Ninety Degrees Out
Chapter Twenty Three

Akira Stroman heard the violent ring of the call to meals and checked her watch. The time was wrong as she expected. Far to close to lunch service to be anything other than an emergency of some sort.

She grabbed her first aid pack. Hustling out of the suite she and her husband were assigned, she jogged to the steps down into the dining area a great room. Dodging tables, she slammed through the door onto the veranda and discovered Catherine cradling her right arm.

“Sweetie, how are you doing?” Akira asked. A quick glance told her something more than an injured arm had occurred.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Catherine mumbled.

Jake arrived taking the steps two at time to skid to a stop in front of his sister. Anger sizzled through the air.

“What the fuck happened!”

His shout had his sister cringing away from him, and his shoulders sagged.

“Baby, what happened?” He dropped to his knees in front of her as Akira flipped the first aid kit open on the bench beside Catherine. His voice gentle and his touch soft as he sat down on the other side of his sister.

“He raped me,” Catherine shuddered at his touch, curling away from her brother.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Akira pitched her voice to cut through the girl’s sobs.

“Dam rights it wasn’t her fault,” Jake snapped to his feet pacing across the porch. “Who was he? I’ll kill him.”

“A biker, he surprised me when I was checking the gates between our fences and Chay’s property. Not too far from where Twig creek comes out of the canyon.”

“Get Jett,” Akira said. Stepping across to stop Jakes pacing.

“What the hell can he do?” Jake threw a frustrated punch at the support column next to the steps.

“He’s an artist. He can draw a portrait from Catherine’s description. He’s got software on his laptop. It’s been a hobby for a long time. Go replace him, he’s supposed to join Alicia and Chay at the new pond. Let them know what happened and to be careful about those damn bikers.” Akira told him.

As Jake took off for the barn, she shouted after him. “Tell them Kel and I won’t be coming. I’ll take care of Catherine.”

“My arm, I’m not sure what happened but he twisted it, and something went pop and then I’m sure something broke when he slammed me into the ground.” Catherine managed to hiss the words between her teeth clenched in pain.

“Let me take a look. I’ll get into a splint and a sling to give you some relief,” Akira said.

“You have some training?”

“Just short of EMT. I’ll tell you what I figure out as we go.”

“My head, I’ve got a bump on the back of it somewhere from a rock I hit when he tripped me. Then he pulled my tee shirt up and grabbed my breasts, he cut belt off and then….” Catherine’s voice broke and she drew several ragged breaths and shook her head.

Akira ran her hands through Catherine’s hair, carefully searching for the bump. It was there, but not severe and she checked for bleeding, replaceing none. She let out her own breath, glad that it was a severe injury. Running her hands down the girls arms she noted swelling below her right elbow and displacement of her shoulder joint

“We need to get you into Anchorage. They need to do a rape kit and you’re going to need someone to put your shoulder back in. I think it’s dislocated. You seem to have a break in your forearm. I’m not sure if it’s one or both bones. I’m going to splint your arm and put you in a sling to support that shoulder.”

Akira reached for her supplies as Kanti came over from their home behind the lodge.

“Jake told me.” Kanti slid in beside Catherine and wrapped her arm around the blonde woman. Her dark hair a sharp contrast as she hugged her with one arm.

Akira knotted the sling behind Catherine’s neck, gently pulling her hair free so it wouldn’t be caught.

“Are you bleeding anywhere?” Akira noted the torn knees in her jeans and rolled them up to inspect her legs.

“I can barely sit, he did things, I’m sorry I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to forget it ever happened.” Catherine closed her eyes and leaned into Kanti’s embrace.

“I’ll fly her into Anchorage. I can get help to the airport faster than we can get her in by car. Let Armaruq know and tell Hakan I’ll wait there to bring her back.” Kanti said and continued once she had Catherine’s attention. “I’m going to get my plane ready. You’re going to meet me at the hangar in about half an hour. We’ll replace you fresh clothes to bring. We’re going to take care of you.”

“Get her ready to go, Akira.” Kanti ordered.

“We’ll have her ready. I’ll get her stuff together and we’ll be ready when you are,” Akira acknowledged.

Kanti jogged away her black braid bouncing between her shoulder blades.

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Arimina skipped ahead of Alicia and Chay as they walked down the path toward the canyon. Her bear bell clanged as she swung back and forth in her right hand. Jazz ran through the trees beside the path disappearing behind the bigger trunks like a ghost in the shadows.

Chayton carried the duffel with his materials for the new ladder he wanted to affix to the freshly exposed granite wall on his side of the canyon. He knew Hakan would be happy to put another one up from the bottom of the waterfall. The boulders at the bottom were higher by at few few feet on his side so the spillway was only a few feet wide, leaving a long ledge of pink speckled grey granite exposed.

The sun was almost directly overhead, and the only shade was in the forest where aspens and birch filled the gaps between the point tips of the spruce. Birds twittered and Arimina paused suddenly, bringing them to a halt.

“Look Mommy.” She pointed up into the branches of the tree she had stopped under.

Alicia crouched beside her daughter so she could follow the direction her finger indicated.

“Chay, take a look, is that a great horned owl?”

“Looks like it. I’ll grab a quick picture and we can look it up when we get back.” He pulled his phone out and snapped a quick photo, zooming in as far as he could. “Good eyes, Arimina.”

“He’s beautiful.” Arimina swung the bell and the bird soared between the branches swooping down to skim over their heads.

“We’ll have to mark this tree. I think they might have a nest here.” Alicia said.

“Does that mean we have to be careful not to disturb them?” Arimina asked.

“Yup, I hope they will raise a few chicks. They usually have two or three eggs,” Alicia confirmed.

“Let’s keep going. We want the owl to come back. Besides, I think I hear people down at the pond already.” Chay said.

Arimina ran ahead and Chay took Alicia’s hand in his, bringing to his lips to kiss. He would fight tooth and nail to keep them together through whatever was coming. Alicia’s chocolate brown eyes met his, tiny gold flecks reflecting the flickering sunlight coming through the branches above them.

“I’m falling in love with you,” he told her. “You don’t have to say anything. I have learned never to miss an opportunity to tell people I care. To share love is so important. I’ll fight to keep you safe and to protect Ari from the worst life has to bring.”

“Chay, I’m more than halfway in love with you. And it’s happened so fast I’m not sure what to think. I trust you with Arimina, and I trust you won’t hurt her no matter what happens between us, and if you get my logic, that makes me think I’m right to let my heart have its way.”

He stopped to kiss her lush lips and said. “That’s all I need to hear. We’ll work the rest out from here. I won’t let you move out again. You’re staying, right?”

“We’re staying. I’ve already confirmed it with the real estate agent who was managing my lease. They can’t get in contact with the Markham’s. They can’t get hold of their daughter either. We don’t know if they’re even alive.”

“They’re daughter was in Seattle. I figured they might be lost especially after that last earthquake.” Chay gave her a one armed squeeze.

Alicia squared her shoulders. “It’s hard. I’m so thankful my family and yours are all right. But sometimes I don’t know why we were so lucky. I mean we’ve got to deal with the heat and what it’s doing to water levels and the animals around us, but it seems outrageous. Like we’ve just had it too easy.”

“I know. I’m hope a few more family members make their way here, and we can keep our community safe.” He kissed her again, and then turned her toward the waterfall they could hear thundering over the rocks below.

“Let’s go swimming.” Alicia suggested and turned to follow the dusty path.