Forever My Hero, page 13
Alice moaned. “No. What if Patty’s life depends on timing? That storm is getting closer. Those thirty minutes could be the difference between life or death for her.”
Dan turned Alice loose and stepped forward. “I am good at climbing and rappelling. I used to pay people to let me do that for fun. Let me help.”
“What do you need?” Lon asked.
“Well, climbing equipment, which I don’t suppose you have?”
Lon shook his head. “No, we don’t.”
Dan nodded. “Then, since we’re doing this on the fly, I’ll take a long length of rope, a pair of leather gloves, and one of your radios.”
Frank Leggitt took the gloves out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Dan, then pointed at the yellow nylon rope in front of them.
“There’s your rope. Boys, go untie it and bring it back, ASAP.” His sons left the group on the run as Frank kept talking. “You can cut any length you need, mister, or use it all with my blessing. I’m just sick that this happened on our place.”
As Frank’s sons ran off to collect the rope, Connie Milam stepped forward. “None of this was his fault. They were in my care. I knew Patty was having a few problems with the kids, which is why I made sure I was the adult on her team, but I had no idea the girls were capable of such callous behavior.”
“What’s going on?” Dan asked.
Alice was so angry she was shaking. “This is Connie Milam, Patty’s teacher. The girls on Patty’s team have been making fun of her and shunning her.”
Connie nodded. “We had another child get hurt, so all of the teams quit searching and met up at the entrance. I took my team that way as well. The moment I realized Patty wasn’t with our group, I asked the girls where she was.”
Alice interrupted, still so angry she was shaking. “One of them told the teacher she saw Patty fall…in fact, saw her sliding down a slope, but she didn’t call out to warn her and didn’t even say what she’d seen until they got back to the group.”
Connie put her arms around Alice as she picked up the story again. “That’s true, and when I confronted her, and then the other two as well, they said that their parents told them not to play with Patty because her family sells drugs. Patty never told me or her mother.”
Dan’s eyes narrowed angrily as his focus shifted to the teacher. “I haven’t practiced criminal law in years, but I’m still a lawyer, and I can put the fear of God in those parents if the need arises.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Connie said.
Booger was still pulling on his leash and whining, and when Charlie’s focus shifted to the adult conversation, the old dog felt the tension ease on his leash and bolted.
“No! Booger! Come back!” Charlie yelled. He was starting to go after the dog when Dan grabbed him.
“Wait, Charlie! Look! They’re bringing me the rope. I’ll get her, and when I do, your dog will be there with her, right?”
Charlie’s shoulders slumped. He’d lost his sister. He didn’t want to lose Booger, too. But Dan was right. “Yes, sir. He can find Patty, and he won’t leave her.”
“Then let me do this,” Dan said.
Charlie looked at his mama and then nodded.
Dan gave him a man-size thump on the back. “Just take care of your mama. Booger will find Patty, and I’ll get the both of them back for you.”
Charlie turned away to wipe his eyes. He didn’t want anyone to know he’d finally given in to tears.
The Leggitt sons arrived at the same time but from separate directions, each with a huge coil of rope on their shoulders that was actually one entire length.
“Tie one end of this off to that tree,” Dan said, pointing to a sturdy pine on the downhill slope.
The brothers went down together and did as he asked, leaving the rest of the rope in a coil on the ground.
Chief Pittman handed Dan a radio. “You sure you can handle this?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t have volunteered otherwise,” Dan said. “Just trust me.”
Then he slipped and scooted his way down to the pine tree. He grabbed the loose end of the coil, picked it up and slung it down the slope, watching as it uncoiled in midair. Then he pulled the leather gloves up snug on his hands, grabbed the other coil, played some of it out and wrapped it around his waist. He gripped the rope tied to the tree, wrapped it loosely three times around his forearm, then pulled it behind his back with his other hand, using one to control the length he was letting out, and the other hand to control the speed of his descent. He started down the slope backward, letting the rope play out as he dropped farther and farther until he dropped out of sight in the undergrowth.
“Oh dear God,” Alice said, and then went to her knees, too shaky to stand.
* * *
Dan kept glancing behind him as he descended to make sure he didn’t back into a tree. He would have given a lot for the climbing rig that went with this sport, but emergencies call for making do, and this was a definite emergency.
He was still backing down when he paused a moment and looked up to see how far he’d come. Then he pushed through some heavy brush and ran out of solid ground. One moment he was on the slope, and then it was gone and he was hanging out into space and gripping the rope with both hands.
“No, God, no,” he whispered, afraid to look down again and see Patty’s little body broken on the rocks below.
And then he heard a dog whine. Booger was on a ledge less than six feet down, and Patty was beside him, looking up.
“Thank you, God,” Dan said softly, and carefully lowered himself the rest of the way down. He could see tear tracks on Patty’s cheeks, and her eyes were still shiny with unshed tears. “Hey, baby girl. Are you alright? Do you hurt anywhere?”
She nodded, rubbing her leg. “I turned my ankle. It made me fall.”
He could see it was swollen beneath her sock.
“Does your head hurt anywhere?”
“A little bit.”
There was no blood, but he tunneled his fingers carefully through her hair, searching for lumps, and felt nothing urgent. “Can you move your foot?” he asked.
“A little, but it hurts,” she said.
“Do you hurt anywhere else? How about your arms?”
She lifted them over her head, but winced a bit.
“How about your back? Can you move your legs?”
She nodded and then showed him by scissoring them back and forth. “I hurt a little bit all over,” she said.
“Does it hurt to breathe?” he asked.
She patted her little chest. “No,” she said, and breathed in and out to show him.
“That is so awesome,” he said, and then rubbed the old dog’s head. He was uncertain whether the dog had jumped or fallen, but he seemed to be okay, too. “Way to go, Booger Conroy. You are an amazing fellow.”
Then to his surprise, Patty got up on her knees and crawled into his lap, put her arms around his neck, and started to cry. It broke his heart. “You’re okay, honey, you’re okay. Mama and Charlie and a bunch of people are up at the top of the slope. Even your teacher is looking for you. You just hang on to me. I need to tell them I found you.” He scooted backward until they were beneath the overhang and as far away from the ledge as they could get.
When he moved, Booger moved with them. He sniffed Patty once, then sniffed Dan before flopping down beside them.
Dan patted Booger’s head again and then unhooked the handheld radio from his waistband and keyed in. “This is Dan. I found them both. They’re okay. Over.”
Alice heard his voice and started to cry. Connie Milam was sitting beside her and cried along with her.
“Thank God, thank God,” Connie said, and kept patting Alice’s hand.
Relief swept through Charlie as well, listening as the chief keyed up his radio.
“This is Pittman. A rescue crew is due here soon. What do we need to get all of you back up? Over.”
Dan thought about it a moment. “We are on a ledge about six feet down from the end of that slope. She turned her ankle, which is what made her fall, so she can’t walk back up. Tell them to bring a litter and strap her in. Over.”
“Ten-four. Do you have any resources to get yourself off the ledge? Over.”
“Negative. The dog and I are here until the rescue crew figures something out. Tell them to bring a bottle of water for Patty. Over,” Dan said.
“Ten-four. Will advise rescue. Over and out.”
Dan laid the radio aside and gave Patty a quick hug. “Help is coming, honey, okay?”
She nodded, and when Booger whined, she reached for him. Moments later, the hound was in Dan’s lap, too, lying over his legs. Dan patted the dog’s head, and then settled Patty against his chest. This was the best outcome possible for such a serious event, and when she laid her head against his shoulder, he closed his eyes. It was almost like holding his son again.
They weren’t there long before Dan felt the wind shift. Now it was blowing in his face. He looked up. The clouds were gathering, and the sky was growing darker.
Come on, guys. We need to be gone before the storm hits.
No sooner had he thought that than he began to hear voices. The rescue crew was on the way down.
“Down here!” he shouted. “Watch for the drop-off!”
Moments later, he saw a rope dangling over the edge, followed by a man in red coveralls, who dropped right into their midst.
Booger woofed.
“Easy, boy. They’re here to help,” Dan said, and then a litter came over the edge. The man from the rescue squad grabbed it and situated it in front of them.
“I’m Matt,” he said, eyeing Patty. “Are you Patty?”
She nodded.
He opened a bottle of water and handed it to her. She reached for it with both hands and drank greedily in huge gulps while the excess ran out both corners of her mouth and down the front of her shirt. She paused once to take a breath, and then took another drink before handing it back. The EMT put the lid back on it and handed it to Dan.
“Okay, Patty. I brought you an easy way to get back up the slope. Are you ready to take a ride back up to your mama?”
She looked at Dan, and when he gave her a thumbs-up, she relaxed. “Yes, I’m ready. Are you gonna bring Dan and Booger, too?”
“You bet, but one at a time, and you get to go first because you’ve been waiting the longest, okay?”
“Yes, okay,” she said, but was still reluctant to let go of Dan. “You promise you can help get Booger back up?” she asked.
“I promise,” Dan said. “You tell Charlie to wait up there for us.”
“Okay,” Patty said.
“See this soft blanket?” Matt asked, as he spread it over the bottom of the long basket. “I’m going to lay you down in this litter. It’s like a little bed. Then I’m going to cover you up so you won’t be cold, because the wind is really starting to blow, isn’t it? And because you are so special to everyone who loves you, I’ll strap you in tight so you can’t fall out of your bed, okay?”
“Okay,” Patty said.
Dan laid her down in the litter, then Matt began to pull the blankets over her and strap her in. “We’re going to start pulling you up now, Patty, so if you want, just close your eyes, and then you open them when you hear your mama’s voice,” Dan said.
“Okay,” Patty said.
Dan knelt over the litter. “See you up top,” he said, and then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “You are doing great, and thank you for being very brave.”
Patty’s eyes were fixed upon his face as Matt was radioing the rescue crew to start the lift. First, they pulled Matt up off the ledge so he could help grab the litter, and once he was up, they began pulling Patty up next.
Dan was tall enough so that when he stood, he was easily able to keep the basket from swinging beneath the overhang, and as soon as she was up and out of sight, he sat back down with the dog.
“It’s just me and you, boy. May as well make the best of it. Let’s scoot back under the ledge. I’m pretty sure we’re gonna get wet before we get back home.”
The bloodhound was anxious, both because Patty was out of his sight, and because of the incoming thunderstorm, but after Dan poured the rest of the water into his hand for Booger to drink, he settled back down with Dan.
* * *
When the searchers above realized the rescue crew was bringing Patty up, they leaped to their feet. An ambulance was back at the entrance, waiting, and when the driver received the news via radio, they were ready to receive their patient.
Charlie was holding his mama’s hand when they saw the men in red coveralls emerging through the trees, and then they saw the litter they were carrying between them.
It was all Alice could do to stand still.
Connie Milam was praying, thanking God for answering this prayer.
It felt like forever, watching them work their way up on the steep slope, then all of a sudden, the five-man rescue team had the litter at their feet on level ground.
When Alice saw Patty lying there with her eyes closed, she almost panicked. “Patty! Baby?”
Patty’s eyes popped open, and when she saw her mother and Charlie, her expression shifted to one of relief. “Dan said I could open my eyes when I heard your voice,” Patty said, and then started to cry.
“Please, sir, can I carry my little sister out of here?” Charlie asked.
Pittman glanced at the EMTs. “The ambulance is on-site. If she’s able to be moved that way, let him. I want Dan and the dog up on solid ground before that storm hits.”
They unfastened the straps holding the girl down, and Charlie picked her up.
The rescue team went back down with the litter as Charlie held Patty close to his heart. Alice was hugging the both of them. “I’m so sorry this happened, Pitty-Pat. We’re going straight to the doctor,” she said.
“Booger found me, Mama, and Dan found us.”
“I know,” Alice said. “Dan is a very special, very brave man, isn’t he?”
Patty nodded. “I think we should keep him as our friend forever.”
Alice sighed. Out of the mouths of babes.
And then Patty saw her teacher. “Mrs. Milam! You came back for me! Did Judy tell you I fell?” Patty asked.
“Not when she should have. But you don’t worry about Judy,” Connie said as she gave Patty a quick hug. “In fact, you don’t worry about any of those girls anymore. I know what they’ve been doing, and it’s going to stop, okay?”
Patty’s lower lip quivered. “They liked me last year. I don’t know what I did wrong,” she said, and started to cry.
“You did nothing wrong!” Alice said. “Charlie, let’s go.”
Patty nestled against her brother’s chest as he cradled her against him, then they followed the Leggitt brothers, who led the way out.
As they were walking, Patty suddenly remembered. “Charlie, Dan said to tell you to wait up top for them, and he’d make sure Booger got back safe to you.”
“Okay, honey,” Charlie said.
By the time they walked out, the wind had turned into a blowing mist. The EMTs loaded Patty into the ambulance, and with Alice’s promises that she’d be right behind them, Patty Conroy gave herself up to strangers once more.
“Let’s go!” Alice said to Charlie.
“You go on, Mama. I’m gonna wait for Dan and Booger. I need to make sure they get up safe, too. I’ll see you at the hospital or at home.”
Alice frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I have to, Mama. I brought Booger out here. I’m the one who should bring him back. Dan will bring us home.”
“Yes, okay,” Alice said, then watched him loping back into the woods.
Another gust of wind came, and with it raindrops. She got into her car and headed for Blessings.
Chapter 10
It was raining when Charlie got back to the rescue site, and just in time. From what he could hear on the radio traffic, they were bringing Booger up, and the old dog hadn’t wanted that ride. He’d gone down on his own and obviously wanted to go back the same way.
He hoped Booger hadn’t tried to bite anyone. He never had before, but he was stuck on that ledge with strangers. Charlie didn’t know how he would behave. So he watched anxiously, trying to see through the downpour. When he finally saw the litter coming up, he dared to relax. And when they brought Booger up to Charlie on his leash, Charlie dropped to his knees and threw his arms around the old dog’s neck.
“Way to go, boy! Way to go! You found Patty, didn’t you?”
Booger leaned against Charlie’s chest and laid his head on his shoulder. It was obvious he was glad to be back with his boy.
“He’s quite a dog,” Chief Pittman said.
“Yes, sir,” Charlie said, then shuddered as the wind blew cold rain down the back of his neck. “Are they going after Dan next? It’s going to get really dangerous coming up in this rain,” he said.
“Yes. They’re taking some regular climbing equipment down to him first, which will help them get him up. Don’t worry, Charlie. Dan Amos is, in many aspects, proving himself to be a very remarkable man.”
Charlie nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“You sure you don’t want to wait in one of the cruisers back up at the entrance?”
“No, sir. I’m already wet clear through, so we’ll wait here for Dan. He deserves to be met by family, too, and right now me and Booger are all he has.”
“It’s your call,” the chief said, then moved back under some trees for shelter as his cell phone began to ring.
* * *
For Dan, the weather had turned his rescue into a very dangerous game of Russian roulette. Between the wind, the downpour, and the periodic flashes of lightning, it was a toss-up whether he would get off this ledge in one piece. Going up was going to be damn hard, but he’d do it all over again just knowing Patty was no longer trapped on this ledge.
