The Alaskan Rescue by Dominique Burton Read Free Book Online

which was bleeding profusely. She
had to stop it. Using her teeth and right hand, she ripped off a piece of her
shirt, which she then somehow managed to tie using her bad arm. At last she got
a piece big enough to tie around the cut to stem the flow. It took a few tries
to get the rough bandage tight, but she fought through silent tears and sweat,
and it worked. Then she relaxed her body and calmed her breathing, and soon she
fell asleep from exhaustion.
    She awoke later with a start. “Oh, God, where am I?” Then she
remembered and began to shake. She could hear the howl of a wolf in the
distance. Breathe, Sashi. You’ve danced for years. Pain is part of being a
dancer.
    Where was the group? Maybe Cole would come and find her. He was
a bush doctor. Her breathing slowed and she slept again.
    When she came to this time, her thoughts were reeling. I’ll be strong for Kendra and her baby and my parents. I’m
their only child and they need me. Thirsty, she
turned her head and tried to lick the water trickling down the middle
of the cave floor. Yes, I will be found.
    She tried to move her right foot, but couldn’t. She cried
silent tears. I don’t want to die. I’m not going to die. I
will dance again. Please God, save me.
    She called for her friend. “Kendra? Kendra? Kendra? ” Her voice grew hoarse. She refused to think
no one could hear her in this cave.
    * * *
    I N A DREAM , C OLE COULD HEAR his name being said over and
over again. A knock on the door alerted him that he was needed in the E.R. He
jumped out of the makeshift hospital bed that was on hand for the emergency room
doctors. He slipped on his Crocs and grabbed his white jacket.
    From years of practice he flipped on the light switch, then
headed over to the sink to brush his teeth and splash some water on his face. He
sure hoped he had time to go home and properly shower before he saw Sashi today.
As soon as she called, he would be off duty. Trading schedules with Dr. Reagan,
he’d done the all-night shift. It was worth it. He couldn’t wait to see her.
    “Paging Dr. Stevens, Dr. Cole Stevens. Please report to the
E.R. desk immediately. That’s Dr. Stevens, Dr. Cole Stevens.” He rushed out the
door and headed down the hall, hoping it wasn’t a terrible trauma. He didn’t
want any distractions on his day off. Once at the emergency desk, he picked up
the phone. “This is Dr. Stevens.”
    “Cole, this is Chief Hunter with the Alaska State Troopers on
Prince of Wales Island.”
    “Trace. I know who you are. I’m just trying to figure out why
in the hell you’re being so formal with me.” He leaned against the high
wraparound desk.
    “We’ve got ourselves a bad situation. I think you’re the
twentieth person I’ve called today.”
    Cole chuckled and turned toward the wall to keep his voice from
carrying. “You waited that long to get a doctor on board for whatever problem
you’ve gotten yourself into?”
    “This isn’t a laughing matter. Two women have gone missing. Joe
Running Bear, Freddy Marshall and his friends are very worried about their
situation.”
    “How is Joe involved in this?” Cole was afraid something might
have happened to Joe’s daughter or one of her friends. He rubbed his whiskered
jaw in frustration.
    “It’s not like that. He’s taken some twenty or so city ladies
on one of his Native tours.”
    Cole frowned. “I didn’t know Joe got people to go on those
anymore. The guy charges a fortune. Last I heard it was two years ago since
someone booked.”
    “Well, you know Joe,” the chief said, warming to the subject.
“Once in a while someone will pay and off he goes. Apparently he just adores
these women.”
    “Are they Tlingit?” he questioned.
    “No. White girls from Arlington, Virginia.”
    Cole’s stomach fell to the floor. “Do you have names?”
    “Why? Do you know the women?”
    “Maybe.”
    “I’ve got a Kendra Knight and a Sashi Hansen. Sound
familiar?”
    “Yes.” Cole tried to shut off the