Chapter 2: Helping Out

Jim stood up from his sitting position by the fire in response to the little girl's question. The girl backed up a few steps in startled apprehension. Jim was an imposing figure of a man, standing 6 foot 4 inches tall. "Don't be afraid, young lady," Jim said quietly. "Where's your mommy?"

The little girl looked up into Jim's eyes, stepped closer, and said in a whisper, "She's behind these bushes. She's hurt. Please help." She never stopped looking into his eyes during the entire time she spoke and Jim couldn't help but notice the intense need practically emanate from her beautiful blue eyes.

"Why don't you take me to your mommy?" Jim tried to engender a feeling of trust in his eyes and body language as he held out his hand in invitation. Jim's hands were too large for the little girl, so grabbing onto his thumb, she began pulling him behind the willow thicket. Roughly four paces behind the thicket Jim saw a beautiful blonde woman sitting up against the base of a large juniper tree. The woman was dressed like the girl, except she lacked a bow in her hair and wore blue sneakers. The girl let go of Jim's thumb, walked over to the woman, sat down beside her, and grabbed one of her hands.

As Jim knelt beside the woman he noted that her eyes were closed, her skin was pale, and her breathing was shallow. The woman hadn't opened her eyes upon their arrival and Jim was worried about her seeming lack of consciousness There were two sets of four claw marks on her body: one set on her left calf, and another, deeper set on her right shoulder. Blood still seeped from one of the wounds on her shoulder. Jim could see the woman had torn off a piece of her dress and used it as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from her calf. Jim suddenly realized what had made these wounds. He stood up immediately, quickly glanced around the area, and asked the little girl, "Which way did the bear go?" The girl pointed toward a hill to the north of them. "When did he leave?" Jim asked next.

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "The bear left when you yelled."

Jim looked toward the hill. He walked over to some tracks in the dirt and noted the direction and speed the bear had taken. The bear had been running, which meant that it wasn't in the immediate area at the moment and he could do what he needed to help the woman... Turning back to the girl Jim asked, "What happened?"

"Mommy put me up in the tree when the bear came. We were eating berries over there." The girl pointed toward some Saskatoon bushes close to the bear tracks. "The bear hit mommy and she hit the bear with a stick," she explained, pointing to a broken branch on the ground next to the tree. The girl asked in a whisper, "Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine, " Jim stated quietly as he knelt down beside the woman again. "I want to carry her to the fire and treat her with my first aid kit. Would you help me be your mommy's nurse?" The girl smiled at Jim and nodded her head up and down enthusiastically.

Jim carefully picked up the woman, surprised at how light she was. A look of peace came over the woman's slightly emaciated face, as if she sensed help was there and a burden had been lifted from her. Looking down at the girl Jim asked, "Could you pull the sleeping bag out of your shelter and bring it over to the fire?" The girl let go of her mother's hand, ran to the lean-to, and went inside. A moment later she reappeared, pulling the tattered sleeping bag behind her. With quiet determination the girl dragged the bag over to the fire and laid it out neatly.

The woman moaned and her eyes fluttered as Jim carried her toward the camp. He hoped that all her injuries were external and there were no hidden complications. Jim placed the woman gently down on top of the closed sleeping bag. The girl knelt down and clasped her mother's hand between her own. Jim knelt down next to the woman, looked at the little girl and said quietly, "My name is Doctor Jim. What do I call my little nurse?"

The little girl giggled and smiled brightly at Jim. "My name is Susie... and my mommy's name is Linda. I am glad you're here Doctor Jim. "Calm settled over Susie's face as she gazed earnestly into Jim's eyes once more. "I know my mommy will be safe now."

Jim again noted the intense look in Susie's eyes. He realized that trust and love now emanated from them but happiness had replaced need. Jim tried projecting the same feelings of strength and love in his eyes before reaching over to open his knapsack.

Jim pulled out a space blanket, a first aid kit, and a self-inflating pillow from his pack. He inflated the pillow he put it under Linda's feet. Susie watched what he was doing and giggled. "That's not her head."

Jim laughed quietly. "I know that sweetheart, this will help your mommy feel better"

Susie looked at Jim in wonder, then with a smile asked, "Are you sure?"

"I guess you'll have to trust me on this. Okay? " Jim smiled back. Jim tucked the space blanket securely around the woman leaving her right shoulder and legs exposed. He washed his hands in the pot of water by the fire, opened his first aid kit and removed gauze compresses. He carefully removed the tourniquet from the Linda's leg and let the blood flow freely from the claw marks. Jim cleaned up the wounds and placed antiseptic gel and gauze compresses on them once the blood showed bright red. He then wrapped her calf with a gauze bandage and taped it securely. Jim breathed a sigh of relief as he realized the wounds on Linda's calf would not need stitches. He covered her legs now with the space blanket, tucking it under her tightly. Linda moaned slightly as she was shifted.