Chapter 4
"All right I blew it, now what!" Rick fumed at himself, what a klutz. After 3 hours, he still couldn't believe he'd messed up an apology, let along remember the number of the class center.
Now his brother wasn't even talking to him. Maybe it wasn't too late to make it right. "I need to call her, make sure she's going to wait for me." he figured.
"A..J., do you have the number of the Cultural Center?" he asked, then seeing his brother smile, realized his brother had been waiting for him to talk to his wife. "About time you apologized to her, here's the card!" he grinned.
Ten minutes later he was beyond panic. Chief Joseph had come on when he called the reception center, and the first thing he said was "Light's in danger, about an hour ago someone saw a car chasing her and Brick, then she vanished. I just called the ranch, and Rudy's there, Brick came back without her."
"Oh, God, no Chief! I thought ...": Rick moaned. "Let me put on my transmitter, I should be able to find her with it!"
Setting it to send, he called, "Laurie, sweetheart, it's Rick, answer me, darlin'!"
Abruptly he heard her responding faintly. "Rick? Darling, I'm trapped, I can't walk, please
find me!"
"Sweetheart, I'm here, I won't let go, where are you?" he talked back to her.
Silence.
"Laurie, please, answer me, where are you?" he yelled into his transmitter.
He listened to the static, then clearly picked up her sniffing. It tore into him, she was
crying and he couldn't comfort her. "My angel, I'm sorry, I'll find you, please hold on!"
he called to her.
Rick thought she wasn't receiving him, then he heard his wife's voice, faint but clear.
"Rick, I love you, I'm sorry too. I'm in the passageway, near....." static suddenly
took over.
"Laurie, Laurie!" He couldn't hide the panic in his voice, A.J. was at his shoulder, listening
as well. "Rick, she said she's in the passageway, near what?"
"I don't know, we've got to find her, she's hurt, A.J. she said she's trapped and she can't walk!"
Rick rubbed his neck, then remembered something.
"What was that Robbie said, Grandmother Kasey told her to remember the wild turkey story?",
A.J. tried to think, then he said, "I've got it, she's near Lost Valley, I'm almost sure of it!
Grabbing his jacket, Rick started out the door, then heard the phone ring. "I'll get it, Rick, hold
up!" his brother stopped him, then answered "Simon and Simon Investigations".
"A.J., is Rick still there, it's Oscar. What's this about Laurie missing?"
"We think we know where she is, Oscar, here's Rick." A.J. handed the
extension to his brother, who took it and said, "Oscar, where are you?"
"I'm on my way back to the ranch, Rudy just got a hold of me, what happened?
I thought you were picking her up? Where is she?" Rick could hear the anxiety in the older man's voice.
"I got stuck here at work, I thought Laurie was going to wait for me though, and well, we had crossed signals. Laurie's somewhere near Lost Valley, we think. The Chief called, she was riding Brick home and a car came after her.
She somehow was thrown or gotten off her horse and vanished. The car took
off and she's somewhere out in the snow. I got a hold of her briefly on my
transmitter, she says she's trapped and can't walk. She started to tell
me she's in a passageway near someplace, but we got static since."
"The snow's starting to let up, but it's getting dark, we've got to hurry.
I'll head toward the Cultural Center and try to set up a search from
there. Keep trying to reach her, I'll try all frequencies too." Rick knew
Oscar was trying to keep calm, but with the snow and her having been
sick.. oh God, please! "I'll keep in touch, we'll head straight there, Oscar.
As soon as I make contact, I'll call you."
Ending the call, he slammed the phone down, then grabbed his jacket again.
"A.J., why do I do this, just when I think I've got my temper under control...
I've never done anything stupid like this before!"
"Come on, Rick, don't beat yourself up like this!", his brother tried to mollify
him as they raced down the stairs and out into the late afternoon dusk.
Treading rapidly across the parking lot, now covered with salt, Rick made for
his truck. Just as he went to climb in, he saw A.J. head for the passenger
door. "I'm going with you, Rick, I don't trust my car on those roads, and
I can talk on the transmitter while you drive."
As they headed toward Silver Rock, A.J. kept listening for Laurie, then
saw the coordinates finally settle in one spot. "Rick, call Oscar, see if
he's at the Center yet."
Calling on the spare transmitter, Rick talked to the older man just as he reached
the Chief's office. "Oscar, I think there's too much metal in the area where Laurie
is, but the coordinates of her watch are finally giving a steady reading." Telling him the digital readout, Rick heard the tribal elder in the background plotting his wife's location.
Finally he heard the Chief's voice relaying to Oscar where she might be, then
Oscar came on. "Son, we think she's down in the gully, about a half mile from
the hospital, just near the turn. It's so dark, we might have to wait until daylight
to go down and look for her!"
"No, Oscar, I have a feeling I can get down to her. Remember what her grandmother
said, about the wild turkey story? I think she's taken cover in the hidden passageway.
I'll meet you and the Chief where the fencing ends. We should be there in about
10 minutes." Rick told him. As they went past the ranch driveway, A.J. noticed
a car waiting to come out onto the road and recognized it as Robbie's patrol car.
"Don't look now, Rick, but your son's right behind us!" he told his brother,
bringing a reluctant smile to his face.
Just then Robbie's voice came over the receiver. "Pop, I've been monitoring
your frequency, I'm right behind you. Rudy's waiting at home with Robin, if we need him, he'll meet us at the hospital."
"Thanks, son! Stay in my tracks if you can, the ice is bad on the shoulder side!"
Rick warned Robbie. As they got closer to the turn towards the cultural center,
the snow began to lessen, but the sky darkened and worse, the wind picked up.
Suddenly some debris appeared in the roadway, and it took all Rick's driving
skills to dodge the stuff. Following his father's lead, Robbie managed to avoid
the same hazard, then Rick pulled over to the area where he believed Laurie had
fallen. As he turned off the motor, he saw Oscar and the Chief approaching, along
with Sheriff Rob and Doc. Climbing out, he greeted the men, then pointed to a gap
on the shoulder of the road. "I think that's where Laurie fell, let me try to reach her and
see if that's where she is." he yelled above the howling wind.
Turning his transmitter to send, he called "Laurie, sweetheart can you hear me?"
Abruptly, through a burst of static, her voice came over clearly. "Rick, darling, I'm here,
I heard Oscar, where are you?" Oscar answered over his transmitter, "Honey, we're at the
top of the gully next to the hospital. Where are you?"
There was silence, then her tearful voice, "I'm in the secret passageway that used to lead
out of the valley. It's all blocked by boulders, I can't climb back up, I hurt my ankle when
I fell. Don't try to come down the slope, guys, it's too slippery and icy!"
"Darlin', it's all right, I'm coming down to get you with a rope, just stay put!" He looked up to see Oscar and the Chief shaking their heads. "Rick, the visibility is close to none right now, you can't see once you get down there, and if it starts snowing again..."
"I'm not leaving her down there by herself, guys, now get me a rope." Rick told them stubbornly.
"Rob, do you have your headlights in the trunk?"
The sheriff smiled, "sure do, Rick. They should do the trick, let me get them and we'll attach the
rope to the patrol car. Come on, Robbie, you can help me set them up."
Once the men had everything set up, Rob and the Chief tied the rope to Rick, then Doc gave him a thermos of warm tea to take with him. "She's been without fluids for hours, get some into her if you can."
As he got ready to go down the slope, Laurie called them, a frightened tone in her voice. "Rick, the tunnel above is starting to crumble, don't come, the whole hillside is starting to give way!"
"Sweetheart, I'll be right down, stay under cover, I'll be right there." he replied. Playing out the rope, he started down the slope, and immediately saw what his wife had warned him about.
Slipping and sliding, he rapidly went down the hill until he suddenly saw the snow- covered rocks below him.
Landing on his feet, he looked around in the dim light that the searchlight cast, then called,
"Laurie!" "Rick!", he heard Laurie's voice, then saw her peeking out of a small opening that was
covered by foliage. Dropping to his knees, he crawled toward her, then heard an ominous rumble.
Reaching for her, he grasped her arms and pulled her out of the hollow, just as a rain of rocks and dirt threatened to bury her. Safely out of the way, she buried her face in his chest and wept as he held her in his arms. "Sweetheart, it's okay, I'm here, I won't leave you!" he comforted her, then raising her face, saw the bruises and cuts on her tear-streaked cheeks. "My brave girl, I'm sorry, I'll never leave you upset like that again, I promise!" he choked, softly kissing her face.
"It's all right, I love you, darling, you came, you always do. I'm sorry, shouldn't have hung up on you!" she sniffed to him, then rested her head against his shoulder as he gently picked her up and carried her toward the slope.
"I've got her, we're both coming up!" Rick yelled through the wind, which had started to pick up.
"Laurie, put your arms around my neck, I'm going to tie the rope around us both." he explained.
Rick buttoned his coat around her as Laurie clung to him, then started to climb up the slope.
As Rob and Robbie pulled them up, the footing became more treacherous, and the Chief backed the truck slowly toward the road.
Finally the two Simons felt the ground solidly beneath their feet, and untying the rope from around them, Oscar grasped his niece around the waist and hoisted her into his arms. "Baby, thank God, oh thank God!" he said, kissing her forehead, then helping Doc wrap a blanket around her.
"I'm all right, I hurt my ankle, I just want to get warm!" she told him, trying to smile at him, then
seeing the others, greeted them as they hugged her then Rick.
Carrying her the short distance to the hospital entrance, Rick took her inside as Doc went and fetched a wheelchair. While they waited, Rick poured a cup of the tea Doc had prepared and had his wife sip it slowly.
"Thank you, darling.", she smiled at him as she blinked in the bright hospital lights. "I was so
thirsty, but I remembered how snow makes you colder, besides it hurt to move around in there."
"That was smart, Mom, remembering what the Chief taught us." Robbie said, then laughed
as she shook her head and said "No, Robbie, your father told me that, he learned it from his dad."
She gazed up at Rick as he grinned at her, "Funny that you remembered that, I only thought of it
because we'd been making jokes about yellow snow!" As the others laughed, Doc came back,
"I've got a treatment room ready, Light, I want to take a look at that ankle."
As he started to wheel her away, Laurie suddenly remembered something. "Rick, Oscar, I almost forgot, that Thomas, he's the one who nearly ran Brick and I off the road, I had to jump to get off Brick so he wouldn't tumble into the gully. He was waiting by the hospital, then he blocked my way with his car and he got out and grabbed my saddle. I managed to jerk away from him so I could ride away, only that's when he came from behind and startled Brick!"
"Sweetheart, you mean he watched you fall then he left you to...?" Rick said angrily, then he glanced at Oscar and Rob as they turned beet red. Laurie saw their reactions, then tried to calm them down.
"Please, guys, Rick, don't go after them, please!" Robbie swallowed hard but
stayed focused as he said, "Mom, I'll call in an APB, they're bound to still be in the area because
of the storm, I'll call Captain Ron, he'll locate them.!"
Letting out a deep breath, Rick managed a smile at his son as he stood up and took Laurie's hand. "I won't leave you, angel, I learned my lesson about my temper today! I'll let your uncle
go after the bastard!" he added, looking meaningfully at the big man.
Catching his drift, Oscar nodded, then putting an arm around his niece, told her "We'll make sure
he doesn't get away, honey. Now you go with Doc and have him take care of you. I'll be back."
Knowing he would go whether or not she wanted him to, Laurie gave him a kiss, then whispered, "Please be careful!" Rick wheeled her away as Rob and Robbie left A.J. to wait while they conferred with Oscar.
Once she was comfortable, Rick sat with his wife as Doc examined her ankle and checked a small bump on her head. "I'll look at your x-rays, Light, then I'll be back." he promised.
When he left the room, Laurie moved over for Rick to sit next to her so he could hold her. "Is
this better, sweetheart?" he asked, gently cuddling her against him. "Yes, darling." she smiled,
then kissed him.
"I'm sorry, my love" she continued, taking his hand in hers. "I should never have ridden in to class, it was so cold and I just never got warm." "I know, you were thinking of your students instead, and I should have listened to you, Laurie. I'm sorry, too, I would never had let you leave without me if I'd thought about it. I let my pride get in the way. Never again, precious."
He kissed her hand, then all the bruises and cuts on her face. "Hmm , that's what I call kissing and making it better, especially" she sighed, "when you say such beautiful things!" Resting her face against his shoulder, she closed her eyes.
When Doc came back in with her test results, he found her asleep in her husband's arms. Relieved, he quietly came to Rick and showed him that her ankle was badly sprained but that she had no concussion. "Tomorrow she can go home, but I want her to take it easy until after Thanksgiving, Rick. If she wakes up during the night, she can have a little broth."
"Thanks Doc, I think she'll sleep straight through, my poor girl's exhausted." he whispered.
Accepting an extra pillow and blanket, he slid down with Laurie and closed his eyes.
Just as he started to doze off, he heard a sleepy voice, "Rick?" Opening his eyes, he looked down at his wife and saw her looking up at him, a puzzled look on her face. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"I remember something, I started to fall asleep in the cave, it was so cold and I was afraid, then
I heard a voice, I heard someone say not to go to sleep, to call you." Laurie snuggled up to
him. Rick took a deep breath, she could have died of exposure if she had succumbed to the
cold. "Darlin', thank God you listened to that voice, I'd have lost you...." he gulped then
pulled her closer to him. "Rick, I think, I think it might have been Grandmother, she said "child",
and she's the only one who calls you Richard." Laurie looked up to see tears in his eyes.
"Oh, darling, no, don't cry, I'd didn't mean to upset you, please!", she put her face next to his.
"I love you, Laurie. We shouldn't ever part like that again!" he whispered, placing butterfly kisses on her face. "I promise, no more riding by myself, either, I don't enjoy it all alone
anymore. You've spoiled me, darling, I only want to ride with you!" she sighed, then sealed
her vow with a kiss. Together, they dozed off, bringing a smile to Robbie as he came to
check on them early in the morning.
"Thanks for standing watch, Uncle A.J., I was worried about that Thomas coming back here if he realized Mom survived the fall. I'm glad Captain Ron backed Uncle Oscar up, otherwise that creep would be dead!" he spoke softly as the two stood in the doorway of the treatment room.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Robbie, I knew Oscar would come through. You must be tired,
though, why don't you sack out on the chair and I'll let you know when the storm clears enough
to go home." his uncle offered.
"Thanks, I think I will." Robbie accepted gratefully, grabbing an extra blanket and settling in a chair near his parents. " I'm just glad Uncle Rudy stayed over Robin; they want a call first thing in the morning on how Mom and Pop are. 'Night, Uncle A.J.!"
"'Night, son." A.J. replied, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat at the sight of his nephew, so grown up, now curled up watching over his folks.