SNOWSWEPT

by CuddleFae

Dr. Lauren Lewis has been assigned to oversee the opening of a new hospital. Overwhelmed by all there is to know and learn in an unfamiliar land, she crosses paths with a mysterious woman with a dark past - a past that has caused her to live by one rule. Trust no one. Thrown into a desperate struggle, can they overcome the barriers between them in their fight to survive?

42. Chapter 42: Iditarod, Part 3

A/N: Newly posted today, Sept 21st – Chapters 42 & 43, so go back if you haven't read 42! Previous post was Sept 13th – Chapters 40 & 41. More Iditarod race to come (it's a long race so… well, you know).

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Chapter 42, Iditarod Part 3

Lauren sat on the back porch of the lodge trying to rein in her emotions until Tamsin came to rest beside her. That's when she lost her shit. All of the stress of the patients she'd treated, waiting to see Bo then seeing that she was hurt, trying to find a way to get her back on the sled and worry over the coming return trip… she wished she could unhear all of the nasty things mushers were saying about the conditions.

She wiped her eyes and heaved in a deep breath, "Sorry."

Tamsin threw an arm over her friends' shoulder, "The brave doctor sheds some tears. Like that's never happened before. You're human, Lauren. You don't have to play the brave soldier around me or anyone out there… except the wee little girls."

Lauren chuckled, "I'm so afraid for her, Tamsin. I tore my ACL in college and it is painful. She's going to drive a sled on it! I know she has to stick that leg out so she doesn't flip her sled but I'm afraid that when she does, the pain will be too much, and she'll flip her sled anyway. I didn't say anything because I don't want her to feel like I don't support her… that I don't believe in her ability to run and win, but I'm just… I'm just afraid for her."

Tamsin nodded, "Me too… especially knowing what you are thinking. Thanks for that."

"Well, you know I'm always willing to share my burden with you."

"So, kind of you," Tamsin snarked.

Lauren calmed after several minutes and took a few deep breaths. Tamsin released her and handed her a tissue from her pocket,

"Wipe your snotty face. You don't want the kids to see you like that."

She dried her eyes, wiped her nose and then turned to Tamsin, "Does it look like I've been crying?"

She hesitated, half shaking her head and twisting her face, "No… not really… sort of… maybe… yes… definitely. Sorry."

Lauren shook her head, "How do you keep it together when you're afraid, Tamsin?"

The agent shrugged, "I just focus on what needs to be done then shit myself later."

Lauren smiled, "Focus on what needs to be done."

"Yea. Isn't that what you do when you're in a surgery?"

"Well, yes of course but… I'm not going to marry my patients."

Tamsin shrugged, "Yea, but I've seen how much you care about that little girl that had the heart surgery."

"I've known her for years."

"But you still compartmentalize to treat her."

Lauren nodded, "I do. I guess with Bo I just have this fear that… well, one moment I think I've accepted who she is and what she does and I'm okay… then the next, we're in that moment where she's doing her super-human stuff and I just can't contain the fear because I seem to be the only one who realizes she really is human!"

Tamsin smiled, "It's called love, Lauren, and fear of losing her. But would you rather her be unhappy sitting here while we pack the trucks to go home for her surgery while she sits and wonders if she could have finished… maybe even won? I mean, she has a three hour lead."

The blonde sighed, "You're right. I need her to be who she is."

"Well, then it's settled. You have no control over what will happen. What you can control is your trust in Bo to handle whatever comes next. Speaking of Bo – here comes her doctor with his mini drivers."

"Rudy and Elise sure look proud of themselves."

Tamsin smiled, "He looks… not good. I mean, LJ is helping him step out of the sled."

Lauren laughed, "First timer… not to mention fear over two mini-mushers with high squeaky voices driving the sled you're on."

"Not to mention those voices just repeating 'faster' and 'faster' over and over again."

"Yes, there's that as well."

They were approached by the girls. Lauren gave her eyes one last wipe to be sure her makeup was intact before looking up at her friend,

"I'll see you soon. Thank you, Tamsin."

"You're welcome, Lauren."

She stood and headed back around the lodge while Lauren greeted the girls and then headed over to meet with William who was now sitting on the trail sled.

When he saw her approach, he stood – a bit wobbly. Lauren smiled as she walked to him, locking her arm inside of his. She gave LJ a nod and turned William towards the community building,

"So, how was it?"

"I'm not sure yet. I mean… exhilarating… terrifying… thrilling… terrifying… eye-opening… terrifying… just… terrifying."

Lauren smiled, "You had a good look at Rudy's legs as she drove?"

He shook his head, "That little kid… I mean… Rudy is amazing. We were up on a single rail… I think… and she shouted lean left and LJ pulled me over and we fish-tailed and she just handled it. She pushed the sled up this hill and Elise jumped off the bench and helped and… they are an incredible team."

Lauren smiled, "Yes, they are. Now, imagine Bo and a trail with twice as many hazards and about ten more mile per hour of speed… and at times, ice, dirt, ice flows, deeper snow, water, riverbeds, stones and gravel."

He shook his head, "She shouldn't do this, Lauren."

The blonde nodded, "We all know that, William. Bo knows it too, but this is how she pays the bills for these dogs. This is how she pays all of those people who are here to help. It's her livelihood, William. Think Olympics. You would find a way to get her through the competition just like you did that gymnast with the broken ankle that year."

"This isn't just one vault or one dismount, Lauren…"

"I know that, William but just like you saw Elise sit and ride, getting off only when Rudy needed her, Bo can do the same. We've lightened her sled so her dogs can handle it. She'll have two more eight-hour rests before she has to hit the most difficult parts of the trail again. What's our best shot at helping her to get through the rest of the race?"

He nodded, "Double the brace. I want to reinforce her medial-lateral movement. In addition, I want to keep her leg in flexion – restrict the motion of the hamstring since it doesn't look like extension is such a big deal. Sprinting is going to become more and more painful, so she needs to sprint only when absolutely necessary. She's got to focus on lifting her knee to her chest rather than kicking her foot back to push off."

"She can do that. I'm sure of it."

"You are?"

Lauren nodded, "She's going to do whatever she has to do to make sure that she can get her dogs back here safe and sound. She knows that if she goes down, she puts her dogs at risk and they mean more to her than… well, for Bo, it's more important that they live than she lives."

"Wow. Can I quote you on that?"

Lauren and William spun around to see Gwen standing there with her recording device out.

"You are eavesdropping on a confidential medical discussion about a patient. You are aware there are laws against that?"

"I was minding my own business when two doctors started having a conversation about a patient without checking to see who was in earshot. I'd say the responsibility lies with the two of you."

Elise and Rudy came up behind Gwen, Rudy snatching the recorder from her hand, "You lie! We were following you from up at our trucks where you were asking us all kinds of questions about why we would go run the backup dogs without reason!"

Elise chimed in, "The reason is because dogs need exercise. Regular dogs go for walks. These dogs want to run and you always give dogs what they want if you love them! You're mean and you're sneaky and I don't trust you!"

"Me too!" Rudy said, handing the recorder to Lauren who pulled out her phone and made a call,

"Sheriff? Can you come over to the medical building please? We have a situation."

Gwen's eyes went wide as she tried to speak, but was unable to form words. Lauren could see Dyson hand Dax to Ciara before he stood and headed over, pulling his bag from his back pocket and pinning his badge to his jacket. William followed Lauren's eyes to see the familiar law enforcement officer who had kindly helped him move his furniture into his house the day he had arrived in Alaska.

Dyson extended his hand, "William. Good to see you. Lauren."

He pulled off his hat and bowed to the youngsters, "Ladies. Nice to see you, but you look awfully upset!"

Elise nodded, sharply extending her arm with pointed finger towards Gwen,

"She came over to our back up dog truck and started taking pictures and writing stuff without asking any questions when we brought the dogs back. We were starting their rub downs when we saw her walking down here behind the building."

Rudy added, "She got on her knees and crawled under that tree and we saw her pull out that thing that Lauren is holding. She was recording their important doctory… what do you call it?"

Elise responded, "Medicine talk about Bo. She's not allowed to hear people's medicine talk, right? That's what Lauren said!"

Rudy held up her hand, "It's got to do with the hippos!"

All of the adults laughed – Gwen included - until Dyson held out his hand to Lauren, "May I take that into evidence, please?"

"Evidence," Gwen asked, "But I didn't…"

"Miss, I've had several complaints from mushers about a reporter who fits your description getting too close to their team areas. Each of the fires you see on this property are like families in a home. Most people know to respect group boundaries, but clearly you are new to this environment."

He pulled out his citation book and pen, "If you do not adjust your behavior accordingly, we will send you and your press pass to the press area. I believe you are here with the permission of Bo Dennis. If you are not with Bo's team, you are not to be in the area. The adults are over there, but we're having family and friends time right now. The porch up on the hill is empty. I'd suggest that might be a nice place to make camp."

"I can sleep in my truck."

"As you wish," Dyson said, tearing off a warning and handing it to her, "The only reason this isn't a citation instead of a warning is because I cannot talk to Bo right now about her expectations. When I do, I'll be sure to clarify with her exactly where she wants you. After she hears of this incident, she may want you with the rest of the press brigade. So, are we clear?"

"Yes, Sheriff. If I can just talk to Bo then?"

"Bo is sleeping," Lauren snapped.

"Can you wake her for just a minute? I have some questions and haven't had a chance to talk to her about…"

"Bo has been on her feet and out in the wild for three days. If you look up on that hill, you can see that her dogs are awake and playing together. Bo, on the other hand, has slept for all but four hours of this twenty-four-hour layover. Dogs don't need the kind of sleep that humans need, so humans are always sleep deprived in this race. I will not wake Bo to talk to you – especially after you intentionally stole personal medical information about her."

"I did not steal…"

Dyson cleared his throat, "Actually, theft of information extends to recording devices."

Gwen sighed, "She promised me she would help me to see the other side. So far, I'm being shut out!"

Rudy and Elise crossed their arms over their chests, Elise asking, "Which side do you want to see?"

Gwen slouched, "My boss thinks the Iditarod should be ended because the dogs are abused. I'm trying to write in favor of it continuing because the dogs enjoy it."

Rudy laughed, "Enjoy it? They don't really enjoy it… well, not all of it."

"What?" Gwen asked.

"I think what Rudy means to say…" Lauren began, but Rudy waved her off and continued,

"I'm Rudy Dennis, Bo's sister. We already met but you may not remember me because I'm little and adults tend to understemate…" she looked at Lauren, "Is that the word?"

"Underestimate."

"Right. That. Adults do that to us all the time. Like William here didn't think I could drive a sled, but he knows I can now."

William nodded to Gwen, "She's amazing."

"I didn't want to brag. Anyway, when I lived in Hawaii, I was in this surf competition my neighborhood holds called the mini-mite challenge. I love surfing almost more than her mom's stew," she said, throwing her thumb towards Elise,

"But when you wipe out… man does it suck to go into the washing machine! You get turned over and over and over until you finally get a breath and then another wave comes and pushes you right back into the washing machine and you swear your gonna die, but then you don't, so you pick up your board and go back out again. Crazy huh?"

Gwen looked up at Lauren who was smiling. The doctor raised her hand, "I'm a surfer too and I can vouch for what she's saying."

"Anyway, dogs running the Iditarod are just like that. They do other stupid stuff too. Like our one dog, Hercules, he always tries to run up onto the top of his kennel house and jump into a tree to try to catch this bird that sits there on a branch. Every time he tries, he wipes out. Bam. Lands flat on his back. It must hurt because he gets up and shakes his head and lays down, but the next day he's up and doing it again."

Elise added, "Yea and there's those guys that go out and run those marathon races? Do you know they run for twenty-six miles no matter what the temperature or weather? I mean, why in the world would anyone want to run for twenty-six miles? But they still do it and not because their moms are telling them they have to!"

Rudy nodded, "And then there's the snowboarders in the half pipe. I mean, I loved to skateboard, but I only did little jumps and a small half pipe. The snowboarders are doing all these flips and stuff and they fall and crash but they get up and do it again and then they're all like…"

She wiggled her extended thumb and pinky finger, "Rad dude… that was so cool! What a rush! It's crazy, right?"

Elise nodded, "So you see? The Iditarod is like all that. Everyone who's hanging out here all love sledding and so do the dogs. Do you really think they would just pull a sled if they didn't want to? Here. We'll show you."

Elise turned towards the truck, "LJ! Can you bring Snow and her harness?"

LJ waved to the group and did as asked. Rudy and Elise ran around until they found a sizeable clump of wood. They carried it over to the ground and dropped it just as LJ arrived with Snow in her harness.

Elise looked up at Gwen, "This is our puppy, Snow. She's gonna be Rudy's lead dog one day."

"How do you know?" Gwen asked.

"Because when we put a harness on her and attached it to a piece of wood, she does this…"

She nodded to LJ who cut four deep gashed into the wood with his knife, then wrapped the free end of the lead around the wood, inserting it into the gashes. Rudy stood in front of Snow,

"Stay. Stay. Whoa. Whoa," she held up her hand.

Snow went to move, but Rudy held her hand up again, "Whoa. Whoa. Stay."

She stepped aside, "Hike! Hike!"

Snow took off running, looking behind her at the log, then turned on the speed. She ran around in circles over and over again.

"How long will she do that?"

Rudy and Elise laughed, "More than an hour if we don't stop her or if she doesn't wrap the line around a tree, but she's just a puppy – not even one year old – so Bo doesn't let us let her do that for more than ten minutes at a time. Her… well, I forget what they're called but they're little lines that hold bones together…"

"Ligaments," William added.

"That's it!" Rudy smiled, "They can't get too stretched or her joints will be loose or something like that. I don't really know all the science stuff yet but we're both learning. Elise actually works at the Veterinary Hospital back at our clinic. She delivered puppies last month!"

"It was so cool! And it was really gooey too."

Rudy called to Snow, "Gee! Gee!"

LJ shook his head when she didn't listen, "Unfortunately, this breed of dog only knows one speed and if they're not hooked to a sled and under a musher's control, they'll just keep on running."

Gwen nodded, "Yes. Bo explained that to me… sort of."

"I'll go get Snow and take her back to the truck."

"Thank you, LJ," Elise smiled.

"You're welcome, little sis."

Elise smiled whispering to Rudy, "He started calling me that. I like it. Do you think I can call him big brother?"

Rudy nodded with a smile before turning back to Gwen,

"So you see? The dogs like this. And all of these dogs around here… this is like humans competing against humans. This is how they know who the Alpha dogs are. It's the animal kingdom's hiney system."

Gwen placed a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh, instead snorting.

"What was that noise?" Rudy asked, looking at Lauren, "Is she okay?"

Lauren controlled her laughter, "I think you meant to say hierarchy system. You said hiney system – like a person's butt."

Rudy and Elise started laughing, Rudy turning to Gwen, "It's not a competition to see which dog has the biggest butt."

The group laughed longer before Lauren turned to Gwen, "With your permission, Dyson will erase the tape…"

"I have hours of interviews on there…"

Lauren shook her head, "If you allow me to finish - erase from where my conversation with William began unless you have done this before?"

Gwen shook her head, "I swear I have not been party to recording any human medical information."

Dyson hesitated, "So you have recorded the medical doctors in the canine tents?"

Gwen hesitated, unsure of what the legal boundaries were, but finally admitted she had recordings of their conversations,

"But everything said supports that the dogs are given the best possible care. Those vets put the dogs first and never hesitate to drop them even if a musher protests."

Elise crossed her arms, "And when did you hear any musher protest a decision?"

Gwen sighed, "Only when a vet suggested a dog be put down because of a broken leg."

Elise smiled, knowing exactly which dog she was talking about, "Do you know how he broke his leg?"

Gwen shook her head, "I assumed during the race."

Elise looked at Lauren, "What does 'assume' mean?"

"It's when you guess based on a previously held belief," Lauren replied.

"Belief… so you believe that mushers hurt their dogs?" Elise asked.

Lauren nodded, "So she assumes the leg was broken because of the musher."

Elise looked at Gwen, "So you think the leg got broke because the dog ran in the Idit-rod?"

"I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but the only thing I've seen dogs do here is run or sleep."

Elise shook her head, "Look harder, reporter lady."

"It's Gwen."

"Whatever," Elise said, but Lauren scolded,

"Elise. Be polite."

"Well, she didn't assume right. The dog was sleeping with his team and someone drove a stupid tin dog over his leg and broke it into a bunch of tiny pieces!"

Elise was clearly upset, so Rudy wrapped her arms around her, "We're gonna go take care of Snow."

The two girls walked away, the adults watching before Gwen said,

"I'm so sorry."

Lauren nodded, "I believe Bo mentioned something to you about not making assumptions when you are here, yes?"

"You know?"

Lauren nodded again,

"I know much of your conversation with Bo. The rest of the people here only need to see your press pass to see you as the enemy since they don't know you."

She sighed, "They're not happy that Bo allowed you into the inner circle and if Bo were awake and knew that you were still making assumptions – worse yet, asking questions while mushers are trying to focus on their race - she would have Dyson escort you back to the press area."

"That's why I wanted to speak with her. If I could just…"

Lauren's face now showed her anger, but she kept her voice even,

"So, I'm going to caution you once more – stop making assumptions. Stop lurking in the shadows. Stop trying to catch someone doing something wrong and focus on their love for the animals, the race and it's purpose for being."

Dyson added, "If you haven't gone into the lodge, there's a great book about how this race came to be and the family that started it. It's worth a look for your article and it may help you understand why the race is so important to Alaskans even in this century."

Gwen paused, "Can I ask – do you know if the Vet put the dog down?"

Dyson replied, "I know the owner. I won't give you his name, but he's been racing sleds since he was eighteen and is now about twenty-six years old. That dog was given to him by his father when it was just a pup. His dad died last year, so no, he didn't allow the vet to put him down."

Heaving a heavy sigh, the Sheriff continued, "He'll pay to have the surgery to pin the bones back together and let him live out his years. If the leg can't be saved, he'll build him a cart to allow him to be mobile on three legs if he doesn't figure out how to move without."

"How much will the surgery cost?"

Dyson shrugged, "About ten grand."

"Whoa."

"He loves his dogs. He would do it for any of them. Of course, we'll do what we can to make sure the guy on the snow machine pays for the surgery."

Gwen nodded, "Tell your friend to get in touch with me if he wants a little public pressure put on the driver. Social media does wonders to adjust a person's charitable nature when they've wronged someone."

Dyson nodded, "Thanks for the offer, but he's not much for social media. I don't know that he would want to do that."

"Of course. It's his call but still - here's my card."

Dyson nodded, waving the recorder, "I'll let you know when I've had a chance to have the vets listen to the recordings. Do you have a backup device to use until this is returned?"

"Back in my truck, yes."

"Okay then. If you don't mind, I'm going to head back to my family."

"Thank you, Dyson," Lauren replied.

Gwen gave a short wave and walked away before William turned to Lauren, "Well, that was enlightening."

"I'm sure. If you search the web about the Iditarod, you're guaranteed to get plenty of links from PETA about how bad the sport is. I've seen a few nasty mushers, but I choose to focus on Bo. She's all in for all the right reasons. Her dogs are very happy."

"And clearly she loves the sport or she wouldn't be running. Lauren, I have to ask. She does understand the risk is that she completely tears these ligaments, right?"

Lauren nodded, "I took care of the required informed consent, but feel free to remind her when we put her together before she leaves."

"Fair enough. How much time do I have to fuse these braces?"

"About four hours if you want her to have a chance to walk around in them first."

He nodded, "Anyone have a welding kit?"

"A welding kit? You mean the term 'fuse' was literal?"

He smiled, "Lauren, did you think my seven prototype braces built themselves?"

She chuckled, "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Remember, what I told you at our interview. Orthopedic Surgeon is short for..."

"Carpenter, builder and the MacGyver that could outdo MacGyver himself," Lauren nodded with a chuckle, "I remember."

"Okay, so about that welding kit?"

Lauren smiled, "Mark has one. Follow me and he'll help you out."

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With the brace perfectly fit to her leg, her sled loaded and the bellies of her and her dogs full, Bo lay on her hay bed staring up at the star-filled sky. Rudy lay by her side pointing out the constellations. The youngster suddenly switched topics,

"I read this book that told me all about the National Trails System and how the Iditarod Trail is the only National Historic Trail in Alaska that was approved by Congress. Did you know it has a one-thousand-mile main trail that goes from Seward to Nome and then there's another one thousand four hundred miles that shoot off in all different directions to get to places like Nikolai and Anchorage and Rohn and stuff?"

Bo nodded, "And did you know that in some places, two trails run parallel to each other?"

Rudy asked, "Is that side by side?"

Bo smiled, "Yup."

Rudy was silent for a moment before she asked, "Do you know there are five public cabins on the trail? Can we stay in all of them some time?"

Bo smiled, "You know, while I was out on the trail, I was thinking that there's a few places on the trail that I would love for us to camp. Cabin or camping?"

"With Kyle's new shelter! I'd love that."

"I know you would," Bo smiled.

"Do you know that a lot of the trail is built over land that's owned by Native corporations and not just land owned by the state and the USA?"

Bo nodded, "I did know that."

"Did you know there are parts of the trail that go all the way to the Bering Sea?"

Bo laughed, "I did know that."

Rudy rolled over, sitting on her sister's stomach, her face just inches from Bo's, "Okay, then name one of the companies that owns the land the trail is on."

Bo smiled, "I'll name one if you can name one."

"Okay. Tag, you're it."

Bo smiled, "The Bureau of Land Management in Anchorage. Tag, you're it!"

"Wait! Do we have to say where they are? I don't know where they are."

"Okay. Just who owns the land."

Rudy nodded, "Alaska Parks and Recreation. Tag, you're it!"

Bo nodded, "Chugach National Forest. Tag, you're it!"

"Ummm… Alaska Department of Nature? Tag, you're it!"

Bo laughed, "It's the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, but I'll accept nature."

"You have to name one!"

"There's only one left!" Bo countered.

"But it's your turn!"

"What if I don't know it."

"Then I win, 'cause I know it!"

"No, you don't!" Bo smiled, curious if her sister really did know about the Wildlife Refuge.

"Yes, I do! It's called the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge! It's a place where people can't kill any animals no matter how hungry they are!"

Bo smiled, "You're absolutely right! Good job, Roo! You win!"

"What do I win? Will you bring me something cool from the trail?"

Bo smiled, "I'll do my best, Roo."

"Cool."

"Now, there's something important I need you to know. If I have to have surgery on my knee after the race, you'll have to help LJ out with the dogs, okay?"

"Sure! I just took the full team out again and it was awesome!"

"Great. The other thing – I want Harper to be the ring bearer in my wedding. You can put the rings on her collar. You can figure something out with mom. Also, don't let them reschedule anything because of my surgery, okay?"

"But it won't be as much fun without you being able to walk."

Bo smiled, bumping Rudy's nose with her own, "Being able to watch you and Lauren having fun together will be all I need. Besides, how often do I get to lay around on…"

"Shhhh… don't say it! Lauren could be around."

Bo smiled, "I love you, Roo."

"I love you too, Sister. And thanks for picking the perfect spot for your wedding."

"You're welcome, Roo. You're sure you have everything handled?"

"Elise and I have all the wedding stuff good and the adults are getting all the adult stuff that you need those plastic cards or money and stuff to get. It's gonna be the best, Sister," she yawned, laying her head down on Bo's chest,

"We're making you the best wedding ever and we're making sure Lauren will be really, really happy because you said that was all that matters. You're gonna love it."

She was snoring softly seconds later. Bo wrapped her arms Rudy, holding her precious little sister tightly,

"I love you so much little Roo. You rest. We've got a big couple of days ahead. No matter what you hear, please don't worry. I can do this, Roo. I won't let you see me quit."

She closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her one last time before the next long haul.

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Two Hours Before Departure

"Bo?"

She could feel the tap on her shoulder, but she could also feel the throbbing in her knee. She dreaded the thought of moving it, but once she opened one eye and saw a sleeping Rudy in front of her, she remembered her promise. She whispered,

"I won't let you see me quit."

She carefully removed her arm and slipped out of the blanket, pulling it up over Rudy and kissing her cheek. Looking up, she saw her big brother,

"Tosh."

"Hey, Bo. Lauren's getting a whirlpool prepped for you… well, Kurt's version of a whirlpool, so she went me to get you."

Bo nodded, moving to bend her knee, but felt pain instead. She winced, holding her breath until it passed before holding a hand up,

"I think I'm going to need your help up."

He nodded, "Keep the pressure on your good leg and keep the bad leg straight. Ready?"

Bo nodded and in one strong pull, she was balancing on one leg. He smiled, "Okay, let's take this slow."

He slipped an arm around her waist and the other over his shoulder as they began the slow walk to the medical room. As they walked, Bo could feel it loosen up a bit, but she knew it was going to take Lauren and William to get her fully back on her feet again.

"It feels like it has a gallon of fluid inside and the skin is so tight."

Tosh nodded, "That doctor has a plan for that too, but he thinks it will probably make it worse before it's better."

"Great," Bo said as they made their way through the front door, "No way I'm doing steps. I don't suppose they can come down here."

Tosh smiled, stepping in front of her and bending down, "Your chariot awaits, little sister."

Bo laughed, shaking her head, but wrapped her arms around his neck and did her best to jump up onto his back. She could hear his breathing get heavier as they made their way upstairs. It concerned her, but she knew better than to say anything that would hurt his pride.

When they reached the top, he leaned against the banister and waved her in, "Go. I've got to catch my breath."

She shook her head, "No offence, big brother, but I'm not leaving you out here alone breathing like you are. The last thing this team needs is an unconscious Tosh on the ground followed by an emergency Medi-Vac for a heart attack. Come on. It's not much further."

The pair walked into the room, Tosh taking a seat right inside the door. Lauren looked up and immediately noted the worry on Bo's face as she watched her big brother,

"Everything okay?"

"He hauled me up the steps on his back."

Tosh waved Lauren off, "I'm fine. No chest pain or anything. I'm just out of shape and breathing heavy because of lugging my muscle-bound sister up the steps."

Lauren nodded, "Well, don't go anywhere. I want to keep an eye on you while we treat Bo."

"Doc, it's not a big deal. It happens."

Lauren's worry only increased, "Tosh, you're not that old. This shouldn't happen. I'm going to have Kate take a look at you."

"She's on dog duty."

"There's plenty of people to help with dog duty, big brother," Bo said, "There's only two here that are qualified to look at hearts and lungs."

Lauren sent a text off to Kate, "She'll be here soon. Rest."

Tosh nodded.

"William is in that room waiting for you. Kurt cobbled together a sort of whirlpool that should help. You're going to do what's called a contrast bath. Just do as William says and you should feel much better. I'm guessing you're pretty stiff?"

Bo nodded to Tosh, "Which explains why he gave me a lift up the steps."

Lauren nodded, "I hate that we're on the second floor. It hasn't made it easy to see injured humans."

"Write it down, Doc. Write it down," Bo winked, about to lean into give Lauren a kiss on the cheek when she remembered the other patients in the room.

Her doctor had a thing about professionalism, so she headed to the room Lauren had pointed out, deciding she would get time with her before she had to leave… she hoped.

Bo walked through the door, finding a big feed trough with three hoses going in through the side and a large engine sitting in the corner with a hose going out of the window,

"I know it looks strange, but it's perfectly safe. This is an air compressor that's going to force air into the water where your knee is. The window has to stay open, so we don't inhale CO2 and pass out."

Bo chuckled, "So I'm getting in there?"

He nodded, handing her a pair of shorts and a tank top, "Lauren had Kelly grab these from her old apartment when she flew a patient back to Talkeetna."

"Um… it's freezing in here."

He nodded, "Yes, but you can see the steam coming off the water. You'll be toasty – I promise."

Bo looked into the water, "And the stool that's on the side?"

"We're going to do a contrast bath and part of that is out of the water. Rather than have you climb out, we'll have you prop your leg up on there so we can get to it."

"Lauren said that this is supposed to reduce swelling. How do you know I have swelling?"

He shrugged, "You have two torn ligaments in your knee, Bo. I guarantee you there's swelling. If I can't get it down this way, I'm going to have to drain it. You won't last a day if I don't."

Bo nodded, "It feels like someone poured a gallon of water into my knee."

"Swelling," he smiled, "Get changed. I'll be right back."

Bo did as asked, and sat back down on the chair looking down at an angry, swollen knee. On the bright side, the wounds didn't seem to look infected. Doctor McFarland came back into the room with Kelly in tow.

He sighed, looking down at the knee,

"Okay – a definite change of plan. There's just too much swelling. You would be out for the count in two hours if we let you go out like this. I'm going to gamble on your pain tolerance, Bo."

"Prep for a therapeutic retropatellar aspiration with a cortisone injection," he said to Kelly before turning back to Bo,

"We're going to drain it, then contrast it but Bo, I must be honest with you - after I drain a knee, patients are usually ordered to rest the limb for at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours. In some cases, it takes six weeks to recover from a drained knee, but those are usually associated with specific forms of arthritis or surgeries."

He rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, "I have no idea if an aspiration procedure will help if you go right back out and use it. I can only hope the contrast bath afterwards will delay the next onset of swelling. Still, I'm willing to try if you're game."

Bo nodded, "After you rode with Rudy, you said you needed me to not do side-to-side movements, keep my leg straight when applying pressure and not to run unless it's uphill when I'm in… I think you called it flexion which just means my leg is bent, right?"

He nodded, "All of that is true."

"Well, I can counterbalance using a lean instead of putting my leg out. I'll only use that in an emergency. That would help, right?"

"Greatly," William replied looking down at the surgical tray Kelly had brought back into the room.

"I also have another idea," Bo turned to Kelly, "Can you radio Kyle and Kurt here?"

Kelly nodded, doing as asked while Bo turned back to William,

"Okay. Well, let's drain this thing then. How do we do it?"

The doctor explained, "I'll explain as we go to save some time. I know minutes count right now."

"Thanks for appreciating my situation."

William smiled, "I'm getting an Iditarod crash course from your little sister. She's a ball of energy, that one. This is just betadine," he explained as he applied the dark orange substance in a circular pattern to the side of Bo's knee.

"She is," Bo replied, "You're in good hands with her."

"So I'm learning. She's also very protective of her big Sister. She wanted to know how I was going to fix you. You're going to feel a pinch and then a burning sensation. This is the lidocaine in the very fine needle."

Bo propped up her head and watched as the doctor worked, "Feels fine so far, Doc."

William smiled, "That's a good thing. Now we're going to kick up a bit of pain, but I think you should handle it without a problem. I'm going to insert a needle here between your patellar tendon and lateral collateral ligament – it's nothing but soft tissue here and you can see that there is a bubble of fluid that stands out from the rest of the swelling. This will be the site of the initial lidocaine injection which will prevent excessive pain during the procedure."

Bo watched as he did as explained, then began to unscrew the syringe from the needle, "To mark my spot, that stays in. Now we'll attach a larger syringe and begin to aspirate or draw out the fluid. We just want to give the lidocaine a chance to work for a moment."

"What's going to come out?" Bo asked.

"I'm expecting blood and synovial fluid – think of the color of a mix of blood and beer - which I will send back to the hospital lab to be sure there's no infection at this point… since there was a laceration."

Bo watched as he drew out the fluid, "A little painful."

"Hang in there. Just a little while longer," he said as the syringe slowly filled with a bloody fluid. Then, he unscrewed the syringe, handing it to Kelly, "Mark it and send it all to the lab, please."

"Yes, Dr. McFarland," Kelly said, putting a label on the tube and marking it while the doctor took the final syringe.

"Okay, so that's it then?"

He shook his head, "Now the cortisone injection. After this is finished, you must lay stationary for one hour," he said, withdrawing the needle, "…starting right now, then, we'll get you up and walking. You won't be pain free, but within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, it should feel much better – possibly pain free but remember, that doesn't mean…"

"I can run wild and put that leg down."

"Right and if you use the limb excessively during the first twenty-four hours, you'll just fill back up with fluid and pain again."

Bo nodded, "So then you could just drain it again and hit me with another shot, right?"

"If you're close enough for me to drain it, yes but remember, Bo – if you want to stay in the race, managing this injury is all up to you. I know you have a high pain tolerance, but the swelling can lead to infection which can lead to fever which can lead to…"

"I get it, I get it."

He nodded, "But to be sure you do, if you get a fever and fall asleep out on that trail, you won't be able to send up a flare. With your history of blowing through checkpoints, people may assume you're just camping out and not come to look for you until it's too late."

She nodded.

"You need to have a plan, Bo. I know it's not how you roll – Rudy's words, not mine – but you need one now that you have this injury," he looked at Lauren,

"She needs you to have one. Like it or not, you're getting married now and part of marriage is preventing the person you love from unnecessary worry so they can live their life in your absence. I know you don't know me, but my wife and I care deeply for your fiancé and this has been tough on her. Please… make a plan she can count on so she knows she can count on you to come back and walk down that aisle with her."

He scowled, shaking his head, "I'm sorry. That was unprofessional and out of line…"

"No, that was sweet. I appreciate you looking out for her. It's nice to know that her doctors care about her and that they aren't just going to run her into the ground like Evony did."

He smiled, "Never. Never again."

Bo nodded, "You worked for…"

"Yes. Never again."

Bo could see his jaw contracting under the strain of clenched teeth and knew to say no more. She waited and – as she had seen Lauren do many times before – he exhaled a long deep breath and continued with his professional instructions,

"You need to understand that while I can drain the knee again, I cannot give you another cortisone injection for at least three weeks. It's not a drug the bone and cartilage tolerate well in excess. But you can do your own form of contrast bath out on the trail. Three minutes hot, one minute cold, continue alternating hot and cold for twelve to fifteen minutes. Can you figure that out?"

"I can figure that out for sure," Bo sighed, shaking her head.

"What's wrong?" William asked.

"There's a lot to do when I stop for a rest. It's just one more thing that will prevent me from getting quality sleep. Not your problem. I'll figure it out."

He nodded, "If you're that tired and you don't have much time to contrast, just pack your leg in snow for fifteen minutes, then crawl into bed and wrap it in a warm blanket that was set by the fire for heat. I'll give you a couple of those big green trash bags. Wrap your leg in the bag before you pack it in the snow, otherwise, you could burn your skin and… well, I'm sure you know all about the dangers of the cold."

Bo nodded, "Pretty much."

"Okay. You rest. Kelly will let you know when the hour is up. I have other patients to see. Let her know if anything changes."

Bo nodded, closing her eyes. Kelly rolled the privacy screen over, knowing Bo wouldn't want her competitors to see her in here,

"Will two hours of rest be enough?"

"I suppose it will have to do," Doctor Mc Farland said, moving to the board on the wall, "Carter Morgan?"

A tall man dressed in fur from head to toe walked over to the doctor, "You're a doctor?"

"Yes, Sir. How can I help?"

Kelly left the doctor, moving over to see Lauren, "Where do you need me?"

"Headache in the preschool room, infected cut in the staff room, guy with the flu in that little closet of a room next door."

Kelly smiled, taking the three charts, "It is a closet."

Lauren shook her head, "I'll take mister 'burns-on-my-leg because I fell asleep with my foot at the edge of the fire' over here."

Kelly smiled, shaking her head, "Never a dull moment."

"Doctor Lewis?" Kate called as she entered, "Sorry it took me so long."

Lauren nodded to Tosh, "Cardiac eval."

Kate walked quickly to Lauren, "Really?"

She nodded, "Pale, cool, clammy hands and face, shortness of breath after carrying Bo piggy-back up the steps."

"Bo's here?"

Lauren nodded, putting a finger over her lips, "She's behind that privacy screen. She just had her knee drained and will be here for at least an hour. Do a quick evaluation and if it warrants, have Kurt take him right away before Bo wakes up."

"Got it. Do we have…"

"Portable on that wall," Lauren said, pointing to the machinery on the wall.

"The Butterfly IQ+?"

Lauren nodded, "Scanner is on the shelf below the machine."

"Okay. I'll run a quick EKG, then do the scans and make a decision."

"Kate Myers is going to make a decision without doing labs?" Lauren grinned, knowingly.

"You don't think I should?" Kate asked, worried.

"Not my patient," Lauren replied.

"Don't do that," Kate frowned.

"Kate – this is medicine in the field. If I could be guaranteed you wouldn't get killed, I'd send you to a war zone for a year so you could learn. This is the next best thing. You only have what you have. Use your instincts and know that you have a very well-equipped chopper sitting outside that's basically a surgical center."

She nodded, "Fine. I hate when you push me out of my comfort zone. I love you for it, but I hate you."

Lauren laughed, "You love me. Period."

"Fine. Asshole."

"Bitch."

Kate walked away laughing, "Hey Tosh. Can you stand?"

He sighed, "Kate, I feel worse. I think I need to go to the hospital."

She rushed over to Lauren, "Call Kurt. He's asking to go to the hospital. Tell Anna when you get a chance."

Lauren nodded, picking up her phone, "I'll call ahead to Dala so she can get the room prepped."

"Can I take the scanner with me?"

Lauren shook her head, "Everything you need is on the chopper. I'm going to have Shannie meet you on the chopper. Don't leave without her. She's your best set of hands." Lauren paused, "Change that. Take Kelly with you – it's her chopper. She's a great cardio surgical nurse – every bit as good as Shannie. She's in the room next door."

"Kurt – bring a bed – hurry."

She called Shannie, "I need you and Carolyn, please."

She called Molly, "We're taking Tosh to the hospital. Can you call Big Jon and have him meet him there?"

"Michael is there. I'm going to send him."

"Not his son?" Lauren asked.

"Tosh and Big Jon had a bit of a falling out before he left. That's why Jon isn't here. I'll send Mark."

"Are you sure?"

"I've got this, Lauren. You just take care of Bo."

Lauren nodded, "Is Kyle with you?"

"Yes."

"Tell her she's going to have to work without Tosh and Kate until further notice. Shannie and Lynnie are coming in to take Kelly's place because she's going with the chopper. Kurt will be gone too. I'll get all of them back to her as soon as I can, but for now, she'll be a little shorthanded."

"It's okay. Everything is good to go until Bo leaves. We just need her."

Lauren nodded, "She'll be ready."

The doctor turned to Kate, "Go. Find Kelly."

Lauren sighed, wondering if she should tell Bo about Tosh, until Kate waved her over. Tosh looked up at her, speaking softly,

"You'll tell Bo I had an emergency at the store and had to fly back. I do not give either of you permission to disclose my medical information to Bo Dennis. You can tell the family I'm going, but they are not to tell Bo or the kids anything other than I had an emergency at the store."

Lauren and Kate shared a look, shaking their heads before Lauren turned back to Tosh, "You do realize you're putting me in a very bad position, right?"

Tosh nodded, "I know, but she's gone through too much to finish this race. I will not be the reason she pulls out now. This is too important to her. Too important to our little sister and their mom. I'll sue your asses off if you breathe a word to her. Besides, she'll forgive you when she knows I threatened to sue you."

Lauren shook her head, "This is a bad idea, but I will honor your wishes, Mr. Morton," she turned to Kate, "He's your patient. I don't want to know a word about his condition. Call…"

"Mark," Tosh stated firmly, "And be sure he knows to keep it to himself until after the race. Don't tell Michael or LJ unless Molly already told them."

Kate nodded, "Understood, Mr. Morton. I'll go get Nurse Chapman."

Tosh smiled, "First, help me stand so I can walk down the steps to Kurt. I don't want him dropping my ass down those steps out there and I don't want to risk Bo waking up and seeing me on a gurney."

Kate looked at Lauren who shrugged and nodded, watching as they left the room. She sighed, shaking her head,

"And people wonder why I don't want to practice medicine around here anymore."

She sighed, turning towards the patient she had been with, but quickly turned back when Shannie and Lynnie walked in,

"Lauren, what the hell…"

Quickly, Lauren covered Shannie's mouth, "Shhh. Bo's here."

She nodded towards the privacy screen and pointed towards the exit where the three went to talk.

"Kelly just handed us these patient files. What's going on?"

"You saw her leave?"

"Yes, with Kate and…"

"And her patient. Not my patient. A patient we were specifically told not to discuss. Understood?"

The pair looked at each other, Lynnie turning back to Lauren, "But Bo knows that…"

"No and I have been instructed to keep it that way until after the race. This will be handled by the patient and his sons. That's the end of it. Now, Nurse Chapman had to go with Dr. Myers for a cardiac evaluation…"

"Shouldn't I be the one…" Shannie began, but Lauren shook her head,

"You are not licensed as a flight medic. Kelly has to be the one on the chopper if Kate has to cut. She's worked with Kate several times now. She's improving, Shannie and it's important that the two of you allow Kelly to grow into the surgical nurse she can be. Let her take this one. I trust her and that should tell you both something given the patient who shall not be named."

The two stood, nodding,

"Now, those are the patient charts that Kelly had started on. We're a little backed up, so if you can knock out those four cases, I can handle the three in here and Doctor McFarland should be able to handle any issues from there."

"When does this place close?" Shannon asked.

"Midnight," Lauren replied, "William said he'll handle things after we get through this backlog of patients."

"Okay. Let's get started then. No matter what, Lauren – you're going to be at that checkpoint when Bo leaves even if it means we have to cover for you," Carolyn added.

"Thank you."

The three parted ways, each going to their respective patients. They worked quickly, handling the cases assigned with relative ease. More patients came in… blisters, nausea, headaches, more burns, frostbite and a more severe case of hypothermia which William sent to the hospital. It took all of Lauren's professionalism not to ask about Tosh when Kelly and Kurt came into the room to take William's patient out.

By the time they were finished, it was time to wake Bo and get her moving again. Lauren watched as William moved to Bo's bed and pulled back the privacy screen. As he tapped her on the shoulder, Lauren moved closer, pulling back the blankets on her leg to check on her knee,

"It looks good. No sign of infection in the wounds, no swelling."

"No swelling at all?" William asked.

"It looks like a regular Bo knee to me."

"That's great. That's really great," William smiled, "I'm shocked."

"She's a well-trained athlete, so her body does tend to heal quickly. Considering you drained her, I am surprised by the progress."

"Lauren?" Bo mumbled.

The blonde nodded, "I'm here, Bo. Your knee looks great. Can you sit up and let us know how it feels?"

Bo nodded, sitting up.

"Let's just try a little rotation to start," William suggested, "Move your foot in and out."

"A little twinge when I go to the outside."

William nodded, "That's the ligament catching. Tears tend to take calcium from the area and anchor torn ligaments back to the bone. Unfortunately, they don't always anchor to the correct spot on the bone so if it isn't in the right spot, you'll feel it when you start to bend the knee."

"Okay, so I'm going to try to bend it now?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Bo carefully bent the knee, then straightened it, "It's no where near as bad as it was."

"Good. Now let's try to stand," William said, moving to the side of the bed, "Just step towards me. Grab my arms if you need help."

Bo stood, putting all her weight on her good leg, before slowing shifting to the other. She smiled,

"Okay. I'm vertical and weight on both legs."

William laughed, "My miracle patient."

Bo chuckled, "Yea, well I haven't taken a step yet."

She did just that – step after step, circling around the room. She walked forward and backward, did a few half-squats, figuring out how to shift her weight to prevent the worst pain. Then she jogged across the room, with a slight hitch in her gait,

"Hurts to run a bit."

William nodded, "Well, let's see how it feels going up a set of stairs. Remember…"

"Focus on my hip flexors, not my quads. Lift and push with my glutes rather than my hamstring."

"Right."

They went out into the hallway where William had her hop down the stairs on her good leg, then walk back up. Bo did so relatively pain free, so he had her repeat the action, then run up the stairs. While there was a little more pain, it was tolerable.

"Okay," Bo smiled, "Can I go eat something? I'm starving."

He smiled, "Yes, but please don't sit down. You need to keep circulation moving in that limb. The less you use it, the stiffer it will get."

"Eat, keep moving. Got it."

She turned to Lauren, "Are you free?"

Lauren turned back to Shannon and Carolyn who nodded, "We have three patients we're working on. All minor injuries. Doctor McFarland has the burn guy over there. We're good. You two go. Good luck if we don't see you until the next checkpoint, Bo."

"Thanks, ladies. I'll see you soon. Thank you for all of your help – especially with Rudy and Elise."

Lynnie smiled, "They're great kids. It's easy to help them."

They started to leave, but Bo turned back, "Shannie, have you been tracking the teams?"

She nodded, "Ten have gone ahead of you, but none of those ten have taken their twenty-four hour or one of their eights. Anna said she overheard two guys talking at the Lodge over dinner. They're trying to get as far in front of you as they can before they take them. Molly and your mom were laughing after they left."

"Why?"

"Molly said she thinks they're rookie racers and that they obviously didn't understand that the twenty-four-hour rest has to be taken at or before the town of Iditarod, so she said they'll be disqualified."

Bo smiled, "Works for me. See you two soon. She looked up at Doctor McFarland who was busy with a patient, "Please tell him I am incredibly grateful for all he did for me."

"We'll let him know, Bo."

She nodded and headed for the door. About halfway down the stairs, she turned to Lauren, pulled her into her arms and kissed her deeply. When she pulled back, she laid her forehead against the blonde's,

"Sorry. I just had to do that once."

Lauren nodded, "I'm glad you did. I was going to do it myself if you didn't."

"Great minds."

Lauren smiled, "Great minds. Let's get you some food."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thirty Minutes to Departure

Bo double checked all of the lines and leads of her team one last time while Rudy checked them a third time behind her as her big sister made her way down the line,

"It's time, Roo," Bo said, moving behind her sled. She placed her hands on her hips,

"Okay then, let's run through the list so I know where everything is when we get to the checkpoints. I don't want to get held up because they can't see a required item," Bo said, "I can see that my axes are secured in their sleeves inside the rails."

Rudy nodded, "Everything is visible, and we sharpened your axes. Molly said they were way too dull. She let me throw them once to make sure they were balanced."

Bo smiled, "I meant to do that when we got to Anchorage and forgot…" she stepped closer to Rudy, "… thank you for having my back, little sister. You'll thank Molly for me?"

"I will," Bo could see the tears form in her eyes, but the youngster clenched her teeth and moved behind Bo,

"Do you see back here on the bench?"

Bo smiled as she tried to hide the wiping of the tears from her cheeks before she cleared her throat and spoke in a steeled and steady voice,

"Our mom made you a bag to replace the trail sled since we couldn't fit everything in the basket and didn't want the weight of the sled. The new bag is waterproof, and it snaps in place on each side and on the top of the bench so you can just unsnap it and pull the whole bag off. It has all of your human food stuff in it, your toothbrush, toothpaste, flint, wool and first aid stuff. There's other stuff too, but I'll remember when you go over the list. She made a bag for your sleeping bag too. That's hanging on the bench backrest."

"Snowshoes?"

"Strapped beneath the basket," Rudy said, "Just unsnap the two front tethers and you'll feel them."

"Iditarod Trail Committee materials?"

"In the peek-a-boo window sleeve thingy that's mounted on the side of the upright post on the right above the basket," Rudy smiled, "Did you know that's meant to honor the original mushers who delivered mail to the interior of Alaska?"

Bo smiled, "I did. Now, are there eight booties for each dog?"

"One-hundred and twenty booties. We counted them twice with mom."

Bo nodded, "Cooker and three-gallon pot?"

"In the basket."

Bo looked down and nodded when she saw the cooker in the pot on top of her clothing bag, "Veterinarian notebook? Did Cassie fill out the form for Harper?"

"In the peek-a-boo window and I don't know," Rudy replied.

Bo took a quick look at the Vet book, nodding when she saw Cassie's signature, "All good, now we know we have the non-chafing harness and functional neckline for each dog, but do I still have extras?"

Rudy nodded, "In the rope bags. Kyle said she knows you don't like having the tow rope in with the harnesses, but she didn't have a choice without the trail sled."

"Understood," Bo replied, rooting through the rope bag, "Extra clips?"

Rudy nodded, "They're clipped to the loops on the basket, see?"

"Oh – good idea."

"We put two on each loop so there would be noise to keep you awake. If it bothers the dogs, take one off each loop and toss them into the rope bag."

Bo nodded, "You didn't cut back on the dog food?"

Rudy shook her head, "Molly and mom did the food and said there is plenty plus the emergency food is now in a bag under the bench. See the new box that Kyle put under there?"

Bo looked under the bench and saw the box, "Oh, I see. It's literally right under the seat slats. Won't the box rust and infect the food?"

Rudy looked under the sled, "See that handle under here? Grab it, pull it towards the lead dogs and it comes out like in the kitchen at home. Inside, there's a material bag, so the food isn't actually in contact with the metal. Kyle said tin is the lightest material."

Bo nodded, "Tell Kyle good idea."

"I'll tell her," Rudy smiled.

"What kind of human food is in there?" Bo asked.

Rudy shrugged, "Granola, protein bars, jerky and Molly's stew is in these bags that you can throw in boiling water 'cause Lauren said we should give you at least some stew before LJ ate it all."

"Really?"

Rudy cocked her head to the side, "I'm just the kid, not the cook. That's what they were saying. They went to the store to get some personal hymen stuff for the girls and found them."

Bo burst into laughter, shaking her head, "I think you mean personal hygiene products."

"Whatever. That's where they found the bags… I think she called them plastic lined burnap?"

"Burlap," Bo said as she opened and closed everything to be sure she understood Rudy's version of her equipment, "It'll be great to have beef stew. I thought I'd have to go the rest of the race without it."

Rudy shook her head, "And there are two dinner surprises from Lauren. They're wrapped in foil so it's a surprise."

"I hope it's her chocolate cake."

Rudy twisted her mouth, "Sister, she's not gonna give you sugar when you're trying to win a race. Sugar is the poison to endurance athletes. At least, that's what Kate said."

"I'm surrounded by heart doctors who won't let me have any fun."

Rudy smiled, "They can't stop you from having fun out there, Sister."

Bo turned to Rudy who was pointing to the trail. She looked out across the snow and smiled, "You're right about that, little sister."

"I'm always right," Rudy smiled, "Oh and I'm supposed to tell you that the race marshal said he's sorry to hear about Harper having to drop out."

"He was here?" Bo asked.

"Uh-huh. He brought a bunch of kids who were here to pick up the dog straw. They wanted to meet you, but you were sleeping and he told them you never wake a sleeping musher. They met me and mom instead. It was cool. I taught them about sledding."

Bo smiled, "Wow. You're a teacher too!"

"You're the teacher. I'm still a musher student."

She ruffled Rudy's hat, "Thanks for filling in for me, Roo. It's important that kids learn the all they can about the race and sledding from people who actually know the sport."

"You're welcome, Sister," Rudy smiled, "Is there anything else we're missing?"

Bo checked under the sled to be sure her shotgun and spear were in the hidden sleeves. Satisfied, she stood and zipped the basket closed,

"Okay then," she said before noticing that a basket line was frayed, "Look at this, Roo."

"Ohmagosh! That's no good! I'll go get another line," Rudy said, after seeing the problem, "We shouldn't have missed that!"

"Thanks, Roo."

Bo unhooked the ends of the line, pulling it from the anchor holes just as Kyle, Lauren, Shannie and Lynnie arrived.

"What's up, Bo?"

"Frayed basket line," Bo said, handing the line to Kyle.

"Crap. I'm so sorry."

Bo nodded, "No worries. I caught it."

Kyle shook her head, "Yea, but that could have been a disaster."

"But it wasn't," Bo smiled as Rudy came running with the new line from the truck.

Shannon laughed, "Kid logic. She pulled it from the bag so she could drag it down the hill?"

Bo laughed, "Rudy logic. She doesn't have to run back up to throw away the trash. I just hope she has the clips from the bag."

"Here it is, Sister!" She ran to Bo, "Can I do it?"

"Did you bring the end clips?"

She dug into her coat pocket, trying to pull them out, but struggled. Bo smiled, taking off her gloves, "I've got them."

"I'll put it through, and you can carry each line through each loop, okay?"

"Got it."

They worked together to thread the line and then secured them at either end. When they were finished, Rudy shook her pocket,

"There's still clips."

Bo nodded, taking the rest of the clips, "They're extras just in case something breaks. They go in the pocket in the back with my personal items."

Rudy nodded, pulling off a glove so she could run them back to the bag while Bo turned to the small group from her team,

"I take it everyone else is off to the next stop?"

Lauren nodded, "Or running errands. Molly and your mom are on their way down here."

Bo checked her watch, "Five minutes until I'm permitted to depart. Time to get the sled down to the line."

"I'll take them with Rudy," Kyle said, "Good luck, Bo."

"Thanks, Kyle. Thanks for everything."

Kyle nodded, "Take care of that knee. The radio is in your handle bag."

Bo nodded, "Fully charged, I take it?"

"Always."

"Thanks."

Bo reached into her pockets and checked for her phone and GPS. She checked her thigh for her knife, then her upper pocket for her checkpoint papers and her other chest pocket for her medical papers,

"I guess I have everything. Do you want to walk me down, girls?"

Lynnie smiled, "We'll say our goodbyes here so you have some time with your girl. Good luck, Bo."

Bo leaned in and hugged her friend, "Thank you and Shannie, thanks for helping out with Roo."

Shannon nodded, "It's really a joy, Bo. She's a great kid. We're having fun. We just want to be sure you're having fun. No sense in competing if you don't love it."

Bo smiled, "I love it, Shannie. I really do. I just really wish the course wasn't shortened and I didn't get hurt. Still, I'm making the best of it because I know it will be another year until I get the chance to do this again."

She leaned in, hugging her friend and whispered, "Did you get the flight finalized?"

Shannie whispered back, "Change of plans. Trust us – you're gonna love it. You'll still be going from the same place to the same place with the same people. Lynnie just made a new friend through your accountant who won't say a word. It's cool. You'll love it and so will your traveling party."

Bo nodded, "I trust you two. Thank you."

"See you soon."

"Make certain of it," Carolyn warned.

Bo through a thumb towards Lynnie as she turned to Shannie, "She's a tough one."

Shannie laughed, "Tell me about it. I live with her! Seriously, just stick to the schedule you gave us."

"That's the plan. Just don't panic if I'm a little late. It could be a snowstorm, I may have needed extra sleep or I may have had to stop for a repair. Don't panic and don't let this one panic," Bo smiled, leaning into Lauren, "See you later."

The couple walked down the hill, Bo hooking her arm into Lauren's,

"I'm not using you for support. My knee really does feel pretty good, considering. I just want some contact. I hate having to hide us because of some assholes who don't agree with how we live."

"It's not the first time and it won't be the last time we have to adjust our lives so that other people can feel comfortable in theirs."

"Because they're so special, huh?"

Lauren shrugged, "Baby steps."

"Yea, well I don't usually do baby steps. I'm more of a gallop and sprint kinda gal. I wish I could plant a big one on you right now."

Lauren shrugged, "A kiss is just a kiss. What you say to me – how you look at me when you say it, means much more right now."

"I love you… so much, Lauren Lewis. I love you enough to keep myself safe… not free from injury, you understand, but safe nonetheless."

"I thank you and I love you so much that I will heal your wounds to the best of my ability because I know you got them while trying not to get them."

Bo laughed, "That's good."

Lauren nodded, looking up when she saw Molly and Mary, "Here comes your mom and her BFF."

Bo smiled, "They have become fast friends."

"Molly confided in me that it's like having her own mom back. She said whether they're having target practice or baking pies, they're just so similar."

"I'm glad my mom has her. It's nice that they both have daughters the same age and even with the age gap, they are so similar. Molly is an old soul."

Lauren agreed, "She is. I love catching her dancing around the kitchen though. Seeing what a mom she can be to all of us, it's funny to watch the contrast when she acts her age and starts breaking down to some rap or pop tune."

"You just never know with Molly," Bo said before calling out to the pair, "I was worried I wouldn't get to see you before I left!"

Molly checked her watch, "We're right on time. We were up there chatting away like two old ladies over all of the books they have in the lounge."

"We've decided we want to come back and do an Iditarod vacation in the summer. There are so many great little lodges along the trail, Ysabeau. We've got to come back and visit when we can go out and fish."

Bo smiled, "I was actually thinking the same thing… wrote some ideas down in my journal before I got here."

Lauren grinned, "Great minds."

Mary reached out and pulled her daughter in for a hug, holding her long and tight,

"You take care out there, Child. Make sure your axe is true should you need it, run with the winds, and listen to the spirits as they guide you. Take care of your body, mind, and soul. Know your family and all of our strength is with you every inch of every foot of every yard of every mile."

"I love you, Mom. I love you so much."

"I love you with all that I am, Daughter. Come home to me… and if you wouldn't mind, a little bling for the mantel above my fire would be a nice touch. No pressure."

Bo laughed, pulling back with tears in her eyes, "I'll do my best Mom. You know there's nothing I'd love more than for you to see me win this. It would be a special thing to do this with you here… with Rudy here…" she wiped her eyes, "I'll do my best."

"Do your best to have fun, Child. That's why you've won this thing so many times. Just have fun."

She gave Bo one final squeeze and released her, "I don't want to hog all of the hugs. Molly?"

Bo smiled and pulled Molly to her, "Thank you so much for keeping my team motivated. I know everyone thinks of Kyle as being the one in charge, but I know better. They all look to you, and you never let them down. I couldn't do this without you, and I want you to know that. I'm so grateful to you."

Molly pulled back, fanning her face, "Okay. You're getting me all emotional. Get on that sled and make it worth my while."

Bo laughed, "Thanks for finding the boil bags. Your stew gives me a taste of home out there – not to mention it's hot, tastes good and gives me both the carbs and proteins I need."

"Just keep an eye on them. You boil them too long and you'll end up tasting melted plastic instead of stew. Just warm them for a minute in boiling water."

Lauren nodded, "Drink plenty of water and don't go easy on the food bag. We'll have another one ready when you get to the next checkpoint."

"Another bag?" Bo asked, looking at Mary.

"It's almost finished. Kyle wants to make a double so we can just switch out the bags rather than go through and see what you need and don't need."

"Great idea," Bo smiled.

"It's legal, right?" Mary asked.

Bo shrugged, "I don't see why not. It's not a required item and nothing in it is required. My food is my problem."

"Bo, it's time. I don't want you running late. You'll just have to push harder to make up the time."

Nodding, the brunette agreed.

"We'll give you two a minute."

Bo nodded, turning back to Lauren and pulling her to her. She held her tight, whispering in her ear,

"I love you so much, Lauren. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know you will, Bo. Your Mom is right. Have fun out there. I know how much you love mushing life so enjoy it while you can."

"Why? You plan to keep me indoors when I get home?"

Lauren chuckled, "Oh, I plan something much more specific than that. I plan to keep you in our bed when we get home, so hurry back. The sooner you finish this thing, the sooner… well, you get the idea, lover."

Bo grinned, pulling Lauren tighter when the blonde tried to pull back,

"Bo…"

"Just a few more seconds. I need your scent… the feel of you… your warmth… the sound of your voice in my head."

Lauren savored the extra moments and held back the tears for Bo's sake until the brunette released her, flashing that gorgeous smile the doctor knew so well as she spoke,

"See you soon."

Lauren nodded, "See you soon."

Bo turned and walked to her sled. Once on the rails, she handed her form to the checkpoint official for her twenty-four-hour confirmation and headed out with a look back at her family. She turned her gaze to Lauren standing alone beneath the tree on the hill and gave her a wink,

"Hike Nike! Hike Diana!" She called to the dogs who would lead this leg, "Let's go kids! We've got work to do!"

The family watched as Bo disappeared from view, then stood silently before Molly called to the group,

"Okay – everyone huddle up here with Lauren! Come on team!"

The group moved up to where Lauren stood, "Okay, Kyle. What's on the agenda?"

"I think everyone knows their jobs and who is covering for who. Shannie and Lynnie are back in the lineup, so I think we're good to go. Lauren?"

"Well, with Bo deciding to take the eight-hour stop at the next checkpoint so she can give the cortisone injection more time to take effect, I need to get on the road. If not me, then McFarland."

"Okay, well, you talk to your other doctor and we'll provide the transportation."

Lauren nodded as the group set off in different directions to perform their tasks. Tamsin stood beside her friend,

"Okay, what's going on, Lauren? You're seriously considering not being in McGrath for Bo's eight-hour stay?"

"Bo will be there in no time – it's less than fifty miles. Someone has to be here until the rest of the participants come through this checkpoint and McFarland is the best doctor for her injury. I'm doing what's best for Bo. I cannot and will not allow my emotions to dictate my actions when she's got so much on the line right now."

Tamsin nodded, "There's something else. What's going on?"

Lauren sighed, "I can't say. I'm bound by HIPPA Laws."

"This is about the kid who they flew out that Bo tried to talk out of running?" Tamsin assumed.

Lauren breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Tamsin didn't ask about Tosh, "Yes. Please don't ask. I cannot say."

Tamsin nodded, "Did you tell Bo?"

"No."

"I see," Tamsin said, "Breaking the no secrets promise?"

Lauren shrugged, "I can't talk about my patients and Bo knows that. She'll understand."

Of course, understanding about Julie and understanding about Tosh were two very different scenarios and Lauren knew it. Sure, she didn't know what was going on with Bo's brother, but not telling Bo that he was taken to the hospital as an emergent case was killing her.

Tamsin nodded, "Then what's the problem?"

"She's going to blame herself when she does find out. She doesn't need anything else to deal with. Word is bound to get around among the mushers."

Tamsin smiled, slapping Lauren on the back, "Then you have nothing to worry about. Bo doesn't talk to anyone during this race. Come on, let's get going."

Lauren nodded, looking back at the empty trail, "Be safe, Sweetie."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

TRAIL TO McGRATH

Journal Entry – Nikolai to McGrath

We're just stopping for a quick dinner and rest – shorter than we did for lunch since I have a schedule the team is counting on me to keep. I'm ahead on time, but the sooner the eight-hour required rest starts, the better for my overall time. As for this entry, I'm playing catch up since I spent the lunch entry writing about the events of my stop at Nikolai and the trail just before.

I'm on the trail to McGrath and I must admit - probably for the first time in my life – that I'm grateful for this long, terribly boring stretch from Nikolai to McGrath that allows me to heal while keeping pace ahead of the field.

Still, I yearn for the best parts of the trail – the fun parts. I mean, come on - my team isn't really having fun unless they're running full speed into steep uphills, speedy downhills and sharp turns left and right.

For me, the dogs and the sled kicking up snow and ice, being smacked in the face with icy cold winds as my team shows off their speed and the incredible scenery along this trail are just some of the things that make mushing the best job a woman like me could have.

When we finish a great run, the dogs are energized and playful. We run around in the snow – they usually have me flat on my back - before we eat. Then, the day ends laying together, huddled close to the fire for warmth while we stare at the endless stars in the vastness of space that seems to stretch from sky to ground.

People don't understand that side of me – the side that loved life out here in the silence and vastness of the wild. Every time I come back out here, I'm reminded, and I fall back into that life again. While I love my life with Lauren so much that it makes my heart want to explode out of my chest, I love being out here on my own – just me and my dogs.

Still, when I don't want to be alone out here, it's nice to know that Lauren is willing to do at least a week of this with me. Sure, it's not often and it's not as hard and fast, but her skills will improve over time. I just hope she comes to love it as much as I do. If not, I know that she'll always understand – in her way – that I need time and space out here and it's not because I love her any less.

But, all of that is a moot point right now since we're here on this snoozer of a trail to McGrath. But given the injury I mentioned in my Nikolai entry, the timing couldn't be better for this section of trail. It's what I need – like it or not.

Apparently letting my leg rest will allow that drug McFarland injected to get into my tissues. I hope he's right because I can't stop thinking about how the hell I'm going to handle Nikolai to Finger Lakes on the way back with a lame leg. I worry more for my dogs than myself since there are times when they need my help and they're already one dog short.

Still, we have a plan for rearranging the team formation to help them to help me and we're running lighter than we ever have. So, fingers crossed. I'll give it a chance, but I won't put my team at risk. I'll blow up my knee to get to the finish line before I allow them to get hurt and unfortunately, Lauren knows that.

Anyway – my leg is propped up on the new rest that Kurt built into my bench for me, so I'm able to sit back and elevate as McFarland wants.

I was reminded in conversation with that reporter, Gwen, that most competitors don't have a bench on their sleds. She asked if it put more of a strain on the dogs for me to ride and sit.

I explained to her that for most of my life, my sled was my home – not a mode of transportation. The bench allowed me to sit and do billing for my clients, look at architectural drawings for my contracts and eat a meal off the snowy ground. Of course, I had a flip-up desk that came to rest on my handle back in those days as well.

She said another musher told her it would add to the weight the dogs had to pull. I explained to her that I travel lighter than most sleds because of the wood we use and the supplies I don't carry since I am quite capable of living off the land.

Part of me hates that I've opened a dialog with her, but then I remind myself that with any luck, it will hopefully help people to see the truth about the race, how it honors the dogs and mushers of our past and how this is a way of life in Alaska… a way of life that beats the hell out of their pollution-spitting tin dogs and endless lines of… never mind.

Anyway, the sunset tonight is incredible. I wish I would have remembered to tell Rudy and Elise so they would have their camera ready. Hopefully they caught a glimpse before it got as colorful as it is now and snapped some pics.

It's officially March, so we'll have twelve to fourteen hours of sun in Talkeetna. I'm looking forward to long days of fishing without goggles, gloves and a heavy coat on.

The dogs will get a few months of playing in the grass once the snow melts, although we'll probably break out the land sleds so that Elise and Rudy can have some fun with the pups. They should be old enough to pull a wheeled cart with the girls peddling behind.

I also have to start thinking about breeding, but that's an entry for another day. Note – Cassie asked about using IVF with Harpers' eggs again, so there's that to consider as well. Note 2 – Looking down at my feet - I need a new pair of mukluks, so I'll have to start on those before next winter comes.

Okay – so about the trail this year. I've done this stretch of trail both during the race and for jobs. It's probably in the best shape I've seen it for about three years. It sets out southwest and then west, running a series of lakes and swamps with wooded stretches here and there until you reach Big River, move on to the Kuskokwim River and end up in McGrath. There are several shortcuts across the bigger oxbow bends which I tend to use.

I've done this run in as little as four and a half hours to as many as seven hours in a blizzard. I prefer doing this at night when the dogs run faster because it's an easy stretch that allows us to pick up speed. With the long break, the dogs ran fast even in daylight despite it being warmer than they're accustomed to for this race.

I had a little chuckle – and a little twinge of guilt – when a few mushers took the wrong road leaving Nikolai. I thought it was funny since they could be heard shouting that they were getting out in front of me.

In their haste, they made a mistake that will cost them hours by the time they realize it… hopefully the cost is nothing more than time. If they had trailed me, they would be on the correct trail right now.

From Nikolai it's about ten miles to Guitar Lake – the largest lake. It's a fast and easy run for the dogs but cold and windy for me… just bitter… especially while sitting still on a bench. Beyond that lake, we'll encounter some heavy drifts the next ten miles as we cross more – smaller - open lakes and swamps.

I've never been surprised by the snow drifts since they're pretty standard for this stretch of the trail. I just always make sure the dogs coats are snug and all are well protected. This year was no different.

I'm sure if those three misdirected teams find their way back to the main trail, they will probably miss some of the race markers and turn down some of the side trails to the river that will land them in the swamps.

Of course, if they manage to find the right road, there's still the possibility that they miss a turn and head back up the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River that will take them back to Rohn. Just another reminder that mushing takes more than just good sled handling.

I wonder how those kids are doing.

The overland section of the trail was – as usual – straight and fast as we ran over the lakes and even the cuts through trees. Being accustomed to running this section of trail at night, I lost my bearings for a bit when I was looking for the Air Force radar station light on Tatalina Mountain.

By the time I recognized that I couldn't see the beacon because it was daylight, it clicked that I had been staring at the 3200 foot mountain all along. Just another rookie move for 2021, Bo. Great job, idiot!

When we hit the Kuskokwim River, the trail was hard and fast – again, expected. The Kuskokwim Mountains – not really mountains, more big hills – showed themselves to my right and I knew I was a little more than twenty miles to McGrath.

I've stopped by the old Big River Roadhouse – another original Iditarod stop - for a quick meal because I want to go into McGrath without the need to feed the team. The dogs can play and sleep, I can sleep while I get my treatment and then we'll wake for a good breakfast and head back out – at least, that's my plan.

So, when the dogs are finished eating, I'll pack up and cut across the big double oxbow that swings north. It's a cross-country shortcut that runs about seven miles through a forest and sloughs to the river. From the there, it's another seven miles to the cabin and into the Stewart Bend cutoff. It's an uphill climb where I'll do my first pedaling since my injury so wish me luck on that part!

From there, I have another thirteen miles of more sloughs, an almost vertical uphill over a one-hundred-foot wooded ridge, then an easy arc back down to the main river. I'm a bit nervous about this section, but I plan to follow Doc McFarland's strategy which will hopefully help me to hold my knee together… as long as it's not ice.

After the cutoff, the trail will go another three miles along the river, go up the left bank, across a four-mile shortcut over another big oxbow to the north. This is a rough section loaded with swamps, sloughs and beaver dams, followed by a narrow twisting trenchlike creek channel before finishing through the woods.

It's a challenging section of course because I'll be trying not to put us in a ditch, but it's also easy compared to the Rohn sections. I just wish I had a healthy leg. I'm sounding like a broken record. I've been hurt before with no doctors to treat me and I survived.

Maybe less focus on the injury would be a good thing. Sometimes I think being so connected to a team… to doctors… has made me soft. Has it?

Anyway, at this point, it will be night and I'll be looking for the red light on the radio tower so that I know I'm on the final run to McGrath and past – thank the Spirits – the seemingly thousands of river bends I will have traversed from Nikolai. That's when I'll hit the final climb to the twenty-foot high checkpoint. From there, only one hundred and fifty miles to the Yukon! Reminder – change skids before leaving McGrath.

My final thoughts are about the crowd I'm likely to encounter at McGrath. Kyle knows what to look for as a camp area. I don't usually put down there because it's become a favorite twenty-four hour stop in recent years since the checkpoint is now away from the airport.

Less noise means better sleep for the dogs, so I can't blame them. Still, I'm hoping to pull in somewhat unnoticed. Of course, with Gwen on the prowl, it's unlikely. Besides, the other teams all know that I've finished my twenty-four hour or at least think that I've done back-to-back eight-hour rests. Either way, they'll have a better idea of where they stand – something they were in the dark about before my injury laid me up at the wrong checkpoint. Hopefully they don't know about that.

Of course, there are several things I'm looking forward to about McGrath. First, thanks to the diesel-fired steam kettle near this checkpoint, Molly will know to take advantage of the near boiling water to make the dogs really hot food for breakfast. It's also a major media hub, so I'll have to dodge them, but with a town of over five hundred, I will be hard to find among the masses if I keep to camp.

The things I'm looking forward to the most are a hot shower, the McGrath chef's special Iditarod breakfast scramble and a sleeping room where I can prop up my leg and get a good six or seven hours of quality sleep if I budget my time wisely.

Still… I won't know more until Shannon tells me what time the first sled arrived. If it was less than five hours ago, I've lost a huge chunk of my lead unless that musher or mushers still have two eight rests left. I guess I'd better get going.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

McGRATH CHECKPOINT, TEAM BO

Rudy and Elise laid on their backs wrapped in their sleeping bags by the fire, staring at the stars. For about twenty minutes, Elise was teaching Rudy about the new constellations she'd learned from the book she'd read in the lodge. Now, Elise was listening to Rudy tell her about the full story of Libby Riddles that she had read in the lodge. The adults – all gathered around the same fire – listened to the pair. It was the greatest entertainment in the camp.

"Libby says that dog racing gives you your highest highs and your lowest lows in your entire life because it's so intense. I think she's right. Do you?" Rudy asked.

Elise shrugged, "Well, I think we've definitely had our lowest low when the bear tried to eat you."

"True," Rudy nodded, "Being out on the trail with Sister before this race was definitely a highest high. Maybe even better than the time I won my town's mighty-mite surf competition."

Elise smiled, "I think watching you surf at the you-know-what will be the highest high of my life. I can't wait."

Rudy giggled, "Nu-uh. When you catch your first wave, and you ride it all the way in – that will be your highest high. You're not gonna just watch me."

"But what if I can't swim?"

Rudy turned to Elise, "You don't know how to swim?"

Elise shrugged, "I've never been in water… not that I can remember."

"Never?"

"I don't think so."

Rudy propped herself up on one arm and turned to her mom, "Did you hear that? What do we do?"

Mary smiled, "We do what we did for you. We teach her… and we definitely have her wear a life jacket."

"Right," Rudy said, laying back down, "We'll teach you."

Elise nodded, "Thanks. Can you teach me more about Libby?"

Rudy nodded, "Hmmm… let's see… what don't you know…"

"Did you read about the race where she beat Sister?"

Rudy nodded enthusiastically, "Oh! Yea! So Libby was thirty miles from the finish line in a super heavy storm. It was night, so pitch dark when they took a wrong turn. They couldn't see very far in front of the sled, so they kept going, not knowing they were going away from the Bering Sea into the wild."

"Wow. Can you imagine being super tired after running about nine-hundred miles and you're running further away from where you can finally be done and rest?"

Rudy shook her head, "That's a really bad mistake."

Elise nodded, "Just goes to show you that you can't just be a good musher. You have to know how to find your way too. What's that called?"

"GPS?" Rudy asked, "No, that's not it. GPS is the electronic thing that Sister says you shouldn't always rely on. She trusts her compass – that old thing."

"Hey! That old thing helped me to find my way when I was your age."

Rudy and Elise both sat up, turning to Mary, Rudy asking, "That was really yours?"

Mary smiled and nodded, "It was and the word you're looking for is navigation."

"Right! Navigation!" Rudy smiled as the pair laid back down, "So, she's running and running until she sees a small group of houses. She probably knew there wasn't supposed to be houses, but all of them were dark except one. So, she went to the lit-up house and asked this tiny old man where she was."

"Did he tell her?" Elise asked.

Rudy nodded, "He pointed her in the right direction and she headed back through the night with her team of huskies. They pushed hard to the finish line knowing they may be behind after going in the wrong direction all that time, but she wasn't. She actually won and didn't get lost again even though her headlamp was almost out of batteries."

"Wow. That's pretty cool," Elise replied.

Rudy nodded, "She wasn't the first woman to complete the Iditarod, but she was the first to win it."

"I read that she's super quiet and lives away from humans. She likes dogs more than people just like Sister."

Rudy flipped her hands up, "She and Sister probably would have been good friends if they weren't competing against each other, huh?"

Elise nodded, "That's why we're always going to be friends and not competition."

"I still want you to run races if you want to. If you beat me, I won't mind."

"I won't mind if you beat me either. I just don't want us not to be friends because of racing."

"Me either."

"And I really like taking care of the dogs and playing with them – probably more than racing."

"That's okay too, Elise. Whatever makes you happy is all that matters."

"Do you mean that, Roo?"

"Of course I do! Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of course I do!" Elise said before she started giggling, "Anyway, I think Libby and Bo are both right. Animals are a lot easier to deal with than people."

"Especially that Gwen person," Rudy nodded.

"Is the plan all set?"

Rudy nodded, "Tamsin is going to help us, right Tamsin?"

Tamsin called down to the two youngsters, "Operation 'Dodge Gwen' is a go!"

"Yes!" Rudy and Elise said in unison with a fist pump for good measure.

Tamsin called out to the team, waving her phone, "Hey guys? My tracking idea is working. Bo is about a mile out. Let's get down to the checkpoint with Shannie and Lynnie. They can probably use a hand with splits anyway."

She turned to Kyle, "Is that okay? I mean, this is my first break from security and I don't want to overstep."

"T-baby, everything you do is okay," Kyle said with a wink as she moved with the rest of the group to her next duty – receiving Bo's sled. She would check and double check the frame, change out the skids on the runners to ready them for deeper snow and then assure that she did a better job of checking the lines of the dogs, gear and basket this time around.

She didn't see Rudy and Elise at the checkpoint, so she turned to the fire and saw them folding their sleeping bags up and placing their backpacks on top before they raced back down the hill to the next rise.

Kyle moved to stand next to Lauren and spoke to the group,

"Remember, we're going to try to keep Bo as invisible as possible. She came, she left – she didn't stay. Everything is set up. Just do your part."

She turned to Lauren, "Where's Doctor McFarland?"

The doctor shook her head, "Back at the tent. Bo's got about a twenty-foot climb to this checkpoint and if I leave now, neither of us will see it. He'd never make it out here in time."

"And the significance of seeing her come in?"

"She'll be running uphill – if she can. She'd never let the other mushers see her riding the rails uphill. It would tell them she was injured and that would be incentive in a close finish for every racer who knows it."

Kyle nodded, "Good call."

"If she's favoring the leg or limping, I'll know but she'll make sure no one else does. It will give me a heads up on what I need to call in to William about treatment. They have everything set up for him, right?"

Kyle nodded, "Kurt and Kelly came in to double check. We'll throw her right into that whirlpool and hand her a plate of stew. After that, all she needs to do is sleep."

"Great," Lauren replied, "I'll call William and have him leave the tent to get here as soon as he can."

"You look nervous," Kyle suggested.

Lauren shrugged, "I hate that she's hurt. She had such a huge lead, then this. She just can't catch a damn break and it makes me so angry."

Kyle shook her head, "She'll do this, Lauren."

Lauren nodded, "I know. I know she will."

She turned and looked down the hill, a smile immediately coming to her face, "Look at Rudy, Kyle. She's watching that stopwatch like her life depends on it and she can't stand still. She gets so excited every time Bo comes in."

Kyle nodded, "She loves this and that's going to make Bo so happy. Now let's see if she can restrain herself from cheering."

"I'm not so sure she's cut out for this stealth arrival thing," Lauren laughed as they both turned to see Bo coming up and over the hill.

Lauren watched her gait and noticed that she was following William's instructions to the letter. Lifting at the hip flexor and taking short, faster strides. It was strange that she seemed to be moving faster than she did running at full stride.

She did seem to be leaning forward more – maybe the lean onto the handle was helping her to take a little weight off of that leg. The change in angle would propel the sled with greater ease since she was using her body weight to push the sled rather than just her legs. Regardless, she didn't seem to have a visible limp, though her gait was different.

She hopped back onto the rails when the trail leveled out and cruised into the checkpoint and her team in silence. LJ grabbed Nike and Diana while Tamsin - with her security jacket covered – immediately escorted Bo to the side entrance of the lodge.

Bo was clearly upset about being moved away from her team, but when she turned back, she saw that Kyle was collecting her checkpoint packet and putting it into the side pocket of the sled while LJ, Rudy, Elise, Shannie, Molly, Mary and Lynnie each grabbed the leads of two dogs while Anna took the last.

They walked them to an area where stakes were already in the ground around a fire with covered hay beds in place beside them and two dog bowls beside those for each.

"Wow. That was…"

"Impressive, we know. Lauren organized everything to maximize your treatment and sleep time. As soon as we get inside, start stripping down. You're getting into a whirlpool right away. There's a small table next to the whirlpool with a meal on it and a sixty-four-ounce water jug with a spout that you are required to drink before you depart. It's a Lauren Lewis special – flavored with lemons and berries."

"Great. Where is my fiancé?"

Tamsin looked over her shoulder, "She must have gone inside as soon as you finished the steep into the checkpoint. She wanted to see your gait."

"How did she know I would be running?"

"She said you would never let the other mushers see you ride the rails up a hill."

Bo shook her head with a smile, pulling her coat off as she entered the building, "She's right."

"She's always right."

"Okay, so that's true. Where do you want this stuff?"

"In a pile right here. Molly and Mary will pick them up to get them dry."

"How…"

"Not my job. Now walk and keep stripping down to your skivvies."

"I don't have any skivvies on," Bo replied.

"Right," she pulled off her coat, "Put this on after you get naked."

Bo stopped and took the coat, "Turn."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Nothing I haven't seen before so… forget it."

Bo stripped and pulled on Tamsin's coat, "Shit. This thing is freezing."

Tamsin shrugged, "Security duties have been nonstop. I'm on my first break."

"How long do you get?" Bo asked as they entered a room with a fire. She looked around, "A private cabin?"

Lauren smiled, "A gift from Stephen and Betsy. They're staying here, but have an extra room, so are giving that to you for eight hours so you can get the support you need."

"Who was supposed to stay here?"

"Lauren, you mom and Rudy but when they got to Nikolai, they realized that they really didn't need the room, so they left it open to anyone who wanted to take a nap. Rudy and Elise were in there for a while, but when it got dark, they moved outside so that they could see the stars."

Bo smiled, "Love that."

Tamsin nodded, "Head in there. Lauren's waiting for you… or Doctor McFarland. Sorry… I'm really not sure."

Bo smiled, turning to enter the room to find two large troughs sitting directly beside each other. Both were filled with water. One had ice and snow in it while the other had steam coming off the top. Joining the two units was a single board that lay across them at the near end. She watched as William – standing at the far end of the set up, flicked a switch starting up two engines. The waters started to churn,

"I take it this is the whirlpool contraption you spoke of when I saw you last?"

He smiled, "Kurt found two small motors up at the lodge. Apparently, they use them on small fishing boats in the summer."

Bo smiled, "Great idea."

William nodded, a big smile stretching across his face, "More than you know. I booked a two-week vacation up here in July as a surprise for my wife. Stephen was kind enough to give both of us off that week. She loves to kayak and I love to fish. When I fish, she usually sits in the boat and gets some sun while she reads a book. When the sun gets to be too much, she puts on her lace coverup and this floppy broadbrimmed hat that makes her look like she was meant for the sun. Her beauty…"

He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away. Completely unprofessional and…"

Bo shrugged, eyeing Lauren with a knowing grin as she replied, "I think it's adorable that you speak of your wife with such obvious love. It's something that is a lost art coming from men."

Lauren smiled, "Unless you're Stephen Archer or Dyson Thornwood."

Bo nodded, "It's nice to know there are still men out there who aren't afraid to tell people they're in love with their partners. It doesn't make you weak or unprofessional. It shows you're a good man, secure in his vulnerabilities and in possession of a caring, respectful and loving heart. As a current patient, it makes me want to listen to your advice even more."

He cleared his throat again, a blush filling his cheeks, "Thank you… for that."

Bo nodded, "You're welcome. So, what are we doing here and do we have to worry about CO2 poisoning?"

He shook his head, "The exhaust is being vented through a window behind that portable curtain," he pointed behind him, "There's plastic around the engine to keep that space isolated from us."

Bo nodded as Lauren explained, "We're going to get you right into a contrast bath. You can eat while you do it to maximize time at this stop. One of us will stay here to monitor you and the other will handle the incoming patients.

She looked up, her eyes moving between Lauren and William,

"I get two doctors. Wow, I feel so special," Bo snarked.

Doctor McFarland chuckled, "You get a fiancé and a doctor. She's here for moral support and to report that your gait looked strong on the way in. I'm handling the other patients – she's filling in for me when I can't sit with you. Can you confirm Lauren's assessment of your gait?"

Bo nodded, "It feels pretty good. Of course, that last section of trail didn't challenge it at all, really. There were two steeps including the short one I had as I came in and a few turns that I was able to lean into from the bench to keep the sled upright. It was mostly snow so pretty easy going. The next section to the turn around and back to Nikolai is all snow as well. That's another day of relative rest."

She sighed, shaking her head, "Of course, after that comes the tough part. Dirt, slough, water, gnarly ice, sharp switchbacks, steeps, long vertical climbs, and ice flows that can knock me off my feet. If I make it through that, I can ride the rest of the way unless I've got close competition."

William nodded before shaking his head, "Okay… actually, I have no idea what you just said but it sounded like we're good for another leg of the journey and then I'll have to be at the top of my game to keep you at the top of yours to get you to that finish line, yes?"

Bo nodded, "That about sums it up."

He smiled, "Well, we're going to stay positive. We'll take one stage at a time. While you're on a trail, focus on that piece of the racecourse and nothing else. You have to stay focused on what you're doing when you're doing it in order to keep reinjury to a minimum. Live and race in the here and now, Bo. Agreed?"

Bo nodded, "Well, a certain amount of strategy is about what your next move will be..."

"For the dogs, yes?"

Bo considered his reply, "I suppose you're right."

"Great. Monitor your dogs and still plan out how you're going to play the rest and sleep stops. Take care of their feet and their cute little outfits…"

"Cute little outfits?" Bo laughed.

"Well, they are adorable."

"They're pelvic protectors, but whatever floats your boat, Doc."

"Anyway, we're in agreement that it's the here and now for Bo while she plans things as needed for her dogs. Okay?"

"Okay," Bo replied.

"Good. No sense in wasting brain energy on something that hasn't happened yet. That's just senseless, needless worry. We're ready. Hop up on the table between the two and lean back against the back rest."

He pointed and then explained, "You are going to sit and let us do the work. Keep that leg relaxed as we move it between hot and cold. Your good leg will stay in the hot. It's important that you keep your bad leg relaxed so the quadricep doesn't contract and pull on your patellar tendon causing strain on the tibial tuberosity and…"

Bo waved him off, "Now I don't understand what you're saying, but I'm guessing you don't want me to lift my leg because the muscle would hurt my knee."

"Right. The water is hot, but not too hot. It will feel hotter when you come out of the cold."

Bo nodded, "I'm accustomed to that sensation."

The doctor nodded, "On your skin, yes but going from hot to cold is like falling into a lake at this time of year… minus the hypothermia."

Bo looked at Lauren as she stepped onto the stool get to the table,

"My favorite thing."

Lauren smiled, "It will be nothing like those experiences, Bo. You're safe here and it's only your leg we're submersing."

"Okay, so Lauren is going to wrap that sleeve around your lower leg. The attached rope will allow her to lower and raise your leg as needed. We're going to lock your brace to keep your leg straight, so you can literally just sit back and eat."

Bo watched as Lauren did as instructed, running the rope through an overhead pulley and back to William's hand,

"Ready?" he asked, awaiting Bo's nod before he continued, "Here we go."

He lowered Bo's leg into the hot whirlpool, then started the digital clock sitting on the windowsill, "Three minutes hot, one minute cold, alternating for twenty minutes. If your good leg gets uncomfortable, we can pull it out anytime."

Lauren slid a small table over that came to rest next to Bo, "Here's a large bowl of Molly's stew and three pieces of bread. We were concerned you didn't take in enough calories on the last section of trail."

Bo nodded, taking the spoon and digging in right away, "You're right. I caught up on journal entries before I forgot what happened and then got the kids fed and watered before moving on. I had time to make up."

Lauren nodded, "Like I said – three pieces of bread. That water jug…"

"I know. Tamsin told me. So how long do I stay in here?"

Lauren smiled, looking up at William who smiled, "As William just said, three minutes hot, one minute cold for twenty minutes. Just relax and eat. We'll do the rest."

"So, what is this actually doing for me?"

William nodded, "It's great for blood flow despite being painful when you're in the cold. Sorry in advance. Just focus on eating your nice hot stew."

Bo smiled, shoveling in another mouthful of stew and dipping the bread into the gravy, "I'm good with that plan. Gawd, I love this stuff."

William laughed, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Have you tried it?"

He smiled and shook his head, "I had a bad experience with beef stew. My wife and I were newlyweds and she was going to make her grandmother's secret recipe. It tasted like dog food. She accidently used the wrong ingredient, and it was nasty. Her next idea was to try it out of a can. That tasted even more like dog food."

"You cannot miss out on this," Bo insisted, eyeing the pot on the burner in the corner, "Lauren, make sure he tries it."

"There's just that bowl."

"Lauren, I can see the pot around the corner."

The blonde laughed, "Fine. Molly sent you enough for three bowls, but I'm going to insist you drink a smoothie to get fruits and veggies in before you eat anymore stew."

Bo held up her spoon which had a potato and carrot on it, "I'm getting veggies."

Lauren shook her head, "The kind that have things like protein, vitamins and minerals in them other than the few you get from those."

"Fine. I'll drink your smoothie and then come back for the stew. I don't have to eat the whole pot now. I've got eight hours," Bo smirked.

"You need to sleep for at least six."

"And what will I do for the other two but eat more stew?"

Lauren shook her head, "You are an addict."

"And I proudly admit my addiction to this delicious meal. It will exist as long as your addiction to my open-fire salmon."

Nodding, Lauren smiled, "Guilty."

William smiled, "So, my wife and I can expect an invite to the Lewis-Dennis household for salmon?"

Bo nodded, "After all of this? Absolutely! We'll wait a few more weeks unless you're up for a winter campfire and meal. Until then, we'll get you and your wife over for a family dinner so she can taste and learn from Molly how to make a stew you can actually eat."

William smiled, "I will never understand how so many doctors can cook while my Delilah got the takeout gene."

Lauren laughed, "I had that through my entire residency."

"Okay, Bo. Here comes the cold," William said, pulling Bo's leg up and out of the hot tank and lowering it into the cold.

Bo tried to relax but couldn't. She laid on her side, handing Lauren her bowl and bread, gripping the pillow behind her head,

"Arrrhh… damn that hurts!"

William nodded, "It's to be expected. As I explained, the ice causes the sudden constriction of the blood vessels in the limb so…"

"Whatever, Dude! How long does it have to stay in there?"

Lauren placed a hand on Bo's shoulder, "One minute, Sweetie. Breathe in and out. It will get easier with each subsequent submersion."

"Easy for you to say," Bo said, closing her eyes and laying her head back. She thought of Grace and the breathing exercises she taught her and began. She relaxed, her mind quickly moving her to a more relaxed state until she was finally put back into the hot tank.

She reached for her meal, ripping off a piece of bread with her teeth,

"I'll eat in three-minute intervals."

Lauren smiled, taking a seat beside her lover, "That works too."

"Does the bed have blankets on it, or do I have to set up my sleeping bag? I'm really tired."

"You don't have to do anything, Bo… seriously. We've thought of everything and if we haven't, I'll make sure you get what you need."

Bo winked, leaning in so that William couldn't hear her over the sound of the engines, "You always give me what I need exactly how I need it."

Lauren blushed, looking up to see that William was still staring at the digital clock, "I'd say that's mutual."

Bo nodded, laying back again, "Love you."

"Love you too. Now rest," she said, taking Bo's empty bowl as she ate the last bit of bread, "I'm going to go make your smoothie so you can get that in before you sleep."

Bo smiled, holding up a finger, "Yes. It must go in before sleep so that the nutrients can be absorbed over the course of the three or four REM cycles I'll get when my psychomotor systems will shut down, allowing my muscles to absorb nutrients that will repair them."

Lauren grinned, "You were listening… when I was explaining my… science."

"I was."

Lauren smiled, kissing Bo's forehead, "And I love you even more."

She turned, heading over to the bags of frozen fruit and vegetables that Mary and Molly had picked up for her, then pulled up the spice nutrients that would also aid in Bo's recovery,

"Tumeric. Good one," Kate smiled, walking into the clinic.

"Hey! You're back," Lauren said, looking over her shoulder to see Bo's eyes were closed, "Without giving me any details… the patients' condition?"

"Upgraded to serious. Still in ICU, but I'm optimistic," Kate replied, "Anna said you haven't told her yet?"

Lauren shook her head, "She's got too much to worry about without adding her own guilt to the pile."

Kate nodded, "Well, my dearly beloved is standing by to handle damage control."

"Damage control?"

"Bo's gonna be pissed that you kept this from her."

Lauren nodded, "I know, but the fallout will be mine to handle. It's my decision. It may not happen right away, but she'll forgive me," she looked over at Bo, "I know she will."

Lauren turned back to Kate, taking a deep breath and shoving her hands into her pockets,

"Did you find her family?"

Kate nodded, "The online campaign has already raised two hundred grand."

"It's not enough for her costs," Lauren replied.

"Lauren, we do pro-bono cases. We don't have to charge her the full costs for her treatment. Stephen already offered…"

Lauren waved her off, shaking her head, "Some of the dogs were injured and they have to be flown home. Her parents bills must be astronomical and…"

Kate placed a hand on Lauren's shoulder, "There's still money coming in. Kate just talked to Gwen about doing a human-interest piece. She had already interviewed Julie after the incident with Bo before the race."

"Of course, she did, but are you sure she won't blame Bo or the Iditarod itself in her article? I'd rather shell out the money from my own pocket than give her permission to harm them."

Kate shrugged, "Anna told her she would keep her in the loop to the extent allowable by medical restrictions if she promised not to make Bo or the race committee the villain in this story. She also reminded her that every woman who has raced in the Iditarod raced at her age without incident."

Kate turned to stand between Bo and Lauren to be sure the brunette wouldn't hear,

"With the changes being made to the leadership, Gwen can break a story that will make it look like the new committee is making some concessions while simultaneously teaching people why this tradition is important to Alaskan culture – animals included."

"And Anna trusts her to do that?"

Anna shook her head, "She doesn't, however, she found a donor through our board who is a PETA supporter. He's in attendance at the race."

"That's bad," Lauren said.

"He has no intention of withdrawing donations from you or your hospital based on your support of the race. He told Anna that being here and talking to the racers, their families and actually seeing the mushers with their dogs, he's learned that… well, as unusual as the analogy is… he sees each musher and their dogs as a football team."

Lauren sighed, "I hope we're the New England Patriots."

Kate smirked, "At least you still have your sense of humor through all of this."

"I don't see the analogy or how it will help us."

Kate held up her hands, "Here's what he told me. He sees the musher as the coach and the dogs, the players. They're elite athletes who love the game and play despite the risks to themselves. He doesn't see any mushers as forcing their dogs to participate."

"Really?" Lauren asked, her face expressing the surprise she felt.

Kate nodded, "I'm asking you to trust my fiancé as I trust yours, Lauren. Besides, Mary, Molly and Tosh all spoke with him. Rudy and Elise took him for a ride with the backup dogs – you know how convincing those two are and they're now armed with stories about the history of the race."

"Really?"

Kate smiled, "They're not just reading about the races in those books they're finding at the checkpoint lodges. They're reading all sorts of history and talking to all of the indigenous peoples they can find. Their brains are like tiny sponges absorbing every drop of information they can find. Truly amazing kids."

"So they really connected with him?" Lauren asked.

Kate shrugged, "Actually, Mary had the greatest impact. She described life on the North Slope and the harshest areas of the state, explaining that getting from place to place requires sled teams because tin dogs, cars and trucks give out under the extreme temperatures, snow and ice."

Lauren nodded, "He can't argue with that if he just googles the weather in those areas."

"She told him as much. She also invited him to tour the North Slope in the Spring. He declined, saying he wants to come in the dead of winter."

"Really?"

Kate smiled, "Mary tried to explain how dangerous the cold can be depending on the weather cycles, but he insisted on seeing the use of these animals in action in the winter. I think he's starting to understand that while Alaska is one of the fifty states, it's unique to the nation.

She leaned in and elbowed her friend, "Before he invested and moved his family here, he had assumed it would be more like Minnesota."

Lauren laughed, "I actually thought the same thing when I first arrived… until I learned that the population of Minnesota is over five million and Alaska doesn't even top seven-hundred and fifty thousand."

The doctor smiled, thinking back to her initial arrival, "I was so cocky to think that a few books on Alaska and experience with Boston winters would be enough to help me live here."

"He apparently knows a Senator who he is going to encourage to visit with him so that they can better understand Alaska's budgetary needs."

Lauren smiled, "Well, it sounds like you and Anna are doing good work for your new home state."

"We're doing our best," Kate smiled.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me who the donor is?"

"He wishes to remain anonymous from you – for now. He did give me permission to tell you he's one of the three former patients who serve on the board as donors."

"They all moved here – none full time. They all have multiple homes around the globe. Ketchikan, Sitka and Seward."

"What's that?"

"Those are the Alaskan towns where my former patients who are donors bought homes so they would have warm places to stay in the summer for our board meetings. It's one of them."

"Well, let's not dwell. Just trust us, Lauren. Okay?"

The blonde offered a tight smile and a nod.

"Okay, so on to more important things. How is Bo's knee?" Kate asked.

"As stable as it can be at this point."

"At least she finished another section of the trail, right?"

Lauren smiled and nodded, "Well, I'd better get this over to Bo. I want her to get this down before she falls asleep."

Kate nodded, "Okay. I'm going to head back out to help with the reloading of the sled. I'll see you in the seven hours."

"See you then," Lauren said, turning on the blender until the smoothie was thoroughly mixed before she walked over to William,

"How's it going?"

"One more hot and cold cycle, then she's all yours."

"Great. How many more of these sessions do you want to get in?"

"At least two," he said, "Can you swing that?"

Lauren nodded, "We'll make it happen."

She turned to Bo, wondering how she was going to wake her up twice during a short six-hour sleep that she desperately needed.

Bo opened one eye, noting the look of worry on the blonde's face,

"Start the treatment every three hours. Maybe I'll sleep through it. If I don't, it'll be fine. I'm used to three-hour stints of sleep, Lauren. Really. I'll eat again after six hours and do one more treatment right before I leave."

"But you're so tired…"

Bo nodded, "And in three hours, I'll feel rested. Besides, this treatment is putting me to sleep now. If you get me a nice little cushion to lay on, I can probably sleep right here. It's better that I do not get too comfortable. A bed will probably just make my back hurt when I wake up."

"If you're sure," Lauren replied, "I'll go find something."

"I've been sleeping on my sled bench or with the dogs on the ground. Trust me when I say this is luxury."

The blonde handed Bo her smoothie, then turned and headed out of the room. Bo turned back to William who was moving her leg into the cold,

"That just doesn't get old."

William smiled, "I know this race is all about you and the dogs and winning, but… never mind."

Bo watched as the doctor turned and grabbed two towels from the shelf behind him before turning back to the clock,

"What were you going to say?"

"It's not my place," he replied.

"Obviously it has something to do with Lauren or you wouldn't have started to speak after she left."

He sighed, "You know, Lauren is working really long hours juggling both duties to your team, our hospital back in town and her medical duties here. She's been looking forward to having a few hours with you. She didn't get much time the last stop or any before that. It's been four days, Bo."

"Lauren understands what's at stake. She's been through this before."

He nodded, "And from what I understand, it was quite difficult for her. I think she thought that this year might be different… a bit more relaxed…."

"It's always intense whether someone is trying to kill me intentionally or the course is trying to kill me by forcing me into a mistake. It's the Iditarod. They don't call it The Last Great Race for nothing."

He shrugged, "I'm just saying… three hours in a bed with your fiancé isn't a big ask, Bo. She just wants to lay with you. Believe me, she wouldn't ask for anything more than that. We all know that sexual activity can burn up too many necessary chemicals, calories and nutrients in the blood and muscles before athletic participation."

Bo sighed, looking at the door where Lauren had exited the room, "I didn't think… I didn't think she would be sleeping with me. I just assumed she had to work here…"

"She worked a double shift through the night so she could sleep with you," William said, pulling Bo's leg from the cold and drying it off before turning to pull out a hairdryer.

"Uh… my hair is fine," Bo said with a scowl.

He chuckled, "This is to thoroughly dry the brace before we oil it and put the cover on it. The last thing we need is rust in the joints between the metal hinges."

Bo nodded, "Right."

Lauren walked back into the room carrying three sleeping bags, "We can put these under you…"

Bo shook her head, "I changed my mind. Sorry to make you run around finding those. Let's just do the bed."

Bo smiled, turning back to William, "Think the brace can air dry from there?"

He nodded, "We're going to keep that locked straight. It won't be the most comfortable position for sleeping, but it's the best to…"

"Promote healing and let that stuff you injected soak into the tissues."

William nodded, "Cortisone."

"Right," Bo smiled at Lauren, "Give me a hand off this table?"

Lauren nodded, taking the empty glass from Bo before helping her down from the table, "Thank you, William."

"No problem, Lauren."

"Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome, Bo. See you in three hours."

Bo nodded, "Don't eat all my stew, but make sure you taste it."

"That's a promise," he smiled.

Once they were gone from the room, William cleaned up the area and drained the tubs. He called Kurt,

"Doc? What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Kurt. Can you bring me more wheelbarrows of snow?"

"Did you just start draining them?"

"Yes."

"See you in fifteen."

"Thanks."

He looked down at his phone, hesitating for a moment before dialing another number,

"Hey lover."

"Delilah, my dear wife. I miss you terribly…."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lauren helped Bo into the bed, propping her leg up on several pillows, careful to support the knee and lower leg. She then grabbed several blankets and laid them over her before lowering the shade,

"Strange sleeping during the day," Lauren said nervously.

Bo smiled, "Well, twenty-four hours of daylight is just a few months away, so consider this a dress rehearsal."

Lauren nodded, "Okay, well… I have your alarm set, so I'll wake you in three hours."

Bo watched as she stood, picking at her fingers before turning towards the door. Just as she grabbed the handle, she turned back to Bo,

"Sleep well."

Bo scowled, "You're leaving?"

"Yes. Well… I mean, you need to sleep, and I don't want to be in the way…"

"Lauren, you're never in the way," Bo smiled, holding out a hand which Lauren came and took, "Do you have to take a shift?"

The doctor shook her head, "No. I figured I would just read until…"

"When was the last time you slept?"

Lauren shrugged, "I'll sleep when you're back on the trail and don't need us to do anything else for you."

Bo gave a gentle tug on the blonde's hand, "You are the only one who can give me what I need right now. I need you to lay with me, Lauren. I need to hold you and for you to hold me… for you to want to hold me."

The blonde smiled, "Really?"

Bo nodded, "Really."

"I won't mess with your race focus?"

Bo shook her head, "No. It will help me sleep."

Lauren smiled, "Okay then."

She laid her phone next to Bo's on the nightstand and then crawled in on the other side of the bed, laying her head on Bo's shoulder and wrapping an arm over her waist,

"Sleep tight."

"With you here, that won't be a problem."

They closed their eyes and - listening to the sound of the others' breathing - were fast asleep in minutes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

McGrath Checkpoint, Departure Time

Bo lay on the blanket over a bed of hay, her eyes closed as she felt the pleasant hum in her knee. William had used a new machine on her after her last two treatments – something called a Stim Machine. It had been a bit uncomfortable during the treatment, but now, her leg felt absolutely fine.

He had cautioned her that would be the case and she would, therefore, be tempted to go all out, but he had also reminded her that there was a very real injury behind all of that relief that would not hesitate to remind her should she abuse her now pain-free status.

She looked at her watch and noticed the time. She needed to have a look at the papers her friend and business partner had left for her. Bo was grateful that her mom had instructed Kyle to create a list of the supplies that were packed and another list of what wasn't on the sled that she usually carried.

Kyle had triple-checked the lists with Molly to be sure that they were accurate so that Bo didn't have to worry about unpacking bags to check it against her supply list. They had also itemized the list by location so that she could find things easily. The last leg she had wasted time packing and unpacking bags trying to find things, so the list would be helpful in many ways.

While she slept, Mark had promised to sharpen her axes that were dull from building a shelter a few stops back. She would check to be sure he had put them beneath the handle in their storage spots before she left… or maybe now.

She stood and walked to her sled, taking a seat on the bench and raising her leg to place it in the elevated position she had been instructed to use whenever possible.

Pulling out the list, she began to read what was packed and not packed. When she was satisfied that she had what she needed, she looked below the handle to see that her axes were again stowed away.

She pulled each one out, checking the blades for chips or cracks. She knew the day was coming when she would have to fashion new ones again, but for now, they were holding up just fine. The grips were worn perfectly to fit her hand, so perhaps she would just change out the blades when the time came.

She flipped them around, checking the weight and feel before stowing them back in their leather sleeves when she heard a voice,

"Sister? Are you leaving soon?"

Bo smiled, sliding over so that Rudy could climb onto the bench beside her, "I have to wait for twenty-four more minutes, so not too soon."

Rudy leaned over onto her sister, "Can we talk then?"

"Sure, Roo. What's up?"

Rudy hesitated, causing Bo to put an arm over her shoulder and pull her closer, "You can tell me anything Roo. Come on – out with it."

She looked up at her sister, her eyes watery, "Do you think Momma would be mad at me if I liked girls and not boys?"

Bo's eyes went wide with surprise. It was the last thing she expected to hear in this setting, but she quickly realized how Rudy might be reading her response and smiled,

"Is Mom mad at me because I love Lauren?"

"No, but you're… well… you."

Bo chuckled, "So you think Mom treats us differently?"

"I know she does. You're all grown up so you're allowed to make your own decisions. I'm just a kid so she gets to decide what I can do."

Bo nodded, "I'd agree with that to a point, Roo, but Mom can't tell you how to feel or who to love."

"But she can tell me not to do about how I feel."

"I'm not sure I'm following you, kiddo."

Rudy sighed, "I got angry with that reporter Gwen because she was twisting around what Cassie was saying about a dog. I'm not allowed to talk about it because we have to keep that stuff between the doctors and the mushers, but she was being a jerk and I said so."

She pulled back, looking up at her sister, "Momma told me I couldn't say things like that. She said I'm supposed to take the high road. I didn't see any other roads… I mean, we were inside the clinic tent. There weren't any roads, so I don't know what she was talking about but she still scolded me for what I said."

Rudy stood and turned to face Bo, leaning back against the handrail,

"When I told her that Gwen made me angry, she said that it was okay to feel anger, but that feeling an emotion didn't give me a right to act on it the way I did."

Bo nodded, "So you think that Mom thinks that if you love someone, you don't have the right to act on it?"

"Well, doesn't she?"

Bo smiled, "Well, if you love someone, you can't just go up to them and throw them on the ground and start kissing them. You have to have permission since love has to be mutual."

"What?"

"It takes two people to be in love, Roo," Bo smiled, "When I started to have feelings for Lauren, I couldn't just grab her and kiss her without knowing that she wanted me to."

"But you loved her."

Bo nodded, "Yup, but if she didn't feel the same and I kissed her without her wanting me too, she probably would have slugged me."

Rudy giggled, "That would be funny."

"To you, maybe, but it would have broken my heart to know that she didn't feel the same. That happens sometimes."

"So I might love someone who doesn't love me back?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "Love can be felt in many different ways, Roo. I love Mom, I love you, I love our brother, I love LJ and Molly and Kyle and Tamsin and all of our family and friends but my love – my relationship – with each of them is just a little bit different. Of all of the people that I love, Lauren is the only one that I want to kiss and to share my life with in an intimate way. Do you understand?"

Rudy nodded, "I think so."

Bo smiled, "Do you remember Kat from Denali?"

"She helped me get over being afraid of bears so much."

Bo nodded and smiled, "She did, and I love her for putting our differences aside to help you."

"I thought she was your friend?"

"We're working on that. You see, Kat loved me more than I loved her. When I told her I loved Lauren, she wasn't happy about it."

"But doesn't she want you to be happy?"

Bo smiled, "She did… she does, but when your heart is broken because someone rejects the love you feel for them, it can be hard to move past that feeling of hurt and sadness."

Bo tried to turn towards, Rudy, but remembered her knee when she felt it bark at her for laterally rotating. Instead, she pulled Rudy closer, holding her hands,

"You see, loving someone – really loving them – means that you can let them do what they need to do to be happy even if it means that you have to sacrifice what you want. You can't make someone love you more than they do or in the way that you want them to. Love just doesn't work that way."

Rudy nodded, "Oh."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Rudy nodded, "We promised no secrets."

"Is this about how you feel for Elise?"

Rudy turned away from Bo, holding the rail. Bo pulled her leg down from the rest and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her little sisters' waist,

"It's okay, Roo. I know it's hard."

Rudy turned around, tears trailing down her cheeks, "She kissed Mack Torgo behind the hockey goal on the playground. I was playing and I looked up to shoot and saw them."

"Oh, Roo. I'm so sorry."

Rudy lowered her head as Bo wiped away her tears, "I hit him with the puck when I shot."

Bo laughed, unable to hold it in, but Rudy was not happy,

"It's not funny! Elise thought I did it on purpose!"

"Did you?" Bo asked.

"No. I mean… I don't think I did. I just wasn't looking at the net and our gym teacher taught us to pick a target, look at it and follow through to where we're looking! I'm just really good at hitting the target!"

Bo smiled, "Did you talk to Elise about it since we've been here?"

Rudy shook her head, "I'm afraid to talk about it because I'm afraid I'll remind her she's mad at me. We've been having so much fun."

Bo sighed, nodding her head, "Well, if you two love each other – even just as friends or sisters – you should be able to talk about anything and work it out."

Rudy nodded, "I guess you're right, Sister."

Bo smiled, "I know I'm right, Roo. Talk to her and let her know you didn't mean to hit him."

"Do I tell her I love her?"

Bo shrugged, "She already knows you love her, Roo."

"But she doesn't know I love her love her."

"I see."

"What if she doesn't love me back… that way?"

"Then telling her could make things a little bit awkward between the two of you. But it may not. Maybe she does love you and Mack Torgo is the one who kissed her."

"Without her wanting him too? You said that's wrong!"

Bo nodded, "I did, but sometimes people do it anyway. Maybe Elise slugged him, and you didn't see it."

Rudy laughed, "That would be awesome!"

Bo looked over her shoulder, then back at her little sister, "Don't let Mom here you say that."

"Right," Rudy smiled, putting a finger over her lips.

"I think for now, since you have to work together for a few more days, I'd hold off on saying anything, Roo. Once we get home and the two of you can have some space from each other if you need it, you can decide what to do. Have you talked to Mom about it?"

"No way!"

Bo smiled, "I talked to Mom about my first crush. She was actually really cool about it."

"Really?"

"Really," Bo nodded, pulling her little sister in for a hug, "I love you, Roo and I'm here for you no matter what happens."

"I love you too, Sister," Rudy said, looking over Bo's shoulder to see Lauren coming, "If you want to tell Lauren, you can as long as she doesn't tell anyone. I know you two don't keep secrets either."

"Thanks, Roo."

"Here she comes," Rudy said, pulling back from Bo who wiped her cheeks dry again.

"You'll be okay, Roo. No matter what happens with Elise, you've got a lot of years to fall in love with the person you'll spend the rest of your life with. If it's not her, there will be someone out there who is meant to be just for you."

"How did you know that you loved Lauren and not Kat?"

Bo chuckled, "It takes time, Roo. Did you know that I also dated Kyle and Tamsin?"

"Three people?"

Bo smiled, "And Dyson… well, sort of. That's a long story for when you're older. Anyway, when I was your age, there was a boy I liked and I broke his heart when I dumped him for a girl who didn't love me the way I loved her."

"That's… confusing."

"Tell me about it. Just keep in mind that you have a young heart, Roo. It might get broken a few times before you find the person you can trust to hold it gently in their hands and cherish it forever."

Rudy smiled, "Lucky Lauren's a heart doctor, huh?"

Bo chuckled, "She does take very good care of my heart. I'm actually not as good at taking care of hers, but I'm trying to do better every day. Love is complicated, Roo. Take your time with Elise and wait until the words just sort of fall out of your mouth."

"Are you sure?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "I was with four people who weren't the right fit, Roo. I thought I could love them the way they loved me, but it wasn't until Lauren came along that I really understood what lifelong love was."

"Did I hear my name?" Lauren asked, her hand caressing Rudy's cheek, "Are you okay?"

Rudy smiled, "I will be."

Lauren looked at Bo, who smiled and said, "Maybe while I'm gone, Rudy can tell you all about it. If she doesn't, I'll tell you later."

The blonde turned to Rudy, "Whatever makes you most comfortable, Roo. I'm here to listen whenever you need me. Pinky swear."

The two joined pinkies, Rudy smiling wide before launching herself into Lauren's torso and squeezing her tightly. When she pulled back, she was crying again. She fell into Bo's lap,

"Why can't I stop crying?"

Bo rubbed her back, looking up at Lauren as she spoke, "Love is tough on the heart, Roo. You've just got to focus on other things for a while and stop worrying about how everyone else feels."

Lauren's eyebrows raised and Bo nodded in reply before changing the subject, "So how do my scans look?"

"Pretty good and the fact that there's no more fluid buildup is a good sign too. Just don't get too carried away out there. Choose a seated position whenever possible."

"Will do, boss," Bo smiled, "Hey Roo, it's time for us to get this sled ready. Would you mind bringing the dogs over for me, so I don't have to walk up that hill?"

Rudy stood, wiping her eyes, "Sure."

Bo smiled, pulling her sister in for a big hug, "I love you, Roo. Try to push those big feelings out of your mind and just have fun with your bestie, okay? Whether she knows your deepest feelings or not, you would still be doing exactly what you're doing with her, right?"

Rudy stood, staring down at where Bo's hands were now holding her own and thought for a moment,

"We'd be reading together, star gazing together, working out jobs, taking care of the dogs together…" she looked up at Bo, "… I guess you're right!"

"Of course I am," Bo smiled, "Now, let's get going."

"I'll help you, Roo," Lauren said leading Rudy towards the dogs.

"Remember – bring the wheels first!" Bo called out.

"Back to front, we know!" Rudy shouted back while Bo stood and pulled out the center line for the sled, checking it carefully for any signs of cracks or frays. Satisfied, she hooked the line to the sled and then pulled it to the front, laying it on the ground. She went back to the sled and set the brake and anchor.

"Hey, Bo! Here are the times and – based on our sleuthing skills – who had mandatory rests left," Shannon smiled, handing the pages to her friend.

Bo nodded, looking down at the list, "Any of the front runners still have a twenty-four hour stay left?"

Shannon smiled, "All of them. They all have an eight and a twenty-four left."

"Great, so all of these people who are still here are staying for another sixteen hours or moving on with me and stopping at one of the next two for another twenty-four hours. That puts me in pretty good shape considering I only have a mandatory eight left."

Shannon nodded, "Even if they can all use only those twenty-four hours, you're easily in front if you can keep your stops to less than a total of sixteen hours including your last eight-hour mandatory."

Bo smiled, "I can do math."

Shannon lowered her eyes slightly, "Sorry. I'm just really having fun doing this. My head is just filled with numbers and strategies and possibilities. It's just…"

"Fun," Bo smiled.

"Yes," Shannon said, "So fun. I'm so happy to be here."

Carolyn folded her arms over her chest, "She wants to train with you, Bo… after your surgery… to help you get back in shape for next year. I'm pretty sure if you don't need the surgery, she still wants to train with you. I'm holding you personally responsible for my lover's addiction to this sport, Bo Dennis."

Bo laughed, "Yes, Ma'am."

She winked at Shannon, folding the papers and putting them in one of her inside pockets,

"Thank you for this. I'll check them out at the next checkpoint," Bo smiled, "It's nice to know that I'll be on my way back when they're still on their way North. I'll be able to see where everyone is."

Bo turned to see Rudy had gotten additional help from some of the crew. She turned to Shannon and Carolyn again,

"I haven't seen my brother in a long time. Where is he hiding?"

Carolyn hesitated, expecting Shannon to respond, but when she didn't, she quickly spoke up,

"He had some emergency in his General Store and had to run back. Sounded like maybe plumbing?"

Bo nodded, "Did he call my guys?"

Carolyn shrugged, "I honestly don't know."

Bo nodded, pulling out her phone, "I'll give him a call."

"You've got a race to focus on, Child. I'll call your brother," Mary smiled, coming to stand beside the sled, "I know the number of your foreman as well. Now, we're hitching the dogs, the sled is packed, Shannon has shared the times with you. Is there anything else you need before you depart?"

Bo looked down at her watch, "Two minutes."

"Well, let's get your sled down to the checkpoint and get your paperwork completed," Mary suggested.

Bo watched as the team settled the dogs into position, then did her walk down the road, connecting with each in unique way. Some got playful grabs to the snout, some got side rubs, some got head rubs and some had motivational speeches.

Finally, she looked up at her team, then zeroed in on her little sister,

"Roo? Want to lead them down?"

Rudy smiled, "Yes!"

Everyone watched as she walked to the front of the sled, taking Diana by the lead, "Come on, Girl."

She turned back to the team, "Line out!"

Bo smiled proudly as the sled began to move under the leadership of her little sister, seeing Elise out of the corner of her eye. She'd left her out and no matter how unintentional it had been, she couldn't help but wonder if she had just subconsciously picked sides. She quickly called out to Elise,

"Come on, E! Take the handle!"

Elise smiled, running over and jumping on the sled while Bo sat back, watching the youngster lean hard left to get the sled to move in line behind the team,

"Great job, Elise!" Bo smiled.

"Thanks, Sister!"

Bo smiled at the young girl calling her sister. She hoped that things worked out between the pair. She would hate to have to choose between the two but she knew that Rudy's revelation could push Elise away if she didn't feel the same.

Still, she had a race to focus on and would trust that her mom and Lauren would help Rudy through her first crush… or first love.

They reached the checkpoint and – once Bo's paperwork was handled - she turned back to the group, her eyes moving to the two little girls in the front, each holding tight to one of Lauren's hands. She shouted,

"Love you all! See you soon!"

With a long glance to her fiancé, she gave her a wink and stood on the rails, pulling on her gloves and gripping the handle,

"Line out!"

Bo smiled when she caught sight of the Bald Eagle overhead. She looked back at her team, then Elise, then Rudy, then her mom and finally Lauren before pointing up at her Spirit Animal. She smiled and turned back to face the trail,

"Ha! Mush! Get out there, Diana! Come on, Nike! Let's go Aphrodite! Come on, Team! Let's do this!"

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Journal Entry: Ten Miles Past Ophir Checkpoint, 70 miles from Iditarod

Well, here it is, folks. My favorite part of the Iditarod Trail. A full ninety or so miles of absolutely nothing but endless trail, all sorts of terrain, wildlife and zero humans as far as the eye can see.

I feel… at peace… and a twinge of guilt that I don't miss my family right now. Lauren is different though. As much as I want to say I miss her – I don't because somehow, I feel her. She's with me… and as real to me as the pen and paper beneath my hands. It's strange, yet comforting.

Before I left McGrath, I sent Anna a text message while we were sitting at the campfire. She got up and excused herself after whispering in Kate's ear.

This morning, when I opened my journal to this blank page, there were two photos. One was of Mom, Rudy and Lauren sitting in the middle of my dogs. The other was of Lauren sitting alone on a porch staring out at the trail. Anna came through big time.

I asked her to get the group photo printed so that I could put it in the blank page of this journal to ground me… to remind me to stay present in my life with them despite being out here in the world that I have lost myself to so many times before.

Okay, so maybe I didn't lose myself to this world – I mean, this is my world if I'm being honest. It's more a reminder that I've chosen their world over this one. It's okay to visit here, but I need to remember that I want that world more… I really do.

The solo picture of Lauren was a surprise – a very welcome one. I'm curious as to who took it and when. Great Spirits, she's beautiful. I am most grateful for her presence in my life. Thanks for the extra effort, Anna and Kate.

Anyway, while I can, I'll enjoy this world where there's no expectations except the ones I put on myself… this world where I can challenge myself against the elements, the land and the creatures sent by the Great Spirits.

Here, I will remember my truth and my roots. I will remember what made me who I am and how I came to be. In remembering all of that, I will continue to be the strong, Athabascan Warrior who will be what Lauren, Rudy and my mom need.

Thinking of my roots, I'm now beginning to acknowledge that I am also acknowledge my Iñupiaq blood as well as the potential that I am part Canadian Navajo.

Lauren has stored the samples she acquired from my Dad, Mom and me to send off to a genetic testing company. Until now, I wasn't willing to allow her to send them. Maybe it's time I answered the questions I've been asking my entire life. While I'm still hesitant, I'm more curious than I've ever been.

But that's for another time. It's ten o'clock at night. The stars go from the sky to the treetops. The air is crisp, clear, and clean. The moonlight is not quite as bright as it was the first few nights, but thanks to the snowcapped mountains, there has been plenty of reflective light to illuminate the trail.

I had a brief encounter with a Moose about ten miles from McGrath as I transitioned from tundra to a thick river-bottom forest. The rookies had a moment, but I was able to get them back under control. Note to self – pair rookies with veterans, not with each other. Sorry, Rudy but it's a safety measure I must take for wildlife encounters.

Now, let's talk more about the trail this year.

First off, this section of trail has been compared to driving across the state of Texas – just miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. I've never been to Texas, so as I've written in the past, I'll have to take their word for it.

To me, it's beautiful and far from nothingness. One minute, I'm running through taiga – that's black spruce for the outsiders – and then next, I'm on a barren upland tundra. Soon after, I may find myself on a thick river-bottom forest heading into a brush-filled ravine or hillside that leads to a swamp or a lake. Sure, there's the normal hazards of overflow, hills, and some rough upland trails, but they're nothing like they are around Rohn and Rainy Pass.

I usually stop for a quick pee and dump at Don's Cabin about 35 miles outside of Ophir, but there was a bear snooping around outside, so I skipped it. About fifteen miles later, I had also passed Windy Crossing. It has a great tree line that is good for a camp so I headed to Disna River just a couple miles further and – well, here we are.

I just couldn't hold it any longer. So after a quick pee and dump, I emerged from the woods to a hungry pack of pups. I found shelter in a small grove of trees uphill from the river and made a small cooking fire to heat up our food.

I have to say I wish I would have scared off that bear and used Don's Cabin. It's just a dilapidated plywood hut, but it has a stove. Actually, now that I read that back, I'm angry with myself. Those long checkpoint stops spoil me – especially having my team wait on me hand and foot as they have since my injury.

Interesting… I've never been one to allow myself to rely on people. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I'm allowing it now? Is it weakness? Am I losing my edge?

Well, the dogs are fed, we've all had a nice long nap. Time to get back on the trail.

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