Page 18 of A Scoring Chance

Dad grabs him by the collar, halting his movements. “The water is freezing, champ. Also, you know we can’t swim here.”

“Maybe we can all go together when we get back to camp?” Beau suggests, always the peacekeeper.

“Sounds like a plan.” It is my birthday trip, after all, so what I say is law, obviously within reason.

“It’s settled. I’m going to sit down on the rocks over there and enjoy the view. You three stay out of trouble.”

We stay at the waterfall for an hour or so before our stomachs all rumble loudly, signaling we should probably head back to camp. Beau decides to lead us back down the mountain, talking about how many burgers he’s going to eat when we get back to camp, which obviously gets Cole going, as well. Those two are always trying to one-up each other, making competitions out of the dumbest things.

“There’s no way either of you can eat more than three burgers, so give it a rest. Why don’t you ever fight over how many vegetables you’re going to eat?”

Beau turns and glares at me, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “Because vegetables are gross.”

“Yeah,” Cole chimes in, not wanting to miss his chance to put in his two cents. “How about we see who can eat the most s’mores?”

“Heck, no. Do you remember how sick we got the last time we did that? It took months for me to forget that smell,” I shout as the two of them head further down the trail, putting more distance between us.

Usually, we all hike down the trail in a close single-file line, only a few feet between us, but not today. Dad is moving even slower on our trek down the mountain than on the way up. I stop more than a few times just to make sure I can still see him, and each time, he waves and tells me to keep an eye on my brothers.

“Dad, are you still doing okay back there?”

“Yes, Cooper.” Dad sighs. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the parent during this trip.”

“Sorry,” I grumble, ducking my head slightly.

“Don’t apologize for looking out for your family. I can rest easy knowing you're around to keep everyone in line when I’m not. Now, let's keep going or there won’t be any food for us when we get back to camp because Beau and Cole will eat it all.”

We both laugh, knowing that’s a strong possibility before continuing down the trail. Beau and Cole continue coming up with the most insane ideas for competitions, even drawing me in for a few. I don’t know how much longer we hike down the trail before I hear the distinct sounds of the ground shifting. No, not an earthquake, more like a rockslide. Neither Beau nor Cole seems to hear a thing, continuing to argue as they head further down the trail, but I immediately spin around to search for Dad, but he isn't there. My eyes widen in horror as I backtrack, looking for any sign of him, but come up empty. I carefully peer over the side, hoping to see him, but I can’t see anything but the dense foliage. If he fell ... No, I know he went over the edge. I don’t know how I know. I just know.

Without missing a beat, I reach into my pocket to grab my cell and call for help, but there is no service. Not even a single bar. I need to get help up here fast, but what about Beau and Cole? I can’t leave them here, and I don’t want to panic them, either. They both have a tendency to overreact, going to the extreme when it’s usually something way less serious. If they knew Dad went over the edge…nope, I can’t tell them.

“Where’s Dad, Coop?” Beau asks, his chest rising and falling quickly. “We heard the rocks.”

Shit. I thought they didn’t hear a damn thing, but I was wrong. “He slipped and sprained his ankle. He said for us to head back to camp and call for help.”

“Why can’t you use your cell phone or the radio Dad carries in the backpack?”

“The entire pack went over the edge when he slipped, so we have to go get help.”

“I can stay…” one of them says but I cut them off. I don’t need to lose someone else on this trail. No one else is getting hurt, not on my watch.

“Dad told me to get you two back to camp. He didn’t want you to miss out on your hamburger eating contest.”

“If he’s sure.” Beau eyes me skeptically, gripping Cole’s hand tightly in his before heading back toward camp.

“I’m sure. Everything is fine, baby bro. Everything is fine.” I’ve never lied to my brothers before, but what else am I supposed to do? Dad said he trusts me to keep everything together when he isn’t around, and that’s what I’m going to do, by any means necessary.

We move as quickly as possible down the rest of the trail. I talk to Beau and Cole the entire way, asking them questions about school, hockey, and even girls. Anything to keep their minds focused on getting down the hill and not thinking about our dad.

The moment the campsite comes into view, the three of us take off at a sprint, heading straight for Momma. I don’t get a word out before she grips my face between her hands. “What happened?”

My eyes shift to the right, focusing on Beau and Cole. Both their eyes remain focused on me, waiting for me to tell everyone what happened. I should tell them the truth right now, but I don’t have to say anything. As usual, Momma just knows and springs into action.

“Beau, can you take Cole and Kyle back to the campsite? There are some snacks and cut-up fruit in the cooler. When your dad gets back, we’ll start the grill.”

Momma never takes her eyes off me as I watch Beau grab Cole’s and Kyle’s hands and lead them toward the camp. The minute they’re out of sight, I let the tears fall, collapsing into my mother's arms as we sink to the ground.

“Dad. He-He-He...” I keep trying to get the words out, but they won’t come. I can’t tell Momma that Dad fell off the cliffside. “He’s hurt.”

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