Donald went to talk to the kitchen to let them know there would be two more for dinner that night and they would need packed lunches for the hunt tomorrow. Randall and Angel Thompson were coming in from Michigan and would be there for the week. He made preparations and had Karen get two rooms ready for them.

  Mr. Thompson had called two months ago to request the week of February 14th. He was 55 and Angel was 22. Donald was up early the following morning, getting the snowmobile and the dogsled ready. He would have Mr. Thompson drive the snowmobile and he would take the dogsled, as not just anyone could drive the dogs.

  When their guests came down for coffee, Donald sat down with them and asked them a few questions. “ Mr. Thompson, has your daughter handled a gun before?”

  Mr. Thompson, looking confused, asked, “Why no, but I don’t know why you are asking about her.”

  Donald, now the confused one, said, “Well, before we go hunting, I would like to know if she needs pointers about how to handle a gun.”

  Both Randall and Angel burst out laughing. Donald just looked more confused and wondered if he had just booked a couple of loonies.

  Randall said, “Just to clear things up, Angel is my wife, not my daughter. I wondered why you gave us two rooms. And to answer your question, she has handled a gun before, but could certainly use some pointers.”

  They finished up their breakfast and hit the trail. Randall had requested a moose hunt, so they brought the trailer to carry it on coming home. The first couple of hours were spent looking for the creature and once they had located him, the actual kill was pretty quick. The men drug him to the trailer and put him in. Donald was tying him down, kneeling on the ground, when Angel started shouting, “Celebrate!” He couldn’t hear what else she was saying, but as he was tying the last knot, heard shots being fired and then felt a searing pain in his thigh.

  Randall grabbed the gun from Angel and yelled at her for acting so stupid. “What are you doing; trying to get us killed?”

  Donald yelled at Randall, “I’ve been shot. Help!”

  Randall ran over to him, saw the wound and said, “Oh no! It’s spurting all over the place! It has hit an artery!” He wrapped a blanket tightly around Donald’s leg and asked if he was able drive the snowmobile back to the lodge, since it would be too difficult for Donald to drive the dog sled, now.

  Donald said, “I think I can. We are only 5 miles out. But the dogs will not cooperate with you driving them. You will have to remain here and wait for one of my men to drive back out to get you.”

  Randall agreed and Donald left for the lodge. As soon as he got there, he drove right up to the woodpile where Jim was chopping wood, explained briefly what had happened and where the couple were waiting with the dogsled and asked Jim to get Leonard to help him get the moose out of the trailer and get Sue to bundle up and go with him to the hospital. Jim left immediately so he could get the couple back before dark and Donald and Sue left for the hospital.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Sue used a belt for a tourniquet and put blankets down in the trailer for Donald to lay on. She kept asking Donald questions over the engine of the snowmobile to keep him awake. Sue shouted, “How are you doing, Donald?’

  He answered, “Good, I think I will take a little nap so it doesn’t hurt so bad.”

  Sue said calmly, tho she wasn’t feeling it, “No, please talk to me. I need you to stay awake, Donald. What is your level of pain right now?” she asked as the snowmobile jostled over a small mound.

  He groaned, “twenty-five!”

  She said, “I know you don’t want to hear it, but that is good that you are feeling pain! It means you aren’t frozen and things are working.” Sue felt like the 20 minute overland trip was taking 15 hours. She didn’t know if Donald would make the trip and she started crying. It was hard for her to see where they were going with the tears clouding up her eyes, so she wiped them quickly, and tried to think of anything but Donald’s injury so she wouldn’t cry anymore.

  Sue drove right up to the emergency entrance at the little hospital. She had used Donald’s cell phone to phone ahead, so the emergency workers were waiting for them and ran out with a stretcher to move Donald into the hospital. He was rushed into the operating room, hooked up to an iv and as soon as the anesthetics took effect, the operation was begun. Sue asked to be in the operating room, but was denied entrance when they saw how bad the wound was and saw her crying. She was too close to him to be allowed in.

  Jim made it to the Thompsons in record time. He traded places with Randall so that the Thompsons were on the snowmobile and he took the dogsled. It was a quiet trip back to the lodge, with all of them thinking about Donald and hoping he made it in time. Jim thought about how Donald had rescued him and all of the elderly people and sacrificed so that they could all live out their lives. He owed this man his life and his happiness. He sent up a little prayer for Donald. “I’m not much of a praying man, God. I’ve never gone to church, but I do believe in You. I know, as complex as our bodies are and as complex as the world is, we didn’t appear from an explosion. We had to have a creator and a designer. I acknowledge you right now, let’s get that straight. I want to bring Donald before you. You know all that is going on with him and what a wonderful friend he is to me and how he has helped so many people, unselfishly. He had no ulterior motive. He just took care of all of us because it needed to be done. I’m not asking you to make him rich. I’m asking you for his life. Please spare his life, help him to make it to the hospital and help the doctor, guide his hands, help the doctor to be gentle and use his expertise to save Donald’s life. If it be your will, in Jesus’ name I pray.” Jim felt better turning Donald over to God.

  Jim helped get the couple situated and got Nancy to watch over them. He left for the hospital even though it was turning dark. Jim took the road because it was too dark to go off road. His snowmobile was hitting every bump, but all that mattered to Jim was getting to his friend.

  He parked next to the other snowmobile and practically ran into the emergency room. Out of breath, he asked the receptionist, “Where are Donald and Sue?”

  Being a small hospital, the receptionist was able to guide him to the operating wing easily and he found Sue. He wrapped her in a big bear hug and asked, “Have you heard anything yet?”

  Sue said ,with a tear stained face, “Not yet, but we have only been here a short time. But he made it to the hospital, Jim. I was so scared.”

  “I know honey; we all have been. Donald is so important to all of us,” Jim responded. “Have you heard any news about his condition?”