I guess this is going to be a little more than a three chapter thing. I'm sorry, my inexperience keeps taking me down trails and I am not able to efficiently get Jack and Kate where I want them to go. You'll have to patiently slog through a little to get to this story's conclusion! I guess, like Kate, I have to work at this "guide" thing. Hope you can have some fun on the journey!
Kate leaned back and looked at the sky, she shook her head as if to clear it of the chaos that had just taken place. She hitched herself onto her elbows and turned to look at Jack. She narrowed her eyes and observed him closely for any signs of injury.
"Are you all right? I apologize; I should have asked you that before this. I don't really have the mindset of a regular guide; I'm kind of filling in today." Kate felt sheepish for not having asked him before this.
Jack looked himself over and stretched his arms and legs out, pretending to see if they all functioned properly. He chuckled, "I'm not the one who had a raft plow into my back. Are you all right? I'm sorry about Bob, he's a real dick, he insisted on coming. We should have turned him down." Jack looked at Kate with a trained eye. "Are you really okay? Why don't you just stand still there for just a minute and let me check you out." Jack stood back, it seemed to dawn on him belatedly what that had sounded like. He wiped his forehead with his palm and turned a bright shade of red. "God, I don't mean what you're thinking."
"It's okay. What am I thinking? " Kate met Jack's embarrassed eyes with a huge grin on her face. She hated pushing him when he was down, but she couldn't help herself.
"Well," Jack made an excellent recovery and chose to take her question as purely rhetorical. "It's kind of amazing that you didn't get killed back there. You could have flipped out of that boat and landed on your head or you could have been thrown straight into the river and carried downstream. You're pretty damn lucky I guess."
Kate looked herself over, mirroring Jack's earlier movements. She laughed and shook her head, "I'm not lucky, never have been, not even once. If I were lucky, Bob would not have run into us and we would be out on that river having the ride of our lives. I feel so bad for you that this day is going this way. Glad you're okay though." Kate sat up straight and looked over the bank at the beached raft. "I've got to get the radio out of the gear. Sam is gonna be freaking."
Kate went to the river bank and perched herself on its edge. She unhooked the gear bag from the ruined raft and hoisted it beside her.
"Great, it's not wet, had it pretty solid in there. Here it is."
Kate grabbed the radio, fiddled with the frequency and waited for the connection. She held the radio to her ear and listened to a diatribe at the other end. She shook her head a few times at Jack and waited for Sam to calm down. "Dad, I'm all right. Nothing broken except for," Kate swallowed, she did not want to tell Sam this and she braced herself for a loud response by holding the radio away from her ear. Jack looked on and smiled at her precautions. "Dad, the raft is ruined. Yeah, I think it's beyond salvaging. Yeah, I'm okay, Jack is okay too. Well I thought maybe you would ask. How do you want to handle it?" Kate nodded her head a few times and listened intently. "Okay, Dad, I'll ask him. I love you too."
"He's your Dad?" Jack looked at Kate curiously. They didn't look much alike, at least he hadn't thought so.
"Uh Huh, yeah." Kate nodded and leaned forward. "Jack, I need you to know that we're not going to be able to get back on the river today, I'm so sorry about that. There's no way we can get a new raft and catch up to the group on time. And as much as it appears to be the opposite, it just isn't safe to be out on the river completely alone. Look, we're going to have to hike back into base and its going to take a while. I can radio Harry, he's our supply man, and maybe he can bring a jeep around if you just want to hurry back to town and join your friend Mark. But, it isn't going to be easy for him because we're off road by quite a ways and there is no guarantee that it will save you any time." Kate shook her head, "Like I said before, I feel pretty bad for you, your day is pretty well shot."
Jack smiled a little and thought that he could think of a lot worse ways to spend his day than hiking in the Cascades with a beautiful woman. "Well Kate, the way I see it, you shouldn't feel bad at all. The guy that came with me pretty nearly killed you, so I should be the one apologizing for his sorry ass. Another thing, he ruined my day, you didn't." Jack leaned forward and looked around, "I don't mind the hike, this mountain is beautiful."
Kate grabbed the gear, hitched it to her shoulder and stood up in one fluid motion. She smiled and reached out toward Jack and grabbed his outstretched hand, hoisting him to a standing position. At the contact of their fingers, their eyes met, Kate broke their gaze and looked at the ground and cleared her throat, "All right, let's go."
Their return journey was an uphill climb, Kate was following a trail that was pretty indiscernible to Jack, she was weaving between rocks and trees carefully pacing herself to Jack's speed. After an hour of steady climbing, Jack finally decided to stop.
"Kate, I'm not sure how long you can go, probably all day, but I'm just a half doctor not superman, I think we should stop a minute and have a drink or something." Kate immediately stopped, chagrined that she had not thought to do so. She had a lot to learn about this guiding business.
"God, I'm sorry, Jack. I'm not doing a very good job today. Here." Kate rustled around with the pack on her shoulder and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to Jack. "Are you hungry? Harry has some food in here; it was for lunch on the river bank."
"Maybe later" Jack took a long drink, he was amused at how flustered she was, she really was new at this "guiding" thing. "So are you a college student?" Jack was curious about her, if she wasn't a guide, just what did she do?
"No, not really." Kate looked in the distance and chose not to say any more. "I heard from my Dad that you guys are all interns from Southern California, what hospital?"
Jack noticed that she was avoiding giving him an answer to his question. Oh well, they had all day it seemed, maybe she would say more later. "UCLA Teaching Hospital, we're all a little nervous, match day is coming up and we're all hoping to get good residencies. This trip is kind of a way to let off a little steam. Do you live with your Dad?" Jack winced a little at the fact that he just let that question pop out of himself. Who did he think he was, a reporter or something?
"Nooo." Kate looked up at the question, she laughed a little. "I don't mean to be so mysterious, it's just, well, I'm not very interesting. I'm from a very boring place, Iowa actually. I'm visiting my Dad. I come whenever I can. Not as much as I want to."
"Iowa, I would not have guessed that. You seem more like you fit in right here. Hard to imagine you walking around somewhere flat." Jack nodded his head at the steep incline of the trail before them and he laughed lightly.
Kate laughed, "Yeah, well my Dad has had me out in these hills since I was a very little kid. I love it here, if I could.." Kate looked wistful, and her words trailed off. "We'd better get going if we want to make it back by dark."
Kate was a little worried about the trail, the fog that her father had mentioned earlier that morning was beginning to thicken. The farther up they were getting the worse it was getting, she knew the trail but there were precipitous cliffs not far off and she could not make a false move.
"Jack, I hate to say this but we are going to have to stop for a little while. It's getting to be pea soup around here and there's a bend coming on the trail soon that needs to be navigated carefully. Let's sit and have some of that food and see what happens, I may have to radio Harry and get an idea of what weather is ahead. We may be grounded for a bit." Kate pulled some sandwiches out of the pack, and handed one to Jack.
They settled themselves in a small clearing by the trail, Jack leaned against a tree and took the food from Kate's hand. When their fingers touched and their eyes met, this time neither one of them looked down.
"I don't go to college. Wish I did, it must be pretty great being a student." Kate looked at Jack and scratched at the dirt with a stick she had picked up..
"I don't know, med school has been pretty grueling. It's like drinking from a fire hydrant sometimes. Most of the students didn't think they would live through the boards. Why don't you go? To college, I mean?" Jack looked at Kate, she seemed very smart, he hadn't known many people who didn't have the opportunity to go.
"There isn't one near my town and I have to stay pretty close to home. It's a little complicated." Kate caught Jack's glance and seemed to nod to herself.
"I don't know if I would be able to stand that, Kate. Staying close to home, I mean. My parents and I aren't very attached. You must be very close to your mom." Jack gave Kate an encouraging smile.
"No, not really, my mom and I really don't see eye to eye on much. To be perfectly honest, I am much closer to my dad. Sam is a person that I can really understand. We have always been a lot alike. But Sam doesn't really need me, my mom does, it's pretty simple."
"Well, Kate, it's not that simple to most people. Most people could care less if their parents need them. For most people it's the other way around." Jack was interested, he hadn't ever met anyone like Kate, she didn't look at the world in the same way as anyone he had ever met before. She seemed serious beyond her years, there was heaviness there, something was weighing her down.
"What's match day?"
Kate interrupted Jack's reverie, he looked up, "What"
"Earlier, you said you were all worried about match day."
"Well, it's a kind of weird lottery system that matches med students to the hospitals where they will spend their residencies. It's very important, especially for those of us in certain specialties. I am hoping for a surgical residency and I have listed my top ten choices. The hospitals I want have to match up. On a certain day in March, the lotteries come up. I know that what I want to match will not work out already though." Jack frowned and wadded the wrapper of his sandwich and shoved it into Kate's pack angrily.
Kate could tell that Jack was upset. "Why not?"
"We were talking about parents earlier; well my Dad is a real piece of work. He has lots of plans for me and he's pretty persuasive. He's chief of surgery at a big LA hospital, and he has the match for me sewn up there. I don't have much of a choice. It could be a lot worse. I could want to be a plumber or something. At least I want to be a surgeon." Jack ducked his head and looked to the side at Kate, and gave a rueful smile.
Kate looked up, she felt like she had more in common with Jack than she had thought possible. "You're right there, Jack, it could be a lot worse. If you wanted to be a plumber, your dreams would be going right down the toilet."
"Kate, that wasn't funny, that was probably the worst joke I have ever heard." Jack laughed, " I don't think your dreams should be going in the comedic direction, that's for sure. So you have any?"
Kate pulled her knees up under her chin and peered over them into Jack's curious eyes. She hadn't had anyone ask her something like this in a very long time. She avoided these kinds of thoughts, thoughts of the future. Any kind of long term planning or goal setting seemed to be fruitless.
"I don't know, Jack. When I said things were complicated, I meant it. I haven't had any real leisure to think about what I want." Kate looked wistful and she shook her head. "I guess I'd pretty much want to do what Sam and Harry do. Be out here, know these hills, staying on the river, messing around with the boats. There's nothing half so fine as doing that. This mountain never ceases to amaze me." Kate's eyes were shining. Jack looked at her and found himself being drawn into her vision, her wonder was contagious.
"Not sure if guiding is my thing after today, but maybe I could get better at it." Kate looked around her, the fog was descending quickly, she couldn't see more than two feet in front of her. "Won't be able to guide you much of anywhere for the moment. I hope you don't mind staying where you are for the time being, we're near some sharp drops and we've got to be safe."
Jack leaned his head back against the trees trunk and sighed. "You know, this is pretty nice, I don't mind being stuck here at all. I've never had a lot of opportunity to be in the outdoors much. You must like being alone, doesn't seem like there is a lot of opportunity to meet people in a place like this, or Iowa for that matter." Jack didn't know why Kate had him so curious, he kept inadvertently prying, he couldn't seem to help himself.
"I don't mind being alone." Kate pulled her knees closer to her body, she was getting a little cold. She hugged her shins and perched her chin on her knees and looked closely at Jack. "I've always been that way. Have you ever had someone ask you to finish this sentence, Other people…?"
"Always want something from me." The phrase popped out of Jack's mouth before he had a moment to think. He looked at Kate somewhat abashed.
Kate put her head back and laughed, "That sure came from somewhere deep in your psych. That is a sad state of affairs Jack."
"I guess it is. Kate," Jack shook his head and laughed," Maybe that's why I enjoyed our few minutes on the river there, no one needed me at all. And even after you got plowed, you didn't. That's pretty great."
Jack looked over at Kate. She was so self contained, curled up, hugging her legs tightly, her curly hair was disheveled and hanging in masses of tangled curls around her face. She seemed different from anyone that he had ever met. She did seem to be a solitary, almost wild creature, like she might be content to be alone in these woods forever. Jack wanted to intrude on her solitude; he wanted to break through her barrier, to be the person that she finally let in. He wondered at his feelings, he found himself wanting to move closer to her. He inched his body away from Kate, suddenly uncomfortable with where his thoughts were going.
"Finish it." Jack looked at Kate with an expectant look on his face.
"Finish what?" Kate looked up at Jack, her smile fading somewhat.
"Other people…." Jack waved his hand in a small circle indicating the space where her words should follow in the phrase.
"Bother me." Kate looked at Jack with a grin and finished.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to be careful." Jack pulled his legs up close to his chest; he was beginning to get cold. He shivered and hugged his knees tightly.
"God, I'm sorry Jack. I really need to work harder at this guide thing. You're cold; these elevations get really nippy sometimes, especially in the spring. Let me look in the gear and see if Harry put anything in there to help you."
"It's all right, Kate. You were supposed to guide me through the water, not over the mountain. From what I saw of you on the water, you were great, a real natural."
Kate smiled up at Jack gratefully while she rustled through the capacious gear bag. "Thanks for that, it may sound trite but that means a lot to me." Her eyes lit up. "Here!" Kate pulled out a shiny little square, not more than four inches long.
Jack couldn't see how something so tiny could bring her such satisfaction. "What is it?"
"It's the difference between your being cold or comfortable, see?" She unfolded the tiny package and it rolled out to a length of six feet. It was thinner than plastic and looked like faded tinfoil, a little like Jack's grandmother's rain hat. Kate leaned over and began to tuck it over Jack's legs.
Jack liked the feeling of Kate's small hands gently pressing the fabric around his legs, he liked it way too much. He pulled away from her slightly and coughed. "What about you? You've got to be cold too."
Kate looked at Jack, she wasn't used to people thinking about her. "I'm going to start this little camp stove, Harry thinks of everything." Kate pulled out a small stove. "We can't start a campfire up here, not even in the spring. The danger of forest fires is too great. I don't know if you noticed any swathes of tree carcasses as you came up the mountain this morning but we've had some rough years lately. We have to be very cautious. But this baby will help us to stay warm." Kate had the little stove out and set up and lit while she was talking. Jack liked watching her, her movements were so neat and concise, with no extra flourishes. She would make a good surgeon. Jack laughed to himself, Kate the forest surgeon.
The stove let out a small modicum of heat. Kate continued to shiver. Jack became somewhat disgusted with the fact that he was warm and comfortable and Kate was shivering and he moved one end of the thermal blanket off of his legs. "Come here." Jack leaned over and touched Kate's shoulder. "I promise I won't bite, come over here." Jack patted the ground next to him.
Kate looked up at Jack's kind face, she hated to do it, but for some reason she really trusted this guy. She edged over next to him and let her shoulder rest under his outstretched arm. Jack pulled her body closer to his side and tucked the blanket over their drawn up legs.
Kate liked the feeling of Jack's large hands pressing the blanket around her legs. She liked it way too much. Kate leaned her face down and rested her cheek on her knees, facing Jack, looking straight into his eyes. "Thank you Jack, you don't bother me at all."
Jack looked down and stared into Kate's eyes, he looked further down toward her beautiful full mouth and he began instinctually to lean in. He blinked and shook his head, god what was he doing, what would she think? He looked up toward her eyes, they were closed and Kate was suspended in a moment of pure, blissful expectation. Jack swallowed and couldn't believe his good fortune. He released the hold of convention over his mind and body and let himself lean in. He pressed his lips against the impossible softness of Kate's waiting mouth.
