Far Country (47 page)

           
Quickly Kelly pressed the call button again in rapid succession. Everyone
seemed to hold their breath, listening intently for a sound…”I hear it!” The
female ranger exclaimed excitedly. “She must have been planning to climb up
that crevasse,” the ranger said, pointing to a narrow chimney between two great
slabs of stone that seemed to reach all the way to the summit.  Kelly
looked up and tried to imagine Alyssa climbing it like the freestyle climbers
she had watched on the Cliffside just a short time before.

           
“But she never made it over to the chimney,” Steve pointed out. “She slipped
somewhere back here in the shale.” He moved back along the narrow path and
looked at Kelly. “Ring it again,” he instructed her. Kelly hit the button and a
faint ringing seemed to float up to them.

           
Kelly looked around. To her right, the wall of rock towered imposingly. It
appeared tempting and even possible to climb.  But to her left the land
leveled off into a sparsely treed woodland, that abruptly fell away into the
jagged cliff below.  If you were looking ahead and studying the chimney,
how easy it would be to step carelessly and fall!

           
Kelly’s knees went weak. How had Alyssa fallen down that and survived this
long? She called Alyssa again. “Alyssa! We can hear your radio, but we can’t
see you.”

           
Kelly sighed with relief when Alyssa’s replied this time, even though her voice
sounded even weaker and more disconnected. ‘I’m on a ledge…. My backpack caught
on a… scrubby tree… and I kind of hung there… then I fell down to this ledge
thing.”

           
Pete
Bergan
stepped dangerously near the edge and
peered off into the void below, searching for some sign of the girl. 
“There!” He said at last. “I see a scrub birch with some broken branches. It’s
got to be the one she was talking about. The cliff side bulges right there. I
think she’s probably below that lip.”

           
He looked at Ranger Jamison. “Let’s get the ropes and rescue gear. We need to
go over right near here.” The female ranger laughed nervously. “I’m not so good
with heights, you guys,” she said, “but I’ll be right here rooting for you.”

           
The curly headed blonde ranger named McIntyre, who looked like he should be
hefting a surfboard instead of a first aid kit, gave her a thumbs up. 
“It’s okay, Jill, we got it. You handle topside communications.”

           
Ranger Jamison and Steve disappeared back the way they had just come and
returned a few minutes later carrying nylon gear bags and an aluminum rescue
litter made
specially
for rope rescues. Once again,
Kelly felt her heart lurch.
Just how badly was Alyssa hurt? Why did she keep
fading out when they talked?
         

           
“Here Chuck,” Steve said, handing him one of the bags that he and Jill had
retrieved. They knelt and began to unpack ropes, small hammers and climbing
harnesses. The ranger that Steve called Chuck handed one harness to Steve and
began putting on the second harness himself.  Unexpectedly, Steve seemed
to freeze in place, staring at the harness. His knuckles clutched the strapping
so tightly they turned white.  Kelly, for the moment distracted from Alyssa’s
plight, was puzzled by Steve’s expression at first. Then she realized that he
was afraid!

           
Of course
, she remembered.
The accident last year – he’d only just
returned to Hanging Rock a couple of weeks ago…he’s scared of going over the
edge!
Chuck completed fastening the straps and turned around. He paused in
surprise and took in Steve’s expression. Without missing a beat he reached for
the harness and gently took it from Steve’s hands.  “No offense, dude,” he
told Steve, but I don’t think you should attempt a rope rescue until we’ve had
a chance to re-qualify you. Pete and I will handle this one.”

           
Steve’s eyes were bleak. “Yeah, okay Chuck,” he managed.

 Chuck raised his voice.
“Pete!” He called out loudly. “Come get into this harness.”

           
Pete had been communicating with the base at the Visitor’s Center, informing
them of what was happening, but when Chuck called to him, he signed off and
joined Chuck and Steve. Without a word, Pete took the second harness, and
handed the command radio to Steve. He glanced questioningly at Chuck, who
simply mouthed “later”. Pete nodded and stepped into the harness.

           
Steve took a deep shaky breath and let it out slowly. Then he seemed to snap
out of the moment, and reached for the aluminum stretcher.. “Jill and I will
get this ready for you.”

           
Minutes later, Pete and Chuck dropped smoothly over the side. 

           
Hoping to keep Alyssa talking and focused, Kelly squeezed the call button.
“Alyssa? Two rangers just went over the side. They’re coming down to get you.
Do you see them?”

           
Alyssa called back. She still sounded in weak and in pain, but there was a
glint of humor in her voice. “Is one of them Ranger Williams?”

           
Kelly blushed. She was standing right next to Steve, watching as the other two
rangers disappeared over the edge. She didn’t miss the surprised grin of
interest on the female ranger’s face, either. Kelly didn’t dare to look up to
see Steve’s expression.

           
“No,” she called back.  “But he is here and he is standing right beside
me,” she warned her niece.

           
A few moments later, Alyssa’s voice called back to her Aunt.  “So….have
you asked him The Question yet?”

           
“No,” she replied sharply. “But you can ask him yourself in a few
minutes.  Do you see the rangers yet?”

           
“Yeah, I see them.”

           
Suddenly, Chuck's voice cut in on Steve’s radio. “Okay, we’re about even with
her.  She was a little further to the left than we’d guessed….Wow.”

           
Steve pressed the talk button.  “What does ‘wow’ mean?”

           
“I mean…dude, I have NO idea how she managed to end up where she is. My winter
coat’s got bigger pockets than this ledge!”

           
“God is good, Chuck,” Steve affirmed. “How does Alyssa look?”

           
“Give us a sec, amigo, we’re not quite there yet. Adjusting to the right…”

           
Steve, Kelly and Jill waited impatiently for Chuck and Pete to assess Alyssa’s
condition.  Finally, Pete’s voice came over the radio.  “Chuck’s
looking her over now. She’s got lots of contusions, a compound fracture to the
left thigh…a broken wrist, and possibly some broken ribs…some tenderness in her
belly, Steve…. She’s able to focus though, and she’s looking at Chuck like he’s
her hero for all time, and man, is he eating it up. Probably going to swell his
head for weeks!” Pete reported in a mock disgusted voice.

           
“Not once I get done with him,” Jill vowed under her breath.

           
“Steve, go ahead and lower the litter. I think she’ll do better if we
immobilize some of these
ouchies
.”

           
“You’ve got it,” Steve replied. Jill dropped the board, which had already been
attached to the pins by Steve, over the side, and began lowering it steadily.
“Coming your way now,” Steve informed Pete. When it had reached the right
level, Jill locked the mechanism in place to keep it from slipping at an angle.

           
Jill sat back and smiled reassuringly at Kelly.  “They practice things like
this all the time,” Jill explained to her. “They’ll have your girl
snugged
down in just a few minutes, then we’ll bring her
right up.”

           
Kelly smile nervously, understanding what was taking so long, but hating the
helplessness she felt. She bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet,
feeling the late afternoon chill as the sun began to set. Kelly began to wish
for something warmer than her tank top and shorts. In fact, she wouldn’t mind a
few more minutes of the merciless sunshine that had baked her earlier that
afternoon.

           
“All
righty
, then,” Pete called up suddenly,
startling them all.  “She’s ready to travel.”

           
Steve and Jill slowly raised the litter as Chuck guided it past the snagging
branches of the little birch tree.

           
At last, Kelly knelt next to her headstrong niece with a mixture of fear and
relief.  She was so grateful to have her safely off the cliff, but it was
clear that the fall had done much damage to the girl. And though Alyssa smiled
at her Aunt and spoke lucidly, Kelly was under no illusions as to how much pain
the child was in.

           
Moments after Steve and Jill had disconnected the litter from the ropes, the
two rangers whisked Alyssa to the truck and slid her in the back.  Kelly
followed close behind.

           
“I’ll drive,” Jill volunteered, heading straight for the cab. “They seem to
know you, so you should sit with them.”

           
“Thanks,” Steve acknowledged. He climbed in and then turned to help Kelly
scramble in. She was barely seated before Jill had the truck in motion, beeping
the horn every so often to warn hikers to clear the path.

           
Kelly glanced back toward the trees they had just left. She knew that the two
rangers who had rescued Alyssa were probably not even out of their harnesses
yet. “Aren’t we going to wait for your friends?” She asked, confused.

           
“They’ll be along,” Steve replied unconcernedly.  “They still have to
secure the site before they head back, and Pete could use the walk. His fiancé
has been fattening him up ever since their engagement.”

           
Kelly suddenly realized that Steve was opening a first aid kit and was on the
phone. Deftly he prepared a saline bag and inserted a needle in to Alyssa’s
scratched and bruised forearm. He also took her pulse and blood pressure,
reporting the information over the phone.

           
Kelly sat by Alyssa’s head, talking softly to distract her, and stroking her
hair like she was a small child again.

           
At last, Steve hung up and looked at Kelly. “The ambulance will meet us at the
park entrance. They’ll take Alyssa on to the hospital in Winston- Salem.”

           
“Is it bad?” Kelly mouthed quietly to Steve.

           
He shrugged.  “Hard to tell,” he answered truthfully. We can see the broken
bones and the cuts, we can assume a concussion, but we don’t really know what’s
happening inside. She’s got more going on than the local trauma unit wants to
deal with, though.”

           
“Aunt Kelly?”

           
“Yes, darling, I’m right here,” Kelly told her niece softly.

           
“I’m not feeling very good right now. Am I going to be okay?”

           
Kelly forced a calm smile. “I think you’ll be fine,” she soothed the girl. “But
next year, I think I’ll take you to the beach, instead of the mountains.”

           
Alyssa moaned involuntarily as Jill bounced the truck up the hill that
connected the road to the Visitor’s Center parking lot. Once off the gravel
trail, she increased her speed.

           
“I can’t believe I fell,” Alyssa complained in a tired voice.

           
“You’re not the first, Alyssa,” Steve consoled her. “Every year someone has to
create a little drama and keep us on our toes.” He laughed a little. “Last year
it was me.”

           
There was a brief silence, and then Alyssa said, “That explains it, then.”

           
“That explains what?” Steve asked, trying to keep her talking.

           
“Why you weren’t here to sign us in last year. Aunt Kelly said that you must
have moved away.”

           
“No, just fell off a cliff same as you,” Steve said lightly. “Why would you
care if I signed you in?” He asked quickly to refocus her attention as her eyes
began to close.

           
“It was the game,” Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open again open. “We were always
trying to talk to you, but you were so stiff.” She giggled a little. “We called
you the ‘rigid ranger’.

           
Steve’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced quickly at Kelly, who blushed, suddenly
mortified. Alyssa was telling inside jokes.

           
“Rigid Ranger, huh?”

           
“Alyssa nodded. “Never smiled.”

           
Steve checked her eyes and moistened her lips with some Gatorade. “I sound
pretty dull, Alyssa,” he said loudly to regain her attention. “I’m surprised
you girls ever bothered to give me a nickname.”

           
Alyssa groaned a little and tried to shift on the rescue litter. She frowned
trying to remember what they were talking about.  “It was part of the
game...”

           
Kelly broke in. “Alyssa, maybe you should get some rest now, sweetie.”

           
But Steve had a half serious, half mischievous grin on his face. “No, let
Alyssa talk,” He told Kelly. "Go on, Alyssa – what kind of game?”

           
Steve stared right at Kelly, who thought that it was a good thing that they
were going to meet an ambulance, as she was about to die of embarrassment.