At First Sight

Chapter Nine

They’d run out of protein bars yesterday and Drew’s stomach ached, he was worried it might implode on itself. Copeland’s leg was far worse, showing sure signs of infection. A fever could set in and then what? Without modern miracles of medicine, or even access to healing things in nature, they’d be screwed. He’d developed a very real worry that they’d become a real life tragedy. All the while, Copeland remained confident about their impending rescue.

He’d spent countless hours trying to free them from the rocks, but it was to no avail.

She lay on the ground, twirling a twig between her fingertips. “Porter will find us,” she said with confidence.  

“It’s been like two days,” Drew replied. He didn’t want to tell her the harsh truth. If Porter didn’t make with finding them soon… they didn’t have water.

“He’ll find us,” she said. “I know it.”

Drew raised a brow, humoring her. “Twin telepathy?”

“It exists,” she said. “How else do you think twins finish each other’s sentences? My brother will find us. I know he will.”

“Wes might find us first,” Drew said, “specifically to wring my neck. I told him I’d be home last night to help him. I’m sure he’s noticed that I’m not there by now.”

“Help him with what?”

He shrugged. “No idea. Didn’t ask. I just told him I’d be there and now I’m not.”

“I’m glad you’re here, with me.”

‘Me too,’ would be a small lie. He wanted to be back at his campsite, or better yet, home but on the flip side of that token, he was happy Copeland wasn’t alone. The thought of her missing made his stomach knot for far different reasons than hunger.  

He was about to tell her that he was glad too, when he heard something.  

Copeland’s eyes went wide. She’d heard it too. “Did you hear that?”

He brought his pointer finger to his mouth. “Shh,” he said. He strained to hear the muffled voice from outside.  

“This way. Over here!”  

Copeland’s body jackknifed upward from her spot on the floor so she sat straight up. “That’s Porter! Porter!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Porter!”

“Copeland,” the voice said.

“Porter!” she repeated.

“Hang on, we’re coming to get you.”

It took at least another hour before a crack small enough to crawl through revealed the outside to them.  Drew handed her out first, yelling at her brother to watch her broken leg. When he tucked himself through, the sunlight burned his eyes. A boulder, the same size as his truck sat to the side with ropes around it attached to a bobcat.

It was no wonder he couldn’t move it.

Copeland’s mother threw her arms around him, like she was his own mom, tears evident in her eyes. “You’re both okay.”

Copeland leaned on her brother and her father and spoke matter-of-factly, “I almost drowned. I did drown, actually. He revived me. He saved me.”

Her mother squeezed him tighter.

What Copeland, her family, nobody except him knew was the Copeland had saved him just the same.

***

He hated hospitals. They were sterile, impersonal and cold. She had come to L.A., but it was under less than ideal circumstances. Her family remained at the lodge, able to book an extra week, which was the timeline given by the good doctors at L.A.’s finest hospital for Copeland’s eventual release.