5. The Long Wait

It had been snowing all night. He had left the day before. They needed him for a rescue mission. Two skiers were missing. He was never home for long, there was always something, some reason that the world needed him. She supposed she should feel proud. He was doing honorable work, but she could only feel selfish, he was needed here, with her.

The wind howled. She pulled her shawl around her shoulders and sat near the fire. His things were nearby, waiting for him to return. As she stared at the flames, she thought of the day they met. It had been snowing that day too, although not as bad as this. It had been love at first sight. That was when she had the old station wagon, it got a flat tire on the way home.

She remembered the first time she brought him to the cabin, how much he had loved it and the mountains surrounding. They had gone for a long run that day. That was when they bumped into the head of the rescue squad. They were looking for a new member. From that point on she had spent many days and nights like this, waiting.

She picked up a log and set it on the fire. She supposed she should feel grateful. He was one in a million in her eyes, and not everyone had that in their lives. There had been others before, but there was something about him, something different. She dreaded the thought of losing him. She brushed the thought from her mind, he would be fine, he was always fine. They had many more years together.

Several hours passed. At one point she turned on the radio. There was no news. That was a good sign. Music filled the cabin; they always played the oddest tunes in the middle of the night. She wondered if that was on purpose.

It was nearly daybreak when she heard a thud outside. She didn’t get up right away. It could be a false alarm; she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Another thud. She stood up and looked out the window. Flashlights danced around in the dark. A knock.

She flung open the door. It was the chief of the rescue squad. His beard was covered in snow. “We found them.”

“Thank goodness.” Her eyes searched into the dim light of dawn, looking for him.

“We couldn’t have done it without him.” the chief said.

Her heart started racing. “Is he-” She didn’t want to finish the sentence, if she did it would be true.

“Well-”

A bark cut through the air. She started laughing, a relieved tear ran down her face. He was all right. “Come here boy!” she shouted.

And there he was, her boy. A beautiful Siberian Husky, covered in a thin layer of snow. He ran through the open doorway and into the house.

“Thank you.” she told the chief. She shut the door. He was standing in the middle of the cabin shaking the wetness from his fur. She sighed. The wait was over. He was home.