St. Elias Read online

  Elias let Nara remove the bandage and looked at her wound for the first time. It was a superficial, linear gash about the size of her index finger, bloody red and stinging. “Ouch,” Elias said as Nara applied an ointment to the wound and wrapped it up with fresh gauze.

  “Perhaps now’s a good time to leave for Anchorage.” Nara grabbed a satchel from a hook on the wall.

  Elias and Katy looked up at Nara. “You’re coming?” asked Katy.

  “Well, I’d like to see my prediction about Sam proved wrong,” Nara said as she swiftly walked out the front door. Elias and Katy wasted no time following her out.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  They stopped by the potlatch first, and Becky found someone to fly Katy, Elias, and Nara to Anchorage on a bush plane. Becky had to stay and comfort the family members who witnessed the traumatic event.

  “We’ll meet up in Anchorage,” said Becky as Katy boarded the bush plane.

  “Will you tell Sam’s parents in Kennecott, too?” shouted Elias from the plane.

  “I will,” said Becky. “See you soon.”

  The engine noise and lack of headphones prohibited conversation during the flight. Elias just wanted to wallow in her emotions—the sadness when she recalled Sam’s wounds, the fear when she worried that Sam might die, and the emptiness when she imagined living without Sam, who had come to occupy so much of her heart.

  When they arrived at the hospital in Anchorage, they were informed that Andy and Sam were split up. Andy had been treated for a concussion and a scalp laceration and was now in the observation unit. Sam lost a lot of blood from having a bullet tear through a major vein and was having emergency surgery to have the bullet removed and the vein repaired. Elias kept hearing a ringing noise and had difficulty digesting all that information. She was lightheaded and could barely stand straight up. She was propelled by Katy and Nara as they moved to the observation unit to see Andy. She couldn’t feel the ground she was walking on and thought she was floating through the busy hallways like a ghost.

  “I’m so sorry…” said Andy when he saw Katy. “I was so ashamed of myself. I gave up my grandmother’s land. I couldn’t face my family.”

  “It was my fault,” said Katy, tearful. “I’d lost sight of the most important thing in my life. It’s you, not the wedding, not the money. Your father told me about the investment you lost. I shouldn’t have led you to think I wanted you to throw your life savings into Chloe’s husband’s business.”

  “I wanted to get rich, too,” said Andy. “I was tired of being a small-time tour guide.”

  “You’re saying that to make me feel better,” said Katy. “It’s not true. You love your life in the mountains.”

  “I love you more than anything in the world.” Andy reached to hold Katy’s hand. “I want to help your dream of becoming a doctor come true.”

  Katy threw her head into Andy’s chest and sobbed. “I love you, too, and I don’t want anything else but you.”

  Nara sat down beside Andy. “You’ll be fine. You survived a warrior’s test. You will not waste your second chance in life.”

  Nara brought out a small object from her satchel and rubbed it on Andy’s head. “This amulet will heal and protect you.” Nara strung the charm around Andy’s neck.

  “Thank you, Nara,” said Andy, wrapping his fingers around the amulet. “How’s Sam doing?”

  “He’s in surgery,” said Katy. “That’s all we know.”

  Andy nodded and drifted off to sleep. The three women went out to the hall and saw Joe storming toward them, with Sergeant Wolfe following closely behind. Wolfe and Nara exchanged a look, and Elias could tell at the moment Wolfe’s eyes softened and the corners of Nara’s lips curved up slightly that they still had feelings for each other. It surprised Elias to know that the overbearing, contemptible Wolfe had a tender side and that Katy’s indifferent mother had once been in love, and still could be.

  “I’m going to the meditation garden,” said Nara as she began to walk away. “All this healing work takes a lot of energy, and I need to re-center myself.”

  “I will sue to get my money back,” Joe shouted, waving a piece of paper in front of Katy. “I found Andy’s suicide note in his cabin. He willed his entire asset to you. Well, you aren’t married, and I’m his next of kin.”

  Katy seemed to be taken aback by Joe’s angry outburst and stood speechless staring at him.

  Elias stepped forward. “Andy’s alive, and he will recover, so you don’t need to worry about the note.”

  Joe’s mouth twisted as if he hadn’t considered the fact Andy might have survived. “Let me talk with my ungrateful son, trying to cut me off like that…”

  Elias tried to say something to persuade Joe to leave, but Wolfe had already cut in and spoke with authority. “Joe, now is not the best time. Everyone is still shocked and highly emotional. Why don’t you go home? I’ll keep you posted on Andy’s condition.”

  Joe opened his mouth as if about to talk back, but Wolfe laid one hand on Joe’s shoulder, and Joe turned his head to the side in defeat. Elias had not held high opinion of Wolfe, but at that moment, she was glad he was there to handle riffraff such as Joe.

  “Go on then.” Wolfe urged Joe to leave.

  “I’ll be back.” Joe gave Katy one last stare before he took off.

  “Thank you,” Katy said to Wolfe.

  “Andy’s stable?” asked Wolfe.

  “He is,” Katy replied. “Thank God. I don’t know what I’d do if…”

  Katy’s tears spilled out of her eyes again, and she put her head on Elias’s shoulder to cry. Elias wanted to comfort Katy, but she could feel tears welling up in her own eyes.

  “I’m sorry about Andy…” Wolfe muttered.

  Elias felt a sudden surge of anger, and she turned and took a hostile step toward Wolfe. “What’s in the land deal for you? Why were you so eager to see it through? You pushed Andy over the edge. You led him to want to take his own life. Sam wouldn’t be in the state he’s in right now if it weren’t for you.” Elias choked up, her decimated heart still beating hard and fast, threatening to tear out of her chest and pounce on this beast of a man in front of her and claw at him until he was in shreds, too.

  “I’m merely trying to help people in these parts, people like Katy, to have a better life when there is money pouring in,” Wolfe said solemnly. “You must have noticed the lack of schools and clinics and other basic services in the area. Have you seen a fire department? No. Have you seen a decent grocery store? No. Have you seen those potholes being filled in the two months you’ve been here?”

  Elias couldn’t refute that. It was true that sometimes it seemed as if the world had forgotten about the people of the Copper River Valley. But still, it was Wolfe who directly handed Andy the foreclosure papers and O’Brien’s contract.

  “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.” Wolfe looked imploringly at Katy. “Maybe I did push Andy too hard. All I want was for you to have the best life possible. You know how much I care about you.”

  “Yes,” said Katy, weeping still. “I know. It’s just bad luck. You couldn’t have foreseen it.”

  “He could’ve prevented it,” said Elias, still unforgiving. “None of it would’ve happened if he had left Andy alone.”

  “I wish I had, too,” Wolfe said with desperation. “Katy, you mean a lot to me, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you. And seeing you like this, I’ve realized how, in my blind, patronizing ways of pushing ahead with what I thought was best for you, I’ve caused you sorrow.”

  Katy threw herself into Wolfe’s arms, and Elias was surprised to see Wolfe’s tender, apologetic side.

  “And how-how is the ranger?” Wolfe asked, timidly.

  Elias was shocked Wolfe would mention Sam. She felt anger rising again, but before she could assault Wolfe with her words, Katy said, “He’s still in surgery. His wounds are serious.”

  “He’s a hero, a real hero,” said Wolfe. “He saved my life, and
now he’s saved Andy’s, too.”

  Elias hadn’t expected to hear Wolfe’s praise for Sam. They never did see eye to eye.

  Wolfe turned to Elias again. “Listen, about the whole parole thing—”

  “Are you arresting me now?” said Elias indignantly.

  “No, no,” Wolfe stammered. “We can forget about extradition for the time being. It’s too expensive, and I don’t see any reason why Texas would spend the money to have you sent back.”

  “You’ll leave me alone?” asked Elias, incredulous now.

  “I’m not going to arrest you,” said Wolfe. “I owe the good ranger and you my life, and I’m not about to send you away when he needs you the most. I can tell you and he share a special bond. I once had such a bond with a woman—”

  Wolfe stopped mid-sentence. He patted Katy on the back. “I’ll look in on you and your…mother…later if she’ll stay long enough for me to look in on her again.” He forced a bitter smile, turned, and walked out of sight.

  Elias’s anger toward Wolfe subsided somewhat. She felt like her heart had been on a crazy rollercoaster ride. Wolfe was not going to arrest her. She could stay with Sam for as long as she wanted. But would Sam be able to pull through this nightmare? And if he did, would he still want her now that he knew the crime she was convicted of and that she was a fugitive? His eyes when he heard the truth did not bode well.

  “Elias,” Katy muttered. “Did you really go to prison…”

  “Yes. I was high on cocaine, and I accidentally shot and killed my best friend’s sister. It’s the single biggest regret of my life.”

  Elias looked away. She had promised herself and Ce’Rainitee that she wouldn’t tell what really happened, and that was that.

  Katy reached out to hold Elias’s hand and said, “We all make mistakes, Elias. We all do. You’re still my friend no matter what.”

  Elias slowly turned her head around to look Katy in the eye. There was a kind acceptance in Katy’s glance that warmed Elias’s heart, and in that moment, Elias realized, what she thought was an illusion of friendship, was no illusion at all.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Elias was not allowed to be in Sam’s room immediately after he was moved from the operating room to the intensive care unit. She was told his condition was critical, and he had developed a bleeding problem─ disseminated intravascular coagulation.

  “What does that mean?” Elias asked the surgical resident who was dispatched to update the patient’s family, which Elias had eagerly claimed to be.

  “It’s hard to explain,” said the resident. “He was bleeding so much his body used up all the enzymes that were supposed to stop the bleeding, and so now he doesn’t have any of those enzymes left, and he can’t stop bleeding. He’s got kidney failure, too.”

  Elias felt dizzy, and she shouted, “So what are you doing about it?”

  “We’re giving him transfusions,” the resident replied as if reciting from a script, in a calm and authoritative voice.

  “He will recover, right?” asked Elias frantically, taking a step closer.

  The resident took a step back. “I can only give you the statistics. Up to one in two patients with DIC dies. I will keep you posted. The nurse will let you know when you can go in.” He turned and quickly disappeared into another patient’s room.

  Katy and Nara had been standing next to Elias and listening as well. Elias threw her head on Katy’s shoulder and cried. It seemed possible she might lose Sam after all. She thought about the night before when Sam held her tight in his arms. She tried to recall the touch, the warmth, the feelings and sensations he roused in her. She had not expected their relationship to extend beyond the summer, but she’d never imagined for death to tear them apart so soon.

  “The nurse is waving at us,” said Nara. “I think we’re allowed to go in now.”

  Katy held Elias’s arm as they walked into Sam’s room with Nara following behind. Another string of tears pushed out of Elias’s eyes when she saw the unconscious Sam lying there in a tangle of lines and tubes that connected him to various machines.

  “The doctors are keeping him on the ventilator for now, and so he’s sedated,” said the nurse before she left the room.

  Elias walked over to Sam and held his hand. It felt cold and limp. “Sam…”

  Nara sat down next to Sam and began to rub a green substance onto Sam’s forehead.

  “What are you doing?” Katy exclaimed. “You can’t do your medicine here.”

  Nara ignored Katy and began to chant. It was a soft murmur at first, but gradually it became a passionate, rhythmic song. Nara seemed to be in a trance, and oblivious to the voices around her.

  “Stop,” said Katy.

  Elias stared at Nara as she performed the ritual. Footsteps could be heard just outside the room, and Elias knew the nurse was coming back in soon. She dashed over to the door to shut it, putting her weight against the door as the nurse tried to push it open. “Katy,” Elias yelled. “Come help me.”

  “This is madness,” Katy said as she also threw her body against the door.

  Nara’s chanting was louder now. She removed her whale teeth necklace from her neck and rubbed it all over Sam. Elias watched as she fought to keep the door shut. She wanted Nara to finish. She believed in Nara’s magic. It had to work. It had to bring Sam back from death’s door.

  The nurse and her co-workers finally pushed into the room just as Nara tied the whale teeth necklace around Sam’s neck and came to the end of her song. She looked exhausted as she stood up and smiled at Elias and Katy.

  “What’s going on here?” The nurse quickly checked Sam over and grabbed the necklace. “He can’t have this.”

  “If you take it off and he dies,” said Nara, “we’ll sue you.”

  The nurse shook her head as she brusquely herded Nara, Elias, and Katy out of the room. “Visiting hours are over,” said the nurse as she shut the door.

  Nara, Elias, and Katy sauntered out of the intensive care unit. They each grabbed a cup of water from the fountain and drank. Whey they were done, they tossed the cups in the trash can almost simultaneously, looked at one another, and laughed.

  They laughed and laughed until Elias felt her abdomen hurt and now she was tearing up again because of the laughing. They must’ve laughed a good minute when they finally stopped.

  “Well,” said Nara, “my daughter came through for me after all.”

  “I did it for Sam,” said Katy.

  Nara shrugged, grinning as if she were a carefree youngster. “I’m going home. My job here is done.”

  “That’s it?” asked Katy. “You’re not going to stay for me? You don’t love me?” Katy accused in tears, her voice broken.

  “Why do you keep on saying I don’t love you?” asked Nara. “You judge me with standards that apply to common women. Love is not measured in things we do for each other.”

  “Then what?” Katy pressed on. “What is love measured in?”

  “It is not measurable,” said Nara, still calmly. “Love is too great to be dissected and analyzed. It is not something you describe with words. I love you, Katy, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

  Katy was speechless, a look of agony in her eyes.

  “How are you getting home?” asked Elias.

  “I’m sure Wolfe wouldn’t mind giving me a ride,” said Nara as she walked out of sight. “I still got a hold on him.”

  Katy sighed, a disapproving expression on her face. “She has no shame.”

  “I don’t think we’ll ever understand her logic,” said Elias.

  “That’s because there isn’t one. She has no concern for other people’s feelings and does whatever her heart wants to do.”

  “I kind of envy that. She’s free in that sense, unbound, unburdened.”

  “You’re taking her side?”

  “She is charming,” said Elias. “I can see why Big Bad Wolfe—” Elias stopped mid-sentence. Now that Wolfe was somewhat nice to her, she didn�
��t want to be disrespectful. “I can see why he’s still in love with her.”

  »»•««

  Elias struggled to tell Sam’s parents and Victoria what happened when they arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight. Mrs. Collins was hysterical. She couldn’t believe she had to go through it again, the shooting injury, and perhaps imminent death, of another son. “Why? Why?” Mrs. Collins kept saying as she sobbed.

  Mr. Collins was somber and quiet. He wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief several times as he stood silently listening to Elias’s account of the event. She wondered what it was like to lose a child and then to be on the brink of losing another. Somehow, she didn’t think Nara would be as distraught if she were in Mrs. Collins’s situation. But what about Helen?

  Helen would be devastated, just like Sam’s parents, Elias was sure, but would the devastation be less because Elias and Helen were not related by blood? Helen, what could she be doing right now? Suddenly, Elias wanted nothing but to be cradled by Helen again, looking up at Helen’s face, listening to Helen’s lullaby, being rocked to sleep…

  “Can we trust the doctors here to take good care of Sam?” asked Mrs. Collins. “This place doesn’t look as good as the hospitals in Atlanta. Maybe we should transfer him.”

  “You can’t move him now,” said Victoria. “He’s too unstable.”

  “What about that ridiculous thing around his neck and that green stuff on his head?” asked Mrs. Collins. “Is that part of the treatment?”

  “The tribal healer wanted to help,” said Elias. “Think of it as a protective charm.”

  “Tribal healer?” Mrs. Collins looked astonished. “We’re good Christians. We need the chaplain to come and pray with us. We can’t have witchcraft. I’m going in to take that stuff off.”

  Mrs. Collins had one foot inside Sam’s room when the surgical resident appeared with the respiratory therapist. “Are you all family?” asked the resident.

  Mrs. Collins gave the resident a skeptical stare. “Are you the attending physician for my Samuel?”

  “I’m the junior resident on the team that is treating him,” said the resident. “Are you the mother?”