“If you want,” Zach said, although it seemed to him like she really, really didn’t want.
Sure enough, she shook her head. “I don’t. But I should. If she’s worried enough to call, I should tell her I’m alive.”
They walked back together. Teri was walking faster now, clearly anxious to get back to the Visitor Center to reassure her mother. Zach said, “We don’t have to hurry. Especially if you’re more comfortable walking slowly.”
But Teri shook her head. “I can walk normally. I just tend to go slow out of habit, or if I think I’m going to be walking for a while, because I still get tired easily. My muscles aren’t used to walking much.”
“Sounds like you’re really on top of this, then,” Zach said.
“I haven’t had much to do but focus on recovery.” Teri’s
lower lip firmed. “I really prepared for today. I brought water and snacks, I sat on a bench for a while after I got here to be sure I’d be rested enough to walk, I went slowly down the main path. I thought this through.”
She sounded defensive. Zach thought about Teri’s mother’s hysterical worrying about her poor, injured, confused daughter. He couldn’t reconcile that with this careful, competent woman, who was clearly being smart and practical about how much she was able to do.
“Exactly what I would’ve done, in the same situation,” he offered. “That’s something rangers always tell tourists. Be careful, give yourself more time than you think you need, pack food and water, make sure you have enough energy to get back. Sounds like you did everything right.”
Teri’s shoulders slowly relaxed. Her pace slowed a bit, too—not because she was tired, Zach thought, but because she wasn’t quite so nervous. “Thanks.”
Zach smiled. “No charge.”
That brought out her smile again. It was a small, tentative version, but it still made Zach’s heart beat faster.
He was going to find a way to make her smile like she was truly happy again, he resolved to himself.
They reached the Visitor’s Center, and found Lacey still on the phone at the front desk. “Ma’am,” she was saying, “I don’t have any more information than that. All I know is that they found your daughter, and she’s just fine.”
Teri sighed, and went up to the desk. Zach motioned for Lacey to give her the phone.
“Mom,” Teri said, and then, “Mom! Mom, calm down. I’m fine. I can go for a walk in the Park. I’m not concussed anymore, I don’t need a cane, I can walk just fine. I was careful. No, I’m not coming right home. No, don’t—seriously, don’t—okay, Mom. Goodbye.” She hung up and turned to Lacey. “She might call back. And she’ll probably show up here pretty soon.”
Lacey sighed and nodded. “That’s all right. I have scripts for people who won’t stop calling.”
“Thanks. Sorry about this.”
“All in a day’s work.” Lacey turned back to her desk.
Teri looked at Zach. “I guess you can go back to work now. Honestly, my mom’s probably already in her car on the way here, and if I don’t leave with her, my life will be complete hell after I get home.”
Zach hesitated for the barest second, and then leaned over the desk again. “Lacey, I’m going on break now, okay?”
“Sure,” Lacey said, hardly looking up. The Visitor Center wasn’t too busy, so Zach didn’t even have to feel guilty about it.
He turned back to Teri. “How long do you think it’ll take your mom to get here?”
Teri smiled a little. “Twenty minutes at least, even if she burns rubber.”
“So you have time for another walk?”
“Looks like it.” Her smile brightened, and Zach felt a rush of satisfaction at the sight of it. “Would you like to come along?”
There was nothing he wanted more in the world. “I’d love to.” He gestured her ahead of him, and they went off together toward the path.
It was a beautiful early spring day—about fifty degrees, bright sunshine, and clear, crisp air. The first tiny plants were coming up out of the ground, and Zach could almost feel the Park waking up from winter. It was amazing to watch, and he hoped he got to see the same thing happen for many years to come.
Teri seemed to be appreciating it, too. When they stepped outside, she closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun, smiling. The sunlight glinted off her hair and made her look like she was outlined in gold.
Zach waited until they’d gotten onto the path itself, and then cleared his throat. “So,” he said. “Do you want to talk about it?” He waved a hand back toward the Visitor’s Center, and everything that had just happened. “Or would you rather forget it all and talk about something totally different?”