Part 4

Chapter 8

He awoke with a start at the sensation of being watched. Katie had returned and was sitting nearby with her legs outstretched.

"I fell asleep. How long have you been back?"

"Only a few minutes. I noticed you have stopped shivering. You must have been exhausted."

"Yes, I was. I feel warm for the first time since being trapped here. Thank you for leaving Ladyhawk with me."

A slight canine stretch and another doggy grumble sounded in seeming reply to that statement as soft brown eyes turned to look at him.

Vincent’s mouth twitched slightly as he stroked the dog’s chest. "It seems I have been remiss in my manners. Thank you for your company, Ladyhawk."

Katie gave a light laugh at that and called Hawk to her so that they could get to work on removing the stone trapping Vincent.

"Perhaps if you can pull out some of the rubble trapping my legs I’ll have enough leverage to pull myself free and we will not have to risk moving the stone slab."

"Sounds like a plan."

Katie had brought a large emergency flashlight in addition to the winch. The sunlight flowing through the cracks in the ceiling provided more than adequate light to see by but it was not something they could direct.

She put that light to good use now and started removing the rubble trapping Vincent’s legs. It did not look good. Dried blood could be seen where it had soaked through the fabric of his pants. The involuntary flinching Katie felt as she worked made it obvious that he was in significant pain. On the positive side, it looked like the wounds were not bleeding for the moment and there was no visual indication of broken bone.

Having removed the smaller rubble, Katie started to move some of the larger stones. As she again reached under the slab of rock the mass shifted. As a heavy stone glanced off his leg, a white-hot lance of pain caused Vincent to release an involuntary snarl and a compulsive heave against his confinement. This caused the heavy slab of stone to grind in a downward shift against the cavern wall leaving bright white furrows behind.

Katie reeled back in shock. This…creature…man…was strong! For the first time she felt real fear. If he chose to use that strength against herself and Hawk they didn’t stand a chance! NO! She would not think that way. If Vincent had intended to do either one of them harm, he would have done it already. This man had been tried beyond endurance and yet had never even hinted at violence or anger. What she had just witnessed was a reaction against pain, nothing more, a reaction any other person would have. They would get him out! They had to!

Restless movement from Vincent sent her hurrying back to his side. Pain, regret and strain were etched deeply on his face.

"I’m sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. I would understand if you felt you had to leave me now."

"I told you before, Hawk and I don’t give up easily. We have no intention of leaving you here."

"The risk is too great! If you stay you could be severely injured."

"And if we leave, you might never get yourself out of this. The decision has already been made. Hawk and I are not going anywhere! I’ve moved everything that I can without the winch. See if you can pull yourself forward."

Vincent made an effort that left him gasping but the slab of rock held enough of the rubble wedged against him that it was impossible to extricate himself.

After he had regained his breath, Vincent regarded the slab of stone that trapped him. If the winch was used to move it outward the space gained might allow them to loosen the rubble enough that he could pull himself free. It would be painful, but possible. The danger in that course of action was that in addition to causing himself further injury by wrenching forward, the stone slab could complete the slide down the cavern wall and crush him beneath its weight. The conundrum was that the rubble pile that was causing his confinement was also part of what was keeping the slab from completing its slide along the wall. At this point, it was a risk he was willing to take.

Looking Katie in the eye Vincent explained what had been going through his mind.

"That may be a risk you are willing to take, but I’m not willing to do that just yet. I have been thinking too. In my opinion, the risk of the slab giving way is too great. I have an idea for Hawk and I to work together at freeing more of the rubble from beneath the slab. First we need to shore up the outer edge to keep it from shifting. And then we all work together to remove as much as we can from underneath it."

"You said you had moved as much of the rock as you could, I can ask no more of you than that. Yes, it is a risk, but I see no other solution."

"I said that I had moved as much as I could without the winch. The three of us working together with the addition of the winch should allow us to get you out of there. I am not saying it will be easy but we have to try. We can use Hawk’s rappel vest. It should be possible to wrap it around the larger stones and pull them out one at a time until we can get you free."

Shaking his head, Vincent replied, "I have already moved all that I can reach. I can’t maneuver enough in this tight space to wrap the vest around anything."

Katie would not be so easily dissuaded. "You can’t but Hawk can. She can get into some pretty tight spaces and is smart enough to figure out what to do if I show her. Your job will be to guide the line to minimize any more injury. I’m sorry, but this is probably going to cause you some additional pain."

It took a bit of time, but the outer edge of the slab was stabilized and it was time to work on the rubble on the inner side. Despite his discomfort and fatigue Vincent was fascinated as he watched Katie and Hawk working together to learn the new skill Hawk would need if this plan were to succeed.

First Katie called Hawk to her side with the "watch me" command. Katie retrieved the vest and used it to wrap around a small boulder that was lying by itself and then attached the winch straps to the vest. Turning on the winch, the boulder was dragged forward and Katie unhooked it. The demonstration was repeated twice more before she dropped the empty vest on the ground and gave the command to "work it."

Hawk wasted no time in draping the vest around the rock with a look that said "Its fun, but where’s the challenge?" Since Hawk had made it plain that she understood what was being asked of her, they moved on to a rubble pile. It was more difficult to maneuver the vest, but Hawk mastered the concept easily. The next time Hawk went to the rubble pile she was given the "creep" command. The dog would not be able to walk upright when working under the slab of rock.

It was once again late afternoon and they would have to move quickly if they were to be able to take advantage of the remaining sunlight.

"OK. Are you ready to do this?"

Vincent shook his head in wonder at the example of teamwork he had just witnessed.

"Yes"

Working together, they were able to move enough of the rock that Vincent felt confident in attempting to pull free again. Katie and Ladyhawk were both tired by this time and Vincent was shaking both from exhaustion and from pain. There was no time to rest though and he once again made the effort to pull himself forward, managing several inches before slumping back to the ground in defeat.

"I am at the end of my strength. I will need your help to pull me out."

"I’m pretty tired myself and have a better idea. You just relax and we can thread the strap under your arms and across your chest and use the winch to pull you the rest of the way."

Really having no other choice and acknowledging necessity, Vincent once more acquiesced with a sharp nod.

It took only minutes before he was pulled free and untangled from the winch strap. Vincent could not contain a burst of joy which immediately communicated itself through the bond to Catherine. He felt something from her as well. Determination? Fear? A flash of anger? Vincent realized that once again he had shut her out. How much anguish must she have been going through? In his attempt to shield her, the only thing he had accomplished was to deny them the support and comfort that they both needed. Never again!

Chapter 9

A difficult morning had turned into bleak afternoon and Father was trying with limited success to get Catherine to eat something.

"Catherine my dear, you must eat. You will need your strength if we have any hope of finding Vincent. Have you been able to feel anything through your … connection? Do you have any inkling of his condition?"

The despair she was feeling was evident in her posture, but when Catherine spoke there was steel evident in her voice.

"No, nothing, I know he is alive but not much more than that. I have not pushed because I knew he needed to focus on himself. But if we are to find him and get him the help he needs, Vincent has to stop shutting me out! I will do whatever it takes to get through to him!"

Father had to put a finger to his lips to hide a slight upward twitch but could not stop the evidence of an upraised eyebrow. Here was the fire he was used to seeing! If the situation had not been so dire, he could almost feel sorry for his son.

"Well I will leave you to it then. Do please try to eat, hmm?"

The air of despair had turned into determination. "Yes I will."

As he turned to go, Catherine grasped him in a brief, fierce, embrace. She knew that he was very worried about Vincent but was desperately trying not to show it. "Thank you Father. He will come back to us. I know it."

Once she was alone, Catherine ate her meal as promised before closing her eyes and focusing inward. "This was the last time Vincent…The last time…"

She was expecting to feel something, but it was a shock when love and joy raced through the bond they shared. Anger and fear were forgotten as she returned those feelings. She jumped to her feet to intercept Father and tell him the good news. Vincent was alive and she knew that somehow he would find a way to return to them.

Chapter 10

Ladyhawk could not contain herself; she fairly vibrated with the joy of accomplishment. She started to run circles around her partner and her newfound friend, receiving verbal and physical praise from both of them.

"Your legs are bleeding again and are in need of medical attention. Are you able to stand?"

With effort they were able to get Vincent to his feet. He knew he would not be able to walk far and they maneuvered him to a comfortable spot against the cavern wall to determine what to do.

Katie was the first to speak. "It’s pretty obvious that I can’t just drive to the nearest phone and get someone out here. It’s also pretty obvious that you are not going to get far by yourself. Is there a way for me to contact anyone that can get you the help you need?"

With reluctance, Vincent had come to the conclusion that he would not easily make it back on his own. Katie had shown that she was more than worthy of his confidence and trust but he still needed to make her aware of the importance of secrecy.

"You and Ladyhawk have done more for me in these last hours than I can ever hope to repay. You are correct when you say that to make it back on my own would be very difficult. It seems I have very little choice but to impose on you further."

Katie held up a hand to stop him. "We have already had this discussion. You are not ‘imposing’ anything. This is what a SAR team does! We have trained long and hard just so we could provide help to you and anyone else that needs us."

Vincent had to repress a smile at the look of indignation on her face. "I am sure your training could not possibly have prepared you to help someone like me."

"You mean because of how you look? And that would matter because??"

"You are correct that it shouldn’t matter, but I have found that in my case, it usually does. Before accepting your continued help I need to tell you some things about my home and the people I live among."

"Do they all look like you?"

"Thankfully, no. Please listen to what I have to say before you further commit yourself."

"Only if you agree that we can eat while we talk. It’s been a long time since breakfast and Hawk needs to have something too. I brought some more food with me."

This time Vincent allowed his smile to show. "Agreed."