Emily...

[Sue Clearwater]

Emily's eyes flickered as I knelt down beside her... her eyes were searching my face as though she needed to pour out her heart to me. "Shh Emmy, everything is going to be alright, no talking ok". I smiled reassuringly to her and nodded to Jarod to keep her still as he cradled her gently in his arms. As an experienced nurse I was used to seeing trauma, but this was different... this was Emily! It wasn't just that I had known Emily since the day she was born, she and Leah had grown up like sisters and Emily was family! Now as I thanked Paul for carrying over my kit and watched him leave to go back and look after Sam I pushed away every memory that threatened to surface.

The pain etched in his face when I arrived and the memory of his anguished voice on his phone left little to the imagination at how broken he was over this accident. But Sam's emotional state was also not my focus at this moment, so as I tended to and dressed Emily's face and arm... I quietly explained that we were going to take her to the hospital and how we wewre going to tell everyone that she had been mauled by a bear before Sam, Paul and Jarrod saved her. Though her eyes filled with tears that silently spilled down onto her cheeks, she remained calmed and gave a little nod that she understood.

It pained me to leave Sam behind, but after a quick assessment it was clear that he was in no state to accompany Emily to the hospital. Not surprisingly, Jarrod elected to stay behind to take care of Sam when I assured him that I wouldn't leave Emily's side. With a reassuring smile Jarrod gently placed Emily in Paul's arms as he settled into the car and although I then searched for any sign of Sam as we drove away, I knew that this was the last thing in the world that he would want to witness.

I was very proud of Paul that afternoon, in all the chaos he kept a cool and calm head on his shoulders and was more than convincing as he re-told our prepared story for the hospital. Jarrod bless him was back by Emily's side after Paul returned to look after Sam. Although I knew Sam and I were headed for a lot of talks on his bumpy soul searching road to forgiving himself, the love that was evident in Emily's eye when he finally entered her room as all the assurance I needed for the time being to know that it would all work out for them.

As I left the hospital that night it felt like I hadn't seen my family in a week and I still had a very heartbroken Leah at home to see, but thats another story.

[Emily Uley]

You cannot imagine how thankful I am that you were there with me that day Sue, I will forever be in debt with you.