Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (4 page)

“Oh my God!” I rushed over to him and knelt beside him. Holding my hand next to his nose, I felt the faint blow of air and tears brimmed my eyes. He was alive! He was also warm to the touch, thanks to the bear, who had snuggled next to him until I could get there. I turned to her, my eyes meeting hers. “Thank you,” I said.

She nodded her head once, the motion very subtle. Then she approached me and I reached out my hand for her to sniff. I gently rubbed the thick fur on her cheek. “I don’t know if he would have survived without you.”

She leaned into my touch for just a moment before turning on her heels and taking off. I watched her disappear into the night, wishing I could understand her thoughts the way she understood mine. Then I turned back to Ryder.

He was lying in the grass. I scanned the surrounding area with my flashlight and gasped at what I found. A fire pit had been carved out of the ground about fifteen feet away. Large rocks formed a circle around a pile of charred logs. My first thought was that someone had been here, but the idea that someone had taken Ryder made me sick to my stomach. My heart heavy with worry, I approached the fire pit and knelt down to inspect the remains. When I touched the logs, I sighed with relief. They were cold and dry, putting my suspicions to rest.

Rushing back over to Ryder, I scooped him up and pressed his chest against mine, the flashlight still in my hand. He stirred for a minute, opening his sleepy eyes and looking at me, before resting his head against my shoulder. I fumbled with my open jacket, pulling it around his back to keep him warm. He was heavy, and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep my balance as I carried him down the mountain. I would just have to be extremely careful.

“Okay, Dakota, lead the way home,” I said. “And can you please find a way around the underbrush and big logs? I barely got through them on the way here. With my luck, I’ll kill us both if we go back that way.”

Dakota sighed as he rolled his eyes at me. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe how human he seemed. I still wished I could understand his thoughts, but he was pretty good at letting me know how he felt through his body language. He trotted to the edge of the clearing where he followed the tree line rather than disappearing into the woods. When he stopped, he stared into the trees and then looked back at me as if to say, “This way.”

As I headed toward him, he waited until I was near enough to touch him. Then he walked slowly into the woods, constantly glancing back over his shoulder to make sure I was right behind him. He found a much easier path than the one that had brought us into the clearing. There were no branches scraping my arms and face to push away, no logs to step over. It was a good thing, too. Ryder was awkward in my arms and my hands were no longer free to catch myself if I tripped.

Dakota wandered around the trees and I followed, keeping him in sight. As we trekked deeper into the forest under the cover of the leafy branches, the moonlight faded and I watched for rocks and tree roots in the flashlight’s beam.

Dakota kept a steady pace this time, not getting too far ahead. He occasionally stopped to let me catch up when I fell behind. Owls hooted in the distance, breaking through the silent night. I welcomed their calls, thinking of how one of them had helped tonight. I continued slowly, stepping cautiously, as we started our descent down the mountain. Ryder sighed, shifting against me and I hugged him tighter to me.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m taking you home.”

He lifted his head slightly and his tired eyes fluttered open for a moment. Then he yawned and dropped his cheek back against my shoulder. His soft blond hair tickled my neck and I smiled. I had made the right decision to come out here tonight. Feeling this little boy in my arms and knowing he was safe made all the risks of the night worth it.

Dakota led me down the mountain at an angle so that I didn’t have to descend straight down the steep slope. The adrenaline that had helped keep me going before finding Ryder had disappeared. Instead, all I felt now was fatigue. Once I started yawning, it was all I could do to keep moving forward. I wanted so badly to take a break, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to start up again.

My legs grew more tired with every step. Even though I held my gaze to the flashlight beam on the ground, I missed seeing an exposed tree root and suddenly stumbled. As panic raced through me, I threw my weight backward to prevent the two of us from catapulting down the mountain. Somehow, I managed to catch my balance before smacking my backside into the ground, or something worse. But the misstep at least woke me up for a while. I forced myself to hold my eyes open as I concentrated on each step. I would be home soon enough where I could hand Ryder to my parents and collapse into my bed for an eternity of sleep.

After I had dodged countless rocks and tree branches, the terrain finally leveled out. I started to recognize the area and knew we were close to home. Dakota ran farther ahead, another sign that we were almost there. Relief overwhelmed me as I realized that I had managed to get home safely.

“We’re almost there,” I whispered to the little boy in my arms, even though I knew he wouldn’t hear me in his sleep.

Dakota trotted back to me just as my flashlight died. Darkness settled around me and my eyes adjusted to the moonlight, but all I could make out were dark shadowy trees. The other flashlight was buried in my pocket, and I didn’t want to risk dropping Ryder to get it. We were almost home, anyway.

“Dakota, help, please.”

I didn’t need to say anything more to him. He approached me and leaned against my leg so that I could feel him.

From that point, he led me through the trees to my backyard, never leaving my side.

I had never been so happy to return home as I was at that moment. The minute Dakota led me into our yard, he broke loose from my side. I felt the ground change from dirt, twigs, and leaves to the softness of grass. Moonlight filtered into the backyard and I could see the white clapboard siding of our house. My leg muscles burned and my feet became heavier with each step. The sudden exhaustion was overwhelming, and I wasn’t sure that I would make it to the back door.

“Dakota,” I whispered. “Get Dad. Hurry!”

He took off around to the side of the house. My parents’ bedroom was on the first level and Dakota knew exactly which window to go to. He would alert my father. He wouldn’t let me down.

Dizziness suddenly struck me and the world started spinning around me. Or was I spinning? I couldn’t tell. My eyelids fell and every ounce of strength I had used to keep them open all night vanished.
No, you’re not going to fall now,
I thought.
You can do this. Just a few more steps and you’re there. You’re home. You did it
! But I couldn’t move another step. My feet felt as though bricks had been tied to them. In a split second, the world turned pitch black and I collapsed into the grass with Ryder still in my arms.

Chapter 3

Beep, beep, beep...

I heard the continuous monitor and I knew I wasn’t tucked safely in the comfort of my own bed. My eyes fluttered open to see the sterile white walls of a hospital room. It was dimly lit and smelled of toxic ammonia cleaner. A needle had been taped into place in my arm for the IV and I wore a hospital gown. My empty stomach rumbled, but I was too weak to really care. All I wanted was to see a familiar face. My mom, my dad, Ethan. And I wanted to know that Ryder was okay.

“You’re awake,” my father said from the doorway, holding a Styrofoam cup of steaming coffee. He looked tired, but relieved, as he entered the room. When he reached my bedside, he stroked my hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Just tired. How is Ryder?”

My father smiled brightly. “He’s going to be fine, thanks to you. You’re a hero, you know.”

“No, I’m not. Anyone in my shoes would have done what I did.”

“And what exactly is that? How did you find him?”

I shrugged as I looked away from his questioning eyes. “I followed Dakota. He’s the real hero.” I paused, desperately wanting to change the subject. I couldn’t tell my father that I had been communicating with wild animals for years and they helped us find Ryder. “What am I doing here?”

“I found you unconscious in the backyard. I wasn’t leaving anything to chance.”

“I was just so tired, I couldn’t make it to the house. But I’m fine,” I insisted. “And I want to go home.”

“I’m sure you’ll get out of here soon. The doctor said you probably had a little low blood sugar, but that your labs looked fine once they got some fluids into you. Are you sore?”

I shifted in the bed and tried to sit up. Yes, I was definitely sore. And I could feel the bruise along the side of my face where I had hit the rock. I reached up to touch the wound and felt a gauze bandage taped in place. “Oh, no. I didn’t have to get stitches, did I?”

“No. They just cleaned it up so it wouldn’t get infected. It was quite a scrape.”

“That’s good. Where’s Mom?”

“She stayed behind to get some of your things after the ambulance left the house. She should be here soon. But back to Dakota. How did he find Ryder?”

“Dad, I don’t know. He just did and I don’t think it matters how he did it. Let’s just be thankful that things turned out okay.”

My father ran his hands through his disheveled graying hair. “We’re going to have to come up with a cover story. People will want to know how you found Ryder all on your own. They’re already asking me about it. We can’t exactly tell them that a wolf led you to him.”

“So we tell them it was a stray dog I’ve been feeding for a few months. When they ask to meet him, we just tell them he’s shy and doesn’t like strangers.”

“You already have this figured out, don’t you?” my father asked, shaking his head. “I guess that’s all we can do.”

I could tell my father didn’t like the idea of lying, but what else could we do? Dakota might be a hero, but he was still a wolf. We couldn’t jeopardize his well-being or my father’s position as the town sheriff.

“Knock, knock,” came a soft, unfamiliar female voice at the door to the room.

My father and I simultaneously turned our attention to see a pretty blonde nurse holding a vase of pink, purple, and white flowers.

“These are for Ms. Sumner,” she explained.

My father stood and took the flowers from the nurse. “Thank you,” he said. “Can you tell me if they will be bringing anything for her to eat soon?”

The nurse nodded. “Yes. Lunch should be coming around in the next hour.” With that, she turned and disappeared out the door.

My father placed the flowers on the table next to my bed and handed me the card.

As I took it from him, I asked, “Lunch? What time is it?”

“Almost noon.”

I shot up from the pillows I had been leaning against. “Oh, no! I was supposed to work the lunch shift today.”

There were still a few weeks of summer before school started and I didn’t want to lose my job for not showing up.

“Don’t worry. Your mother called Mike to let him know you couldn’t make it in today. He was very understanding.” He looked down at my hand. “Open the card.”

“What does that mean? Did Mom tell him what happened?” I asked as I opened the small envelope.

“She didn’t have to. You were brought to the hospital at four this morning. By eight, most everyone in town knew you’d found Ryder in the middle of the night all by yourself.”

“Great,” I muttered sarcastically. I hadn’t considered the aftermath of my actions from last night. As uneasy as I felt knowing that I would probably be the center of attention for a while, I wouldn’t have done anything differently. “Dad, I don’t want anyone making a big deal out of this. Please.”

“I knew you wouldn’t, but it is a big deal. You’re seventeen and you found a lost child in the middle of the night all by yourself,” he repeated. “The media is going to have a field day with this.”

“Media?” Alarm rang out in my voice. The town’s attention was bad enough, but the news media was a whole different story. I pulled the small card out of the envelope, but it got stuck in my hands, forgotten. “As in the local newspaper?”

“As in the major networks. Laken, honey, this is big. It’s gone to the national news.” My father took the card out of my hands while I processed what he had just told me.

I sat frozen as I imagined being stalked by reporters and losing every semblance of privacy.

“Don’t worry. This will blow over soon. Some other big story will come along and you’ll be forgotten. Besides, I won’t let them get near you if that’s what you want,” my father assured me.

“Dakota wouldn’t let that happen, either.”

“Except that now we have to be extra careful to make sure no one sees him.”

“I know.” I fell silent as I continued to realize all that had happened. I suddenly longed for the familiar surroundings of home.

My father shifted his gaze down to the card in his hands. “‘Our many thanks. You are truly a hero in every sense.’ The flowers are from Ryder’s parents.” He slid the card back into the plastic stake pointing out of the flower arrangement and smiled at me. “The Thompson’s are very grateful for what you did. They want to stop by the house later tonight after Ryder’s released to personally thank you.”

I managed to smile. While I didn’t want anyone to make a big deal out of this, I had no choice but to accept some of the attention. “I guess that will be okay.”

Another soft knock sounded on the door. A gray-haired doctor in a white lab coat, a stethoscope looped around his neck and a clipboard in his hand, stepped into the room. He approached my bedside as he flipped through his papers. “Hello. I’m glad to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Tired, sore, hungry. But otherwise, I feel fine.”

“Well, that was an amazing thing you did, finding that little boy. We’re all just relieved that both of you are fine,” he said.

I had a feeling that I would be hearing this from a lot of people for several days, if not longer. I would have to get used to changing the subject. “So can I go home today?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m actually here to do a final check-up and fill out your discharge papers.” The doctor set his clipboard down next to the flower arrangement on the bedside table and pulled a penlight out of his pocket. He shined the light in my eyes, one at a time, and checked the monitor next to the bed. After a few minutes, he said, “Everything looks good. I don’t see any reason to keep you here any longer. I’ll have the nurse paged to remove your IV and get you ready to go.” He turned to my father. “I just need you to sign here, Mr. Sumner.”

My father took the pen and quickly scribbled his signature on the form. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Sumner.” With one last parting smile, the doctor left the room.

My father turned to me. “That’s it. I guess we’re free to go soon.”

“But I’m hungry. Looks like I’ll miss lunch. Do you think I can grab something from the cafeteria before we leave?”

“I’m sure we can arrange something.”

My mother suddenly appeared in the doorway. My overnight bag hung from her shoulder and she carried a small white paper bag. She greeted me with a warm smile. “How’s my baby?” She held out the bag. “Guess what I brought.”

“Mom!” I felt a huge smile break out across my face as I recognized the white bag from my favorite deli in town. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yep. Egg salad on whole wheat, a bag of Cheetos, and a pickle.” She handed the bag to me. “And--” She reached into her purse. “--a cold raspberry tea.”

I took the bottle from her. “You’re the best.” I put it on the table and reached into the bag for the sandwich. As I bit into it, she dropped the overnight bag onto the corner chair.

“You just missed the doctor,” my father told her. “Laken’s been given a clean bill of health and she’s being discharged. We’re waiting for the nurse to remove her IV.”

“Then I’m just in time. I brought you some clean clothes and your toothbrush.” She scanned the room, her gaze stopping when she noticed the flowers. “Those are nice.”

“They’re from the Thompsons,” my father explained. “Speaking of which, now that you’re here, I should probably check in on Ryder one last time before getting back to the station. Pete’s been on his own all day with the new recruit.”

“Okay, but try not to stay too long. You’ve been up since four this morning,” my mother said with concern. “And after last night, you’ll need some rest today.”

“My thoughts exactly. I’ll be home as soon as I check in and make sure everything’s under control.” He kissed her and blew me a kiss. “I’ll see you both at home in a few hours.”

He left the room, and I found myself alone with my mother while I devoured the sandwich and Cheetos. My conversation with her was pretty much a repeat of what I had discussed with my father. She asked how I felt and how I had found Ryder. Then she reiterated what my father had explained about the media. I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn’t escape them for several days, at least.

A nurse arrived as I polished off the last Cheeto and sip of tea. After she removed the IV, I changed out of the hospital gown into the jeans and gray sweatshirt my mother had brought. While I brushed my teeth, my mother gathered my clothes from last night that had been stored on the shelf under the hospital bed. When I finished in the bathroom, I stuffed my toiletries into my overnight bag, hoisted the strap over my shoulder, and then grabbed the vase of flowers. Eager to escape the hospital, I followed my mother out the door.

Before we got very far, the nurse returned with a wheelchair. She gestured for me to sit. When I made a face, she explained, “Hospital protocol. Get in. I’ll take you down the employee elevator to the back door. I called the front desk and there are reporters swarming in the lobby and outside the entrance.”

“Lovely,” I muttered as I handed my bag to my mother with one hand while balancing the flowers in my arms. Sitting down, I asked, “Are you sure they haven’t found the back door yet?”

“I only know what the front desk told me,” the nurse replied.

She wheeled me down a sterile, white-walled hallway to a big silver elevator door. Once inside, we rode down in silence, except for the tone that sounded when we reached the ground floor. Each second seemed to last forever. I couldn’t wait to get to the car.

When the door opened, the nurse picked up the pace. We passed through the maze of nondescript hallways for what seemed like forever until I saw a red exit sign next to a heavy door. My mother held it open as the nurse wheeled me outside. The bright sunlight nearly blinded me as I scanned the parking lot beyond the tree-lined sidewalk. “Can I please walk from here? I’m fine.”