Page 26 of Burning for Him

She rubbed her cheek against his. “If that happens, I’m sure I’ll find a way to forgive you.”

The satellite phone on the bed beside him rang, signaling a call instead of the walkie-talkie feature. Doug glanced at the screen, then handed the device to her. “It’s your godfather. Probably wants to make sure we haven’t gotten you killed.”

After taking a deep breath and letting it out, she pulled the blankets over her naked body while Doug quietly climbed out of bed and began to dress in his still dirty clothes. Jenn would have to do the same after she reassured her uncle she was safe.The last contact with him that she knew about was when Romeo called him shortly after they’d arrived at the village. After hitting the button to connect the call, she put it on speaker. “I’m alive, Uncle Ian, and not hurt. Doug, Romeo, and Lindsey are fine too.”

“Thank God.” His relief was palpable even with thousands of miles separating them. “What about everyone else?”

Her eyes filled with tears as yesterday’s horrific events raced through her mind, and she stared at the blanket over her lap. “We came to help out at this village in the mountains. Some people were killed and others injured during the earthquake and more in a landslide. We lost one of our volunteers—Margie is...wasa retired school principal. She was such a nice lady, Uncle Ian.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Baby-girl.”

She cringed at her nickname but didn’t say anything about it. Once she returned home, she’d have to sit her uncles down and ask them to use her given name from now on. If she didn’t put her foot down, she’d be in her fifties, and they would still call her Baby-girl.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you arrange for her...her body to be transported home to New Mexico, just outside of Albuquerque? If it’s too much trouble, I’m sure the volunteer organization will?—”

“It’s no trouble at all, Jenn. I’d rope the moon for you.” She knew he would, but sometimes she felt like she asked too much of him. While many people called him a sarcastic son of a bitch, Ian Sawyer had a heart of gold when it came to those he loved and respected. Thankfully, Jenn was one of them. “I’ll have Colleen find out what we have to do to make the arrangements—I’m sure there’s paperwork that has to be filed to transport a deceased American out of Colombia. When you can, get her emergency contact information from Ramona. She’ll probablywant to make the notification to the woman’s family, but then I’ll talk to them and take care of everything else.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

Doug left the room and returned seconds later with their MREs and two bottles of water. She smiled at him as he opened one of the bottles and handed it to her.

“Can I convince you to fly home with the others when you’re done at that village?” Ian asked. “This is not me ordering you to come home—it’s me asking you to. I’m worried about you. I know you’re doing good work down there, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared shitless that something will happen to you. This isn’t anything new—it’s just gotten worse since the earthquake. And now, knowing there was a landslide and the death of your friend...” A long pause filled the air. “You’re family, Jenn. My daughter, in almost every way. I have the right to worry about you and want you to be safe.”

Jenn’s eyes watered at the tangible concern in his voice. Her gaze met Doug’s understanding one as he sat on the foot of the bed, facing her. “I-I don’t know. I want to stay to help, but so much has happened since yesterday. Let me think about it. There’s still a lot to do here. I’ll call you later. Hopefully, we’ll be back at the commune by tonight.”

Another pause was followed by a loud sigh. “Okay. Just stay safe and keep me updated. I love you, Baby-girl.”

“I love you, too, Uncle Ian. Give Peyton a kiss from me.”

“You’ve got it.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

After checking on Maria, Diego, and their newborn baby, the elderly cardiac patient, who appeared more stable than the day before, and the other injured individuals, Doug received an update from Romeo. Across the massive pile of rocks, mud, and downed trees, he could see multiple military vehicles and dozens of uniformed soldiers had finally arrived at the entrance to the village. It took about twenty minutes for them to decide on the best strategy for a rescue. They planned to rig up a traverse high-line, which involved stretching rope horizontally over the area impacted by the landslide. A trolley or pulley system would then safely transport a person across it, either in a sling or on a stretcher.

A team of soldiers began to scale the mountain to circumvent the area where the landslide had started and bring equipment to help those cut off from the others. Once the high-line was set up, they would transport those in need of medical care first. Then, Jenn, Doug, and the rest of the villagers would be transferred over to the other side. It would take the soldiers about an hour to reach them and then a few more hours to rescue everyone. It was impossible for a helicopter to descend into the area, which lacked a sufficient landing zone, and high winds prevented themfrom lifting people to safety. So, the only other option, aside from the traverse high-line, was to climb out, reversing the same route the rescue team had used. However, most of those in need of extrication were in no condition to make the arduous journey, especially when another landslide could occur.

While waiting for the team of soldiers, Doug and Jenn spent their time triaging the villagers and explaining the rescue to them. Understandably, some were frightened, but Jenn was able to reassure them that they would be safe. He was proud of how calm she was and how well she handled the situation. She was even able to make some of them laugh, despite their circumstances.

The dog that’d slept in the cabin last night followed them around—probably because they shared part of their breakfast with her—while a few others kept their distance. Doug made a mental note to ask the army if they could somehow supply food and water for the domesticated animals stuck on that side of the village or lead them over to the other side. He would hate it if they had to be left behind to fend for themselves.

Two more minor aftershocks occurred, but like the three they’d experienced overnight, they hadn’t caused any further damage or injuries. While a few rocks had tumbled down the remains of yesterday’s landslide, the earth and trees didn’t follow.

After the triage was completed and everyone was hydrated, they took some latex gloves from the medical supplies and inflated them, making improvised balloons for the few children awaiting rescue. Doug found a marker in one of the bags and drew happy faces on them, which the kids loved.

When the soldiers finally arrived, Doug was grateful the officer in charge spoke English, so he didn’t have to keep asking Jenn to translate the words he was unfamiliar with. Several of the men were medics, and Jenn brought them to the victimswho needed to be rescued first while Doug helped set up the traverse high-line. From the other side of the village, a throw-line launcher was fired, sending the initial rope and then another over the debris field. The soldiers determined the best anchor point was a massive tree about thirty yards from the edge of the landslide. The ropes were also attached to another anchor point on the far side. It took over an hour for the rigging to be completely set up, tested, and deemed safe for transportation.

It took a bit of persuasion for Esperanza’s parents to allow a medic to take their newborn on the stretcher, with her strapped to his chest, and carry her to safety. Diego wanted to do it, but the soldier had extensive experience in that type of rescue and wouldn’t panic if the basket swayed or dipped without warning. Finally, after a few minutes of assurance that the infant would be in good hands, they tearfully watched as she and the medic were secured into the Stokes rescue stretcher and slowly pulled across the debris field. Jenn put her arm around Maria to comfort the distraught woman, who cried with relief when the stretcher and its precious cargo reached the other side safely.

One by one, the injured were brought to safety, where they immediately received further medical care, with some being loaded into one of the army's ambulances for transportation to the hospital.

Once the last of the victims who needed the stretcher had been rescued, the crew switched it out for a harness, similar to what is used for zip-line adventures. That way, people could sit during the transfer, which gave them a better sense of control and stability during the rescue, rather than staring helplessly up at the trees and sky. It also went a bit faster. The children went first, and each was attached to one of the soldiers as they were moved to the safe zone.

When there were only a few villagers left to transfer, Jenn whispered to Doug, “I have to pee so bad. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She gestured to the cabin they’d slept in, and Doug checked his watch, then nodded. It was a little after three p.m. Rescuing everyone had been long and tedious, and at the rate they were going, it was doubtful they would get back to the commune before dark. “Okay. We have at least twenty or thirty minutes before it’s your turn, then mine.”

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