Page 48 of Signed With Love

The plane is nearby, so it takes only a few minutes to reach it. We are in the air moments later. Dad tries to keep me informed as things come from the other search and rescue teams. Apparently, Chadwick made another stop by the wreckage, which is now a smoldering pile of twisted metal. Thorne’s team has expanded, and there are now over thirty people on foot who will start climbing the mountain this morning. There will also be those in the sky searching for any sign of Rylee and Jamison.

Finn lands the plane on the north side of the mountain again. We are the ground search team for this area of the mountain. After Finn removes his headset and joins Dad and me on the ground, he passes the backpacks over. We plan to be out until sunset today. We have everything coordinated to get as high into the mountain as we can but leave time to return if we don’t find them. I don’t plan on returning without them.

I place the backpack on my shoulders and turn in a circle where we landed. The weather is surprisingly nicer today than before. The sun is rising, and not a cloud marks the sky. We will find them today and bring them home. I can feel it. With a deep breath of the Alaskan wilderness, I set off for the forest. My quick steps set the pace today. I reviewed in detail the map Finn proposed while we ate breakfast this morning. I know I’m heading in the right direction.

The hike is more treacherous the higher we get, the ground rough and uneven. Boulders and rocks slip if you don’t watch your footing. The cliffs drop off in staggering ledges, which keeps us in a tight formation. After five hours of hiking, we are deep into the mountain range. The tap on my shoulder brings us to a pause. Finn likes to do check-ins throughout the day with the rest of the team. His body gets tenser the more times he checks in with no new updates.

My hand lands on Finn’s shoulder after Dad signs to me there are no updates.

“We will find them,” I say, pushing the words past my rough throat. Finn grabs a bottle of water and passes it over. My words must have revealed I’m parched. “Thank you,” I tell Finn after recapping the water bottle.

Finn turns to Dad and says something. Dad signs, You’re right.

Finn nods, then turns my way. My head is tilted, and I can’t help but smile when Finn signs to me, You're right.

There’s a warmness that settles on my chest despite the reason we are out here. Jamison’s friends feel like they are my friends now, and I love that Finn also wants to communicate in my language.

I rest on the ledge and wait. The sun has finally risen high, so the temperature isn’t so harsh. The wind is still enough to blow some of the snow that’s settled. Finn drops down next to me and passes over a protein bar.

Thank you, I sign.

He tips his head down and smiles, then uncaps his bottle of water and takes a healthy swig.

Something must come over his radio, because Finn pauses with his head tilted and listens to what they say.

I immediately turn my head toward Dad. He signs, It’s Chadwick. The helicopter picked up some smoke on the south side of the mountain.

A bloom of hope spreads through me. We found them.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jamison

“I need to stop for a moment,” Rylee says between huffs. I pause and pass her the water from my bag. Thankfully, we had one bottle that survived the crash. We’ve been rationing the bottle since we have no idea how long it will take for help to find us, or for us to walk if they don’t. We’ve traveled far enough today that we are deep into the Denali forest now.

She takes a seat on a nearby rock and drinks. Once she screws the top back on, I slip it back into the bag. The sun is high, filtering its rays through the thick pine trees. I place my hand on my side and catch my breath. The pain is sharp with every breath.

“Aren’t you going to drink?” Rylee asks.

I shake my head. I’ll preserve as much of the water for her as I can.

“You can’t be dehydrated either, Jamison,” she warns.

I don’t respond but take a moment to rest on a fallen log. My ribs are killing me. I can’t help but cringe when I shift my weight. Now that the initial adrenaline has worn off, the pain is becoming unbearable.

“You’re hurt,” Rylee whispers.

I can’t hide it. The farther we walk, the harder it’s becoming to breathe. I’ve tried my hardest to hide the pain and keep her focused on moving forward.

“I’ll be fine,” I tell her, but it doesn’t have the desired effect when I say it through clenched teeth. I reach up to swipe away the sweat covering my temple.

That’s when I hear it. It’s a low rumble at first, but I’d know the sound anywhere. A plane. I jerk my head toward Rylee. It takes her a moment, but the familiar sound has us jumping up from our seats. We drag our gaze over the tree line. We have to find a break in the canopy so whoever is flying can see us. The plane gets close, and Rylee is waving her arms wildly above her head.

The plane sweeps off to the west side of the cliff, and her arms fall. “Do you think they saw us?” Rylee’s question lingers. I don’t want to give her false hope, but I fucking hope they saw us. I’d hoped our fire gave a smoke signal before we put it out this morning and the search team would have a general location since our beacons would only narrow down our location so much.

“Let’s continue down,” I say and put our backpack over my shoulder again.

“Let me hold it.” She reaches her hand out, but I shake my head. “Maybe we should stop here. You’re hurt,” Rylee adds.

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