A Walk on the Edge

By Denise Sebastian

She began walking down the path to the water. It had been raining and everything was a vibrant green. She needed to just get away and think about her life. At this point in her life she wasn’t sure if the choices she had made have been the right choices. She was single and alone. She had never found that one true someone that made her whole.

She stepped down to the water and saw a small heard of white tail deer drinking from the creek. The green of the moss was so intensely beautiful and bright it reminded her of the green of fresh wet grass with the sun shining on it. It crawled over the rocks like a blanket of beauty. As she took in the amazing scenery she stepped into the water. The deer looked up and she stopped. As she watched the deer they began to drink again. She took one more step and lost her footing. She fell and began to float down the creek. The recent rains had brought on a more rapid flow than usual. She reached for a branch and missed. The water began to rise and became faster and faster. Her pulse was racing and she could barely breathe. She tried to swim towards the bank, but the water was moving too swiftly. She was exhausted from fighting to stay afloat.

One last ditch effort, she began swimming with all her might. She swam harder and harder and finally reached the shore. She collapsed to the ground.

She awoke in a strange room. She was in bed. As she looked around she saw a small cabin just right for one.

Where was she? Who had brought her here? All of these questions were going through her head. Across the room there was fire breathing warmth to the room. She looked around and saw a table, lanterns, everything that someone would need to live in this tiny cabin.

Where was the owner? She began to get out of bed and noticed she was in a man’s shirt. She wondered how she got into these clothes. As she stepped down on the floor the pain seeped through her body like a bolt of lightning. She fell back to the bed as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

She heard a sound from outside. Someone was coming. She scrambled back into the bed and under the covers. She lay there in anticipation of her hero.

He walked into the cabin with his hands full of wood. He laid the wood by the fire and looked over at his guest. She had long brown hair and soft pale skin. Her face was that of a porcelain doll. Her eyes were a vibrant green. She was like an angel laying there in his bed.

As she looked at him her heart began to pound. He was tall and broad like a man with power. Yet he had this refinement to him. His hair was swept back from his face. He had this mystery about him that drew her eyes, she could not look away. He was wearing buckskin chaps over jeans and a button up shirt.

He asked her how she was feeling. She replied her foot was in pain. They began to converse about how she got there. He had found her on the bank of the creek and brought her here. She was wet and cold so he changed her clothes and built a fire to warm her. He figured they would assess if anything was broken when she awoke.

He moved to her and asked to look at the leg that hurt. He gently grasped her leg putting his hand just under her knee. With his other hand he felt the bone around the ankle. She grimaced. He apologized for hurting her. She nodded, unable to focus or speak from the pain.

She said can we call for help. He responded that there were no phones and that the only way out was a full day’s hike. She had a cell phone, but must have lost it when she fell into the swollen creek. He told her that they could stay here until she was feeling better and he would help her hike out.

He propped her leg up on some pillows. He took a rag out of a pot of water. She flinched just a bit because it was hot. He then left her there and began fixing some food.

He made biscuits and stew for dinner. It was the best she had ever had, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she was so hungry. He sat at the end of the bed and began to ask questions about who she was, what she did. They both began to talk about what they did and how they ended up here. He is a doctor in town. She was a business executive in a computer company. As they kept talking they found that they were interested in the same things, enjoyed the same past times. It seemed unreal to her. Here was this amazing man that rescued her from the bank, could she believe the amazing feeling welling from her instincts or should she question it. Was it just the fact he rescued her and she was thankful? Only time would tell.

She slept through the night, but it was a restless sleep. Every time she moved her ankle would throb. He slept on the floor near the fire. She felt bad she'd taken his bed.

In the morning he offered her coffee and to cook her breakfast. He looked at the ankle again and it was still swollen. He shook his head and told her he thought it was broke. He would wrap it and it should be ok to move tomorrow. They would need to go to the hospital as soon as we got to town and he would put it in a cast so that the bone can properly heal.

He went about the cabin cleaning up from this morning’s meal. They talked the entire time. He went to the bed and helped her lean forward and put more pillows behind her so it was easier to sit up.

Her heart was racing. The way he touched her sent this electric current through her body. She smiled at him and he back at her. The chemistry was amazing she thought.

He explained he needed to go get more wood. He left the cabin and she began to wonder what she actually looked like. She got out of bed and moved to where there was a basin and mirror. She cleaned up and went back to bed. That was a feat on its own. She laid down on the bed and once again fell asleep.

As he entered the room with wood he noticed that she had fallen back to sleep. He sat there and just gazed at her. She looked like an angel laying there. Her hair fell just right around her face. His heart began to race. Who was this delicate amazing woman? Why did she make him feel this way? He could barely keep his composure. He wanted to reach over and kiss those soft lips. This wasn’t him he thought. He wanted to sit and watch his angel sleep, but was in anticipation of her awaking.

A knock came at the door. It was a group of people asking if he had seen a woman that was missing, it was her. He welcomed them in and said that she had a broken ankle.

All the noise in the room woke her up. She was glad to see some of her friends and family standing there. They had come to find her. All of a sudden she felt this sinking feeling in her gut. She didn’t want to go, but she knew she had to. She thanked him for taking such good care of her. Everyone helped her out to the quad and she went was whisked back to reality.

As the days went on all she could think about was her time with him. She remembered his laugh and how he would run his fingers through his hair as they talked. What did he have that held her to this time?

All she could think about was him. She knew his first name and that he was a doctor in a town around where they were. Which town? All she wanted to do was find him now. She began searching for him in each town. Nothing! What could she do?

He was staying in the cabin for awhile it was his time for relaxation, but he was unable to do so. He needed her. He wanted to look into those dreamy eyes and fall back into the fantasies he wanted with her. The way she laughed and would blush at the drop of a hat. What happened to him? He was staying here for a month and wondered how he would make it without her.

With no luck she tried for weeks to find him. She began to give up and just see this as a brief encounter with the most amazing man. Her ankle was healing and she was able to get around. She wanted to go back to the cabin, maybe he was there.

She was not sure she could find the cabin again. She drove to the mountains and rented a quad. She drove for hours trying to find her way back to the cabin. Her soul was sinking as the night started to fall until she saw it, the cabin.

She stopped just short of the cabin. She wanted to surprise him. She limped to the cabin and noticed the fishing boat was gone. He might not be here. Her heart began to rise to her throat.

God, please let him be here, she thought. She reached the door and opened it. No one was there. She would wait to see if he comes back. Time passed so slowly. She was anxious. Did she miss him? Is he gone?

It was dark now and there was no way she could drive out. She started a fire and fixed herself something to eat. He still was not back. She had to face the fact that he was gone. She stroked the fire and decided to go to bed and leave in the morning. She took her pants off and crawled into bed. She began to cry herself to sleep.

It was late, but he had had a good day of fishing. He laughed to himself as he thought about how tired he was. He sat the boat down and put his fishing gear next to the boat. He grabbed the fish and headed into the cabin.

Alarmed there was a fire burning, he looked around the room. In the soft light of the fire he saw her there. His heart began to race. She came back! He put the fish down and walked to the bed. He sat down on the edge and gently ran his hand along her face. She rustled a bit to the touch. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. He gently bent down and brushed his lips to hers. ©2011 Denise Sebastian