Chapter 17 - Madeline
Rule number one of mountaineering is never go out on your own without telling anyone. I know that, and I still did it. When we got let off work early for the weekend, I thought it would be the perfect day to go explore the edges of the hotel’s property.
I stare at the huge tree that’s pinning me down and I try to wriggle free. Pain shoots up through my leg and I wince. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Help!” I yell out again, knowing that there’s no one for miles. I reach down and try to get my hand into my pocket. My fingertips just brush the edge of my phone and I strain to get a grip on it. I yell out again, and stretch my hand a bit further into my pocket. The tree is pinning me down, putting intense pressure on my legs. I try to wiggle my toes and I know I don’t have much time. It doesn’t feel like anything is broken, but soon my circulation will be cut off and then I’ll be in real trouble.
My fingers slip on the edge of my phone and I claw at it in my pocket. I shift a fraction of an inch and get a grip on the edge of it, finally sliding it out.
“Yes!” I exclaim under my breath, bringing the phone up to my face. The screen is smashed, but I can still turn it on. I glance up at the top corner and my heart drops when I see the two little words I was dreading: No Service.
“Fuck.”
I crane my neck and look around again, yelling out. I frown as I hear something in the distance. It sounds like an animal moving around – a large animal. My heart starts thumping in my chest and I squint, trying to see through the thick undergrowth in the direction of the sound.
It’s coming straight for me.
My heart is thumping in my chest and I try to wriggle myself free. “Come on, come on, fuck!!” I yell, moving my legs back and forth and trying to push the log off me.
It’s no use. Ever since I slipped down the slope and lodged myself under this tree I’ve known I was in trouble. My legs are pinned, and the wet leaves underneath me aren’t providing anything to grip on.
I’m stuck.
The noise is getting closer. It sounds like a huge animal crashing through the forest, barreling straight towards me.
A moose? Or worse – a bear?
I look in that direction again and feel the tears start gathering in the corners of my eyes. Whatever animal it is, it’s headed directly at me. I close my eyes and lean back, letting the tears fall down my face as I start to accept my fate.
I hope they find me, even if I’m half-eaten by this bear. Then they can send my body back to my parents and at least they’ll know what happened to me. At least I won’t have to watch my father deteriorate any more.
All these thoughts of doom and gloom fill my head until the animal crashing through the underbrush starts yelling my name. I lift my head up in shock, turning it towards the noise.
“Maddy?” The voice calls out. “Maddy where are you?”
“Here!” I scream, louder than before. My throat feels raw but I scream louder as hope fills me up like a balloon. “I’m here!”
He comes into view like my knight in shining armor, except he’s wearing a wooly plaid shirt. My heart jumps in my chest when I see Aiden rushing towards me, his face drawn with worry.
“Watch out!” I say, pointing to the spot where I slid. He jumps over it and lowers himself slowly down towards me.
“Are you hurt?” he says. His eyebrows are pulled together and his voice is deep and gravelly.
“I’m not sure,” I say. “My leg hurts but I don’t know how bad.”
Aiden glances at the tree and at my leg underneath. He spends a minute looking all around and then glances back at my face.
“I don’t see any blood,” he says. “Can you move your feet?” I nod, and he nods back. “I’m going to lift this tree. Do you think you can pull yourself out while I lift it?”
“I’ll try,” I say.
It’s all the go-ahead he needs. I watch as he wraps his muscular arms around the huge tree trunk and lifts it up two or three inches. I brace myself against the log and slide out from under it, wincing as pain shoots through my leg. I shuffle upwards until I’m clear of the tree and he drops it back down again, crawling towards me.
“What happened? What are you doing here on your own?”
Before I know it, I’m sobbing like a child. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in close so that my face is buried in his chest. All I do is sob and breathe in his fresh piney musk. He squeezes me close and then lets go, glancing down at my leg.
“Can you walk?”
I shrug, and Aiden puts his arm under my back. He pulls me back up to the path where I slipped and tries to put me upright. The instant I put weight on my right leg, pain shoots all the way up to my hip. I groan and my eyes water. Aiden pulls me closer and puts his arm around me.
“Come on,” he says. In one smooth motion, he swings me up so that I’m cradled in his arms. “Watch the branches. I’ll take you back to the cabin.”
I nestle my head in his chest and try to hide the tears in my eyes. My heart is still thumping and my head is spinning. I can hardly believe what’s happened. I went from going for a quiet walk to thinking I would be eaten by a bear, only to be rescued by the man I’ve been fantasizing about for the past two weeks.
The pain in my leg fades as I wrap my arms around his neck and let myself melt into him. Even though I know I was stupid to head out on my own, and I’ve been incredibly lucky for him to find me, it almost feels like fate. It feels like we were meant to find each other and we’re supposed to be together.
He squeezes me a bit closer and looks down at me for a moment. Our eyes meet and I see a deep pain in his eyes.
“Don’t do that again,” he growls. “Don’t go off on your own.”
“I won’t,” I whisper. “I promise.”
He holds me closer and I let the tears fall from my eyes into his chest as he carries me all the way back to his cabin.