“Will do. Good luck.”
“Over and out.” Buzz flipped off the radio and was in the process of sheathing it when Kelly came up beside him.
“What did they say about the fire?” she asked.
He looked at her, felt that familiar punch-in-the-gut sensation that always made him feel as if he’d just stepped out of the ring after being trounced by a sumo wrestler. He wished she’d stop looking at him like that. Like something good was about to happen when he was fresh out of good news.
Buzz had been around the block enough times to know good didn’t always prevail. Even when it came to the innocent. Especially when it came to the children….
Shaking off the memories, he fought his way back to the present and relayed the new information to her.
She stared at him, her eyes wide and filled with denial and a measure of defiance. “Four miles is a long way.”
Buzz didn’t say anything.
“That just means we’ve got to hurry. We’ve got to find him quickly. Buzz, we’re close. I—”
“Kel, that means the fire could come roaring through here in a matter of hours.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m telling you I want you to go back to the ranger station. It’s not safe for you up here. If the wind shifts or the leading edge of the fire moves more quickly than expected, we could get into trouble.”
She backed up a step, put her hand out as if to fend him off. “I’m not leaving my son up here.”
“Kel, if you don’t go back voluntarily, I’ll be forced to take you back myself. That’s time spent that I could have been looking for Eddie.”
“I’m not leaving until I find him. I mean it, Buzz. Don’t try to make me, because I’ll fight you.”
“I can’t risk your getting hurt, Kel. We’ve already lost two firefighters. These guys are good at what they do, and the fire still got them. It’s burning out of control and coming this way. I can’t let you stay.”
“I’m not leaving Eddie.”
“I can work faster if I’m alone.”
“I can keep up with any pace you set.”
Buzz growled in frustration. “I understand why you don’t want to leave, Kel. But come on. I’m a professional. Leave this to me. I’ll find him.”
She stared at him, stricken. “My God, how can you expect me to leave my child out here all alone?”
“He’s my child, too, damn it! If something happens to both of us, who is he going to have?”
That stopped her. Buzz saw the battle raging inside her, the battle between a mother’s instinct to save her child and the logic that dictated her own survival. When she turned to him and squared her shoulders, he knew instantly which had won. And he prayed it didn’t end up costing both of them their lives.
“I’m not leaving. I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you wanted to hear. But I can’t leave him. I can’t.”
Buzz stared hard at her for a long time. His first instinct was to fight her on this, overpower her if he had to in order to keep her safe. But for the first time in a long time, he understood where she was coming from. He understood the need to protect what was precious.
Feeling a new urgency pressing down on him, he slung the backpack off his shoulders and pulled out the topographical map of the area, then glanced down at his watch. Seven o’clock.
“We have about two hours before dark,” he said as he spread the map. He set his finger at the point where they stood. “We’re here.” He slid his finger a fraction of an inch. “This is where we found his tracks in the sand. And this is where you fell.”
Kelly looked down at the map. When she set her hand at the point where they’d found the tracks, Buzz could see that her hands were shaking. She looked up at Buzz, her eyes large and frightened. “He’s following the stream,” she said.
“That’s why we haven’t been able to find him. He’s been sticking to the rocks. That’s why he hasn’t left many tracks. He probably feels protected that way. There are lots of nooks and crannies he can fit into.”
“How far are we from the stream?”
“Not far.” Buzz pointed toward the cliffs to the north. “Just on the other side of that rock face. If he’s near the water, he won’t be able to hear us, either.”
She cut him a questioning look.
“The water there runs swift. It’s loud. If he’s stopped nearby, he won’t be able to hear the whistle over the sound of the water.”
“Let’s go.” She started to turn away, but Buzz grabbed her arm.
“From here on out, we move quickly,” he said. “No more breaks. We drink while we walk. I’ll refill at the creek. I’ve got some chlorine tabs, so we should be okay. We’ve got to push, Kel, and we’ve got to push hard. In another two hours it will be dark. Visibility may be nil by morning. Smoke will be a problem. If the fire comes this way….” Not wanting to finish the sentence, Buzz shrugged.