7
Jake
“Gabe!” His name was ripped from my throat as the narrow path crumbled under him and he slid down, into the empty air below us. Ahead of us, I heard somebody scream.
Without thinking, I lunged forward, grabbing at whatever I could reach. My fingers closed around his arm and his bag. He hung there, dead weight in my arms. Below him, the browns and greens of the mountainside swirled together in one dizzying kaleidoscope. I couldn’t let him fall.
“Jake?” Slowly, he looked up, his eyes wide with panic. His chin quivered slightly and I tightened my hold.
“Just stay calm and hold onto me, okay?” I told him, trying to follow my own advice and keep from panicking. His cold hand closed like a vice around my wrist and I forced myself to smile. I hoped it looked encouraging and not like a terrified grimace. On the path ahead, someone was sobbing but I didn’t look up. I couldn’t look away from Gabriel.
“I’m here,” said Matt brusquely from the other side of the gap that had formed in Gabe’s wake. Without waiting for a response, he shrugged off the emergency rope we always carried with us and clipped it to his harness. Securing it to a large rock that jutted out from the side of the mountain, he tested the line and, satisfied that it would hold, reached out into the void to grab Gabe’s other arm. Technically, attaching myself to the mountainside is what I should have down before launching myself after Gabriel. But, if I had, he would already be lying in a broken heap at the bottom of the mountain. And just the thought of that made me want to vomit.
I felt Gabe’s bag slip in grip and, desperately, I tightened my grip.
“On the count of three,” I croaked. “One, two, three!”
Together, we heaved Gabe up, Matt pulling him into a tight bear hug the minute he could. They toppled backwards, hitting the mountainside with a loud oof! But they were safe. Gabe was safe. My eyes prickled and I wiped them quickly with the back of my hand. The last thing I needed was to go to pieces in front of our already spooked clients.
“Are you okay?” I called to Gabe.
He stood pressed tight to the mountain side, his knees shivering violently. “Yes,” he replied shakily. “I’m okay.” Looking across the gap, he met my eyes. “Thank you.”
More than anything, I wanted to grab him, crush him to my chest, breathe him in, feel his warmth against me. Instead I said, “No problem.”
He kept looking at me, his dark eyes locked on mine, and I knew he felt the same way.
“We’re going to lace up,” Matt announced, undoing the rope from its rock. “Everybody loop the rope through your harness, just like we showed you on the first day. Here we go now…” His voice totally calm, Matt walked the terrified group through the safety procedure, getting them secured to the rope. “That way, if anyone else slips, we’ll be able to stop their fall.”
“What’s the plan from here?” Wendy spoke up, jutting her chin out. She looked terrified, but she didn’t back down.
“We’re going to call Search and Rescue and have them pick us up in a chopper,” I called to her. “But first we have to get to the top of the mountain. There’s no room for a chopper to land here. The summit is only another dozen yards and the path turns in, away from the edge. We’ll be fine, especially if we’re all attached.”
“What about you?” Gabe asked, looking at me worriedly. Holding up his arms, he let Matt slip the rope through his harness’s security loop and pull it taut.
Matt tossed me the end of the rope and I did the same. “I’m coming over to join you guys,” I told Gabe as I secured myself and tied the rope in place.
“Everybody, brace yourself against the wall,” Matt instructed.
I waited until everyone was in place. The gap wasn’t large, but the edges would be fragile. Eyeing the corner where the path met the mountain side, I took a deep breath and jumped.
One foot hit solid ground, the other slid as silt and gravel rolled out below it. But Gabe and Matt caught me, pulling me quickly onto the path with them. Gabe looked at me, his eyes bright with emotion and, not caring what anyone thought, I grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug.
When we finally let go of each other, I looked over at Matt. “When we get back, I am going to kill you,” I hissed at him.
Matt’s eyes slid to Gabe then back to me and he nodded. “I’m sorry,” he replied softly. Then louder, he spoke to the group in his most soothing voice. “Here we go, guys. Let’s keep moving. At the top we can all stop and have a warm drink while we wait for the chopper.”
And listen to hysterical clients screaming for their money back, I thought grimly.
The sky had cleared almost instantly, the dark thunderclouds rolling away to reveal a clean bright blue. The sun reappeared, shining down our backs as if nothing had happened. But at least the warmth lifted people’s spirits and, after a few minutes, they began to talk again, rehashing the fall in disbelieving whispers.
Under the warm sun, the walk to the top was quick, and within minutes everyone had collapsed gratefully on the wide, flat surface of the summit. Matt radioed for the chopper as our clients huddled together, unwrapping snacks, opening thermoses, and talking excitedly with their heads pulled in close.
All except Gabe.
He stood awkwardly to the side, looking at the others and looking at me, clearly unsure what to do. Watching him hesitate adorably, I felt my heart clench at the idea of almost having lost him. Leaving Matt scanning the horizon for Search and Rescue, I went over to Gabe.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“Yes, please,” he said.
We sat next to each other a sun-baked boulder, close enough that we could feel each other’s warmth through our windbreakers.
“You saved my life,” he said softly as I poured coffee into the lid of my thermos.
“Well, I mean, that is my job,” I replied, trying to play it cool. But as I passed him the coffee our eyes met. “I was so fucking scared,” I blurted. It came out in a hoarse whisper, and my eyes prickled treacherously again. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
Gabriel wrapped his hand around mine as he took the coffee from me. He smiled. “But you didn’t,” he replied.
I laughed weakly, rubbing at my eyes and hoping he hadn’t seen the tears. “I’m supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around,” I said gruffly.
“You’ve done enough for me for one day,” he replied, sipping the coffee.
Looking over at him, I smiled. “You’re taking this really well,” I said.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” he admitted. “I’ll probably throw up in the helicopter. Plus also I get motion sick in planes.”
I knew it was serious, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’ve got a bag you can puke into if you need to.”
“Thank you,” he said, leaning his shoulder against mine. “Thank you for everything, Jake.”
I looked at him, letting myself get lost in his big blues eyes. I knew I shouldn’t kiss him in front of the group but I was caught up in his eyes, my body leaning in, closer and closer until—
“Chopper’s here!” Matt shouted.
We jumped apart and coffee spilled across our pants.
“Jesus Christ,” Gabe swore. “Today is just not my day.”
I glanced at him as the chopper approached. “We can change that,” I called to him over the noise of the blades. He caught my eye and we grinned.