Page 83 of Bound and Blitzed

I miss you, too. We’ll talk soon.

Valentina

Okay. See you soon.

I sigh and toss down my phone.

As soon as I return from this trip, I’ll tell Avery how I feel. I’ll explain that I knew, within the first twenty-four hours of our break, that I was wrong. I made a mistake. And that he’s it for me. That our marriage, his love, and our happiness are the most important things in my life.

That I could never resent him. Or us.

I wish I could say all that this morning but there’s not enough time. Instead, I take a shower, check my pack one final time, and write Avery one more sticky note.

I love you. You’re it for me. Forever and always.

Simple. To the point. Truthful.

I leave it on the kitchen counter, hoping he comes home after his game against Houston tonight, and sees it while I’m gone.

Then, I head to campus and meet up with my team. Together, we travel to the entry point. A handful of hours later, I enter The Great Smoky Mountains, knowing that the beautiful nature, my passion for research, and the camaraderie among my team members will bolster my spirits and soothe my soul.

It happens on the fourth day.

I’m jotting down notes, taking photographs, and allowing a sequence of events, of patterns regarding the changing habitations of the cerulean warbler to take shape in my mind. I lose time—the way I always do when I’m focused on my work. Minutes turn into hours. Steps turn into miles.

And then, the storm we were warned about is upon me.

The sky opens up, a deluge of rainfall spilling from the angry clouds above. I turn my face skyward, surprise rocking through me, and I’m drenched in seconds.

“Shit!” I swear, stuffing my notes into a waterproof pouch. I make sure my materials are stored safely before shouldering my bag and looking around to get a sense of my bearings.

But nothing looks familiar.

The rainfall is intense. Gusts of wind kick up, whipping my hair around my face as it tugs free from my ponytail.

I pull up my hood and take careful steps as I try to follow the path.

But I take a wrong step, the sole of my boot sliding on a patch of ice, and I fall hard, tumbling down and over the side of the hill I was working from.

“Argh,” I cry out as I literally somersault.

Sticks and branches tug at my hair, cutting my face. Gravel and rocks dig into my palms, shredding them as I try to find purchase on the hill to stop my fall.

“Ow!” My head collides with a rock and for a heartbeat, I’m airborne.

Fear spikes in my bloodstream, causing my heart rate to skyrocket as I try to understand what’s happening. I land in a heap, my tailbone slamming into the ground, and pain ripping through my ankle.

“Oh, God.” I wince, jolting from the agony.

Adrenaline pumps and I curl into myself, rocking nonsensically, as the rain falls in sheets.

“Oh my God,” I breathe.

I brush my wet hair out of my eyes and my fingertips come away dotted with red. I wince as I examine a cut on the side of my face, disappearing into my hairline.

It’s shallow. Nothing compared to the fire burning in my ankle and spreading up into my calf.

I lay my head back and suck in deep breaths, nearly choking on the rainwater.

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