Valerie Hansen - Out of the Depths

Cody passed his free oar to one of the experienced rafters behind him and dropped to his knees. “Let go before you wreck us!”

Instead, ice-cold fingers closed around his wrist. Already off balance, Cody was easily jerked out of the raft.

The frigid torrent closed around him, hammered against his chest, stole his breath. Muscles instantly cramped despite the protection of his wet suit. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Plunging into a glacial watercourse like the upper Tuolumne was always a severe shock, but he’d never experienced anything this excruciating.

Nearly out of his head from the knifing pain, he’d gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open. One of the Slighman brothers had taken over the oars and was steering toward shore. He’d thought then that everything would turn out all right.

How wrong he’d been. With every muscle nearly as knotted as it had been during the accident, Cody struggled to free his mind from the past. Perspiration dotted his forehead. He had the same intense reaction every time he was foolish enough to recall the events of that horrible day.

He had to get hold of himself before someone came back into the room and detected his temporary loss of self-control. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, settling breath and purposely visualized how he’d finally surrendered to his pain and had let the river carry him where it would.

Even now, he realized with chagrin, that terrible trip was far from over.

By the time Trudy Lynn reached the kitchen she was contrite enough to relate her whole conversation with Cody to her hosts. “And then I snapped at the poor guy and told him off. I always babble too much when I don’t know what to say. I feel terrible.”

“Don’t,” Becky said. “Sometimes the best way to show love is to disagree, especially when the other person is wrong. So, how did he take it?”

“I’m not sure. His mouth was still hanging open when I left him.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

Becky nodded sagely. “Sure. He’s a lot more likely to listen to sensible advice coming from someone like you.”

“He did say his family was getting on his nerves. I assumed he meant his father, but I suppose that could include you and Logan, too.”

“Probably. Right now, everything bothers Cody more than it normally would. He’s already gone through plenty.”

“What, exactly, is wrong with his leg? He said he won’t be able to go back to work. Is it that bad?”

“Could be. His knee was smashed. There’s a lot of scarring and stiffness. According to Dad, he’d have to regain a wide range of motion in order to be qualified to guide the kind of trip he loves. Might eventually have to undergo more surgery, too.”

“Oh, dear.” Thoughtful, Trudy Lynn glanced in the direction of the living room. “Now I feel even worse about the way I talked to him.”

Logan chimed in with a smile of encouragement. “Don’t worry. From what I’ve seen so far, Cody can take criticism as well as he can dish it out.”

“He certainly can dish it out.” Trudy Lynn gave Becky a pat of commiseration. “Like I said, it’s you I feel sorriest for. You’ll be stuck here with him.”

“Maybe. Logan had an idea. Until you told us how you stood up to my stubborn brother just now, I didn’t think it would work.”

Trudy Lynn took a step backward. “Whoa. I don’t like the sound of that. What kind of an idea?”

“A brilliant one.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Looking from Becky to Logan and back, she was struck by how in tune they seemed. Thoughts, expressions and actions meshed as perfectly as if they’d been married for decades instead of mere months.

“Tell you what,” Logan said with a smile, “I’ll go keep Cody occupied while you ladies discuss how we can all work together to help him through this.”

Watching him walk away, Trudy Lynn felt decidedly uneasy. Logan Malloy was not only her pastor, he was married to one of her dearest friends. It was going to be hard to deny either of them anything, even if she hated their idea. And they knew it.

Folding her arms across her chest, she raised an eyebrow at her hostess. “Okay. I can already hear the train whistles, so if you’re going to try to railroad me into doing something, let’s get it over with.”

“It’s just a thought,” Becky insisted. “We don’t expect you to commit yourself right away. All we ask is that you consider doing it.”

“Consider doing what?”

“Hiring Cody.”

Trudy Lynn’s glance darted in the direction of the living room. She lowered her voice. “To do what? He can’t even walk, can he?”

“Not without crutches. But we all know it’s bad for him to sit around and dwell on his problems. If he doesn’t get out and try to do something for himself soon, he may never regain his agility.”

“Okay. Bring him down to the river to visit and I’ll have Will entertain him with stories about the old days. That’ll be plenty distracting.”

“Thanks. I’m sure it will help. But I was thinking about a job.”

“I can’t hire him.” Trudy Lynn was adamant. “I can barely afford the staff I have—and they’re fully capable of doing any job I assign.”

“I understand. It’s all right.”

“No, it isn’t. Why don’t you beg or plead or yell at me or something?”

“I told you there was no pressure,” her friend said. “There isn’t. Logan and I will be glad to take care of Cody for as long as he needs us.”

“Even if he never walks on his own again?” It was almost a whisper.

“Yes,” Becky said. “Even then. I may not have known him when we were children because of my kidnapping but he’s still my brother. I’m not going to give up on him.”

“Wow.” Trudy Lynn gazed at her friend through misty eyes and gave her a brief hug before she spoke from the heart. “I wish I had a sister like you.”

As soon as Becky had finished arranging a platter of roast beef and had filled serving bowls with the rest of the meal, she picked up the two largest dishes and gestured to Trudy with a nod of her head. “Grab those mashed potatoes and bring them along, will you? I’ll come back for the gravy in a sec.”

“No problem. This bowl isn’t that heavy. I can carry the gravy boat, too.”

“Okay. Just be careful, it’s…”

Trudy Lynn didn’t hear the rest of Becky’s comment because her voice had been muted when she’d passed through the archway to the dining room. Oh, well. At least they were through talking about Cody’s problems. That was a relief.

Following her hostess, Trudy was surprised and happy to note that the injured man was up and about. Logan hovered close behind him, obviously ready to assist if Cody had difficulty managing his crutches in the crowded room. Dan and Carol Sue another of the Malloy’s friends from church, had already taken their seats on the opposite side of the beautifully set table and seemed engrossed in a private conversation.

Cody approached laboriously. Pausing to let him pass, Trudy Lynn smiled for his benefit. She knew she had to continue to treat him as if he were just like everyone else. The hardest part was subduing the tender feelings that welled up every time she looked into his eyes and read the depth of his suffering.

Still carrying the food she’d brought from the kitchen, she stepped back to give him extra room to pass. On the opposite side of the table, Becky gasped.

Scowling, Trudy Lynn gave her friend a questioning glance and mouthed, “What?” Was she still too close? She thought she’d allowed Cody adequate space to get by, even with his crutches, so why was Becky acting nervous?

Drawing back, Trudy felt her heel hit the base of the wall. The only way to get completely out of Cody’s path now would be to duck back into the kitchen. Regrettably, she’d sidled away from the doorway while trying to accommodate him. There was no easy exit.