Page 23 of Wandering Closer

“You’ll be okay, you’ve got a good team behind you. Plus, it’s only until they find a permanent replacement.”

“Thanks, man.” I grab my lunch as he pulls back into the office, and head in search of Niles. He’s posted up outside the conference room waiting for me, with papers spread all over the table. He’s new to the job, and even newer to the search and rescue team. So new, in fact, he hasn’t even been to one of the training sessions yet, hence his nerves.

“I’ve got the map laid out, with the location her car is at, as well as the approximate location her friend said she normally hikes to. The protocol is six hours right, then we go looking? Is it six hours from when she left, or six from when we are notified?”

I clap my hand on his shoulder attempting to calm him. “Take a breath, it’s always best to go into this with a clear head and a plan. After six hours of her being missing, we will start the search. I’m going to grab the list of who should be available today and then we can start planning out buddy searches and who goes where, okay?”

He trembles beneath my hand, but nods, taking a deep breath, then heads into the conference room. My next stop is my office to grab my laptop and SAR binder. Stacking my lunch on top, I make my way back to the conference room to join Niles to form a plan.

By the time we hit the six hour mark, I have nine volunteers on their way to the trailhead along with Niles and I, and four more able to take a shift or join us within four hours if we still haven’t found the hiker. Parking the truck next to the missing hiker’s SUV, I pull the cooler from the back seat and add it to the bins in the bed.

The cooler is filled with water, gatorades, and some protein bars. The bins in the bed are filled with some of our gear. There’s a sked, used for transporting injured persons, ready on the edge with one bin filled with a few spare backpacks filled with first aid kits, flashlights, knives, and other basic supplies. Another bin has walkie-talkies for all of us, one has ropes and harnesses. Wearen’t really sure what type of rescue we will be looking at yet, so I brought a few basics for any scenario.

A few of my seasoned volunteers have their own backpacks, but the rest dig in to grab one from my truck. We all clip our walkie talkies in place, walking through our game plan and who will be buddies. I put Niles with me since he is new, and I know I have a lot of knowledge I can divulge as we search. As everyone grabs the last of their things, ready to hit the trail, Sherry pulls up.

“Hey everyone,” she sings out, waving like this is a fun get together. “So sorry I am late, I had to go home and get changed.”

It’s then I take in her outfit, from her miniscule shorts to her boobs spilling over the top of her tank top, a pound of makeup on her face. She wasn’t on the list of volunteers available today, so I had no idea she was coming.

“You know this could be an all-night rescue, right?” Kyle asks, staring at her outfit with disgust. “You’re going to get cold. We talked in the meeting how comfortable, but covering, clothes are best to help us with the elements. That tramping through bushes might be necessary.” He’s always been a straight shooter, and today I extra appreciate that about him.

“Don’t you worry, I have leggings and a sweater in the car, and these are my comfortable clothes,” she winks at me. “So who am I paired up with? Thoren, honey, are you free?”

“Nope,” I respond quickly, clapping Niles on the back. “Doing some training with Niles along the way, so it’s best you join a random group since everyone is already paired.” I look around the group as everyone looks anywhere but at Sherry. I’ll let them figure that out. “Alright everyone, you know the drill. We all have our zones, but never stray too far so everything gets searched. Hiker’s name is Kelsey, she’s thirty-six and knows these woods well according to her friend. Chances are high we are carrying her out so be ready for that. Anyone that needs abreak, radio the group so we know where everyone is. Back up crews are ready if this ends up being a long night, but as long as you can stay for is greatly appreciated. Let’s go.”

I lead the group down the start of the trail, Niles hot on my heels. Before we get too far and I lose service, I send a quick text to Lily asking if she wouldn’t mind feeding Shadow dinner and letting her out to potty this evening if she doesn’t hear from me by six since I’m out on a SAR case. Her response is immediate, a photo of her and Shadow sitting on her porch, with a message saying good luck and that they will be having a ‘girls night’.

A smile breaks out on my face, both from her response and the photo. I hold my phone closer, admiring her stunning face with the biggest grin, blue eyes shining in the sunlight. When I volunteered with the SAR team previously, I always had to drop Shadow off with my parents or hope Jake was free to check on her. I take one last look at the photo before pocketing my phone and focus on getting Kelsey out of here safe and sound.

CHAPTER TEN

lily

Lily:

I hope you don’t mind if someone crashes our girl dinner tonight.

Michele:

Absolutely not, who is joining?

Lily:

Shadow, Thoren’s on a SAR case so I’m keeping her with me.

Michele:

Ooooh girl, we have catching up to do. I need the tea.

Ifinished putting a second layer of paint in the living room yesterday and peeled the tape off this morning. The kitchen is next, and I have it all taped off, but I decided not to start until tomorrow since I have Michele coming over for dinner tonight. I’ve been marinating chicken all day, and made a fresh loaf of bread for the side. I even made a small platter of fruits and vegetables for us to snack on. My parents often hosted dinner parties when I was a kid, but they always felt stuffy. Itingrained a desire in me to be an accommodating, but relaxed, host. Serving others is such a joy for me, so I may be going a little overboard, but I can’t help it. I’ve never hosted like this before, but it turns out, I really love it.

Shadow has been my sidekick again, and I have fallen in love with her. I’ve never looked at dog breeds, but when I took a break from writing earlier I looked up information about her. It turns out labs are known for being loyal, affectionate, and intelligent, which isn’t the least bit surprising. All of those attributes fit her well. I also learned you can make healthy treats for them besides the peanut butter biscuits I previously made. I now have a lick bowl in the freezer for her filled with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Mostly, I’ve been trying to keep my mind busy. Since my conversation with Andrea about Tyler, she has texted a few times begging me to put more thought into it. It has been weighing heavily on me, and I could use an outside female perspective. I don’t dare call my mom and let her know because I already know how she’ll react. Michele has been kind and open, and I respect her opinion. I hope she’s ready for me to unload on her tonight and that it won’t scare her off.

Beeps from Michele’s SUV alert me to her arrival as I remove everything from the oven. Shadow lets out some happy woofs when she knocks on the door and I holler for her to come in. She gives the pup some love before coming in, holding up two wine bottles.

“I brought the goods!” she laughs, setting them on the table. She looks put together again, in sleek trousers and a pretty blouse. It’s a polished but comfy look, and she pulls it off effortlessly. “It smells incredible in here, Lily. And look at the paint, it suits the space so well.”

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