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She’s saved from having to answer when the woman running the switchboard rings the bell she keeps near the door. Patrick looks at us before going into the room to talk to her.
When Patrick comes back out, his constant smile is gone and there’s a piece of paper clutched in his hand. He looks at the map on the wall and points to the orange string.
“This morning, right as the sun was coming up, four hikers headed into the woods.” His finger travels along the map, up the mountain to the place where the hikers were going to stop and have their breakfast. “They were going to take this trail, have their breakfast, and then continue along this trail.”
It’s a nice trail to take and stop for breakfast. I haven’t hiked the full thing, but I have taken another way to the top. If they got there, it’s a stunning spot. The view of the valley alone is enough to make a person never want to leave.
It’s hard to get to if you’re not an experienced hiker though. The terrain is pretty wooded and even the trails get pretty icy.
Hopefully they’re good hikers. Finding them is going to be difficult if they panicked and got themselves lost.
Dani appears beside him, her slim eyebrows pinched together as she looks around at the volunteers. “You guys are about to go on your first mission. I’m keeping three of you back with me in case the hikers return. The rest of you are going.”
Patrick points to three people—some of the weaker trainees in the group—and gestures to Dani. “You three are going to stay here. The rest of us are going to grab our kits and get on the snowmobiles. We’ll drive up to this point here. At this point, the trees become too dense and we’re going to have to walk.”
The three people he points to get up and move toward Dani. Fletcher drops a kiss to Dani’s head before making his way to Patrick’s side. Clara, the other senior volunteer, looks over the map.
It doesn’t feel like it’s going to be easy to find them.
My stomach twists and turns itself into tight knots, just thinking about going out there and starting the search.
It’s going to be a long day of wandering through the snow and looking for people.
How is Jessie going to get through this after everything that happened with her dad?
Jessie’s shoulders are near her ears as she stares at the map. She fiddles with the hat in her hands, her breathing a little heavier than normal. It’s clear that she doesn’t want to go out there and do this.
I reach out to take her hand, but she flinches back from me and gives a short shake of her head.
I don’t know why I’m even bothering. She made it clear that she wants to remain professional here. Even though Dani and Fletcher have no problem being affectionate with each other at work.
Why would I even think she wants me to comfort her?
Except, if I were in her position, I would want some form of comfort. I know that after everything she went through with her dad’s death, looking through the snowy woods for people who could be dying won’t be easy. I know she’s going to need someone to support her. She needs me to support her, but she doesn’t want it.
She’s spent so much of her time not being able to rely on anyone. Her mom let her down and wasn’t there for her when her dad died. She was left to face the world on her own.
Jessie doesn’t have to do that now though. Not if she just lets me in. I want to be the person to help her. To hold her hand out there while we search through the woods.
I want to be the one to prove to her that she’s one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.
I don’t think I can be that person though. Not right now. Not when she keeps pushing me away.
My mom used to tell me that you can’t pour from an empty cup.
If Jessie ever makes a decision about us, I can’t be tired from chasing her around. I can’t be emotionally exhausted and watching as she continues to shove me away from her as hard as she can.
I need to focus on finding the hikers. I can deal with the shit with Jessie later.
Patrick nods to several of the other volunteers who have been doing this for a couple years. “Once we reach this point, we’re going to break off in teams. New volunteers will be paired with more senior volunteers. Let’s head out.”
The fear melts from Jessie as she stands up and looks at me. At least, it looks like it fades. There’s still some hesitancy lingering in her eyes as we put on our jackets and run for the equipment shed.
Jessie stays close behind me as I grab a snowmobile and hop on. She glances around at the other volunteers getting onto vehicles for a moment.
That stings.
When she glances back at me, there’s guilt in her eyes. It doesn’t stop her from scanning the shed for a better option though.
