WILD MEN OF ALASKA

chapter TWENTY

Gemma lay there, stunned, fighting to breathe passed the impact of the airbag. As it slowly deflated, and the resulting powder settled, the light caught the glitter of glass everywhere. Enya continued to sing her soothing song, but there was nothing soothing about the situation. It took her a moment to realize what had happened.

Cub.

Gemma tried to see him, but could barely move, pinned in place by her seatbelt. Her side of the truck lay on the icy, snow-laden ground. She took stock of herself. Nothing seemed broken or bleeding, but she’d be sore.

“Cub?”

No answer. Gemma struggled to free her seatbelt, and then climb to her knees on the passenger door to reach him. Cub hung awkwardly to the side in his seatbelt, his eyes closed, blood seeping from a cut on his forehead.

“Cub.” Panic laced her voice. She wanted to shake him awake, but was afraid to touch him in case of a spinal injury. Carefully, she felt for a pulse in his wrist, letting out a huge breath of relief when she found one strong and steady. The car that had T-boned them had followed them over into the ditch and now squatted on top of Cub’s door. The front wheel had broken through the window, and cold air whistled through the interlocked vehicles.

“Hang tight!” a stranger yelled from the front of the truck. “Help is on the way.”

Gemma reached out with shaking fingers and shut off the stereo, silencing Enya, and bringing in the other sounds of the accident. Spitting and hissing from the engines of both vehicles, the heavenly sound of Cub’s even breathing, and then the welcome sirens of emergency vehicles as they rushed to the scene.

“Come on, Cub, wake up.” She didn’t like that he was still unconscious.

An Alaskan Trooper struggled to reach them through the snow. “Ma’am, can you give me your condition?”

“I-I think I’m okay, but Cub isn’t.”

“Cub? Cub Iverson?”

“Y-yes, he works for Search and Rescue.” Fairbanks wasn’t that big of a town when you boiled it down, and Troopers and Search and Rescue were an even smaller group.

“Hold on, we’ll have you out of there soon.” He handed her blankets through the broken windshield.

She carefully wrapped them around Cub first and then bundled up in the other. While she wasn’t cold at the moment, mainly because of the adrenaline coursing through her body, the shock of the accident would hit her and she’d be freezing. Hypothermia was a serious threat.

The rest was a blur of activity as the emergency crews worked together and helped her out of the truck, working carefully to cut Cub free as he didn’t slide through the broken windshield like she had. He had still failed to regain consciousness when they loaded him in the ambulance and headed to Fairbanks Memorial.

“Come on, Cub,” she prayed inside the ambulance as the EMTs checked his vitals and hooked him up to an IV. She couldn’t lose another man she cared about. She continued to pray as they raced over icy roads toward the hospital.

They rushed Cub into the ER, ushering her toward another part of the emergency room, to be checked over.

As she suspected, other than bruises and powder burns from the airbag, there wasn’t anything wrong with her. With his quick thinking and reflexes, Cub had saved her life, or at the very least, saved her some serious injuries. Everyone, nurses, doctors, EMTs, and troopers all commented on how lucky she was.

Lucky.

She couldn’t help thinking that if she were truly lucky, she’d be with Lucky right now. Despair over Cub’s condition and her own, settled over her as she sat in the waiting room for an update on Cub.

How could she have thoughts like that when Cub was probably in there fighting for his life?

After the troopers had taken her statement of the accident, she’d called and reassured Siri and Rosie that she was okay. Siri wasn’t concerned as she’d already “felt” that Gemma was fine. Rosie told her to keep them posted on Cub’s condition.

Dr. Macalister, announced by his name tag, entered the waiting room wearing green scrubs and the classic white lab coat. He looked to be in his fifties, trim, of average height, with auburn hair, split heavily with silver. He also sported a pierced ear where a diamond winked.

Gemma stood, surprised when the action made her dizzy.

“Careful, there, Ms. Star,” he said, grabbing her arm to steady her. “Take your time standing. You’ve suffered an ordeal that will be feeling itself physically for a few days now.”

“Call me, Gemma. How’s Cub?”

“Here, let’s take a seat.” He steered her back to the chair she’d been planted in and took the one beside her. “He’s actually doing great. Strong man, your Mr. Iverson.”

She didn’t correct him. As soon as they realized she wasn’t a family member, or significant other, the information train would stop.

“As far as we can tell, there isn’t anything wrong with him. He’ll be bruised and sore when he wakes up. Head injuries are tricky things. His CAT scan came back normal. Minimal swelling, so we expect him to wake soon.”

“Can I see him?”

“What the f*ck, man.” Lucky pushed at Cub’s unmovable chest. “Get back there. She’s crying at your bedside.”

“It isn’t me she wants.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He’d sacrificed everything. “I gave her up for you. So that you could be together. So she wouldn’t be alone. Now move your sorry ass.”

Cub took in the view around him, obviously stunned by the beauty. Lucky was tired of people enthralled with this place. “I want to stay here.”

“Are you f*cking kidding me?” Gemma wasn’t losing two men she cared about. “No way. There is nothing wrong with you.”

“Yes, there is. My heart belongs with my wife. I thought I could move on and hopefully share a life with Gemma.” Cub shook his head. “But not now. Not with this chance to be with the one woman who I’ve always loved.” Cub looked around like she’d appear at any moment.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Lucky muttered. A softening in his heart lessened his anger. This man was as lovesick as he was. “You’re in Limbo, dude. You’re wife isn’t here. She’s on the other side of here, and if you choose to enter that place, there will be no going back.” He was still here because he couldn’t make that final choice. He’d done his best to keep his distance from Gemma. It tortured him as she cried his name, sobbed until her body could no longer weep. The only thing keeping him from saying the hell with it all was this man. Cub-f*cking-Iverson. He was supposed to be the white knight. He’d proved he had the right stuff, the way he’d saved Gemma from being hurt in the accident. But what was this shit? “How could you want any other woman besides Gemma?”

“Gemma is wonderful, and without this opportunity I was going to give romancing her my best shot. But as much as you care for Gemma, I care for my wife.”

“You’re choosing to die. You get that, right?”

Cub met his eyes, and all Lucky could see was hard resolution. “I want to be with my wife. Take my body, and be with Gemma.”

“Whoa? What?” It was like the very fabric of the Universe held still. “What are you saying?”

“She’s coming for me.” A smile lit Cub up from the inside. “I can feel her.” His very spirit began to glow a golden hue. “I don’t have long. And my body will be wasted if you don’t take it.”

“I can’t do that,” Lucky whispered, though he so badly wanted to. Didn’t even know it was an option. Maybe it wasn’t an option. Were they messing with things that would backfire in a really bad way? A fire and brimstone kind of way?

“No, Lucky,” Hansen said, appearing from wherever he’d taken himself off to, giving a nod as way of introduction to Cub.

Lucky’s heart sank. He knew that he couldn’t be that lucky. Another chance at life, another chance at loving Gemma.

“You don’t understand,” Hansen said. “Your self-sacrifice the other day has presented this avenue to you.”

“What kind of game is this?”

“No game. A test, if you will. You’ve proven yourself worthy of another life.”

“Wait a damn minute. What if this dingbat hadn’t come along?”

“Eventually, if you hadn’t moved on, there might have been another willing to give up his body to you.”

Lucky looked Cub up and down, taking in his well-toned physique. Hell, he’d won the jackpot. Though it would take some getting used to being that tall. “Do you hit your head a lot?”

“No, but you probably will.”

“There isn’t a lot of time,” Hansen said. “The longer a soul is away from the body, the faster it starts to deteriorate.”

“How do you know all this?” Lucky turned on Hansen, looking at him as though for the first time. This was Hansen, his carefree buddy, right?

“Go,” Cub said. “Just do me a favor and don’t tattoo my body or anything.”

“He can’t come back and push me out?” Lucky asked Hansen, since he seemed to have all the answers.

“No. Once the agreement has been made, there is no going back.”

Lucky regarded Cub again. Filled with emotion that brought tears to his eyes, he reached out and enveloped Cub in a bear hug. “Thanks, man.”

“The only thanks I need is to know that Gemma will receive the love and care she deserves.”

“Count on it.”