The room was in an instant uproar. Everyone was talking at once, except for
Miyra – who'd turned deathly pale and was leaning against her husband for
support, and Daniel, who was too stunned to do anything but stand at the
doorway and stare. David helped Miyra to the sofa and sat her down as the
rest of the adults followed, all of them yelling things that they should be
doing. Daniel and the remaining boys stood numbly at the door.
"Quiet!" Shelby yelled, once more silencing everyone with her whip like voice. Everyone turned to the old woman, and hushed, and she started snapping out orders. "Darrin, get out the snowshoes and poles. Scott, go help him. Carol, bring me the satellite phone, and then I want you, Brittany and Anna to start gathering up blankets and bring them down here." She turned her head towards the staircase. "Shadow! Here girl!"
There was only a moment's wait before the black lab came bounding down the staircase, her belly still wet from puppy slobber. She rushed over to Shelby, wagging her tail nervously as she sensed all the tension in the room.
"What's she going to do?" Shawn asked. The appearance of the dog bringing him out of his shock for a moment.
"Hopefully she can help us find Andrew," Shelby answered. "And hopefully, wherever Andrew is, we'll find Jack and Murray."
"Can she do that?"
"She's a hunting dog, Shawn. A champion hunter at that. One of the best noses in the world. If anyone can find them, Shadow can."
Shelby didn't mention to the boy that she'd only be able to find them if they were close by. She didn't like to think about what might be if the avalanche had carried the three too far away.
Carol brought the old woman a phone, and then took off up the stairs with her sister and cousin, heading for the closets that the spare bedding was kept. A command from Shelby kept Shadow from following, but Lucille sent Jenny and the boys up the stairs to start bringing the puppies downstairs. If they didn't have any power for any length of time, the lodge was going to get cold, and they'd be forced to rely on just the fireplaces and blankets to keep warm.
'We need to get help, though," Shelby said, trying to sound calm and reassuring in hopes that it would keep the others from panicking. She carried the phone over to the fireplace, where there was a list of phone numbers and dialed one. As Daniel and the others watched – all those who hadn't been sent off to take care of errands – she gave her name, and told the person on the other end of the call what had happened, where they were, and how many were missing.
By the time she hung up, Darrin and Scott had returned with snow shoes and several long, thin poles, and Jenny had come down with the comforter, followed by the boys, who each had two puppies in their hands and were cradling them carefully. Under Shadow's watchful eye, they settled the puppies in front of the fire on their blanket, and stood watching, waiting to see what to do next.
"You boys stay here with Daniel," Shelby said, putting on her jacket and boots. "Daniel, you keep them away from the windows, just in case there's another slide."
He nodded, feeling useless.
Lucille handed Micah over to Shawn, who looked like he needed something to keep him occupied. The boy was as pale as Miyra.
"You watch him for me, okay?" She asked. Shawn nodded, his brown eyes serious and scared. He took the toddler, and held him closely as he watched all the adults getting ready to go back outside and look for the lost three. Andrew's mother and father were the first out the door – not counting Shadow, who bounded out quickly, and were followed closely by the others. Shawn sat down next to Daniel, and the other boys all crowded around as well, needing to be close, and needing to be comforted.
"Are they going to be all right, Daniel?" Tyler asked.
Daniel nodded, swallowing hard around a lump in his throat. He couldn't fall apart, and he knew it. No matter how concerned he was.
'I'm sure they'll be fine, guys."
~*~
Carter was standing next to the DOT guys when she heard the news. They had taken a break and the guy who kept calling her 'Miss' – his name was, ironically enough, Sam – had offered her a cup of coffee form his thermos. She'd accepted gratefully and was listening in on the radio chatter with them when a call came through from the Avalanche control center. They'd just had an emergency call from an old woman who was in a lodge and she was calling to report a serious snow slide, and three people missing. The DOT guys relayed the message on to the Highway patrol, who relayed it to the remaining agencies that needed to know, including Search and Rescue.
"Is it the Stephen's lodge?" Sam asked, certain that it had to be. She'd had a bad feeling ever since she'd heard the road was closed.
"Didn't give us a name, Miss," Sam told her, patting her hand. "I'm sure your friends are fine. Even if it is them, we already got Search hand Rescue on the way. They'll be bringing dogs and all sorts of equipment."
"No snowmobiles, though," another DOT worker said. "The area's really unstable, so they won't be using anything with a motor." He quailed under the glare his boss gave him, and bit his lip. "I'm sure they'll be fine."
Sam wasn't so sure, and she could tell by the serious looks the others were sharing that they weren't all that sure, either. She looked up at the sky, wondering how long it would be until dark.
"Quiet!" Shelby yelled, once more silencing everyone with her whip like voice. Everyone turned to the old woman, and hushed, and she started snapping out orders. "Darrin, get out the snowshoes and poles. Scott, go help him. Carol, bring me the satellite phone, and then I want you, Brittany and Anna to start gathering up blankets and bring them down here." She turned her head towards the staircase. "Shadow! Here girl!"
There was only a moment's wait before the black lab came bounding down the staircase, her belly still wet from puppy slobber. She rushed over to Shelby, wagging her tail nervously as she sensed all the tension in the room.
"What's she going to do?" Shawn asked. The appearance of the dog bringing him out of his shock for a moment.
"Hopefully she can help us find Andrew," Shelby answered. "And hopefully, wherever Andrew is, we'll find Jack and Murray."
"Can she do that?"
"She's a hunting dog, Shawn. A champion hunter at that. One of the best noses in the world. If anyone can find them, Shadow can."
Shelby didn't mention to the boy that she'd only be able to find them if they were close by. She didn't like to think about what might be if the avalanche had carried the three too far away.
Carol brought the old woman a phone, and then took off up the stairs with her sister and cousin, heading for the closets that the spare bedding was kept. A command from Shelby kept Shadow from following, but Lucille sent Jenny and the boys up the stairs to start bringing the puppies downstairs. If they didn't have any power for any length of time, the lodge was going to get cold, and they'd be forced to rely on just the fireplaces and blankets to keep warm.
'We need to get help, though," Shelby said, trying to sound calm and reassuring in hopes that it would keep the others from panicking. She carried the phone over to the fireplace, where there was a list of phone numbers and dialed one. As Daniel and the others watched – all those who hadn't been sent off to take care of errands – she gave her name, and told the person on the other end of the call what had happened, where they were, and how many were missing.
By the time she hung up, Darrin and Scott had returned with snow shoes and several long, thin poles, and Jenny had come down with the comforter, followed by the boys, who each had two puppies in their hands and were cradling them carefully. Under Shadow's watchful eye, they settled the puppies in front of the fire on their blanket, and stood watching, waiting to see what to do next.
"You boys stay here with Daniel," Shelby said, putting on her jacket and boots. "Daniel, you keep them away from the windows, just in case there's another slide."
He nodded, feeling useless.
Lucille handed Micah over to Shawn, who looked like he needed something to keep him occupied. The boy was as pale as Miyra.
"You watch him for me, okay?" She asked. Shawn nodded, his brown eyes serious and scared. He took the toddler, and held him closely as he watched all the adults getting ready to go back outside and look for the lost three. Andrew's mother and father were the first out the door – not counting Shadow, who bounded out quickly, and were followed closely by the others. Shawn sat down next to Daniel, and the other boys all crowded around as well, needing to be close, and needing to be comforted.
"Are they going to be all right, Daniel?" Tyler asked.
Daniel nodded, swallowing hard around a lump in his throat. He couldn't fall apart, and he knew it. No matter how concerned he was.
'I'm sure they'll be fine, guys."
~*~
Carter was standing next to the DOT guys when she heard the news. They had taken a break and the guy who kept calling her 'Miss' – his name was, ironically enough, Sam – had offered her a cup of coffee form his thermos. She'd accepted gratefully and was listening in on the radio chatter with them when a call came through from the Avalanche control center. They'd just had an emergency call from an old woman who was in a lodge and she was calling to report a serious snow slide, and three people missing. The DOT guys relayed the message on to the Highway patrol, who relayed it to the remaining agencies that needed to know, including Search and Rescue.
"Is it the Stephen's lodge?" Sam asked, certain that it had to be. She'd had a bad feeling ever since she'd heard the road was closed.
"Didn't give us a name, Miss," Sam told her, patting her hand. "I'm sure your friends are fine. Even if it is them, we already got Search hand Rescue on the way. They'll be bringing dogs and all sorts of equipment."
"No snowmobiles, though," another DOT worker said. "The area's really unstable, so they won't be using anything with a motor." He quailed under the glare his boss gave him, and bit his lip. "I'm sure they'll be fine."
Sam wasn't so sure, and she could tell by the serious looks the others were sharing that they weren't all that sure, either. She looked up at the sky, wondering how long it would be until dark.
