Her Mistletoe Miracle

Marlee answered so fast, Mick knew she must’ve been holding her phone. “Mick! I’m so relieved. You can’t imagine how much worse the weather’s gotten here—and on the mountain, according to Wylie.”

“I’m sorry to leave you stuck there. Are you okay? How about the kids and the dogs?”

“We’re fine. The dogs, too. We’re all bunking with Ellen Russell. Wylie’s decided to borrow one of the park’s four-wheel SUVs tomorrow and drive home. Forecasters predict this storm’s going to hang around. Wylie said there’s no sense for you to risk your neck flying back up here. Sorry as I am to cut your visit short, I agree. I guess you know Dean’s happy enough to keep Wingman.”

“Did he mention I asked him to dog-sit while I go on vacation?”

“He did. But if you change your mind, we’d still love to have you come for the holidays.”

“I know. I’ll give it some thought. Right now I have other things on my mind. I’m on my way to the hospital to check on the climbers I brought in.”

“Trudy said you were transporting two women. She said they had multiple injuries.”

“Yeah.” He was hesitant to tell his pregnant sister about Jess. On the other hand, he needed her to contact Wylie and let him know the situation.

“What aren’t you telling me, Mick?”

Marlee had always had a sixth sense when it came to things he didn’t want to spill. “One man died in the fall,” he said. “Another, a young guy, went ballistic when he found out I couldn’t carry everyone out. Chuck Hutton decked him. The kid’s liable to try to cause trouble for Chuck and me. Will you alert Wylie?”

“I’ll get him on the radio right now. Oh, Mick, I’m so sorry. How well did you know the man who died?” Her voice dropped in sympathy.

“We weren’t friends. He’s worked for Len Martin the longest, though. The thing is, I think he and one of the injured women were more than coworkers.” Linking Hana and Jess left Mick with a sinking feeling. “Uh, Hana doesn’t know Jess didn’t make it out. I’m probably going to have to break the news to her.”

WHY DID THE NAME HANA sound familiar? Marlee couldn’t place it. “You sound… Mick, it hasn’t been that long since you found Pappy Jack dead in his bed. Has this triggered post-traumatic stress?”

“I’m fine. I’m sick for Hana. As soon as the doctors get her pain under control, I know she’ll start thinking straight and she’ll be asking about Jess.”

“Shouldn’t you phone Captain Martin and let him handle telling her? I realize this climb was something his crew did on their own, but since they all worked for him, isn’t he the logical one to notify next of kin?”

“I suppose he should be told. They were all set to leave Montana for the winter…” Mick hesitated again. “Hana doesn’t have family anywhere.”

“Mick,” his sister said slowly, “am I missing something? Lord knows nobody has a bigger, softer heart than you, but…this injured woman who’s just lost her boyfriend must have other friends. Closer friends.”

“I didn’t say Jess Hargitay was her boyfriend.”

“No, but you did say they were more than coworkers.”

“Listen, Marlee, I want to get to the hospital. So, I’ll talk to you later. You just need to get on the two-way and tell Wylie what went on with the kid. His name’s Roger Dorn.”

“All right,” she said. “But we’re not done with this conversation. Call me tomorrow.”

“So you can find a dozen more ways to call me a pushover?”

“I didn’t. Mick, why are you so touchy?”

He heaved a sigh. “It’s been a stressful day. Bye, Marlee.” He hung up.

AS HE LEFT THE AIRPARK, Mick shut off his phone and tucked it in his pocket. Marlee wasn’t his mother or his conscience. She was two or three minutes older. And since the age of nine, when they’d learned this fact, she’d reminded him of it.

He exited the freeway and soon pulled into a snow-covered hospital parking lot. It looked like a Christmas card, with snow slanting past the brightly lit building. This was where he’d had his surgery last year. Mick remembered it had rained the day Marlee had checked him out.

As he approached the reception desk to ask about Hana, his mind flashed over the good times and bad ones he and Marlee had weathered together. Even before he asked the whereabouts of Hana and Kari, Mick’s annoyance with his sister had begun to fade. She worried about the people she loved. She worried about him.

“And are you related to Hana Egan or Kari Dombroski?” The middle-aged woman behind the desk pulled down a pair of half glasses and studied Mick.

He flipped out his ID, which included his volunteer pilot status with Angel Fleet. He knew that would gain him entry even though the organization wasn’t involved. “I rescued the women off a mountaintop, and I’d like an update on their conditions.”

Impressed, the clerk flipped through a set of cards that hadn’t yet been filed. “They’ve both gone to the orthopedic floor for evaluation. Are you familiar with the hospital?” She set a map on the counter.

“Yes, thank you.” Mick collected his ID and put his wallet away. He took off, not bothering to respond to the receptionist’s casual comment about how grateful Hana and Kari must be. Kari, maybe. Hana, not necessarily.

He passed a brightly lit gift shop with a glass vase filled with greenery and miniature yellow roses in the window. Mick stopped and pushed open the etched-glass door.

A woman about his age glanced up. “May I help you?”

“Those vase thingies in your window. How much are they?”

Smiling, she picked up the vase and gave a figure. “Visiting hours are over, but we offer in-house delivery at no charge, sir. All I need is the patient’s name and room number.”

“Actually, this patient was just admitted.” He gave Hana’s name. As he did so, he remembered Kari. It wouldn’t be right to buy flowers for one and not the other. In a case behind the counter he saw a vase full of fall foliage and red flowers. “Uh, that bouquet, could you send it upstairs, too?” Mick supplied Kari’s name, hoping he’d spelled Dombroski right.

The clerk lifted an eyebrow. “What a shame that two of your lady friends were hospitalized at the same time.” She wrote instructions on a delivery tag, but watched Mick from under her lashes. Apparently he’d interested her.

He could’ve put an end to her curiosity, but didn’t. He swiped his credit card, signed the bill and pocketed the receipt. Mick walked out and went straight to the elevator.

He’d spent a week on this same ward, he realized when he stepped off the car. He hated confinement, and hadn’t been the most cheerful patient, even though he’d received plenty of extra attention from several nurses. Especially Tammy Skidmore, who had slipped him her home phone number the day he’d checked out. Marlee had met Tammy several times. His sister liked the nurse and still bugged him periodically to ask Tammy for a date. Which Mick had not done.

Tonight, he found himself hoping she wasn’t on duty. She was nice enough, but she hadn’t shot up his interest antennae. Not like Hana did.

Mick scanned the nurses’ station. Four of them sat at the L-shaped desk in the glassed enclosure. Mick recognized one. Rosemary Dubuque. Privately, Mick had dubbed her Rosie the Riveter, because she was the one who most often delivered his nightly pain medication, and popped him with a needle in his butt none too gently. And all too gleefully, it seemed to Mick.

She looked up when Mick strolled to the counter. “Well, if it isn’t our pretty boy pilot. Don’t tell me you’ve finally come hunting for Tammy after going off and breaking her heart?”

That comment had the other nurses giving Mick the once-over.

“Actually, Rosemary, I flew two fallen climbers off a Glacier peak. I’d like to see how they’re getting along. I want to be sure they’ve been able to reach their relatives.” Mick wrote their names on the visitors’ sign-in sheet. “Frankly, I doubt my not calling Tammy broke her up all that much.”

“You’re right. In fact, if you’re interested,” she said, getting out of her chair to turn the clipboard around so she could read the names, “our Tammy no longer works here. She met a long-haul trucker and quit her job a month ago. They’re traveling the States in his eighteen-wheeler.”

That surprised Mick, but he was relieved. “Good for her. If you talk to her sometime, give her my best.”

“Humph! These two you’re asking about are still with doctors. Nothing’s come down to us yet except their admitting forms. No way to tell how long they’ll be tied up.” That was a broad hint for Mick to leave.

A delivery man from the gift shop strode up to the desk and plunked down the two vases of flowers Mick had purchased. Rosemary broke off, taking time out to sign for the bouquets. She inspected the cards stuck on plastic posts. “Well, aren’t you the Casanova? I must say, you do spread your charm around.” She set the vases behind the counter. “Someone will see that your ladies get these as soon as they’re assigned rooms. As I was about to say, if I were you, I wouldn’t hang around and wait.”

“You aren’t me. I’ll be in the waiting room. Please have someone notify me when Hana gets to a room. And Kari,” he added a half beat later.

Nurse Rosie might not have responded except that Mick didn’t budge from his spot until she nodded her assent.