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Michelle stopped and listened. The wind picked up and scattered leaves from around a tree trunk. Was that all Sarah had heard? She didn’t think so. It was more like a cough or something. Was the man back? She and Michelle exchanged a long, frightened gaze.
A flicker of movement caught Sarah’s attention, and she stared. Was that a snake in the tree moving its head? She peered through the wispy fog and shook her head. She lifted a shaky hand and pointed to a mountain lion off to their right, on a thick branch about eight feet up. Its tail lashing back and forth was the movement she’d seen.
Its golden eyes stared down at them, and Sarah shivered. She wanted to run, but her feet were glued to the ground.
Another movement just five feet to the left of the cougar drew Sarah’s attention. She gasped when she saw the ski-masked man sidling their way. His revolver was in his hand, and his gaze was fixed on them.
“Michelle,” Sarah whispered.
“I see it. Don’t move and don’t run.”
“No, look to its left.”
Michelle adjusted her gaze, and her jaw tightened. She leaned on her stick, and fear radiated off her—the same fear Sarah felt as the man took another step in their direction.
***
The antiseptic smell of the hospital added to Annie’s sense of shock. Jon lay unconscious in a room just beyond that door. Kylie slept in her arms after a doctor checked her out, and Annie feared the worst about the man she had loved since she was a teenager.
What would she do if Jon died? He’d crept back into her heart so quickly, she hadn’t been able to put up any resistance. Seeing him spread-eagled in the tree played over and over in her mind. She’d peeled plenty of drivers out of cars after they’d hit trees, and it was never pretty. You’d think a tree would soften the impact, but it was an immovable object.
Dr.Eckright exited a room, and Annie struggled to her feet with Kylie’s dead weight slowing her down. He came toward her, and his expression did nothing to soothe her fears.
“H-he’s dead?” Her voice hadn’t recovered much in spite of several hours of rest, and it came out as a squeak.
Kylie stirred at her words and lifted her head. Her eyes opened, and her arms came around Annie’s neck. “Dr. Ben, did you bring Jon a sucker?”
“I’ll make sure he gets one, Kylie.” Ben put his hand on Annie’s shoulder. “He’s in a coma, Annie. Some of the smaller branches slowed his descent, but he still slammed into a large tree limb. He’s got a couple of fractured ribs, and I’m worried about that concussion. He hit his head again in the fall. He dislocated his left shoulder, but we managed to put it back into place. I’d suspect his climb down to get Kylie resulted in that injury. But he’s a tough guy and did it anyway. If he pulls through this, he deserves a medal for saving her.”
“He saved me.” Kylie’s voice quivered. “He can’t die.”
“We’re going to do our best to take care of him,” Ben said. “He needs to be moved to Houghton, and I’m arranging for a helicopter to transport him there as quickly as possible.”
Annie couldn’t take it all in. A coma. What did that mean? “How long before he wakes?”
“There’s no way of knowing. Keep talking to him, both of you. We know now that comatose patients often are more aware than they seem. If anything will bring Jon back, it’s his love for the two of you. Would you like to see him before he’s transferred?”
“Oh yes,” Annie whispered. She put Kylie down and took her hand. “Bug, he’s going to look pretty bad. He’ll have lots of tubes attached to him, too, but don’t be afraid.”
She led her daughter into a room filled with equipment, and Jon was hooked up to all of it. The beep of the monitors added a nightmarish soundtrack to the scene.
Tears spilled down Kylie’s cheeks. “He looks dead.”
“He’s just sleeping,” Annie squeaked out.
Talking to him would be a challenge when she could barely get sounds out of her throat. But if he was in there, he’d hear her. He’d always been such a good listener. Sometimes she thought he could read her mind.
She moved to his side and took his hand, careful not to jerk on theIV in his arm. She caressed the hair off his forehead and leaned over to press her lips against his. She breathed in the scent of him and imprinted it on her memory in case it was the last time she saw him alive.
“I’m here, Jon. Kylie’s here. You saved her. The doctor thinks you dislocated your shoulder getting down to her, which was why you couldn’t hang on when we tried to bring you up. You’re our hero. When you wake up, I’m going to fix you chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. I hate baking pies, but I’ll find your mom’s cherry pie recipe and bake you the biggest one you’ve ever seen.”
Kylie crept closer to the bed. “I’ll help her. Thank you for coming to get me. I was scared. Taylor said you’re my dad. Is that true?”
At the words Annie swiveled her neck to stare at her daughter. During the emergency, the truth coming out hadn’t been a priority.
She knelt beside her daughter and looked into her blue eyes. “It’s true, Bug. Jon didn’t know about it until he came here. I didn’t either. I know this hurts you, and I don’t ever want you to think you can’t talk about Daddy. In every way that matters, he is still your daddy. He loved you so much.”
“I know. I feel him talking to me sometimes.” Kylie stared at Jon’s white face. “I think Jon must love me too. He came to save me. I haven’t been nice to him.”
