“I grew up here,” said Claire. “Every week, I go out to the communities dispersed in the mountains. Been doing so for near twenty years now. Still haven’t been to all of them. Still haven’t seen all there is to see.”
We rode for two hours, parked the car along a dirt road, and hiked another hour. Claire talked the whole time. She had many stories to tell and was happy to share them. Holly took notes as if she were writing a book—maybe she would. After all, Claire was giving her material for several volumes.
“We’re going to arrive right about lunchtime,” said Claire. “Perfect.”
“Why is that perfect?” asked Holly.
“They all eat together; it’s a real community. That’ll save us from having to go door to door.” She added under her breath, “They don’t like to be disturbed at home, but at lunchtime, everybody will be outside and together. Makes my job a whole lot easier. Plus”—she turned to Holly and smiled— “aren’t you hungry? I know I am.”
Claire’s description of a vibrant, though closed-off, community with families and children and elderly people living off the land, tucked away in the mountains, came as a surprise to me. “We’ve been hiking the mountains for days, and we haven’t seen any trace of a community like that,” I said.
She laughed at my comment. “You haven’t seen them because they don’t want you to see them.”
Claire led us down winding trails, up steep slopes, and onto trails hidden behind the wild brush. We walked until the sound of music and children playing announced that we were close to our destination.
There must have been close to thirty people of all ages gathered at long makeshift tables and grills. Claire knew them all by name, and they welcomed her with cheers and warm greetings. I admit I was a bit jealous. In Georgia's mountains, though the experience had been a positive one, I had not been welcomed with anywhere near the same amount of enthusiasm.
The young children took to Holly immediately, which was a big help in allowing me to examine them. The older boys took to her, too, and they were proud to grab their fiddles and guitars and serenade her with music. Some even taught her a few dance steps.
From there, we hiked back to the car, drove another two hours, hiked another thirty minutes, and visited another tucked-away community. They gave us an equally warm reception.
I was amazed at how at ease Holly seemed to be. She got on as well with the children as she did with the elderly, girls and boys, men and women alike. I studied her, the way she acted and talked with them, blending curiosity and concern, respect and reassurance with remarkable grace. My bedside manner, while not bad, was something I was aware I needed to work on. Holly, unbeknownst to her, was a great teacher.
As we were driving back to Franklin, Holly raved about the experience. “I have so much material, I could write a book, or five, or ten.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said.
“It’s too bad, though, that we don’t have proper dental equipment,” she said. “There is a lot of work to do here on that front.”
“Sounds like you may have found your mission,” said Claire, and she gave her a wink and a smile.
Holly looked over her shoulder at me, crunched between boxes. “Right now, my mission is to reunite a family.”
I kept checking for cell phone reception. Eventually, we left the mountains and neared Franklin. At that moment, my phone vibrated with two messages. Both messages were from the nurse at Angel Clinic.
First message: Ryker, this is Amy from Angel Clinic. I have a lead. Call me as soon as you can.
Second message: Ryker, this is Amy from Angel Clinic. Call me as soon as you get this message. I have news. It could be big.
I’d never dialed faster.
“Ryker! I have great news or potentially great news. I found the paramedic you were looking for.”
“You found him! Amy, you’re a rock star. Thank you.”
Holly turned in her seat and looked at me. The excitement on her face matched the excitement in my voice and Amy’s.
“I spoke with him on the phone,” Amy continued. “He has eight brothers. He’s your man.”
“Oh, wow. That is great. I can’t believe it. Amy, you sure are putting the ‘angel’ in Angel Clinic. You know that, right?”
“I just made a few calls. No biggie.”
“For me, it’s huge. Thank you, Amy.”
“I have his number. I’ll give it to you now.”
My chest was restricted. My breath caught in my throat.
“Are you ready,” she asked.
I gulped. “No. Hang on a minute.” I motioned to Holly for her pen and paper. I took in a deep breath, tried to calm down, took the pen and paper from Holly, and exhaled. “Okay, I’m ready.”