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“We’re here!” Ed yelled in reply.
“We’ve got a canvas stretcher for Heather. Let’s get her onboard and get all of you out of here,” Ranger George ordered.
Allen hated relinquishing Heather, but if he was going to make it to the end of this, he had to trust his friends. He slowly lowered her onto the unrolled cot, then took off his coat and peeled his cotton sweater off. He tucked them around her middle to staunch the bleeding and keep her warmer. They’d been in too much of a hurry for him to do that sooner and he prayed she would be alright.
One ranger cut Ed free, then they gave a count of three and jointly lifted Heather off the ground. She didn’t shift, move, or groan, any of which would’ve been reassuring.
“Pray for her,” Ed demanded.
“I have been,” he replied, not sure what else he should say to the man who’d thought he was the worst person on earth. What he couldn’t figure out was, if Ed cared about Allen’s mother, then what did Ed have against him?
“If I’d known who my mother was, I would’ve found her. I’ve always wanted to know, but Dad wouldn’t tell me.” And as much as he cared about his father and wanted to respect the man, he’d done a lot that didn’t deserve respect.
“I’ve tried for over thirty years to forgive your father. I guess that means I’m not quite the Christian I’d like to think I am. Your mother was going in the right direction. She was headed for salvation. Then he came along and tarnished what my wife and I were trying to do. After that, she hid in shame. The only reason I knew who your father was when she got pregnant, was because your mother told my wife what happened. She came to us and asked us what she should do. She couldn’t keep you and have a life, but we begged her to let us take you.”
His stomach churned. The idea of Heather thinking of him as a brother didn’t sit well with him. “Dad needed me. He needed someone to look after so that he didn’t drink himself into the ground.” And now he wondered if Dad’s accelerated problem wasn’t partly due to a love he’d never been allowed to have. “I’ll find her.”
Ed laid a swollen hand on Allen’s arm. “I know you will. I’m sorry I thought that being raised by that man would turn you into a horrible person. You’re half of the woman we cared about, and I forgot that. I assumed, with all the hiding you do, that you were a closet drinker too.”
“Help me care about my father and maybe he can become someone you’d be proud to know. When he’s clean, he’s a good man. He watches my house, does odd jobs, and is genuinely a handyman.” If only he hadn’t let the bottle get a hold of him.
“If we make it out of all this, I swear to you that Heather and I will help.”
That was great, but that wasn’t his ultimate goal. He wanted to know Heather and see who she was when she wasn’t watching over her shoulder. He wanted to know how she liked her coffee in the morning, though he already knew she wanted it less dark than he did. The adjustment would be a blessing if he was given the opportunity.
For the barest second, he allowed himself to picture Heather with him at his house, running around the backyard with their dog, laughing and joking together. She was all the things he’d ever dreamed about. Yet, she still felt a million miles away.
The rangers loaded Heather into the truck and Allen and Ed settled in near her. The roads around the Badlands were all minimum speed because they were narrow with sharp turns and high elevations. A ranger started tending to Heather while George drove.
“Vitals are weak. You’ll have to go as fast as you can. I’ll call in an ambulance to meet us at the station,” the ranger hovering over Heather said. He got on his radio and called in their location and where the ambulance should meet them. As the ranger repeated her condition, Allen gripped her hand.
“You can do this, Heather. I know you can.” He wasn’t a man who cried, but tears burned in his chest. He couldn’t lose her now. Not when he’d just found the only woman who’d cared about him at all. Unconditionally. She’d defended him, tried to help him in the cave and everywhere else. Where would he ever find a partner like that ever again?
The next few minutes were tense and silent as Ed bowed his head and Allen gripped her hand. Ed would probably want that place if his hands weren’t in tatters, but Allen wanted to be there anyway. George pulled the truck into the lot where an ambulance with swirling lights waited for them. The truck had barely stopped when the EMTs whipped open the door and got to work.
Heather’s eyes flashed open, and she looked around her, her face pinched in fear.
“I’m here. So is your dad.” He wanted to hope she was looking for him, but she could easily be searching for Ed.
She didn’t speak, but squeezed his hand.
“We need to get her going.” The EMT pulled her hand free of his.
“We’ll be following you.” Not only to get help, but to see Heather through this.
Ed touched his shoulder. “Can I ride with you?”
He had no vehicle here, but he still had Heather’s phone. “Yes, I need to make a call first.” He remembered Rod’s number and pressed it into Heather’s phone.
“Agent Peterson,” he answered.
“Hey, this is Allen. I have Heather’s phone. We’re at the Badlands Ranger Station. We were taken captive and managed to escape. I need a ride to Rapid City, STAT.”
“I’ll be there as quick as I can. Did you get any new info?”
“I did. We’ll tell you when you get here.” He turned to the rangers helping the EMTs get Heather secured. “We have a ride coming. Can we stay here until he arrives?”
George came over and flashed a small light in each of Allen’s eyes, then checked his pulse as he looked at his watch. “You need to be looked at. If I’d realized you were in the state you are, I’d have sent you with her.”