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Betty Snyder continued to hear regularly from Dick about the group’s progress as they trekked over some of the most difficult of the Cascade mountains. Trying not to be obvious, Abby phoned Betty every other day or so, to hear whatever information she could impart. Abby still didn’t know the true reasons Logan had joined this venture, but she believed they were the wrong ones.
The first week after his departure, Abby received a postcard. She’d laughed and cried and hugged it to her breast. An email would’ve been nice. Or a phone call. But she’d settle—happily—for a postcard. Crazy, wonderful Logan. Anyone else would have sent her a scene of picturesque Seattle or at least the famous mountain he was about to climb. Not Logan. Instead, he sent her a picture of a salmon.
His message was simple:
How are you? Wish you were here. I saw you at the airport. Thank you for coming. See you soon.
Love, Logan
Abby treasured the card more than the bottles of expensive French perfume he’d given her. Even when several other people on the team received similar messages, it didn’t negate her pleasure. The postcard was tucked in her purse as a constant reminder of Logan. Not that Abby needed anything to jog her memory; Logan was continually in her thoughts. And although the message on the postcard was impersonal, Abby noted that he’d signed it with his love. It was a minor thing, but she held on to it with all her might. Logan did love her, and somehow, some way, they were going to overcome their differences because what they shared was too precious to relinquish.
“Disturbing news out of Washington State for climbers on Mount Rainier…” the radio announced.
Abby felt her knees go weak as she pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. She immediately turned up the volume.
“An avalanche has buried eleven climbers. The risk of another avalanche is hampering the chances of rescue. Six men from the Minneapolis area were making a southern ascent at the time of the avalanche. Details at the hour.”
A slow, sinking sensation attacked Abby as she placed a trembling hand over her mouth.
During the news, the announcer related the sketchy details available about the avalanche and fatalities and concluded the report with the promise of updates as they became available. Abby ran for the TV and turned it to an all-news channel. She heard the same report over and over. Each word struck Abby like a body blow, robbing her lungs of oxygen. Pain constricted her chest. Fear, anger, and a hundred emotions she couldn’t identify were all swelling violently within her. When the telephone rang, she nearly tumbled off the chair in her rush to answer it.
Please, oh, please don’t let this be a call telling me Logan’s dead, her mind screamed. He promised he’d come back.
It was Betty Snyder.
“Abby, do you have your radio or TV on?” she asked urgently. Her usual calm manner had evaporated.
“Yes…I know,” Abby managed shakily. “Have you heard from Dick?”
“No.” Her soft voice trembled. “Abby, the team was making a southern ascent. If they survived the avalanche, there’s a possibility they’ll be trapped on the mountain for days before a rescue team can reach them.” Betty sounded as shocked as Abby was.
“We’ll know soon if it’s them.”
“It’s not them,” Betty continued on a desperate note, striving for humor. “And if it isn’t, I’ll personally kill Dick for putting me through this. We should hear something soon.”
“I hope so.”
“Abby,” Betty asked with concern, “are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.” But hearing the worry in her friend’s voice did little to reassure her. “Do you want me to come over? I can take the day off…”
“Dick’s mother is coming and she’s a handful. You go on to work and I’ll call you if I hear from Dick—or anyone.”
“Okay.” Her friends at the clinic and on the team would need reassurance themselves, and Abby could quickly relay whatever messages came through. She’d check her computer regularly for any breaking news.
“Everything’s going to work out fine.” Betty’s tone was low and wavering, and Abby realized her friend expected the worst.
The day was a living nightmare; her every nerve was stretched taut. With each ring of the office phone her pulse thundered before she could bring it under control and react normally.
Keeping busy was essential for her sanity those first few hours. But by quarter to five she’d managed to settle her emotions. The worst that could’ve happened was that Logan was dead. The worst. But according to the news, no one from the Minneapolis area was listed among those missing and presumed dead. Abby decided to believe they were fine; there was no need to face any other possibility until necessary.
After work Abby drove directly to Betty’s. She hadn’t realized how emotionally and physically drained she was until she got there. But she forced herself to relax before entering her friend’s home, more for Betty’s sake than for her own.
“Have you heard anything?” she asked calmly as Betty let her in the front door. She could hear the TV in the background.
“Not a word.” Betty studied Abby closely. “Just what’s on the news. The hardest part is not knowing.”
Abby nodded and bit her bottom lip. “And the waiting. I won’t give up my belief that Logan’s alive and well. He must be, because I’m alive and breathing. If anything happened to Logan, I’d know. My heart would know if he was dead.” Abby recognized that her logic was questionable, but she expected her friend to understand better than anyone else exactly what she was saying.
