Page 141 of Valley Girls
Rilla clipped into the runner and tensioned herself out, careful not to jostle the portaledge. She reached for his neck, amid the blood and gore. Under her fingers, he was cold and his pulse beat shallowly. All the pages of Thea’sWilderness First Aidran through her head—the ones she’d read when avoiding her homework. She peeled off her shirt and used it to apply pressure over the gash on his arm. She went back to his pulse, staring with dry eyes at the watch on his bent arm to time it. Trying not to think of the hikers. Trying to think, like Tam, maybe it was just a broken arm. How had this happened toWalker?
“He needs to be covered,” she said. “I think he’s in shock. His body temperature is falling.”
Hico jumped into action, pulling a sleeping bag from their pig. She took it and spread it over his shoulders.
They were all quiet, staring out at the view of the Valley, scanning the hazy afternoon sky for signs of the chopper. What if there were crosswinds? What if this happened again, while they took him to the hospital?What if...what if...
Rilla closed her eyes and tried to shut off her thoughts. She checked his pulse again and it seemed weaker.What if they didn’t make it in time?There was nothing she could do for him.
Walker’s eyelids flickered.
“He’s awake,” she said.
Everyone straightened.
He met her eyes and tried to say something, but nothing came out. His eyes had a lost and dazed look—and even though he was awake, she was afraid it wasn’t any better.
“Shhhh ...” she said. “You’re okay. The helicopter is on its way.” She touched his blood-spattered jaw and gently patted his skin, careful not to accidentally move him. If he moved a lot or got panicked, he could hurt himself more. “Stay calm, they’re almost here. I need you ...” Her voice broke and she swallowed it. “I need you to be a dick to me some more.”
The afternoon light deepened, and the wind died. Rilla was never so happy to be sweating as she was just then—the rescue team should have no problem getting there.
Finally, almost forty-five minutes later, they heard the thrum of the chopper and Adeena pointed it out as it rose from the meadow.
Rilla held her breath, watching the copter as it came closer and closer, feeling Walker’s pulse faintly beat under her fingertips. It wasn’t like she could keep him alive by counting the beats of his heart, but it felt like maybe she could anyway. It felt like it would hurt to stop.
She started humming. Trying to keep calm.
“Get a figure eight on a bite,” said the guy from the other party on The Nose who’d followed them down. His group sprung into action, getting an anchored rope ready.
They all lifted their chins as the chopper flew above them and the two people dangling from the long line beneath the belly gently swung lower.
It was Adrienne and the old man. Her face was set and hard, but worry was in her eyes.
Rilla wanted to cry. She moved away, traversing back to Adeena and Petra as Adrienne took over. It was all a blur as she deftly wrapped Walker in a red bag that kept him prone and secure, clipped him to their line, and motioned to the people in the helicopter.
The wind of the blades beat against her helmet, but Rilla watched in a stupor as Walker was gently lifted away, Adrienne holding him still. Adrienne met her eyes and then ... they were gone.
Heading to the Valley, to help.
It wasn’t until the chopper landed that anyone stirred. They had to finish climbing still. Soberly, they all worked back to the route. The men from that morning were now right behind them. Everyone moved carefully. Slowly. Double- and triple-checking, though they all knew accidents happened regardless. The rocks fell at random.
Their bivy that night was silent and dark. Rilla laid under the stars trying to keep a grip on her sanity. She couldn’t afford to lose it—not with climbing still ahead.
“Caroline says he’s okay. A concussion, broken ribs, and a broken wrist. That’s it,” Petra said, looking at her phone.
Rilla eased a sigh of relief.Thank you, god, she breathed to the stars.
•
After a slow start the next morning, they fell into a steady rhythm in the long stretches of aiding. Finally, deep into the night, they staggered up the final scramble, past a tall pine and dropped the bags and themselves to the rock.
The stars glimmered in the dark.
“We did it,” Petra said.
Adeena fist-bumped the sky.
Rilla stared miserably at the edge of the Valley. She’d done it, and she was still the same. She’d done it, and nothing had changed. She’d done it, and Walker had left the Valley and was in the hospital. Hot tears pricked her eyes, and before she could stop it, she was crying.
