"Uh…….morning!"
Oscar grinned at a sleepy-looking Abby, who shuffled into the cottage's kitchen and headed right for the coffeemaker.
"How can you be so awake, Oscar? What time is it?" she yawned, then grinned as the older man uncovered a plate of muffins.
"7:30, Abby. I guess I'm used to being up early." He looked at the bright sun, then smiled. "I imagine Rick and Rudy are getting home just about now….I know Laurie will be up to greet them."
"You've got that right, I bet she didn't sleep one bit." She smirked.
As A.J. and Linda joined them for breakfast, the phone rang and Oscar went to answer it.
"Hmmm, now I could get used to this, no breakfast to fix, coffee all ready made." Linda joked, then Abby teased "A.J., look out. Linda's going to want you to do this for her every morning now."
"Weelll, maybe I can manage it once in a while." He replied, kissing his wife's cheek and sitting down.
"Finally." Oscar came back into the room, all smiles. "Guess who the "firebug" at the hotel is?"
Abby and Linda looked at each other as A.J. said, "Who?"
"One very drunk Michael Fisk. They threw him in the drunk tank last night then ran his prints. Ron just told me he got off the phone with the Ojai police; they're going to charge him with arson."
"Looks like we may have caught a break after all, let me call Sis then we can go to the station and make sure they hold him." A.J. exclaimed.
As his wife and friends gathered their belongings, he got on the phone and called his nephew's house.
"Simon residence."
A.J. chuckled at Laurie's excited voice. "Hey sis, are Rick and Rudy there yet?"
"Good morning to you, little brother. No, they called a couple of hours ago, Rick said they were at the border and should be here about sunrise. I guess they stopped for breakfast or something."
"Well, we've got news. When they get in, would you tell Rick and Rudy that Michael Fisk is in jail for arson?" A.J. filled his sister-in-law in and was pleased to hear relief in her voice.
"That's a load off my mind, A.J. I'm going to make a special quiche for Rudy, he really needs a good lunch after whatever you guys have been eating. I'll have Rick call when he pulls in."
Saying goodbye, Laurie put the phone down, then was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread.
"Noooo, not another one." She gasped, fearing a premonition. She sank down on a chair in her son's kitchen, and took deep breaths, praying the fear in her would pass.
"Mama?"
A sleepy Robbie stood in the doorway, and at once Laurie let out a shuddering breath.
"Darling, I…I'm so afraid…something's wrong…."
Robbie went to her and leaning down, hugged his mother as she trembled. "It's okay, Mama, I'm here. Just breathe."
"I am, son….just …something's wrong." Laurie took a deep breath, then wiped her eyes.
"It's gone now, just a feeling of absolute…dread. I'm going to try your father, they should have been here by now."
Putting her transmitter on, Laurie spent the next 30 minutes calling for Rick, then Rudy.
"Any answer?" Robbie came in with some tea for his mother, Ramona trailing after him with the cordless phone.
"Nothing, Robbie. Can you call Dad, and A.J.? Something's not right." She told them, taking the glass from his hand.
"Sure, Mama. Thanks, honey." Robbie took the phone from her and went into his home office, as Ramona put an arm around Laurie.
"We'll find Dad and Uncle Rudy, they're probably broken down someplace."
Laurie closed her eyes, the fear sweeping through her again. "Rick…..darling….answer me, where are you? Please hang on….for me."
"Hang on……"Rick frowned, pain throbbing through his head. He thought he heard his wife's voice, but where was she?
"Rick, come on my boy, wake up."
Slowly Rick managed to open his eyes, then closed them as dizziness made him feel sick.
"Come on, son…." Rudy's weak voice was like a bucket of ice water. "What happened?" Rick groaned, opening his eyes again. Sunlight nearly blinded him.
Fuzzily he saw the relieved face of the old doctor, then his focus cleared, and he saw with a sinking heart that Rudy had a severe cut on his forehead, and was moving with difficulty.
"Something popped on the truck, Rick. You lost control and we rolled down into a ravine. I don't know how, but at least we ended right side up." Rudy nodded at the damaged truck that they were leaning against.
"Yeah…oh now I remember." Rick cleared his throat and at once Rudy leaned over and handed him a water bottle. "Here, we don't have much, but take a sip. We'll have to conserve until help comes."
Trying not to gulp, he swallowed a mouthful of the cool liquid, then handed the bottle back. "Wasn't there another water in the cab?"
Rudy nodded. "Yes, but I can't lean in to reach it, and I don't think you should move around much either, I think you have a concussion, and your knee's swollen."
"I figured as much, how long was I out?" Rick craned his neck and saw they were a good 20 feet from the top of the slope.
"About an hour. I didn't blackout all the way, but it took me a while to get us out…" Rudy winced as he took a breath, and instinctively Rick reached out a hand and squeezed his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Rudy. Maybe if I hadn't been going so fast….I'm willing to bet you have a couple of broken ribs."
"No, son. If anything, you saved us both…I still don't know how we made it, but …" the older man managed a grin as Rick finished, "but we will…if I know my sweetheart, she's got the gang looking for us now. Say…did you try your…" he stopped as Rudy slowly shook his head and pointed to his now cracked watch.
"I can't even get a "beep". Try yours, hopefully we're close to a beacon."
Carefully examining his transmitter, Rick saw it was scratched, but the second hand was moving, so he gently pushed the "on" button on, then was overjoyed to see the sending light was on .
"Laurie? Dad? Come in…It's Rick..can you hear me?"
A crackling noise sounded, then he repeated "Laurie, Robbie, anyone? Come in, it's Rick."
The same noise poured out of the small speakers in the watch.
"Keep trying, Rick….someone's bound to listen for us." Rudy said wearily.
For the next few hours Rick and Rudy took turns calling out to their family and friends. There was no response, and as the sun rose higher in the sky, Rick made his way into the truck to pull the other water bottle out.
As he pulled loose the water and a blanket, he realized that the stillness of the area was now broken with the sounds of cars.
"Hey! Down here!" Rick hollered, standing on the seat of his battered truck, then stopped, listening.
Several cars swooshed by, then silence.
He yelled for several minutes, then paused, as Rudy shouted along with him from his seat on the running board.
"Help…someone …down here!"
Leg aching, Rick stopped, then slid down and sat next to Rudy.
"They can't hear us, we're too far down. I'm going to have to climb up and get help."
"No, Rick, it's too steep, you'll fall and hurt yourself worse. Give it a while, then maybe we can get your transmitter to work." Rudy said worriedly.
"Well, maybe just until the bongos stop going off in my head." He replied, then accepted a drink of water, hoping someone would find them before they ran out.
"They will, I know they will." He thought, remembering his wife's voice.
"Just hang on."