Chapter Thirteen. Colby thought the hands on the clock would never move

Colby thought the hands on the clock would never move. She hadn’t seen Elizabeth at all yesterday, even though she spent more time watching the beach than her students. She lost her focus more than once and got whacked in the face with a runaway board due to her inattentiveness. The shiner got more colorful as the swelling increased.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had picked up a woman for a real date. Was this a date? It wasn’t any different from the other things they’d done together, but it just felt like a date. Had the rules changed? She suspected some things never did, and her parents had taught her to be on time. If she didn’t hurry she would fail miserably.

With one minute to spare she rolled to a stop adjacent to the two large sliding doors at the front entrance. The valet jogged to her truck but she was out before he had a chance to open her door. “I’m just picking somebody up, ” she said, glancing around the area. She didn’t see Elizabeth anywhere and started to walk inside when the doors slid open silently and she walked out.

Colby’s heart stuttered. Elizabeth was wearing blistering white tennis shoes, navy shorts, and a red polo shirt with horizontal blue stripes. A pair of sunglasses on top of her head kept her hair off her face.

“Right on time. My God, what happened to your eye? ”

Colby opened the passenger door. “It’s nothing. My father taught me never to leave a woman waiting. Especially a beautiful one, ” she added truthfully, and hustled around the back of the truck to her own door. Once she was inside and buckled up she told Elizabeth the story of the board connecting with her face, skimming over why she wasn’t paying attention.

“Ouch, that must hurt, ” Elizabeth said as Colby shifted into first gear. “Where are we going? I mean I know where we’re going, but exactly where are we going? ”

“Just down the road a little way to a group called Skyline Experience. We have an eleven-thirty departure.”

“Departure? ” Elizabeth asked.

“We all pile into vans and drive about half an hour to the site. We gear up, have a quick safety session, and then we’re off.”

“I see.” Elizabeth clenched her fists in her lap.

Colby shifted again and grasped them. They were freezing. “Are you nervous? ”

“A little. I’ve never done this but I’m being brave.”

She didn’t sound convincing. She was pale and her hands were clammy as well as cold.

Colby considered canceling her plans. If she was this afraid, what fun would it be? She wanted Elizabeth to enjoy herself, to share another discovery with her. Colby frowned. When did she go from good-time Colby to this?

“Really, I’m fine. Just some first-time jitters.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. It’s perfectly safe. The structures and all the gear are inspected four times a year, and Skyline is the longest-operating zip line on the island. Their staff is well trained and they take safety very seriously.”

“How do you know so much about it? ”

“A friend of mine works there.” Colby didn’t elaborate that Sherri, another of her dinner-of-the-week friends, owned the company. Elizabeth would find out soon enough. Colby was second-guessing her decision to take Elizabeth anyplace where her friends would see her. In her three years Colby had never accompanied a woman anywhere, especially where her friends would ask questions later. And, boy, would there be plenty of them next week. She was sure of that. What in the hell was she thinking? She knew Sherri was working today. When she called for the reservation she had spoken to her and was barely able to get off the line before the interrogation began. She hoped Sherri would show some semblance of professionalism this afternoon.

Sherri greeted her by name when Colby walked in. The shop was part office, part store, selling the obligatory T-shirts, glasses, and hats. She saw Sherri give Elizabeth the once-over.

“Breaker, you didn’t say she was beautiful. Hello, I’m Sherri Sonet, owner of this little endeavor. You must be Elizabeth, ” Sherri said, practically all in one breath. She stuck out her hand.

“Yes, I am.” Elizabeth looked at her questioningly. “Why do you call her Breaker? ” she asked as she shook Sherri’s hand.

Sherri looked back and forth from Elizabeth to her before a sly smile filled the lower half of her face. When she winked at Elizabeth, Colby knew she was in trouble. And why did I bring her here?

“You stick with me, Elizabeth, and I’ll tell you things Breaker doesn’t want anyone to know.”

Colby’s heart jumped. So this was what panic felt like. “Sherri, we came to ride the lines, not listen to gossip, ” Colby said, trying to terminate the line of conversation. She was unsuccessful.

“I’d love it.” Elizabeth shared a conspiratorial grin with Sherri.

The bell above the door rang as two other couples came in, taking Sherri’s attention away from them. Colby sighed in relief.

“Breaker? ” Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and the look on her face told Colby she wouldn’t budge until she got an answer. “Come on. Out with it.”

“Surfers have nicknames, ” Colby said. “Mine just happens to be Breaker. You know, for the breaking of the waves.” Colby hoped her explanation was adequate. It wasn’t. Elizabeth gave her a hip bump.

“You mean like Hot Shot and Moondoggie? ” Elizabeth mentioned the only two surfer names she remembered from the Gidget movies in the late fifties. She’d figured that’s what it was all about when she heard it the first time. What was it, only a little more than a month ago?

Sherri began the briefing and had everyone read and sign the necessary waivers. Before long they were in the van headed for the mountain.

The beauty of the area astounded Elizabeth. She sat in the window seat in the row behind Sherri, who was driving with Colby on her right. The higher the old van climbed, the rougher the road and the thicker the brush. Colby had told her that since they were on the Kaanapali side of the island, the terrain was more scrub brush than rainforest. That was on the opposite side and on the road to Hana.

After a fifteen-minute ride, they all piled out of the van and sat on benches under a wooden canopy. Sherri and two other guides disappeared into a small room and one by one came out carrying an assortment of helmets, harnesses, and water bottles. Elizabeth was still just a little nervous, her stomach settling some after they watched the required ten-minute video before they left the shop.

“Don’t worry. Sherri won’t let anything happen to us, ” Colby said, as if she could read her mind. “Either she or one of the guys goes down the line first. It’s a blast, trust me.”

Sherri began the safety instruction. Soon they were all wearing goofy white helmets and trussed up in a harness that would make any dyke proud and any femme petrified.

Elizabeth followed Colby up the trail to the first platform. After a few more instructions Guy, one of the other guides, hooked his pulley to the line and jumped. Everyone, including Elizabeth, watched him sail effortlessly across the canyon.

“Okay, who’s first? ” Sherri asked.

A married couple from Idaho stepped forward. Elizabeth laughed when the husband let his bride go first. “Chivalry or coward? ” she asked Colby quietly and was rewarded with a jab in the side. As Sherri gave the woman final instructions Elizabeth looked around the platform.

The cable was secured to what looked like a large wooden telephone pole. She knew nothing about engineering, safety, or anything remotely like what would carry her fifty feet off the ground for a hundred yards, but it looked safe enough. She had to trust Sherri and Colby, two women she knew very little about.

“Elizabeth? You ready? ” Sherri asked.

Elizabeth gulped and tried not to show how scared shitless she was again now that the canyon she was supposed to slide over was right in front of her. “Yep.” Her legs shook as she walked toward Sherri. How had Colby persuaded her to do this? She wasn’t normally a risk taker, but the confidence in Colby’s eyes when they talked about it on the boat had chipped away at her doubt. What would she chip away at next? As Sherri gave her instructions Elizabeth concentrated on every word. This wasn’t the time to zone out on a conversation.

“Okay, just step off anytime you’re ready. Guy will catch you on the other end.”

Elizabeth looked at Colby, who was smiling encouragingly at her. Colby didn’t appear to be nervous in the least, which made her feel better. With one last look over her shoulder, she stepped off the solid platform into air.

The harness around her butt fully supported her weight, letting her legs dangle free. The rush of air on her face would have been refreshing if she hadn’t been too scared to enjoy it. The whine of the pulley across the metal cable was the only sound except for her accelerated breathing.

Before she knew it, Elizabeth approached the landing platform. Guy was shouting encouragement and somehow she ended up on her feet and not her butt, as she expected. Guy unhooked her pulley from the cable and gave her a pat on her helmet. Her legs were still a little unsteady, but that was due to excitement this time, not fear. She walked to where the other zippers were waiting and turned around in time to see Colby jump off the platform.

Colby was practically flying across the canyon. Even from this distance, Elizabeth could tell she was enjoying herself. She was smiling and looking in every direction, not at her hands on the pulley straps like everyone else had. She nailed the landing like a bird coming in from flight.

“What did you think? ” Colby asked before Guy had her completely unhooked.

“It was great, ” Elizabeth admitted, finally relaxing. Now that she had done it once, she knew what to expect and would thoroughly enjoy the remaining seven lines. It was an absolute blast. The ride had been short, but less than halfway across she realized it was fun. Colby was right. It struck her how often this was the case.

“I knew you’d like it. Wait till we get to the last one. It’s the longest and absolutely takes your breath away.”

Colby was more animated than she had ever seen her. Her cheeks were flushed and her smile filled her entire face. Actually, your smile is what takes my breath away, she thought.

As Colby watched the remaining zippers cross the canyon, Elizabeth watched her. The harness around her waist emphasized her tight ass and had made her shorts creep higher on her firm, tan thighs. A tan line enticed Elizabeth to keep looking every chance she had.

On the last line of the day, the groom was ten feet from the landing platform when he got turned around and landed hard. Elizabeth heard a snap followed by a scream before he collapsed in a heap in front of her. Blood seeped out of his mouth. Someone cried out, somebody else swore, and the man’s wife fainted.

Before she could move, Colby came in fast on the line. She unhooked herself and knelt over the now-unconscious man. “I need something to stop the bleeding. Shirts, anything, ” she said calmly. Several of the other men stripped theirs off and passed them to her. She pressed on the wound, barely stanching the flood of blood.

Seconds later Sherri arrived. “What happened? ” she asked no one in particular.

The other guide answered. “He caught his toe on the edge and went face-first before I could grab him. He went down hard.” His voice was shaky.

Elizabeth had never seen so much blood. It was deep red and streaming down the man’s cheeks and neck, pooling under his head.

“Shit, some of his teeth are gone. Get somebody up here now, ” Colby shouted to Sherri, who immediately opened her cell phone.

Elizabeth heard her say something about a helicopter and emergency before turning her attention back to Colby. Blood coated her hands and wrists and had splattered on her arms and legs. Elizabeth felt woozy but pulled it together. “What can I do? ” she asked, hoping Colby wouldn’t ask her to actually do anything.

“Hold this. Just apply as much pressure as you can, ” she commanded, indicating that she wanted Elizabeth to hold the shirt over the gash in the man’s face. His breathing became more ragged and Colby moved closer and listened. She lifted his shirt and watched him breathe. “Shit.” She looked around frantically, reaching into the pocket of her shorts and pulling out a small pocket knife. “I need something hollow like a straw or a pen.”

“How about this? ” the guide asked, pulling a long, hard plastic straw from his water bottle.

Colby frowned. “Shit. It’ll have to do. Get it as clean as you can, ” she barked. Directly in front of her Elizabeth watched as Colby doused the side of the man’s chest with the water from her bottle, then did the same to her hands until the supply ran out.

“Here, ” Elizabeth said, instinctively pouring her water over Colby’s hands.

“Thanks. Now hand me the straw when I ask for it.”

Colby’s head was low, but Elizabeth could still see a mask of concentration on her face. Colby felt around on the man’s side, adjacent to his nipple, as if she were counting ribs. When she located what she was looking for, she directed the small knife in that direction.

“What are you doing? ” someone shouted behind her.

“He’s either got a pneumothorax or his chest is filling with blood. I have to release it or he’ll die.”

Elizabeth watched, stunned, as Colby deftly inserted the knife. Then, a few seconds later, her fingers followed the straw into the man’s side. Blood slid out of it onto the ground. The man was still unconscious, but the awful gurgling sound he had been making quieted, and his chest rose and fell with deep breaths.

“I need some string, rope, a couple of shoelaces, anything I can use to tie this in place.” Several shoelaces were quickly handed to her and she deftly tied them together, then around the straw protruding from the man’s side, and finally around his chest. She had barely finished when the rumble of a helicopter sounded.

Within minutes it landed and two flight nurses rushed to the platform. Elizabeth could hardly make out what Colby was telling the crew, but she heard words like chest tube, thoracotomy, and hemorrhaging. She had some idea what they meant, but it was obvious that Colby definitely knew what she was talking about.

Ten minutes later the helicopter, injured man, and his wife were gone, leaving Colby, Elizabeth, and the rest of the group staring at it as it disappeared into the clear blue sky.

Sherri finally broke the silence. “Okay, everybody, let’s get back.”

No one said a word as they hiked the half mile back to the staging area. Colby walked beside her, not making eye contact. She was a little pale and Elizabeth needed to talk to her, hold her hand, anything to reestablish their connection. But something about Colby warned her not to.

Silently they unbuckled their harnesses, removed their helmets, and took their previous seats in the van. As Sherri drove back down the mountain, the only sound was the creaking of the van on the rough road. Elizabeth looked at Colby sitting in the seat in front of her. Her jaw was clenched and she stared straight ahead. She looked scared, and not because of what had just happened. The way she had handled herself and the situation around her told Elizabeth this wasn’t the first time Colby had made a life-and-death decision. She wasn’t sure she wanted to find out when those other times were.

“Where did you learn how to do that? ”

Colby looked at Elizabeth, then quickly away. What had she done? “Just some basic first aid I picked up, ” she said evasively. She was surprised that Elizabeth had waited until they were back in her villa before she asked. She hadn’t wanted to come in when Elizabeth asked, but agreed anyway.

“Bullshit. What you did for that guy was much more than first aid, basic or advanced. You’ve had some serious medical training.” When Colby didn’t answer, Elizabeth pushed.

“What did you do before you were a surf instructor? ”

“Lots of things, Elizabeth. Let’s just drop it.” She didn’t need an advanced degree to know Elizabeth wouldn’t. She was tenacious, and when she wanted something she didn’t give in until she got it.

“I don’t want to drop it. You saved that man’s life.”

Colby sank into the couch that they had made love on only a few days earlier. Dropping her head back she closed her eyes, exhausted. Instinct and training had kicked in when she saw the man hit the deck, and even after all this time she knew what he needed. It felt like forever since she’d had her hands inside someone. She opened her eyes and looked at Elizabeth, a light of comprehension starting to appear in her angry green ones.

“Tell me, ” she said, one part request, one part demand.

“We’ve all had other lives, Elizabeth, ” Colby said.

“Yeah, but not many surf instructors can insert a straw in a man’s chest in the middle of the flipping mountains.”

“Leave it alone, Elizabeth.” Even to her own ears her voice sounded threatening.

“No, I will not leave it alone.” Elizabeth paced back and forth in front of her. “There’s more to you than you let on and I want it. I want all of it.” Elizabeth stopped suddenly and looked at her intensely. “Are you a doctor? ”

“No.”

“Bullshit.”

It was ironic that in the middle of all this Colby realized that “bullshit” was Elizabeth’s favorite word, especially when she was angry. And she was definitely angry now. At the risk of pissing her off even more she repeated her answer.

“Stop lying to me, Colby. Or is everything about you a lie? ”

The hitch in Elizabeth’s voice was what did it. Regardless of how hard she’d tried not to, Colby had fallen hard for this woman. She didn’t want to be the cause of the pain on her face or the fear in her voice. “I don’t practice anymore, ” she said flatly.

“Why not? ”

“Because I don’t.” Her voice was stronger than she intended, and Elizabeth looked as though she’d been slapped.

“Why not? ” Elizabeth insisted.

“Because I just don’t, ” Colby repeated. The answer was good enough the first time, and it was still good this time. If Elizabeth asked her again, it would continue to be her answer.

But she was wrong. When Elizabeth repeated her question a third time, she said, “Because I killed my lover.”