Wilderness Challenge - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

         Candi turned her head at the knock on the door and watched as Sandra admited Dr. Carmichael.  “You’re here early.”

         “I wanted to see how you passed the night.”

         “I passed the night just fine, thank you.”

         Logan looked at Sandra.

         “There was some tossing and pain, though she wouldn’t admit it.  Refused the pain medication,” Sandra said.

         “I’m not going home.”

         Logan went to stand beside the bed and looked down at her.  “Well one thing you’re not short on is stubbornness.  If you allow yourself to heal properly, your stubbornness could save your life, or send you home in a body bag.”

         “As you reminded me yesterday.”

         “I can’t imagine why any woman would want to spend a year away from family and friends.  Or they willing to let her go.  What did they say to your coming here for a year?”

         “What’s it to you?  It’s obvious your opinion of me is not very good seeing how you want me to leave here and go back to-”  She stopped what she was about to say and clamped her mouth shut.  She thought about Marsha, and remembered how the Lord had used her to lead her to the Lord before she had left on her trip.  It had been an awesome experience she would never forget.  “There isn’t anybody to care what I do, except maybe one.”

         “That’s understandable.”

         She looked up at him an antagonistic look on her face.  “What do you mean by that?”

         “You don’t seem very friendly, especially when someone is trying to help you.”

         She turned her head to the wall.  She would have turned on her side but the bandages and the stitches left no doubt about the pain each movement caused.  Tears welled in her eyes.  What would it take to prove herself?

         Logan sat on the bed and put a hand on her good shoulder.  “I’m sorry.  That was uncalled for.  Yesterday when I was here you said something about preparing for this trip.  How long did you prepare?”

         She turned back to look at him and absently brushed the moisture from her eyes.  “Six months.  I was pretty busy with marksmanship lessons, and getting everything I needed.  I actually looked forward to it.  I’ve always wanted to live on my own, away from everyone, and everything else.”

         “Why?” Logan said.

         “I find it easier to deal with nature, than people.  People are hurtful and spiteful.  They only want to advance their own goals at the expense of other people.  Nature on the other hand, cruel as it can be at times, isn’t out to hurt anybody.  It’s out to protect its own.  Have you ever noticed how animals take such care of their own young?  They even move in herds or flocks with the dominant male taking care of the whole clan.”

         “Yes.  I’ve noticed that.  The bear you killed was different though.”

         She shied away from the subject of the bear.  “What about you.  Why are you a ranger?”

         “I’ve always wanted to help people.  I guess I knew that back when I was a kid.  At first I wanted to be a fireman.  Then later I wanted to work in land preservation.  I found out I could do both as a forest ranger.  But in order to be a ranger, I also needed police training, and take classes as a paramedic.  As I attended classes, I found out I wanted to be more than just a paramedic.  I wanted to be a fully trained doctor, able to help the people right away, instead of just sending them off to be taken care of when time was essential.  Sometimes there just isn’t enough time, and people die.  I want to prevent as much unnecessary death as possible.”

         “And that brings you to me and your desire to see me go home.”

         “I didn’t say that.”

         “Not in so many words, but you’ve hinted at it with all your talk about sending me home in a body bag.”

         “I just don’t want to see that happen.”

         “So you’re a licensed doctor.  I’m sorry I forgot to thank you for fixing me up yesterday.”

         “Just doing my job.  I’m just grateful the bear didn’t kill you.  He could have, you know.”

         “As you continue to remind me, but if I’m going to live out here I’m going to have to get used to it.  Aren’t I?”

         “That’s the thing though, you don’t have to get used to it.  You could go back to civilization.”

         “If I wanted to go back to civilization I would never have come out here.  Besides, going back would be admitting failure, and failure is not an option.  No way.  I’m on assignment for the next year, and like it or not I’m staying.  I’m either going to succeed, or die trying.”

         “That’s what I’m afraid of.  I might not be so lucky next time you’re in trouble and just might end up shipping your body home in a bag.”

         “You’d like that wouldn’t you.  Then you would be rid of this female who doesn’t know a thing about living on her own, especially in the wild as this is.”

         “I didn’t say that.  I would never wish that on anyone.  I just implied you should be more careful and reconsider your situation.”

         “I was doing fine until that bear.  I can handle myself, and I’m going to prove it.”

         “Why is it so important that you prove anything?”

         “Why?”  She looked at him amazed by what he said.  “You just don’t understand.”

         Sandra listened to the exchange.  “This incident doesn’t put you off the project you’re working on?”

         “Why should it?  I have to learn to live here.  The animals are part of the project.  If I fail I’ll be going home in a body bag.  That’s what you told me last month, and what Doc’s been saying since he got here.”

         “We don’t want to ship your body home in a bag,” Logan said.

         “And I don’t want to either.  That’s why I’m going to try harder to live here.  Obviously I was careless this time.  I won’t be again.”

         Logan stood to his feet and accepted a cup of coffee Sandra had ready for him, and turned to look at her as he did so.  “Who hurt you?”

         She stared at him.  What was she to say?  “You came to see how my night went.  Sandra told you.  Now if you would allow me to get up I’d like to get some work done today.  Or is that out of the question too?”

         “You’re lonely,” Logan said.

         “Not hardly.  I like being alone.”

         “So you said.  Some kind of assignment that you’re on.”

         “A government study into loneliness.”  She watched as he looked around her cabin, her books, her work for Taylor and McHenry, and her music collection.

         He tapped his fingers on her Bible before he turned back to her.  “You belong in the city with a boyfriend to take care of you.”

         “So that’s your clinical diagnosis.  I should go home, no matter what I want to do.  Is that right?”

         She waited.

         “If it were up to me, I’d fly you out of here right now.”

         “Thank God it’s not up to you.  I have my dog to keep me company.  Rascal is all I need.  Thank you very much.”  His hand still rested on her Bible.  His face looked like he wanted to say something.  She felt she should; especially with the way she had responded to his what, accusations that she didn’t belong there?  She listened as he talked about his career and his wants and needs as a ranger.  What was it about him that put her so on edge?  He was a doctor after all and it was his professional opinion that she return to the city.  Or was it more than that?  She knew she had been antagonistic towards him.  He was after all the most handsome man she had seen in quite a long time.  Most likely engaged.  Why would that matter?  He had wavy black hair turned up at his collar.  His eyes were a deep brown that missed nothing.  He had rugged good looks and stood head and shoulders taller than her.  Even lying in bed as she was she could see he was a lot taller than her five feet five inches.  He was slim and she remembered his easy bedside manner, from the night before when he had taken charge after she had killed the bear.  His stride was easy and purposeful.  He had a concerned look on his face.  But then didn’t all doctors feel concerned about their patients?  And she guessed he spent most of his life outdoors by how tanned he was.

         Sandra held out a mug of coffee.  “Would you like some coffee?”

         Candi turned her attention on Sandra and felt like a schoolgirl throwing a temper tantrum.  Tears started down her face.  She just wanted everyone to leave.  She wanted to be alone, but knew at that moment it wasn’t an option.  What would this do to the study?  “Yes, thank you.”

         Sandra helped her sit up and put the pillows comfortably at her back before she handed her the mug of coffee.  “How’s that?”

         “Fine, thank you.”  Candi held the mug in both hands.  She knew what she wanted, and she wouldn’t let anyone dissuade her from her course.  She had to admit, reluctantly that he wasn’t out to advance his goals at the expense of the other person.

         “What are you running from?” Logan said.

         She looked up at him and found his attention on her.  Could he read her thoughts too?  “Who said I was running away from anything?”

         “Why else would you be here in the middle of nowhere?”

         She studied the inside of her cup, as tears started at the corners of her eyes.  So many memories.  She looked up at him a haunted look on her face she didn’t realize was there.  “I like being alone better than being around a lot of people.”

         “What do you want me to do with the bear?  It’ll be cured in a couple weeks and I’ll bring it over for you.”

         Candi didn’t know how to keep it from spoiling before she could eat it.  “I don’t know.  I have no place to keep it, and I don’t know the first thing about curing meat.”

         “The meat will already be cured when I bring it over, but I can show you how to cure and smoke meat for the future, and keep it out of the reach of other predators, which would like the meat as much as you do.”

         “Why would you do that when you think I should return to the city?”

         “It’s obvious you’re not going, or that anyone could talk sense to you, so I’m offering to teach you some basic survival methods for food preservation.  You need to eat.  You’ll need to know how to take care of the game you catch.  I’ve had extensive survival training myself.  What about the bearskin?  It would look great in front of your fireplace.”

         “It would be a wonderful trophy to take home with me after the year is up.”  She was suddenly proud of her first achievement.  “Wouldn’t my parents be surprised?”

         “Is that who you’re trying to impress?”

         She hadn’t realized she spoke her thoughts aloud as she stared at him before she looked into her cup and took a sip.  “Sandra, thanks for the coffee, it’s very good.”

         “Thank you.  Would you like me to make you some breakfast?”

         “No thanks, I’m not very hungry.”

         “When was the last time you got food supplies?” Logan said.

         “I found some wild berries and according to the books they were okay to eat.”

         “According to the books --”  He went over to her shelf of books beside the fireplace.  “Sandra make a list of food and we’ll get it here before suppertime.  Did you eat yesterday?”

         “I made bread before the incident with the bear, and I had just enough food to make it through yesterday.”

         “I’ll put a list together right away.”  With paper and pen in front of her, Sandra started a list of supplies.

         “In the meantime let me have a look at the bandages and stitches and I’ll be on my way.”

         “It couldn’t be soon enough,” Candi said.

         “We’ll get you a supply of food to last you until you can use your arm again to make bread and take care of the bear meat, and anything else you might need.  When were you going to notify us about supplies.”

         “If it’s any of your business, today as a matter of fact.”

         “Well now you can scratch that item off your to do list.”

         She attempted to cross her arms in anger, but the pain in her shoulder stopped her.

         “Stubborn.”  He checked her shoulder and the bandages.  “At least that’s looking good.  In bed today and I’ll see how you’re feeling tomorrow.”

         He took the list from Sandra and left the cabin.  Moments later Candi heard the chopper lift off.

         Sandra went over to the bed and sat on the edge.  “He really is a very good doctor.  He cares about people, and that’s important in this profession.”

         “He believes I should go back.  I won’t.  I just want to be left alone.  I can take care of myself.  If you look with my work, you’ll see the list I was going to call in today.  There’s a patch of wild strawberries behind the cabin I’ve been eating with coffee.  I finished off the rest of the food I brought with me yesterday for breakfast.  I know it was cutting it close, but I’ve also been busy with my work.  Which can I have so I can at least do something while I’m lying here?”

         Stan brought the food over a couple hours later.  Candi could hear them talking on the porch, but not what they said as she continued to work on a manuscript from a potential client.  Soon she heard the chopper lift off and Sandra came into the cabin.

         “Stan said we got a letter from one of our children, my daughter.  She’s coming for a visit with the children at the end of the month.  I think you two would get along well together.  She also has a very independent nature.”

         “No offense, but I really don’t want any company.”

         “I know.  We care about you over here all alone.”

         “I appreciate it, really I do, but I have to do this, for me.”