Soaring with Fallon (Big Sky 4)

* * * *

“I feel guilty that he’s had to wait for me,” I admit a few days later as Noah drives us over to Spread Your Wings. “He should already be free.”

“And he will be, today,” Noah says, taking it easy over the bumps in the gravel road. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him. I have my appointment with Dr. Merritt in just two days, and I’ve been improving every day. The rest has helped, but I’m ready to be out of bed.

Noah pulls into a parking space and hurries around to my side of the car to help me out. He finally stopped carrying me around yesterday.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

“I have to walk, Noah. I’m not an invalid.” I shake my head and gingerly walk beside him to the building housing my eagle. “I’m just slow.”

“Slow is fine; we’re not in a hurry.” He rests his hand on the small of my back and patiently walks with me down the row of cages to my favorite one.

“Hey there, handsome boy,” I croon to the bird. He perks up, his head tilting, and he flaps his wings. “Well, look at that, showing off your healed wing. Good boy.”

“He’s happy to see you,” Noah says with a smile.

“I’m happy to see him, too. I’m sorry I was away for so long, buddy.”

There’s already a carrier in the cage, and Noah quickly gets the eagle safely inside, then carries him out to the truck. I do need help getting into the passenger seat, but then we’re off to let the eagle go.

“Where are we going?”

“Back where you found him. Or close to it since you can’t exactly climb a mountain today.”

“No, not today.”

He drives to the trailhead and parks, and we walk with the bird down the trail a ways until it starts to veer up.

“Looks like this is the place,” Noah says, setting the carrier on a stump and opening the door. “We just wait for him to fly away.”

“I’m going to talk to him since this is how we started.”

“Go right ahead.”

Noah steps away, and I approach the open carrier. “Hey, baby. You get to go home today.”

The eagle hops out of the carrier then flaps his wings and perches on top of it, looking at me. I pet his head, loving the soft feel of his feathers.

“That’s right, you’re free to go. You’re all healed up.” I feel tears prick my eyes. “I’m so glad I found you that day. It changed both of our lives.”

He cocks his head to the side, watching me as if he’s listening and understanding every word.

“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough,” I say and smile when he squawks. “Well, you’re welcome. You go live your life now, okay? Do you have a lady friend? Do eagles mate for life?”

“They do,” Noah says softly.

“Go find your girl and have some babies. Go soar high, sweet boy.”

He tilts his head, squawks, and flies up into a nearby tree, looking around. Noah takes the carrier away and stows it in the truck, and when he returns, I’m sitting on the stump, watching the eagle.

“He’s not leaving.”

“He’s getting his bearings,” Noah says softly, sitting next to me on the stump. “He’s a gorgeous bird.”

“He really is. Did you see the mark on his beak?”

“He must have been in a fight at some point,” Noah says with a nod.

“How are the owlets we found doing?” I ask, making conversation while we watch.

“They’re getting big. You should come see them. I think we’ll let them go in about a week, as well.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. They’ll know what to do?”

“What, be owls?”

“Well, yeah.”

“They will. We’ve been working with them in the flight barn. They’re going to be great.”

I sigh and lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I love your job.”

“I’m rather fond of it myself,” he says with a laugh. “And I’m glad you like it. You’re welcome to help out whenever you want.”

“Good, because I like it a lot. I want to learn more.”

“What, with all of your spare time?”

I shrug a shoulder. “We make time for important things.”

He kisses my head. “We should go home.”

“I want to wait until he flies away.”

And so we do, sitting on the stump as hikers pass by, looking up to see what we’re looking at and then moving on.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, the eagle squawks once more.

“Goodbye, friend,” I say and watch as he spreads his wings and soars away.

“Why are you crying?” Noah asks, catching a tear with his fingertip.

“I’m not.” I sniff. “I’m happy.”

“You don’t look happy.”

“I’m happy for him,” I clarify. “But I’m going to miss him.”

“There will be more birds that need help.”

“But none like him.”

Chapter Twenty

~Fallon~

Eight weeks.

It’s been eight weeks since the accident. Since I almost lost my life and I said goodbye to the eagle.