She created another anchor, fixing it to the wall behind them to keep them from falling and putting more strain on the rope should Mitch come around and start thrashing. Then she retrieved her satellite phone from the side pocket of her pack. The damned thing was finally going to pay for itself.
She called Forest County Dispatch. “It’s Megs Hill. There’s been an accident at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Mitch Ahearn is badly injured and unresponsive. We’re going to need a high-angle rescue at Painted Wall. Tone out the Team emergent, and contact the Black Canyon climbing rangers. They’ll get here faster.”
It wasn’t unprecedented for the Team to conduct search and rescue operations far from Scarlet Springs. As a nationally acclaimed and respected rescue organization, they’d even been called out of state a time or two.
As she shared details, Megs felt like she was an observer, watching herself from the outside. She sounded calm, completely in control. But that wasn’t how she felt.
She waited while the dispatcher called the Black Canyon ranger HQ, panic sliding into her veins again. It would take the rangers hours to set up the rescue. It would take even longer for the Team to reach them. Meanwhile, the man she’d loved since she was sixteen was fighting for his life.
“Megs, I reached the head ranger. He says they’re on their way and asked me to tell you to expect a wait of several hours. I gave him your number so he can reach you directly.”
“Thank you.” Megs ended the call. “They’re coming, Mitch. Stay alive. Do you hear me? Stay alive!”
Chapter 2
Megs was afraid to move,worried that she’d make Mitch’s injuries worse. If he had a skull fracture, if his neck was broken…
Blood trickled from beneath his helmet, but she didn’t dare remove it. His eyes hadn’t opened once, his dark lashes resting against his cheeks, his lips parted.
God, she loved him. He’d been the only man in her life, the only man she’d ever trusted with her heart, the only man she’d taken to her bed.
They both knew that climbing came with risks. They’d both lost friends to this sport. They’d participated in literally hundreds of rescues, not all of which had resulted in lives saved. Still, Megs had never imagined their life together ending like this.
Don’t think that way.
She rested a hand against his sternum, felt his heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest. “The climbing ranger just called. He said they’re mobilizing, but it will be a few hours before they’re set up.”
She didn’t know if Mitch could hear her, but she kept talking to him anyway, trying to wake him, hoping he’d answer or open his eyes. He needed immediate care at a level-one trauma center, but the ranger hadn’t exaggerated. They were still hours away from a rescue.
Megs was an expert at high-risk rescues and had run it all through her mind a dozen times. A high-angle rescue was a tricky job that required specialized equipment. First, they would have to anchor an AHD—an artificial high-directional tripod—at the top of Painted Wall. Then they would lower a couple of rescuers, who would transfer Mitch to a litter, lift him up to the canyon’s rim, and fly him to a hospital.
If no more rocks fell, if the equipment didn’t fail, if they made it in time, Mitch had a chance. He’d been wearing a helmet, after all. That had to make a difference.
Far below in the canyon, someone waved. It was one of the two young men they’d encountered earlier. Apparently, they’d heard or seen the rock fall and had decided against climbing today.
“We’re going for help!” he shouted.
Megs just managed to make out his words. She waved, watching as he and his buddy jogged back toward SOB Draw.
The sat phone beeped.
Megs had clipped it to her harness with a quickdraw. “Megs here.”
“Megs, it’s Hawke.”
Megs squeezed her eyes shut, a hard lump in her throat.
What the hell is wrong with you?
She saw Eric Hawke every damned day, for God’s sake. He was the fire chief for Scarlet Springs and one of the Team’s most dedicated members. Why should the sound of his voice make her emotional?
Get a grip!
She swallowed. “Hey, Hawke. It’s good to hear from you.”
“How is he?”
“He’s still unresponsive, but he’s breathing.”
