| Wes Boyd's Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
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| Wes Boyd's Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
Chapter 16
The next few days were mostly routine for the Gold Crew.
Granted, there had been a crew change, but Barbie did well as assistant team leader, just like Duane knew she would. This group of customers started out a little more upbeat than the last bunch, partly because there were a couple guys on it who were very outgoing and happy-go-lucky, and they managed to infect the rest of the group.
They stayed at Badger the first night out, as they always tried to do, and at North Canyon the second night, but after that they couldn’t get the site they wanted near Stanton’s Cave, so had to run downstream several miles farther. That meant that Duane took the group a little farther than normal the next day to even things out. They got back on the regular schedule at Nankoweap, and managed to stay on it after that. And luck was with them when they got the site near Nevills Rapids that Duane liked for the night before Upper Granite Gorge, so they didn’t have to start out with a big drop like the previous trip.
At least with starting from Nevills there wasn’t the nervousness about Upper Granite Gorge that Hance had instilled in the customers the trip before. They were eager to see what lay ahead, ready to deal with it. That was a big improvement over the last time.
That didn’t mean Duane was totally a happy camper. He was still worried about Michelle, and hoped that whatever was wrong with her was nothing serious. Of course, there was no way of telling, but knowing she would be on the water with the White Team meant he wouldn’t be able to call her on the phone when they got to Phantom Ranch. For two or three days he’d been flipping over in his mind the idea of calling Pat or Rachel at the store to see what they knew, but if Michelle hadn’t told them about her problem, he didn’t want to alarm her parents. At Nevills he’d just about made up his mind not to call them, but knew nothing would be final until they were on the water heading away from Phantom Ranch.
Leaving from Nevills meant that they reached Phantom later than they did last trip, but even that was normal. What wasn’t normal was to head into the beach and find Michelle waiting there, daypack on her back, to help pull the rafts up on shore.
“Michelle!” Duane cried when he saw her, before any of the rafts touched down. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” she said, grabbing the bow tube of his raft and heaving to pull it up on the beach.
“But I thought you were with Crystal and Preach!”
“Karin went instead,” she replied, a note of sadness in her voice. “Duane, we gotta talk. Just you and me. And we may not have a lot of time, you’re later than I expected.”
“All right,” he said, and turned to yell at Barbie, who was just getting her raft up on shore. “Get started with lunch and the routine stuff. Michelle and I are going to be over in those tammies, I guess.”
“OK, Duane,” Barbie replied, her curiosity obviously about as strong as his. “What’s up?”
“Don’t know yet,” he shook his head as he stood up in the raft to get out; Michelle was already tying off the bow line. In a moment he was on shore, even before the customers had started to get out of the raft. “Michelle,” he said. “Is something really the matter?”
“Sorta yes, and sorta no,” she sighed as she led his way from the group, who hung back to give them some space after hearing the previous exchange. “Like I said, a lot has happened. To get right down to it, I went to see the doctor Tuesday morning, and it turns out I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant? How did that happen?”
“The usual way,” she snickered. “Sometimes it happens when people fuck, you know.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he replied, the wisecrack rolling off his back without notice. “I thought you had that stuff where you only had to get a shot every three months.”
“I did,” she sighed. “The doctor said that it fails sometimes. I figured out what happened later when I talked with Karin. You remember me telling you about getting my wrist tangled in that gang line up in Nome?”
“Yeah, some doctor put a bandage on it and gave you a shot.”
“Right,” she said as they walked into the shade of some nearby tamarisk trees. “It turns out that some antibiotics lower the efficiency of that contraceptive. That’s what happened, he lowered my resistance and then we tried to fuck each other silly for the next five days. Bingo!” She shook her head and smiled a rueful smile. “Karin said that was the same damn thing that happened to her daughter-in-law, Tanisha. She had some little something, got a shot, and nine months later she and Jon had Barbara.”
“I’ve heard the story,” Duane said. “But still, it never crossed my mind.”
“Well, mine either, or else I’d never have let that joker give me that shot in the first place,” she sighed. “Believe me, in the last couple days I’ve thought about calling the Iditarod Trail Committee, finding out who that volunteer was, and hunting him down. But I guess I won’t.”
“Probably wise of you,” he replied, the reality starting to sink in a little. “But why are you here instead of on the river?”
“That’s where the long story comes in,” she replied. “First off, I thought I ought to tell you this face to face, rather than on the phone, or even worse in a note in the mailbox or something. Things are, well, a little more complicated than that. See, when I went to the doctor, it turned into a little more than a quick test, the doctor telling me I’m going to have a baby, and him giving me some literature. I mean, he’s our family doctor, he knows I’m a boatman, and he wasn’t real sure about how good of an idea it was for me to be out on the river while I’m pregnant.”
“I wouldn’t think it would be much of a problem.”
“Well, I didn’t either, but he was concerned enough to get me a hurry-up appointment with an obstetrician, and she gave me a going over like you wouldn’t believe. I had an ultrasound and a bunch of tests. By the way, no idea of if it’s a boy or girl, it’s too early to tell. What came out of it was that she thinks I’m at a moderate risk for a miscarriage. I might be OK on the river if I didn’t have one, but if I did I might need to be hospitalized right away. I talked it over with Al and Karin and Crystal, and we all agreed that it’s too big a risk. I mean, if something went wrong it would be real easy for us to be someplace where a chopper couldn’t land.”
“Yeah, God. I never thought of that, either.”
“I’m glad Dr. Kelly did,” she sighed. “I would have never thought of it that way myself, and if it happened it could be life-threatening, even with you being an EMT. So I’m off the river for the rest of the season. Al says you need to tell Andy he’s got a home on the Gold Team, unless something else unexpected comes up.”
“That much is good. He’s been a little upset at getting bounced from crew to crew, so he’ll be happy about that, and probably that it’s us.” Duane replied, at least relieved to be able to get his mind around a familiar problem, but it quickly was shoved to the background. The news that Michelle was pregnant had come totally out of the woodwork! Even the possibility had never crossed his mind. “So puking your guts out was actually morning sickness?”
“Right,” she shook her head. “And it hasn’t gone away, but at least it doesn’t happen very often. Dr. Kelly says that it affects women differently. Some spend half their pregnancy on their knees worshipping the porcelain princess. Others never get a trace of it. Tanisha had very little, or at least so Karin tells me. Most women are somewhere in between. Actually, from what I hear I’m probably getting off lightly.”
“I’m sorry, Michelle. It never crossed my mind, and it should have since I’m an EMT.”
“Well, hell,” she snorted, “it never crossed my mind either, and it should have because I’m a woman. Anyway, Dr. Kelly says I should be through the worst of it in a month or so, not that it’s been a big problem unless I get around frying bacon or big rapids the first thing in the morning. I guess that there’s not much chance of the second thing happening the rest of this year. So Karin volunteered to take my spot on the White Team, and they launched on schedule yesterday. I even went up to see them off.”
“So you hiked down here to tell me this by yourself? Is that a good idea?”
“No, it isn’t, but I had to tell you about all this face to face. But I didn’t hike down here. Dad knows the guy who runs the mule train concession. He owes Dad a couple favors, so Dad pulled one of them in. I came down as an extra with the morning mule train, but they went on up to Phantom Ranch to let the tourists see it and to feed the mules. They’re going to pick me up on the way back, and they’re due back any time. I’ve been worried that you were going to run later than usual and this whole damn trip would have been a waste.”
“Well, good,” he shook his head. “I gave some thought to stopping at Lonetree for lunch, but decided against it since I’d have to waste time here anyway, you know, going up to phone Al.”
“You don’t have to do it this time,” she said. “Al said last night he has nothing for you except for Andy staying on the team, so not to call unless you have something important that he needs to know before I can pass it along later.”
“No, nothing,” he shook his head. “It’s just been a normal trip, except for this.”
“That’s good. I just figured that I’d better get some of this stuff straight with you so it didn’t break your concentration from what you’re supposed to be doing.”
“Fat chance of that,” he shook his head again. “Jesus, Michelle, I never expected any of this.”
“Well, me either, but at least I’ve had a few days to get my head around it. There are some good points and some bad ones, and I’m still working them out.”
Just then they noticed Barbie coming over to them. “Bad news, you two?” she asked.
“Not really,” Michelle told her. “Just important news.”
“I’ll tell you later,” Duane added. “Michelle is tight for time and we need all of it we can get.”
“OK, I’ll leave you two alone,” Barbie replied. “Would you like me to throw a sandwich together for you? You too, Michelle?”
“Sounds good,” Michelle replied. “And a can of soda for both of us, I think.”
“OK, coming right up,” Barbie replied. “Back in a minute.”
Duane turned back to Michelle and lowered his voice. “I have to tell the crew, you know that.”
“Oh, it’s no secret,” she shrugged. “Not now. A hell of a shock, yes, but I’m adjusting to it, too. I still haven’t figured out all the implications, but it’s just clear as hell that I’m not going to be back on the river this season. Next year is a little muddy, it’s going to depend on child care, and I just don’t know about it. It wouldn’t surprise me if I don’t get to run next year, either. Well, maybe in an emergency, like Karin is doing this trip, but that’s too far in the future to tell.”
“Why not next year?”
“Because I’m going to have a kid to take care of, doofus. Our kid. I can’t just dump him on Mom and say, ‘I’m off to see the river.’ She’s up to her butt in the store; she won’t have any spare time to deal with a kid, either.” She let out a long sigh. “There might be another option or two out there, I haven’t really had time to think it all over yet. I can tell you this, though: there aren’t a lot of women on the river who come back to it real quick after they have a kid. Very few of them ever make it back at all, or if they do, it’s a long time. If they have husbands who are boatmen, yes, the men will stay on the river sometimes. I’ve seen it in other companies, but no one has ever been able to make it work in Canyon Tours, at least as long as I’ve been with the company. I don’t think it’s the schedule or anything, it’s just how things have worked out.”
“It might be the schedule,” he pointed out. “Canyon Tours runs a lot tighter than some other companies.”
“Yeah, but that’s going to loosen up a lot next year with the shorter trips. We’ll have six or eight days between trips, rather than two, three, and four. That’s one of the brighter parts about the whole deal. At least if I have to stay topside I’ll get to see you a lot more often, but damn it, Duane, it’s going to be hell to have to watch you head off on the river and know I can’t be with you.”
“I hadn’t even thought about that part of it, either,” he replied. “This is all just too new to me.”
“So I’ve had the advantage of having a few days to get used to the idea. You’ll have time to get it under your belt in the next week and a half, and maybe some of it will make more sense when you get off the river.”
“That’s going to be a short break,” he pointed out.
“It’s loosened up since this came down,” she smiled. “In fact, that’s one of the better deals about this. Al went along with the idea of someone topside buying and packing the food, and that someone is going to be me for the rest of the season. Along with that, he’s willing to try going up to Lee’s on launch morning, rather than the day before, but he says if something gets real screwed up we may have to go back to the old way.”
Just then, they noticed Barbie coming toward them, carrying sandwiches and sodas. “Everything still cool?” she asked.
“Yeah, there’s going to be some good news for the crew a little later,” Duane told her. “But Michelle is going to be taking the mule train back topside, and they’re due along any minute, so it’s going to have to wait.”
“Take your time,” Barbie said, handing each of them a drink and a sandwich. “First things first. I’d better get back to the group.”
“See you in a few,” Duane said, then turned back to Michelle. “That really is good news on the turnaround stuff, and the crew is going to be real happy to hear it. At least you’re not going to be sitting on your butt and wishing you were on the river.”
“Oh, I’ll be doing that,” she sighed. “I’m going to be working in the store for Dad and Mom some, too. But it’s just something to keep me busy. Believe me, Duane, I’d a hell of a lot rather be on the river with you. I cried myself to sleep wishing that a couple nights ago.”
“Damn, Michelle,” he said. “I’m sorry this had to happen.”
“I am, and I’m not,” she shrugged. “I’m still getting my mind around it, too. Yeah, it’s taking me away from the river, and I hate the living hell out of that. On the other hand, I always figured I’d have kids sooner or later, and our kid is going to have a real neat daddy, so maybe it’s just as well that I’m starting to do it before I get too old.”
“Well yeah,” he replied. “I think given a choice I’d have put it off a few more years.”
“Me, too,” she shrugged. “But right now I guess I’m sort of with Preach. He had time for a short talk about it. You know I don’t buy into all his feelings about religion and stuff, but he says that when God decides it’s your time, it’s your time, and you might as well get used to it.”
“Probably pretty good wisdom,” Duane smiled. “Preach is a good guy to have around sometimes.”
“Darn right,” she said. “He straightened me out on two or three things that had been bothering me. I’m still not all the way cool with it, but I’m better than I was a couple days ago. Let’s face it, being a mommy and having to leave the river, maybe for a little while, maybe for a long time, well, a week ago I was sure I wasn’t ready for it and I’m not sure I am now. There’s just too many questions out there I don’t have the answers to.”
“Hell, I could have told you that, and I’ve only had a few minutes to think about it. This is going to change a lot of things, Michelle, and I don’t have any idea what they are. But one thing does come to the top of my mind. When we get off this trip, we’ll have a day or so when Preach is around. I think the time has come for us to get married.”
“Boy, nice romantic proposal there, Icewater,” she replied sarcastically. “And I accept,” she added with a grin. “But it’s not going to work on the next break. You’re not going to be off the water long enough to get a marriage license. I think it takes three days and has to be used within thirty days. At least that’s something I’ve got to check on, but if I’m right that means the soonest we can do it is if you get the license on July sixteenth, and both you and Preach will be off the river the weekend of August sixth. If we did it on the seventh, we could get married down by the river at Lee’s before you launch.”
“Not trying to get out of anything, but we could wait till the end of the season.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be showing pretty seriously by then,” she shrugged. “That’s not a decision that has to be made today. We’ve both got a week and a half to think about it. I don’t think I want a big blowout wedding, not even a big deal like Crystal and Preach had. But like I said, we don’t have to tie anything down today. It’s going to be around the first of the year before the baby is born.”
“I guess I’m just as glad we don’t have to decide today. This is an awful lot to swallow all at once.”
“If anything, it’s more for me to swallow than it is for you, since you’re going to be the one who gets to go out on the river while I have to stay at home,” she replied sadly. “And I don’t mean just this season.”
“Yeah, there is that, and it’s going to be harder for you than it is for me.”
They were interrupted by a man’s voice calling, “Michelle, are you about ready to go?”
Duane looked up to see that the mule train had arrived and stopped to wait for her. There were a lot of mules, most of them with tourists on their backs. “Be with you in a minute,” she called. “We’re just finishing up.”
“Damn,” Duane said. “I hate to see you go.”
“I hate to leave, and you know I’d rather be on the river with you, but it’s not going to happen soon and maybe not for a long time.”
“Yeah, and that bothers me, but we don’t have the time to talk about it now,” he said as he turned to walk over to the mule train with her. There was a mule with an empty saddle there, obviously waiting for her.
It seemed like a long walk over to the mule. “Guess this is it for a few days,” she said sadly. “Look, Duane, don’t make any rash decisions till we have a chance to talk about it, OK?”
“I won’t if you won’t,” he promised. “You take care of the two of you, OK?”
“I will,” she said sadly. “Damn it, Duane, I love you and I’m just scared this is going to fuck things up more than we both can stand.”
“It’s not,” he said. “We’re just going to have to get used to it, is all. Michelle, I still love you, and maybe more than ever.”
She threw his arms around him, and in a moment they were in a serious kiss that went on for a while. Neither of them cared very much that there were tourists or the crew or the Canyon Tours customers looking on silently. Right at the moment things had to be just for them.
Finally they broke the kiss. “I better go,” she said softly. “All those people are waiting and you have to get back on the river. See you in a week and a half.”
“See you, too,” he said. “If you have the groceries all done we’ll have a little more time together.”
“Oh, I’ll have them done, if only for that,” she said as she put a foot in the stirrup of the mule’s saddle, then swung herself up onto its back. He knew from stories that she’d told that she’d done this before, just not recently. “Take care, Duane. I love you. Be safe,” she added once she was comfortably on the mule.
“You too,” he replied, and stepped back to watch her leave. The leader of the mule team gave a little chuckle, and one by one the mules began their slow plod across the bridge. Duane wanted to walk alongside for a ways but as the tears rolled from his eyes he decided it wasn’t a good idea.
