Chapter 17: Grand Tetons
It has been a cold and snowy winter that hopefully will be coming to an end soon. Cody had been reassigned to the Grand Tetons National Park for couple of weeks as they have been a bit short handed. The day started out quiet and sunny. Perfect day for cross country skiing. Grand Tetons National Park was filled with cross country skiers and snowshoers. There was a winter storm that was supposed to hit Yellowstone and miss the Grand Tetons. But the weather is unpredictable at times.
"Base to all Rangers. The National Weather Service has just issued a blizzard warning for the Grand Tetons area. Please work on notifying park visitors and get them to exit the park as quickly as possible. The storm is expected to hit in four hours. We are going to do a roll call and need you to acknowledge the message and give us your location. Alpha Beta Charlie 227."
"Alpha Beta Charlie 227 acknowledge and located at the Lake Jenny Visitor Center."
"Alpha Beta Charlie 227, please hold for further instructions."
"Alpha Beta Charlie 227, acknowledged."
"Alpa Beta Delta 772."
Cody picked up the mic, "Alpha Beta Delta 772, acknowledge and we are approaching Taggart Trails."
"Alpha Beta Delta 772, continue to Taggart Trails and work to clear the area."
"Alpha Beta Delta 772, acknowledge."
"Cody, guess you will be here few more days. Do you have family waiting for you back home?" Ranger Fred Burk asked. Fred was Cody's partner for the day.
"I have a fiancée; she is a ranger as well," Cody smiled as he thought of Lizzie.
"When is the big day?" Fred asked.
"April 17th," Cody said.
"Little over a month away." Fred commented.
"Yes, I can't wait," The two men were driving around looking for skiers. They were making their way to one of the popular cross country ski locations.
They drove up to the entrance of the trail where a few skiers were getting ready to take off. Cody was getting suited up so he would be ready to jump out to stop some of the skiers from even taking off. Fred pulled up and stopped at the entrance. Cody jumped out. He quickly ran over to the skiers who were about to start.
"The ski trails have been closed due to a pending blizzard. The park is closing to visitors. Sorry for the inconvenience." Cody said.
"Thank you, ranger," a Gentleman said. The group of skiers turn around.
"Base this is Alpa Beta Delta 772, we need assistance. We count roughly 20 to 30 cars in the parking lot. We are clearing out the visitors that are here and closed the trail. But need assistance to follow up with those already on the trail. Over."
"Alpha Beta Delta 772, we are sending back up. Please stay at the entrance to stop any additional skiers from entering the trail, over."
"Roger that, will get you an accurate count of vehicles while we wait and clear out those still in the parking lot, over," Fred said. "Cody!"
"Yeah Fred," Cody walked over to the ranger vehicle.
"Guard the entrance so no more visitors can enter. How are you with skiing?" Fred asked.
"I have been cross country and downhill skiing my entire life. I grew up in a cabin in the Sierra Mountains," Cody said.
"Good, I think you will have your chance to show off your skills today. We just need to wait for backup. I am going to get a count of cars and notify those that are here," Fred explained.
"Got it," Cody said. He went and stood guard at the entrance. A couple of skiers came out of the trail. Cody explained to them the park is closing due to the blizzard heading their way. Everyone was polite and exited the park as instructed. Backup arrived and Cody and Fred suited up to follow any skiers that were already on the trail.
"Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772, backup has arrived, and we are heading out on skis to round up any remaining skiers. There about ten cars remaining in the lot." Fred said.
"Copy Alpha Beta Delta 772. Fred, you, and Ranger Hawkes don't take too long on that trail. The storm is coming."
"Darling, if Ranger Hawkes is as experienced as he says he is, we should not have any issues getting out of here before the storm hits."
"Stay safe honey," the Dispatch Operator said.
"Of course, Darling, radio when we get on the other side over," Fred said.
"Darling?" Cody teased.
"Ha… She is my wife. We have been married ten years". The two men started out on the trail. They carried backpacks, rifles, and snowshoes.
They were making good time and had not run across any skiers yet. They stopped for a little break.
"So, you are married to the Radio Dispatcher," Cody said.
"Yeah, we have three kids, eight, six and three, we met in college. It has been wonderful," Fred said.
"That is a full house," Cody said.
"Yes, but also a blessing. There is fighting, laughing, and good times. I wouldn't change it for the world," Fred said. "Did you and your fiancée meet at Yellowstone?"
"Yes, about two years ago," Cody said.
"How long have you been engaged?" Fred asked.
"Too long, about thirteen months so far. But a month from now she will be walking down that aisle. I will be the luckiest man alive," Cody said.
"Every groom is," Fred said. "Suppose we should keep moving."
Another hour into the path, Fred and Cody ran into some skiers, who were having a picnic and taking their time. After Cody and Fred talked to them, they thanked them for the information, packed up their stuff and headed back to the entrance. They radio in the number of skiers so they could be accounted for. They wanted to make sure that no visitors would be left behind. This Trail had two entrances and two branches of the path. They were about three fourths of the way through when they ran into another group of rangers coming from another direction. They received a message that the last skier had arrived. They turned around and headed back to their SUV. The snow had started falling. The rangers who were their backup stayed until Cody and Fred made it back.
"Fred looks all clear here. Are the two of you good?" one of the Rangers asked.
"Yes, we are good. We will get out of here shortly," Fred said.
"See you back at the station. Don't take too long. The storm will be here soon," a Ranger said.
Cody and Fred got their snow gear put back in the SUV and were on the road within ten minutes.
"Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772, we are leaving Taggart Trail, over." Cody said.
"Alpha Beta Delta 772, copy that. Please drive safely. Please check in every eight miles. If the storm picks up, please pull over and give us approximate location," the Dispatch Operator said.
"Roger that, over." Cody said.
"Tell my husband I love him and not to be a hero, over," the Dispatch Operator said.
"Love you too, darling," Fred said.
It did not take long for the wind and snow to really start coming down. The road was getting harder and harder to see. Cody gave the report of the first eight miles crossed. When out of nowhere a large moose crossed into their path. Fred tried to avoid the animal and the SUV slid off the road and down a large embankment. The SUV flipped over two or three times before settling upright. The horn of the SUV was going off. Both Cody and Fred were unconscious. The air bags in the SUV had deployed.
After a few minutes Cody started to move moaning and groaning. He immediately raised his hand to his head due to the pain. He found that his head was bleeding. His chest hurt a bit from the seat belt. He unbuckled the belt. He was a little confused as to where he was. He started looking around and figuring out where he was at. "Fred…. Fred wake up," Cody was still a bit out of it.
Cody reached for the radio. "Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772, over." He hears static on the other end. "Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772, over." Nothing on the radio.
"Shit," Cody said. Cody started looking around and taking inventory of his injuries. He had a bad cut on his leg, his head was bleeding, his right shoulder hurt badly not to mention he hurt all over. "Fred, are you okay?" No response from Fred.
Cody took his glove off and felt Fred's neck, "Thank you God!" Cody started to pray, "Heavenly father, I pray that Fred will wake up and that they will find us before our injuries take us or hyperthermia. Please Lord, Fred has a wife and three kids waiting for him. And Lizzie is waiting for me." Cody tried to move and the pain over took him he screamed in agony. His shoulder was dislocated. "Think Hawkes." Cody reached in back and grabbed a scarf and used it to bandage the cut on his leg. Then he got out of the SUV, he stumbled as he walked to the back of the SUV, opened the door and found the emergency kit, first aid kit and some blankets. He quickly shut the door so not to let any more cold air into the vehicle. He set the stuff down on the ground and went into the emergency kit. He found the emergency flares. Using his foot and his uninjured arm he was able to figure out how to light the flare. He used the flare to see where the SUV went down the hill. He threw the flare as far as he could in hopes that someone would see it. After he threw it, he screamed again and fell to his knees in pain from his shoulder. He had to make two trips to bring the emergency kit, first aid kit and the blankets back to the SUV. He got the stuff into the SUV and climbed in. He shut the door with his good arm. Then he took off Freds seat belt and wrapped a blanket over him. Then he got the emergency kit and tried to tape up the cut on his leg. Cody then tried the radio again. "Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772. Please come back" there was nothing but static.
Cody went into the back seat of the SUV and looked for the hand radio and he tried it. He hit the emergency alert in hopes of getting someone's attention. "Base this is Alpha Beta Delta 772." Nothing but static.
"Turn off the radio and save the power, you won't get them in this weather." Fred said.
"Your awake," Cody said.
"Cody how are you doing?" Fred asked.
"My head is killing me, I have a cut on my leg and I think I dislocated by shoulder."
"Did you black out?" Fred asked.
"Yes, I don't know how long." Cody said.
"How about you?"
"My head also killing me and my leg and hip. How long was I out?" Fred asked.
"At least 10 minutes," Cody said. "I managed to get the emergency and first aid kits. I lit a flair and threw it as far as I could toward the road. Hopefully someone will see it."
"What are you doing now?" Fred asked.
"I am trying to block the front seat from the back. So we can keep the front row warmer, it will keep our body heat in more," Cody said.
"That is a clever idea," Fred remarked. Cody finished getting the barrier set-up and he got back into the front seat. Then he lit the candle from the emergency kit to help warm up the front seat.
"How many flares are left?" Fred asked.
"There are three," Cody responded.
"Let's save the rest until after the storm breaks," Fred said.
The two men stayed awake talking thru the night.
"Cody, tell me about yourself. You said you were getting married in a month. Do you have any other family?" Fred asked.
"I have an older brother Matt. He is the commander of a search and rescue group in the South Lake Tahoe area," Cody said.
"Do they call themselves the High Mountain Rangers?" Fred asked.
"Yes, that is them," Cody said.
"I have heard excellent things about them," Fred said.
"My dad actually started the rangers," Cody said.
"So why are you here and not there?" Fred asked.
"I always thought I would be a ranger. I know I will be someday, but I needed to figure out who I was away from my family. God had a plan for me, which included putting several new people in my life. My best friend Mark who helped me through Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy. Growing up in the back country I really did not know what friendship was until then. I had one friend growing up beside the rangers. We had an age gap and we lost touch. Micky, who was my mentor at Glacier National Park, encouraged me to learn how to fly choppers. Micky encouraged me to find a position at another park, since there were no openings at Glacier. Mark had moved to Yellowstone and said they had some openings. So, I applied for a job in Yellowstone. Mark and I shared an apartment together until he got a job at Arcadia and moved closer to his family. I met the love of my life Lizzie there. I know my story will not end here with you. I am meant to marry Lizzie and we are going to have children together. Some day we will move back to Tahoe where I will be a High Mountain Ranger. "
"Wow you really have seen how things have moved in your life and you know what you want for your future," Fred said.
"What about your family? Did you meet your wife here?" Cody asked.
"No, we were college sweethearts. Deborah was an emergency operator until the stress got to be too much. She decided to change positions and work as a dispatcher here at Grand Tetons National Park. I was already working here. We had our first baby at this time. She has been much happier since coming over. We have had two kids since." Fred said.
"That is a great story, Fred. I am sure you will be back home with them soon." Cody said.
The two men continued to talk for hours and hours. Cody finally looked at his watch. "The sun should be up by now. Let me check to see if it has stopped snowing." Fred nodded yes.
Cody tried to open the SUV door and it would not open. "Fred, try your door."
Fred tried his door, "It won't open, the snow must be too high."
"I am going to crawl in back and see if I can get the trunk open."
"How are you going to get passed the cage?" Fred asked.
"I don't know yet but need to try. Watch the candle." Cody slid in the back seat of the SUV. Cody screamed due to the pain in his shoulder.
"Is it the shoulder?" Fred asked.
"Yes, it is killing me," Cody said. He tried to use his legs to open the doors in the back seat. He has no luck. He looks around to see what he might be able to use to take down the cage between the back seat and the trunk. "I think I can unscrew the cage."
"Do you have a screw driver?" Fred asked.
"No, I have my pocket knife if I can reach it." Cody paused for a moment. He started looking around and found his backpack.
"What is it, Cody?" Fred asked.
"I think I have wire cutters in my backpack. I always carry them as you never know when you will come across some animal trap in barb wire or something. Something my dad drilled into my head. He said there some things you never leave home without." Cody rummaged through his bag. "Got it. Now let's hope I can do this with one arm."
Cody was able to cut through the wire. He cut through enough that he was able to crawl from the back seat to the trunk. He grabbed one of the flares and a rifle. It took a couple of tries, but he was able to push open the trunk with his legs.
The snow was deep and heavy on the trunk door. He had to hold open the trunk door as the snow was so heavy. He used a shovel to keep the trunk door open as he slid out with a flare and rifle. "I am going to close the door to keep the warm air in. Wish me luck."
"Good luck Cody."
Cody went and lit the flare and threw it towards the road. He also fired the rifle in the air in hopes if someone does not see the flare that they will hear the gun shot. He used a shovel to clear away some of the snow from the back door and on top of the SUV. He did this in hopes the sun would warm up the SUV and help anyone searching for them. He fired another rifle shot. He then worked on clearing the snow so they could open and close the doors again. There is no way either man could ski out of there. With Freds hip and Cody's shoulder, there best option would be to wait it out. While Cody was working outside Fred was trying to get through on his phone, CB radio and handheld radio with no luck. Before he got back into the SUV, Cody tried to get as much of the snow off him as he could. He fired the rifle one more time before getting in the SUV.
"Burr… looks like you were successful outside," Fred asked.
"Yes, seems so eerily quiet out there. Any luck in here?" Cody asked.
"No," Fred said.
"The radio antenna totally broke off," Cody said.
"Good news, they know what road we were on and the eight-mile stretch. They would know by now that we are missing and probably got into some kind of accident. As soon as they can, they will send out a search party for us."
"Would our families have been contacted?" Cody asked.
"My wife will have known as soon as we did not report the next eight-mile marker and did not return last night. Who was the emergency contact you had listed?"
"I have Lizzie listed," Cody said.
"They would have contacted her this morning once they knew for sure we were missing. Were you supposed to call her last night?" Fred asks.
"Yes, I was supposed to call her last night," Cody said.
"Then she knows," Fred said.
The day before, sometime after the crash.
"Alpha Beta Delta 772 come back and give us a status update?" Deborah said, but there is nothing but silence. Two minutes go by. "Alpha Beta Delta 772 come back. Fred, please come back."
Sargent Willis came over to Deborah, "Any luck?"
"No, nothing from them, since they crossed over from here." Deborah said as she points to a mile marker on a map.
"How long ago was it?" Sargent Willis asked.
"About two hours ago," Deborah said. A couple of rangers walk into the station.
"Charlie Delta Charlie 883 reporting in. Wow! It is really bad out there," Ranger Hanson said.
"Did you see any other vehicles on your drive in?" Deborah asked.
"No, not until we got here. You could not see a thing." Ranger Hanson said as he was getting his gear off.
"You came down on Teton Park Road?" Deborah asked.
"Yep."
"We have your reporting passing Windy Point Turnout at 4:40 pm."
"Sounds about right," Ranger Hanson said.
"You did not see Alpha Beta Charlie at all?" Deborah asked.
"No, we saw no one until we got back here," Ranger Hanson said.
"Then you passed Fred and Cody getting back here," Deborah said.
"So, they either made a wrong turn, pulled over or went off the road between these two-mile markers," Sargent Willis said. Deborah took a deep breath. "Deborah don't think the worst. They may have just pulled off and waited out the storm. Just like you told him."
"I wish he was here," Deborah was clearly worried.
"Sargent, there is a call for you," a Dispatcher came over to the group.
'Who is it?" Sargent Willis asked.
"Lizzie Donavan, she is Ranger Hawkes fiancée. She is worried about him with the storm. He was supposed to call her tonight and she has not heard from him."
"Who is Ranger Hawkes?" Sargent Willis asked.
"Ranger Cody Hawkes, he is teamed up with Freddie," Deborah jumped in.
"Oh…. just tell her he is busy working, and he will call her in the morning," Sargent Willis said.
"That is not true, you can't tell her that. I will talk to her," Deborah said.
"Fine, go ahead," Sargent Willis said and walked away.
The dispatcher handed the phone to Deborah. "This is Ranger Deborah Burk. I am one of the dispatchers here at the Grand Teton's National Park. Who am I talking to?"
"Hi, I am Ranger Lizzie Donavan from Yellowstone National Park. My fiancée is a ranger here at Yellowstone. He has been helping out at Grand Tetons National Park for the last couple of weeks. We were supposed to talk tonight after work. I have been trying to reach him. I had not heard from him at all and was getting worried about him because of the storm. I did not know who to call."
"Ranger Hawkes was out in the field today. When the storm changed direction, he and Ranger Fred Burk had to clear some ski trails. The storm had already started by the time they left. We immediately started tracking their progress back. Somewhere after the first eight-mile marker, we lost radio contact with them."
"What does that mean?" Lizzie asked.
"It could be several reasons why we have not heard from them. Some of the other rangers reported that the roads were very bad, so they may have just stopped along the road to wait out the storm. With the storm they probably just can't get through on the radio or cell phones. Or they may have gotten into some trouble and went off the road somewhere. Lizzie, please don't panic. Ranger Hawkes is with a very experienced ranger; he is in good hands."
"Is there a search party out looking for them?" Lizzie asked.
"Search party will be out as soon as the storm lets up." Deborah said.
"They could be freezing to death as we speak," Lizzie said.
"Each SUV is equipped with tools to help them if the need arises," Deborah said.
"Sorry if I sound anxious, if you had a loved one out there you would be too. We are supposed to get married in a month and I just don't want to lose him," Lizzie started to cry.
"Lizzie, I do know the feeling. Part of me is scared to death as well. Ranger Burk, who is with Ranger Hawkes, is my husband and father of my three kids. I am praying they just pulled over and they will be just fine. Why don't we exchange numbers, and I will keep you up to date with everything. I know Fred will do anything to come home to me and our kids. I am sure Cody has the same feelings about you," Deborah said.
"Deborah, thank you for talking to me. I appreciate it. I will try not to worry so much. Cody is very capable and has a lot of outdoor experience as he grew up in the back country. I just wish I could talk to him," Lizzie said as she fought back the tears.
The next morning the search crew was slowly driving down the road between the two road markers where they last heard from Cody and Fred. They heard a loud sound echoing throughout the land. "Was that a gun shot?" Ranger Hanson asked.
"I think so, do you think it could be Ranger Burk and Ranger Hawkes?"
"Maybe, call it in," Ranger Hanson said. Ranger Sytsma agreed.
"Base this Charlie Beta Charlie 889, we have heard what sounds like gun shots in the search grid," Ranger Sytsma said.
"This is base, we copy. Please let us know If you hear any more gun fire," the Dispatch Operator said.
Cody and Fred were still huddled in the freezing SUV. "So, we have two more flares left," Cody said.
"Let's give it fifteen more minutes and you can light it. Hopefully someone is out there." Fred said.
Fifteen minutes went by Cody got out of the SUV and walked a little farther than he did before. He lit the flare and threw it as far as he could. The flare made it about ten feet from the road. But further than the others. He screamed in pain. He fell to his knees for a few minutes, almost passing out. He made his way back to the SUV through the deep snow before climbing in.
"Cody, are you, okay?" Fred asked.
"It's getting harder, my leg started bleeding again and my shoulder is killing me," Cody said in a lot of pain.
Ranger Hanson and Ranger Sytsma driving down the road spotted some smoke in the horizon, "What is that?"
"I think it is a flare," They drove as fast they could to the spot where the flare was coming from. They got out of the SUV and found the flare.
"Base this is Charlie Beta Charlie 889, we found a flare alongside the road. We are on Teton Park Rd just past Windy Point Turnout, we don't see anything from the side of the road. We are going to go investigate on foot." Ranger Sytsma said.
"This is base, Charlie Beta Charlie 889 we copy." the Dispatcher said.
The two rangers put on snow shoes and grabbed their packs and headed out. They went about 50 feet and spotted the SUV. The rangers went as fast as they could through the deep snow.
Deborah got on the phone and called Lizzie, "Lizzie this is Deborah. The rangers searching have heard sounds of gun shot and now have spotted a flare that was recently lit near the side of the road. No signs of any vehicles so they are out searching on foot. There are signs they are out there."
Lizzie said, "Deborah thank you for calling. Can I stay on the line with you and wait to see?"
"Of course, Lizzie we are in this together." Deborah said. "My kids are here too. We are sitting in corner waiting for word."
Time went by slowly for those waiting to hear. The rangers walking in the snow reached the SUV and knocked on the windows. Since the windows did not work, they opened one of the doors. "Boy, are you guys a sight for sore eyes." Fred said.
"Hallelujah," Ranger Hanson said. "How are you guys doing?"
"Thankful you found us, but we both need some medical attention," Fred said.
"Why don't you run back to the SUV and call it in, we need to get rescue squad out here," Ranger Hanson said to Ranger Sytsma.
Radio message comes over the radio. "Base this is Charlie Beta Charlie 889."
"Come back Charlie Beta Charlie 889." The dispatcher said.
Deborah immediately sat up, "Some news is coming in."
"We found them. They are both alive and talking." Ranger Sytsma said a bit out of breath from his trip back to the SUV in the snow. Everyone cheered.
"They found them, and they are alive," Deborah told Lizzie. Lizzie started crying tears of joy.
Ranger Sytsma continued to give updates to base, "Fred said they both need some medical attention. One of them is walking as they threw at least one flare, but they are bleeding. We saw a trail of blood. Beyond that I don't know the status. We need medical extraction team here ASAP, the SUV is about quarter of mile off the road, over."
"We will send medical team out as soon as possible to your coordinates, over." The Dispatcher said.
"They both need medical attention, but they don't know the extent of the injuries. They are about quarter mile off the road." Deborah listening to the dispatch operator. "They are sending a chopper to get to them faster. They will be going to St. John's Hospital in Jackson Hole. Once I hear the chopper has left, I will take off to the hospital." Lizzie is silent on the other end. "It is good they found them; we will know soon."
"Thank you, Deborah, so much," Lizzie said crying.
"Have you told his family?" Deborah said.
"Not yet," Lizzie said.
"At this point, best to wait," There is a pause. "Something is coming in,"
Chopper Dispatch. "Two adult males. One age of 25 with concussion gash on head, dislocated shoulder, and large gash on the upper lower extremity. The second patient is aged 36 with concussion, head gash, and possible broken hip. ETA twenty-five minutes, over."
"Thank goodness," Deborah said.
"What is it?" Lizzie asked.
"Come on kids, time to go," Deborah said. Deborah gathered her kids and started heading out of the ranger station and getting into the car. "Lizzie, are you still there?"
"I am here, what is happening."
"They picked them up. Cody has concussion, gash on his leg and dislocated shoulder," Deborah said.
"Thank goodness," Lizzie said. "What about your husband?"
"Concussion and possible broken hip. Nothing life threatening. I am heading to the hospital now. If I can, I will try connecting with Cody when I get there. Stay on the line."
"Thank you," Lizzie said.
Deborah went running in the hospital with her kids, carrying the youngest one. She went up to the desk clerk, "The two rangers that were brought in. I am Deborah Burk. Ranger Fred Burk is my husband. I also have Ranger Cody Hawkes's fiancée on the phone."
"I will take you back to see your husband. If you are okay with me taking your phone, I will hand it to Ranger Hawkes," the front desk clerk said.
"Yes, yes, that would be wonderful," Deborah said. "Lizzie, I am going to hand the phone over to the clerk and she will give it to Cody."
"Deborah, thank you for everything." Lizzie was wiping the tears from her eyes.
Deborah handed her phone to the clerk, and she brought Deborah and the kids in to see Fred.
"Daddy!" the six-year-old shouted and ran over to her father in his emergency room. Deborah walked up to her husband and kissed him on the lips.
"Hi Darling, so good to see you again and our brood of kids." Fred said.
"I am so relieved to see you honey," Deborah said. "Have you heard from the doctor?
"Not yet, but they did take x-rays of my hip." Fred said. "Do you know about Cody?
"No, but he should be talking to his fiancée. I have been keeping her up to date," Deborah said.
The clerk enters Cody's room and hands him the phone, "Your fiancée is on the phone."
"Thank you," Cody said. "Lizzie, honey I love you very much."
"Cody, I love you too. Are you okay? I heard something about a concussion and dislocated shoulder," Lizzie said.
"Waiting for the x-rays to confirm. I also have a deep cut on my leg and will be getting stitches," Cody said.
"I want to come down and see you honey," Lizzie said.
"I want you here too, I miss you so much. Wait until tomorrow, if the roads are better by then," Cody said. "Hang on the doctor just came in. I will put you on speaker phone."
"Ranger Hawkes looks like you have mild concussion, dislocated shoulder, and you had quite a bit of blood loss from the cut on your leg. You are very bruised, especially in the area around the seat belt. We are going re-locate your shoulder and then stitch your leg up. We are going to monitor you over night and have you on an I.V. drip to replenish your fluids. Then tomorrow we will re-evaluate how you are doing. The nurse will prepare you for the relocation. So, you will want to say your goodbyes." The doctor explained.
"Honey, I will see you tomorrow, I love you and miss you. I must go as they are going to re-locate my shoulder. Bye for now," Cody said.
"Cody, I love you so much, I will see you tomorrow." Lizzie said.
Cody then hung up the phone and set it down. The nurse prep Cody. Doctor came back in the room and said, "Sorry this will hurt bit more since we cannot give you a local anesthesia due to the concussion."
"I am in so much pain already, I am ready to get this over with." Cody said.
"Just try to relax," the Doctor said.
The doctor and nurse maneuvered Cody's arm in a strange position and pushed to get it back in place. Cody screamed in pain.
A few minutes later the Doctor asked, "How are you doing?"
"It feels much better," Cody said.
"That is good, but it will be sore for a while. We will be icing it, and you will not be able to use it for four to six weeks." Doctor said. "Now we are going to numb your leg before we stitch it up."
While the doctor work he asked Cody some questions. "I heard you are getting married, when is the big day?"
"In about a month," Cody said.
"That is really soon," Doctor said.
"I can't wait," Cody said.
"All done," Doctor said.
"That was quick," Cody said.
"The nurse will be putting in the orders to move you to your room. So, you should be brought up shortly," the Doctor said.
"Do you know how my partner is doing?" Cody asked.
"Sorry I don't know," Doctor said. "Maybe the nurse will know."
Cody was brought up to his hospital room when Deborah walks into the room.
"Are you Cody Hawkes?" Deborah asked.
"Yes, and you are?" Cody asked.
"I am Deborah Burk, Fred's wife," Deborah said.
"How is Fred doing?" Cody asked.
"He is in surgery; his hip is cracked. The doctor said it will be a pretty simple surgery. They probably will be putting a few pins in to keep everything in place. Other than that, he should be fine," Deborah said. "Oh, there is my phone." Deborah reached over and picked up her phone.
"So, you were the one that kept Lizzie updated?" Cody asked.
"Yes, will she be driving down here?" Deborah asked.
"Yes, I told her to wait until tomorrow," Cody said. "Thank you for everything you did for her."
"I will give her a call; she is more than welcome to stay with us if you don't go home tomorrow." Deborah said.
"Thank you that is very kind."
Next day, Lizzie walks into the hospital. "I am here to see a patient, Cody Hawkes."
"Let me see," the receptionist is looking through the computer. "He is in room 325A, take the elevator up to the right. Once you are on the third floor, go to the left and you should find the room."
"Thank you so much," Lizzie said. She quickly moved to the elevator and up to the third floor. She went to the left and found room 325A. She found Cody asleep on the bed. Fred was awake. Lizzie silently said hi as she walked past. She went up to Cody and kissed him on the forehead. Cody opened his eyes.
Cody got a big smile on his face, "Hi."
"Hi," Lizzie looked at Cody and gently brushed his face "How are you feeling today?"
"Better now that you are here," Cody said.
"Seriously, how are you feeling?" Lizzie said.
"Sorer than yesterday, but truly better that you are here," Cody said.
Fred cleared his throat. "Are you going to introduce me?"
"I am so sorry," Cody said. "Lizzie, I want to introduce you to Fred Burk. I was partnered with Fred. We were in the crash together. Fred this is my Fiancée Lizzie."
Lizzie walked over to Fred, "Nice to meet you, Fred. Is your wife Deborah coming today?"
"She will be here later today," Fred said.
"I want to thank her for everything yesterday. She was a real godsent to me. I was so worried about Cody, and she kept me up to date with everything."
"She is terrific. I understand you will be spending the night at my house tonight," Fred said.
Lizzie turned to Cody. "Are they keeping you another night?"
"Yeah, since we are going up to Yellowstone they wanted to keep me another night for observation," Cody said.
"Then we will be staying," Lizzie said.
Cody and Lizzie are with Fred until Fred had to have some more x-rays.
"Cody, I missed you so much," Lizzie said as she put her hands on his face.
"Lizzie, everything is okay. We are together again. And I will heal," Cody said. "Really I am okay."
Lizzie leaned in and kissed Cody. They started kissing with more passion and then realized they were not alone.
"Deborah," Cody said. "Sorry."
"Nice to see young love," Deborah said. "Are you Lizzie?"
"Deborah, so nice to meet you," Lizzie got up and gave Deborah a hug.
"Lizzie, so nice to meet you too," Deborah said. "I hear you will be spending the night."
"Are you sure it is okay?" Lizzie asked.
"Absolutely," Deborah said.
Fred came back into the room from the tests. "Hi Darling." Fred said.
"What did the doctor say?" Deborah asked.
"Everything is looking good, but will be spending another night," Fred said.