A Love That's Divine--Part Six

"Do we need to bring anything special?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, no. Cal and I packed backpacks for everyone, including a picnic lunch…This is Cal Wingate, by the way," Katherine said. "He's the maintenance supervisor at the hotel, not to mention an experienced hiker. He knows these trails like the back of his hand." She smiled appreciatively at him. Jonathan extended a hand, noting his powerful handshake.

They boarded the Suburban and climbed onto the Kancamagus Highway. About five miles down the road, Cal pulled over to a small clearing. "This is the beginning of the trail here. It's called Carter's Ridge," Katherine announced.

"Do you have a map of the trail?" Jonathan asked.

Katherine laughed politely. "Yes, but Cal and I know the trails around here very well. Don't worry," she said. "It should take us about an hour to get to the summit of Carter's Ridge. About halfway, there's a clearing with a spectacular view. That's where Gloria Cromwell is buried. We can have lunch there or continue up the mountain."

Jennifer was anxious. She was the first to hop out of the vehicle. Cal opened the back of the Chevy and distributed backpacks and water bottles. "Let's go!" Katherine said, turning and heading into the woods.

The dense forest of the White Mountains was dazzling this time of year. Swirls of orange and yellow leaves danced around their feet, as the Harts and their guides made their way up the wandering trail. Jennifer would occasionally stop to retrieve her camera, fascinated with a chipmunk that was perched atop a fallen tree trunk. She was in obvious joy over the abundant wildlife around her. Jonathan grinned at her. "I wonder if we'll ever get her out of here now," he said to Katherine and Cal.

As they hiked along further, Jonathan noticed that the trail was beginning to get steeper and that his wife was slowing down a bit. Jennifer stopped momentarily to drink some of her water. "What's the matter, darling? Feeling a little out of shape?" he asked. He loved teasing her, especially since she was in gorgeous shape.

"Not a bit!" she replied, her glance telling him that she was not in the mood to joke about it.

Katherine couldn't help but smile. She knew only too well the struggle to keep fit. Luckily, her battles over the bulge were easily won, due to agreeable genes and self-discipline. Ten minutes later, Jennifer began feeling a bit light-headed. The muscles in her calves were also beginning to feel tight. However, she was determined not to be the one to slow the group down. She noticed how sprightly Katherine negotiated every twist and turn in the trail, and the way she effortlessly leaped large tree branches in her way. I'm definitely going to the gym when we return to L.A., Jennifer thought to herself.

"Just up ahead is that clearing I told you about," Katherine said at last.

Cal turned to see how their guests were doing. He noticed that Jennifer was lagging behind, catching her breath. Jonathan noticed too, but was eager to get to the clearing. He knew Jennifer would be excited to see Gloria's gravesite. "C'mon darling! We're almost there!" he called to her, already several paces ahead. Katherine had gained on them considerably. She beckoned Jonathan. "Hurry! There's a moose! You don't want to miss this sight!"

Jonathan looked back at Jennifer who had stopped to take another drink. She motioned to Jonathan to continue, "Go on, Jonathan…don't miss it! Here's my camera!" She tossed it up to him. Katherine was still waving to him about fifty yards ahead, as Jonathan picked up his pace and headed up to meet her. Cal turned around and headed back down. Jennifer sat on a large boulder and looked up. Her head began to spin. The last thing she remembered was a kaleidoscope of fall colors as she passed out.

Jonathan looked out at the awesome sight before him. Two magnificent moose were grazing about ten yards away. He was struck by their size - their legs at least six feet tall! He got the camera out and began snapping away. He was not the photographer in the family, but he would do his best to capture the beauty of these creatures for Jennifer, before they trotted away. Finally, after several minutes, the moose noticed the attention they had garnered and lumbered away into the deep woods.

"They are truly one of God's most beautiful creatures," Katherine admired. "Very shy though. You were lucky to see them for this long." Jonathan shook his head in agreement, unable to add to her testimonial. Suddenly, he realized that Jennifer had not reached the clearing. "I'd better go see if Jennifer is up for the rest of the hike," he said, winking at Katherine.

They turned and headed back. "Cal must be keeping her company," she offered. As they maneuvered their way around the bend in the trail, Jonathan began to get worried. He didn't see Jennifer where he had left her. "Jennifer!" he called, not wanting to sound alarmed. Suddenly, Cal appeared.

"Where's Jennifer?" Jonathan asked, the concern on his face showing.

"She wanted to go back down to the truck," Cal answered. "She said she was getting tired and would wait for us down there. I walked her down part of the way."

Jonathan looked at him intensely. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"If I yelled up to you, the moose would have bolted. I didn't want you to miss it. Besides, she said she just wanted to rest. She said to tell you to have a look at the gravesite and take some pictures for her….I'm sorry if I did anything wrong," Cal said apologetically.

Jonathan looked uneasily at Katherine and Cal. "No…no. That's fine. Let's just go take a look at the gravesite now, and then let's call it a day," Jonathan said finally. Katherine nodded in agreement.

Jonathan shook his head. "Boy, I wish Jennifer had been able to see this," he said, looking down at a small but beautiful granite stone. It read:

             So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

             So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

             Gloria Cromwell 1912-1944.

Jonathan recognized the last lines of the sonnet, and he immediately thought of the torn-out page that was in the pouch - the page he had tucked into the bouquet of flowers for Jennifer. He quickly took a picture of the stone and gathered his backpack, anxious to tell Jennifer about what he found. "Okay, let's get back down to see how Jennifer is doing."

George Stinson stood next to his sons as they gathered around Carol's bedside. Matthew was motionless, staring at all the apparatus in the room. Chris looked up at his father, his eyes fighting back the tears. "Dad, can she hear us? Is she gonna wake up?" he asked.

George put his arm around the boy's shoulder, realizing that he hadn't hugged his sons in a very long time. "She can't hear us right now because she's in a deep sleep. Her body is trying to heal itself with all the energy it can muster," he explained as best he could. Thank goodness Marjorie had helped him rehearse what he should say, he thought. George then dragged a couple of chairs close to the bed so that they could sit down.

"She's gonna die, isn't she?" Matthew finally spoke, his eyes cast at the floor. Chris looked at his father, afraid to hear the answer. George wished he could tell them with certainty that everything was going to be all right - that they were going to bring their mother home and that he would be a good father. He wanted to tell them that he would try harder to be there for their baseball games, that he would be home for dinner every night, that he would hug them when they were hurt. He wanted to tell them how sorry he was that he had let them down. He wanted to say all this and more, but all he could say was, "I don't know, sons. All we can do is pray."

Jonathan jogged down the remaining stretch toward the truck. He was anxious to see Jennifer and to tell her about the gravestone. His eagerness turned to alarm when he saw that the Chevy was empty. He walked around the truck, looking off into every direction. Katherine and Cal were just coming up behind him.

"Where is she?!" Jonathan said to Cal, trying to control the anger in his voice. Something just didn't feel right.

"She's not here?" Katherine asked, looking at Jonathan and then Cal.

"I watched her follow the trail back down," Cal said. "She's got to be here. Where would she have gone?"

"I don't know…" Jonathan said, trying to think clearly despite the alarm he felt. "Let's split up and search the area. Maybe she started up the trail again and lost her way." The three of them headed back up the trail, splitting off into separate directions. Jonathan shouted Jennifer's name several times and heard Katherine and Cal echo his calls in the distance.

Jennifer slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus. She kept hearing someone cry, "My hands! My hands!" It was a woman's voice. "Gloria?" Jennifer called out, unsure if she was dreaming. Everything was a blur. Suddenly, she was aware of a throbbing pain in her head and brought her hand up to find the source. She felt something warm and wet ooze through her fingers. Jennifer looked up into the sky at the sound of a hawk circling overhead. Her gaze finally came into focus, as she looked down at her hands covered in blood. She again drifted off.

Jonathan looked up as he heard the hawk calling and instinctively followed its direction. He ran, throwing fallen branches aside, unaware of the scratches and tears in his skin and clothing, as he set off to find Jennifer. As he got to a small clearing, he spotted her lying downhill against a rock. "Jennifer!!!" he yelled.

Jennifer stirred, hearing Jonathan's voice. "Jonathan?" she said, barely audible. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming again. Jonathan slid down the small embankment and reached his wife. He tried not to let the panic on his face show. "Oh God," he muttered, gathering her up in his arms. He looked down at the gash on her head where she was bleeding. He set her down again, afraid she was losing too much blood. He tore off his shirt and ripped it down the middle. As he wrapped it around her head, he shouted to Katherine and Cal, "I found her! Over here!!!"

They both reached the Harts within seconds. Katherine looked at Jennifer in shock. "Oh my God!" she said, covering her mouth and looking away. The sight of blood made her light-headed. "I'll carry her up," Cal offered.

"No. I'll carry her. You just lead the way," Jonathan said sternly.

Joel Pennacook had just stepped out of Carol Stinson's room, feeling decidedly optimistic. Her CAT scan had shown improvement. It was good news to share with George and his two young sons.

"You're needed in the emergency room, Dr. Pennacook," Marjorie Wallace said to him, as he approached the nurse's station. "A hiking accident."

"Okay. Be sure to page me if Mrs. Stinson comes around."

Joel swung back the curtain, surprised to find the Harts. Jennifer was lying on the striker bed, her head bandaged and her clothes covered with dried blood. Jonathan was standing next to her, holding her hand.

"Well, well," Joel said, looking at her chart, "two visits to Memorial in two days - that's not good!"

Jennifer smiled weakly. "Yes. This is a lovely hospital, but I think I've seen enough of it."

Joel took out his flashlight to examine Jennifer's pupils. "Well, at least we didn't have to shave any of that beautiful hair for the stitches, huh?" He smiled at Jonathan, who clearly looked as though he wouldn't have cared if they had shaved her entire head, as long as his wife was all right. Joel could see that they were not up for any humor at the moment. "You had quite a scare, didn't you?" he said, touching Jennifer's arm. "What happened out there?"

"I'm not really sure," Jennifer said. "I was feeling tired and dizzy, so I stopped to rest on a rock. Jonathan went ahead to see a moose," she recalled, laughing a bit. "I think I blacked out and when I came to, I saw Cal coming towards me. I told him I wanted to go back down and wait in the truck. He said okay, and that's all I can remember. I have no idea how I got back out into the woods or hit my head."

"That is strange. Maybe you wandered off the trail and lost your footing," Joel offered.

"Doctor," Jonathan spoke up, "Jennifer was feeling dizzy and tired as we were climbing. She's in excellent condition. Now that I think about it, it's odd that she got so dizzy."

"The change in altitude does that to some people, although not usually so severely that they become disoriented. We'll run some more tests to find out if we've missed anything. For now, her skull x-rays look good. All of that bleeding was mostly superficial, however, she did lose a lot of blood, so she'll be a little light-headed for a day or so. I would suggest that you take this beautiful lady back to the hotel and pamper her for the next few days."

Jonathan looked at Jennifer. "Nothing would make me happier."

"I mean it, take it easy. If she experiences any nausea, vomiting, or severe headaches, bring her back here right away. We don't fool around with head injuries….Oh, and by the way, we got some encouraging news today about your friend, Carol Stinson. The swelling around her brain has been receding. I'm cautiously optimistic that she will recover," Joel said.

"That's great news," Jonathan smiled.

"You know," Jennifer said, lying against a stack of pillows, "I'm already feeling much better. I hope you don't expect me to lie in bed for the next few days."

Jonathan proceeded to draw the blankets up over her, and then slide into bed. He was glad to be back at the hotel. He slipped his arm under her neck, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder.

"I'm not letting you out until you get your strength back," he said, stroking her hair away from her cheek.

"I already feel like I have my strength back."

"Let's put it this way…I'm not letting you out until you can wrestle me down on the bed," he added, smiling mischievously.

"Jonathan, I could never wrestle you down on the bed!"

"I won't put up much of a fight, but at least you have to give me a good challenge," he said.

Jennifer smiled and sighed. "I guess I could use a little rest today, but I'm warning you. Tomorrow be ready for that challenge!"

Jonathan kissed her cheek. "I still can't imagine how all of this happened. It just doesn't make sense...Are you sure you don't remember anything after you saw Cal?"

"Not really....hey," she said, suddenly turning to face him, "did you get to see Gloria's grave?"

Jonathan realized he had forgotten to tell his wife this important piece of information. "You're not going to believe this..." Jonathan said, as Jennifer's eyes widened, "but, the last two lines of Shakespeare's sonnet are written on her stone."

"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee..." Jennifer recited, her voice trailing off. She looked directly into Jonathan's eyes. "You believe that those items belonged to Gloria now, don't you?"

"I believe you're definitely on to something," he admitted.

Jennifer nudged him in the ribs. "Oh, you!" she exclaimed.

Jonathan laid next to his wife in silence, his mind reviewing the events of the last several hours. Something did not sit right with him, and he was determined to get to the bottom of things. He turned to look at Jennifer to find her fast asleep. He studied her beautiful face and leaned down to kiss her delicately on the forehead, careful not to wake her.

"I love you," he whispered, his throat choking with emotion, remembering how he had felt seeing her on the mountain, afraid that he had lost everything he had ever loved.