Count Me In (12 page)
“I'll help!” Cedar called from downstairs. His face appeared at the top of the ladder. “What's going on?”
“Try and talk to her,” Tabitha said. “She won't come without Max.”
But there was no talking to Ashley. She'd worked herself into a fit and wouldn't stop thrashing long enough to recognize that Cedar was there.
“Quick,” said Pete. “I don't know how much longer I can hold her!”
“Lower her as far as you can, and we'll catch her at the bottom.” Cedar dropped back to the ground floor.
Pete raised his eyebrows. “You sure? If we drop her, it could damage her face even more.”
“You have a better idea?” Cedar called from below.
Pete and Tabitha shook their heads.
Pete held Ashley under her armpits while Tabitha climbed halfway down the ladder, ducking to avoid her cousin's thrashing feet.
“Don't miss!” Cedar called.
“I'm going to lean over as far as I can,” Pete said. “She won't have far to go.” He dangled Ashley's feet over the edge.
When her hips were over, she started screaming even louder. “Let me go! I'm staying here!”
Cedar reached up and grabbed her legs. “Now!”
Pete let go and Ashley fell into their arms, a kicking, screaming mess. The effort knocked Tabitha to the floor. But they had managed to cushion Ashley's fall. Pete climbed down the ladder to help Cedar try to control her, while Tabitha scrambled up from the floor and ran to get the door.
Pete threw Ashley over his back in a fireman's hold and jogged to the helicopter. Tabitha hurried after him, the thought of the promised caramels giving her the energy to move quickly.
The helicopter door stood open. Pete climbed up the steps and dropped Ashley inside. Coming after him, Tabitha saw that he'd managed to strap Ashley into her seat. Tess sat beside her, trying to calm her.
“It'll be okay,” Tess said.
Ashley sobbed and sobbed, but no tears fell from her eyes. “I don't want to leave him!”
Tabitha stood for a moment on the threshold of the helicopter. The only two seats left were the one next to Ashley and the passenger seat. She crawled through to the front. Cedar climbed in beside Ashley. Pete was checking the controls.
“Pete,” she said. “Could we have those caramels now?”
“Right, I forgot.” He passed a bag to her. She forced herself to only keep two for herself before passing the bag back. She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. The sweet, buttery flavor coated her tongue. All too soon, it was over. She ate the second one. Her stomach still felt empty. She'd need to eat the whole bag to satisfy her hunger.
Pete picked up the radio and began talking. “Pete to base station. Please connect me with Squamish hospital.”
Tess gasped. Tabitha spun around. “What's wrong?”
“The ashes!” She tried to undo her seatbelt, but couldn't lift her arm to do it.
“Mom, stop!” Cedar yelled. “I'll go get them!”
Tabitha opened her door. “No, I will. You look after those two.”
“Hey!” called Pete. Tabitha ignored him and ran stumbling back to the hut. She couldn't believe how out of breath she was from the short run. Up the steps one more time. Into the hut. The ashes sat in their usual place on the shelf.
“Hi, Bruce,” she breathed. “Looks like you're going back home again. I think you'd be happier up here, but I'm not arguing with Tess.” She screwed up her face and grabbed them off the shelf.
“Wow, Bruce. You weigh a lot.” Running with the heavy box in her hand was awkward. She settled into a fast walk.
“C'mon,” Pete called from the helicopter. “We need to get moving.”
Tabitha climbed the steps to the helicopter once again, and passed the ashes to Tess.
“Thanks,” her aunt said. A tear trickled out of her eye as she stroked the box.
The rotors began to spin and roar. Pete checked to make sure they had their straps fastened, and a moment later they were lifting off the ground. Tabitha's stomach lurched. In all the ruckus of getting Ashley out of the hut, she'd forgotten to be excited about her first helicopter ride. She pressed her face against the window and watched the ground drop away beneath her. Soon the whole lake was visible. As they made a sharp turn to head for the Squamish Valley, she caught a glimpse of something yellow moving along the trail. She did a double take. Could it be?
She glanced behind her to see if anyone else had noticed, but Cedar and Tess were both gripping Ashley's hands and talking to her. When she looked out the window again, Max, if it was really him, had disappeared. Had she imagined the whole thing? Maybe she was hallucinating. It would be possible, after everything they'd gone through in the last three days. She shook her head. But wait, there it was again. A yellow spot moving on the path.
Tabitha sucked in her breath. Max was alive. And they were leaving him behind.
The helicopter made a sharp turn to the right. The pathâand Maxâwere no longer visible. She sat back in her seat. Max was really there. She had to come back to get him.
Before she knew it, they were landing at the Squamish hospital. As soon as they touched down, four attendants dressed in pale blue scrubs ran to the helicopter, hunched over to avoid the rotors. Each pushed a wheelchair.
“I can walk,” Tabitha said.
“We'd still like you to ride in this,” said a nurse wearing a nametag that said
Patricia
. Tabitha sighed and sat. It did feel good to have someone push her around.
As Patricia wheeled her into the building, she saw two familiar figures standing by the door. “Mom! Dad!” She leaped to her feet and ran the rest of the way.
“Tabitha!' her mom cried as she wrapped her in a hug. The tears that Tabitha had fought to contain over the last few days spilled out as she allowed herself to be engulfed in her parents' arms.
After a few minutes Patricia gently tugged at her arm. “Tabitha, we'd like to check you out in triage.”
“I'm fine, really,” Tabitha said. “Just hungry.”
“We'll get you some food as soon as we've made sure you're okay.”
Tabitha sighed and sat back in the wheelchair. Her parents followed closely behind. Tabitha grinned. Were they worried that if they let her out of her sight they wouldn't see her for another seven days?
She let the nurse take her temperature and blood pressure, and ask her several questions before saying, “Can I have the food now?”
“Yes,” Patricia said. “You're fine. Eat, and then we'll release you. And remember to drink lots of water.”
Tabitha's eyes widened at the feast Patricia wheeled in front of her. Chicken, rice, tomato soup, Jello and a fruit cup. She cut into the chicken, too hungry to enjoy the taste, barely swallowing before she shoveled the next chunk in. Within minutes the whole tray was empty.
“That was impressive,” her dad said.
“Any more?” Tabitha asked.
“You shouldn't overdo it,” her mom said. “I'll make you something at home after we check on Tess and Ashley.”
Tabitha pushed herself out of the wheelchair. With a wave to Patricia, they walked out the door. They found Cedar pacing the reception area. Tabitha's mom and dad gave him a hug, but he stared down the hallway, barely seeming to register their arms around him.
“Did you eat?” Tabitha asked.
Cedar nodded. “Two trays.”
“Where are your mom and Ashley?”
“They've both been admitted. They're in a room down that hallway, but I'm not allowed in until the doctor's done.” He gripped the back of a chair. “This is harder than anything we did up there.”
Tabitha reached up and pulled lightly on his ponytail. “They'll be okay. We're in the hospital now, and they'll get the medicine they need.”
Cedar tore his eyes off the hallway and smiled at Tabitha. “I hope you're right.”
Tabitha thought about seeing Max from the helicopter. Should she tell him? No. He didn't need to worry about anything else.
A young woman with a stethoscope draped around her neck approached their group.
“You can go in now, Cedar.”
“How are they?” Tabitha's mom asked.
“They're both asleep. Tess is hooked up to
IV
antibiotics. I can't say for sure, but I think we've caught the infection early enough. She should be fine.”
“And Ashley?” Cedar asked.
“We've pumped her full of fluids. There's no more worry about dehydration. We ran some X-rays on her cheek. The bone is broken, but I don't think surgery will be necessary. She'll be sore for a few weeks though.”
Everybody breathed out in unison. Cedar ran to the door with a quick wave.
“I'd like to see my sister,” Tabitha's mom said.
Tabitha put a hand on her arm. “Why don't you come back later? Cedar needs some time alone with her.”
Her mom's eyes opened wide. Then she nodded.
“Let's go home,” her dad said.
When they arrived home, Tabitha ran to the bathroom. She was so happy to see the toilet, she almost hugged it. She showered, reveling in the beautiful hot water coursing over her, washing away seven days of muck, fear and anxiety.
She meant to eat another meal, but her bed called out to her and drew her in. She lay on the soft mattress and for a moment did nothing but enjoy the clean, slippery sheets beneath her legs. Then she sighed. Max was still up on the mountain. She had to go back.
Her heart jumped. Back across the river. Up the treacherous muddy trail to face the bear. How would she find Max when she got to the hut? She couldn't do it alone.
She woke to her mother gently shaking her and a familiar rumbling in her stomach.
“Time for breakfast,” her mom said.
“But it's the afternoon.”
Her mom smiled. “You slept all night.”
Tabitha sat up and rubbed her eyes, then threw on some clothes and padded into the kitchen. Her dad was buried in a programming magazine. Some things never changed. And that was okay with her.
“Have you heard from the hospital?” She filled a huge bowl with corn flakes and loaded a spoonful of brown sugar on top.
Her mom nodded. “I spent most of the night there. Tess and Ashley are both stable. They'll probably be discharged in a day or two.” Tabitha chewed her cereal, filled with relief at the news. She wondered if Ashley would feel the same way if the tables were turned. Could her cousin hate her that much? If she brought Max back, maybe Ashley wouldn't hate her anymore.
She spent the day lying around on the couch, resting, enjoying the small pleasures in taking food out of the fridge and turning on a tap to get water. She tried hard not to think about Max and Ashley.
Her mom woke her again the next morning. “Bus'll be here in five minutes. Better get moving.”
“Can't I stay home for one more day?”
Her mom smiled. “You've already missed five days of school. It will be good for you to get back with your friends and put this behind you.”
Tabitha grabbed her schoolbag and jacket. The only good thing about getting stranded on a mountain with no food was that she hadn't thought about Melissa for days.
As she climbed aboard the bus, Cedar's words ran through her mind.
If you don't let them bother
you, they stop
. She found an empty seat near the front, where the little kids sat, and rode to school in silence.
Her teacher smiled and said, “Welcome back,” as she took her seat. Several students whispered behind their hands as she sat. Nothing had changed.
On the playground at recess, Melissa led a group of girls to her. “You been hiding from us?”
“No.”
“So where were you?”
Why did she care? “Hiking.” She looked away, across the field.
“You? Hiking?” Melissa snickered. “Oh, were you with those freakshow hippies who got caught on the mountain?”
Something inside Tabitha snapped. Who did Melissa think she was? As if she'd be able to survive what Tabitha had. She probably would have panicked and been swept down the river.
Tabitha spun to face Melissa, feeling strong, like a mother bear defending her cubs. “Those were my cousins. And, for your information, Ashley almost died this weekend.” She took a step toward Melissa.
Melissa shrank back, looking for support behind her. The other girls stepped away.
Tabitha wanted to hit Melissa. To shake her until all of her snarky comments fell to the ground. But Cedar's face popped into her mind. That wouldn't get her anywhere. Melissa wasn't worth it anyway.
“You don't know anything.” She turned and walked away, not checking once over her shoulder to see Melissa's reaction.
The rest of the day drifted by in a haze. She sped through her math problems and stared out the window, thinking about Max. Social studies was a blur. She was supposed to be reading about Aboriginal forms of travel, but the words wouldn't make sentences for her. Then her eye caught a picture of a canoe and her heart jolted. That was it. The canoe.
