Off the Grid

“I did. Let’s talk about your cabin?”

“Do you really like it?”

“Yep, I love it. It’s very homey.”

“That was new. I thought I could reach an agreement with Alexa and make it a home. It wasn’t love, but we got along well enough to build a comfortable life. Should’ve known better.”

“You don’t want love?”

“It didn’t seem to be in the cards for me.”

“You’ve got a lot to offer the right woman,” she said.

“Are you one of them?”

Unsure how to answer she turned the words over in her head. “Only time will tell.”

She reached the paved highway and gunned it. Driving like a bat out of hell, she pulled up in front of the emergency and jumped from the Jeep like a pole vaulter. The next couple of minutes were a blur as the staff rushed from the hospital and transferred Thorn from the Jeep to a stretcher. She wrapped her arms around her waist and prayed that she’d gotten him help fast enough. Bereft as they wheeled him out of sight, she slowly ambled to the Jeep and drove it to a parking space.

Returning to the hospital she sat in the waiting room perched on the edge of her seat as she waited for news. A doctor emerged.

“You were the young woman here with Mr. Finch?”

“Yes, is he okay?” she asked, rising from the uncomfortable plastic seat.

“Yes, he’s resting as comfortably as we can keep him. I administered an anti-venom shot and we’re monitoring him carefully. You did an excellent job bringing him in so soon after the bite. We’ll keep him here for the next forty-eight hours to ensure his symptoms are truly gone and reassess him then to figure out what he needs as far as aftercare.”

“But he’s going to be okay?”

“Yes, ma’am, I believe so.”

“Oh, thank God. I was so worried I wouldn’t get him here in time. Can I see him?”

“You can but he may not respond. His body is working hard to process the medicine.”

“I understand.”

“He’s in room 311 just down the hall to the right.”

“Thank you for everything, Doctor,” she said as she made the short stroll. She knocked lightly and pushed the door open when she received no response. He was pale and quiet as he lay in the bed. His dark hair stood out against the white sheet. His brow was furrowed and his lips were pulled back in grimace. Even in his sleep he looked pained. She ran her hand over his clammy forehead.

“I’m not sure if I should call your kin or not. You’re a super private guy, but if it was me and my family I’d want them to know, so you’ll have to forgive me for making this decision.” She kissed his forehead and moved to contact the right people.

***

Thorn

“So let me get this straight … the mountain man was the one bit by a copperhead and had to be rescued by a woman?” Brock asked.

“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?” Thorn asked.

“Fuck no, dude. It’s too good to be true,” Caleb said.

“I, for one, am glad you were with a woman with a good head on her shoulders. If she had panicked you might not be here,” his mother said.

“Mom, I’m fine.”

She humphed. “When are we going to meet the mystery woman?”