Zach notified the park authorities on the hand held radio he always carried in his saddlebag. Doubts now plagued him. Why hadn’t he called off the whole trip when he suspected trouble? Why hadn’t he alerted the authorities earlier? Why did Andy, no Mark and Nigel have to die? The guilt that was flooding through his body only intensified as he looked over at Sydney. Since their brief embrace earlier, she had closed off her emotions completely. He watched her tend too Lee, who aside from a headache from hell, seemed to be no worse for the ware. At least that was something good.
The State Police as well as the Search and Rescue team arrived late in the afternoon. Amy was promptly arrested and taken away. Lee also accompanied them to have his injury tended to. An air and ground search began shortly there after. The somber expression on the team members faces only increased the sense of foreboding in the air. This was not a search and rescue mission, it was a recovery mission, there would be no miracles today.
Zach felt Sydney should not participate in the recovery effort. The last thing he wanted to happen was for her to find Nigel body. After a fall like that it would not be a pretty sight.
Sydney appreciated Zach’s concern, but she had insisted on coming. She knew Nigel would do the same for her.
Mark Stevens body had been found almost immediately, but Nigel was nowhere to be found. Some of the search team were theorizing that his body was somewhere up on the mountain side, maybe hidden in some rock outcropping. Everyone in the recovery team was at a loss as to what had happened to Nigel’s body.
With night quickly approaching, the recovery efforts were halted. The search would start again first thing in the morning.
Sydney restlessly paced around the small base camp that had been set up. Although she understood the reasons for ceasing the search for the night, her overwhelming desire to find Nigel consumed her. The thought of him spending the night alone, no she had to stop thinking he was alive. A part of her feared his body being found, it would crush the unreasonable thread of hope that he had somehow survived that persisted in her heart. The other part of her wanted him to be found so she could fully begin to grieve.
Suddenly the mood the small camp changed. Sydney raced towards the rescue team leader, not believing her ears. The forensic team at the mine site had just reported finding an injured man. As Sydney listened to the report, she knew without a doubt, it was Nigel.
Nigel did not know how much time had passed. He now heard people’s voices all around him, and other strange sounds. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he found himself unable to keep them focused for long.
"Syd?" was all Nigel could barely manage to say.
A strange women's face stared back at him and in a soothing voice eased his worries. "She’s fine, don’t worry about anything. We're going to get you out of here." With his mind at ease, Nigel gave into his exhaustion.
After arriving at the hospital, Sydney spent what felt like an eternity waiting for word on Nigel’s condition. Zach stayed with her in the waiting room and after several anxious hours the doctor finally came in. Nigel’s condition was still serious, but luckily for him the bullet had not hit any vital organs. He was suffering from severe blood loss, mild dehydration along with multiple contusions and bruises, but his chances of a full recovery looked good, barring any complications.
Sydney and Zach gave each other a relieved hug.
There were so many unanswered questions. How had he survived? Where had Nigel been for those long hours? Sydney didn’t know the answers to any of the questions that had going through her mind, but she did know one thing, God had given her Nigel back, and that was something she would always be thankful for.
Go to Part Twenty Three.