Stable

  I’m tired, as the Sherif and I cook something for all of us to eat, I’m on auto pilot. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat even if the food somehow comes out edible. The Sheriff motions for me to take a seat at the table, “you’ve been through a lot today, take a seat and rest. I’ll do the cooking”.

  I watch as he moves around the kitchen, answering him with one word answers when he asks where the pans are or where the cups are. I feel like I can’t keep my eyes open and a heaviness takes over my body. I lay my head on my arms and close my eyes. 

  

  ***

  

  I wake to quiet voices talking, “Doc, how is she? Did she make it?” I plead for information. 

  

  Doc, “yes hun, I’ve done what I can for her but only time will tell if she makes it through. I have administered a pain jab that should last the night and I have her on a drip. She’s having intravenous antibiotics for any infection she might have. I am limited with the tools and medication I have here. We will have to get her to the hospital as soon as this blasted storm halts.”

  

  I look out the window, looks like a hell of a snow storm. “How long is it meant to be snowing?”, I ask. 

  Sheriff, “well I checked the weather satellite this morning and it’s a big one. Meant to be the biggest storm we’ve had in 80years.”

  

  Robin, “so what does that mean?” 

  

  Sheriff, “ it means we could be stranded up here on the mountain in your cabin for more then a week.”

  The Sheriff continues, “ now, we left in a hurry so we didn’t have time to let anyone know where we were going, but I figured you have your radio. We can give the station a radio first thing and get them to arrange a rescue for us as soon as the storm lets off a little. In the time being, Willow and I brought some food and supplies for just incase.”

  

  Robin, “Doc, what’s her condition like? What do you think happened to her? Why would she be up on the mountain, naked with an arrow through her?”

  

  Doc, “well, once I plugged the wound, I’ve had time to wash her and to examine her properly. She has signs of bruising and unfortunately she has been violated in some terrible ways. I’ve sewed everything up and cleaned all her wounds but she will need 24hours round the clock care for a few days in the hope that she’ll pull through. There’s no way of knowing exactly how long she was out there like that for, or how much blood she has lost. She will be very weak due to the blood loss and trauma”.

  

  Doc sighs a deep sympathetic sigh, “my guess is that this poor young woman has been subjected to some very cruel violence and violation of the worst kind, possibly tortured and then the monster who’s done this, tried to cover their tracks by leaving her for dead”.

  

  “Jesus!, can that be true?”, I look at Sheriff Penser with utter horror and shock. 

  The thought crosses my mind that if I hadn’t decided to stay up the mountain that half hour more, I never would have found her. I feel the colour drain from my face as the realisation hits me that I would have had a dead woman at the top of my mountain, and she would have died a cold, painful and lonely death. 

  

  Sheriff, “I am afraid so my boy, there are some bad people in the world, even up here in the mountains of Alaska.” He walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder for reassurance, “she is fortunate that you found her and you did well getting her here as quickly as you did. Without you taking action and struggling down that mountain with her on your shoulders, she would have died. Something tells me you were meant to find her. She’s a fighter, she’s come this far and I truly believe she wants to live.” 

  “Well done”, he finishes with a pat on my back. 

  

  Doc, “I’m bushed where’s the food? I need to eat and sleep a while before taking another shift. Can one of you stay and sit with her? She’s stable for now.”

  

  I volunteer as I’ve just had a sleep, not that it feels like I’ve had a wink of sleep. But the two oldies looked washed out and tired. 

  I make myself another coffee and as I head into the bedroom Doc reminds me to wake her if there’s any change in the patient. I drop my chin in a slight nod and head off into the bedroom to take the first watch. 

  

  I sit quietly and stare at her quiet sleeping face. She has a pretty moon face and plump little lips. They are cracked and sore from the dehydration and the cold and wind. I wish I could take the chapped lips from her face and replace them with my own smooth pain free lips. If I could just help her ease some of her pain, even if it were just a little. After the horrific things she’s suffered these past days. 

  Staring at those sore lips, I remember that I had terribly chapped lips when I had the flu last winter and I remember I have some lip remedy in my medicine drawer. 

  I fetch the tube and remove the lid, I wind it out enough to get a good thick layer out and I smooth it over her lips gently. She doesn’t even stir. 

  I sit back down on my chair and watch over her like a sentry, my stare fixed on her gentle sleeping eyes until I nod off.