Rapid Descent

Part 2

As the men repacked the raft after lunch, Marco managed to get Chet off to the side.

“You really okay, amigo?”

“Yeah, Marco.  Really.  You know, once I got over the instant brain freeze from the cold, it was okay.”

“You took in a lot of water.  I saw you go under.  And I saw the waves keep hitting you in the face.  Man, I think I would have panicked.  I’m not sure I could have found that rope and grabbed on.  Hell, I’m not sure I even would have ever come back to the surface in the first place.”

“You would have been fine.  Just like I was.  I didn’t want to end up in that river any more than you do, but the life vest did exactly what it was supposed to do, and it brought me right back up and made it easy to stay there.  It took a few minutes, but once I got used to breathing deep in between the waves, I stopped swallowing water.  Honestly, Marco.  You’d have been fine.  If you go in, just don’t panic and you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I know you’re right, but I sure hope I don’t get to prove that theory.”  

++++++++++

A hand clasped Chet’s shoulder, and he turned to see Doug standing beside him. 

“Well, guys, you think you’re ready to try it again?”

“Sure!”  Chet answered enthusiastically.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”   Marco added.

Chet discarded his blanket and pulled on the damp splash jacket and life vest.  Johnny hurried to put out the campfire and wet down the ashes, while Marco and Roy gathered up the remnants of their lunch supplies.  At the edge of the river, Hank was helping Doug reload the few items they’d used during their stopover, and within minutes, the men were taking their positions in the raft.

As they pushed away from the shoreline, Doug moved back into his role as guide.

“We’ll get into the next set of rapids just around the bend.”

“Bow Wow Boogie, right?”  asked Marco.

“That’s right, and it’s a Class III.”

Several glances confirmed what Doug had already suspected.  The men were hesitant now; with one man having gone overboard, their confidence had suffered a bit. 

“Now, remember, you’ve already made it safely through a Class IV, so you shouldn’t have any problem with this one.  The important thing to remember is that you have to keep your mind on the river.  Take a look at the wreckage there, but don’t lose your focus.  The river is going to be moving fast and there’s one significant drop, so keep a firm grip on your paddle, and listen for my commands. 

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

“We’re ready, Doug.”

The men didn’t see Doug’s grin, but they could hear it in his voice.

“Alright then, hard forward.”

The waves crashed around and over the raft as it bounced its way through the rocky passage, but everyone managed to keep their seat.   About halfway through the rapids, they noticed a few large boulders in the middle of the river.  Just as promised, the bow of a boat was wedged there, its nose pointing skyward, and its hull shattered by the incessant pounding of the fast water.  But the rafters were too busy to dwell on the fate of that boat. 

Suddenly, the front of the raft was in mid-air as the river dropped off below them, but almost immediately a wave of water washed over them as the rubber bottom made contact once more with the river’s surface. 

With Doug calling out commands behind them, they paddled furiously, first forward, then back . . left side or right.   A kind of time warp existed, a situation where it seemed like forever as they bounced their way through, yet seemed like seconds before they were out of the worst part.  As they emerged from the rough water, excited shouts erupted from the raft.

“Alright!”

“We made it!”

“Man, that was fantastic!”

“Too much!”

“Way to go.”

“What a rush!”

Doug waited until the excited voices calmed a little, and then he added his own.

“Good work, guys!  Excellent job.  Now we’ll have a little calm spell, some easy water, but you’ll have to work harder.  It’s going to take some paddling, so if you’re ready, all forward.”

The men worked together, paddles dipping in unison as the raft moved down river.  After a while, the familiar chatter gave way to silence as they enjoyed the changing scenery, the wildlife, but primarily, the simple pleasure of being on the river.  Doug pointed out an occasional landmark, but for the most part, the next hour was a combination of silent teamwork and appreciation for their surroundings.

It was Roy who finally ended the silence.

“Joanne sure would love this.”

“Yeah, Patty would too.”  Mike added.  “What about Grace?”

Hank nodded in agreement.  “She’d love the quiet, and the view.”

Johnny turned to Chet, who was already looking back at Marco, and the three bachelors found themselves exchanging looks of surprise. It was Johnny who voiced their astonishment.

“What do you mean they’d like it here?   I thought all the wives were against this trip.  Heck, Roy, there for a while, I wasn’t sure you’d even get to come along.  Now you’re telling us that Joanne would love it here? ”

“Well . . yeah, parts of it.  The scenery, the serenity . .”

“Uh huh . . maybe if we could get Scotty to beam her over here.”  Chet offered. 

“Good one, Chet.”  Johnny laughed.  “We could just transport the wives over the rapids and dump ‘em here in the middle of the raft.”

“Hey, you should’ve tried that, Kelly, right before you fell in, you could have hollered,  ‘Beam me up, Scotty!’  It would have saved us all a lot of time and energy.” Hank suggested.

It took several minutes for the laughter to die down, but eventually Hank continued.

“You’re probably right, though.  Grace wouldn’t like that rough water.  She’d enjoy this part, but I can’t see her wearing all this gear, managing the rapids, or camping out.  Guess I’ll just have to tell her about it.”

“I think Patty would like it.”  Mike offered.

“You mean, the whole experience?”  Marco asked.

“Yeah.  If I could get her to try it, I’m pretty sure she’d be hooked.  She’s always been a pretty good sport, and she likes the water.”

Johnny couldn’t hide his look of surprise.  “Hey, that’s cool, Mike.  That’s the kind of woman I want to find, someone who’d enjoy doing the stuff I like.”

“Right, Gage, just keep wishin’.  ‘Cause you know there’s not a chick out there that would like all the weird things you do.” 

“Oh, shut up, Chet.”

Another round of laughter followed, but when quiet descended upon them, Roy finally agreed with Hank.

“Joanne would like the view, but I guess not the rest of it.  Guess this won’t be a sport I’ll be taking up.”

“Sure you can, Roy.  Don’t forget the kids are getting older; Chris and Jennifer would love this, and there’s a lot of rivers that are easier than this one.  You should take them out next summer, it’d be a blast!”

“Uh huh . . and of course, their Uncle Johnny would have to come along.”  Roy grinned.

“Well . . uh . .if you wanted me to, yeah sure . . I’d go along.”

“I’m just not sure Joanne would go for it.  Especially after all the arguments she raised on this trip.”

“Hey, it’ll be fine.  You’ll come home unscathed, and she’ll be won over.  Just you wait and see.  By the time we get done talking to her, she’ll probably want to go along.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Chet had been following the conversation, but could no longer hold back.

“Hey, Gage, there’s a chick who’d like the things you do.  Jennifer would go anywhere her Uncle Johnny goes.”

“Chet!  Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” 

+++++++++++++ 

The afternoon sun was changing subtly.  The warmth from its rays was now periodically interrupted as an outcropping of trees, high on the hillside, blocked the sun from view.  Doug knew that while they were still several hours away from sunset, they were approaching the time of day when they’d be without benefit of the added warmth of the direct sun.  That meant that it would be that much more difficult to recover from a fall into the frigid water.  It also meant that wet clothing would not dry out.  Looking at his watch, he also realized that despite the extra time taken at lunch, they were about thirty minutes ahead of schedule.  Barring any difficulties on the last rapid of the day, they would reach their planned camp in plenty of time to set up and eat, well before sunset. 

But, there was still the last rapid of the day to contend with.  It was a class IV.  The men had handled the previous class IV with respectable skill, and except for the near miss with Hank, and Marco having dropped his paddle, they had passed through like seasoned paddlers.  Of course, that had been at 11 AM this morning.  The men were now far more comfortable with the raft and their paddles.  They were also far more tired.  Though not worried, exactly, Doug hoped that they’d traverse the last rapid without incident.  It would make for a much more comfortable first night on the river. 

+++++++++++

Johnny had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with his paddling as the afternoon had worn on.  Though not intentional, he realized that he and Roy were paddling in sync, even to the point of stopping at the same time to take a brief rest.  The constant, easy paddling was far different from the focused efforts that had been necessary to pass through the rapids.  In some ways, it was harder on the muscles.  For one thing, there was no rush of adrenaline to aid in the effort.  There was also no break, though Doug had been quick to point out that they could each feel free to take breaks when needed.  The river, though flat, had been pushing them forward at a slow but steady pace.  As long as only one paddler on a side of the raft took a break at the same time, it did not impact on the path of the raft. 

Pulling his paddle out of the water for a moment, Johnny took a deep breath, trying to identify some of the fresh smells that filled the air.  He wasn’t sure what they were, but he knew what they were not.  They were not car exhaust, or chemicals burning, or the antiseptic smells of the hospital, and that made them good.  Doug interrupted his thoughts.  

“Hey guys, I think we should talk about what’s coming up on the river, okay?  Let’s stop paddling and let the river do the work for a minute.”

The men pulled their paddles into the raft, and turned their attention toward their guide.

“First of all,” Doug began, “is everyone still having fun?” 

“Are you kidding?” Johnny asked.  “I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day.  I mean, I can only speak for myself, but, yeah, I’m having a blast.  Of course, I have a few back and shoulder muscles that may not agree with my assessment by morning, but it’s about time they joined in the work.”

Marco jumped in.  “Hey, even I’m liking this, and I figure if I’m happy, everyone else must be, right?”  

The other’s voiced their agreement. 

“Okay then,” Doug continued.  “In about ten or fifteen minutes, if we just float, we’ll come up on the last rapid of the day.  It’s a class IV rapid called Twins.  It’s a little different from the one we passed through this morning.  That one was class IV mostly because of the length and the single drop.  Twins is class IV because there is some complicated maneuvering involved.”

Johnny had known that they still had their most complicated paddling in front of them.  But with the lull of the afternoon, he had somehow begun to believe that the day would end on this calm note.  He had thought that he was regretting that fact.  Now he realized he had been looking forward to it.  As he listened to Doug explain what to expect next, Johnny forced his mind to shift gears and get psyched up for the challenge still in front of them. 

“It’s still a ways away, but if you listen, you can hear the water.  I’m going to try to explain what the river does.  We can make it through this if we stay focused.  If I thought it was going to be a problem, we could portage around it, but you guys are doing great, and I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“What does it mean to portage?” Mike asked.

“Portage means to pull everyone out of the raft and walk on the river bank around the rapid.  If you do that, there are two options.  You can use ropes to guide the raft through the rapid, or you can haul the raft out as well.  I have to be honest with you guys.  With some groups, I’ve decided to portage this section of the river, especially where it’s at the end of the day, and folks are getting tired.  But I don’t think we need to do that with you all.  I think you can handle it.  There is another choice of course, and that is to let one or two people portage while the rest run the rapid.  Tell you what, why don’t you let me tell you about it, then we can decide.”

Johnny couldn’t imagine deciding to get out and walk around a rapid that Doug thought they were capable of running, especially one that was only a class IV.  After all, Doug had said there was also a class V rapid on this river.  But he also recognized that not everyone might agree with him, so he remained quiet and listened.

“Up ahead, a few things happen to the river.”  Doug was speaking loudly now to make sure everyone heard all he had to say.  “First, the river narrows some, which makes it a little faster.  Then the river makes a sharp turn to the left.  When that happens, the current is going to want to push us into the right bank.  There are some low hanging trees there so that’s one reason we need to stay away from the outer elbow of the turn.  But we can’t hug the left bank either because of the rocks, so we have to try to stay pretty near the middle of the river.  Immediately after the turn, we’re going to see the twins. 

The twins are two large boulders on either side of the river.  The first boulder is on the left, so we need to be a little to the right.  However, a few feet after that, the other twin is on the right so we have to turn quickly back toward the left.  There is room to maneuver, but only just, so we have to be pretty precise.  If we bump against one of the boulders it’s not a big deal.  Problem is that the second boulder is shaped in such a way that the raft could actually ride up its side for a bit.  If that happens, we could tip the whole raft over, so we want to make sure we do this right. 

After the twins, we should be pretty good.  A little more fast water, then the river widens and we’ll see our campsite on the east, or right, bank.  So we’ll get a little more sun shine, and with any luck we’ll get to watch a pretty sun set.”

Johnny could picture the river as Doug had described it.  He understood Doug’s concern, but hoped that the men would decide to run it rather than portage.  It would be a shame to miss such a thrill.  He listened as Cap posed the question that needed to be answered. 

“Well, guys, what do you think.  Anyone want to portage this?”

The answer was a unanimous “NO!”

“Alright then,” Doug said.  “We’re going to see it in just another minute.  Get ready for it.  Listen closely because we’re going to spend a lot of time with one side paddle forward while the other paddles back.  Okay?”

Johnny nodded with the others and looked over at Roy.  Roy reached up and brushed his wet hair out of his eyes one last time.  Perhaps sensing that his partner was watching him, he looked over. 

“You ready for this, Junior?”

“Heck, I’ve jumped off buildings with nothing to hold me but a little rope.  Who am I to be upset by a little bit of water?  What about you?  You ready, Pally?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Okay, all forward!” came the command from the back of the raft. 

Johnny watched as the river played out exactly as Doug had described.  With less space between the banks, the water moved faster as it approached its sharp turn.  Johnny felt the adrenaline surge.  The aches in his muscles disappeared with the introduction of the endorphins.  He paddled forward and briefly wondered if Doug had somehow forgotten to change the command.  The riverbank and the low trees seemed to be approaching very quickly. 

“Right forward, left back HARD!”

Despite the forward thrust of the river, the paddlers forced the raft to turn hard to the left.  Johnny ducked to avoid being hit by the trees, although it was probably unnecessary.  No sooner had they successfully negotiated the turn, than Johnny saw the twins in the river ahead.  Before he could process the fact that they were headed directly for the first rock, he heard Doug shout out his next command.

“Left forward, right back! Now!  Right, pull hard!”

Johnny could hear the tension in Doug’s voice, something that had not been present before, even when Chet had fallen into the river.  He did not take the time to wonder whether or not that meant they were in trouble.  He simply dug in and paddled back with all his strength.  He felt the bump as the raft nudged up against the first twin, but the raft continued unimpeded on its course. 

“Right forward, left back! Come on, left.  Pull hard!” 

The raft turned quickly, and completely missed the second twin.  Johnny relaxed but Doug did not.  Although they seemed to be doing well, the tension was still heavy in Doug’s voice, and this time Johnny thought he heard a tinge of fear.  He assumed he was just imagining it, since all was going without incident so far.  He was wrong.

“All back!  Hard!  Now!  Come on guys!  Dig in as hard as you can!” Doug was shouting. 

As Johnny complied, he suddenly saw the problem.  A few hundred feet downstream, a tree was down, blocking the left half of the river.  If they went into the tree, they would be in serious trouble.  Johnny knew enough about fast water in drainage ditches to know all about the risks of strainers created by debris in the river.  The raft could get stuck and a man who was thrown out could find himself trapped by the tree branches.  The river current would force him down under the strainer and unless he somehow made it through, he would be dead in minutes. 

Doug had turned the raft so it was facing the opposite shore. 

“All forward!”  Doug’s voice was loud and commanding.  “Hard, guys!  Dig in!  Paddle like your life depended on it!”  He did not add that it might.

With the efforts of all in the raft, the men reached the right side of the river just in time to narrowly miss the tree.  Johnny felt Doug use his paddle to push up against the fallen timber, which assured that they had an extra foot of clearance as they moved by. 

Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.  The water calmed, and the men tried to calm their heavy breathing. 

“Alright men.  Job well done.  Paddles up.  Everyone relax.  I don’t know about you, but I need a second to regroup.”

Johnny wondered how many of the others realized the peril they had just faced.  Looking at Roy, he was sure that he had known.  Roy now had his eyes closed, perhaps in an effort to slow his heartbeat and calm his breathing.  Johnny looked around and noticed that others were doing the same thing.  He took a deep breath and tried to refocus.  It only took a moment of breathing in the air around him, and he was at peace.  Doug’s voice, once again, broke his concentration.

“Okay guys, two strokes forward and let’s sit for a minute.” 

The men paddled the two strokes and found themselves parked in a calm eddy on the riverside.  Johnny pulled his paddle into the raft and turned to face the guide.

++++++++++

Roy leaned back and stretched his back and shoulder muscles as he turned to face Doug.  He couldn’t help but notice the looks of relief and elation on the faces of the men around him.  Johnny, especially, seemed to be reveling in the experience. 

At the back of the raft, Doug had found his small dry sac among the supplies.  Holding it tightly, he opened the clasp and removed a two-way radio.  Roy hadn’t realized that Doug had brought along a means of communicating with Barry or someone else on shore, but now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.

“I need to do this now,” Doug explained.  “Once we get to our camp site, I lose the signal.”

Looking around, Roy realized he was not the only one who was trying to work the aches and kinks out of his back and shoulders.  Mike was flexing his shoulders while Marco rotated his right arm.  Cap and Johnny were both rubbing the muscles on the back of their necks.  Chet seemed to be trying to flex every muscle in his upper body, waving his arms back and forth despite the fact that he was still holding his paddle.  Before Roy could comment on the risk Chet was posing, Doug made contact with someone on the other end of the radio.

“Hey Barry, are you there?”

The static squealed on the radio before Barry’s voice could be heard.

“Hey, Doug.  How’s it going out there?”

“It’s been a great day.  We’re already to the campsite.  It’s just up ahead.” 

“Anyone take a swim?”

“Yeah, but no problem.  These guys are unbelievable.  I’m having a great time.  We’re actually a little ahead of schedule.”

“That’s great.  The weather looks good for the next few days.  Temps in the 70’s, dropping into the 40’s overnight.  But it looks like the storm is going to hit us Thursday.  It’s due in sometime late in the day.  You won’t want to be late getting off the river.  They’re predicting a major electrical storm with high winds, so if it comes in early, be careful.”

“Okay.  We’ll watch out for it.  Looks like we’ll have a great run.  I’ll be in touch tomorrow night to give you a better idea of when we expect to reach the take out.  If I can’t get a signal, I may not be able to reach you until we leave the canyon.  If you don’t hear from me, make sure the bus is there by 3 PM.”

“Where do you plan to camp tomorrow?”

“Not sure yet.  Either Martha’s Pass or at the Seven Mile Creek, depending on how fast we go.”

“Did you portage the Twins?”

“Nope, we ran it.  No problem, but hey, you need to let folks know there’s a ten foot tree down off the left bank right after the second twin.  It’s creating quite a strainer, and it comes up fast.  We may want to look at sending someone in to take it out.”

“Got it.  I’ll contact Dave.  I think he’s got a run leaving later this week.  Then when you guys both get back, we can figure out what to do.”

“Sounds like a plan.  I’ll try to talk to you tomorrow.  If not, I’ll see you at the take-out.  But, Barry, don’t forget to keep the radio with you this time.”

“Right, boss.  Like I’m the only one who’s ever lost a radio.”

“Hey, I didn’t lose it that time.  It just got temporarily misplaced is all.”

The sound of laughter echoed over the radio before Barry signed off.

As Doug turned off the unit and bent down to pick up his dry sac, Chet swung around to face him, paddle still in hand.  Cap nearly yelled out his warning.

“Chet, you twit!  Watch out where you’re swinging that …”

Before Cap could finish, or Chet could react to his words, Doug let out a scream.  Roy watched as the T-grip of Chet’s paddle made direct contact with Doug’s eye.  Reacting to the pain, Doug drew his hand to his face, releasing the radio, which took one bounce off the side of the raft and disappeared into the river. 

“Shit!  Oh damn!”  A string of curses continued to pour out of Doug’s mouth, as Roy and Johnny instinctively and simultaneously moved toward the injured man.

Chet, never having taken his eyes off the point where the radio disappeared, prepared to jump in the river.  As he lifted one leg over the side of the raft, Doug reached out and grabbed hold of the man’s life jacket.

“Let me go!  I know where it went in.  I can get it,” Chet insisted.

With one hand still covering his injured eye, Doug maintained his hold on the jacket.

“Don’t bother, Chet.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s not water proof.”

“We can take it apart and dry it out.”

“It won’t work, Chet.  Let it go.  It’s not that big of a deal.”

Cap grabbed hold of the other side of Chet’s vest and firmly pulled down. 

“Listen to Doug.  Just sit, and for God’s sake put that damn paddle down.”

Impeded by the supplies, Roy and Johnny found themselves unable to reach Doug’s side.  Considering the options, Roy remembered what Doug had just said about the campsite.  It may be quicker to go forward than to try moving this stuff here.

“Doug, how bad is your eye?”

“It’s okay. No big deal.”

“Take your hand away, let me see it.”

Doug looked up, and slowly removed his hand from his face.  Even from a few feet away, Roy could see that Doug’s face was swollen and bleeding, but he wasn’t able to tell how much of the damage, if any, was to the eye itself. 

Roy looked at his partner, seeking an opinion on their best course of action.  Johnny asked Doug, “How far to the campsite?”

“About five minutes at most.  It’s just around the bend on the right.”

“I think we should just get him there, and then take care of it,” Roy suggested.

Johnny nodded his agreement.

“Okay, men,” Cap stepped in.  “You heard Roy.  Let’s paddle hard and get to the campsite.  We’re going to have to do this without a rudder, so let’s at least try to make it without too many too many unplanned detours.”

Doug spoke up.  “Thanks, Hank, but I can still provide a rudder.  It’s mostly a straight shot, anyways.”

Within five minutes, the raft was being pulled on shore.  As Doug began to help unload, two sets of hands firmly pulled him back and guided him to a rock on the river shore.

“No way,” Johnny said.  “You are now under our direction, for the next few minutes at least.”

“That’s right,” Roy added.  “You’re now officially a victim.  That means we’re now officially paramedics.”

“And since you’re part of this team now,” Johnny offered, “once we’re done, you get to kill Chet Kelly.”

“Do I have to?” Doug asked.

Both Roy and Johnny nodded.  “Yup,” Johnny replied, “if you don’t, he’ll think you’re mad, and he’ll sulk all evening.”

Roy gently held Doug’s injured eye open while Johnny examined the area more closely, using the flashlight to check for possible damage to the eye itself.   

“I’m confused,” Doug admitted, pointedly ignoring the ministrations of the paramedics. “If I don’t kill him, then Chet will think I’m mad?”

“I know it’s strange, but trust us on this one,” Roy advised.  “He’ll expect you to make him pay.  Now, can you cover your other eye and tell me if your vision is impaired?”

Doug obeyed the instructions.  “I can see fine.  I’ve been through worse.  Hey, how about if I make him clean the fish you guys are going to catch?”

“Oh yeah,” Johnny grinned.  “That’s even better than making him clean a latrine.”

Cap’s voice interrupted their conversation.  “Um, you do have something else besides fish for dinner, right?  Please tell me you brought peanut butter.”

Doug looked at Roy and Johnny questioningly.

 
”Is he serious?”

“’Fraid so,” Roy replied.  “Cap doesn’t do fish.”

“Do you catch them?”

“I’ll catch them,” Cap promised.  “Just don’t ask me to touch them, clean them, cook them, or eat them.  But you hand me a rod with a worm already on it, and I’ll gladly hold it out over the river.”

Doug grinned widely before grimacing in pain. 

“How’s his eye, John?” Cap asked.

“I don’t see any sign of damage to his eye.”  Turning back to Doug he continued, “You’re gonna have one hell of a headache and a beaut of a shiner by tonight.”

“It could even swell shut,” Roy added.  “In another setting I’d say you should hold ice on it, but maybe we can make something work with the water from the river.  I put a butterfly bandage just above your eyebrow where it was bleeding some.  That should be okay.  I’ll get you a couple of aspirin.”

Johnny grabbed a towel from the first aide supplies.  “I’ll get this wet and you can hold it over your eye.  It’s not ice but I think Chet can tell you it’s pretty close.” 

++++++++++++

Chet had helped unload the raft and now stood in the background and watched as Roy and Johnny tended to Doug.  He was unable to hear their conversation, but he could tell from Doug’s expressions that the man was in pain.  The occasional laughter calmed some of his fears, and he was appreciative of the fact that his friends were clearly serving to ease what might have been a very uncomfortable situation. 

With a sigh, Chet forced himself to walk over to the small group.  Their laughter died off as he approached, and he swallowed hard at the look on Cap’s face. 

How could I be so stupid?  I knew better than to be swinging that paddle around.  The man knew he owed their guide an apology.  The accident was unintentional.  Nonetheless, it was his responsibility, a fact that Chet did not take lightly. 

“Is he okay?” Chet asked. 

“Yeah, he’s going to be fine,” Roy replied.

“Hey, Doug, I’m really sorry.  Man, you gotta know, I didn’t do that on purpose.”

“Really?  Wow, I thought sure you’d been planning it all day,” was Doug’s reply. 

 

Chet looked to make sure Doug was kidding.  Assured of that fact, he replied, “No way.  If I’d been planning it, it would have been Gage here who caught the paddle, and he would have ended up in the water, for sure.”

Before Johnny could respond, Chet continued.  “Seriously though, Doug.  I really am sorry.  If there’s anything that I can do…”

“Well, now that you mentioned it, Chet.  You need to set up camp, collect some wood, start a fire, catch some fish, clean the fish, cook dinner, clean up… You wouldn’t mind taking care of all that, would you?”

Chet sputtered for a minute.  “Well, um, sure, um, I mean, I’ll help, you know?”

“Tell you what, Chet.  You start collecting the firewood and building the fire.  Then you can clean the fish once they’re caught, okay?”

“Well sure.  I mean, that’s fair, right?  But you know, you better let Mike do the fishing.  If you wait for Gage here to catch the fish we’ll never eat.”

“Actually Chet, Hank here has agreed to be in charge of the fishing.”

“Oh my God,” Chet mumbled as he walked away, “the only fish Cap ever caught was a plastic one at the game booth at the fireman’s picnic.  We’re never gonna eat.”

++++++++++

Contrary to Chet’s concerns, the fish were biting, and dinner was plentiful and satisfying.  Clean up was quick, and the men were soon settled around a roaring campfire.

Wet suits had long since been replaced by jeans and sweatshirts, and wet clothes were placed on rocks near the fire, in hopes that they would dry out before morning.  Warm and dry for the first time since early morning, the men were able to fully appreciate the beauty of the evening sky. 

“I could get used to this,” Mike commented as he moved closer to the fire.

“Imagine that,” Marco said, “Mike Stoker happy to be sitting in front of a fire with a whole river of water rushing past.”

“It’s more than the fire and the water, Marco,” Mike shot back.  “It’s the whole thing.  The whole day has been great.  Don’t you guys feel it?  It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before.”

“How often do you do this, Doug?” Cap asked.

“Often as I can,” was his reply.  “During the spring and summer I manage to get out on a river about once a week.  Mostly it’s day trips, but the trips like this… these are my favorites.”

“Do you ever get tired of it?” Johnny wanted to know.

“Well, there are some days when someone is here who just shouldn’t be, you know, someone forced into this who is really better off spending their days behind a desk being waited on by their secretary.  Those days I could live without.  But mostly, no.  I never get tired of it.  How about you guys?  You ever get tired of being firemen?”

“Tell you what,” Johnny answered.  “You tell me that you’re hiring river guides, and I’ll walk away from it right this minute.”

“You don’t mean that,” Roy countered.  “This is great, but you don’t mean that you’d really walk away.  I know you better than that.”

“Yeah, Gage,” Chet added.  “It’s in your blood.  You know that as well as we do.  Once a fireman, always a fireman.”

“What made you become a fireman, Chet?” Doug wanted to know.

“I’m a Kelly.  What else was I going to do?”

“Huh?  What does being a Kelly have to do with it?”

“The Kellys have always been firemen.  My father is a fireman.  His father was a fireman and so was his father before him.  Uncles, cousins, my brother, we’re all firemen.  It’s in the blood.”

“Did you ever think about doing anything else?” 

“Are you kidding?  No way!  I’d have been thrown out in the street for even thinking such a thought.  Besides, what could be better than being a fireman?”

“Nada,” Marco offered.  “When I was seven, my Tia Marita’s home caught fire. I knew that night this was what I’d do.  I was fascinated and terrified.  Those firemen worked really hard to save her house and her things.  They even went back for her dog, Taco.  I decided that this was something I wanted to be a part of.  Being a firemen means helping people, being there for them when they think there’s no hope.  That’s what makes this more than just a job for me.  I could never walk away.”

Silence followed as each man contemplated the truth of Marco’s statement.  Roy looked up as Johnny began to speak. 

“I couldn’t either.  Not really.  You’re right, Roy.  I’d never be able to walk away.  Not that there aren’t days when it’s tempting.  I could be happy running rivers, you know, but in the end, I’d miss it.  I’d feel, kinda, only half there, you know?  I’d have to go back.”

“Go back to what?” Mike asked.  “If you couldn’t be a paramedic, would you still want to be a fireman?” 

“I don’t know.  I can’t separate those things in my mind anymore.  I used to think they were separate, but they aren’t.  I’m a fireman, I’m a rescue man, I’m a paramedic, it all goes together.”

Mike wasn’t going to let it go.  “What if the county changed things, like up north, and the paramedics operated under the hospital rather than the fire department?  What if you had to ride an ambulance all day and let other guys fight the fires and do the rescue the work?  Then what would you choose?”

Johnny shook his head.  “Geez, Mike.  You say nothing for five years and now this.  I liked it better when you were the strong silent type.” 

Once the laughter abated, Johnny continued.

“I really don’t know.  Honestly, I can’t explain it.  All I know for sure is that I’m doing something I was meant to do.”

Johnny looked over and noticed his partner nodding.  Without any words being spoken, it was clear that everyone was waiting for Roy to speak next.

“Well,” Roy began, “I can tell you that it’s not because it makes Joanne happy.  And it’s definitely not for the money.  In fact, if there’s one thing that is most likely to lead to an argument at home, it’s my career choice.  So I guess I must be getting something out of it to stick with it.”

Roy stopped, but no one spoke, so he continued. 

“I’m not really sure why I decided to be a fireman in the first place.  It wasn’t a family profession.  My dad was in the construction business.  My mom thought I was crazy.  But there was just something about it that called out to me.  Once I started though, I knew I’d never stop.  What could be more right than trying to stop a force that has the power to destroy.  If I stopped being a fireman and a paramedic, I don’t know what else I’d do that would ever feel as worthwhile.

“As for the paramedic part, well, that just makes it all the better.  It’s just like the fire fighting.  Once I tasted it, I knew I could never turn back.”

Doug turned to Mike.  “What about you?”

Chet answered before Mike could respond. 

“Are you kidding?  Mikey was born a fireman.  Hell, legend has it that the first time he pee’d he put out his father’s cigarette.”

Mike joined the laughter before adding, “Nah, you got it wrong, Chet.  It was a cigar.  I don’t do anything small.”

The men waited expectantly for Mike to continue, but he remained silent for several minutes.  When he spoke, his voice was low.

“There was never any question about what I was going to do with my life.  I guess Kelly’s legend isn’t really that far off.  My dad was a fireman, and ever since I can remember I wanted to be just like him.  He used to let me visit him at his station, and I would sit up on the big rigs and pretend to drive.  Even back then, I knew that was what I was going to do.  The day I became an engineer was one of the best days of my life.  I finally fulfilled a life long dream, and you should have seen the look of pride on my old man’s face.  There’s no way in hell I’d ever walk away from this job.  When I go, they’ll be carrying me out on top of my engine.”

“Hey guys, we’ve gotta get him out in the fresh air more often,” Marco piped up.  “Here all these years we thought he had nothing to say, and turns out it was just the smoke and smog constricting his vocal chords.”

Cap was still shaking his head when he realized all eyes were on him. 

”Well, Hank,” Doug persisted.  “What’s your story?”

Hank cleared his throat before he began.  He had never really talked about this with his men.  Knowing their stories, he wasn’t sure how they would react to his.  But he couldn’t very well deflect the question now.  So he took a deep breath and began.

“Well, the truth of the matter is, it wasn’t a choice but was something that was thrust upon me.  When I joined the service, at the end of boot camp they assigned us all to different companies.  My sergeant came up to me and said, ‘Stanley, you’re gonna fight fires.’  So I did.  When I got out of the service, I didn’t know how to do much else, so I joined the department. 

“Don’t get me wrong.  I love it.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  It’s just that I didn’t exactly get the chance to choose.”

“But, Cap,” Mike pushed, “you’ve been a fireman for how many years now?  Surely you’ve had the opportunity to make a different choice along the way.  Why did you stick with it?  There was always the GI bill.  You could have changed careers anytime.”

“I never wanted to change.  When I got out of the service, I wanted to get married and I needed a job.  It was the easiest choice to make at the time.  I don’t know when it became more than that.  Maybe it was when Grace’s father offered to get me set up in his business.  Grace wanted me to say yes.  The kids wanted me to say yes.  The money was better.  It was sure as hell safer.  But I said no.  I guess it was then that I knew that, my choice or not, it was the right choice. ”

The silence that ensued was at first comforting, then disquieting.  Doug wondered if he had made the right decision in leading the men down this path.  As he considered what to do about it, the crew took matters into their own hands. 

“Hey, Cap,” Mike broke the silence.  “Since we seem to playing truth or dare here tonight, I’ve got something I need to know.”

Had the comment come from Chet, Cap may have ignored it.  Coming from his engineer, he felt obligated to respond.

“Okay, Mike.  What is it?”

“What ever possessed you to set fire to the chief’s hat?  Time to fess up.”

“That’s a secret I’ll take to the grave, my friend.”

With that, the serious conversation of the night drew to a close.  The sun had set. The men spent several more minutes chatting and laughing together before banking the fire, exchanging goodnights, and settling into their tents.

+++++++++++

Doug had sought Hank’s advice on how to assign tents.  In the end, the captain had decided to put Marco and Mike together, while he bunked in with Doug.  That left Roy, Johnny and Chet sharing the bigger tent.  As Johnny and Chet began immediately to bicker, Hank wondered what had possessed him to ever put them together. 

As if reading Hank’s thoughts, Doug said quietly, “This is supposed to be about team building remember. Let them work it out.”

Cap wasn’t sure he agreed, but it was too late to make a change now.  Just the same, before retiring to his own tent, he stuck his head through the flap of the three-man tent.

“Goodnight, gentlemen,” he said.  Looking directly at Johnny and Chet, he continued.  “You two are going to get along tonight, right?”

Both men looked up with put on expressions of pure innocence. 

“Of course, Cap,” Chet replied.  “We’re buddies, remember?”

“Yeah, Cap,” Johnny added.  “You have nothing to worry about.” 

Cap shook his head and walked away, noting that Mike and Marco’s tent was already dark and silent.  Returning to his own tent, he climbed into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, glad to note things seemed to be calm.

He was just beginning to relax when he heard Roy shout, “Chet, what the hell are you doing?” 

Cap groaned but made no move to intervene. Instead he lay back and listened to the conversation coming from the tent next to his.

“Kelly, what is that?”

“Nothing for you to worry about, Gage.  Just go to sleep.”

“Chet, what are you doing?  Would you stop kicking me? Ow!  Johnny, that was my head you just punched.”

“I’m just trying to see what Chet’s doing.  Kelly, what is that thing?  Oh my God!  Roy, he’s got an air mattress.  He’s blowing up an air mattress!”

“Mind your own business, Gage.  What’s it to you?  It fit in my gear.  Just because I wanted to be a little better rested in the morning, what’s so wrong with that, huh?”

“You’re soft, Kelly.  I can’t believe you brought an air mattress.  Can you believe that Roy?”

“What I can’t believe, Chet, is that you waited until now to blow it up.  Would you just hurry up and be done with it so we can get some sleep?  You aren’t the only one who wants to get some rest tonight.”

“Would you guys ALL shut up?” Marco hollered from his tent.  “For Pete’s sake, it’s worse than being in the dorm.  Madre de Dios, go to sleep!”

After a few more minutes things quieted down, and the men were soundly sleeping. 

 ++++++++++++++

The sun was above the treetops by the time the men finished breakfast, broke camp, and stored their gear on the rafts.  Their aching muscles had caused only a slight delay as they got started, but now that they were on the river again, all that was forgotten.  Sunlight glinting off the water gave the scene a surreal quality, and even Chet was quiet as the first leg of the day’s journey began. 

The morning passed without incident.  Every rapid mastered, further built each man’s confidence and sense of accomplishment. At Doug’s suggestion, the men had shifted positions at the start, and again after the mid-morning snack, allowing everyone the opportunity to experience paddling in the front position.  By noon, the men were flying high with exhilaration.

During lunch, Doug described the conditions they would confront over the course of the afternoon paddle.

“Well, are you guys ready to face the big one this afternoon?”

All the men nodded eagerly, knowing that the lone class V rapid of the trip was still in front of them. 

“Okay then,” Doug continued.  “Mile Long is about twenty minutes from here.  It’s a class V for several reasons, not the least of which is its length.  It really does continue for almost a mile without letting up.  It has two parts, The Rock Garden, and The Narrows.  Now that we’re back in the canyons, there’s no real option for portaging since the riverbanks are 300 feet high.  About ten years ago, there was a landslide that dropped hundreds of rocks into the river at Mile Long.  The result was a rock garden that’s very complicated to navigate.  It’s possible, and I’ve done it dozens of times without mishap, but I’ve also had people go over there.  I actually flipped an entire raft once.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that we need to be ready for anything. 

“Once we come out of The Rock Garden, the rapid continues because the river narrows and makes some tight turns.  As it opens again, we’ll find more boulders.

“Now listen carefully, because this is important.  If you end up in the water before or in The Rock Garden, try to get back to the boat immediately.  We’ll try to get you back in before the river narrows.  But do not, and I can’t stress this enough, do not put your feet down.  If you get entrapped in The Rock Garden, it’s going to be very difficult to get you out because of the force of the current.  You are better off riding The Narrows.  If you go in after The Rock Garden, or are still in the water as we hit The Narrows, put your feet up in front of you, try to avoid hitting the canyon walls, and enjoy the ride.  There is no way for us to pull you out of The Narrows.  The water is just too fast.  As soon as the river widens, start swimming.  You should be able to reach a calm area on the right before you hit the next outcropping of rocks.  If we lose you, and you’re swimming at that point, watch for the rope as the river widens.  We’ll have it waiting for you. 

“I don’t say this to panic you, but it’s better to be prepared.”

Without being told, the men shifted back to their original positions as they re-boarded the raft.  There was no banter, no light conversation as they moved down the river. Each man focused on the challenge he was about to face. 

+++++++

As Roy allowed himself to admire the beauty of the canyon, he had to admit that his exhilaration had turned to apprehension.  He’d listened closely as Doug prepared them for the upcoming rapid, and although he trusted the man’s faith in their ability, Roy had to acknowledge that he had some doubts.  After all, this was still very new to all of them. 

From his position in the front of the raft, Roy looked over at Johnny, trying to figure out if his partner shared his concerns.  But the expression on Johnny’s face was unreadable.  Staring straight ahead, the man wore the same look of concentration that Roy had seen many times before.  It was the look he wore during difficult rescues, when he was shutting out everything that might distract him from the task at hand.  Although Roy would have liked to make eye contact at that moment, he knew that would not happen now, and he turned back to face the river. 

The roar of the rapid grew louder, and Roy dutifully followed instructions as Doug shouted to paddle forward.   

As they entered the rapid, Roy immediately understood what Doug had been saying about the difficulty of navigating this portion of the river.  Despite Doug’s commands and the skillful paddling of the crew, the raft repeatedly bumped up against, and over the rocks that surrounded them.  Just as the raft turned, avoiding a sharp rock ahead, the front of the craft slid up a boulder hiding just below the surface.  The left front of the raft was suddenly up and out of the river, and despite his best effort, Roy’s foothold was lost.  Instantly, he knew that he was headed for the water.

Okay, I can handle this, he told himself as he felt his body bounce off the thwart and tumble over the side.  Trying to keep hold of his paddle with his right hand, Roy grabbed for the chicken line with his left, looping it under his arm.  His relief at finding the line was short lived as he felt his body jerked back by the current.  The snap of the bone was something he both felt and heard, as his arm was forced in a direction opposite of his body.  His brain screamed at him to hold on, but his arm was unable to obey that command, and his last physical connection with the raft was lost.

The river engulfed Roy. Water was everywhere he looked.  He fought to hold his breath as the river bubbled and roared around his head.  The force of the current pushed him downstream, tumbling him over and over until he didn’t know which way to reach for the surface. He panicked until he remembered what Doug had said about relaxing and letting the life vest do its job.  When he stopped fighting the current, he quickly found himself drawn back up. Gasping for air, he managed to fill his lungs once before being forced under again. 

The pattern repeated itself several times.  Roy would surface just long enough to get a breath, but never long enough to make sense of his surroundings.  At last he heard Johnny call out, and he realized the voice was behind him.  Just as he turned to look for the rope, which he was sure was now at his side, Roy felt his head connect with something hard.  A blinding flash of pain chased everything else from his mind, and Roy’s only thought as he slipped beneath the surface was How am I ever going to explain this to Joanne?

++++++++

Johnny tried to keep his mind on the river, struggling to shut out anything that might disrupt his concentration.  However, he remained acutely aware of the men around him, and although he did not return the glance, he was conscious of the fact that Roy had looked in his direction before they entered the rapid.

From the very beginning, Johnny sensed that they were in for some trouble.  There was simply no way that a raft this size was going to make it through, without striking at least some of the rocks strewn throughout.  The best they could hope for would be to avoid rocks that would tip the raft or rip a hole in her side.  The risk of the latter was immediately in front of them.

All of Johnny’s attention was focused on the jagged edge of the approaching rock.  As he paddled hard, following Doug’s directions, he prepared to use his paddle to shove them away from danger if they got too close. Just before he had to make that decision, the raft turned away from the rock and toward apparent safety. 

His relief was fleeting.  Feeling the raft lift from the left, Johnny turned in time to see Roy disappearing over the side.

Shouting, “Roy’s over,” Johnny lunged for the other side.  His relief at seeing Roy’s arm secured in the chicken line was quickly replaced by dread as he heard his friend scream out in pain.  Reaching out, Johnny’s fingers found only air as Roy’s arm came free from the line, and he disappeared beneath the surface.  Continuing on over the side, Johnny felt someone take hold of his vest as he grabbed blindly into the water, hoping to somehow reach his friend.  Moments later he saw Roy resurface several feet from the raft. 

Doug’s voice rang out over the others’. 

“Mike, help Johnny.  Everyone else, keep paddling!  We can’t help Roy if we’re all in the water.” 

Tuning out the rest of Doug’s paddling instructions, Johnny watched anxiously for Roy to resurface.  As soon as the man’s head appeared, Johnny saw Mike throw the rope.  Both men called out to Roy but there was no indication that they had been heard before he went under again.  Mike quickly hauled in the rope and Johnny grabbed the other throw bag.  The next time Roy’s head emerged from the water, both men threw lines and called out.  Again it was to no avail. 

The next time Roy was visible, Johnny realized they were losing ground.  The distance between his friend and the raft was rapidly widening.  As they threw the ropes a third time, Johnny saw Roy turn toward them, only to hear him cry out again in pain, before disappearing under the surface. 

In that moment, Johnny made a decision.  Roy was not going to be able to help in his own rescue.  If he was going to have any chance, someone needed to be in the water with him.  Without a second thought, Johnny scrambled over the edge of the raft and into the ice-cold water.

He was aware of several voices shouting as he went in, including Doug’s, “Johnny, don’t!” and Cap’s anxious, “John,” but he disregarded their concern as he focused on locating his partner. There was one voice, however, that he didn’t ignore. 

“Johnny, grab the line.” 

Just to his left floated a rope, and from the corner of his eye, Johnny could see Mike motioning toward it.  Stretching out his left hand, Johnny snagged the line and immediately wrapped the rope around his wrist.       

Never taking his eyes off the last place he had seen Roy, Johnny was rewarded when his partner surfaced again.  Johnny took several strokes against the current, and grabbed onto Roy’s vest before he re-submerged.  This time, as the wave forced Roy under water, Johnny was with him.  With a swift kick, Johnny forced them back to the surface as he felt Mike hauling them toward the raft. 

With Roy’s vest clasped firmly in his right hand, Johnny managed to keep the man’s head above the surface as Mike pulled them quickly through the water.  Even in his precarious position, he could tell that Roy was barely conscious. 

I can’t believe this.  Johnny tightened his grip. Damn it!  We are not going to lose you to a river.  Aloud he said, “I’ve got you, Roy, hang on.”  

The only response from the injured man was a low moan.

His color is so bad.  No!  Don’t do that yet.  First things first.  I’ve got to get him out of this river!

Kicking with the current, Johnny worked to help Mike as they drew close to the raft.  With one last kick, Johnny felt a hand grab hold of his vest.  At the same time, he was aware that other hands had grabbed hold of Roy and were hauling him into the raft. 

“Watch his arm!”  Johnny managed to call out, as he let go of the line in an attempt to help pull himself into the raft.  It was a mistake.  As the line dropped into the river, the raft bounced up, and the hand on his vest lost its hold. 

Johnny barely managed to fill his lungs with air before being forced underwater again.  Remembering Doug’s instructions, he tried to relax and allow his vest to bring him to the surface.  However, the view that met him wasn’t that of the Colorado sky.  Instead, Johnny found himself directly underneath the raft.

Fighting to ignore his rising panic, Johnny inched his way along the bottom of the raft.  With no clear knowledge of where he would end up, he continued to move in the same direction, certain that he’d be out from underneath at any moment.  When he finally emerged, his lungs were screaming for air, and his only thought was to reach the surface. 

It wasn’t until he took his first breath that he realized his mistake.  Only seconds ago, he was in contact with the raft, but in his efforts to get to the surface, he had forgotten to hang on.  Now, Johnny watched as the raft moved into The Narrows, and he realized that, for the moment, he was on his own.  Consoling himself with the knowledge that Roy was safely on board, he prepared to ride the rapid alone. 

+++++++++++

Cap could hardly believe it when he saw his second paramedic enter the water.  Even though he called out the man’s name, he knew it would be useless.  Johnny had obviously reached the same conclusion that he had.  Roy needed help, or he wouldn’t make it.  Given that fact, Cap knew that Johnny would never turn back.

He found it almost impossible to follow Doug’s commands as his paramedics fought for their lives, but he also understood that they needed to keep the raft under control.  Taking his place, Cap paddled hard, yet he kept one eye on the scene playing out to his left.  He felt some relief when he realized that Johnny finally had a hold of Roy.  However, Cap could do little but watch, as Mike pulled his men toward safety. 

Once the men were within reach, Cap dropped his paddle and threw himself to the opposite side of the raft.  Mike and Chet grabbed hold of Roy, as Cap latched onto Johnny’s shoulder strap. 

“Good job, pal,” he said. 

As Mike and Chet managed to pull Roy into the raft, Johnny finally let go of his partner, and Cap tried to draw him close enough to grab the other shoulder strap.  Leaning further out over the edge, Cap had just reached for the top of Johnny’s vest, when the raft jerked unexpectedly.  The sharp movement threw him backwards, and suddenly, his hands were empty.  

”Damn, I lost him!”  

Quickly regaining his balance, Cap braced himself and leaned back over the side, desperately searching for his man.  The raft continued to buck and bounce over the rapids, making it almost impossible to focus on the waterline.  Even when the motion finally leveled out, there was still no sign of Johnny. 

Neither was there any response to his shouted, “Gage!” 

Needing to keep both eyes on the river, Cap had to settle for listening to the scene playing out at his side. Chet had already returned to his position while Mike kept hold of Roy. 

“Are you okay, Roy?” Mike asked several times.  Roy did nothing more than moan in response.  At least he’s breathing, Cap thought, as he continued to scan the water’s surface for his missing man. 

It had been too long, and now Cap began to worry in earnest.  Had they saved Roy, only to lose John? 

“There he is!  Behind us!” Marco hollered. 

Cap turned in time to see Doug reaching out with his paddle in an attempt to reach Johnny.  It was too late.  The raft was already in The Narrows, and Doug ordered the men back to their positions. 

“No!” screamed Chet.  “We have to get him!”

“He needs our help,” Marco joined in.  “We can’t leave him behind.”

“We don’t have time to argue,” Doug insisted.  “He’s conscious, and he’s swimming.  Marco, stay with Roy.  Everyone else, grab your paddles. We’ve got to do this right if we want to be in any shape to pull him out when he reaches us.”

Cap’s heart screamed at him to jump in the river and somehow get to Johnny.  But the voice of reason told him Doug was right.  The best thing he could do for John was to make sure they were in a position to grab him at the other end.

It took every ounce of resolve Cap had to force himself back into his seat, and as he grabbed hold of his T grip, he couldn’t help but look back once more.  He prayed that Johnny would still be alive the next time they saw him. 

+++++++

Johnny could barely tell which way was up or down as he felt himself being sucked into The Narrows.  Gasping for breath at every opportunity, he fought to keep his face above the churning river.  The icy tendrils of the frigid water wrapped themselves around his extremities.  Feet alive with fire and hands numb with cold, it was as if frozen needles were burning his skin. 

Struggling to see through the unrelenting barrage of spray, Johnny was unable to locate the canyon wall.  Damn it.  What’s… the matter with me?  Johnny shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to cloud his thinking.  Gotta keep… my head… out of the water….  Don’t wanna hit that wall…. must be almost there. 

Energy waning, Johnny could barely keep the proper position.  Feet in front of him with knees bent and arms held close to his legs, it was a pose he found difficult to maintain while battling the powerful waves.  Still fighting the fog, Johnny took a deep breath just as a wave washed over his head from behind.  Coughing and sputtering, he pushed himself back to the surface, right before the river slammed him against the canyon wall.  The force of the collision quickly expelled the little air he had in his lungs.  Every nerve ending seemed numb.  His arms and legs now little more than dead weights.  Panic rising, his pounding heartbeat echoing in his ears, Johnny suddenly wondered if this is what it felt like to be paralyzed. 

++++++++++

As the raft exited The Narrows and moved into the eddy, Cap dropped his paddle and turned to study the river behind him.  There was nothing to be seen but the churning white water.  He kept watch and listened, as Doug began shouting directions.

“Mike, Chet, grab the throw bags.  I’ll take the third one.  Marco, you need to hang on to Roy.  The water’s calm but we’re apt to bounce the raft around some.  Everyone but Marco keep watch for Johnny.  Chet, the second he’s in sight, you and I are going to throw the ropes.  Mike, you hold back in case we both miss.  We don’t have a lot of chances at this. 

“Who’s the strongest swimmer?” Doug asked. 

“I am,” Chet announced, and the others agreed. 

“Okay, then.  If we miss him, grab a line and go in after him.  But whatever you do, don’t let go of the line.”

Up river something dark appeared amid the whitecaps, showing itself for only a split second.  Cap clutched the side of the raft as he leaned forward, willing the object to reappear.  Afraid to blink for fear of missing it, Cap kept his eyes glued to the river.  ‘Please, God!’

“Get ready,” Doug was saying.  “It could be any second.”

Roy moaned.

“Steady, amigo.  Uno minuto mas.  Hang on for just another-”

“There he is!”  Cap cried.

“John, over here!” 

The others immediately joined Cap’s shouts, as Chet and Doug threw the rescue lines.  Chet’s line hit its mark, landing immediately in front of Johnny.  But he made no attempt to grab the line.  Cap’s heart sank, although he refused to accept defeat.

“Gage!  Snap out of it!”  Desperate to get the man’s attention, Cap called out again.  “John!  Look for the rope!” 

The others joined in, and finally Johnny turned, but in the wrong direction.

“Wrong way, you idiot!” Chet yelled.  “Behind you, Gage!”

This time Johnny turned to face the raft.

Mike braced and threw his rope.  His aim was perfect, the bag striking Johnny on the head.  Relief washed over Cap when he saw the man reach out and grab hold. 

Even though Johnny now held the rope, something was wrong.  He was not responding the way Cap would have expected.  He seemed distracted and almost lethargic, as he fumbled with the rope.

“Wrap it around your wrist, John.  Grab it tight.”

Cap watched as Johnny tried to comply, but as he continued to struggle with the simple task, Cap realized the cold had taken its toll.  Oh God, I hope he can pull this off.

“Come on, Johnny!” Cap urged, as Mike was carefully pulling the rope in.  “Wrap the rope around your wrist!”

Johnny appeared to try again, but failed, and his tenuous hold on the rope was lost.  Chet moved to jump in the water, but stopped when Johnny grabbed the rope again and somehow wrapped it around his wrist. 

 “Hang on!” they all yelled, while Mike continued to draw Johnny ever closer to the raft.  As he neared the eddy, Doug maneuvered the raft close enough for the men to reach their friend.

Cap and Chet wasted no time in grabbing hold of Johnny’s life vest.  With his right hand around the shoulder strap, Cap grabbed one of the chest straps with his left.  I lost you once.  By God, I’m not going to lose you again. 

“Watch out for Roy,” Doug warned, as Cap and Chet pulled Johnny safely into the raft.

“You took quite a swim there, pal.”  Cap grinned, not trying to hide his relief at once again having his whole crew in the raft.  “Are you okay?”

Johnny showed no sign of having heard, as he dropped to his knees, and crawled over the thwart to get to Roy. Cap watched as John took Roy’s wrist.  When the man moaned and opened his eyes, Cap waited to hear Johnny say something to his partner, but it didn’t happen.  Instead, Johnny lost his hold of Roy’s wrist. 

Almost panting, Johnny’s breathing was fast and shallow.  His hands were red, his lips blue, and his shivering was quickly escalating to near violent levels.  It was apparent that although the paramedic was staring intently at his partner, he was not fully aware of what he was doing. 

Cap looked up to find Doug studying the two men on the floor of the raft. 

“We need to get them off this river,” Cap declared.  Doug nodded his agreement.

“There’s a place right up ahead, ten minutes at the most.  Marco and Chet, take the front.  Mike, you take the back with me. We’re going to do this fast.”  Making eye contact with Hank he added, “Stay with them.”

++++++++   

Johnny knelt in the raft and looked down on his friend lying in front of him.  He knew that Roy needed his help, but for some reason he couldn’t quite remember what he was supposed to do first. Raising his hand to brush his wet hair from his eyes, he found himself staring at it, as if it wasn’t his own.  Trying to move his fingers, the hand in front of him barely obeyed his command.  Instead, it shook violently.  It slowly occurred to him that it was not just his hand that was shaking. His entire body was trembling uncontrollably.  Suddenly, he was fully aware of just how cold he really was.  Okay then, it’s the cold. With that knowledge, he looked again at his hand, and this time forced his fingers to move.

Johnny reached for Roy’s wrist and managed to find the place where the pulse point should be.  A wave of panic came over him when he was unable to find a pulse.  Dropping Roy’s arm, he immediately placed his hand on his partner’s chest, needing to reassure himself that he was, in fact, breathing.  Thank God.

“You okay?” 

The voice was weak, and for a moment Johnny wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it, but looking into Roy’s face for the first time, he was surprised to see that his eyes were open.

“Yeah,” he nodded.  Better than you.   

As the raft shifted, Johnny felt a tug.  Turning to his right, he saw a hand tightly clutching the shoulder strap of his vest.  He looked up into the worried face of his captain, and raised his eyebrows in question.

Cap just shrugged and said, “Humor me.”

+++++++++++

The raft slid easily into the shallow water of the riverbed, allowing Doug to step out and pull the boat to shore.  Cap watched as Doug tied the raft off, only then releasing his hold on Johnny’s vest.  Even then, he left his hand on the man’s shoulder. 

Chet and Marco helped Doug, while Mike began searching through their supplies.

“What do we need to do before we move him?” Cap asked Johnny.

“Well… um… we need to… um…I think…”

Immediately all the men turned back to Roy and Johnny, surprised at the paramedic’s answer.   

Cap looked at Mike, and then glanced at Johnny, slowly shaking his head.  Mike nodded silently.

“Chet, Marco, give me a hand.  We need to get Roy on shore,” Mike instructed.  “Be careful.  We don’t know if anything’s broken.”

“His arm,” a quiet voice muttered.

“What?” Cap asked.  “What about his arm?”

“Broke,” Johnny said.  “Careful.”

“Okay, Gage.  We’ll be careful with him,” Chet said.  “But we have to get you out first.  You’re in the way.  Give me your hand.”

Johnny shook him off, fighting to come up with the words to say.  “Gentle…heart …easy…”

Doug put Johnny’s concerns into words.  “Hypothermia can cause cardiac problems.  Move Roy as gently as you can.  The blood in his arms and legs is apt to be colder than his torso.  You don’t want it to suddenly rush into his heart.”

Johnny nodded gratefully at Doug, and allowed the man to help him out of the raft.  As the other men prepared to move Roy, Cap climbed out and pulled Doug away from John and the others. 

“We may have a problem.”  Hank spoke quietly, not wanting to be overheard.  “Obviously Roy’s in pretty bad shape.  If Johnny’s problem is more than hypothermia…”

“You’re right.  We don’t know what happened in The Narrows,” Doug agreed.  “On the other hand, we do know that he spent almost fifteen minutes in water that’s not much more than forty degrees.  His confusion, lethargy, and problems with motor control, can all be explained by that exposure.”

“Agreed,” Hank conceded, but added, “they can also all be explained by a head injury.”

“Or any number of other injuries.  You’re right, Hank.  We just don’t know.  What do you want to do?”

“Well, I guess the place to start is to warm them up.  Then we pray.  If Johnny can’t help us with Roy…  Even if he can …”  Cap was unwilling to finish that thought.

The captain never took his eyes off his men as he talked to Doug.  Two sleeping bags now swaddled Roy, who was out of the raft, lying on the ground.  Johnny knelt at his side, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. 

Turning to Doug, Hank said, “I don’t suppose you have a second radio hidden somewhere in your supplies.”

“I wish I did.”

Mike approached them, his expression grim.  He wasted no time getting to the point. 

“We can’t put these guys back on the water.  Is there any reason why we can’t stay here tonight?”

Doug rubbed the back of his neck as if he were carefully considering his answer.  “No, not really.  There aren’t any trees, but there’s a stash of wood over behind the outcropping of rocks.  We stock this site every year in case we have to use it.  So, it comes down to a question of time.  We would have to stop in a couple of hours anyway.  Could those two hours make a difference in the end?” 

“Two hours won’t matter if Roy’s already dead.”

Cap was taken aback by Mike’s response. 

“Damn! And Johnny?”

“He says he’s okay, but I’m not convinced.”

“Is he injured or just cold?” Cap questioned.

“I don’t know,” Mike shrugged.  “I’m not sure he even knows.”

“I doubt he’s going to let us check him out until he’s taken care of Roy.”

“I think that’s a given.”

“Either way,” Cap cautioned, “we need to keep a close eye on him.”

Mike nodded.

“So are we agreed?” Doug interjected.  “We’re staying here tonight?”

Hank sighed.  “I don’t think we have any choice.”

++++++++

No longer immersed in the near freezing water, and with a dry blanket now wrapped around his cold shoulders, Johnny finally started to warm up.  As his body temperature slowly began to rise, his mind cleared enough for him to realize that what he was experiencing was the effects of hypothermia. With this knowledge came the ability to push back against the fog that still clouded the edges of his thinking. 

Johnny looked down at his partner lying in front of him.  You do NOT look good, Pally.   Reaching out from under his blanket, he placed his hand on Roy and counted breaths.  That could be better, but at least it’s steady. He carefully moved aside a portion of the sleeping bag wrapped around Roy, and reached for the man’s hand, being sure to expose only as much as necessary.  His skin is red.  His hand is so cold.  Still fighting against the fog, Johnny didn’t realize he had spoken the last words aloud until Chet responded.

“At least he’s warmer than you. He’s not shivering.”

He’s not shivering….  Damn!  He’s not shivering!

Remembering his earlier inability to find a radial pulse, Johnny clutched Roy’s wrist and tried again.  Please be there!

Try as he might, Johnny could not feel a pulse.  My fingers are still numb.  That HAS to be the answer.  Holding onto Roy’s wrist with one hand, he grabbed Chet’s with the other.  Bringing the two hands together, he addressed Chet.

“Tell me if he has a pulse.”

Chet looked first at Johnny then Marco in disbelief, but after a moment, his fingers hesitantly encircled Roy's wrist.  It was obvious that the man was confused about the request, but Johnny didn't have the strength to explain the situation to him.  All he cared about was Roy.

Chet repositioned his fingers several times before announcing, “He has a pulse.  But how do I count it out without a watch?” 

Johnny shook his head.  “It’s okay.  Don’t need a count.  Just needed to be sure.” 

Chet's look of concern was obvious, but he chose to ignore it.

Johnny wished he could ask one of the men to contact Rampart and get the drug box.  He wished he could explain to Brackett that he, too, had been exposed and was perhaps not thinking clearly.  He wished there was an IV to start, a helicopter on the way, heated IV fluids and a warm lavage waiting in the ER.  He wished he had a heart monitor to hook up so that he could watch for changes in Roy’s cardiac status.  But he didn’t have any of that. 

Okay, so I’ll make due with what I have.  Snap out of this and act, damn it!  Take charge!  Johnny knew that he was going to continue to have to fight the effects of his own hypothermia.  Until his mind cleared and his body was more responsive, he could not do this alone.  

“I need everyone’s help over here!” Johnny called out as loudly as he could manage.  It wasn’t very loud at all, but it was enough to get their attention.  Thank goodness I can at least talk again. 

“We need to get him warm, now.  I need warm compresses, hot water bottles, dry clothing.” 

Johnny spoke between his own shivers.  He didn’t address the orders to any one man.  He didn’t offer a suggestion for how to get, or make the things he needed.  They would work all that out amongst themselves. 

Pulling the top sleeping bag completely off for a moment, he looked at the man on the ground in front of him.  He considered the layers of clothing, and how they kept him from being able to complete an assessment. 

He replaced the sleeping bag before he asked, “Do we have an extra wet suit?”  Johnny grabbed the bag of medical supplies and pulled out a penlight.

“No,” Doug answered.  “We only brought one per man.  Same for the life vests.  Everything else, I have extra.” 

Johnny nodded.  “Let’s see if we can do this without cutting it up too much.  Just in case.”   

Roy groaned and twisted his head away, as Johnny checked his carotid pulse.   

“Don’t let him move his head around.”  Johnny had barely finished speaking the words when Marco was at Roy’s head, holding him steady.  

“Keep still, Roy,” Johnny firmly instructed his friend.  “Don’t move around.  Open your eyes.  Talk to me.”   

Roy only moaned.  Johnny needed to check his partner’s pupils, but he realized he was still shaking too hard to safely manipulate Roy’s eyelids.   

“Chet, be my hands.” 

No further explanation was needed as Chet stepped in to help.  Marco continued to hold Roy’s head still while Chet gently opened each eye. Johnny flicked the penlight back and forth then spoke aloud, knowing the others would be waiting to hear. 

“The pupils are sluggish, but equal.” 

Johnny gently ran his cold, quivering hands over Roy’s head.  The blood on his right hand confirmed what he suspected.  Beneath the blood he could feel the swelling beginning, but there was no indentation.  If there was a skull fracture, it was stable. 

“He definitely took a blow to the head.  It’s bad, but it could be worse. Marco, can you clean and bandage it?”

His voice was unsteady, but he tried for commanding when he called to his partner again.  “Come on, Roy!  Talk to me, pal.  Tell me where you’re hurting.”

Roy’s eyes flickered open. 

“That’s it.  Look at me.  Roy, stay with me.  Tell me where you hurt.”

The voice that answered was weak. 

“You … okay?” 

Johnny laughed for his friend’s benefit.  “You have a one track mind, you know that?  Yes.  I’m cold, but I’m fine.  Now answer me.  Where do you hurt?”

It was slow, but Johnny could feel his mind clearing and the sensation returning to his fingers.  He was feeling surer about what needed to be done, and more secure in his ability to do it.

“Roy?  You’re not answering me.  I need to know.  Where do you hurt?”

“Cold . . .  So . . cold!”

“I know.  We’re working on that.”  Johnny tried to be more direct.  “Does your left arm hurt?”

“Um…. cold…. hy… po…..”

“Okay.  I know.  You’re right.  It’s hypothermia.  You don’t feel any pain right now, do you?” 

“Cold . . . Shivering?”

“Soon.  We’ll have those teeth chattering in no time.  Can you move your fingers for me?”

It took a moment, but Roy succeeded in moving his hands, though not his individual fingers.

“Okay, how about your feet?”  Johnny pushed. 

Again there was a delay, then each foot moved. 

“Alright then.  Good job.  Let’s get you warmed up.” 

Roy didn’t respond.  His eyes were once again closed. 

Johnny turned to the men at his side.  Though his fingers were still tingling, his mind had cleared and he was able to explain what he hadn’t been able to only minutes ago.

“He’s not shivering, which is not good.  Shivering will raise his body temperature.  The fact that his body stopped trying is not a good sign.  We need to get him out of these clothes, including the wet suit.  All it’s doing now is trapping in cold water.” 

Marco had finished cleaning the wound and had used a wrapping of gauze to hold the two by four bandage in place. 

“That’s great, Marco.  Get him a hat.  Let’s keep him from losing any more heat through his head.”

“Sure.”  Marco headed for the supplies.

“So why isn’t he shivering, if he’s colder than you are?” Chet wanted to know. 

“At a certain point, the body stops trying.”

“But you were in the water so much longer than he was.  How come he’s colder than you are?” 

“He’s not.  At least he wasn’t.  It’s just that his body couldn’t fight it like mine could.  It’s focused on too many things.  His broken arm, the head injury, either of those things could throw him into shock.  It’s the combination that’s left him so vulnerable to the hypothermia. And there’s nothing stimulating his circulation.  That’s why I needed to know if he still had a radial pulse.” 

Johnny looked up at Doug, who was nodding. “We can’t move him again.”

“No problem,” the guide agreed.  “We’ll stay here.” 

“We need a bigger fire, a much bigger fire.” 

“That, I can do,” Mike said. 

“I need dry clothes.  Things that zip up the front are going to be easier.  I need those hot compresses and hot water bottles as soon as possible, and I need someone to help me get him out of these wet things.”

Johnny paused and looked around at the river and the cliffs.  There was no way he was putting Roy back on the river in his condition, but – just in case –  “Cut the wet suit at just the shoulders.”  

“John.” 

Johnny looked to his left to see Cap standing next to him with a stack of clothes in his hands.

“Thanks, Cap.  Okay, let’s make this happen.”

“Hold off a second,” Cap interrupted.  “These are for you.” 

“Cap, there’s no time…”

“Then be quick about it.  You can’t help him if you’re down yourself.  Marco, help Johnny get into dry clothes.  We’ll start getting Roy out of his life vest and spray jacket.  We can cut the jacket.  By that time, you’ll be back.”

“Cap…” Johnny started to protest.

“Every second you argue, is a second we lose, Gage.  Do it now.” 

Johnny looked at Roy, then unzipped his own vest.

Part 3