Page 84 of Wrecked on the Mountain

Knox and Chase signal from below. As they winch the unconscious climber into the helicopter, I'm ready despite how fast my blood is pumping right now.

By the time he arrives, his face is pale, blood matting his dark hair, but his pulse is strong under my fingertips.

As I work, the helicopter continues its deadly dance around the mountain face, Marcus communicating with the team below.

For the first time in months, I know exactly what I'm doing and why it matters. This isn't about precision or hospital politicsor trying to save my father through every patient who comes through the door.

This is about being exactly where I'm needed, when I'm needed, armed with the skills to make a difference in this world.

We extract the other two climbers—one with a broken ankle, another suffering from mild hypothermia—and I treat them all while Marcus navigates us back toward the Rescue Station where they will be transported to a larger facility.

The work flows naturally, each decision feeling right in a way Chicago medicine never did.

"Beautiful work up there, Doc," Jamie says as we touch down at the landing pad behind the base. "You were incredible."

The pride in his voice makes me smile. We work together to transfer our patients, and I find myself stealing glances at him as we move.

The way he commanded the entire rescue operation on the ground, the trust his team placed in him, the seamless coordination between his technical expertise and my medical skills.

If I stayed here permanently, we would be unstoppable together.

I'm barely a month into my three-month contract… what would it be like if I really did stay here forever? With Jamie?

Back at the station an hour later, I'm still flying on adrenaline and pure joy. Knox cracks open a beer while Chase regales us with an exaggerated version of the rescue that makes it sound like we single-handedly conquered Everest.

"To Dr. Shields," Beau raises his bottle, "for proving she's got ice in her veins and fire in her heart."

I'm laughing, feeling more alive and purposeful than I have in years, when my phone buzzes against my leg.

Piper:Hey babe! Surprise! I'm flying out to visit you this weekend. Can't wait to see this mountain paradiseand meet your mysterious mountain man! Flight lands Friday at 2 PM. Pick me up?

My stomach drops faster than it did in the helicopter.

Piper's coming here. To seethis. To meet Jamie and the team, to see the life I've built, to witness firsthand how completely I've transformed from the burned-out surgeon who fled Chicago just weeks ago.

"Everything okay?" Jamie asks, noticing my sudden stillness. He curls an arm around me and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

"More than okay," I say, unable to hide my grin as I lean into his warmth. "My best friend from Chicago is coming to visit this weekend. She wants to meet my mysterious mountain man."

Jamie's eyebrows shoot up. "Your mysterious mountain man?"

"That's what I've been calling you in my texts," I admit, laughing at his expression.

Chase perks up from across the room. "Oh, this is gonna be good. City girl meets Stone River Mountain? We need to roll out the red carpet."

"Please don't embarrass me," I say, but I'm still smiling because I can already picture it…

Piper falling in love with this place the way I have, seeing Jamie through my eyes, understanding why I never want to leave.

"Sweetheart," Jamie says, squeezing me closer, "if she's anything like you, she's going to fit right in."

As I look around at these people who have become family, at this place that has become home, I feel a desperate need for Piper to see it all exactly the way I do.

To understand that this isn't just a temporary escape…

This is where I belong.

Chapter Nineteen