the site.”
“You’re breaking up again. There’s a structure a mile south of here? Okay, but I don’t know if we can make it. He can’t walk on his foot. And even if I can help him, I don’t know which direction to go in.”
“…seen Marc use the handheld GPS system? It’s about—”
“Yes,” she said, digging in the duffle bag and pulling it out. “I’ve got it in my hands.”
“Okay, I’m downloading the directions to the system and if you are holding it, it will show you the way. All you have to do is… Do you think you can do that?”
“All I have to do is what? What did you say?” Knowing this information was vital to their survival, she started to panic. No! Not again. You can do this. You have to do this. “Are you sure staying here isn’t safer?”
A brief silence followed her question and then Chad came through. “Kendall, we don’t want you to do anything you are uncomfortable with. With Marc incapacitated, you’re in charge now. We just want to give you options. Following the GPS to the site is your best bet.”
“Okay. I don’t think I can carry everything and help him as well, but I’ll do my best,” she replied hesitantly, her gaze falling on Marc’s sleeping form. Sucking in a deep breath, she said, “I’ll see how he is when he wakes up. Can I call this number if I need?”
“Absolutely,” Luke assured. “It might not go through the first time, but keep trying. We’ll check in a little bit. And I promise, we have a rescue mission in the works.”
Thanking him, she disconnected, closing her eyes momentarily as her mind whirled with the suggestion. A cabin sounded wonderful…or at least a wooden structure to keep the wind at bay. She thought about how difficult it had been to move Marc from the ditch to the tent. How the hell can I move him again?
*
Chad sat in silence for a moment as the phone line went dead. Sucking in a deep breath, the normally stoic teammate cursed loudly as he leaned back in his chair. “Fucking hell! There was more static than words from that conversation.”
Charlie looked over at Luke, not knowing what to say. Being the newest member of the Saints put her at a disadvantage in feeling out the dynamics of the group as a whole. Luke glanced at her, a jerky shake of his head his only response. Sucking in her lips, she kept quiet as the men around the table erupted in a cacophony of cursing mixed with planning.
Calling them back to order, Cam said, “Okay, missions go awry all the time, but we work the problems. That’s what we need to do now.”
Luke called Bart, explaining the situation, knowing it could affect the rescue. Then he listened as Cam placed a call to Jack, knowing he needed to be updated on the mission as well. As Luke and Cam then circled around the maps and satellite screens, Chad called Monty.
Finally, an unsettling silence floating over the group, Charlie said, “You know, it might not be as bad as you’re thinking.” Gaining the, if somewhat incredulous, attention of the others, she continued.
“So what if Dr. Rhodes is a woman unused to being in the great outdoors? I mean, you all are assuming she’s in over her head and can’t do anything. Come on, guys. I didn’t know what I could do until I had a killer after me!”
“Yes, but—” Chad started.
“But nothing,” Charlie insisted. “She’s already gone out and found him, managed to get him back to their camp, and is taking charge. She’s smart and it’s not like she’s alone. Marc might not be able to do as much, but he can guide her. I just don’t think ya’ll are giving her enough credit.”
“We’re used to being the ones who execute the missions…not having the missions take care of us,” Cam said.
“I understand,” she agreed. “I’m just saying that I think Kendall Rhodes is probably a lot more capable than you think.” With a smile, she winked at Luke and turned back to her computers.
*
A howl sounded in the distance and Kendall bolted upright. Oh, God, what was that? She ran through the possibilities Marc had mentioned and none of them sounded good. Bears? Should be hibernating. Should be…but not have to be. Wolves? Do they hibernate? She listened closely, but heard nothing but the wind.
Closing her eyes, she longed to fall asleep on a soft mattress in a warm room after taking a hot shower. Just as she was about to drift off again, she heard Marc moan as he attempted to stretch. His eyes fluttered open, finally focusing on her face.
“Hey,” she said softly, touching his face again to check for a fever, relieved when only cool skin greeted her fingertips.
“Hey,” he repeated, looking up at her once more leaning over him, her beautiful eyes peering deeply into his. She slid to his side, pushing his shoulders up slightly so he could accept the water she offered. “Thanks,” he said, wishing his head would stop pounding. “Did I hear you talking to someone earlier or was I dreaming?”
“No, you heard. Luke called and I talked to your team. Well, sort of. The connection wasn’t great.”
Marc fought the urge to roll his eyes in disgust, knowing the motion would make his headache worse. He hated that his team knew he was out of commission for falling down a ditch. Jesus, I’m a fuckin’ idiot! How could I have made such a rookie mistake? Sucking in a deep breath, he said, “What did they say?”
“Mostly, they were concerned about you.”
He noticed her hesitation and prompted, “And?”
“They said they have our location on satellite and can see some type of wooden structure about a mile away from here.”
Marc’s mind immediately jumped into planning mode. “A mile? Which direction? Is it still snowing outside?”
“Whoa, hold on,” she chastised. “There’s no way I can get you there in the middle of a blizzard!”
“If I had a heavy stick that I could use as a crutch, I’d be able to make it.” Grimacing, he added, “I’d need your help, but I really want to get you out of this tent and into something sturdier.” He hated having to rely on her when she should be relying on him, but wanted desperately to get her out of the storm.
“Marc,” she said, her face soft in the light of the small fire. “You don’t have to do anything for me.” Just then a gust caught the corner of the tent and the flap opened, blasting snow inside before she was able to scramble over to tie it back down.
Marc’s phone vibrated an alert to an incoming message and he looked at the screen. “Luke’s programed the information into the GPS. Kendall, I think we should try.”
Swallowing deeply, she said, “What if we can’t make it?”
“Hey,” he reached out, taking her hand. “You dragged me out of a ditch and, by the way, I can’t believe little you were able to do that. I’m not exactly small!”
A snort erupted as she agreed. Pondering the idea, she thought longingly about the possibility of a dry, wooden shelter. Nodding before she chickened out, she said, “Okay, but we need to plan what we’re doing, because once we get outside, it will take all our strength just to move.”
Grinning, Marc said, “Spoken like a true Saint!”
An hour later, they were ready to set off. They had repacked the duffle with the food box, first aid kit, dry clothes, the blanket, and whatever else Marc deemed necessary. She managed to cram most of her belongings into her large tote.
Kendall had gone back into the woods, finding a strong stick with some difficulty, causing her to re-think their attempt. But now, standing on the outside of their shelter, she could see the havoc the blizzard was wreaking on the small tarp-tent. We’ll be lucky if it lasts another day. She untied the tarp, dismantling the structure right over Marc’s head, upon his instructions. Wrestling an octopus would have been easier than untying the tarp with the wind whipping it back and forth. Finally, she managed to wad it up enough to shove it into the duffle.
Assisting him to a standing position, she groaned under his weight combined with the duffle on his back. Determined to keep her negative thoughts to herself, she swung her tote over her arm as she moved in to support his body as he hopped a few feet.
He saw the disbelief in her eyes, but steeled his resolve. I need her assistance, but I’ll be damned if I’m the reason we die out here if I can help get us to a shelter!