Dominique Burton - The Alaskan Rescue

He picked up a small, rectangular handheld device. “My daughter and her husband gave this to me for my birthday. It’s a personal locater beacon if there’s an emergency. Don’t leave the cabin without it.”

“But, Joe, don’t you need it?”

He pulled another one out of his vest.

“Are they connected?” Sashi asked.

He shook his head and his eyes danced with laughter. “To satellites, yes. Me, no. I have a good friend who is a doctor named Cole Stevens. Like you he is a wolf, also a loner. He never leaves home without one. He got it for me. Same birthday, I think.”

“I’ve met Dr. Stevens. I’m supposed to meet up with him again tomorrow.”

Joe’s face broke out in a radiant smile. “Ah. He has finally found his mate.”

Sashi’s face reddened. “Oh, that’s a little bit out there, Joe. We just met.”

“No, Joe is usually right.”

“You’ve got to be making this up.” She loved the way he referred to himself in the third person. She tried not to laugh while she held a hot cup of coffee in her hand.

“I laugh about Joe all the time,” he said. “But I never laugh about safety. Never.” He held the device in his hand and showed her how to turn it on. With care he explained how each device was coded by its own transmitter signal.

“Here’s the funny part,” Joe said. “Cole and my daughter are very good friends, but they don’t know Joe has two devices.” By his smile, she knew he enjoyed telling the story. “Since they know I have little faith in modern technology always working, they offer to pay the yearly fee.”

Sashi bit her lip, trying to understand this man. “But if you don’t trust the devices, then why carry them?”

“Now Joe never said he didn’t trust the devices.” His finger shook, but his smile was back. “I like an extra one in this land of the Raven. Because of this old body, it gives me peace of mind in the back country.”

“Where will you be tonight? I don’t want to take your peace of mind.”

Joe shook his head. “You want to take a piece of my mind and keep the device on you.” He tucked it into a pocket on her padded vest. “Now let me give you another piece of my mind.” For the next ten minutes he told Sashi about bear mace and how to survive in bear country.

“Thank you,” she said, then hugged him. “Where are you flying now?”

His eyes lit up. “I’m going back to Ketchikan to be with my daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law.”

“Until tomorrow, then.”

“I will be here early.”

Sashi followed him out of the cabin and down the steep slope. “Can you give me an idea of what time exactly?”

“Depends on the weather.” Joe looked up at the sky, then back to her. “As you know, Mother Earth is going into her rainy season. I’ll be here about nine.” He smiled, waved goodbye and made his way down to the plane. “You worry about me too much, little wolf. I’m the one who’s worried about you out here without a gun. I wish you ladies would take one.”

“Joe, Freddy’s coming and I know he always carries at least two guns. Even so, we know bear safety. Everything will be all right.”

With his long, salt-and-pepper hair and beautiful jewelry that shook as he moved, Joe cut an elegant figure out here in nature. He eyed her. “You talk so tough I almost believe you. Then you turn sideways and I forget you even exist.”

She put her hands on her hips and laughed.

He gave her one last wave, then began to wade to the plane.

Deep down Sashi wondered if Freddy was really going to come or if he was going to let Kendra down like he’d done so many times. Her heart ached for her friend, but when she remembered tomorrow when she’d see Cole again, the emptiness that had filled her life for so long seemed to fade.

* * *

COLE LOOKED AT THE LITTLE GIRL seated on the edge of the hospital bed holding her mom’s hand tightly. Her blond hair and big blue eyes reminded him of Jake’s daughter. His friend was a lucky man. Cole wasn’t a pediatrician, but he’d learned a few tricks to get kids to cooperate.

“So I hear your name is Maggie the Magician.” His expression was kind as he looked at this cutie.

The girl shook her head, but then she smiled.

“Let’s try again. Is your name Maggie the Magnet?”

“No! You’re silly. I’m Maggie Johnson.” Her tiny voice had come out in a whisper.

“Wow. I wish my name was Maggie Johnson. Then I’d be really cool like you.”

“But you can’t because you’re an old man.” Her voice was firmer now.

Her parents started offering apologies, but Cole just laughed. “I like you, Maggie Johnson. Do you want to come and work here?”

“No. I don’t want to leave my mommy.”

“Oh. You have a good mommy?”

“I have the best mommy in the world.” Her eyes got really big. “And my dad is the best, too.” Her face was very serious.

“Well, Maggie, can you tell me how you got hurt?”

“I was throwing horseshoes with my brother.”

“Can you show me where your leg hurts?”

Her eyes began to well with tears. “I don’t like looking at it.”

Cole glanced around the room. “Do you like books?”

“Yes.” She lit up.

Cole rolled his chair over to a magazine rack, and stuffed in the back for occasions like this was a kid’s book. He pulled it out. “I happen to have a Dora the Explorer book. Do you like Dora?”

“I am Dora.”

“Oh, I thought you were Maggie.”

“I’m both!” The little girl giggled.

Cole handed the book to her mom. “Okay then, Maggie and Dora the Explorer. Can you show me where you hurt?”

The little girl lifted up her skirt to her knee, revealing a cut that clearly needed stitches.

“Okay. Let me get my pack full of stuff to fix your ouchie.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Only a tiny bit, I promise.”

As Cole sewed up Maggie’s leg, his mind began to dwell on Sashi. Was she okay? What was she doing? He couldn’t wait to kiss her again.

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