Monsters in the Mountains Ch. 04

"I know, Dad. I trust you. I wouldn't have told you about the Bigfoot, but only because I didn't want you to have to keep it from mom. I wanted to get to them before they knew I was here. I wanted them to stay back, and let you to see the land the way you thought of it before. Boring. Dead. Part of our family's history." Jordan was trying to explain himself.

Steven laughed. "I have to admit something to you. I heard the word 'Bigfoot' used in your conversation last weekend. I never believed that you had actually found living Bigfoot, and I was still trying to come to terms with the two girlfriends, so I didn't give it much thought. Your mom heard 'Jane's pregnant,' and not a word after that."

Jordan nodded. "I'm sorry I lied to you so much."

"Lies by omission." Steven corrected his son. "Speaking of which, do I know everything now? Was the existence of Bigfoot the last secret you were keeping from me?"

Jordan thought hard. The little black-furred male Bigfoot that would be coming to live with him was still a secret between them, as were many day-to-day details of Jordan's life among the giants.

"You know all the big stuff. I'll share the details with you in time." Jordan said.

"You know I'm in your corner, right?" Steven asked his son. "You can count on me to keep your secrets. Even from my wife. And anything you need, you can count on me." Steven extended his hand, and Jordan shook it, and the two men brought their left arms in for a hug.

As they broke the embrace, Jordan saw Abe leaning against the horse trailer, taking in the exchange between father and son. His expression was hard to read, and Jordan thought he saw sadness in the man as he hefted the saddle off the ground and disappeared into the trailer.

The drive home was quiet, and Jordan could almost feel the tension between his father and Kaitlin's. The two men were so different; saw the world so differently. He wondered if Abe would ever fully accept him as Kaitlin's choice.

Jordan drove straight to Jason's horse ranch, and dropped off his horses. Abe struck up a conversation with Jason about horses, and Jason leveled a sales pitch at Abe for a gelding, who politely declined.

It was evening when the three men arrived at Jordan's apartment. Megan was still playing host, and had food and drinks set out, which Jordan and his father dug into, since they had skipped lunch.

"Dad," Karson interrupted the greetings. Grace was by his side. "You remember Will Kline? It turns out that his boss, Gordon McDougal was here in town for the rodeo. I had an interview with him today, and he offered me a job." Karson looked down at the ground, seeming to gather his strength for what came next. "I've accepted. I start in four weeks." He looked back into his father's face.

Abe nodded. He looked changed from the man who had commanded the room just a day ago. "I... I understand that it's hard to spread your wings with me around, and I think the experience you can get from managing another ranch would serve you well. You have my blessing." Abe extended his hand, and Karson tentatively shook it.

Abe took a beer, and walked out onto the porch where Lily was sitting. After a few minutes he came back in and called Jordan, Megan and Kaitlin. Jordan and Megan leaned against the railing of the porch facing Kaitlin and her parents.

"A horseback ride and some time can bring a person clarity." Abe started. "Lily and I both want what's best for Kaitlin. We want you to know that we respect Kaitlin's choice, and give the three of you our blessing.

"Kaitlin, we want you to know that we support you, no matter what. I've spent the day getting to know Jordan, and your mother has spent the day getting to know Megan. We had hoped you would find a good person who loves and respects you, and you found two.

"Your mom and I have a lot to work out, so we are going to head back early and start helping Karson and Grace get moved. I want you three to know that no matter what, we are in your corner." Abe looked at Jordan, knowing he had parroted Steven's words back, and Jordan could see the first signs of warmth in the man's face. "Anything you need from us, you only have to ask."

Lily nodded along with a little smile on her face. "Anything." She said to reinforce her husband's statement.

Kaitlin was once again near tears, and hugged her mother. They stood together, and Kaitlin grabbed Megan's hand to return inside. Jordan stood to follow, but Abe called him, and he waited.

Abe stared at his feet until the women were inside and the door shut. "I may have been wrong about you, son. You make Kat happy. Lily spent the day with her, and she said she's never seen Kaitlin happier or more mature. I know I've made my mistakes, and I owe you for last night and today. I know you're serious about her, and I want you to know that if you decide to marry my daughter, you have Lily's and my blessing."

Jordan stared at the man for a few moments. He could hardly believe that the man standing before him was the same man who had stormed out the previous night in a rage.

"Thank you, sir." Jordan finally said. "I... we've talked about it, but I don't know how that would work with the three of us."

"You're a smart man, and you have two great women. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Abe said, and gave Jordan a smile. It looked out of place on the man, but Jordan returned the smile. "Now, we need to get going. Thank you for your hospitality and... whatever that was last night. I meant what I said, Jordan." Abe's eyes focused on Jordan's and he could feel the sincerity of Abe's words. "I'm here for you and Kat and Megan. Anything you need, just ask."

Jordan nodded and thanked Abe with a handshake, then watched as they hugged their daughter goodbye and left. Karson and Grace followed immediately behind them.

Jordan's parents rose as the Schmidts left the apartment. "I have work tomorrow, so we need to head back too." Steven said.

Jordan's mother was beaming. "I had such a good time, honey. I can't wait to come back."

Jordan hugged his mother, and she said her goodbyes to Megan and Kaitlin, and they left. The three sat together on the couch, and breathed a sigh of relief as quiet once again overtook the apartment.

Megan breathed a big sigh, and then turned to Jordan. "Okay, spill it."

"What?" Jordan was confused.

"Your dad was acting weird when you returned. What happened up there?"

"He saw Missy." Jordan admitted.

"What?" Both women asked.

"We knew that was a risk when we offered to show our dads the place." Jordan defended himself.

"Yeah. Did they come out in the sun or watch you from the shadows?" Kaitlin asked.

"Full sun. Mr. Schmidt claimed he saw two more." Jordan answered.

"So what did you tell them?" Megan asked.

"The truth." Jordan answered.

"Jordan, he's going to tell your mom, and she's going to gossip, and the BFRO's going to fuck their lives up!" Megan worried.

"He's not." Jordan replied. "He's going to keep it a secret." Megan looked at him suspiciously.

Jordan was saved by Megan's phone ringing. It was Dr. Stein.

"Hi Jim." Megan sounded happy despite the look of worry on her face. She hit a button to switch to speakerphone and set the phone down on the coffee table in front of them.

"Hi Megan, can I assume the gang's all here?" He asked.

"Hi Jim." Jordan and Kaitlin said in unison.

"Good. Look, things are moving fast here. Jordan, I understand why you saved that woman last night, but your arrest couldn't have come at a worse time."

"I'm sorry about that." Jordan said. "It would have been okay to leave me in jail overnight."

"No, it wouldn't have. The organization has invested heavily in you, and being charged with assault would have been worse than being arrested and released." Dr. Stein sounded weary and his voice was heavy with worry.

"It wasn't his fault!" Kaitlin argued.

"I know that. You're a good man, Jordan, but the board of directors is leaning on me heavily. I'm not sure how much longer I can... Listen, you don't need the details. How did the visit with family go?" Dr. Stein asked.

Megan gave a rundown of the highlights, ending with Jordan and the two father's visit to the land.

"So Abe and Jordan's dad saw Missy? How did you handle that?" Dr. Stein sounded even more stressed.

"I told them the truth." Jordan said.

Dr. Stein exhaled audibly. "You understand that we have to monitor your father's social media and communications now? Listen, the reason that I called is because Jane is ready for transportation from the hospital to home."

"You did the amniocentesis?" Jordan asked. "I thought it was too early."

"Normally, yes." Dr. Stein's voice dropped to a whisper. "It wasn't my choice Jordan, the board overrode me."

There was silence between the two parties for a long moment. Dr. Stein was the first to speak. "They're questioning every decision I make. I told you before I'm under the microscope at the moment.

"I'm authorizing the transfer of Jane and the juvenile male back to your land tomorrow. Can the three of you be there to accept them?"

"Jordan and Kaitlin will be there." Megan promised. "I have rounds with the OB nurses."

"Of course, thank you. And please promise me the three of you will stay out of trouble?" Dr. Stein pleaded.

"We'll have a quiet night in, and then get the horses in the morning and spend the week at the mine." Kaitlin assured him.

"And I have a full week of learning." Megan replied.

"Thank you. Goodnight." Dr. Stein said, and they hung up.

***

Jordan rose early the next morning to make Megan breakfast before she left for the hospital. Kaitlin was still asleep, so he kissed Megan goodbye and retrieved the horses.

When he got back, Megan was still there, a worried look on her face. "They cancelled today's lesson on me." She said sadly.

"Why?" Jordan asked. The conversation with Dr. Stein last night had left him unsettled, as though their support within the BFRO was coming undone.

"No explanation, just a phone call telling me not to come in." Megan said.

Kaitlin heard the conversation, and came out of the bedroom to join them, grabbing a plate of pancakes on her way to the couch.

"Do you think the classes will be rescheduled?" Jordan asked.

Megan looked between her two lovers. "I'm really worried. Jim has been overworked lately, but there's something more going on at the BFRO. If they are losing confidence in us, in Jim, cancelling my classes would be one of the first signs of that."

"How is the organization set up?" Kaitlin asked.

"I don't know much more than you." Megan answered. "Jim Stein is the director of the organization, but all major decisions have to be approved by a board of directors. I've met them all once. Mostly political appointees, but a few PhD types as well."

Jordan nodded. "I got the horses outside. If you don't have plans, do you want to come with us today?"

Megan nodded. "I need something to take my mind off of this. Getting to see Jane awake and meet this new Juvenile would help."

***

The horses were saddled and they were on the trail by 11. The conversation on the drive had been lighter, about family and how well the visit had gone. Even Megan was laughing about how Mrs. White had subtly been prodding both women for grandchildren.

Kaitlin seemed a different woman to Jordan now that the visit was over. She was more confident, and happier. She challenged him to another race, leaving Megan far behind. Kaitlin breezed down the trail, across streams, between trees and up hills. Brutus was fast, but not as agile as Kaitlin's horse through the dense woods and rough terrain.

The mountain valley was as they had left it, beautiful and peaceful. Kaitlin spotted the Bigfoot first as they passed through the first meadow. They quickly recognized the two riders, and came to run alongside Kaitlin and Jordan. Megan appeared shortly through the woods, pushing her own horse at a fast pace. Kaitlin gave a whistle which sounded like a bigfoot call, and took off riding along the stream.

Jordan stopped, watching her red hair fly wild in the wind as she raced Ginger and Wilma up the mountainside. Missy stopped when Jordan did, and watched him for a long moment as he climbed out of the saddle and led Brutus to the pond to drink.

'Baby.' Missy signed at Jordan.

"Baby?" Jordan asked aloud repeating the sign back to her. "Jane? Baby?" He asked her aloud, remembering Megan's conversation with her. Megan was smiling big, knowing that Jane was coming home.

As though on cue, Jordan heard a helicopter in the distance. 'Baby.' He signed back to her.

Jordan pulled Brutus back from his drink and climbed into the saddle. They rode to the meadow that they had used in the past as a landing zone for the helicopter.

Kaitlin was waiting in the meadow, still mounted, though her Bigfoot shadows were out of sight. Jordan searched, and found Ginger behind a pine tree at the edge of the meadow. Missy followed the horses right out into the sun in the middle of the clearing, but as soon as the helicopter appeared, she lost her nerve and ran for the tree line.

Jordan had expected a National Guard helicopter, but instead saw a blue civilian helicopter clear the tops of the trees and hover over the clearing. It gently touched down and Jordan could hear the engine shut off as the helicopter pilot stepped out. She removed her headphones and slid the passenger door open. Inside, Jordan could see the bodies of Jane and the little male, and the IV drip bags on poles above them. The pilot worked quickly, removing the needles, and unstrapping the furry bodies from the gurneys.

"I wasn't expecting a civilian helicopter pilot." Jordan admitted as he approached to take Jane's body.

"And you didn't get one." The woman responded. "This is my third trip here. I was flying the Lakota medical chopper when you asked to accompany her to Denver..." the woman nodded to Jane. "...and when you gave blood to the pilot... that was me. I'm a pilot with the Colorado National guard."

Jordan looked at her again. She was petite, and he guessed half-Asian. She was wearing Jeans and a t-shirt, and nothing about her suggested military. "Then what's with the blue civilian helicopter?" He asked.

"It's my payment." She said with a smile. "I'm also going to be your self-defense teacher." She held out her hand. "I'm Joy."

Jordan shook her hand. "You're a pilot and a combat instructor?"

Kaitlin and Megan had dismounted, and come to shake the woman's hand as well.

"Dr. Stein wanted an instructor to come to you. Someone who had already signed an NDA, and wouldn't blab, and someone who could make the trip in any weather in case you needed rescue." Joy answered. "I get to keep the helicopter as payment, and all I have to do is teach you how to take on an opponent twice your size."

Jordan looked at the little woman. Even injured he thought he could probably pick her up and throw her as easily as the Bigfoot had thrown him. "Are you sure you're up for the task?" He asked her.

Joy sighed heavily, and in one smooth motion, the air was driven from Jordan's lungs as she drove him to the ground in the tall grass. She was straddling him with her elbow on his throat. "First rule of..." She was interrupted by a roar from the trees, and quickly got to her feet, helping Jordan up.

She scanned the trees for the source of the roar, but no Bigfoot was visible. Joy was shaken, and Jordan felt a small thrill of fear himself.

"First rule?" Jordan asked her.

"I was going to say never underestimate your opponent based on size." Joy said distractedly. "But I don't think I'm ready to take on a Bigfoot myself. Are we safe here?" She asked in a worried tone.

Kaitlin laughed. "They're pretty protective of Jordan, but they won't attack you for wrestling."

Joy narrowed her eyes looking for the source of the growl. "How many are out there?"

"Five. They don't normally come out during the day like this." Jordan said. "And I still can't believe the helicopter hasn't scared them off."

"They're getting more and more bold every day." Megan observed. "Especially where you're concerned." She winked at Jordan.

Jordan looked at Joy and saw her studying him.

"How long until they're awake?" He asked, pointing at Jane and the male.

"Oh, um..." Joy broke off eye contact and looked at the furry bodies inside her helicopter. The two Bigfoot still hadn't moved. "The doctors said to give them at least an hour for the sedatives to wear off. No exercise for a day... if you can keep them from it."

Jordan moved to Jane. The fur was starting to grow back in on her forehead where it had been shaved, but the dark skin underneath was still apparent. The stitches had been removed, but a pink scar ran a half-circle around the side of her head. She looked ashy and thin.

The male looked less gaunt than the last time Jordan had seen him, and had a restless expression on his sleeping face.

Joy gasped, and Jordan turned to see Missy standing in the sunlight approaching the helicopter.

Kaitlin placed herself between the frightened helicopter pilot and the giant creature. It was unnecessary, though, since Missy barely seemed to notice her.

'Baby.' Jordan signed as Missy approached. Missy's eyes were full of emotion as she approached her unconscious daughter. She roughly took Jane's hand and pulled, but let go when Jane didn't wake.

'Sleep.' Megan signed, pulling five fingers from her forehead down to her chin.

Joy gasped and stepped out from behind Kaitlin. She made a flurry of signs, which Missy watched.

"You speak sign language?" Kaitlin asked.

"Yeah, my brother is deaf." Joy said. "She didn't understand me, though, did she?"

Jordan shook his head. "She's still learning. We all are."

Missy lifted Jane out of the helicopter and carried her away into the trees in the direction of the mine.

Jordan went around to the other side and lifted the male out. He was young, and still didn't weigh much. He carried him a few steps away and lay him in the grass.

"Thank you for bringing them, Joy." Jordan said. He held out his hand to shake, and Joy shook it tentatively. She seemed shaken up by the close encounter with a conscious Bigfoot.

"Of course. I'm looking forward to our sessions together." Joy responded. "How soon until you're ready to start?"

Jordan thought about the fight a few nights earlier. "The sooner the better." He said.

Joy smiled, looking like she was ready now. She was clearly excited about her assignment.

"But not today." Jordan said pointing at the young male. "We have patients to take care of." Joy nodded and gave Jordan a business card.

'Joy of flight helicopter tours' Jordan read the card aloud.

"Like I said, the chopper's my payment for teaching you to fight. I'm going to make a business of flying tourists around the mountains." Joy said proudly.

Jordan shook her hand and Joy suggested she come back in a few days for his first lesson. Jordan agreed and watched her climb back into the helicopter, putting her headphones on and beginning her pre-flight check.

Jordan lifted the young male's body and lay it across Brutus's saddle, then made room for himself, and climbed on the horse behind. The women were already on their horses, and they rode slowly together up the mountain towards the mine.

They could hear the helicopter start, and saw it rise into the sky and fly down the valley and over the ridge out of sight.

"She seemed nice." Kaitlin said with a smile.

"She is super cute." Megan said, winking at Jordan.

"Yeah." Jordan said, focusing on keeping the unconscious male from slipping off the horse's back.

"Don't tell me you didn't see the way she was looking at you." Kaitlin said, her smile growing bigger.