Chapter 7
Tim woke up, feeling almost warm, but his ankle hurt as much as ever. He ate a couple of granola bars and a piece of jerky and then drank some water.
Then, it was time to grit his teeth and start walking again. He was not looking forward to it, and part of him was tempted to stay where he was and just hope that someone randomly wandered off the trail and found him...before his food and water ran out and before any animals found him. However, he knew he had to keep moving, no matter how slowly. If he could depend on someone finding him, he would, but he had no way of knowing if Delilah had become worried enough to report him missing yet. He hoped she had, but he wasn't willing to risk it.
He pulled out the compass and oriented himself again. The trail went off to the west. As long as he didn't go south, he figured that there was no harm in following it. He started off, limping.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"All right, let's get going," Alan said. "You ready?"
Tony nodded. "Absolutely."
They started off.
"The longer we don't find him, you know..."
"We're going to find him," Tony said.
"Okay."
Tony wasn't going to accept the possibility that they'd never find him or that they'd find him dead. They were going to find Tim alive.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Tim decided to go off the trail that he wasn't sure was really a trail again when it started curving south. He'd already been trail blazing anyway. His ankle felt like it must have swollen two or three times larger than it should be. Even when he was sitting, it throbbed. Of course, he shouldn't be walking on it, but it wasn't like he could conjure up crutches. He was still hoping for someone to swoop in and save him, but he wasn't sure he should keep thinking about that. It wasn't going to happen. He had to depend on himself.
With another breath, he got to his feet to start walking again. It hurt, of course, but he didn't have any other choice. He continued for a while longer, but then, he decided he needed another rest. His water would be running out again if he kept on at this rate, but he was so thirsty. If worse came to worst, he'd drink some more river or creek water and hope for no giardia.
As he sat and drank some water, he thought he heard something.
Voices!
A few of them!
He strained to hear where the sound was coming from. Then, he started forward again. He wasn't going to miss this chance.
He kept moving, but whoever these people were, they were walking a lot faster than he could limp. The voices were already fainter than they had been. They might leave him behind. The idea that he could lose his chance to be found was untenable.
Was it worth the risk to shout? He had no reason to expect another group with nefarious plans. Not even he could have that much bad luck.
"Hello!" he shouted as loudly as he could.
No response. His heart was in his throat.
"Hello!"
There was a long silence.
"Hello?"
It was very faint, but Tim headed toward it again.
"Wait for me!" he shouted. "Don't leave! Please, don't leave!"
Another long silence.
"Who is this?"
"I'm coming! Wait!"
Tim kept moving. His ankle was throbbing but he had to get there, to whoever these people were before they got tired of waiting for some stranger. They were a likely source of help, and he wasn't going to lose this chance.
After what seemed like forever, he could hear them and see movement of bright colors through the trees. He forced himself to go as fast as possible no matter how much it hurt.
"Hello," he said and tripped onto a real trail, panting heavily.
A group of about ten people, all perhaps in their early twenties, stared at him in shock.
"Please...I need some help," he said, breathlessly.
"Wow. Uh...of course," one of them said. "What do you need?"
Tim sagged against a tree, holding back tears of pain.
"Which way to civilization? Or at least a ranger station...and a place to sit down?"
"Uh...that way," he said, pointing vaguely northward.
"How many miles?"
"Three, maybe?"
"Oh..." Tim wanted to cry at the thought of having to walk that much further. He dropped his head into his hands.
"What's your name?"
"Tim McGee."
"Wait... Tim McGee? As in the guy who's been missing for the last few days?"
Tim looked up and, then, straightened as he realized there were a lot interested gazes on him now.
"Um...yes?"
"There was a notice at the trailhead that there was a man who had gone missing in this part of the park and for hikers to keep their eye out for him. Timothy McGee."
"That would be me," Tim said. He started to pull out his wallet and then decided he didn't need to.
"Wow! I never thought that we'd actually see you. Cool! Can we help?"
"I don't suppose you could magically transport me back so that I don't have to walk anymore?"
There were some chuckles around the group, but they were all still staring avidly at him. It was a little discomfiting.
"No, but we can help you back."
"Are you sure? I don't want to ruin your plans."
"Are you kidding? We're going to be heroes! That's the coolest possible thing that could happen today!"
Tim laughed.
"If that's what it takes to get some help, I'll let you all be heroes."
"Okay. David, can you take his pack?"
"Sure!" A tall skinny kid who looked like he was all legs and arms walked over and helped Tim ease the pack off his back. He felt like he could fly without the weight.
"Thank you," Tim said. "It's not too heavy for you?"
"No way."
"Felt like a ton of bricks on my back." Tim almost cautioned him about the gun in there, but he decided against it. Then, he hesitated and looked around. "I don't suppose I could lean on one of you? I sprained my ankle a couple of days ago and walking on it is really hard."
"Sure. Absolutely, but let's see if we can make it a little easier for you, too. Here. We've all certified in first aid. Decided that it would be a good idea for this trip. You'll be our first patient!"
"Oh, no," Tim said, but he smiled.
They were all extremely excited, but he could hardly complain if they were going to try and help him feel better.
They got him to lie down on the trail and then, they started to investigate his ankle.
"Yikes. This looks bad. You've been walking on it?"
"For a few days. Had to."
"Okay. Then, what we'll do is elevate for about 20 minutes. Sarah, soak something in water and we'll get as close to icing it as we can."
They fussed over him, and while Tim wasn't sure he liked all the attention, he had to admit that it was nice not to have to worry about things. After giving him some ibuprofen and wrapping his ankle in a wet t-shirt, they let him lay there for a while before they would move on.
Tim felt really awkward with everyone staring at him. He tried to make some conversation. "So...you all know who I am. Who are you all?"
"Oh, we're just taking a hiking trip to celebrate the end of the school year. We're hiking the Thorofare."
That pinged something in Tim's brain, but he didn't know what it was.
"Thorofare?"
"It's a long backcountry trail. Goes all the way down into the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It's not too hard, mostly flat, but it's long. Over 30 miles and that's just going 1 way."
"And you're the one in charge?"
"Today, I am. We decided to switch off to keep things running smoothly. No dictators," he said with a grin. "But it was my big idea; so I got to be in charge first. I haven't decided if I'm going to give up my power tomorrow yet."
Tim laughed a little. "So... who are you all? David's got my pack."
"Right. I'm David, too, but I go by Dave to keep things clearer. That's Sarah and her sister Lisa...or did I get that backwards?"
"Nope, that's right," Lisa said. "We're twins."
"Of course, you are," Tim said.
"Sunnie and her fiancé Moroni."
Tim craned his neck to see the couple and waved at them.
"Blake, Jess and Harris. And finally, Sydney and her cousin Andrew."
"I'm not going to remember all that."
"That's okay," Sydney said. "There are a lot of us and only one of you."
"So...what happened?" Dave asked. "You weren't even on a trail."
"Long story," Tim said, not wanting to get into the fact that he'd killed three people. "I'm going to need to find a ranger, but...I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got mixed up with some people who didn't give me any option but to go with them. Got away and started making my way back, but I didn't know where I was or how far I had to go."
"Weird. Well, it's not that far now. A few miles and we'll help you back."
"I don't want to ruin this big trip you've got planned, though."
"Oh, no. We can just start over again tomorrow," Moroni said. "No big deal. We've got the time. It's summer vacation!"
"I can't thank you enough," Tim said. "I really didn't want to walk for three more miles on my own."
Another round of laughter.
After a few more minutes, Dave checked Tim's ankle and wrapped it up fairly tightly.
"Okay, I'll let you lean on me, first. You'll have to put some weight on that side, but we'll try to make it as easy as possible."
"Sounds good."
Blake and Harris helped him stand and then he leaned on Dave and they started off. It was so much easier that Tim felt like cheering.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"Still no sign," Gibbs said into his radio.
"We're going to have to head back."
"I know."
Every day that Tim was out there in the park meant it was more and more likely that they'd never find him...at least, not alive. Gibbs hated that, but he knew that was the case. Rangers who were out further in the southeast corner of the park hadn't found anything, either. None of the day hikers had seen him.
It was like Tim had simply vanished into thin air. The problem was that, in the forested areas, they could walk right by him and, if he was unconscious, they could miss him completely.
They would have to keep trying as long as they could.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"We should be there soon," Jess said.
Tim was leaning on him, currently.
"Good."
His ankle had started hurting more again, but he tried not to complain about it since they'd already done so much for him.
Dave was at the head of the group and suddenly, he shouted back.
"I see the parking lot!"
"See? What did I tell you?" Jess said with a grin.
"I'm so glad you were right."
They got to a parking lot, and Tim sighed with relief.
"Where's the nearest ranger station?"
"Over in Lake Village. We'll drive you over."
"Really? Thank you. Again. Thank you so much."
"That'd be another few miles. I don't think you want to walk that."
Tim shook his head, fervently.
"No. Absolutely not."
Jess laughed and helped Tim to a car. Tim got in, and David handed him his pack. Tim leaned back against the seat and sighed with relief again. Dave got in the driver's side.
"I need to get to a ranger station," Tim said.
"Looks to me like you need a medical clinic more."
"I can go there, after. I'm not seriously injured. If you could just take me to the ranger station and drop me off there, you can get back to your hike."
"It'll be too late to start out tonight. Actually..." Dave looked in his rearview mirror. "...everyone is following us."
"What?"
"They're all coming. This is too exciting for them to just wait here."
"I'm glad I'm providing so much entertainment."
Tim closed his eyes and, thankfully, Dave kept quiet on the way over to the ranger station at Lake Village. He almost fell asleep, in fact. The car seat felt like the softest mattress ever.
Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop.
"We're here," Dave said. "I'll help you inside."
"Thanks."
Dave grabbed Tim's pack, tossed it to David who was right there with everyone else, and then, helped Tim into the station.
The whole lot of them came into the ranger station and probably took the ranger on duty by surprise.
"Hey! We found that hiker who was missing!" Dave announced. "...or he found us. Either way, here he is!"
The ranger's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Tim heard another voice. It was so unexpected that he didn't recognize it, at first.
"Tim?"
Tim turned his head toward the voice and then was shocked to see...
"Delilah?"
Delilah was sitting there. In the ranger's station. In Yellowstone. Not in Dubai. Tim found he could barely wrap his mind around her being there.
"What...are you doing here?"
Delilah wheeled herself over and Tim let go of Dave.
"You've been missing," she said.
"I know."
She reached out and grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. He lost his balance and would have toppled them both over, but Delilah had put on her brakes.
"I was so worried," she whispered in his ear.
"I didn't...know you'd be this worried."
"What do you mean?"
"Dubai is a long ways from here," he said. "It's got to have taken you forever to get here."
"I know and I couldn't stand staying there while you were lost here."
Tim didn't know how to respond to that; so he just hugged her back.
"Oh..." She let him go and he staggered a little. Dave grabbed hold of him to keep him upright. "We should let Gibbs and the others know."
"Gibbs is here?" Tim asked, even more shocked than he'd been before.
"Yes. Your whole team is here."
"They are? Why?"
"Looking for you, Tim!" Delilah said, impatiently. "What do you think?"
"I think...I need to sit down. Is there a chair? Besides yours?" he asked with a weak smile.
Then, Delilah seemed to notice that he wasn't standing on his own.
"What happened?"
"Lots happened," Tim said, unwilling to elaborate at the moment. "But I sprained my ankle a few days ago and it really hurts."
Someone brought a chair and he sank onto it, gratefully.
"I'll contact the rangers who are out looking for you."
"Thanks," Tim said to whoever had spoken. He was just looking at Delilah, still trying to register that she was really there in front of him.
"Who are all these people with you, Tim?"
Tim looked back over his shoulder and saw all the smiling hikers. He smiled back at them.
"My heroes," he said with a grin. "I heard them hiking and shouted for them to wait. They did. Then...they helped me walk the last three miles. They put off their big hiking trip to help me back. They deserve medals."
"Yes! I'd love a medal!" David said.
Tim laughed and looked back at Delilah.
"If you don't get one, I'll make you one," she said.
Tim could see that Delilah was bursting to ask him what had happened, but he really didn't want these college kids to hear about the fact that the man they'd rescued had single-handedly killed three people...even if those three people had been criminals. He just didn't want to see that change to the thrill they were experiencing at being the heroes.
She opened her mouth and he shook his head just a little. She looked a little confused, but thankfully, she didn't press it.
Finally, after an awkward silence, Dave clued in that Tim might want to be alone with his girlfriend and he shooed everyone out.
"What happened, Tim?"
Tim stared at the ground for a moment and then looked back at the ranger who was coming out from the back.
"They're on their way back in. You have some very happy people coming," she said.
"Yeah, I'm sure...but you should also tell the rangers that there are three dead bodies out there in the park. I can't tell you where exactly except that it's south and east of here."
Her eyes widened again.
"Three?"
"Yeah. I killed them. The gun I used on two of them is in the pack. The other one...I used a stick. Blunt force trauma to the head. I didn't keep the stick. It broke."
Delilah touched his arm.
"Tim...what happened?"
"Can it wait until they get back...so I only have to tell it once?"
"Of course." She looked at the ranger. "Tim could use some food and water, I think...and maybe some painkillers?"
Tim nodded.
"And an ice pack...or two."
"Two?" Tim asked.
"One for your face. One for your ankle."
"Oh. Is my face bad?"
"Swollen and bruised."
"Yeah, one of the guys hit me. He had a mean right hook. Knocked me out for a second and left me loopy for a while."
"I can get something for you," the ranger said.
After she left the room, Delilah wheeled herself closer to Tim.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm alive. I'm not lost in the park anymore. You're here," Tim said with a small smile. "...but no, I'm not really all right. Not right now. I'm tired. I hurt. ...and I'm not looking forward to explaining everything, but I know I need to. There might also be a dead man somewhere between here and West Yellowstone. I think they killed him before they came after me."
"He's probably dead."
"What? How did you know?"
"There was a man found murdered in his hotel room in West Yellowstone. I doubt they have many murders around here."
"Oh." Tim found that he felt pretty much numb as far as those things went.
Delilah put her hand on Tim's cheek. Tim covered it with his own.
"I'll be all right. Just not right now."
"Okay. I'll wait."
"Thanks."
They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Tim raised an eyebrow.
"You really flew all the way to Yellowstone because I didn't call you?"
"Did you really think that I wouldn't?"
Tim smiled. "Actually, yeah. I thought it would take a few days before you really worried and even then, I figured you'd call someone here to start looking for me. I never expected everyone to drop everything to come here and look."
"You're too important to just trust someone else."
"You don't have to massage my ego, Delilah. I know you all...care... I just... didn't expect this."
The ranger came back and helped Tim get more comfortable. She elevated his ankle and gave instructions on icing it and gave him another ice pack for his face. Tim hadn't even really noticed that his face hurt, but his ankle hurt so much that he figured that he hadn't been able to feel it. He leaned back on the chair and then, he looked at Delilah and she smiled and leaned his head onto her shoulder.
Tim closed his eyes and relaxed.
