Hawks Mountain - Mobi (25 page)

There was the cold tone of voice she’d come to associate with the onset of one of his dark moods. Now certainly was not a good time for Nick to retreat inside himself. But, to her surprise, he didn’t. When he spoke again, his tone held nothing but urgency and concern for Davy’s well-being.

“Now, you need to get out of here before it gets too dark.” He stood and guided her to the cave’s entrance. “Is there a road to Mrs. Mullins’ place?”

“If that’s what you want to call it. If you recall, she’d not terribly hospitable when it comes to visitors. I can’t tell you when the last time was that any kind of vehicle came up to her house. She walks into town, so I doubt she owns a vehicle of any kind. The rain has washed out most of the road, and what’s left has been overgrown with bushes and trees for years.”

“So, you don’t think a vehicle could come up it?”

“If you mean anything other than a Sherman Tank, no.”

“Guess that settles that. When you get down there, tell them they’ll have to chopper Davy out of here. The undergrowth is too thick for a foot portage, and figuring out a way to do it will take too long. The clearing around Mrs. Mullins’ house should do for the pickup. I’ll carry Davy up there after you leave. Make sure you call
Lydia
and let her know we found him.”

“I’ll go as fast as I can.” Becky started to walk away, but he stopped her.

Then he hauled her into his arms and kissed her hard and long. Setting her away from him, he looked deep into her eyes. “Be careful, love. I’m not sure I could take it if anything happened to you.”

Just as she’d assured Nick
she would, Becky made it back to the firehouse with little trouble and in record time. Quickly, she relayed to Sheriff
Ainsley
that she and Nick had found Davy, where he was and his medical condition. “The road to Mrs. Mullins’ house is impassable and the foliage is too dense to get Davy out by foot. You’ll need to call in the chopper from
Charleston
.”

The sheriff nodded. “We figured as much already, so it’s already in route. They’re sending EMTs with the chopper. I’ll radio them the location.” Becky nodded, but if Nick’s job in the Navy had been what she’d suspected since seeing that ball cap at his cabin, the EMTs would have little to do when they got here.

Sheriff
Ainsley
hurried off, but was back in a few minutes.

Becky had been leaning against one of the volunteer’s cars and straightened when she saw the chief. “I need to call
Lydia
. Can I use the chief’s office?”

“Absolutely.
For as long as you need.”
Ainsley
opened the door and stood back to allow her to enter.

She went into the chief’s office and closed the door. Collapsing in the desk chair, she realized for the first time that she was exhausted to the bone. Her shoulders ached, her feet felt like two huge blisters at the end of her legs and the cuts and scratches she’d acquired began to sting.

No time to nurse her bruises. She had to let
Lydia
know that Davy was found and would be on his way to the hospital. Before she could dial the phone, the door opened. The sheriff came in, set a cup of coffee on the desk, winked and let himself out again.

Becky sipped the lukewarm, strong liquid and sighed as it slid down her throat. A few more sips and her body began to come alive again. Artificial though the rejuvenation was and knowing the effects of the caffeine jolt would soon wear off, she felt a bit better. Setting the cup aside, she dialed
Lydia
’s number.

“Hello?” The worry, anxiety and terror came through the woman’s voice.

“We found him,
Lydia
.”

Hysterical sobs came through the phone.
Lydia
was saying something, but it was completely unintelligible. In the background, she could hear Granny Jo’s frantic voice. “What is it? Oh, my Lord, is he all right?
Lydia
?” Then a clatter told Becky that
Lydia
had dropped the phone.

“Hello? Hello?” Granny had retrieved the receiver.

“Granny,
it’s
Becky. We found Davy. He’s got a broken leg, but he’s all right otherwise.”

“Thank you, God. Thank you.” Granny’s voice broke. Some sniffling came over the phone, and then Granny spoke again. “Is he there?”

“Not yet. We’re waiting for the chopper to come in from
Charleston
to airlift him off the mountain. They’ll probably be taking him to
Charleston
Area
Medical
Center
. I’ll find out for sure. Bring
Lydia
down here, and I’ll arrange for someone to take her to the hospital.”

“We’re on our way.” The phone went dead.

Becky took her coffee and opened the door to the office. Her way was blocked by George Collins, his face a furious red, his mouth set in an angry line.

“Where’s my son?” he demanded.

As if you really care.
“He’s still up on the mountain, George. There’s a chopper coming in to get him off and take him to the hospital.”

“Why wasn’t I told? I have a right to know. The press is asking questions and I, his father, can’t answer them. I look like a fool.”

More fool than you know.
Becky backed away from his rage. “I just got here with the news. I’m sure someone is trying to find you to tell you.” Easing past him, she made her escape.

“I want to be told when the chopper is here,” he bellowed from behind her.

“Why?” Becky asked under her breath as she made her way toward the front of the firehouse. “So you can be there for the media attention?”

It made her sick that George never asked how Davy was, if he was hurt or anything else. As usual, all he cared about was
himself
, not the boy. Suddenly, unable to hold her tongue a moment longer, Becky swung around. “If you’re so concerned, where were you when they were organizing the search parties? Why weren’t you up on the mountain looking for Davy? If you’re interested, your son has a broken leg, lots of scratches and is terrified that you’re going to be mad at him for getting hurt.”

She turned her back on a sputtering George Collins and walked away feeling very satisfied. More pressing matters than this irritating windbag needed her attention. Like making sure that both Davy and Nick got off the mountain all right. Then there was the not so little matter of cornering Nick and getting him to talk.

Gently, Nick laid Davy in the deep grass of the clearing. Thankfully, Davy had remained unconscious during the trip to the pickup point.

The full moon of a few days earlier was now waning, but, hopefully, shed enough light for the chopper to see them. Crickets chirped all around them and fireflies sparkled over the top of the meadow grass. No lights shown through the windows of Mrs. Mullins’ house. Maybe she’d retired early, and he wouldn’t have to worry about her coming out to investigate with her trusty shot gun locked and loaded and aimed at him.

Just to be sure the chopper didn’t miss
them,
Nick positioned his flashlight beside him facing up so when he heard the beating blades, he could immediately switch it on. Then he sat down, moved Davy’s head to his lap and elevated his leg by propping it over his own.

Now that there was nothing to do but wait, his thoughts went to Becky and his worries returned. Had she made it down the mountain okay? Was she laying somewhere, broken and in need of him?

Davy moaned and stirred.

Nick stopped the boy’s movements by pressing a hand to his chest. “Lay still, sport. It’ll hurt less. Pretty soon the chopper will be here, and you’ll be on your way to getting that leg fixed.”

“Will my mom be there?” Though weak, Davy’s voice quivered with anxiety.

“Miss Becky is going to call her when she gets back down off the mountain, so I’m sure your mom will be there. She’s been very worried about you.” He paused before asking a question he thought he already knew the answer to. “Why did you run away, Davy?”

The boy sniffed. “’Cause the judge man said I had to go with my dad, and I don’t want to live with him.”

“No, you don’t have to go with your dad.”

Davy raised his head, but Nick pushed it back down. “But I heard him say it.” His voice had become frantic.

The panic in the boy’s voice made Nick’s heart hurt and renewed his desire to shake some sense into George Collins.
“Easy, sport.
You didn’t wait to hear all of what the judge said. He said your mom is taking really good care of you, so he didn’t see any reason to make you live with your dad.”

Silence.

“Really?”
Davy’s quivering voice still sounded unsure.

“Would I lie to you?”

Another silence.

“No. If you say he said that, then I believe you.” Another thoughtful silence followed. “Mr. Nick?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry I ran away and worried my mom and made you and Miss Becky
have
to look for me.”

Nick smiled into the night. “I know you are, sport. But you have to promise me that you’ll never to do anything like this again. If you have a problem, talk to your mom or, if you don’t want to talk to her, come talk to me. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

He smoothed the hair from Davy’s forehead. “Running from your problems never solves anything. When you run, you just take the problems with you. The best way to solve them is to face them head-on.”

“I know that now, Mr. Nick. Running away was stupid and, and from now on that’s not how I’m
gonna
do it.” Davy’s voice had grown weaker.

When Nick looked down, the boy’s eyes fluttered then closed. This time it was from sheer exhaustion and not unendurable pain.

As Nick waited, on alert for the sound of the aircraft’s approach, he mulled over what he’d told Davy about running away.

You should practice what you preach, Hart.

For more than a year he’d been running from what had happened in
Iraq
. He’d isolated himself on a mountain top, shunned company and lived like a hermit. And what good had it done? The nightmares still haunted him. The dark moods still enveloped him. And if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d lose the only woman he’d ever loved.

Many times he’d asked himself what was so special about Rebecca Hawks that he couldn’t stay away from her. Why did she make him feel calm and centered when she was with him and why did that calm turn to panic when she tried to get him to open up to her? Now he knew. She wouldn’t let him hide from himself. She’d never judged him, never turned from him. Slowly but surely, she’d pulled him out of his isolation and back into society. Mainly, she’d never done what he had, given up on himself. But above all, he loved her as he’d never loved another human being. For that reason alone, she deserved an explanation.

Thanks to the little boy sleeping in his lap, Nick could now admit to something he’d realized long ago but had been denying. The time had come for him to stop running, too.

The steady beat of the chopper’s blades broke the night’s silence, dragging Nick from his self-assessment. For a brief moment he felt the return of the anxiety he’d experienced with every casualty pick up in
Iraq
. But it passed as quickly as it had come. Maybe he’d stopped running already.

He woke Davy. “Your ride’s here, sport.” Then he switched on the flashlight and waved it above their heads.