Post by Squad 51 on Aug 7, 2021 9:08:48 GMT -5
My second HMR story, once again based on an episode of the show.
Thanks once again to Charli911 as my beta reader.
Rewrite of the episode “Matt’s choice”
Summary:
While the Hawkes celebrate their anniversary, Matt is called out to a rescue to save some missed skiers. During the rescue, the chopper crashed down and Matt makes a hard decision.
Note: Some dialogues are directly taken from the show. You’ll recognize it when you read it. Not mine then.
________________________________________________________________________________
Mt. Mackenzie
Pilot Ed Mancin were bringing a young couple up to Mt. Mackenzie who wanted to ski there. Well, they already enjoyed it during the flight in the helicopter while drinking champagne. Ed just shook his head. “Mr. Colin, you shouldn’t drink that much. These mountains are never easy, you should know that.”
Ted Colin was having none of this. “We’re both expert skiers. And this mountain looks like a piece of cake. Should be easy to get down. You don’t have to worry about us. We might go down to Tahoe quicker than you.”
Ed again shook his head. “If you say so. But still, don’t forget to notify me when you’re down.” He set the helicopter down and the couple got out, taking their skiers from the side and made themselves ready to ski. As he noticed that they were far away from the chopper, he finally got up again and flew down back to Tahoe.
Ted and his girl started to ski down and competed with each other of who would be the first one down. They tried several routes and also unknown ones. Well, it didn’t end well and an avalanche came down, making them to be quicker than it but they had no chance.
In Tahoe
At the Ranger station, Matt and Cody Hawkes were preparing themselves for their parents’ anniversary. Matt hoped for a quiet evening but he didn’t want to get his hopes too high. He’d seen this enough as a child when his Dad was still in charge.
Cody asked curiously, “So what did you get Mom?”
“An alarm clock, so that she would never be late to work,” Matt replied smiling, looking at his little brother with love. Since the last incident with the bear, they were closer than before. “What did you get her?”
“You’ll see,” Cody answered smiling as well. It was his secret for the moment but he also knew that their bond had grown now.
“What about me, guys? It’s my anniversary too,” their Dad complained smirking, sipping on a cup of coffee.
“Well, it’s not like since you took this guy up to the bonies,” Matt explained while taking his jacket on and smirked to his brother. “Anyway, Mom’s still married.”
“At least in her head,” Cody continued knowingly.
“All right, let’s get going. Dingy’s waiting and Mom too,” Matt said and waved his Rangers good bye.
“We’ll let you know if we need your help,” Cutler let his boss know who just nodded.
“Happy anniversary, Mr. Hawkes,” Robin said as all Hawkes were on their way out and over to Jackie’s house where they would celebrate.
“Thanks,” Jesse said and followed his boys out.
Later that evening, the whole Hawkes family was gathered around the table and was waiting to start. Yet Jesse cleared his throat and said, “Jackie and I would like to thank for our anniversary for the past 25 years, two fine sons and all the good that happened. Amen.” All replied and the father opened the champagne bottle.
“C’mon, Dad, I’m old enough now and you only have one 25th anniversary,” Cody said amused, holding up his glass.
Jesse sighed but relented. “When you were six instead of sixteen but okay.” He filled Cody’s glass and noticed Matt’s amused look. He smirked at his older boy who just shrugged smiling.
“Just do it,” Jackie urged smiling. “I want to make a toast. Thanks for the past 25 years and such a wonderful family.” All cheered and clicked their glasses.
“Hey Mom, what about the food?” Matt asked curiously. He didn’t want to say he was hungry but with his job, you never know.
“All right,” his Mom answered and started to give it around. “Pass this along, will you? Anyway, my Dad called today and sent me his best wishes.”
“For me too?” Jesse asked and smiled at his wife knowingly.
“Yeah, for some reason, he still admires you.” She turned to her older son. “He has a job offer for you, Matt but you have to make a decision quickly.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” Matt wanted to know still but he loved his job.
“With your law knowledge, you could work as a foreman in Dad’s company. He holds it back for three weeks, so please consider it.”
“In Tempe, Arizona?” Cody asked not amused. He for sure didn’t want his brother to go, because he loved it to have him close by. He just didn’t want to lose him – for good.
“Maybe it’s also good for you, Cody. To see more than bears and all,” Jackie suggested but her younger boy was not happy. That much she could already see. She sighed.
“I thought you wanted the family to be together,” Jesse said not happily. He knew how his boys felt and that Matt was happy with what he was doing. And Cody was closer than ever to his big brother. He didn’t want to destroy that.
“And safe,” Jackie concluded but knew that she might have already lost this battle.
“Mom, I’ll think about it,” Matt offered as a kind of family peace. He could see on his Dad’s and Cody’s faces that they were not happy. Just then the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he said and stood up, leaving his food and family the way it was. He ran down the stairs and flipped on the light, opening the door.
“Hey Matt,” Jim Cutler greeted him. “Sorry to disturb you but we may have a problem. Remember Ed Mancin? He said that his guests didn’t appear here in Tahoe yet.”
“Hey Ed,” Matt said, shaking the man’s hand. “What’s up?”
“You see, I brought this the young couple, two expert skiers up to Mt. Mackenzie but they never returned to Tahoe. And I checked everywhere. No one’ s seen them.”
“All right. I’ll meet you in the car,” Matt said, nodding to Jim and Ed before walking back up and sighing. He watched his family eating but well, duty called. “Sorry Mom, Dad. We need to get out searching for some missing people on Mt. Mackenzie.”
Jackie sighed. “God knows I’ve been through this enough with your Dad.”
“It’s okay, boy. We understand,” Jesse said nodding. Matt smiled at him.
“Happy anniversary,” the older son said and leaned to down for his Mom to kiss him. “I’ll need to go.” He started to walk back to the stairs and grab his jacket, ready to leave.
Cody had the feeling he should say something. “Matt, wait!” He stood up and ran to his brother, hugging him tightly. “Promise me to be careful.”
Matt sighed amused. “Toad, I promise, okay. What’s up with you? Still, I need to hurry now. The others are waiting for me.” Matt finally left the house.
Cody bit his lip but said nothing and returned to his place. He didn’t notice that their parents exchanged looks as if they knew what was going on. Still, the younger brother had this feeling that something could happen to Matt today, or at least tomorrow.
“Happy anniversary,” Jackie simply said and held up her glass, making Jesse do the same while Cody smiled at them.
Ranger Station
All Rangers were gathered around the table, packing up their things while Matt spoke about their rescue plan. “We all know that Mt. Mackenzie is a great territory and we need to start with the search soon. I want everyone in his position, because there are people out there who depend on us.”
“It’s pitch black. How can we search for them?” Izzy asked curiously.
“They’re expert skiers. Maybe they found shelter, and we could use volunteers,” Robin said and looked at her boss who shook his head.
“No, it’s only us. We’ll move back and up the mountains with each corner covered by you. And when on top, the same way back.”
“How many yards apart?” Tim wanted to know. He could see that all were not happy but they had no other choice here.
“400 yards,” Matt said finally. “Frank and I are going to take the helicopter. You all use the snowmobiles. We’re moving to the base and spread out in the morning. Clear?”
All accepted and moved out to make all ready. Matt closed up the station and joined Frank in the helicopter, ready to fly off while the others followed on their snowmobiles.
At Jackie’s house
Later that evening, Cody said, “It was delicious, Mom.” He smiled at her but could see that she was worried about his brother.
“A ten plus, like always,” Jesse agreed and smiled at his family, though he missed his oldest boy.
“It was good, wasn’t it?” Jackie replied sighing. She’d prepared a plate for Matt. “Well, I’m going to bring this to Matt over at the station.” Then they all heard the helicopter going over the house. Cody and Jesse looked up while Jackie sighed. “Okay,” she said, trying hard not to cry while putting a plastic wrap over the plate and it into the fridge.
At night, Jackie walked into the living room where her husband slept, or at least trying to. She thanked him for staying the night here and all but she couldn’t stop her worry about Matt, and Cody maybe too. Jesse agreed with her and both had a sense of deja vu while drinking a cup of coffee.
Their younger boy, however, was in his room, tossing and turning in his bed. Every time he closed his eyes, his dream kept coming back and this one was mostly about his big brother. At first, he felt pain in his head and arm and then just cold – and then all was black. And this was always the time, he woke up. “Damn,” he said quietly and got out of his bed.
“What do we do about them?” Jackie asked curiously and Jesse just shrugged, though he knew they had to tell Cody at one time.
“Mom? Dad?” Cody asked while walking into the room and yawning.
“Kitchen, son,” Jesse announced and looked at his wife and son. “You should be in your bed, son. What’s up?”
“I can’t sleep,” Cody said tiredly. “When I close my eyes, a dream keeps haunting me and I think it’s about Matt.” He shivered a bit. Then he noticed their cups. “You’re drinking coffee at this time?”
“Don’t change the subject, boy,” Jesse said seriously. “What about your dream and Matt? What did you dream about?”
Cody looked nervously at his parents. “I don’t know. At first, everything is normal, then I feel pain in my head and arm.” He sighed. “Well, after that it’s only cold before all went black. What do you think?”
Again, Jackie and Jesse exchanged looks which didn’t go unnoticed by their boy this time. Jackie sighed. “Before you ask, we both know that your bond has grown now again. It reminds me and your Dad about the time you two were growing up when we all still lived at the cabin.”
“Okay, interesting,” Cody concluded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I take it, our bond was then just as strong as it is now again.”
“True,” Jesse continued and ruffled his boy’s hair smiling. “You got into trouble all the time and Matt had his hands full, looking after you. At least, he had Dingy for help.” The father laughed a bit. “He had often to run after you, because you were out there and got lost from time to time. But big brother was watching over you, yet your Mom was worried all the time. In the end, you know where it ended with your Mom and Matt leaving.”
Cody looked down a bit. “Yeah, sorry. And I missed Matt after this.” He sighed. “What now? Should we warn Matt?”
“No, we’ll keep waiting,” Jesse answered determined. “What’s meant to happen, should happen.” He looked at both his wife and son. “I know you don’t like it but we have no choice here. Matt and his Rangers need to concentrate on their rescue now.”
“Fine. Can I sleep on the couch?” Cody wanted to know and gestured to the item.
Jesse was about to protest but Jackie took over. “Sure. Your Dad and I will sleep in my room. It’s been so long that we’ve been together.” Cody grimaced at this picture. “We’ll wake you when it’s time for breakfast.”
The three Hawkes said good night again and went to sleep, hoping for a peaceful night now. But with this news, it would be hard. They could only wait now.
In the morning
Matt and Frank were at the base in the helicopter whereas the Rangers drove to their assigned points on their snowmobiles. Matt was lost deep in thoughts as he thought about Cody’s behavior and was strongly reminded of himself. Sighing, he decided to concentrate on his task now.
“Matt, you okay?” Frank asked concerned. “You looked lost for some time.”
“Cody acted strange when I left. It reminded me of … me when we were kids,” he explained sighing. “You look after the wind while I reach out to the others and coordinate the search.” Frank nodded while Matt took a deep breath, calling out to the other Rangers. “This is Flying Tiger calling Flash, Frostbite, Black Magic and Pocatello Kid. Do you read me?”
“Yes, I read you,” came the chorus from all four.
“Alright. Proceed to your next assigned corner and tell me what you see,” Matt ordered while looking at Frank. He had a map in his hands and could only hope that they’d find the missing skiers.
Robin called back first. “Frostbite calling Flying Tiger. I reached corner eight. Don’t see anything yet.”
“All right,” Matt said and marked this on his map. “Proceed your next corner. Out.”
Robin didn’t say anything, started her snowmobile and went on. The next one was Jim Cutler. “Flash here. Reached corner seven. Nothing else to report, just miles and miles of snow.”
Matt sighed. This was going to be a long day it seemed. “Okay, up to your next grid.” He marked it as well on his map and waited.
“Roger and out,” Jim confirmed and went on. Izzy was at his point and thought to have seen something. He stood up and followed this but well, nothing was there. “Izzy here. I thought I’d seen something but my eyes are playing tricks on me, I guess.”
Matt looked briefly at Frank. “Put your sunglasses on. We don’t want anyone to get snow-blind here. Where are you?”
“Corner six.” Izzy shook his head of how his boss could know that.
“Go to corner three,” Matt ordered and saw that Frank was deeply thinking. “You okay?”
Frank waved his hand while Izzy followed the order. Tim then came up at least. “Reached corner five but no one’s there. It’s really windy here. Are they really out here?”
“Here too,” Matt confirmed and marked his map again. “It’s our job, so we don’t question this. Frank and I are going to start the helicopter and search from above.”
“Guys, I don’t think that’s a good idea. With the wind and all.”
“If you have a better idea, I’m open for anything. If not, we’re going to do that.”
Tim sighed but said nothing. “No. Good luck, you guys.” He started his snowmobile but he heard over his radio Frank still. “If we’re finding them first, Hart, you’re buying dinner.” He chuckled.
“Proceed your next corner and let us know,” Matt said and turned the radio away. Looking to Frank, he asked, “Can we start? It’s getting desperate slowly.”
“I know. My training would say no but my heart says yes,” the pilot answered smiling. “Do you really think they are still out there?”
“Yes, they are experts as we were told. And as before, it’s our job. We don’t question it.” He sighed and looked out. “If you get a window here, get up!”
“Right.” Frank nodded and started the helicopter. The two Rangers went up into the air and looked for the missing skiers now too.
The wind had picked up more and Frank had decided to go above it, giving them more space to look over. Just at the moment, several yards beneath them, Ted and his girl heard the chopper and ran out of their shelter, waving the chopper and hoping they were seen.
“A helicopter,” Ted said after hearing the noise. “They’re looking for us.”
“They can’t see us,” his girl agreed and was nearly in panic as she stumbled on the ground, waving her hand up and down.
Matt had his eyes on the ground watching when he noticed the pair, waving to them. “I can see them,” he announced amused. He smirked to Frank before saying into his radio, “Flying Tiger calling all Rangers. We’ve found the missing skiers between corners six and seven. We’re going down to pick them up.”
“Hey Hart,” Frank cut in smirking as well. “How does Chinese sound?” The bet was still on his mind.
Matt grinned as well. “We’ll meet you at the station. Go home now. See you later.”
Frank set the chopper down while Matt walked out, speaking with the skiers. “Matt Hawkes, High Mountain Rangers. You okay?”
“Yeah,” the woman said relieved. “An avalanche caught us by surprise. We spent the night deep in snow. Thank god, you’ve found us.”
“Right. Let’s get you two in the chopper and back to Tahoe,” Matt said and guided them the helicopter, letting them in while climbing in as well. The pilot lifted off again while he served the couple some hot drinks. “Here’s some coffee.” Both nodded in thanks.
“Matt, we may be in trouble. The wind is getting harder and I have problems keeping the bird stable,” Frank announced concerned and his boss just gave him a look. “I try to call the service. This is White Eagle calling Tahoe radio. Tahoe radio, please come in.” There was just crackling. “White Eagle calling Tahoe radio. Please, come in.” Again nothing. “What now?”
The couple behind them began slowly to panic while both Rangers tried to remain calm. The wind blew more and more and Frank had more problems to keep the chopper stable. “Matt!” he just said and worked on his best to get it down halfway gentle.
“Mayday, mayday, this is Flying Tiger. We’re losing altitude. Mayday,” he said into his radio and then it crashed. Matt was briefly unconscious and grabbed his left arm in pain. His head also hurt, and he noticed that his sunglasses were broken. “Damn! You okay?” he asked the pilot.
Frank nodded and noticed Matt’s pain. “Are you?” he wanted to know concerned.
Matt instead grabbed his arm carefully and went out. “I’ll check on our skiers.” He stumbled to the back door and watched over the couple. “You okay?” he asked them and couldn’t concentrate well. The woman nodded as he checked on the man. “Ted has a slight concussion. She’s okay.” Then he made his way back to the front door but blacked out.
“Matt!” Frank yelled and raced over to his boss and friend. “Matt, say something! C’mon buddy!”
“Help him!” Ted ordered his girl and she also walked over to help the pilot, sitting Matt up as Frank checked him quickly.
“Ow,” was Matt’s comment as he noticed Frank and the girl. “Status?”
“Radio is completely off. Even the emergency signal,” Frank explained concerned. He turned to the woman. “Go under my seat. There’s a first aid kit. I’ll need to bandage him.”
Matt realized and groaned, coming around slowly. “I know you don’t like it but we may have no other choice. With this cold and wind, one of us should go down.” The woman brought the kit and his friend took care of his wounds. “Frank?”
“Wait a bit, Matt. You’re in no condition to do that,” the pilot said alarmed but sighed. “Yet I know you have a stubborn head. Like all Hawkes.” That earned him a slap on his arm. “Let’s just wait some time.”
Matt nodded and both helped him into his seat in the helicopter. He saw how the woman and Frank exchanged looks but he knew that there was no other choice. Sighing, he also realized that his little brother could be right this time.
Tahoe, same time
The Hawkes family had their breakfast together and now they were waiting for anything or anyone to appear. Jackie and Jesse exchanged looks from time to time whereas Cody just remained silent and played with Dingy at his feet. All of a sudden, he sprang up and looked around.
“Ow,” he said confused and looked at his parents while grabbing at his arm and head.
Jesse was at his side in an instant and sat him down again. “Cody? Talk to me. What’s going on?”
The young man looked at his Dad, then at his Mom. “I think it just happened to Matt. We should go now!” he demanded seriously, near to tears. “Matt’s in pain.”
Jesse sighed and looked at his wife who was also crying. “We don’t know exactly where to look, son. You know that. We need the Rangers here. Cody, please be patient!”
Cody nodded. “I know, Dad,” he whispered and grabbed Dingy carefully. “It’s just … we could have warned him, and the Rangers.” He tried not to cry but the tears came anyway. “I’m afraid to lose my big brother.”
“Shsh, boy,” Jesse said in a soothing voice. “That’s not going to happen. Matt is strong. He needs you just like you need him. Don’t give up so easily, Cody!” His son nodded and his wife as well. “We need to be strong now.”
They all calmed down and waited. And waited an hour. Another hour went by when then the doorbell rang again. Cody was out of his seat immediately and ran to the door, opening it in a hurry. “Hey Tim,” he greeted the Ranger. “Let me guess. The chopper crashed and Matt’s missing. You only know it’s on Mt. Mackenzie and you have no idea where to look. Am I right?”
Tim looked confused at Jesse and Jackie who had followed their boy. “How does he know? I’m here to ask for your help.”
“Long story,” Jesse only offered and grabbed his jacket while kissing his wife. He followed his younger son out. “Jackie, go to the station and man the radio if need be!”
“And let Dingy go when he whimpers too much,” Cody added quickly as he grabbed his jacket finally too. “Thanks, Mom. And we’re going to find Matt.” He was gone.
Jackie just sighed. “All right, guys. You got me back to work. Tim.” The Ranger looked up. “My sign name was Mama Bear back then, just as Jesse was Papa Bear. So you don’t get confused when I’ll man the radio soon.” Dingy turned to her and she sighed again.
“Okay,” he simply said and went with his hand through his hair. Tim noticed the Hawkes men by his car already. “Way to go, man. I really don’t want to know how Cody knows about this. There’s no signal coming from them, yet we just got the last position message from Matt.”
“Better than nothing,” Jesse concluded sighing. “Let’s just get going and start the search for them.”
Tim opened the car again and all drove to the Ranger station where the others were gathered and waited for the signal to start. They all were nervous and anxious. Not only had they to worry about the already found skiers but also their boss and pilot and they didn’t know if something had happened to them. When Jesse and Cody joined them, they could already tell that Cody might know a bit.
“All right,” Jim Cutler said calmly. “This situation is hard for all of us since two of us are also missing now. But we still need to act like we always do – like trained professionals.” He turned to Tim Hart. “Tim, Matt made you our backup CO. So it’s your turn now, buddy.”
Tim nodded and stood up. “The last signal we received from Matt was that they found the skiers between corners six and seven. Then we’ve got the mayday one and then there’s silence. Another helicopter went up but couldn’t find them and an emergency signal.” He looked at all of them. “With the wind blowing, they could have moved down or up the mountains again.”
Jesse sighed but added, “The wind was blowing hard and Frank may look for a place to stay visible somehow.” He noticed that his son was again lost in his thoughts. “Tim, I may have one request. Could you give me Jim with? Cody feels Matt’s pain and I don’t know how it will go on when we search for them.”
“Sure,” Tim agreed nodding. “So, you, Jim and Cody go together while Robin, Izzy and me will be the other unit out there. We all go on snowmobiles and keep constant contact with me. Agreed?”
All nodded and prepared themselves for the new search. Jesse went to Cody, “Son, you okay?”
“What? Yeah, I’m fine, Dad,” the younger boy said sighing. “I’m just worried about Matt.” He noticed that the Rangers were on the way to go out searching again. “Can we go now? I see you’re all on the run.”
The Hawkes men and all Rangers got on the snowmobiles and made their way up to the mountains. Tim, Robin and Izzy were a team as well as Jesse, Cody and Jim. The first thing was to find the helicopter and then onto the next step.
Meanwhile, on the crash site
Matt pushed himself up and checked on Ted Colin again. “He got frostbite, Frank. We’ll need to get help now. It’s best I’ll go down since you’re the pilot and know how to keep the chopper visible.”
Frank looked at his friend. Sighing, he said, “But only under protest, Matt! Here, take some Tylenol.” He handed his boss the pills who took them nodding. “I know how you think and work but please, be careful this time! Cody still needs you, and I don’t want him to be right.”
“I know,” Matt whispered knowingly. “Thanks for your help, Frank though you don’t agree with me.”
“Here, take my sunglasses since yours are broken.” Frank gave him the items and also his scarf. He also changed the bandage on his arm again. “Please, be careful and save me a good hot meal!”
Matt smirked a bit and started his way down the mountains. He felt good for the moment and well, he hoped to find his way down. He could also feel the others’ eyes on him, especially Frank’s. The pain in his arm and head weren’t that bad too, yet he needed to concentrate on his way now.
“Do you really think he’ll get down? It’s 15 miles down,” the girl said shocked and looked at the pilot. “It’s crazy!”
“I know,” Frank agreed sadly. “But I have hope and pray on your good luck.”
The trio said nothing and just kept waiting for anyone or anything to appear. All were worried about Matt but they could only wait now. Frank did all to keep the couple warm and also the chopper intact. There was nothing he could do now except pray for his friend.
Matt, meanwhile, stumbled his way down the mountains but the pain made it hard for him to concentrate on his way, even with the snow coming down and the cold. Stepping through the snow, he never noticed that he went right into a frozen little lake where he crashed in but the pain in his arm made it even harder to get out.
He managed after a felt long time. “Cody, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, putting his head briefly in the snow. Coughing, Matt got up again, because he needed to get moving or he’d die here. He just couldn’t let that happen – to his family and especially Cody. Matt kept walking further.
With Jim, Jesse and Cody
As all Rangers were out on snowmobiles and split into the groups, the three had covered a lot of territory but suddenly Cody began to shiver, making him stop his snowmobile.
Jesse did the same, and Jim followed. “Cody, son, what is it? Is it Matt again? Son, talk to me!”
Cody finally realized his Dad’s eyes on him. “I don’t know. It’s just cold and the pain got numb, I think. If it’s Matt, he’s in deep trouble.”
“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked curiously. He and Jesse exchanged looks but tried to remain calm for Cody’s sake.
Cody shivered again. “He must have fallen into water. The pain is still there.” He gestured to the weather around them. “With this snow and cold, I really fear for my big brother.”
Jesse squeezed his son’s shoulder knowingly. “Let’s get going! We need to find the chopper right now!”
All three nodded and started their snowmobiles again, ready to continue searching, yet Jesse’s worry about his oldest boy increased more and more. If only they knew where to look.
With Jackie
In Tahoe, Jackie heard Dingy whimper and want to get out, obviously. She sighed and stood up, walking to the door and let the dog go who raced off in the snowy mountains.
“Find my boys”, Jackie whispered crying and decided to go over to the station, to let her men know that Dingy was out there now too. Taking a deep breath, she had a goal in mind and walked to the station.
Somewhere
Matt was becoming weaker and weaker. He couldn’t focus because of the pain and cold. Looking around, he couldn’t even tell where he was, at least not exactly. With his headache and pain in his arm, he shivered and walked some more unsteady steps before falling into the snow and losing consciousness.
He came around again when he felt someone licking his face. Opening his eyes, Matt saw Dingy and felt some relief. Grabbing the dog by the collar, he said quietly, “Hey boy. Did you find me, eh?” He coughed again and let Dingy go. “Get Cody, boy. Get Cody!”
The dog whimpered for some time before following the last order. Dingy raced off again while Matt was too weak and fell down in the snow, falling asleep finally but knew that his Rangers and family were looking for him.
The snow slowly covered him.
With Jim, Jesse and Cody
As the radio crackled, a familiar voice said, “Mama Bear calling Papa Bear or Ace. Can you guys hear me?”
Jesse reached for his radio. “Papa Bear here. What’s up, Jackie?”
“Dingy is out there. Maybe he can find Matt,” she let them know. “Any signs yet?”
“Not yet but we’re looking, I promise. We don’t give up, honey. Papa Bear out,” Jesse answered and his wife did the same. Looking at his son and Ranger, he offered, “Dingy might find Matt and then come to us, or to Cody at least.”
Cody nodded quickly but wiped some tears away. “He will.” He turned to Jim now. “You have to know, Dingy was our dog before he became mine only. Or at first, Matt’s, then ours and lately mine.” He shivered again and looked at his Dad. “Dad? Something is wrong.”
Jesse agreed nodding. “I know, son. I can feel it too.” Sighing, he ordered, “First the chopper, then Matt! Let’s think about it. Frank would keep the helicopter visible somehow.”
“Yeah,” Jim said sighing as well and really tried not to show his worry. “If I remember correctly, there’s a valley close by. Not far from here.”
“Let’s go then,” Cody concluded determined and started his snowmobile again. He made his way to the valley, followed by his Dad and Jim.
Half an hour later, they were greeted with Avila’s half yell but also concern in his face. “Oh thank God, you’ve found us! I got worried for some time.”
“That’s okay, Frank,” Jesse replied worried. “How are the skiers?”
“He got frostbite and needs to go to the hospital immediately.” Frank looked down and sighed. “I tried to stop Matt but he insisted to go down the mountains, even though he’s injured.”
“I was afraid of that,” Jesse said knowingly and looked at his younger boy now. “Where’s Matt hurt? Did you give him any medicine?”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, before he left on foot, I gave him some Tylenol and exchanged his bandage on the arm. He also banged his head, I think but that looked okay.”
“Here, take my radio and contact Tim and the others. They are also on snowmobiles up here.” Jesse gave Frank the radio who immediately did as told. The former Ranger turned to his son. “Cody?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go then!” The young man started his snowmobile, ignoring the others for a moment but knowing his Dad and Jim would follow him soon. He just didn’t want them to see his tears.
Jesse and Jim exchanged a concerned look but made their way to follow Cody down the mountains. Another five miles down, the three of them reached the little lake where Matt had fallen in earlier. Jimmy stopped his snowmobile and let the others stay on theirs. Walking around, he sighed.
“He was clearly here,” he concluded, turning to them. “And not that long ago. With his injuries and all, he could die of hypothermia. We should hurry now!”
From a distance, Cody thought to have heard barking and it sounded like Dingy. “I hear barking. Could be Ding who could lead us to Matt,” he offered and called his dog. “Dingy, boy, c’mon! I know it’s you!” Not five minutes later, the dog ran to its owner and pulled on his jeans to get him going. “Easy boy. You know where Matt is, don’t you?”
“Let’s go then,” Jesse said concerned while Jim went back to his snowmobile and started it quickly. “C’mon boy, lead the way! Show us the way to Matt!”
The dog looked back and forth between the two men before racing off again. The trio followed him fast, knowing that they’d lose Matt for good soon if they were too late.
Meanwhile
Tim, Robin and Izzy had located Avila and the skiers too. “Sorry for being late, Frank,” Tim said sighing. “We got a little distracted by an avalanche coming at us but we managed. How was Matt?”
Frank accepted nodding. “Right.” He sighed now too. “He was doing pretty good but was definitely in pain.”
Tim just nodded whereas Robin and Izzy were loading Ted into the basket behind the snowmobile. He turned to the Rangers. “Ready to go?”
“Can I go with him?” Ted’s girl asked afraid.
“Sure,” Robin assured her and put the man into a blanket. “Go behind Izzy. What about you, Frank? Will you come with us?”
“No,” he replied shaking his head. “I’ll call the chopper service right now to bring the bird and me down. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
They all thumbed up while Frank radioed the chopper service with his location and told them to bring the helicopter and him down immediately. He really wanted to know how Matt was doing. His injuries must be painful by now.
In the Wilderness
Dingy showed the trio the way and turned around from time to time, to make sure they were still behind him. The dog found the place again where he’d found his master and tried to dig him out, carefully and licking his face. Dingy whimpered again.
Jesse and Jim immediately ran over and tried to find out how bad it was. “Jim, help me! We need to turn him over, very carefully.” Jesse looked at his younger son who was completely frozen at the sight. He pushed Dingy to Cody. “Go. Help Cody!”
The dog did as told whereas Cody just hugged his dog, trying hard not to cry. Cody was just afraid that they were already too late to save his big brother. The tears came still.
As both men turned Matt over, Jim noticed that there was no reaction coming from his boss. “He is completely stiff.” He laid his head on Matt’s chest. “But his heart is beating, thank god! Though very slow. What now?” He looked at Jesse.
“He’s in a coma. His body must have decided to shut down.” The former Ranger sighed. “Bring your snowmobile with the basket close by. We’ll need to bring him down to the hospital immediately!” Jimmy nodded and did as ordered. Jesse took Matt’s hand. “C’mon, son, don’t leave me, us!”
“Dad?” Cody asked carefully and looked at both men. “Will he survive? Is there going to be any damage?”
“I don’t know, son.”
“Jesse, I’m ready,” Jim announced and walked over to his boss, taking his arms. Jesse followed and took his son’s legs. “Cody, help us with his stiff arm!” The teen nodded and came over as well by taking the arm. They managed to lay him down in the basket. “And now the blankets! Cody, one is in my pack and the other one in your Dad’s.”
Cody grabbed them out quickly and put them over his brother. The other two men helped him. They put one over his body and the other one completely over as well with the stiff arm. Cody leaned closer. “Matt, please don’t leave me!”
Jimmy patted Cody’s shoulder. “He’s strong, you know that.” He knelt down as well. “He’s your brother – and my boss. We all need him still.”
“Jimmy, you should get going! Time is of the essence here,” Jesse urged the Ranger who nodded and ran to the snowmobile, starting it. “Let the other Rangers and Jackie know! We’ll meet you at the hospital.”
The Ranger thumbed up and raced down the mountains, letting the others and Jackie know that they’d meet at the hospital. Jesse turned to his younger son who sat in the snow, not really seeing anything and Dingy whimpered again, trying to get his attention.
“Cody, son, we need to get going. Matt will need us, especially you,” Jesse encouraged his boy by putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’ll go to the hospital right away. Cody!”
Cody finally looked up crying. “We could have warned him, Dad and maybe prevented it.” He wiped his tears away, or at least trying to. “What if we were too late? If he doesn’t survive it. He was frozen!”
“We couldn’t have done anything, boy. You know that. Remember what I told you at the house? If it was meant to happen, it should happen,” Jesse explained sighing but he was worried too about his eldest son. “Cody, let’s go now! We’ll take Dingy with us and put him in front of the hospital. Let’s go, son!”
Cody nodded finally and went to his snowmobile, putting Dingy in front of him and starting it. He raced down the mountains, followed by his Dad. Both made it in record time back to Tahoe and to the hospital. All they could do now was wait.
TBC ...
I know I'm mean but hey, maybe it gets your attention.
It's posted on FF.net as well.
REVIEWS ARE WELCOMED!!
Thanks once again to Charli911 as my beta reader.
Rewrite of the episode “Matt’s choice”
Summary:
While the Hawkes celebrate their anniversary, Matt is called out to a rescue to save some missed skiers. During the rescue, the chopper crashed down and Matt makes a hard decision.
Note: Some dialogues are directly taken from the show. You’ll recognize it when you read it. Not mine then.
________________________________________________________________________________
Mt. Mackenzie
Pilot Ed Mancin were bringing a young couple up to Mt. Mackenzie who wanted to ski there. Well, they already enjoyed it during the flight in the helicopter while drinking champagne. Ed just shook his head. “Mr. Colin, you shouldn’t drink that much. These mountains are never easy, you should know that.”
Ted Colin was having none of this. “We’re both expert skiers. And this mountain looks like a piece of cake. Should be easy to get down. You don’t have to worry about us. We might go down to Tahoe quicker than you.”
Ed again shook his head. “If you say so. But still, don’t forget to notify me when you’re down.” He set the helicopter down and the couple got out, taking their skiers from the side and made themselves ready to ski. As he noticed that they were far away from the chopper, he finally got up again and flew down back to Tahoe.
Ted and his girl started to ski down and competed with each other of who would be the first one down. They tried several routes and also unknown ones. Well, it didn’t end well and an avalanche came down, making them to be quicker than it but they had no chance.
In Tahoe
At the Ranger station, Matt and Cody Hawkes were preparing themselves for their parents’ anniversary. Matt hoped for a quiet evening but he didn’t want to get his hopes too high. He’d seen this enough as a child when his Dad was still in charge.
Cody asked curiously, “So what did you get Mom?”
“An alarm clock, so that she would never be late to work,” Matt replied smiling, looking at his little brother with love. Since the last incident with the bear, they were closer than before. “What did you get her?”
“You’ll see,” Cody answered smiling as well. It was his secret for the moment but he also knew that their bond had grown now.
“What about me, guys? It’s my anniversary too,” their Dad complained smirking, sipping on a cup of coffee.
“Well, it’s not like since you took this guy up to the bonies,” Matt explained while taking his jacket on and smirked to his brother. “Anyway, Mom’s still married.”
“At least in her head,” Cody continued knowingly.
“All right, let’s get going. Dingy’s waiting and Mom too,” Matt said and waved his Rangers good bye.
“We’ll let you know if we need your help,” Cutler let his boss know who just nodded.
“Happy anniversary, Mr. Hawkes,” Robin said as all Hawkes were on their way out and over to Jackie’s house where they would celebrate.
“Thanks,” Jesse said and followed his boys out.
Later that evening, the whole Hawkes family was gathered around the table and was waiting to start. Yet Jesse cleared his throat and said, “Jackie and I would like to thank for our anniversary for the past 25 years, two fine sons and all the good that happened. Amen.” All replied and the father opened the champagne bottle.
“C’mon, Dad, I’m old enough now and you only have one 25th anniversary,” Cody said amused, holding up his glass.
Jesse sighed but relented. “When you were six instead of sixteen but okay.” He filled Cody’s glass and noticed Matt’s amused look. He smirked at his older boy who just shrugged smiling.
“Just do it,” Jackie urged smiling. “I want to make a toast. Thanks for the past 25 years and such a wonderful family.” All cheered and clicked their glasses.
“Hey Mom, what about the food?” Matt asked curiously. He didn’t want to say he was hungry but with his job, you never know.
“All right,” his Mom answered and started to give it around. “Pass this along, will you? Anyway, my Dad called today and sent me his best wishes.”
“For me too?” Jesse asked and smiled at his wife knowingly.
“Yeah, for some reason, he still admires you.” She turned to her older son. “He has a job offer for you, Matt but you have to make a decision quickly.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” Matt wanted to know still but he loved his job.
“With your law knowledge, you could work as a foreman in Dad’s company. He holds it back for three weeks, so please consider it.”
“In Tempe, Arizona?” Cody asked not amused. He for sure didn’t want his brother to go, because he loved it to have him close by. He just didn’t want to lose him – for good.
“Maybe it’s also good for you, Cody. To see more than bears and all,” Jackie suggested but her younger boy was not happy. That much she could already see. She sighed.
“I thought you wanted the family to be together,” Jesse said not happily. He knew how his boys felt and that Matt was happy with what he was doing. And Cody was closer than ever to his big brother. He didn’t want to destroy that.
“And safe,” Jackie concluded but knew that she might have already lost this battle.
“Mom, I’ll think about it,” Matt offered as a kind of family peace. He could see on his Dad’s and Cody’s faces that they were not happy. Just then the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he said and stood up, leaving his food and family the way it was. He ran down the stairs and flipped on the light, opening the door.
“Hey Matt,” Jim Cutler greeted him. “Sorry to disturb you but we may have a problem. Remember Ed Mancin? He said that his guests didn’t appear here in Tahoe yet.”
“Hey Ed,” Matt said, shaking the man’s hand. “What’s up?”
“You see, I brought this the young couple, two expert skiers up to Mt. Mackenzie but they never returned to Tahoe. And I checked everywhere. No one’ s seen them.”
“All right. I’ll meet you in the car,” Matt said, nodding to Jim and Ed before walking back up and sighing. He watched his family eating but well, duty called. “Sorry Mom, Dad. We need to get out searching for some missing people on Mt. Mackenzie.”
Jackie sighed. “God knows I’ve been through this enough with your Dad.”
“It’s okay, boy. We understand,” Jesse said nodding. Matt smiled at him.
“Happy anniversary,” the older son said and leaned to down for his Mom to kiss him. “I’ll need to go.” He started to walk back to the stairs and grab his jacket, ready to leave.
Cody had the feeling he should say something. “Matt, wait!” He stood up and ran to his brother, hugging him tightly. “Promise me to be careful.”
Matt sighed amused. “Toad, I promise, okay. What’s up with you? Still, I need to hurry now. The others are waiting for me.” Matt finally left the house.
Cody bit his lip but said nothing and returned to his place. He didn’t notice that their parents exchanged looks as if they knew what was going on. Still, the younger brother had this feeling that something could happen to Matt today, or at least tomorrow.
“Happy anniversary,” Jackie simply said and held up her glass, making Jesse do the same while Cody smiled at them.
Ranger Station
All Rangers were gathered around the table, packing up their things while Matt spoke about their rescue plan. “We all know that Mt. Mackenzie is a great territory and we need to start with the search soon. I want everyone in his position, because there are people out there who depend on us.”
“It’s pitch black. How can we search for them?” Izzy asked curiously.
“They’re expert skiers. Maybe they found shelter, and we could use volunteers,” Robin said and looked at her boss who shook his head.
“No, it’s only us. We’ll move back and up the mountains with each corner covered by you. And when on top, the same way back.”
“How many yards apart?” Tim wanted to know. He could see that all were not happy but they had no other choice here.
“400 yards,” Matt said finally. “Frank and I are going to take the helicopter. You all use the snowmobiles. We’re moving to the base and spread out in the morning. Clear?”
All accepted and moved out to make all ready. Matt closed up the station and joined Frank in the helicopter, ready to fly off while the others followed on their snowmobiles.
At Jackie’s house
Later that evening, Cody said, “It was delicious, Mom.” He smiled at her but could see that she was worried about his brother.
“A ten plus, like always,” Jesse agreed and smiled at his family, though he missed his oldest boy.
“It was good, wasn’t it?” Jackie replied sighing. She’d prepared a plate for Matt. “Well, I’m going to bring this to Matt over at the station.” Then they all heard the helicopter going over the house. Cody and Jesse looked up while Jackie sighed. “Okay,” she said, trying hard not to cry while putting a plastic wrap over the plate and it into the fridge.
At night, Jackie walked into the living room where her husband slept, or at least trying to. She thanked him for staying the night here and all but she couldn’t stop her worry about Matt, and Cody maybe too. Jesse agreed with her and both had a sense of deja vu while drinking a cup of coffee.
Their younger boy, however, was in his room, tossing and turning in his bed. Every time he closed his eyes, his dream kept coming back and this one was mostly about his big brother. At first, he felt pain in his head and arm and then just cold – and then all was black. And this was always the time, he woke up. “Damn,” he said quietly and got out of his bed.
“What do we do about them?” Jackie asked curiously and Jesse just shrugged, though he knew they had to tell Cody at one time.
“Mom? Dad?” Cody asked while walking into the room and yawning.
“Kitchen, son,” Jesse announced and looked at his wife and son. “You should be in your bed, son. What’s up?”
“I can’t sleep,” Cody said tiredly. “When I close my eyes, a dream keeps haunting me and I think it’s about Matt.” He shivered a bit. Then he noticed their cups. “You’re drinking coffee at this time?”
“Don’t change the subject, boy,” Jesse said seriously. “What about your dream and Matt? What did you dream about?”
Cody looked nervously at his parents. “I don’t know. At first, everything is normal, then I feel pain in my head and arm.” He sighed. “Well, after that it’s only cold before all went black. What do you think?”
Again, Jackie and Jesse exchanged looks which didn’t go unnoticed by their boy this time. Jackie sighed. “Before you ask, we both know that your bond has grown now again. It reminds me and your Dad about the time you two were growing up when we all still lived at the cabin.”
“Okay, interesting,” Cody concluded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I take it, our bond was then just as strong as it is now again.”
“True,” Jesse continued and ruffled his boy’s hair smiling. “You got into trouble all the time and Matt had his hands full, looking after you. At least, he had Dingy for help.” The father laughed a bit. “He had often to run after you, because you were out there and got lost from time to time. But big brother was watching over you, yet your Mom was worried all the time. In the end, you know where it ended with your Mom and Matt leaving.”
Cody looked down a bit. “Yeah, sorry. And I missed Matt after this.” He sighed. “What now? Should we warn Matt?”
“No, we’ll keep waiting,” Jesse answered determined. “What’s meant to happen, should happen.” He looked at both his wife and son. “I know you don’t like it but we have no choice here. Matt and his Rangers need to concentrate on their rescue now.”
“Fine. Can I sleep on the couch?” Cody wanted to know and gestured to the item.
Jesse was about to protest but Jackie took over. “Sure. Your Dad and I will sleep in my room. It’s been so long that we’ve been together.” Cody grimaced at this picture. “We’ll wake you when it’s time for breakfast.”
The three Hawkes said good night again and went to sleep, hoping for a peaceful night now. But with this news, it would be hard. They could only wait now.
In the morning
Matt and Frank were at the base in the helicopter whereas the Rangers drove to their assigned points on their snowmobiles. Matt was lost deep in thoughts as he thought about Cody’s behavior and was strongly reminded of himself. Sighing, he decided to concentrate on his task now.
“Matt, you okay?” Frank asked concerned. “You looked lost for some time.”
“Cody acted strange when I left. It reminded me of … me when we were kids,” he explained sighing. “You look after the wind while I reach out to the others and coordinate the search.” Frank nodded while Matt took a deep breath, calling out to the other Rangers. “This is Flying Tiger calling Flash, Frostbite, Black Magic and Pocatello Kid. Do you read me?”
“Yes, I read you,” came the chorus from all four.
“Alright. Proceed to your next assigned corner and tell me what you see,” Matt ordered while looking at Frank. He had a map in his hands and could only hope that they’d find the missing skiers.
Robin called back first. “Frostbite calling Flying Tiger. I reached corner eight. Don’t see anything yet.”
“All right,” Matt said and marked this on his map. “Proceed your next corner. Out.”
Robin didn’t say anything, started her snowmobile and went on. The next one was Jim Cutler. “Flash here. Reached corner seven. Nothing else to report, just miles and miles of snow.”
Matt sighed. This was going to be a long day it seemed. “Okay, up to your next grid.” He marked it as well on his map and waited.
“Roger and out,” Jim confirmed and went on. Izzy was at his point and thought to have seen something. He stood up and followed this but well, nothing was there. “Izzy here. I thought I’d seen something but my eyes are playing tricks on me, I guess.”
Matt looked briefly at Frank. “Put your sunglasses on. We don’t want anyone to get snow-blind here. Where are you?”
“Corner six.” Izzy shook his head of how his boss could know that.
“Go to corner three,” Matt ordered and saw that Frank was deeply thinking. “You okay?”
Frank waved his hand while Izzy followed the order. Tim then came up at least. “Reached corner five but no one’s there. It’s really windy here. Are they really out here?”
“Here too,” Matt confirmed and marked his map again. “It’s our job, so we don’t question this. Frank and I are going to start the helicopter and search from above.”
“Guys, I don’t think that’s a good idea. With the wind and all.”
“If you have a better idea, I’m open for anything. If not, we’re going to do that.”
Tim sighed but said nothing. “No. Good luck, you guys.” He started his snowmobile but he heard over his radio Frank still. “If we’re finding them first, Hart, you’re buying dinner.” He chuckled.
“Proceed your next corner and let us know,” Matt said and turned the radio away. Looking to Frank, he asked, “Can we start? It’s getting desperate slowly.”
“I know. My training would say no but my heart says yes,” the pilot answered smiling. “Do you really think they are still out there?”
“Yes, they are experts as we were told. And as before, it’s our job. We don’t question it.” He sighed and looked out. “If you get a window here, get up!”
“Right.” Frank nodded and started the helicopter. The two Rangers went up into the air and looked for the missing skiers now too.
The wind had picked up more and Frank had decided to go above it, giving them more space to look over. Just at the moment, several yards beneath them, Ted and his girl heard the chopper and ran out of their shelter, waving the chopper and hoping they were seen.
“A helicopter,” Ted said after hearing the noise. “They’re looking for us.”
“They can’t see us,” his girl agreed and was nearly in panic as she stumbled on the ground, waving her hand up and down.
Matt had his eyes on the ground watching when he noticed the pair, waving to them. “I can see them,” he announced amused. He smirked to Frank before saying into his radio, “Flying Tiger calling all Rangers. We’ve found the missing skiers between corners six and seven. We’re going down to pick them up.”
“Hey Hart,” Frank cut in smirking as well. “How does Chinese sound?” The bet was still on his mind.
Matt grinned as well. “We’ll meet you at the station. Go home now. See you later.”
Frank set the chopper down while Matt walked out, speaking with the skiers. “Matt Hawkes, High Mountain Rangers. You okay?”
“Yeah,” the woman said relieved. “An avalanche caught us by surprise. We spent the night deep in snow. Thank god, you’ve found us.”
“Right. Let’s get you two in the chopper and back to Tahoe,” Matt said and guided them the helicopter, letting them in while climbing in as well. The pilot lifted off again while he served the couple some hot drinks. “Here’s some coffee.” Both nodded in thanks.
“Matt, we may be in trouble. The wind is getting harder and I have problems keeping the bird stable,” Frank announced concerned and his boss just gave him a look. “I try to call the service. This is White Eagle calling Tahoe radio. Tahoe radio, please come in.” There was just crackling. “White Eagle calling Tahoe radio. Please, come in.” Again nothing. “What now?”
The couple behind them began slowly to panic while both Rangers tried to remain calm. The wind blew more and more and Frank had more problems to keep the chopper stable. “Matt!” he just said and worked on his best to get it down halfway gentle.
“Mayday, mayday, this is Flying Tiger. We’re losing altitude. Mayday,” he said into his radio and then it crashed. Matt was briefly unconscious and grabbed his left arm in pain. His head also hurt, and he noticed that his sunglasses were broken. “Damn! You okay?” he asked the pilot.
Frank nodded and noticed Matt’s pain. “Are you?” he wanted to know concerned.
Matt instead grabbed his arm carefully and went out. “I’ll check on our skiers.” He stumbled to the back door and watched over the couple. “You okay?” he asked them and couldn’t concentrate well. The woman nodded as he checked on the man. “Ted has a slight concussion. She’s okay.” Then he made his way back to the front door but blacked out.
“Matt!” Frank yelled and raced over to his boss and friend. “Matt, say something! C’mon buddy!”
“Help him!” Ted ordered his girl and she also walked over to help the pilot, sitting Matt up as Frank checked him quickly.
“Ow,” was Matt’s comment as he noticed Frank and the girl. “Status?”
“Radio is completely off. Even the emergency signal,” Frank explained concerned. He turned to the woman. “Go under my seat. There’s a first aid kit. I’ll need to bandage him.”
Matt realized and groaned, coming around slowly. “I know you don’t like it but we may have no other choice. With this cold and wind, one of us should go down.” The woman brought the kit and his friend took care of his wounds. “Frank?”
“Wait a bit, Matt. You’re in no condition to do that,” the pilot said alarmed but sighed. “Yet I know you have a stubborn head. Like all Hawkes.” That earned him a slap on his arm. “Let’s just wait some time.”
Matt nodded and both helped him into his seat in the helicopter. He saw how the woman and Frank exchanged looks but he knew that there was no other choice. Sighing, he also realized that his little brother could be right this time.
Tahoe, same time
The Hawkes family had their breakfast together and now they were waiting for anything or anyone to appear. Jackie and Jesse exchanged looks from time to time whereas Cody just remained silent and played with Dingy at his feet. All of a sudden, he sprang up and looked around.
“Ow,” he said confused and looked at his parents while grabbing at his arm and head.
Jesse was at his side in an instant and sat him down again. “Cody? Talk to me. What’s going on?”
The young man looked at his Dad, then at his Mom. “I think it just happened to Matt. We should go now!” he demanded seriously, near to tears. “Matt’s in pain.”
Jesse sighed and looked at his wife who was also crying. “We don’t know exactly where to look, son. You know that. We need the Rangers here. Cody, please be patient!”
Cody nodded. “I know, Dad,” he whispered and grabbed Dingy carefully. “It’s just … we could have warned him, and the Rangers.” He tried not to cry but the tears came anyway. “I’m afraid to lose my big brother.”
“Shsh, boy,” Jesse said in a soothing voice. “That’s not going to happen. Matt is strong. He needs you just like you need him. Don’t give up so easily, Cody!” His son nodded and his wife as well. “We need to be strong now.”
They all calmed down and waited. And waited an hour. Another hour went by when then the doorbell rang again. Cody was out of his seat immediately and ran to the door, opening it in a hurry. “Hey Tim,” he greeted the Ranger. “Let me guess. The chopper crashed and Matt’s missing. You only know it’s on Mt. Mackenzie and you have no idea where to look. Am I right?”
Tim looked confused at Jesse and Jackie who had followed their boy. “How does he know? I’m here to ask for your help.”
“Long story,” Jesse only offered and grabbed his jacket while kissing his wife. He followed his younger son out. “Jackie, go to the station and man the radio if need be!”
“And let Dingy go when he whimpers too much,” Cody added quickly as he grabbed his jacket finally too. “Thanks, Mom. And we’re going to find Matt.” He was gone.
Jackie just sighed. “All right, guys. You got me back to work. Tim.” The Ranger looked up. “My sign name was Mama Bear back then, just as Jesse was Papa Bear. So you don’t get confused when I’ll man the radio soon.” Dingy turned to her and she sighed again.
“Okay,” he simply said and went with his hand through his hair. Tim noticed the Hawkes men by his car already. “Way to go, man. I really don’t want to know how Cody knows about this. There’s no signal coming from them, yet we just got the last position message from Matt.”
“Better than nothing,” Jesse concluded sighing. “Let’s just get going and start the search for them.”
Tim opened the car again and all drove to the Ranger station where the others were gathered and waited for the signal to start. They all were nervous and anxious. Not only had they to worry about the already found skiers but also their boss and pilot and they didn’t know if something had happened to them. When Jesse and Cody joined them, they could already tell that Cody might know a bit.
“All right,” Jim Cutler said calmly. “This situation is hard for all of us since two of us are also missing now. But we still need to act like we always do – like trained professionals.” He turned to Tim Hart. “Tim, Matt made you our backup CO. So it’s your turn now, buddy.”
Tim nodded and stood up. “The last signal we received from Matt was that they found the skiers between corners six and seven. Then we’ve got the mayday one and then there’s silence. Another helicopter went up but couldn’t find them and an emergency signal.” He looked at all of them. “With the wind blowing, they could have moved down or up the mountains again.”
Jesse sighed but added, “The wind was blowing hard and Frank may look for a place to stay visible somehow.” He noticed that his son was again lost in his thoughts. “Tim, I may have one request. Could you give me Jim with? Cody feels Matt’s pain and I don’t know how it will go on when we search for them.”
“Sure,” Tim agreed nodding. “So, you, Jim and Cody go together while Robin, Izzy and me will be the other unit out there. We all go on snowmobiles and keep constant contact with me. Agreed?”
All nodded and prepared themselves for the new search. Jesse went to Cody, “Son, you okay?”
“What? Yeah, I’m fine, Dad,” the younger boy said sighing. “I’m just worried about Matt.” He noticed that the Rangers were on the way to go out searching again. “Can we go now? I see you’re all on the run.”
The Hawkes men and all Rangers got on the snowmobiles and made their way up to the mountains. Tim, Robin and Izzy were a team as well as Jesse, Cody and Jim. The first thing was to find the helicopter and then onto the next step.
Meanwhile, on the crash site
Matt pushed himself up and checked on Ted Colin again. “He got frostbite, Frank. We’ll need to get help now. It’s best I’ll go down since you’re the pilot and know how to keep the chopper visible.”
Frank looked at his friend. Sighing, he said, “But only under protest, Matt! Here, take some Tylenol.” He handed his boss the pills who took them nodding. “I know how you think and work but please, be careful this time! Cody still needs you, and I don’t want him to be right.”
“I know,” Matt whispered knowingly. “Thanks for your help, Frank though you don’t agree with me.”
“Here, take my sunglasses since yours are broken.” Frank gave him the items and also his scarf. He also changed the bandage on his arm again. “Please, be careful and save me a good hot meal!”
Matt smirked a bit and started his way down the mountains. He felt good for the moment and well, he hoped to find his way down. He could also feel the others’ eyes on him, especially Frank’s. The pain in his arm and head weren’t that bad too, yet he needed to concentrate on his way now.
“Do you really think he’ll get down? It’s 15 miles down,” the girl said shocked and looked at the pilot. “It’s crazy!”
“I know,” Frank agreed sadly. “But I have hope and pray on your good luck.”
The trio said nothing and just kept waiting for anyone or anything to appear. All were worried about Matt but they could only wait now. Frank did all to keep the couple warm and also the chopper intact. There was nothing he could do now except pray for his friend.
Matt, meanwhile, stumbled his way down the mountains but the pain made it hard for him to concentrate on his way, even with the snow coming down and the cold. Stepping through the snow, he never noticed that he went right into a frozen little lake where he crashed in but the pain in his arm made it even harder to get out.
He managed after a felt long time. “Cody, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, putting his head briefly in the snow. Coughing, Matt got up again, because he needed to get moving or he’d die here. He just couldn’t let that happen – to his family and especially Cody. Matt kept walking further.
With Jim, Jesse and Cody
As all Rangers were out on snowmobiles and split into the groups, the three had covered a lot of territory but suddenly Cody began to shiver, making him stop his snowmobile.
Jesse did the same, and Jim followed. “Cody, son, what is it? Is it Matt again? Son, talk to me!”
Cody finally realized his Dad’s eyes on him. “I don’t know. It’s just cold and the pain got numb, I think. If it’s Matt, he’s in deep trouble.”
“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked curiously. He and Jesse exchanged looks but tried to remain calm for Cody’s sake.
Cody shivered again. “He must have fallen into water. The pain is still there.” He gestured to the weather around them. “With this snow and cold, I really fear for my big brother.”
Jesse squeezed his son’s shoulder knowingly. “Let’s get going! We need to find the chopper right now!”
All three nodded and started their snowmobiles again, ready to continue searching, yet Jesse’s worry about his oldest boy increased more and more. If only they knew where to look.
With Jackie
In Tahoe, Jackie heard Dingy whimper and want to get out, obviously. She sighed and stood up, walking to the door and let the dog go who raced off in the snowy mountains.
“Find my boys”, Jackie whispered crying and decided to go over to the station, to let her men know that Dingy was out there now too. Taking a deep breath, she had a goal in mind and walked to the station.
Somewhere
Matt was becoming weaker and weaker. He couldn’t focus because of the pain and cold. Looking around, he couldn’t even tell where he was, at least not exactly. With his headache and pain in his arm, he shivered and walked some more unsteady steps before falling into the snow and losing consciousness.
He came around again when he felt someone licking his face. Opening his eyes, Matt saw Dingy and felt some relief. Grabbing the dog by the collar, he said quietly, “Hey boy. Did you find me, eh?” He coughed again and let Dingy go. “Get Cody, boy. Get Cody!”
The dog whimpered for some time before following the last order. Dingy raced off again while Matt was too weak and fell down in the snow, falling asleep finally but knew that his Rangers and family were looking for him.
The snow slowly covered him.
With Jim, Jesse and Cody
As the radio crackled, a familiar voice said, “Mama Bear calling Papa Bear or Ace. Can you guys hear me?”
Jesse reached for his radio. “Papa Bear here. What’s up, Jackie?”
“Dingy is out there. Maybe he can find Matt,” she let them know. “Any signs yet?”
“Not yet but we’re looking, I promise. We don’t give up, honey. Papa Bear out,” Jesse answered and his wife did the same. Looking at his son and Ranger, he offered, “Dingy might find Matt and then come to us, or to Cody at least.”
Cody nodded quickly but wiped some tears away. “He will.” He turned to Jim now. “You have to know, Dingy was our dog before he became mine only. Or at first, Matt’s, then ours and lately mine.” He shivered again and looked at his Dad. “Dad? Something is wrong.”
Jesse agreed nodding. “I know, son. I can feel it too.” Sighing, he ordered, “First the chopper, then Matt! Let’s think about it. Frank would keep the helicopter visible somehow.”
“Yeah,” Jim said sighing as well and really tried not to show his worry. “If I remember correctly, there’s a valley close by. Not far from here.”
“Let’s go then,” Cody concluded determined and started his snowmobile again. He made his way to the valley, followed by his Dad and Jim.
Half an hour later, they were greeted with Avila’s half yell but also concern in his face. “Oh thank God, you’ve found us! I got worried for some time.”
“That’s okay, Frank,” Jesse replied worried. “How are the skiers?”
“He got frostbite and needs to go to the hospital immediately.” Frank looked down and sighed. “I tried to stop Matt but he insisted to go down the mountains, even though he’s injured.”
“I was afraid of that,” Jesse said knowingly and looked at his younger boy now. “Where’s Matt hurt? Did you give him any medicine?”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, before he left on foot, I gave him some Tylenol and exchanged his bandage on the arm. He also banged his head, I think but that looked okay.”
“Here, take my radio and contact Tim and the others. They are also on snowmobiles up here.” Jesse gave Frank the radio who immediately did as told. The former Ranger turned to his son. “Cody?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go then!” The young man started his snowmobile, ignoring the others for a moment but knowing his Dad and Jim would follow him soon. He just didn’t want them to see his tears.
Jesse and Jim exchanged a concerned look but made their way to follow Cody down the mountains. Another five miles down, the three of them reached the little lake where Matt had fallen in earlier. Jimmy stopped his snowmobile and let the others stay on theirs. Walking around, he sighed.
“He was clearly here,” he concluded, turning to them. “And not that long ago. With his injuries and all, he could die of hypothermia. We should hurry now!”
From a distance, Cody thought to have heard barking and it sounded like Dingy. “I hear barking. Could be Ding who could lead us to Matt,” he offered and called his dog. “Dingy, boy, c’mon! I know it’s you!” Not five minutes later, the dog ran to its owner and pulled on his jeans to get him going. “Easy boy. You know where Matt is, don’t you?”
“Let’s go then,” Jesse said concerned while Jim went back to his snowmobile and started it quickly. “C’mon boy, lead the way! Show us the way to Matt!”
The dog looked back and forth between the two men before racing off again. The trio followed him fast, knowing that they’d lose Matt for good soon if they were too late.
Meanwhile
Tim, Robin and Izzy had located Avila and the skiers too. “Sorry for being late, Frank,” Tim said sighing. “We got a little distracted by an avalanche coming at us but we managed. How was Matt?”
Frank accepted nodding. “Right.” He sighed now too. “He was doing pretty good but was definitely in pain.”
Tim just nodded whereas Robin and Izzy were loading Ted into the basket behind the snowmobile. He turned to the Rangers. “Ready to go?”
“Can I go with him?” Ted’s girl asked afraid.
“Sure,” Robin assured her and put the man into a blanket. “Go behind Izzy. What about you, Frank? Will you come with us?”
“No,” he replied shaking his head. “I’ll call the chopper service right now to bring the bird and me down. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
They all thumbed up while Frank radioed the chopper service with his location and told them to bring the helicopter and him down immediately. He really wanted to know how Matt was doing. His injuries must be painful by now.
In the Wilderness
Dingy showed the trio the way and turned around from time to time, to make sure they were still behind him. The dog found the place again where he’d found his master and tried to dig him out, carefully and licking his face. Dingy whimpered again.
Jesse and Jim immediately ran over and tried to find out how bad it was. “Jim, help me! We need to turn him over, very carefully.” Jesse looked at his younger son who was completely frozen at the sight. He pushed Dingy to Cody. “Go. Help Cody!”
The dog did as told whereas Cody just hugged his dog, trying hard not to cry. Cody was just afraid that they were already too late to save his big brother. The tears came still.
As both men turned Matt over, Jim noticed that there was no reaction coming from his boss. “He is completely stiff.” He laid his head on Matt’s chest. “But his heart is beating, thank god! Though very slow. What now?” He looked at Jesse.
“He’s in a coma. His body must have decided to shut down.” The former Ranger sighed. “Bring your snowmobile with the basket close by. We’ll need to bring him down to the hospital immediately!” Jimmy nodded and did as ordered. Jesse took Matt’s hand. “C’mon, son, don’t leave me, us!”
“Dad?” Cody asked carefully and looked at both men. “Will he survive? Is there going to be any damage?”
“I don’t know, son.”
“Jesse, I’m ready,” Jim announced and walked over to his boss, taking his arms. Jesse followed and took his son’s legs. “Cody, help us with his stiff arm!” The teen nodded and came over as well by taking the arm. They managed to lay him down in the basket. “And now the blankets! Cody, one is in my pack and the other one in your Dad’s.”
Cody grabbed them out quickly and put them over his brother. The other two men helped him. They put one over his body and the other one completely over as well with the stiff arm. Cody leaned closer. “Matt, please don’t leave me!”
Jimmy patted Cody’s shoulder. “He’s strong, you know that.” He knelt down as well. “He’s your brother – and my boss. We all need him still.”
“Jimmy, you should get going! Time is of the essence here,” Jesse urged the Ranger who nodded and ran to the snowmobile, starting it. “Let the other Rangers and Jackie know! We’ll meet you at the hospital.”
The Ranger thumbed up and raced down the mountains, letting the others and Jackie know that they’d meet at the hospital. Jesse turned to his younger son who sat in the snow, not really seeing anything and Dingy whimpered again, trying to get his attention.
“Cody, son, we need to get going. Matt will need us, especially you,” Jesse encouraged his boy by putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’ll go to the hospital right away. Cody!”
Cody finally looked up crying. “We could have warned him, Dad and maybe prevented it.” He wiped his tears away, or at least trying to. “What if we were too late? If he doesn’t survive it. He was frozen!”
“We couldn’t have done anything, boy. You know that. Remember what I told you at the house? If it was meant to happen, it should happen,” Jesse explained sighing but he was worried too about his eldest son. “Cody, let’s go now! We’ll take Dingy with us and put him in front of the hospital. Let’s go, son!”
Cody nodded finally and went to his snowmobile, putting Dingy in front of him and starting it. He raced down the mountains, followed by his Dad. Both made it in record time back to Tahoe and to the hospital. All they could do now was wait.
TBC ...
I know I'm mean but hey, maybe it gets your attention.
It's posted on FF.net as well.
REVIEWS ARE WELCOMED!!
