Montana Wild (6 page)

Chapter 8

The image of Rick carrying Jamie’s limp body seemed like a scene from a nightmare. Her limbs dangled lifelessly as Rick rushed across the bridge. Gathering all his remaining strength, Kevin caught up to Rick and followed close behind. Someone had already filled Doc in on the details and a sleeping bag on the ground awaited Jamie’s arrival. Rick gently placed her on the bag.

Doc looked concerned. “Get those wet clothes off her,” he commanded.

Kevin and Rick looked at each other sheepishly.

“This is no time to be bashful!” Doc yelled. “If we don’t warm her up, she could go into shock if she hasn’t already. You can leave her underwear on, for Christ’s sake! Someone get blankets, lots of blankets!”

Everyone scattered to their tents, and Kevin and Rick jumped into action. They pulled off Jamie’s shoes then proceeded to unzip and remove her shorts. As soon as they pulled them down, Mike threw a blanket over her pale, unmoving body and Kevin shot him a grateful look. Kevin surprised himself over his worry about Jamie’s modesty at a time like this but felt relief to see a sports bra. They pulled the shirt over her head and rolled her to the other side to slide it out from under her. As they did, Kevin gasped.

“Oh my god Doc, look at this!” An angry, reddish-purple bruise covered the right half of her back and side.

“Jesus, she must have hit something!” Doc observed.

“A log hit her,” Kevin remembered out loud.

“I hope she didn’t crack any ribs. I better listen to her lungs to make sure she didn’t puncture one.” Doc reached for the stethoscope in his black bag as they held her over on her side so he could listen.

“Her breaths are too shallow and the water is too noisy for me to hear. Cover her up with lots of blankets. We need to warm her. Can you get her some dry clothes? And get a hat for her.”

Kevin ran to his tent and ransacked his bag until he found a fleece top and pants then ran back. Ben helped him redress Jamie but it was like dressing a rag doll.

Jamie’s stillness scared Kevin the most. She didn’t move or even twitch. Like Doc said, her breaths were shallow as if she were hardly breathing. Pale and cold, she looked lifeless. He reached under the blankets and grabbed her hand which felt like ice. He covered her hand with his.

“I don’t think there’re any fractures or injuries other than that nasty bruise on her back. Her pressure’s pretty low but I expected that. Nothing we can do right now but keep her warm. Someone heat up something for her to drink when she wakes up. And we still need a hat, a fleece or stocking cap.” He looked at Kevin. “She’ll wake up.”

Kevin nodded, appreciating Doc’s effort to console him.

“Kevin, why don’t you go get some dry clothes on yourself?” Ben urged.

“No, I want to stay here.”

“Go change, it’ll only take a minute. I’ll stay with her until you get back. It could be a long night.” Ben threw Kevin a sad smile. “I’ll stay with her.”

At that moment Kevin realized he was chilled to the bone and knew that he wouldn’t be much good later if he didn’t get into something dry. The sun began to set and the temp was dropping.

“Okay,” he whispered, and headed to his tent.

As he changed, he tried to grasp everything that had happened.
How did everything change so drastically in just minutes?

When he returned to Jamie’s side, Rick and Tommy were there. Rick looked at Kevin.

“How is she?” Rick’s normally grinning face was now deeply lined with worry, his eyes dark and sad. He held Tommy in his arms, not wanting to put him down.

“Doc says all we can do is keep her warm and wait. He doesn’t think she fractured any ribs.” Kevin knelt down next to Jamie and picked up her hand again, which felt a little warmer.
It should be
, Kevin thought,
everyone has piled enough blankets on her
. He was touched by the gesture and obvious concern of all the campers. Someone had placed a fleece cap on her head. They all stayed away per Doc’s orders. He didn’t want a crowd around her now.

Tommy’s face said it all. He looked tearful as he stared at Jamie.
Poor guy. Seeing her lay lifeless like this must bring back memories of his mother.
Finally Tommy broke down and hugging him tighter, Rick walked away, whispering into his son’s ear.

“Doc, shouldn’t we try calling someone?” Kevin asked. Jamie should have stirred by now.

“I already tried. We’re in a dead zone and you can’t travel these back roads at night. It’s getting dark, and the trucks don’t come until tomorrow morning. She’s stable. Her blood pressure is low but it’s coming up and I don’t think she punctured a lung. Let’s give her more time. Sometimes the body shuts down to protect itself. Her temp is still pretty low. Kevin, we need to warm her up now.” Doc made eye contact with Kevin then turned away, still talking. “I hope someone has those hot drinks ready when we need them.”

Once Kevin changed into dry clothes, he’d warmed up quickly. He looked at Jamie covered in blankets, still unconscious from hypothermia.
Body heat. That’s what she needs
.
First-aid 101.
Kevin pulled off his sweatshirt and climbed underneath the mound of blankets that covered Jamie. Lifting up the back of her shirt, he slid one arm under her as he pulled her close to his bare chest and spooned her. Mindful of her bruised back, he held her still body against his and rubbed the bare skin of her shoulder and arm. Gently he slid one leg over her, trying to cover as much of her body as possible. Her skin, soft as silk, still felt cool to his touch and he kept rubbing it, trying to make friction.

Holding her so close, he inhaled her scent into his lungs, savoring her essence. Pulling her into him, his lips grazed her ear, then her cheek, making him lose all track of time. Holding her within his arms he wanted to heal her, infuse his strength into her, and shield her from any more harm. Never before had he felt so protective of another being.

“Come on, baby, wake up. Wake up, please,” he whispered into her ear. “Please.” Closing his eyes, he pulled her closer to him, holding her, never wanting to let go.

How had it happened that this person on the other end of a phone line two thousand miles away had slowly crept into the important list of people in his mind and in his heart? Meeting her in person had only cemented his feelings.

Initially he’d been drawn to her kind, nurturing spirit which she’d proven without a doubt today. After their first telephone conversation, the calls became increasingly frequent and he’d looked forward to their talks as a way of making up for not being there in person for Uncle Jacob. But with some guilt, he’d realized that his eagerness to talk with Jamie was not only for updates on his uncle.

Jamie seemed to ground him as to what was important in life. Their long talks had wandered into politics, world events, religion, morals, values, and ethics — the types of subjects that never arose at social events. It was the important stuff in life that no one seemed to want to talk about anymore. Most people today were more interested in sports, reality shows, or celebrity gossip. It was refreshing to converse with someone about topics that had real substance, subjects that affected life and gave insight into the person you were communicating with. It didn’t matter if you disagreed, it just mattered that you were having the conversation.

A noise brought him back to reality. Jamie stirred. Reluctantly he released her from his tight embrace and exited the covers. Putting his sweatshirt back on, he knelt low beside her. Blinking, she looked straight up, then darted her eyes around as if confused.

“Jamie! Doc! She’s waking up!” Kevin shot up on his knees. He held Jamie’s hand and talked to her.

Eyes large, she started to shiver.

“It’s okay, Jamie. You’re going to be all right.”

“What happened? Why am I here?” She tried to sit up.

“No, stay where you are. Stay under the covers. Doc?” Kevin called again, afraid to let Jamie move.

Doc came running over.

“Jamie, it’s Doc. You took a cold swim and passed out from hypothermia. You’re warming up nicely now and you’re going to be fine. I want you to stay under the covers for a while though. Hey, Mike,” Doc yelled, “can we get something warm for her to drink?

Jamie raised her head. Suddenly her eyes widened and her face registered frantic fear. She sat up and yelled, “Tommy!” She looked at Kevin, near tears. “Where’s Tommy? Is he okay?”

“Yes, yes, he’s fine, thanks to you,” Kevin answered but Jamie looked confused. Kevin recounted her jumping in after Tommy and Kevin’s retrieval of Tommy from her. As if on cue, Tommy came running over with Rick and Ben following behind.

“Jamie! Jamie!” Tommy ran to her, dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck.

“I thought you were dead!” he sobbed into her neck.

The force of his grip almost toppled her over. She winced as he hugged her but fiercely hugged him back, not letting go. Tommy and Jamie each thought they had lost each other. Four days ago they were strangers but they’d forged a tight friendship during the trip. The bond they shared now was ironclad and this was evident by the intensity of their hold on each other.

Tommy cried and Jamie tried to soothe him.

“It’s okay, Tom. It’s all right,” she whispered to him, stroking his head. “It’s okay. I thought I had lost you.” She tightened her arms around him. “We’re both very lucky. It’s all right now. We’re both fine now. Shhhh.” She continued to stroke his head and held him for a few minutes more but grimaced as Tommy grasped her tightly.

Watching the two of them, Rick must have seen Jamie’s expression of pain and bent over his son.

“Tommy, son, we need to let Jamie rest now. She needs to rest so she can get better.”

At this, Tommy loosened his embrace and backed away, assessing Jamie for himself. Wiping his tears away with his sleeve, his face was creased with worry.

“I want you to get better, Jamie. Okay? Promise?” Tommy’s voice cracked.

“I promise, don’t you worry. I’m just a little tired. We’ll talk soon. You and me.” Jamie looked at Tommy, then smiled as he nodded and she kissed his cheek.

“Okay.” He lingered, and before he left, Tommy kissed Jamie’s cheek, causing her to tear up again.

“I’ll see you later, big guy.”

Tommy stood up to leave but now his father bent down on one knee and ever so gently cupped Jamie’s chin in his hefty hand. He looked her in the eye as he spoke.

“I will
never
forget what you did today. You not only saved Tommy’s life but you saved mine too, because I would not have recovered if I lost him.” And Rick kissed Jamie’s other cheek. Witnessing this giant of a man expose his heart to the woman who had saved his son’s life was powerful. For a moment no one spoke.

“Rick,” Jamie paused, and then whispered, “I need to talk to you. Could you send Tommy away for a few minutes?” He furrowed his brows but nodded.

“Tom, could you go find Uncle Mike and get Jamie some hot tea to drink? Make sure he makes it like she likes it, with lemon and sugar.”

“Sure, Dad. I can do that.” Anxious to be helpful, Tommy ran toward the mess tent.

Once Tommy left, Rick turned his attention back to Jamie.

“Rick, it wasn’t me that saved Tommy.”

Chapter 9

Jamie inhaled and looked at Rick, Ben, and Kevin. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I can’t keep it in. I have to tell someone, especially you, Rick.” Jamie focused her eyes on him.

“I know you haven’t known me long, but I promise I’m not a religious fanatic or nut.” Jamie paused again and looked at Rick, taking a big swallow before she started.

“When I saw Tommy on the climb, I knew in my gut that it wasn’t good. I knew something would happen so I started running over the bridge to try to get to him. I didn’t know what to do but I had to do something. As I ran across the bridge, something,
someone
stopped me. I felt someone with me and she guided me the rest of the way. I stopped, climbed over the bridge railing and waited, all per her instructions. She told me when to jump and guided my hand to grab in the water for Tommy. It happened so fast but I wasn’t scared. I felt strangely calm and trusted her completely. The water was so powerful but the only thing I knew is that I had to hang on to Tom no matter how hard the water tried to tear us apart. She helped me grab that rock and gave me superhuman strength to pull us toward it against the rough waters.”

Jamie paused and took a breath. “Rick, it was your wife, Roseanne.” Jamie stopped as she heard Rick gasp. “I don’t know how I know that but I do. She used me to save her son.” All eyes were on Jamie but no one said a word. Jamie turned to Kevin.

“Kevin, after you took Tommy, I tried to climb up on that rock to get out of the water. I was so cold. Then something hit me in the back and I went under. At first, beneath the water, it was so cold, and I couldn’t pull up, no matter how hard I tried. Then, after a moment, I felt warm and relaxed. I wanted to let go and float away. I felt very peaceful. But Roseanne wouldn’t let me. She told me that it wasn’t my time and I had to go back and give Rick something.” Jamie rose to her knees watching Rick.

Rick remained motionless, with tears in his eyes. “What did she want you to give me?” His voice was hardly audible.

Barely speaking above a whisper, Jamie motioned with her finger for Rick to come closer. “This.”

She gently grabbed both of Rick’s earlobes and pulled his face down to hers. Opening her hands to caress both sides of his neck, she kissed his lips. The heartfelt and private kiss made Kevin and Ben look away. Jamie pulled back but made eye contact with Rick. “She said not to be sad anymore. She’s in a very good place.”

Rick didn’t speak, but appeared visibly shaken. He drew Jamie close again and whispered in her ear, “Thank you, Jamie, thank you.” He rose to his feet and walked away, obviously needing a few minutes to himself to digest it all. He voiced no doubts about what Jamie had told him.

She sat back down, exhausted again, emotionally and physically.

“I know it all sounds so crazy, but I swear I’m not making any of this up,” she pleaded to both Kevin and Ben, wanting them to believe her.

Kevin’s eyes were wide. “I do believe you. I never mentioned Tommy’s mother’s name to you. But even more convincing,” Kevin looked over at Ben, “is the way you pulled Rick’s ears to bring him down to you.” Kevin swallowed hard. “That was how Roseanne kissed him. She joked that she worried about disfiguring his ears after so many years but that was how she pulled the big guy down to her.” Kevin’s eyes were wide, unblinking.

“Wow!” Ben added. “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. Jamie, you had no way of ever knowing that. It’s something we all witnessed but never speak about since she’s been gone. We don’t talk about her at all for Rick’s sake.”

Suddenly feeling weak, Jamie put her head in her hands. She had a hard time believing it herself when she spoke about it out loud. But inside, she had no doubts and now felt a kinship with Roseanne.
Could that be why I felt such a bond with Tommy so quickly?
Trying to figure some things out could drive you crazy. Jamie sat there motionless, and then lowered herself unto her back, drained. She started shivering again.

With Doc at his side, Tommy approached, trying not to spill any of the hot tea for Jamie.

“You’re still hypothermic Jamie, and your blood pressure’s low. I want you to load up on warm drinks,” Doc instructed her.

“Okay, Doc. Thanks for all you’ve done.”

“Actually, now that you’re awake, I want to take a look at your side again and listen to your lungs. I’m worried you could’ve fractured a rib.” Doc pulled his stethoscope out of his pocket then helped Jamie sit up. He lifted up the back of her fleece top and slid his stethoscope underneath it. “Deep breaths now.” She followed his instructions and winced as he slid the stethoscope over the bruised area. “Good breath sounds.” Doc assured her. “Hard to tell if there are any fractures though. Any pain there with taking deep breaths?”

“The whole area is a little sore with any movement but I don’t think there are any broken ribs, Doc,” Jamie assured him.

“Let me be the doctor, okay? I want you to be real careful of that area and let me know if you get any pleuritic pain.”

“Yes, sir.” Jamie promised.

“Pleuritic pain? What’s that?” Ben asked.

“That’s medical jargon, Ben, don’t worry,” Jamie answered.

“It means pain with breathing. I want Jamie to let me know. And if you notice it with her, you let me know, okay?” Doc explained to the guys.

“Gotcha,” Ben answered.

Jamie sipped her hot tea with lemon. She was surprised how quickly she consumed it.

“Want some more?” Ben asked.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love some.” He hurried off for a refill.

“I’ll be back to check on you again, Jamie. C’mon, Tommy. Let’s go find your dad,” Doc said, leaving Jamie and Kevin alone.

Kevin sat down next to Jamie. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she automatically shot back.

He touched her arm. “Hey, I want to know. Are you all right? Truth.”

Meeting his gaze, she felt his eyes go through to her insides, giving her a jolt.

“My side’s a little sore.” She paused. “I’m a bit shaken, but okay. I still can’t take in everything that happened. I see it play over and over in my mind like a movie. The whole thing with Roseanne is . . . I don’t know how to describe it. It’s so surreal, but comforting. Her spirit was love. Yes, total love is the best way to describe it. Love for Tom, Rick, and even me.” Jamie gazed into the distance.

Her attention came back to Kevin. “What you did for Tommy and me. How you came back for me. Thank you.” She put her hand on his. “Thank you. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if you didn’t come out there so quickly for us. I . . .” Unable to finish her sentence, she looked at him, then her eyes welled up and she dropped her gaze.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m acting like such a girl, all this crying.”

Kevin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close, her body trembling. Neither spoke until Ben approached with more tea. He handed her the hot cup and turned to leave.

“Ben, you don’t have to rush off.” Jamie picked up on his feeling of awkwardness.

“Hey, the group is setting up for a big bonfire since it’s our last night. They wanted me to extend the invitation, if you’re up for it. A lot of them want to see for themselves that you’re okay, but they want to give you your space too. So, if you’re up for it . . .” He paused for a reply.

“I don’t think so,” Kevin answered for her.

“No, I want to go. I feel fine. They’re such a fun group and I need some laughs. Tell them thanks. I’ll be there.”

“Great.” Ben smiled and turned back toward the fire.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Kevin asked.

“Yes, I am.” She answered firmly.

“Ok. But it’s getting chilly. We better take some blankets with us, you’re still shivering. Doc says you have to stay warm,” Kevin reminded her.

“Ready?”

“Sure.” Kevin helped her up. He grabbed some blankets and kept hold of her arm as they made their way over to the bonfire. As she approached, one camper clapped, and another joined in until it became a chorus. Blushing, she asked them to stop.

“Please, no. Thank you. Thank you all very kindly but it was not just me.” She looked at Rick and continued. “I was not alone. It wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t for Kevin, Rick, Ben, all of you who acted so quickly, not to mention the angels above.” She pointed her finger toward the stars. “It took a group effort and I think that speaks volumes on the love we all feel for Tommy. We’re all glad you are safe and sound, Tom!”

The campers broke into applause again with hoots and hollers to support Tommy. Jamie’s eyes searched and landed upon Tommy who grinned broadly. She made eye contact with Rick. As far as she was concerned her encounter with Roseanne was special and privy only to a chosen few. She would leave it up to Rick whether he chose to tell his son or not.

Hoping the attention was over, Jamie squatted to take a seat and Kevin placed a folded blanket under her.

“You need to stay off that cold ground.” He sat behind her, leaning against a rock. As he settled in, he wrapped thick blankets around her shoulders. Ben came over and handed her a warm cup of tea.

“I could get used to this, you know.”

One of the campers brought out his guitar and campfire songs were sung. This being her last night under the big sky and fresh crisp air, she took it all in, treasuring every moment. Tomorrow she would be back in the big city. What a contrast! She loved the city, but she had been caught off-guard by how much she enjoyed being in the open air 24/7. She loved Montana.

Trying to sit up without anything to lean on, her bruised side began to ache. She reached back and rubbed it.

“Is your back hurting?” Kevin asked.

“A little.”

“Now, I’m not trying to be fast or anything, but why don’t you lean on me?”

Jamie looked at Kevin immediately behind her.

“Look, we’ve got these nice thick blankets.” He took them off her shoulders and laid it on his chest. “Now move back.”

Jamie did as instructed.

As she scooted back between his propped legs, he wrapped the warm blankets around her shoulders and arms. Then he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to create friction and warmth.

“There. How’s that? Lean back on me. I promise no cheap tricks.” Kevin raised his arms up innocently as Ben looked over and grinned.

“Yeah, you can trust him, Jamie. And he’s got some swampland in Florida to sell you, too!” Ben laughed.

“Ben, don’t you have somewhere to go or something to do?” Kevin asked. “Don’t listen to him. You’ve had a rough day. I just want you to be comfortable. Honest.”

Jamie laughed at both of them. Leaning back on Kevin, she had to admit that it offered instant relief to her aching side, not to mention the warm rush of her body against his.

“Thanks for the warning, but if I can’t trust him by now, then I’m in big trouble. You have to admit, the guy did pretty good by me today.” Jamie winked at Ben.

“Yeah, I guess he did all right at that.” Ben admitted.

A short while later, Kevin pulled a small flask from his pocket.

“Jamie. I have some brandy, would you like a sip? It may warm you even more than the tea.”

“They always give you brandy in the movies after a stressful day. Medicinal purposes, of course?” And Jamie reached for the flask.

“Of course.”

The brandy warmed her insides as it went down. It was strong, but tasted wonderful. She took a second swallow and handed it back. They passed it back and forth a couple more times. Nestled snugly within Kevin’s arms, she felt the rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took. With his neck only inches from her face, she inhaled his rugged manliness, igniting a slow burn deep within her.

Wow, what am I thinking?
Remember my promise to myself? No men. A hiatus, remember?
This all seems good right now but do I really want a man to take over my life again?
But there was no denying how she felt at this moment. The friendly chatter around the soft glow of the fire added to her inner peace. She was content and for a moment had to stop and identify this strange, foreign emotion. Jamie’s attention was brought back to reality when Tommy wandered over.

“Can I sit next to you, Jamie?” Tommy asked, looking a bit tired.

“I’ve been wondering when you were going to come over. Why don’t you sit in front of me? Lean on me like I’m leaning on Kevin.” Tommy snuggled in as instructed and she covered him with one of her blankets.

Rick followed behind his son.

“Mind if we join you?” Rick directed his question more to Kevin than to her. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“No, not at all. Sit,” Kevin answered.

Tommy leaned against Jamie and as if by instinct, she started running her fingers through his hair.

“Do you mind?”

“No. It feels good,” he replied sleepily as he nestled against her.

Rick watched as Jamie tenderly stroked Tommy’s hair, the child’s eyes fighting to stay open.

“I think he misses the touch of a woman,” Rick whispered and nodded toward Jamie and Tommy.

“Don’t we all!” Kevin answered.

Rick looked at Kevin and they both laughed out loud.

The fireside chats continued but decreased in volume as the night progressed. A few campers bid their goodnights and slipped away into the darkness. The mixture of physical fatigue, brandy, and the warmth of the fire made it difficult for Jamie to keep her attention focused on the conversations. Tommy had drifted off some time ago but she dared not move for fear of waking him and she liked the feel of the sleeping child against her. Rick soon came over to relieve Jamie.