Once she was fed, her camel pack filled with water, and her offer to carry some of the weight from Gabriel’s pack denied, Sommer strapped her backpack on and looked up the hill.
Gabriel was carrying his own supplies and camel bag of water and was toting an additional four gallons of water that he’d managed, somehow, to shove into his pack.
“I looked at the maps, and the place you came down is the best place to start,” Gabriel said. “It’ll cut off the most time.”
“The exact place?” Sommer looked dubiously up the road.
“Whiskey will find it. Won’t you, sweet girl?”
Whiskey looked up with her long mopey face and doleful eyes.
After Sommer balled up the waste bag and shoved it into a side pocket, the two followed behind Whiskey as she retraced their steps up the road.
Sommer was working on blind trust because she’d come down at dawn and everything looked completely different now that the sun was high.
“From here,” Sommer said, “how long up to the summit?”
“It depends on rest periods.”
“None.”
“With certainty,” he countered, “for Whiskey’s sake.”
“Oh, of course,” and Sommer felt like a heel not to take into consideration that Whiskey and Gabriel had been working at rescuing Abbie and Marna since break of day. “Sorry.”
“I figure ten hours give or take. My goal is to get to your friends by midnight.”
Sommer started to doubt herself. She was used to being on her feet for long periods at the hospital. During crises, she’d often have to take back-to-back shifts. She wanted to lean into that experience and the stamina she’d built into her body. But the thought of walking until midnight hit her like a brick.
She looked up the slope they needed to climb to the trail. It was daunting.
“I’ll help you,” Gabriel said, reaching out his hand.
And without a thought, she slipped her hand into his.
They were silent until they hit the trail at the exact place where she’d laid out the three arrows pointing off trail and the streamers of hot pink trail tape with black magic marker saying that she’d left the trail to find the road and help.
“That feels like weeks ago.”
“I bet it does.” He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and as long as the trail allowed them to walk side by side, she was grateful.
The contact energized her.
“Let’s talk about how Whiskey is short and squat with little wee-wee legs, and yet I’m struggling with her speed.”
“Embarrassing, isn’t it?” Gabriel asked with a grin. “I’ve had Whiskey for a few months now, but she’s become a good friend.”
Sommer glanced up at him and cautiously asked. “Do you have abestfriend? Amalebest friend?”
“Male best friend?” He looked down at her, and the glimmer in his eye was both curious and possibly hurt. “I have good friends. My closest friends are from my childhood. They’ve scattered around the world, which makes for fun travels. I keep up with my team brothers. We bonded pretty tight. A lot of them are career military, so I don’t see them as often as I’d like.”
“You still live in McLean?” she asked. “Yeah, I’m still there.”
“What about around home?”
“We’re still talking friends?” Gabriel asked, and she could tell he wondered why she was pressing the subject.
Sommer hoped that since Marna and Abbie were on the mountain, he figured that friendship was on her mind, which was also true.
