Page 52 of In Too Deep
The kid shook his head vigorously.His eyes were wide.“Not Alex.He’s the one who tried to talk us out of going in there in the first place.He’s kind of a Boy Scout type.”
“He was there when we grabbed our packs in the big chamber,” the red-haired girl added, voice thin.“He handed me mine.”
Noah’s stomach dropped.The kid had been with them in the main cavern.Which meant he should be right here.
But the kid with the baseball cap was yelling into the opening with no response.
Noah had taken his eyes off them for one minute to scan for the gold.
And he’d missed someone slipping away.
A kid was now lost in the cave system, alone in the dark.
And it was on him.
She had to go in.
Meg’s heart hammered in her ribs as she stood at the cave’s mouth.It yawned wide, ready to swallow her whole.
Behind her, the four rescued kids huddled together, their faces pale and scared.Her medical bag hung heavy on her shoulders.Heavier than she remembered it being.
She’d made the right call earlier.To stay outside had been smart.Safe.The only choice her panic-stricken body would allow.
But now a kid was missing inside that darkness.And the most likely reason was that he’d fallen or hit his head.If he hadn’t injured himself, he’d have come out with everyone else, or at the very least, yelled back.
The weight of that knowledge pressed down on her chest.
Liam wiped his muddy hands on his pants.He zipped his jacket against the chill that had settled into the canyon with the earlier storm.Gray clouds gathered overhead, promising more rain.“Storm’s picking back up.We need to get these kids out while we can.”
Noah stood near the cave entrance, his posture tense, his jaw set in that hard line Meg recognized.He looked exhausted.
They all did.
“Agreed.Liam, you start walking them out.Take the western trail, avoid the washout.Teague, stay at the cave’s entrance.Relay to dispatch if we need backup or medical evac.”He turned to Meg, his expression carefully neutral.“You good out here with Teague?If I bring Alex out injured, we’ll need you ready.”
Meg’s throat tightened.Every instinct screamed at her to nod.To accept the out he was offering.Her chest felt like someone had wrapped steel bands around it.
Are you running toward good things or just away from hard things?Her mother’s voice.Clear as if she were standing right there.You’re a good doctor, Meggie.I know it, and deep down, you know it.
Was that true?Or had she just been good at faking it?
Meg took a breath.Deep.Controlled.She fought against the tightness in her chest, forcing air past the constriction.
She could pretend.She’d done it before.Hundreds of times.She’d walked into emergency rooms with her heart racing and her palms sweating, with panic clawing at her throat.And she’d hidden it from everyone back then.She’d even been able to hide it here for the most part.Only Noah truly knew.She’d learned to wear confidence like a mask.
She could do it again.
She had to.
“I’m going in.”She was surprised by how steady her voice sounded.
Noah’s eyes widened.“What?”
“I’m going in with you.”The words were firmer this time.
She adjusted the straps of her medical bag.Her fingers gripped the nylon tightly enough to keep them from trembling.“If Alex didn’t come out with the others, he’s likely injured.Possibly seriously.You’ll need me in there, not out here.”
Noah studied her face.She could see him processing.He was recalibrating.
