Liz carefully picked up the tray of steaming cups, cautiously balancing it with one hand as she exited the small café in the resort lobby. The doorbell rang as she exited and the girl behind the counter looked up with a smile.
“Merry Christmas! “ she said cheerfully. Liz mustered a small smile as she left. It was Christmas Eve, but it didn’t feel like it. She wove her way through the ground floor level of the resort, passing families and couples laughing as they enjoyed the holiday. She felt like she was in a cement tunnel and those sounds were far away. She approached the main desk and pushed the doors open with her free hand. Suddenly she entered a world where the sights and sounds were much louder and much more real.
Folding chairs and card tables littered the lobby with maps and papers covering every inch of space on the table surfaces. The crackle of static was a strong sound in the air as reports came in over radios. Liz watched as men and women entered the lobby, gave reports on the area they had searched and after receiving new assignments, returned to the snowy outdoors. Stepping off to the side, Liz walked across the room and through another set of doors to the fireplace and couches in the next room.
It was the same room where she’d spent the afternoon before with Max. She gulped as the door shut behind her and Isabel looked up from her spot on the couch, her eyes hopeful. Liz didn’t take it personally when disappointment flittered across her face and her gaze returned to the fire. Isabel’s mother sat next to her on one side, her father on the other. Maria and Amy occupied the other couch while Max and Michael had positioned themselves at the window, carefully watching the search outside for any sign of Alex. Liz thought her parents might be trying to reach Alex’s parents in Europe, they hadn’t had any luck earlier in the morning. It was after noon and Alex had been missing for almost twenty-four hours.
“Here, I got some hot chocolate,” Liz said, setting the tray on the table in front of the couches. She checked the cups carefully before handing Isabel one of the specific three cups marked with a black “X”. Isabel took it numbly and sipped at the hot liquid. Her attention immediately snapped to Liz as she turned her eyes to her. She smiled at Liz gently and Liz smiled back. Liz hadn’t known how much tabasco sauce to put in the cups for Isabel, Max and Michael, but apparently she’d gotten her estimate close. She took the remaining two marked cups to Max and Michael and handed them to the guys. As she’d approached she noticed an abrupt end to the conversation and Michael shooting Max a stormy look. Michael nodded his thanks to Liz before crossing to the other side of the room and exiting towards the headquarters in the lobby. Liz stood in front of Max and waited as he drank his hot chocolate. She patiently waited for him to talk, which he finally did after a few minutes.
“Michael wants to go out and look for Alex,” Max said, his voice low so the others wouldn’t hear him. Liz leaned closer, her eyes wide.
“You don’t think he’ll go out there by himself, do you?” Liz asked, glancing towards the next room where Michael had just gone. Max shook his head.
“He won’t now,” Max said, his mouth set in a firm line.
“How do you know?” Liz asked, more than a little puzzled. He caught her eyes with his and held her gaze, his jaw set in a hard line.
“Because I asked him if he wanted to cause Maria as much pain as Isabel is going through,” Max replied. Liz’s eyes softened at his words. She knew Michael had a tendency to sometimes be a little headstrong and that Max was just trying to protect his friend. Max turned away from the window and put his arm around Liz, pulling her against him. His hand reached up to stroke her hair and she closed her eyes at the welcome weight. She encircled her arms around his waist, hugging him tight. She didn’t know how long they stood there, holding one another. They both looked up as the door clattered open and Michael burst through, out of breath.
“They found him! He’s coming in right now,” Michael said between breaths. Isabel was out of her seat in an instant, rushing to push Michael aside to get outside. Maria, Max and Liz quickly followed her, with their parents behind them. Officer James saw them coming and held up his hands to stop them from barreling outside.
“Hold on, they found him, but he’s still a few minutes away,” he said, looking at each person in the group.
“Is he okay? Where was he?” Maria asked.
“We don’t know too much about his condition, just that he’s in fair health. He was about five miles away from the resort, a ways off the path. From what the other skier told us, Alex lost control on the trail yesterday afternoon and they were slowly heading back to the resort together when the storm hit. They agreed that the other skier would be able to make it a lot quicker and bring back help for Alex. We found Alex in a makeshift shelter and search and rescue is bringing him here before they take him to the hospital,” James replied. A collective sigh of relief came from the group and Max put a hand on Isabel’s shoulder, squeezing gently. She felt her knees shaking a little as the news finally hit her. They had found Alex.
Twenty minutes later it wasn’t enough that they had found Alex. Isabel paced quickly, her eyes darting outside every few seconds. She bit her lip nervously and Liz walked up next to her, stopping her movement.
“Isabel, he’ll be here soon and you’ll see for yourself that he’s fine,” Liz reassured her, putting both hands on Isabel’s shoulders. Isabel nodded emphatically. The doors that burst open interrupted the relative silence of the lobby. Members of search and rescue entered, carrying a stretcher that was bundled and covered with blankets. Liz felt her heart lurch as she turned to look.
“Alex!” Isabel’s worried voice carried across the lobby. She ran over to the stretcher and put her hands on the cold blankets, still covered with snow from the outside. The people carrying the stretcher had set it down on the floor and a paramedic carefully peeled away some of the layers of blankets and protection over Alex. Isabel kneeled over the stretcher and waited anxiously until she finally saw his face, mustering a smile as he looked at her. She took in his tired eyes and how cold he looked and she felt her eyes well with tears. His grin widened and she returned the smile, laughing a little as her tears fell. Somehow he freed his hand and reached up to touch the side of her face. His hand was cold, but Isabel didn’t care.
“Thank God,” she whispered, and closed her eyes silently. When she opened them again, Alex’s eyes were trained on hers, tired as he looked. His face was still very pale, but Isabel noticed some color was starting to return. She leaned over him and kissed him briefly, not caring who was watching or what anyone might think. Just as she leaned back more paramedics entered the lobby with a gurney to put Alex in the ambulance. He looked up as they lifted him and Isabel nearly cried out when she lost his hand as they pulled him away.
“Hey, guys, I’m fine, really. I appreciate all the trouble, but broken legs heal,” Alex started to protest.
“Alex,” a stern voice cut through his objections, causing him to cease all movement.
“Parker,” he replied, his tone surprised. Liz and Maria walked forward, with Michael and Max following close behind.
“No arguments. If they say you go to the hospital, you go to the hospital, understand?” Liz asked. Alex finally nodded and grinned at the girls. Maria reached forward and gripped his hand.
“Besides, the sooner you leave, the sooner you come back,” she said, gracing him with a broad smile. Alex’s eyes glanced at the group of people around him and saw all the concern focused on him. He could read Maria and Liz easier than anyone could, and he saw the tears that still hadn't dried from Isabel’s face. He read the carefully concealed relief on Michael’s face and the way that Mrs. Parker clenched at her husband’s hand. Max shared a pointed look with Alex and he nodded, realizing how much everyone had been scared by his disappearance. The paramedics started the wheel Alex out to the waiting ambulance and Officer James approached the group.
“Mr. and Mrs. Parker, if you could follow the ambulance to the hospital, they’ll have some forms for you to fill out,” he said. Liz’s parents nodded and began to walk out to the parking lot.
“Can I ride with him? Please,” Isabel’s voice stopped the officer and he turned to look. Her eyes were hopeful and he smiled.
“Sure, hurry up,” he replied, waving her over. Isabel turned to her parents and they nodded. She hugged Liz and Maria quickly before stepping back.
“Thank you,” Isabel whispered. Liz nodded; knowing without words that Isabel was thanking them for how they’d been there for her when she needed them.
“Just bring him back soon,” Liz said. Isabel nodded before walking quickly outside. Liz felt Max’s arms come around her from behind as he pulled her against his chest. She sighed at the comforting warmth against her back and closed her eyes. The siren of the ambulance sounded once as it pulled away from the resort and her eyes popped open. Mr. and Mrs. Evans turned to the group.
“You kids look exhausted,” Diane said, sympathetically looking at her son and his friends. They all looked as though they considered arguing with her but then realized how right she was. They nodded and Michael couldn’t even manage to hide a yawn. Diane started to herd them towards the elevators.
“Go. Go get some rest and when Alex gets back you kids can get back to your vacation, just no more skiing in the storm,” she advised. Inside the elevator they rode in silence until Maria spoke up.
“God, it feels like the last twenty hours have been a nightmare,” she whispered. Michael found her hand hanging at her side and laced his fingers with hers, getting a surprised but pleased smile from her.
“At least it’s over. Alex is fine,” Liz said the words, trying to remind herself that he really was. The remaining four smiled at one another but they all felt like something was missing without Alex and Isabel to share in their relief. Half stumbling, they entered the rooms and without even speaking Liz followed Max to his room and Michael trailed behind Maria to hers. Liz kicked off her shoes and shed her jacket on the floor before crawling into the bed, curling up against Max as he settled down next to her. She released a heavy sigh and tried to move as closely to him as she could. She was aware of every movement that he made and the experience was incredibly intimate as he tried to get comfortable.
His head rolled a little as he tried to find a better spot on the pillow and she loved the feeling of his gentle hands on her waist, unconsciously pulling her closer. Her hand on his arm felt the twitch of his muscles as he put his arm around her and she looked up at his face, catching him gazing down at her. He smiled sheepishly and caught her lips with hers. She was immediately warm, feeling the insistent pressure of his lips on hers as he reminded her of what surprises Max Evans could give her. When he pulled back she licked her lips, tasting him on her mouth. He touched her face, tracing her jaw line with his forefinger and smiling.
“I love you,” she whispered, knowing she’d caught him by surprise by the startled look on his face. She felt like she should remind him of how she felt every chance she got. The grin on his face took her breath away and was answer enough in itself.
“I love you, too,” he replied. Without another word Liz cuddled up against Max’s chest and closed her eyes, finding that sleep came much easier with Alex safe and Max beside her.
Isabel stiffly raised her head from the flat pillow she’d been sleeping on. She raised her head to look at the bed across the room and saw that Alex still slept quietly, his breathing steady and even. Alex had been checked over and admitted for his broken leg and the hospital just wanted to keep him under observation for a few hours before releasing him. Jeff and Nancy were probably down at the cafeteria, she thought as she sat up. She had laid down on the unoccupied hospital bed next to Alex after he’d been wheeled in. He’d been asleep at the time and she’d promised that she would just wait until he woke up, but her own fatigue finally caught up with her. She looked outside and noticed that the sun was starting to set in the clear sky. She shook her head; the raging storm had cleared up in less than a day. Isabel heard Alex moving and walked over quietly. She noticed him blinking his eyes and she smiled at him brightly before bringing a chair close to his bed. He caught her looking and smiled back.
“Hey,” He said, clearing his throat.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Isabel asked. He shrugged.
“Like I broke my leg, I guess. I feel okay, but much better with you here,” he said. Isabel’s smile widened as she reached forward and clasped one of his hands with hers.
“I was so worried about you,” she admitted, her voice low. He looked stricken at the thought of her agonizing over him.
“I’m sorry, Isabel, I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused,” he started until she interrupted him. “You don’t have to apologize, accidents happen. I just thought you should know that I was worried about you,” Isabel said, her voice stumbling over the words. Alex fell silent; realizing what Isabel was trying to say. He’d observed how hard for her it was to reveal how she was feeling to those she cared for and he knew she was telling him how much she cared about him. He also knew that Isabel had more than a general idea about how he felt about her, but she needed and deserved to hear the words.
“I knew that when they found me and brought me back to the resort, yours would be the first face I would see. And I knew I couldn’t miss out on that,” Alex said his voice serious. Isabel’s face searched his and her eyes twinkled.
“I know exactly what you mean,” she replied, realizing she did. Since he couldn’t move closer to her from where he laid, she leaned forward and gently kissed him, just to remind herself that she could do just that whenever she wanted and that he was finally safe back with her.
