The Loner's Thanksgiving Wish

Pupils—uneven, the right more sluggish than the left. Unresponsive.

Slight signs of shock, with a possibility of internal injuries and a head injury.

But thank you, Lord. Cade appears stable. Jack quickly checked him for bleeding and found he’d already been capably bandaged, then he searched for obvious fractures. Finally, rocking back on his heels, he listened to the E.R. doctor, disconnected and called his team members waiting at the top of the cliff.

He pulled a reflective foil blanket from his backpack and tucked it around Cade, then gently rested his hand against his brother’s cheek. “Cade—can you hear me?”

No response.

A heavy fist clamped down on Jack’s heart as his thoughts raced through a litany of fears for his only brother. Internal injuries could be hemorrhaging unseen. He could have sustained a serious brain injury or damage to the spinal cord. He’d fallen more than an hour ago. If he wasn’t responding right now, what were the chances of an extended coma … or death? Lord, please take care of him. Please keep him safe in Your hands—let his injuries be minor, and please, please help him heal. “How is he, Jack?” Jasmine’s voice shook. “I’m so scared for him.”

Whatever his own fears, inciting panic at this point wouldn’t do anyone any good. He considered his answer carefully. “I don’t see any significant external wounds. At least, he isn’t bleeding through any of the bandages so far. And I haven’t found obvious fractures. Of course, Cade isn’t awake to tell us where he hurts most, and I’m not a doctor. I also don’t have a radiologist’s X-ray report in front of me. We’ll have answers soon, though.”

Desperate hope flared to life in Jasmine’s eyes. “So that’s good?”

“Yes, it is. And his heartbeat, color and breathing are surprisingly steady given what he’s just been through.” Trying to stay positive in light of the very serious possibilities made it hard to meet her earnest gaze.

“Then why doesn’t he wake up?” Tears trickled down her dirt-smudged cheeks.

“Maybe he just has a concussion and will be coming around soon.”

“What if it isn’t that? What if …” Her voice trailed off.

Jack sighed heavily and glanced toward the other woman, who had stepped away when he arrived and now stood at the far edge of the ledge with her head bowed, her long black hair veiling the side of her face. “I don’t have the answers. But we’ll have him out of here in no time, and the E.R. will be ready for him. They’ll figure everything out.”

She sniffled and backhanded the tears from her face. “I just can’t believe this happened, and it’s all my fault. If I had agreed to go back to the car instead of insisting on going up the trail …”

“But it isn’t your fault. A terrible coincidence, maybe, being at the wrong place at that very moment. But you couldn’t have predicted it would happen.” He studied her closely. “What about you? Looks like you need to be checked over, too.”

She lifted a cautious hand to her face. “Just a few bumps and scrapes. Maybe a little sprain of my wrist. It’s Cade who needs your attention. Not me.”

“You’ll still need to be seen in the E.R.” Her color had improved and she appeared to be calmer since he’d first arrived. He moved next to her, noting that her skin was warm and dry as he took her pulse and blood pressure. Both normal.

He gently bandaged a laceration on her arm, then examined her swollen wrist and wrapped it with a splint and a firm, supportive bandage.

“I’d guess that the doctor will want an X-ray of your wrist at the very least, and you might need some sutures.”

He slowly straightened and pulled off his gloves, then donned a clean pair as he returned to Cade and knelt at his side. He looked over his shoulder at the other woman. “And what about you, ma’am?”

She still stood facing away from him, her arms wrapped around her slender waist, but now she turned slowly toward him with a tentative expression. “Hi, Jack.”

He felt his jaw drop and his heart lurch against his ribs. If he’d discovered the Queen of England standing in front of him, he couldn’t have been more surprised. Just seeing her slammed him back to his tongue-tied teenage years.

“Mei? What on earth …”

Mei Clayton had always been pretty. Her delicate features and dark eyes had made her seem as exotic and untouchable as one of his mother’s porcelain figurines. But now, ten years after high school, she was no longer just pretty—she was beautiful. “I was hiking and had intended to do some climbing farther up the mountain.” She dropped her gaze to Cade’s still form. “I’m so glad I was close by with my climbing gear. When Jasmine and Cade fell, I did what I could.”

He’d seen her rope dangling down the face of the cliff, and didn’t even want to imagine such a fragile woman making that dangerous descent—especially because it was at least ten feet too short. One false move and she might have fallen to her death. “You are one brave woman. And you did a fine job with the first aid, too.”

“I just wish I’d had more rope for the trip down.”

He cleared his throat, still feeling a little stunned at running into her in such an unlikely place. “I’d heard that all of you had to be home by Christmas. What brings you back home so soon?”

Her expression clouded. “My brother is missing somewhere in the Everglades. I wanted to be here with my mom while we wait for news.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Lucas since I left for college, but I remember that he was always a capable guy … and very independent.”

“One of the reasons he and my parents didn’t see eye to eye. I hear he hasn’t even been back here since graduating from high school. Still, he managed to put himself through veterinary school, so I just know he’s going to be a success. If.” Her voice trailed off.

“Lucas is a resourceful guy.” Jack rechecked Cade’s blood pressure and pulse, then examined his bandages for any seepage. “I’ll bet your worries will be unfounded when he suddenly turns up one of these days.”

“I sure hope so.” She bit her lower lip, as if debating about saying more about her brother. “How long until Cade gets to the hospital?”

“The other two guys on the rescue team are looking for a good route for bringing him up. The EMTs and an ambulance are on the way. Maybe an hour?”

“Oh, that long,” she breathed. She rested a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. “I guess we’d all better be praying then.”

Jasmine nodded. “Believe me, I already have.”

Jack held Cade’s hand as the ambulance bounced and swayed down the rugged mountain road toward town and listened to the steady beep of a monitor mounted on the wall. “He looks stable, right?”

Sue, the EMT who had chosen to ride in back, was sitting on the bench next to Jack. She glanced up at the screen and nodded. “From what I see, I think he’s doing well, all things considered. He’s one very lucky boy.”

“I just wish he would wake up.” Jack gave his brother’s hand a squeeze. “I haven’t seen him this quiet since he was a newborn—and that wasn’t for a very long stretch at a time.”

“I’m sure the docs at the hospital will be doing MRIs and X-rays to make sure he—” She peered at Cade’s face. “I think I saw his eyelids flicker. Cade, can you hear me?”

A moment later Cade’s eyelids fluttered, then opened halfway.

“You’re in an ambulance. You had quite a fall, cowboy.” Jack brushed a wayward lock of hair from Cade’s forehead, willing him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t, anxiety snaked through Jack’s stomach and began tying it into a tight knot.

The EMT leaned over so she could look directly into Cade’s eyes. “What’s your name?”

His brow furrowed, as if he were calling up a distant memory, before he finally silently moved his lips to form his name.

“Do you know where you are? What town you live in?”

He stared blankly at her.

“Do you know what day it is?”

Again, a blank look.

The EMT sat back on the bench. “The doctors will be checking him for a concussion. But it’s a really good sign that he’s waking up and that he’s at least oriented to his name.”

A good sign, maybe, but Jack longed to hear Cade’s voice. To hear him crack a joke—or even renew their old argument about Cade’s decision to marry so young. Anything that would show he hadn’t suffered a serious head injury.

“I’m here with you and I’m not leaving,” Jack reassured him. “We’ll make sure the docs fix you up good as new.”