Wilderness Challenge - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

         Candi woke to Rascal’s low growl, and realized she had slept soundly after her ordeal the day before.  She would need to somehow dispose of the bear before she had any other unwanted creatures at her door.

         She pushed the covers aside, wincing at the pain her movements evoked as the door opened and Sandra came in.  “What?”

         “Oh, you’re awake.  I was just outside for a moment.  Dr. Carmichael is back just like he promised yesterday,” Sandra said.

         “What do you mean?”  She looked down at herself when she realized the pain and restriction and saw the bandages across her shoulder and upper torso.

         Logan followed Sandra into the cabin and she was quick to draw the covers over her again.  A sharp pain in her shoulder caused her to wince as she fell back against her pillow.  “I didn’t call anyone.”

         Logan approached the bed and looked down at her.  “No, you didn’t.  Do you remember anything about yesterday?”

         He sat on the side of her bed, an act that made her feel just a little self-conscious as she looked at his handsome features.  He had wavy black hair that turned up at his collar, and a lock fell across his forehead.  His deep brown eyes missed nothing.  She felt his strength through the uniform he wore, and a vague memory came back.  “The last thing I remember was the bear crushing me under his weight.”

         “Let me introduce myself again.  My name is Dr. Logan Carmichael.  I arrived a month ago to replace one of the rangers that left for another assignment.  We heard the shots from your rifle and Sandra and I hurried over.  You were in pretty bad shape when we arrived.  The bear’s claws had ripped open your left shoulder and upper torso when he fell on you.  You’re very lucky to be alive.”

         Again the memories of the day before danced through her mind along with the vague memory of dark brown eyes that looked at her with concern, just like they did at the moment.  “Thank you for patching me up.  How soon before I can resume my life?”

         “Not until I take the stitches out.  I’m here to check on the bandages and make sure you haven’t accidentally ripped any of the stitches open.  May I take a look?”

         She looked beyond him to where Sandra watched.  “You really are a doctor?”

         “I am.  Would you like to see my credentials?”

         It was then she saw the black bag as he put it on the bed beside him, and watched as he brought out a laminated card and presented it to her.  She took it from him with her good hand, though the movement brought a wince of pain.  The card was his license to practice medicine.  His name had a lot of letters after it, which she was certain meant he was qualified as a lot more than just a doctor.  She handed it back to him.  “Okay, so you’re a doctor.  So I ask you again, how soon can I get back to my life as usual?”

         “What is life as usual?”  He made to pull the covers back from her shoulder and upper torso.  “May I?”

         She nodded and he briefly examined the bandages and put the covers back.

         “To answer your question, your shoulder and upper chest were pretty badly ripped open.  You’re going to be stiff and sore for at least a month, less if you’re lucky.  So again, what is life as usual?”

         “I have to hunt for my food as well as do the work assigned to me by my employer.  I’m a proofreader for Taylor & McHenry Publishing in Minnesota.”

         “Never heard of it, but then I’m not from around there.  What do you proof that you can’t do there?”

         “I can do it there.  I prefer to be here.  I’m also part of a government study in loneliness, which up to now was going fairly well.”

         “I heard something about that when I arrived.  It’s not natural for anyone to be alone.”

         “I’ve been managing up to now.”

         “I’m sure you saw the dangers of living here when you were confronted by that bear.”

         “I made a mistake.  It won’t happen again.”

         “What mistake was that?”

         She looked between Logan and Sandra, and felt shame for her actions.  “I forgot my instructions never to go anywhere without my rifle.”

         “Who gave you those instructions?”

         “My survival training instructor.  He taught me how to use a rifle, and basic survival instincts.”

         “Did he know where you were going?  Did he know the danger you would face on a daily basis?  How about your employer?  Did he know what you would face up here alone?”

         He didn’t raise his voice, yet the condemnation was there all the same.  She would prove to him and everyone else that she could spend a year in the wilderness alone.  She looked around for Rascal and saw him at the foot of her bed.  “I can take care of myself.”

         “I’m sure you were doing just fine until you came face to face with your first real threat.”

         “I killed him, didn’t I?”  She heard the defense in her voice, and almost smiled. 

         “Yes, you killed him, and he almost killed you.”

         “But he didn’t.”

         “Next time you may not be so lucky.”

         “Next time I’ll have my rifle with me, so there won’t be a next time.”

         “You should go back before you get killed.”

         “I’m not going back.  I’m going to prove to you and everyone else that I can live here.”

         “You want us to ship your body home in a body bag?”

         “You won’t.  I’ll be more careful next time.”

         “There might not be a next time.  There are any number of things that could happen that you won’t have time to prepare for.”

         “Such as?”

         “Fire, avalanche, other hikers that will be coming around soon, now that spring is here, not to forget the wildlife itself.  Are you prepared against wolves, cougar, or lynx?  You’re obviously ill prepared for bears.”

         She would not show him how frightened she was of fire, the others she could cope with, or would be able to.  She would not be caught off guard again.  “I’ve got my books.  I’ve been studying them every day.”

         “What good are books?  Can they defend you against the physical dangers like you encountered yesterday?”

         “I will survive out here alone.”

         “In the meantime you won’t be doing any hunting until your shoulder and torso are healed.  You’ll have to work at getting the strength back in your shoulder and upper arm.”

         “That won’t be a problem.”

         “We’ll see.”

         “Can I get up?”

         “I don’t recommend it.”

         “You don’t recommend a lot of things.  I can take care of myself.”

         “Are you hungry?” Sandra asked.

         Candi looked from Logan to Sandra.  “I can fix my own breakfast.”

         Logan got up from the bed and went over to the stove and came back with a frying pan.  “Hold this.”

         She tried to take it from him, but didn’t have the strength as it fell to the covers.

         “When you can hold that frying pan in your hand you can fix your own meals.  Until then you are restricted to the work from your employer, Taylor and something.”

         “McHenry.”

         “But not until you’re strong enough to get out of bed.”

         She saw the challenge in his eyes.  “I can get out of bed.”

         His eyebrows raised.  “Can you?”

         “Off.  I’ll show you.”

         He stood to his feet and watched as she started to push the covers aside.  “Something wrong?”

         “Can I have a shirt or something?”

         He smiled for the first time as he went to her wardrobe and found a robe.  “Here”

         She reached for it with her good arm, but the effort it took to put it around her was more than her strength would allow as she fell back against her pillow.

         “Let me help you.”

         “I think not.”

         “Then you’re convinced you should stay in bed?”

         “I didn’t say that.  I still want to get my robe on at least so I’m decent.”

         Sandra came forward as Logan stood to his feet again.  “Let me help you.”

         The pain the movement caused in her shoulder and chest was almost unbearable, but she wouldn’t let him know that.  As soon as the robe was in place she looked up at Sandra with gratitude on her face.  “Thank you.  Now I’d like to get up so I can eat.”

         “It’s my suggestion that you stay right where you are for the time being,” Logan said.

         “I don’t want to feel like a helpless baby.”

         “You have to allow your body to heal itself,” Logan said.

         “Let me get you something to eat, then I suggest you get some more sleep,” Sandra said.

         “I have no choice do I?”

         “None,” Logan said.

         She looked at Rascal at the foot of the bed.  “Here boy.”

         Rascal jumped on the bed and went to lick her face.  The movement was almost more than she could handle as pain seared through her.  She audibly winced as tears started down her cheeks at the intense pain.  She reached out to pet him as he licked her face and hand.  “Sorry boy, down.”

         Logan had a concerned look on his face.  “Can I take a look?  Make sure you haven’t broken open any stitches?”

         She didn’t care.  She was in a lot of pain.  She closed her eyes.  Would she ever learn?

         He opened the robe and noticed some blood had seeped through the bandages.  “You’re bleeding.”

         She opened her eyes and looked at him.  “I made a mess of things again.”

         Logan took his bag from the floor where he had placed it when he had shown her his credentials.  “I’m going to have to repair the stitches.  Sandra I’m going to need your help.”

         “What are you going to do?”

         “I’m going to use my skill with needle and thread to repair the broken stitches.”

         “Needle and.”  She looked at the needle in his hands.  “You’re going to use a sewing needle?”

         “Not just any sewing needle.  This one is special.  It helps me make all those fancy stitches I put in yesterday.”

         Logan saw the color drain from her face.  She was the color of ashes.  “I’ll be gentle.  I promise.”  He turned to Sandra.  “Fix a sedative while I unwrap the bandage and assess the damage.”

         “What will that do?” Candi asked.

         “It will calm you down for one, and put you to sleep so I can repair your shoulder.”

         Candi couldn’t watch.  She was afraid of needles.  It had been bad enough that she got the tetanus shot before she ventured to her new home.  She vowed she would be much more careful in the future.  She wasn’t going to let a bear chase her home.

         She opened her eyes to find Logan and Sandra with a mug of coffee in front of them at the table.  The movement brought him to her side.

         “How do you feel?  Up for anything to eat?”

         “Yes, please.”

         “I’ve got it all ready for you,” Sandra said.

         “Can I at least sit up?”

         “Yes, of course.”  Logan helped her though he could see the pain it caused her.  “Are you all right?”

         “What do you think, Doctor?”

         “I think a week in bed should do the trick.  Sandra is going to stay with you until you’re able to be up and around.  I’ll be here every morning to check on your bandages and your progress.  Now about your bear meat.  I have the meat curing at the station.  It will take a while to cure, there’s a lot of it, after that you’ll need to find a place to store it.  I also have a beautiful bearskin that would make a great rug in front of your fireplace.”

         “I have nowhere to store it.  I don’t know if I want a bearskin rug.”

         “Storing it will be the easy part, curing and smoking it is what takes time.  As for the rug, it’s a special rug.  You can tell everyone you see that you killed that bear.”

         “They wouldn’t believe me.”

         “I think they will.  So what will it be?”

         “I still need a place to keep it.  Is it any good?”

         “Bear meat?  Oh yeah, very good.  Tell you what.  As soon as it’s cured I’ll bring it back and help you decide where to store it and whether or not you want to smoke it.  How’s that?”

         She nodded her head as Sandra placed a tray across her lap.  “Would you like help to eat?”

         “I feel like such a baby.”

         “Next time you’ll know enough to take your rifle and keep it with you at all times,” Logan said.

         “Yes.”

         “I’m going to leave you in Sandra’s capable hands until tomorrow.”

         Candi watched as he brought in the bearskin before he left then turned to Sandra who helped her eat.  “I really did kill him didn’t I?”

         “Yes, you did.  Dr. Carmichael is right about you needing to stay in bed until you get your strength back.  I’ll be right here to help until you’re back on your feet.”

         “He’s not too happy with me.”

         “He’s concerned.  He was afraid you weren’t going to make it.  That bear may have been dead, but you were almost as well.  Those claws cut deep.  You lost a lot of blood.”

         “He doesn’t want me here.”

         “I don’t think it’s so much a matter of him not wanting you here as that he wants you to be more careful.”  Sandra took the tray away when she was finished.  “Get some sleep.  That’s the best thing right now.”

         Candi was more than willing to close her eyes and go back to sleep.

********

         Stan came out to meet Logan when he landed the helicopter near the station.  “You were a lot longer than expected.”

         “She has a stubborn streak, and she broke open some stitches so I had to do a repair job.”

         “She’s okay now?”

         “As long as she takes it easy.  Sandra will be with her until she’s able to do for herself.”

         “That’s good.  You don’t trust her do you?”

         “Not where her health is concerned.  She wants to prove she can take care of herself.”  He shook his head.  “She’s stubborn.”

         “You said that.”

         “I mean it.”

         “What about the bearskin?”

         “She didn’t want it, but I’m certain that will change.”

         “I’m sure you’re right.  Well just to bring you up to speed here, everything is quiet.  No storms predicted, in fact we’re in for a nice spring day.”

         “That’s good.  Anything on the horizon for hikers?”

         “Not yet, but that will change before too long and then our work will be cut out for us.”

         “As if it isn’t now.  She’s one stubborn lady.  Well better get inside and get to work.  Any coffee?”

         Stan followed him up the stairs into the office.  “Just made a fresh pot.”

         “Good.  I can use it.”

The door slammed behind them as they disappeared inside.