Chapter 3
Waiting and Worrying
They all decided to go into the lodge to get warm. They all were tired and hungry so Elizabeth invited everyone to her home because everything was closed by this time. All the instructors asked for a rain check and went to their homes. The squad all agreed and followed Elizabeth to her home. Elizabeth prepared a pot of chicken soup. She make a pot of coffee for everyone while waited on the soup. While sitting around the dining table Captain Thornton told Elizabeth that she surprised him up there today. She asked why? He said he really didn't think you had enough experience for the slopes. She reminded him that she had been skiing since she was 3. He asked her just how old are you? She said if you must know I'm 23. He asked if she had been in Aspen all her life? She told him no that she just moved there on Friday from Estes Park, Co. Oh he said. That explains a lot. Elizabeth dished up the soup for everyone. The squad gave each other a look and looked back at their Captain and grinned. After the squad had left Elizabeth ask what time would they start in the morning? He said day break but wanted everyone there about 30 minutes earlier to discuss their strategy. He told her that he should be heading out. He said thanks for the dinner and coffee and headed out the door to his car. Elizabeth stood and watched him get in his car. Then turned and shut the door.
So early the next morning everyone was called back in. Captain Thornton had his map out and was going over every inch of the area. Elizabeth was watching his every move and hanging on his every word. She spoke up and said what if the skier had went out to the right with the avalanche? She pointed to where she saw the skier went down and pushed to the right in that area. So. They all agreed that could've happened. They took the lift back to the top and descended down to the area on the map. Sure enough they found the spot. One of the skis were sticking up out of the snow. They dug down and found the man. But it was to late. Unfortunately he didn't make it. Captain Thornton called for the chopper to lift the mans body out. Everyone's worst nightmare had come true. This had been Elizabeth's first time seeing a dead body. She was so upset that she took off down the mountain as fast as she could. The Captain yelled for her to stop but she just kept going. She just wanted out of there. When she reached the bottom and snapped out of her skis, picked them up and ran home as fast as she could. She was so distraught that she couldn't think straight. She ran into her cabin, slammed the door shut and ran into her bedroom dropped on her bed and cried. The thought of losing a loved one was unthinkable. The thought of the manS family must be going to be feel when they receive the news of him passing in the a avalanche. She didn't relished the person that had to deliver that message. She had heard of avalanches it had never been involved in one. This was all new to her. She was sitting on the foot of her bed hugging her pillow and rocking back and forth crying into the pillow. A little while later there was a knock on her front door but she ignored it. Soon there was another knock on her front door only this time it was a little bit harder. She got up and walked to the door. When she opened the door Captain Thornton was standing there. He seen her standing there with reed puffy swollen eyes. He asked if he could come in for a bit? Elizabeth opened the door, turned and walked away. He followed her to the couch and took a seat next to her. He apologized and said that he just wasn't thinking when they brought the body up. If I would've known he would've sent you down first. I'm so sorry Beth. Elizabeth looked up quickly with a snap of her neck and stared at him. She says no one has ever called her that before. Her parents always called her by her given name and her sister's always called her Lizzie. She quieted her tears and asked why he called her that? He said he didn't know why. It just came out. He apologized for being to forward. As she calmed down he got up to leave. He told her that if she ever needed anything even if it was just to talk that she could call him day or night and handed her his card. It had his office and cell number. If you can't catch me at one you can always catch him on the other. She took the card and said thank you and he walked out the door. She watched as he got in his car and left. She looked down at the card and noticed it said Captain Jarrick "Jack" Thornton, Sr. Aspen City Search and Rescue.
