Page 56 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

Dante closed his eyes and breathed out as slowly as he could, trying to calm his crazed heartbeat.

She would be safe. Mrs Davis would get to the hospital and be fixed up as good as new, albeit sporting some bandages for her efforts.

She’d briefly opened her eyes and stared at him while the air ambulance guys had bundled her safely onto the basket. Recognition had flared for a brief moment. A happy smile had brightened her face as she’d reached for him, then winced in pain at the movement. The spark of recognition faded as fast as it had appeared as they strapped her in.

Mac waved to his sister as the chopper banked and pulled away, heading straight for the city.

“How on earth did she get so far? And in here, of all places. What must have been going through her head?” Mac said.

Dante shook his head. “No idea. Maybe she saw the trail and thought it was a way out, a way home?”

While there were many hiking trails the rangers maintained and traversed regularly, there were even more wildlife trails that wound off into the thick forest, leading deeper to far moretreacherous places. They could get a person turned around and lost faster than seemed possible.

Ewan whistled, catching their attention.

“Okay, everyone. Now that the excitement’s over, we get to walk back to the truck.”

A chorus of moans and not-so-muffled cursing peppered the morning air. It was a good four-hour hike back to where they’d left the unit truck.

A female ranger led the way and they fell into line behind her, Ewan bringing up the rear. His large hand fell to Dante’s shoulder, stopping them from following the rest.

“Try not to worry about what happened with Belle. This was a pretty unique situation. People say all sorts of horrible things they don’t mean when under extreme pressure. I’ve seen it too many times to count. Don’t give up on her.”

Dante nodded and mumbled a reply. There wasn’t much else he could do.

Everyone knew what had gone down between him and Belle. As galling as that thought was, at this point he couldn’t muster the strength it took to care. Ewan pointed up the rise to the rapidly disappearing group.

“Hustle, Casellati. We don’t want them to have to come back looking for us, now.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Belle rushed intothe hospital ER, her father and Jack by her side. The triage nurse directed them to the ICU where her mother had been taken after treatment in the hours it took them to get there.

The ICU nurse pointed to the huge viewing window across from the desk.

“No visitors today. I’m sorry.”

“But—”

The nurse simply shook her head. “You can see her through the glass, but you’re not to enter the room. It’s possible you might be able to tomorrow, but that’s up to the doctor. She’s been through a lot.”

Belle bit her lip and nodded. She walked over to the window while the nurse explained more about her condition. Belle’s stomach plummeted at the wires and gadgets attached to her mother.

Monitors flashed andblippedtheir regular monotonous drone. Nasal prongs attached to clear oxygen tubes pressed firmly into her nose.

Belle wrapped her arms around herself. Jack came up beside her and held her tight beneath his arm.

“She’s going to be okay.”

Belle blinked to stop the tears that threatened. She leaned into her brother’s side.

“It’s not your fault.”

Belle wiped at her face, the tears welling despite her grim determination not to cry. “I know that.”

“Do you?” Jack waited until she looked at him. “Mac told me what you said to Dante.”

Belle grimaced and tried to hide her face in his shoulder. “I’m sure the whole damned town heard what I said to Dante.”

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