They walked together to the lodge, Chaska removing his wedding band, setting it on the altar, Doug and Gabe doing the same. If theinipiwas hot enough, metal could burn. Gabe also removed his prosthetic leg and left it on the altar.
Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees and crawled into the lodge, Old Man first and then Jason, followed by Gabe and then Doug. Chaska remained outside to assist by handling the hot stones, using a steel shovel to pass them into the pit at the center of the lodge. Then, at last, Chaska entered, sitting to the right of the lodge door.
Sage. Cedar. Sweet grass. Smoke. Heat.
Then the door went down, the darkness total.
Jason willed himself to relax into the rhythm of theinipi.
The hiss of steam on hot stones. Scalding heat. The cry of an eagle-bone whistle. The beating of Old Man’s drum. Voices raised in song.
Jason didn’t know the songs, so he turned his thoughts inward, thanking Creator for saving Winona’s life and Naomi’s, asking God to heal Winona’s leg and Naomi’s body, praying for the Source of Life to protect the two women and baby Shota. But beneath it all flowed a single persistent plea, straight from his heart.
Help me, Father. My path leads me away from Winona, but I love her. Help me to find the answer.
* * *
Winona wasin the middle of another walk on her crutches when Kat stepped out of the elevator. She smiled when she saw Winona and hurried over to her.
“You’re up and walking already. You’re doing so well.”
The nurse agreed. “Isn’t she?”
“I don’t feel like I’m doing well.”
Kat walked beside her. “It’s hard, but I know you’ll get there.”
Winona reminded herself that Kat had been through this. She had watched Gabe recover from the amputation of his leg below the knee, an injury he’d sustained saving Kat’s life. Gabe had cut a climbing rope, surrendering himself to death rather than pulling Kat over the edge with him. He’d fallen more than three hundred feet, landing in deep snow, which had saved his life. But he’d hit his leg on the cliff wall on the way down, damaging it beyond repair.
“One step at a time,” the nurse said.
When Winona was back in her bed and had taken her next dose of pain pills, Kat drew up the chair and sat beside her. Kat already knew what had happened, so Winona didn’t need to repeat the story. For a time, they kept the conversation light, talking about Kat’s kids, her job at the newspaper, and the Cimarron, which Kat had visited many times because one of her coworkers was Nate’s sister-in-law.
It was Winona who changed the direction of their conversation. “The doctor says he’s pretty sure I’m going to keep my leg.”
“I’m so glad. Gabe and I have been praying for you. But if the worst happens, you know we’ll be there for you. Gabe knows what it’s like. That’s why he’s at theinipi.”
“That means so much to me. Thanks.” Then Winona remembered. “He’s not engaged.”
“Who’s not engaged?”
“Jason. He’s not engaged. His fiancée was arrested for drug smuggling six months ago and is in prison. He broke up with her the day she was arrested. I don’t think it’s easy for him to discuss. He felt betrayed.”
“Of course, he did. Poor Jason.” Kat let out a breath. “I never did like Elena. I’m sorry he went through that, but I’m also relieved. I’d heard that the two of you had grown close. I was worried.”
Winona told Kat how she and Jason had ended up at the Cimarron, with Jason cutting sign, helping Jack and Nate resolve the mystery of the wolf. “It was inspiring to watch him work. I was so impressed. I felt so guilty being attracted to him. But when I found out he was single, I suddenly felt nervous around him.”
Kat laughed. “I would have loved to see your face when you learned the truth. I’m married, and I love Gabe. I love him and find him incredibly sexy. But I still have eyes. Jason ishot.”
“You’re right about that.” Winona told Kat how Jason had comforted her after a nightmare, how he’d loved watching her feed the eagle, how he’d made her feel safe when she thought she might die on that mountainside.
And then her emotions overflowed, tears filling her eyes. “I love him, Kat. My heart tells me he’s my half-side, but he’s leaving.”
“Oh, Win.”
“He made a death-bed promise to his grandmother not to leave his O’odham people. If I want to be with him, I would have to close my clinic, move to Sells, and live far away from my family. I can’t imagine watching little Shota grow up through photographs and text messages or not living next door to my brother and Naomi or being far away when Grandpa…”
She couldn’t finish that last thought.