CHAPTER EIGHT

“Papa, are you all right?” Niki cried as she quickly secured Storm and Sally to a tree and rushed to the old man’s side.

“I think so,” he replied.

As she scanned his unmoving body with her light and registered the doubt in his voice, Niki wasn’t convinced. He was flat with his back on the ground, most likely just as he landed. His hat sat in a crumpled wad at least twenty feet away. Dried blood had crusted on his face and matted in his thin gray hair. His skin was ashen, his breathing shallow, and he winced in pain as he tried to scoot into a sitting position.

“Just lay there, don’t try to move and tell me where it hurts and what happened,” she demanded as she grabbed her canteen and pulled the blanket and food supplies from the saddlebags.

Niki made her grandfather take a drink of water before letting him talk. She then covered him with the blanket to keep him from losing anymore body heat than necessary, since the evening air was quickly cooling. She removed her faded bandana, poured water on it and began wiping the numerous patches of dried blood from his face with gentle strokes.

“When the helicopter flew over that darn mule started bucking like a green colt. I would’ve ridden her out, but then she headed for the trees. Before I could duck, a heavy low-hanging branch hit me square in the head and I lost my balance. Old Sally just ditched me and took off running. At least she had enough sense to go back to camp, I see.”

“I was trying not to panic and stay put like you always taught me, but when Sally ran past the tent with an empty saddle I had to come look for you.”

“You’re a smart and resourceful girl. I had no doubt you’d find me,” he whispered.

His smile was weak and his grip even weaker as he took Niki’s hand and squeezed. She noticed his legs hadn’t moved when he tried to drag himself to a sitting position and the observation terrified her.

“You might have a concussion, probably a few broken bones, and definitely a heck of a bump on your thick skull. I imagine you’ll have a fierce headache, but the cuts on your head don’t look too bad now that I’ve washed off the dried blood. I’m more worried about broken or fractured bones. Can you wiggle your toes?”

He tried, winced with pain and then shook his head. Niki had to force back the tears as she watched him struggle.

“Can you feel this?” She poked his thigh with a pointed stick.

He shook his head again and then grimaced from the pain the small movement of shaking his head had caused.

Niki had never been in such a desperate situation so far from help and wasn’t sure what to do. She had taken a CPR and first aid course several years ago, but that was the extent of her medical training. Living in the city probably made her complacent. All she needed there was the ability to dial 911 or yell out to the nearest person for help.

“Don’t try to move in case something is broken. I’ll get you some food and more water. You need to keep up your strength and try not to aggravate your injuries until we can assess how bad they are.”

“I just had the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be all right.”

His injuries were clearly much more serious, but Niki didn’t argue. If he could get up, he would have long before she rode up. The fact that he hadn’t moved from where Sally had thrown him terrified her, but she knew she had to stay strong and not panic.

Niki walked to the side of Storm opposite her grandfather and placed her forehead against the horse’s neck and cried, choking down the sobs to keep her grandfather from hearing. Storm craned his neck and nudged her on the shoulder with his nose. The simple act let her know she wasn’t completely alone and without options.

After several minutes Niki pulled herself together, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, dabbed her nose on her shirt sleeve and unsaddled Storm and Sally. She’d have to leave them tied up for the night since she hadn’t grabbed the hobbles, but that was the least of her problems.

“Sorry I didn’t have much time to pack, but we should have plenty of food to tide us over until daylight and then I’ll go for help.”

She gently slipped Sally’s saddle blankets under her grandfather’s head, shoulders and legs to get him off the cold damp ground as much as possible. She worked slowly and precisely in an attempt to keep his spine and hips straight and immobile, fearing he might have broken his back since he had no feeling in his legs or toes.

Niki built a small fire for warmth while telling her grandfather about her fishing success. She told him how she had gathered the sheep after the helicopter spooked them and her idea to bring Doris out for a vacation. None of it seemed important now, but she felt it was either talk or cry and she didn’t want to fall apart in front of her grandfather when he needed her.

“That’d be nice as long as you aren’t trying to be a matchmaker. I’ve lived the past twenty-five years alone since your grandma died and I can live the next twenty-five alone just as well.”

“Papa, whatever makes you say such a silly thing? I’ve never tried to fix you up with anyone and the thought had never even crossed my mind.”

“Well, your mama tried to convince me several times to go out to Chicago in the winter to meet Doris and spend time with you two. She said we were perfect for each other, which I imagine meant old and alone. And I’m not stupid. I’d bet my last pint of Jack Daniels that Deuce has badgered you into trying to convince me to retire since he and Bob already tried and failed.”

Niki couldn’t deny his accusation about Deuce and was too stunned by his revelation about Doris to reply, so it took her a few minutes to wrap her mind around the idea. Doris was as city as they came. She couldn’t picture the Chicago native spending an entire summer in a sheep camp, but Doris did have a kind and nurturing personality and the woman seldom backed down from a challenge.

“Really, Papa, I had no idea Mom thought you and Doris would make a good couple, but now that you mention it—”

“Stop right there. You bring her out here if you want, I’ll even help with the cost and try to be polite, but I don’t need no bossy old woman fuss’n over me and I’m not ready to retire.”

Niki had to suppress her laughter. Only her grandfather could sound so sure of himself and adamant while lying on his back in the dirt, most likely with broken bones. She was terrified she might lose him or that he had broken his back and all he was worried about was if she might be trying to fix him up with Doris.

“Papa, I think a fix-up is the least of your problems at the moment, but rest assured it wasn’t my intention, and for the record, Doris doesn’t have a bossy bone in her body. Now, try to relax. Did you find the sheep we lost yesterday?”

Niki didn’t give a darn about the sheep, but was afraid to let her grandfather sleep in case he had a concussion. He would have to sleep eventually, but she would keep him talking as long as possible until she felt more certain he wouldn’t lose consciousness. Besides, talking about the sheep distracted her from her fears and hopefully shifted her grandfather’s mind off all his pains.

“Didn’t get a visual on the ewes, but as the helicopter flew over they started making a ruckus. I was just about to make my way toward the noise when Sally took off running and bucking. I think they’re just over the next rise to the west.”

She opened a can of stew and heated the contents by setting the can on a rock near the small fire while listening to her grandfather explain where he believed the missing sheep were located. Once the stew was warm she fed her grandfather as much as he would eat and then finished the rest herself. Niki wished she had brought more supplies, but when Sally ran through camp she was too frightened to think straight. She was proud of herself for bringing along as much as she did while functioning on instinct and adrenaline.

“Papa, is there any water around here? I used up what I brought washing your cuts and scratches.”

Niki listened closely as her grandfather gave her directions to a small stream. She hated to leave him and venture into the darkness alone, but the animals needed water. She mounted Storm bareback, feeling less vulnerable on her big horse than walking through the unfamiliar area, and grabbed Sally’s lead rope. She hoped the mule would cooperate. If the mule decided to bolt there would be nothing Niki could do without a saddle horn to dally the lead rope around to stop her.

It took Niki only ten minutes to locate the water, but it felt like a hundred. Her head was filled with worry and her mind sharp to every noise, making her flinch every time she heard a rustle in the bushes. It was common knowledge that predators stalked out water sources at night to capture unwary prey, so she remained extra alert for danger.

Niki allowed Storm, Sally and Gracie to drink and then refilled the canteen upstream from the animals. She quickly made her way back to camp, relieved not to have encountered any predators or lost her way in the dark.

She secured the horses and returned to her grandfather’s side. He had fallen asleep during her brief absence, but his chest rose and fell in a steady beat which made Niki believe he was okay for the moment. She put a few more logs on the fire. Staring at the flames, she felt her adrenaline fading and knew she should rest.

With nothing else to do until morning, she organized Storm’s blankets alongside her grandfather and reclined next to the old man with the dog between them. The heat off Gracie’s body wasn’t much, but it was comforting. Niki wasn’t sure if she could sleep with the strong unpleasant odor of the horse blankets so close to her nose, but knew it was essential to at least get off the cold ground and rest. If she caught pneumonia, she would be of no use to her grandfather.

Niki watched him breathe, trying to block the scent of the horse blankets out of her mind. She thought about the unusual sight of the tower guards, the helicopter flying so near to their old camp and the sounds of gunfire she heard earlier in the evening. Collectively, the events made her uneasy. The military could reach the tower with four-wheel-drive vehicles, so why bring a helicopter? Besides, the helicopter was not U.S. military as far as she could tell at such a distance. What could they possibly be shooting at? If they were poaching meat or dealing with a bear, the amount and type of gunfire was clearly overkill. She now wondered what had made Deuce so uncomfortable. The questions kept running through her mind until sometime during the night she drifted off to sleep.