Just before daybreak, I hear Bandaid talking from his shelter. I carefully extract my arm from around Ari and grab my boots and belt. As quickly and quietly as possible, I step out and join the doc at his shelter. “Westbrook made his return to the campsite just now.”
Positioning my radio, I turn it on and join in. “Ink, return to base. Tell Hyper and Shark to stand by in case Willa needs an airlift. Also, contact Mike and have him coordinate local police. I know we don’t have evidence to warrant police response, but we can confirm a missing person. Have them send a rescue team and guide them up. Skin and Wrench, start in our direction, I want you to take Ari back to base and stay with her. The Devil and Judge, stay back and observe. I want to know where this guy goes.”
“Copy.”
“How did Ari do during the night?” Bandaid asks.
Finding her on the ground like that, not moving, nearly killed me. I had never been so scared in my life. The doc didn’t see, but after Ari scolded me for swearing, I was so overcome with relief, that there were tears in my eyes.
I sat her up and got myself dressed again while Bandaid got her to eat and drink something. He checked her fingers and toes again and declared that she would be just fine. We both watched her a little longer, and the doc decided he wouldn’t need to set her up on a second bag of warmed fluids.
“She did fine. Once she warmed up, she was like a little oven.” We both glance over in her direction to see her stretching out like a cat. “With daylight breaking, we need to get moving. I’ll pack up while you check on your patient.”
Now that I’ve rescued Ari a second time, it’s time to find her mother again.
The camp is packed up, and I’m just handing Ari a protein bar when Skin and Wrench show up with two extra horses.
I pick Ari up, careful to keep her blanket in place. “Ari, you remember Skin and Wrench, don’t you?”
“Uh huh. They came to Devil’s house and taught me how to play poker.”
“That’s right. They’re going to take you back to the office where you can get some real food and be inside where it’s warm. I need to go find your mom.”
“Ok.” Her lip quivers over fear for her mom, and I hug her tightly to my chest for a moment. Then, I hand my child, and yes, she is now mine, to Wrench, and they turn to leave. Bandaid and I mount the spare horses and set off to join the others.
When we reach the scout team’s location, Devil updates us on Westbrook’s activities. “Devil, you and Bandaid take the horses, skirt around the camp, then follow the trail north. I need you looking for Willa. Since they camped here and Westbrook was on foot, she can’t be too far. Be thorough. I don’t want her to be overlooked.”
Devil eyes me suspiciously. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’m going to get Westbrook to help us find her faster.”
Devil trades places with me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t kill him.” Then to Judge, he says, “If he tries to, you knock him out.”
Without another word, those two turn the horses around and set out to locate Willa.
“Should I take your Sig?” Judge asks.
“No. If I kill this cocksucker, it’ll be with my bare hands.”
“I did not hear that,” he says with a groan. Always a lawyer. Shit, that gives me an idea. “Judge, you got that body cam you like to carry around?”
“You mean the one you like to pick on me about? Yeah, I got it.”
“I promise not to give you shit about it ever again. Turn it on and enter the camp first. Get him talking. I’ll give you two minutes before showing up. Maybe I won’t have to resort to torture to get information.”
As Judge makes his way up the hill, I creep silently around to the back of the tent to wait.
“Hey, are you all right?” Judge calls out to Westbrook as he approaches.
“Oh, god. You’ve got to help me. My daughter wandered off, and I can’t find her. Please help me.”
Judge rushes toward the man showing just the right amount of panic to appear authentic. I never knew he was such a good actor. “Ok, calm down. How old is your daughter?”
“She’s only four.”
“Were you the only ones here?”
“No. My wife was with us. After we’d looked for several hours, my wife took one of the horses to get help, but she hasn’t come back.”
“When did your daughter go missing?”
“I don’t know. Sometime before we woke up yesterday morning. My wife went to get help. Why hasn’t she come back?”
“Hey, I’ll help you, but I need you to calm down. Now, I’m going to ask some questions that’ll help us locate them. Some may seem random, but they’re designed to jog your memory. See, I do this for a living. I’m a rescue tracker on vacation in this area. Are you ready?”
“Yes, anything to find them.”
“Good. What was your daughter wearing the last time you saw her?”
“Princess PJs.”
“What color is her hair?”
“Blond. It’s long.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“When I went to sleep Monday night. She was gone when I woke up.”
“You’re doing good so far. Ok, now, where did you meet Bryan Webber?”
“At a… Wait, what the…”
Oh, it’s my turn now. I step out from behind the tent at Westbrook’s back. “Next question,” I spit out with as much venom as I can inject into my voice.
The man spins around, and his eyes go wide when they land on me. “Where’s Willa, asshole?”
Jonathan Westbrook poises to sprint off, but Judge is on him in an instant, holding his arms behind his back. I walk up and get in the man’s face. “I found Ari last night. She told me about the bullshit you spilled regarding Willa needing help. I’ve gotta say, that tiny girl has more guts than her dickless father.”
Pushing closer to his face, I ask again, “Where is Willa?”
The man’s face changes from mock worry to smug in an instant. “Fuck you, asshole. If I can’t have her, you can’t have her. Don’t think I didn’t see you shove your tongue down her throat before I took them. That is, before you gave them back to me.”
I take a step back and clench my fist. I would like nothing more than to break his nose and then his fucking neck.
“Don’t do it, man. He isn’t worth it, and your girls are going to need you.”
“His girls… Ha. He might have gotten Ariel, but Willa’s dead.”
That pulled the pin. My fist goes crashing into his face once. I draw back to hit him again, but Judge catches my hand. “Don’t make me knock you the hell out.”
While Judge is staring me down, Devil yells through the earpiece loud enough for Westbrook to hear, “FISH! FISH! We found her! We need help!”
“What? That’s impossible!” Westbrook yells as he begins to struggle.
Judge puts the man in a sleeper hold and shouts, “Go! I’ve got this asswipe.”
Running for Westbrook’s horse, I grab mane and jump on, not even bothering with a saddle. “Where am I headed?”
“Follow the trail; five-hundred yards,” is Devil’s response.
“On my way!” I push the horse as fast as it’s willing to go, but the trail is narrow and has several turns and changes in elevation. It takes nearly ten minutes, but I finally reach the other horses.
Jumping off the tired animal, I grab for the rope Devil’s holding out to me. Bandaid is sorting out equipment and working to put together a rig to bring her up on. Just as I finish tying off, he stands and declares, “I’m not sure this will work. We’ll just have to see what shape she’s in when we get down there.”
Together, we work our way down the steep face and look over the situation in disbelief. Willa has an arm wrapped around a small tree, and her whole body is stretched out as if on a rack. Looking down, I see why. Her foot is stuck in a stirrup that’s still connected to the dead horse. While the weight of the horse is resting against a tree trunk, it’s not balanced. If Willa were to let go, the horse’s dead weight would spin off the tree and slide further down, sending them both tumbling into the water.
I speed up my descent, and soon I’m at her side. “She’s breathing!” I yell to the others. Pulling out my knife, I saw through the leather strap holding the stirrup to the saddle. With nothing left to balance the horse’s weight, the beast rolls the rest of the way down into the water.
Climbing back up level with her face, I call her name as Devil and Bandaid reach us.
“Stop it, Fish! You know the drill. I need to check her for spinal injuries before she wakes up and moves. Just give me a minute.” He pulls something green out of his bag. “Here, help me. I’ll move her head; you slide this cervical collar behind her neck.”
He carefully takes her head in his hands, lifting it just enough for me to place the device. After securing the collar, he gives further instructions. “Good, good. Now, I’m going to wake her up. Both of you need to make sure she doesn’t start thrashing around.”
“Can’t you shoot her up with something for pain before you bring her around?” Devil asks.
“No. I need her to be able to tell me about any pain or numbness she has.” Bandaid pulls a clear stick with a fabric end from his pack. Bending the stick, he breaks the inner, glass vial and holds it under Willa’s nose.
At first, she groans, then mumbles. “Sorry… Ari… can’t hold on… anymore.”
“Willa,” he says as he snaps his fingers in front of her face.
“too tired. Can’t hold...”
Her pained words are ripping me to shreds. I plead with her, “Willa, open your eyes.”
“have to let go.”
“Baby, please. This is Chris. I’m here. Wake up.”
“Sorry… tell Chris. I can’t hold on.”
She’s giving up.
Something inside me snaps, and I start yelling. “Well, I won’t let go, dammit! Did you hear that, Willa? I. Won’t. Let. Go.”
Bandaid puts the vial back under her nose, and her eyes finally open. As soon as her eyes focus and recognize me, they squeeze shut, and tears begin streaming down her face as her chest heaves with tormented sobs. “Ari. He killed Ari.”
“Willa, no. Listen to me. We found her. We found Ari.” I look over to Bandaid, who is gesturing to me to keep her talking. I open my mouth again and just let words roll out. I don’t even know what all it is that I say to her, but Devil has a smug look on his face when I glance his way.
Bandaid inserts IVs in both of Willa’s arms and pulls saline bags from his shirt. After he’s fixed Willa up with the same warming solution and rig that he used on Ari, he gets to work inspecting the rest of her.
Using a stethoscope, he listens to her heart and lungs. “Her pulse is up, but that’s not surprising. Her respiration isn’t labored. If the fall broke any ribs, they didn’t displace and puncture a lung.”
After checking her blood pressure and other vitals, he gives another good report. “There’s no indication that she has any internal bleeding.”
From there, he checks her pelvis and legs for breaks. Finished with her lower extremities, he moves back up to her head. “You had a rough ride down, didn’t you,” he says as he checks her pupils.
Bringing the smelling salts back to her nose to rouse her again, he commands, “Willa, I need you to move your feet.”
She doesn’t open her eyes, but she does respond. She lifts the toes on one foot and slightly shifts the foot that was anchored by the horse.
“Good job.” He gives me a thumbs up. “Ok, besides a dislocated shoulder, I can find no other obvious injuries. I’d prefer not to move her without a backboard, but we’re hours away from getting one. Even if we did wait, it would still be a rough ride getting her out of here.”
“She lifted her legs. Doesn’t that mean she’s ok?”
“Most likely, yes. With the threat of storms this afternoon, I think it’s worth the risk to move her. Her body’s core temperature is already low enough that I can’t risk her being exposed to a cold rain.”
He looks to me to get my thoughts or approval. “You’re the doctor, Myers. I trust you.”
Bandaid nods and uses the smelling salts on Willa one more time. Her eyes open, and Bandaid says, “Willa, we’re going to move you now. I’ll give you something for pain before we do, though. Are you allergic to any medicines?”
She tries to shake her head but then opens her eyes in confusion when her effort is met with resistance. “No.”
He gives her a shot of morphine and hands his pack to Devil. “Take my pack and secure your rope to the two saddle horses,” he orders.
Devil has only made it halfway up the side when Willa wakes and starts trying to sit up. She grabs my shirt with her uninjured arm and pulls. “Jonathan. He’s going to try to kill her again. I have to stop him.”
“Shit!” Her sudden move nearly sends us both tumbling the rest of the way down. Bandaid grabs her and pushes her back down. “Willa, stop! Calm down! We got Jonathan. He can’t hurt anybody.”
Hearing this, she allows herself to be pressed back onto the ground.
“How do we do this?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Her actions just now confirmed to me that she has no spinal injuries, but there are still risks. I can’t put a rope under her arms because of the injured shoulder…”
“Let me carry her. The two of you can pull me up. It’ll be like reverse rappelling. As long as I’m lying back, I shouldn’t need my hands.”
“That would be easier than dragging your combined weight with your ass on the ground.”
“We’re decided then.”
Devil throws his rope back down to be secured around my waist. Once that’s done, he’ll untie my first rope from the tree it’s tied to and anchor it to the other saddle horse.
Now that I’m ready, I shift Willa to the side so Bandaid can remove her arm from around the tree.
Willa whimpers, but the morphine has had enough time to work that she doesn’t scream out. With her free now, I get in position, and Bandaid gently picks her up and places her in my arms.
Resting her head against my chest, she mumbles. “Don’t let go.”
“I won’t, Willa. I swear to god, I’ll never let go.”
Bandaid makes sure I’m balanced, and I lean back against the ropes. “You ready for this, Fish?”
“Yes. Get us out of here.”
“Ok. Since you won’t have your hands, I’m going to come up behind you in case you slip.” Calling up to Devil, he shouts. “Start the horses.”
Step by step, the horses pull us up the face of the ravine. I’m completely dependent on Devil controlling the speed of the animals. None of us can stumble; Willa might not survive another fall.
I won’t let that happen. I hold on as tight as I can without hurting her and concentrate on my steps and balance.
It takes several minutes, but we make it to the top. To get us over the edge, Bandaid passes us, and he and Devil take Willa from me. After pulling myself over the edge, I remain on my hands and knees to rest my quivering muscles.
Yes, we made it safely up, but we have a new problem now. None of these horses can handle two of us, and we can’t put Willa on a horse by herself. “I’ll stay here with her,” I tell them. “You two go to the camp and make a litter out of the tent fabric. Get back here as fast as you can.”
“We’ll hurry,” Devil yells as they ride off to the campsite.
Crawling on my hands and knees, I go over to where Willa is lying on the ground, wrapped in mylar blankets. I reach under the shiny material and take her hand. She’s unconscious again, but at least I know she’s not in any immediate danger.
Twenty minutes later, the SEALs are back with a rescue team. “Looks like you guys beat us to the punch.” The medical crew rolls over a basket litter attached to a single-axle, all-terrain wheel. “Since you guys did the hard work, we’ll get her down.”
“Where’s the dick that tried to kill her?”
“On his way to a cell as we speak,” says a cowboy with a badge clipped to his belt.
I nod in thanks, and one of the crew reaches for the saline bags resting on the top of my pack. Another produces a backboard and positions Willa on it. Once she’s strapped down, the medics lift and place the board in the basket. Then, a pole on the litter is raised to hold the saline bags, and the team starts the long and difficult trip down the trail.
Shortly after we start off, Willa looks up at me and reaches out her hand for mine. “Where’s Ari?”
“She’s at the bottom of the hill, waiting for you under a warm blanket.” Her eyes close again, and she releases her grip on my fingers.
I walk by her side for a few more minutes, then jog up to the officer that accompanied the rescue team. “How’s Ari, the little girl?” I ask him.
“She’s just fine. She has a full belly and is wrapped up like a burrito in front of a fire with some of your men. Her only complaint is losing her stuffed fish.”
I hear Devil snicker from where he’s walked up beside me. “She doesn’t need it anymore now that she’s got the real thing.”
The policeman stares back with a confused look on his face, but no one elaborates.