But Megs could clearly stand up for herself. “It’s been great chatting, but this conversation is over.”
Then she stepped into her tent and zipped the entrance behind her, leaving Gridwall to stand there, looking stupid.
Chapter 4
Megs stopped recordingand set the journal in her lap, smiling to herself at the memories. “I remember that day so well. It felt like coming home. I was so excited to be there, and then you and Gridwall had to complicate things. I was pissed at both of you—him for being a sexist jerk and you for assuming that I couldn’t handle it myself. Don’t worry. I forgave you.”
She’d noticed him the moment she drove up. He’d been so damned handsome with his bare chest and short sandy-blond hair. But she hadn’t come to Yosemite Valley to meet boys. She’d—
Beep, beep, beep!
The IV pump’s alarm sounded, one of Mitch’s IV bags empty.
Megs stood and moved her chair out of the way just as Debby, the RN, walked in, a new bag of fluids in hand.
“Let’s get this changed.” Debby removed the old bag and began to attach the new one. “How are you holding up?”
“I’ll be fine when he’s fine.” Megs needed to ask. “You must have cared for people with similar injuries before. Do most of them recover?”
Debby finished hanging the bag of fluids, then pressed some buttons on the IV pump to reset it. “Most do wake up eventually, but it’s rare for someone with this level of trauma to return to their life without needing at least some rehabilitation—physical therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy.”
It wasn’t the answer Megs had hoped to hear. “Thanks for being honest.”
Debby checked the other fluids, glanced at the monitors. “My husband was a climber when he was younger. He was nowhere near your level of skill. He mostly bouldered with buddies on the weekends. He’s a couch potato now, but he’s told me about you and Mitch and shared some of the things you’ve done. He’s got your old Lords of Stone VHS tapes.”
That was embarrassing.
“Just so you know, we didn’t choose the title—or the music.”
Debby laughed. “I won’t hold it against you. I was really impressed, especially with you—a woman making it in a man’s sport.”
“That’s kind of you. It’s not a man’s sport any longer.” Megs thought of Sasha. “Women are leading the way.”
Debby looked down at Mitch, compassion on her face. “We will do all we can to help the two of you get back to life and living.”
“I can’t ask for more. Thank you.”
Megs got settled again and was about to start recording when a man in a suit knocked on the door. Megs closed the journal, stood.
He stepped inside, held out his hand. “I’m Tom Gordon, the hospital administrator. I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances, Ms. Hill.”
Megs shook his hand. “What can I do for you?”
She thought she knew.
“We’re getting press inquiries from around the world about Mr. Ahearn. We would like your permission to draft a statement. We’d like to hold a press conference this afternoon and get these folks off our backs. You don’t need to attend or speak at the conference, but—”
“That’s fine, provided I get to read the statement ahead of time.”
The administrator nodded, handed her a clipboard and a pen. “This is what we’d like to say. Read through it, sign and date it, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Megs read through it, saw that it was all very general information. She approved it, handed him the clipboard, and watched him walk away. She hadn’t given much thought to the public impact of Mitch’s accident. The two of them had retired from professional climbing to focus on their work with the Team. But she and Mitch had friends and followers out there, people who would be deeply upset by this.
“Where did I leave my fucking phone?” She searched through her backpack, found her smartphone, and turned it on. “Sixty-two messages.”
There was no way on God’s green and hilly earth that she could answer that many calls, but she had the time to listen. Some were from media outlets in the climbing community. The others were from friends, including their buddies from their days climbing in Yosemite Valley—Gridwall, Accardo, Cook.
Megs didn’t have the energy or will to call them back, so she did the next best thing and posted a statement on all of her and Mitch’s social media accounts.
