Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Chapter 21 Sawyer

21

C H A P T E R

Sawyer

A fter breakfast, Oliver pulled Sawyer and Lucas aside.

“I hate to ask you boys, but I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind going hunting again. We really need the meat.”

“Of course,” Sawyer said. “We’ll do whatever we need to.”

The two of them headed outside. The biting cold stole Sawyer’s breath away as they walked into the tree line. His father had always emphasized the fact that one should never hunt animals for sport. If you kill it then you eat it. Sawyer had never enjoyed hunting, but now he was glad that his father had taught him how.

“Maybe we could get some hares,” Lucas said, breaking into his thoughts. “There are a lot of them in this area.”

“That would be good,” Sawyer said. “Everyone says they taste just like chicken, although I don’t think so.”

“Why do people say that all meat tastes like chicken? What would meat taste like if people didn’t eat chicken?” Lucas asked.

“I wonder that, myself, every time I hear someone say something like that. Of course, I also wonder what ever possessed people to eat the white thing that popped out of the chicken’s butt.”

Lucas laughed. “My guess is that they saw animals doing it and figured that if it was safe for the animals then it was safe for them. That is how Grizzly Adams knew what berries were safe to eat. He ate what Gentle Ben ate.”

“Smart man. I always liked that show even though it aired before my time. It was a shame when Dan Haggerty went to prison for drugs.”

“Me too. I was sad when he died.”

The two men lapsed into silence as they scanned the woods for any signs of the snowshoe hares, elk, ptarmigans, or moose.

Sawyer spotted some tracks and pointed them out to Lucas. The white-furred animals blended into their surroundings perfectly, but Lucas managed to spot one.

After a couple hours of hunting, they managed to bag six snowshoe hairs. They were small but should be enough for Millie.

“That should be enough to get us through at least a couple more meals if Millie has the stuff to make a stew with,” Sawyer said.

“If not, then we come out tomorrow for more food,” Lucas said.

When they got back to the lodge, they found Oliver in the shed.

“How did you do?” he asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

“We got six hares,” Lucas said.

“That’ll be enough for at least today. Thank you.”

“Do you want us to dress them?” Sawyer asked.

“Nah, Daniel and I can do that,” Oliver assured him. “Millie told me about your conversation. The animals will get the entrails and bones. I know a guy in town who can use the hides. The animals won’t die in vain, and of course, we’ll give thanks to them for sacrificing their lives so that we might survive. Part of my culture. I’m half Ute Native American.”

“It’s a good one practice,” Sawyer said. “Let us know if you need anything else from us.”

Lucas said, “My guess is that Millie is going to make stew out of them. It seems to be her specialty.”

“Plus, it does make the meat last longer.”

Sawyer checked on Zaid when they got back in. He was very pale and feverish. Although Zaid went out of his way not to complain, he was in extreme pain. His blood pressure was high and he hadn’t been able to keep anything down for a couple of days.

The leg wasn’t looking good. It was very swollen and there were red streaks from his knee to his ankle. The skin was warm to the touch.

“It doesn’t look good, does it, Doc?” Zaid asked.

“No, and we’re out of antibiotics. We can try making tea out of the inner bark of the aspen trees.”

Tessie, who was hovering nearby, said, “We also have some juniper berry tincture.”

Sawyer looked at her and smiled. “Thank you. Every little bit helps.”

“Are you going to have to amputate my leg?”

Sawyer sighed. He didn’t want to lie to him. “We don’t really have the facilities or the equipment to do so. However, if this gets worse and you get gangrene, then we might have to consider it.”

“I’ve seen the documentaries on how they did things during the Civil War. I guess I’ll need a stick to bite down on,” he said.

“Actually, we have the supplies we need to make chloroform if it comes to that,” Sawyer said.

“Let’s pray that it doesn’t come down to that,” Zaid said. “I’m rather fond of my leg. But, if it does, I would prefer to live.”

Emilia touched his face. “I’ll be with you whether you have one leg or two.”

He smiled at her. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

They said a quick prayer and then Sawyer stood up and went into the library. He stared out the window and sighed heavily.

Gwen came in behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his back. He held her hands in his.

“You’re worried, aren’t you?”

“That’s an understatement. I’m a doctor, not a surgeon. Oliver is a medic. I’ve never cut a leg off a person before. I would have to do it perfectly. You, Lucas, and Oliver would have to be there to help me.”

“We’ll do what we need to do,” Gwen said. “You don’t have to face this alone. I might not be much of a nurse, but I am here for moral support.”

He turned around and faced her. Sawyer put his hands on the side of her face and kissed her. The kiss was light at first and then became more intense and passionate.

Brent came in and announced that it was time for lunch.

Afterward, Sawyer told Lucas, quietly, “I’m worried about Zaid. If he gets blood poisoning, he could die. Maybe we can snowshoe to town. It’s only fifteen miles away.”

“I’m willing to try,” Lucas said.

Sawyer barely noticed the cold. He was so worried about Zaid. They walked mostly in silence over the thick white snow. It seemed as though the golden sun taunted them. It was hanging over the cloudless sky but not providing enough warmth to melt the snow.

They walked down the road for an hour and Sawyer was beginning to feel hopeful. They stayed as close to one side as they could because they weren’t sure where the side of the mountain was. One wrong step would mean them tumbling down the sheer drop-off.

The snowbanks were becoming steeper and steeper and the two men struggled to get over them. However, with Zaid’s condition in mind, they kept going. That’s when they hit a fifteen-foot snow wall.

“There’s no way that we can get over that,” Lucas said. “I don’t think we can try going around it either. We have no idea what the terrain is like on the other side.”

Sawyer growled in frustration and punched a tree that was on the side of the road.

“Do you feel better?”

“No. I didn’t become a doctor to watch someone die like that. And that is what’s going to happen. If we don’t get help soon, Zaid is going to die. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t already have blood poisoning,” Sawyer yelled.

Lucas watched him without saying anything. He knew that Sawyer was frustrated and there was nothing he could say to help.

“We just have to have faith that God will save us. He knows we’re here and the people in town know we’re here,” Lucas finally said.

Sawyer sucked in a huge breath. “Sometimes it’s hard to have faith when we’re facing starvation and I’m terrified that Zaid is going to die.”

“I know, and that’s when faith is most important. God has never let me down. He’s not about to start now. Let’s get back.”

They walked in silence. Sawyer’s mind was racing.

How much longer can we survive up there? Zaid didn’t have much longer. Heaven forbid if anyone else gets hurt or sick.

By the time they reached the resort, Sawyer was exhausted, but his mind was still spinning with thoughts of what they could do next. He would never just sit down and give up, but it was sometimes hard to keep fighting. He just hoped that Zaid could hold on long enough for help to arrive.

After shedding his outerwear, Sawyer needed a moment. He went into the library and sat on the couch. With his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands. He wasn’t a man to cry, but he was tired and scared.

Gwen came in and sat next to him. She put her arm around him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She held him in silence. After a couple of minutes, he turned and they wrapped their arms around each other. He buried his face against her neck, taking comfort from her.

He said a silent prayer in his heart that God would have mercy on them and send help – soon.