Page 82 of The Trip

“Okay.” I nodded and then slid down the edge of the rock, glad that Beth could think logically in a crisis. My thoughts felt like they were blurring together. “But wait. Shouldn’t we stick together? What about cougars?”

Beth shook her head. “If we’re going to find Courtney, this is our best chance. You’ll be fine. Just remember what I said about making yourself big and creating a lot of noise if you see one.”

I gulped over the lump that formed in my throat at Beth’s last words.If you see one.

“Meet me back where Emma and Gigi are waiting,” Beth added. “You can see the trail from where we beached the rafts, so you should be able to spot them. If you miss it, then follow the river back. Got it?”

I nodded, ignoring my racing pulse. It felt wrong to separate, but I agreed with Beth. It was our best chance of finding Courtney.

“I’ll meet you back at the rafts,” Beth called before turning down the river shore.

I started through the clearing, taking a deep breath.How the hell did this happen?I wondered again if Gigi was to blame.

“Courtney,” I called when I reached the end of the clearing and entered the patch of forest that led to the trail.

I searched the trees, not only for Courtney but for wild predators on the prowl for their next meal.Stupid Beth. Why did she think splittingup was such a good idea?There weren’t only cougars in the Olympic National Park but also bears. I grazed my hand over the hard outline of the pocketknife in my shorts pocket, wishing I had something better.

A branch snapped to my right, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I studied the surrounding woods for movement.

“Courtney?” I swallowed and stepped softly toward the sound, keeping my hand over the knife in my pocket.

I pushed through a stand of blackberry bushes, making my way through a thicket, wondering what the likelihood was of Courtney’s still being alive. The Sol Duc was freezing, with powerful currents. We couldn’t even paddle to shore for over a mile downriver after Courtney had fallen in. Did we overestimate Courtney’s swimming ability?

All my fears about the school board meeting now seemed trivial compared with what was happening to Courtney. But every time I thought of her never coming back, I felt relief, then guilt for being relieved. If she was dead ...

What if she hit her head on a rock after falling in? What if she—

Another snap. My heart lurched into my throat as I spun in the direction of the sound, preparing to be face-to-face with a cougar. Instead, I spotted Courtney’s red hair as she moved between two trees, walking away from me. She was limping, and her hair and clothes were wet.

But she was alive.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Present: Day Five at Sea

“I think she’s dead,” Beth shrieks.

I jump to my feet, forcing Beth’s betrayal to the back of my mind as my medical training takes over. Pushing past Beth, who feels like a stranger to me, I rush to Emma’s room.

I flick on the lights, then swear as we remain in darkness.

“Shine a light on her,” I order Beth.

I press two fingers to Emma’s carotid as Beth shines the flashlight on Emma’s pale face. At first, I feel nothing.

“Is she dead? Can you feel a pulse?”

“Shh.” I hold my fingers to Emma’s neck for several more seconds before feeling a weak, thready pulse. I keep my fingers there for ten more seconds, counting her pulse before withdrawing my hand.

Russell’s heavy footsteps tromp down the steps. “What’s going on?”

I turn, seeing the beam of his flashlight move behind Beth.

“She’s got a pulse, but she’s bradycardic—it’s only forty-two.” I lower my head toward Emma’s nose and mouth while I press my palm against her chest. “She’s still breathing.”

“Thank God,” Beth heaves. “But then what the hell is wrong with her?”

I extend my arm toward Beth. “Give me your flashlight,” I say sharply.