Ends of the Earth
“Jumped in. Kept my feet up like you told me.”
Ben’s heart clenched. “You’re so brave. I’m so proud of you. Your dad will be too.” He could only imagine the courage it had taken to leap into the freezing white water. “We followed your trail. You were very smart.”
“Cold.” Her teeth chattered.
“I know, sweetheart. We’ll be somewhere warm soon, I promise.” He really hoped he wasn’t lying this time. “I’m going to carry you, okay? This is the easiest way.” He didn’t wait for an answer before hoisting her up on his aching shoulder. He’d get her to safety. He wouldn’t let her or Jason down again.
He exhaled in relief when he spotted tents through the trees, pale blue nylon. This campground could only be accessed by boat taken across a lake, so the journey wasn’t over yet.
As he approached a tent, Ben called out, “Hello!”
Moments later, there was the sound of a zipper opening, and an older man’s head appeared, suspicion evident in his creased face. “Who’s there?”
“I’m Ben Hettler. I’m a park ranger. I’ve got an injured little girl here and I need help.”
A woman’s voice murmured from inside the tent, and the man crawled out and got to his feet. He took in Maggie draped over Ben’s shoulder. “My God, what happened? Where did you come from?”
“The backcountry. Look, she’s hypothermic and needs medical attention immediately. An ambulance is on the way to the other side of the lake. Where’s your canoe?”
The man motioned to his right, and Ben could just make out a dark green canoe at the base of a tree. A woman in her fifties clambered out of the tent, pulling a sweater over her head. She peered anxiously at Maggie. “Is she all right?”
“She needs to get to the hospital,” he repeated impatiently. “I’ll be sure your canoe is brought back to you, but I need to take it.”
Another camper appeared beyond the blue tent. He was short and stocky, in his forties with a thick head of red hair. “Everything okay over here?” He eyed Ben warily.
“This man says he’s a ranger,” the woman answered. “The girl is sick.”
“Where are her parents?” The redhead asked.
Jesus Christ, Ben didn’t have time for this. “Her father’s lost in the forest.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” the woman asked.
“He’s wearing a ranger uniform,” her husband noted.
“There’s no time to debate. I’m a ranger, and this child was missing in the forest and is going to die unless she gets medical attention now.”
His authoritative tone must have done the trick, because soon the two men had the canoe over their heads and they moved down toward the water’s edge some fifty feet away. The redhead volunteered to help the older man take Ben and Maggie across the lake. He introduced himself as Eric.
“It’ll be faster with two of us paddling.” Eric was no-nonsense and Ben didn’t argue.
The woman fetched her sleeping bag and helped Ben wrap Maggie in it snugly. He gently deposited Maggie in the middle of the canoe and knelt behind her. She didn’t wake, and Ben checked her pulse, exhaling when he felt it, still steady.
Soon Eric and the older man were hard at work, the canoe slicing through the mercifully calm water. Ben felt useless huddled with Maggie and not helping, but he kept her warm in the chill of the night, rocking her in his arms and murmuring that she was safe now.
When the front of the canoe jammed finally into the wet sand on the other side, Eric jumped out, splashing in the shallow water and hauling up the boat. “Let’s hope the ambulance is almost here.” He started up toward the tree line before stopping. “Do you want me to carry her?”
Ben realized he hadn’t moved, cradling her to his chest and watching her breathe. Eric was looking back at him with eyebrows raised. “No, I’m fine. I’ve got her,” Ben insisted. He mentally shook himself and climbed out.
The older man whose name Ben still didn’t know squinted into the trees. “I think I see some red lights coming.”
Ben could have cried with relief when an ambulance, police, FBI agents and his fellow rangers streamed along the dirt service road, vehicles crowding a small clearing, lights and shouts shattering the peace.
In the back of the ambulance, he held Maggie’s small, limp hand and stroked her hair. She blinked drowsily and managed to mutter, “Where’s my dad?” before falling under again.
Ben allowed himself to close his eyes just for a moment as the vehicle bumped along, wishing desperately he knew the answer.
CHAPTER TEN
He couldn’t see.
Leaves and tree trunks surrounded him in dappled moonlight, and Jason knew it was the forest—endless miles of green stretching out. But nothing looked right, his vision tunneling and warped like a funhouse mirror. He couldn’t hear anything, the chirp of night birds and rustle of leaves faint as if he wore earplugs, the sound of his own harsh breath blasting in his ears.