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| >> Static Item >> Novel >> Inspirational >> ID #1658021 |   |
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(center}Chapter 5 Candi had just buried the garbage, when she heard rustling in the trees. She looked up to see a large black bear emerge, and rear up on his hind legs. His roar of rage paralyzed her with a fear she had never known before. She stood there, immobilized, as she stared at the bear before she found her legs, and grabbed Rascal by the collar before he could charge at him. He twisted and squirmed in her tight grasp as she hurried across the yard up the four steps of the porch into the cabin, and closed the door. She heard the bear roar as his front feet came down. Her senses were numbed by the sight and sounds of the bear as he came closer to the cabin. Nothing registered, as she looked frantically around her. Her rifle hung over the fireplace. Her adrenaline kicked in. She found the momentum she needed, as she put action to thought, grabbed the rifle, checked its loading, and stuffed more ammunition in her jeans pocket. She stood ready, her rifle aimed at the door, should the bear break through. Rascal barked and sniffed at the bottom of the door. He wanted to do his own damage to the bear. She heard him lumber up the front steps. She prayed. The sound of the music in the background calmed her, and strengthened her resolve. She heard the porch steps creak under the weight of the bear as she heard the steps groan under his massive weight. She readied her rifle, and raised it to her shoulders. Everything was instinct, as she wildly looked around her, and saw the back door. Before she realized it, she was through the door and headed for the front of the cabin. Rascal was right behind her when she came to a stop in front of the bear and took aim. The bear turned at the sound, and gave a roar of rage, as he rose up on his hind feet. Rascal went after him, but quickly retreated in the face of unknown danger. Her eyes followed the bear as he moved down the steps toward her. Back on the ground he rose up on his hind legs and once again roared his rage. His front paws lashed out at her. She backed away from him, and his feet crashed down as she pumped the rifle. She caught the bear in the right shoulder. He roared his rage as he charged at her again. His intention evident as he rushed toward her. He rose up again on his hind legs and again her eyes followed him to his full height as she took careful aim again at his head. As frightened as she was, she remembered what Mr. Leonard taught her. She heard the report of her rifle before she realized she had pulled the trigger, and watched the bear fall as though in slow motion. She stared, paralyzed with fear, unable to move out of his way. She fell under the weight of the bear. All the air sucked from her lungs as the weight of the bear turned her world black. ******** She felt the sharp sting of torn flesh as she opened her eyes and looked into the concerned expression of the man who applied a bandage to her shoulder and across her upper chest. Her gaze also took in Sandra beside him. He noticed she was awake, as she started to move. “Take it easy. You’ll undo all the fancy stitching I just did, and start bleeding all over again. How do you feel?” Candi lay still as instructed as she looked into his face. “Stiff and sore.” Her voice was a bare whisper as she looked from one to the other. “I found you under the bear you killed. His claws swiped across your shoulder and upper chest when he fell on you. It’s a good thing it missed cutting your throat open. I wouldn’t have had to worry about patching you up if he had.” She began to cry uncontrollably. Her reaction didn’t surprise him. He finished with the bandage and put the cover over her. He turned to Sandra. “Is that coffee hot on the stove?” “Yes, Doctor.” She found a cup for him, and brought it to him. He took it from her hand, and gently laid a hand on her good shoulder. “Here drink this.” She looked up at him. “How long have you been here?” “We heard the rifle shots and hurried over.” Candi sniffed. “I thought I could live here alone. I spent a lot of time in survival training to be here.” “You killed the bear. I’d say your training helped with that.” “You said I could have been killed.” She started to lift up on her good elbow. “And my dog?” Pain etched across her face at the effort as she collapsed back on her pillow. “He’s fine. He’s over by the fireplace. I found him by your side when we arrived. Can you tell me what happened?” There was no accusation in his voice. It was calm, as she looked up at him. She hadn’t met him before but the uniform was familiar. She looked across the room to see Sandra close by. “The bear was just there. I wasn’t prepared. Mr. Leonard told me to have my rifle with me at all times. It was here in the cabin.” She began to cry again. He held her hand as he sat beside her and tried to soothe away the trauma that had just occurred. He had located her first aid kit when he brought her into the cabin and laid her in bed. He wanted to make sure her tetanus was up to date. He found her well prepared. “You got to it though, and everything turned out just fine. Why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll take care of the bear.” He took her wrist in his firm hand, and found her pulse easily. She breathed easier, and her pulse became normal. Her large luminous green eyes searched his face. “What do I call you?” “My name is Dr. Logan Carmichael. I arrived a month ago.” “You replaced that other ranger.” Her voice showed how tired she was as sleep tried to claim her. “Get some sleep. Sandra is going to stay with you until you’re well enough. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you.” With one last look he stood to his feet, and went out the door. Sandra went over and took his place. She gently pushed the hair out of her eyes. “You’re going to be just fine. You’ll have a good trophy to put in front of your fireplace.” “I don’t know if I want it.” “That’s not surprising. But tomorrow you may think differently about it. The first sign of trouble is always the hardest. You came through it. That’s all that matters. Now get some sleep like Doctor Carmichael suggested.” “I’ve been doing good up to now.” “From what I see you’ve done quite well. You have nothing to worry about if you’re concerned about the study.” “That and how stupid I was to leave my rifle in the cabin when I went out to bury the garbage.” “Everyone makes mistakes. How have you been doing here in the last month?” “Fine. I swam in the lake for the first time this morning. It was like ice, but it felt good after the first shock. It’s a lot deeper than I expected. Rascal and I spent about a half hour just playing around before I started to get really cold from it, and came back to my work.” “The lake gets the runoff from the river when the snow melts on the mountains and starts its rush through the valley. It can get quite deep. It’s also why it’s classified as a class IV whitewater river.” “I can understand that.” “Get some rest. Dr. Carmichael is taking care of the bear and then he’ll be on his way.” Sandra stood to her feet and went over to the table as Rascal jumped onto the bed, and licked her face, as she closed her eyes. Logan returned to the cabin, and watched her sleep, a more peaceful look on her face than when he had arrived. He checked her pulse, and turned to Sandra, “She should be fine. I’ll come back tomorrow and check the bandages and see how she is.” “Yes, Dr.” “And give her these for pain when she wakes up, though I don’t expect her to wake again until tomorrow.” Sandra took the bottle of pills from him and set them in the middle of the table. “I know you’ll fill Stan in on everything.” “Of course. If you need me just let me know and I’ll get here as fast as I can, but she should be fine as long as she doesn’t rip open any of those stitches.” “She’ll be fine.” Logan climbed aboard the helicopter and touched down at the ranger station moments later. Stan had a worried look on his face as Logan climbed out of the helicopter. “How is she?” “She’ll be fine. I left Sandra with her until she’s able to get around on her own. She killed the bear, and got a shoulder and chest injuries from the bear’s claws when it fell on her.” “How big was the bear?” “Take a look.” Logan unrolled the skin for his inspection. A look of admiration lit his eyes at the sight of the skin. “She killed Ole Black?” “That she did.” He rolled up the skin again and reached into the chopper and grabbed the large ice chest. “Your wife did say that was his name. She got him right between the eyes, just like an old pro, but her reaction was that of an amateur.” Stan led the way into the office. “I told you when you arrived that she’s new to this way of life.” “Yes, I remember. Bears don’t normally attack people. I wonder why this one did.” “Ole Black, as he’s come to be called, got a taste of man a couple years back when he ran into a hunting party rummaging through their garbage. Since then he’s been a threat.” “Not any more. I was skeptical of a woman up here alone, but I think she’ll be all right. She’s had a taste of the wildlife around here. She’ll be more careful and considerate of it in the future.” “What are you going to do?” Logan set down the ice chest and headed for the coffee pot, and poured a cup. “I’ll go back over tomorrow, and make sure she’s okay.” “Good. I take it you packed the bear meat in the chest.” “Yes, I’m going to have to get it cured so she can have it when she’s ready. She’ll have enough meat to see her a couple months. And if she wants it, she’ll have a nice bearskin rug to put in front of her fireplace.” Ken Davis and Andy Nelson entered the station, ready for their tour of duty. “What’s all the excitement? I thought I heard the chopper just now. I didn’t hear anything on the radio,” Ken said. “Miss Martin got tangled with a bear,” Stan said. “The woman across the river?” Andy said. “That’s right.” Logan said. “Is she all right?” Ken said. “She’ll be fine in a couple days. She got swiped by one of the bear’s paws when she killed him. Well if you two are here to replace us, I’ve got to cure some bear meat before I go to bed.” Logan finished off his coffee and set his cup by the coffee pot before he picked up the ice chest. Stan followed him outside. “Good idea.” “I’m planning to go back at first light, before my duty shift to make sure she’s all right. No doubt she’ll sleep well into the morning.” “You’re reckoning without the benefit of her dog. Rascal could alarm her to your presence. He’s a good watchdog, as well as a much-needed companion. She’ll be awake before you get close enough to the cabin on horseback. And with Sandra there he’ll have both of them awake long before you climb the porch steps.” Logan remembered the close concern of the dog. “I noticed that. In any event, I’ll be ready to leave at first light.” “I wouldn’t mind going along with. From what I’ve seen of her, she’s a good looker,” Andy said. “When does your fiancée arrive?” Stan said. “Next week.” “Keep that in mind when you have those binoculars trained on the cabin,” Stan said. “Can’t see anything with that line of trees in front of the cabin.” “Good thing,” Stan said. “I’m going to take care of this meat before it spoils,” Logan said. “I still have a lot of paperwork to do. Have to fill out a report on what happened to Miss Martin.” “I knew I needed to do something. I better get that filled out so you can log it.” “Is she as good looking in person as she is from this distance?” Andy said. “I wasn’t paying attention. I was more concerned with patching her up and making sure she was still alive than how good she looks in person,” Logan said. “Y’ know, doc, it’s okay to be human now and then.” “My fiancée just broke up with me when I told her I was coming out here. I’m not particularly interested in women at the moment.” “You’ll come around. Look at me,” Andy said. “Keep that in mind when you train your binoculars over there,” Stan said. Logan followed Stan and Andy into the office. “I’ll get the report taken care of then call it a night.” “Tell me truthfully. How is she?” “She came close to leaving here in a body bag. Had one of those claws been a little closer to her neck we would have had to ship her out of here for burial.” Ken looked up from behind the desk Stan occupied during the day. “She was that bad?” “Yeah. She was that bad. She has more stitches in her than your grandmother’s wedding quilt.” “That’s bad,” Ken said. Andy poured himself a cup of coffee. “She won’t be able to do for herself for a while then.” Stan shooed Ken out from behind the desk while he sat and prepared to write up the report. “Don’t get any ideas you’ll be the one doing for her. She made it clear to us when she arrived she doesn’t want any interference. Besides, you have a fiancée and you best not forget it.” “I won’t do that. She said she wants to come out to this ‘wild country’ and see where I work,” Andy said. “I hope for your sake when she sees where you work that she still wants to marry you,” Logan said. “She will,” Andy said. “Remember that when you think about training your binoculars for a look at our resident across the river,” Logan said. “How long do you think before she’s on her feet?” Ken said. “It’s entirely up to her,” Logan said. “I’m glad Sandra’s with her. She can handle any emergency.” “I’m glad she is too.” Logan filled out the report and placed it on Stan’s desk. “Here you are. See you in the morning.”
© Copyright 2010 Valerie Jean - book submitted (UN: just4him at Writing.Com).
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