Life with Brody

I reached the lake, exhausted, mentally and physically. Before I realized it, I woke up lying on the ground by the fire pit. I looked at my watch. Five o’clock. I knew I had better get off this mountain before it got dark and cold.
I still hadn’t figured out what to do about my marriage, but I knew this much I had to talk to Steve and let him offer some sort of explanation before I shut the door on us. I had made a vow, for better or for worse. I needed to know which side of that equation I was on. I got up and brushed myself off, then knelt down and gave Brody a hug.
“We’ll figure this out together boy, Steve said he loved us. Let’s just hope it’s true.”
We headed down the trail. I felt tired and lost in thought, but I enjoyed being out in creation. I was finally starting to truly calm down, listening to the sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees. I wished I had grabbed my jacket. Brody would wander away some, but by the time we hit the narrow part of the trail, he stayed by me and took the lead. It was only wide enough for one person to walk. Relieved when we finally got through, I watched Brody run up the side hill to the west. I studied the slope to the right, it was less severe than where I had just passed. Then I heard a harrumph in front of me.
A black bear guarded the middle of the trail several yards ahead of me. Two cubs scrambled up the side hill. I immediately assessed she deemed me a threat.
I couldn’t see Brody. I started backing up slowly, not taking my eyes off momma bear. At first, she just watched me. I kept going back hoping my calm retreat would make her happy, giving her the room she wanted.
She turned to her cubs as they joined her on the trail. She glanced back at me and charged.
I knew what I was supposed to do. Drop in the fetal position. Cover my head. Play dead. Instead, I turned and ran. However, I was right at the edge of that narrow spot on the trail and down I went. I screamed as I fell seeing only a steep, downward slope. I remember clutching my arms over my head and face to try to protect myself as I bounced off rocks. I hit bushes and trees. I tried to grab hold of something, anything, as I fell, to no avail. At some point I took a pretty hard blow to my stomach. I don’t know when or how I came to a stop because I blacked out by then.
I woke up on my back with Brody standing over me, licking my face. My first thought, ‘I’m alive?’ I couldn’t believe it, I survived a tumble down a mountain and a bear.
That’s when I realized, everything hurt. I was in a lot of pain. I tried to reach up my right arm to touch Brody. The movement caused agony and I blacked out again. When I came to the next time, I looked at my arm and realized by the awkward bend, it was broken in a couple of places. I tried to move again – out I went.

I awoke to the sound of barking and growling, like a battle. Brody was in a fight. I tried to yell. I tried to move again.
The next time I woke up, I felt a weight on my chest. Brody’s head on me. He felt wet. He whimpered when I touched him. I saw blood. Now we were both in trouble.
Who or what had he fought? I had to try to help him. But movement produced intense pain.
I understood I shouldn’t move but what was going to happen to us? Were we going to lie here and die? I was surrounded by trees and rocks, I could only manage a weak call for help. I groped around with my left hand and felt for something, anything, to make noise. I found a rock I could hold and tried banging it on the ground. I tried several different spots until I found a rock to bang against. I wasn’t sure how far the noise would travel, but I decided I should keep doing it to attract attention. I’d bang my rock on another rock and call for help.
The darker it got, I realized no one would be looking for me anytime soon. They wouldn’t even know where to start. My note said I was going to Mindy’s, but I was going to call her after lunch. Thinking of food made me hungry, and thirsty.
I talked to Brody. I told him I loved him and I promised him we’d get out of there. And I prayed.
I woke up a couple times during the night, very cold, but with Brody still beside me. I petted him and talked to him. I banged my rock and called for help. I wasn’t going to give up. This was not how I wanted to die. I hoped I would die as an old lady, with children and grandchildren. And after my husband knew my Jesus. I had too many things to live for. This was not going to be the end of April MacIntyre.