“I’m with the guys since I’m the only one of the three who knows that section of highway,” Kathy said, and they all hurried to the exit.
Once Holly and Zack were on the road again, he asked, “Will you be okay?”
“What happens if they die?” Holly whispered.
“Let’s pray they don’t.”
So Holly did. All she could think was that, yes, her parents and sister had wronged her, but she still loved them. What if all these times her brother had contacted her, he’d reported back to them about how she was doing? Her father had said nothing about Brett, so he must not be with them. If Ivy had come without him, did it mean he was out of the picture? What if, because of Holly’s hard heart, she had prevented any kind of reconciliation?
She was glad Zack didn’t make idle conversation, because her throat was tight, and she had to keep wiping tears from her cheeks. The road was still terrible, but she sent a prayer of gratitude for the friends in the pickup truck ahead, slowlyclearing the worst of the snow. But she wished desperately that they could all drive faster.
Zack foughtdown his frustration at the treacherously slippery road. He had to remind himself to be patient. It wasn’t like he could get ahead of the other vehicle, anyway. Fortunately, he had gassed up his truck before it started snowing, and he always carried emergency supplies.
He worried about Holly’s silence, but he didn’t want to burden her with questions. As often as she wiped tears from her cheeks, he knew how heightened her emotions must be. Zack debated trying to distract her but decided he should focus on getting her safely to her family.
“I meant to ask before we left, but how long before other emergency responders arrive?” Holly asked.
“Dispatch said there have been a ton of accidents, and they’ll send help as soon as people are available. They also called the Highway Patrol, so if anyone was near the crash, they might get there first. Or not. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She gave him a weak smile. “It’s what I’ve been thinking, anyway.”
Her phone rang, and she fumbled to answer it. “It’s Kathy.” Holly put the phone on speaker.
“The highway marker’s up ahead,” Kathy said. “Marc wants to know if Zack has any amber filters for his spotlights.”
“Eagle Scout here,” Zack reminded them.
“Marc says he is too, but his filters are at the house.” Kathy sounded worried. “The snow is so heavy we’ll need help to see where their car went off the road.”
“Should we start at the mile marker and work our way back?” Zack asked.
“Wait,” Holly cried, waving to the right. “What’s that? It’s a light.”
“Stop!” Zack moved his foot from the accelerator and slowly pumped the brake, finally shifting to a lower gear. They still slid a little, but eventually came to a stop. Up ahead, Marc was doing the same thing with the other truck.
“I’m so glad you know how to drive in snow,” Holly said with a shaky voice. “Can you turn around or back up?”
“I don’t want to get stuck in the snow on the side,” Marc said through Kathy’s phone. “Let’s try backing up. Youcanback up, can’t you, Jarvie?”
“Why do guys have to make everything a competition?” Holly asked, irritated, even though she knew they were trying to lighten the mood.
“Yes,” Kathy agreed.
It took a few white-knuckled minutes, but they finally reached the spot where Holly had spotted the light. Zack had barely stopped before she was undoing her seatbelt.
“Wait for me. You won’t do anyone any good if you fall and get hurt too. And I need to get my lights.”
Holly grumbled but did as he said. The truck with the others had come to a stop too, and Ike was lighting a flare to mark the spot for any other responders who might show up. Zack almost always carried emergency equipment in his truck since the hospital had begun training staff for emergency situations, and he had trained with Kathy. It was a good thing because he never knew where he might be when he would get a call from Marc or Ike about a medical rescue flight.
The wind was blowing hard enough that it was difficult to hear if Holly’s father was calling to anyone, but every once in a while, he caught sight of the glow she had seen between theblustering snow. By the time he had the covers on the portable spotlights, the others had joined them. He handed them to the guys while he and Kathy pulled out the spine board.
“Let me break the path,” Marc told Holly, who had already moved toward the light down the hill. “My legs are longer, and I have a torch.”
“No,” Zack told him. “You might reinjure that leg. You bring up the rear with the second light, and keep an eye on Holly, since the snow is so dang deep. Ike, you help Kathy with the spine board. I’ll take the lead, since I have more experience with snow than Ike.”
Marc looked about to argue, but he must have seen the frantic look on Holly’s face and gave a curt nod.
The trip down the hill ended up not being as treacherous as Zack had feared because the car had already plowed a path. New snow had filled some ruts, but it wasn’t as bad as breaking a path through virgin snow.
