In The Colorado Mountains

Derrick sat on the edge of the bed watching her, wondering how much longer it would be before she fell asleep. She apologized about being tired a bit earlier than usual, so he offered to make up the bed for her. She thought she’d only be taking a nap, but he knew differently. Either way, he had enough time. When he was certain she had finally dozed off, he left the cabin as quietly as he could. He threw her purse from the train, then found a seat until it was time to disembark at the next stop.

Elaine listened to the sound of the train on the tracks as she slept. The gentle steady sway kept her lulled into a deep sleep. She dreamt that she was on a train in her own bed, comfortable and stretched out. She slept so soundly that she knew nothing else. Awakened by the alarm clock in her dreams, she opened her eyes and reached for it. She WAS on a train with a splitting headache. Her hands covered her eyes to block the light and tried to figure out what she was doing there. Nothing came to mind.

She looked around. She was in a cabin with blue seats turned into a bed. Her clothes were still on. The small suitcase on the floor sat next to her. She sat up, looking for anything else in the cabin. Nothing else was with her.

She stood up, grabbed the case, and set it on the bed. Then she opened it and rummaged around, but nothing was familiar: a few changes of clothes, toiletries, and a pair of sneakers. There was nothing for a headache. She closed and latched the case, wondering where the key was.

Blowing out a quick breath of air, she looked around again. There was nothing else with her. The cabin drawers and doors led to nothingness, except the one leading to the hallway. She closed the bed and sat down.

She thought about jumping off the train, but this idea just did not feel like the right thing to do. Besides getting hurt, she also thought that it would be silly since she hadn’t a clue where she was. At least staying put there was a chance someone knew her location. She could walk in any direction for any amount of time and still not find someone to help. No, her best bet was to stay on the train.

She let out a sigh as she realized she may be stuck on the train for a while and repositioned herself. With nothing else to do, she stared out the window and watched the trees go by.

She heard a quick knock, then the door as it slid open. “Excuse me, ma’am. We’ll reach our next destination in about thirty minutes.”

“I’m sorry. I just woke up. Where is the next stop?”

“Grand Junction, CO.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know where my stop is, would you?”

“Ma’am, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. It’s just that I have a headache. There’s nothing here but a few changes of clothes.” Elaine gestured towards the small case.

“Do you have your ticket or your purse?”

Elaine wondered what he was talking about. “Nothing else is here. I checked everywhere.”

“I’ll get you something to drink. What would you like?”

“Anything cold, thank you.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The uniformed man disappeared from the door, then returned with a cold bottled water. He took a seat in the empty chair.

After Elaine took a few sips, the man asked her if she had her phone.

“My phone? No.”

“OK, what’s your name? I’ll look up your ticket information.”

“My name?” Elaine paused, biting her lower lip while she thought. She leaned back and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“OK. Don’t worry. We’ll find your information. Tell me, when did you get on the train?”

“I don’t know that either. All I know is that I awoke this morning on this bed with that suitcase on the floor. That’s it. That’s all I know.”

“Did you get on the train with someone?”

Elaine shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head no. “I don’t know that either.”

Elaine studied the man’s features. Below his cap were knitted, bushy, ash brown brows the same color of his hair that matched his mocha eyes. He was smooth-shaven and lacked a potbelly.

“Let’s try something different. Tell me everything you know, maybe we can put this puzzle together.”

“I only know what I’ve told you. I don’t know how long I’ve been here.”

The man pulled out his phone and pulled up a map of the route. “These are the places that we’ve been, these are where we're going. We are between here and here. Does anything seem familiar?”

Elaine studied the map. “Yes. I think I just came from here,” she said while pointing to Reno.

“Great! I’ll check the records to see if I can find out who you are.”

Elaine noticed his golden name tag – Ryan Williams.

“We are approaching the next stop. I must attend to my post. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Ryan.”

He returned with the information. “You are Elaine Stewart. You traveled to Reno about a week ago and left yesterday when you boarded this train for your return trip to Denver. You are assigned to this room and traveling alone. Does this sound familiar?”

“Yes. I think so.”

He handed her a scrap piece of paper with her contact information. “I hope you make it home safe.” Then he left the room.

Elaine sat there fiddling with the paper. There was nothing else to do but wait for Denver. She had no idea how she would get home. What happened last night? The more she thought about it, the more the anxiety swirled around her. She decided to watch the scenery instead.

Ryan walked away wondering what happened. It was obvious to him that whatever it was, it was not good. He had no idea if she was in danger or if someone dangerous was still on the train somewhere. She did not seem mentally ill or on drugs, at least not in his opinion. He’d seen enough people to spot the difference. He resolved himself to check in on her from time to time before he continued to check on other passengers.

As Ryan walked down the hallway, he felt a slight jolt. Nothing unusual, but he was not expecting it while he was thinking about Elaine once again. She lingered on the back of his mind while he worked. The image of her smooth bisque skin and catlike facial features with a slight overbite stayed with him. Her light brown medium length cropped hair framed her face nicely, although it was slightly unkempt that morning.

Elaine was not the first good looking woman Ryan had seen along this route. He knew how to keep himself in check, and relationships never crossed the line. Everything he did was part of the scope of his duties. The more he thought about her, the more he had to remind himself that they could not get together in real life. His work kept him from home most of the time. In fact, he only went home to visit his parents for one overnight stay a week, staying on the train during his time off. To stay on a train every day was a childhood dream come true.

Another unexpected jolt brought him back from autopilot. He picked up the nearest crew phone to ring the engineer. The ride was bumpier than most. When no answer was received, he decided to take a walk to the engineer’s cabin.

The door opened about halfway before hitting something without making a sound. Squeezing through the door, Ryan found the engineer on the floor. He checked for a heartbeat. It was faint and slow.

Ryan looked for the speed of the train. He knew they were going faster than was safe for the curves ahead. Although he was no engineer, he had been trained for an emergency. Ryan picked up the intercom and announced, “Code zero-zero-zero.” Ryan knew there was no such code. He could not remember the code to warn crew to prepare passengers for impact. He hoped that his co-workers would realize something was not right and prepare for a worst-case scenario. He did not know if it would be enough, but he had tried.

Next, he hit the button for the emergency brakes hoping to slow down the train, but not certain it would be accomplished in time. There was nothing he could do to change the outcome for the engineer. He ran back to his assigned car to warn the passengers.

“Quick, get in your shower room,” he yelled into each cabin as he ran by. “Lock the door to keep it shut!” There were no cushions in the restrooms, but at least there would not be any glass flying around.

With not much time to spare, he ran into Elaine’s room, grabbed her arm, and shoved her into the private bath as the train began to rock. He squeezed in before she even had a chance to protest and locked the door just as the car began to lean to one side. Elaine’s eyes blazed. She tried to jerk away as the car tipped from one side to the other. He held to her tightly, trying to keep them on their feet and from hitting their heads against the wall. Her breath caught from the firmness of his grip, the unexpected tilting of the train, and the goosebumps she felt from his touch all at once.

Just then the train car leaned until it fell over on its side. The edge of the countertop pressed into Ryan’s lower back; his upper body lay over the sink. Elaine’s body pressed against his and their heads banged together.

“Ouch,” they said in unison. They continued to jolt into each other until Ryan wrapped his arms around Elaine’s upper back and held her head next to his while the car slid along the ground for a few more seconds.

They stayed still while Ryan strained his ears for the sounds of the remainder of the cars. He did not want to change their positions until he knew all the cars were stopped.

Without thinking, Ryan turned his head and planted a kiss on Elaine’s skin closest to his mouth. “Oh God, I’m glad you’re alright!” He knew the back of his head had hit the mirror, but he was certain Elaine’s had not. “As much as I enjoy having a pretty lady in my arms, do you think you can help me up?”

Elaine lifted her head and saw the shattered mirror gripping the widest part of Ryan’s cap. “Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so, but it is uncomfortable having the sink in my back.”

As Elaine tried to lift herself off Ryan, she realized her arms were not long enough to change her position. Ryan lifted her weight off him to allow her to reach the grab bars and get into a standing position. Then she grabbed his hand to help him up. As they stood on the front of the cabinet, Ryan reached for the knob to unlock and open the door.

Elaine stared at Ryan’s hat embedded in the mirror, then at the back of his head. Amazingly, the hat kept the back of his head from being cut.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ryan said. “I’ll get you to safety, then come back for other passengers.”

“Let me help you. You just saved my life. I’m able to help. Others may not be.”

Ryan nodded his head in agreement and carefully led the way to the hallway, then stopped. “Are you certain you can handle it? I’m not certain what we will find.”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Most of the other passengers in the sleeper car were safe, thanks to Ryan’s quick thinking. A few of the men helped Ryan hoist the women up onto the top side of the car, and then lower them to the ground. Ryan ordered them to get as far back from the train as possible. They were sandwiched between the Colorado River and the mountains. Then he and the men searched for survivors in other cars.

Elaine sat down and watched as the men worked. She could tell Ryan was hurt more than he let on, but she was in awe of how he pushed through. Her heart began to soften towards Ryan.

After a little while, some women began to emerge through the windows. Some with scratches and torn clothes, others had more serious injuries with blood dripping down various parts of their bodies. Elaine stood up and walked over to one woman shaking from shock, wrapped her arm around the woman, and gently led her to where everyone was gathering. They sat down and huddled together.

Elaine saw a man attempting to make a call in the valley of no cell phone signals. She hoped motorists on the opposite side of the river noticed the train and alerted the authorities. It would be a while as they were in the middle of nowhere.

Elaine heard someone ask for the time. “3:30” came from behind her. Then Elaine went to help the injured. Seeing luggage being removed from the train, she looked for her own case. Sure enough, it was sitting on the ground.

She grabbed the handle, opened the case, and began making tourniquets, slings, and compresses from her clothes. Then she began applying these items to whomever needed them.

“Anyone willing to tear up your clothes? I could use some more things to stop the bleeding.”

Some women walked over to their cases and began tearing up their clothes while Elaine continued to stop the bleeding of those needing the help.

Ryan came up behind her. “You know you don’t have to do this, don’t you?”

“I know. I just want to help. I need to do something, and this benefits someone.” Elaine paused for a moment. “I thought you were inside a train.”

“I was. I came to check things out here. You have everything under control. I’m about to start bringing dead bodies out. Any suggestion on where to put them? You are more familiar with the space available than I am. Preferably some place not in the direct view of everyone sitting over there.”

“What about around that bend?”

Ryan nodded and walked off towards the car that took the hardest hit and gave some instructions to a waiting man. Then Ryan and another man went off towards the engineer’s cabin. Elaine realized there might be more to the story of the crash. She decided to ask Ryan about it later.

Elaine had taken a first aid class for work. She was bored back then, but so glad now for the training. She just never expected to use it for a train wreck. Funny how I remember this but not anything else about myself.

She tried to keep herself occupied by helping the injured. It helped not to look around the bend.

A man brought a case of bottled water to the group. A woman walked over to it, filled an arm with as many as she could hold, and began passing them out to those who sat in silence.

Elaine looked in the direction Ryan had walked. She saw the two men carrying the conductor towards the location around the bend. She knew Ryan lost a co-worker.

When Elaine finished bandaging the person she was with, she walked over to Ryan. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, giving him a moment to have someone to lean on. This day would not ever be forgotten by either of them.

They stood there a while, allowing their breathing to synchronize with each other until their breathing slowed and they felt more relaxed.

“Thank you,” Ryan said with his now gruff voice.

She looked up at him with a sweet smile and said, “You’ve got this. You’re doing a wonderful job. You’re a hero today, and everyone is looking up to you for guidance. Come back for another one when you need it. I know this must be hard on you.”

Ryan nodded an affirmative and slowly walked off towards the men trying to free those trapped. Elaine noticed a limp she had not noticed before and wondered just what happened in the locomotive car.

While waiting for another victim to appear, Elaine took a walk down the path alongside the train. After the six passenger cars, the rest of the train held cargo, some of which was now scattered. The cars towards the back end of the train landed in the river. Other cargo cars slid into the passenger cars. It was a wonder how almost everyone from her car walked away unhurt, thanks to Ryan.

Still strangers, she knew she and Ryan created a bond that would last for the rest of their lives. She hoped he was single, otherwise she would have to keep this bond in check and keep her distance from him once they were rescued.

Two hours later, Elaine heard helicopters in the distance. Several people were still trapped, but there was nothing more the men could do until help arrived. In the meantime, someone stayed with each trapped person, talking to them, giving them sips of water, and trying their best to keep the person alive. Amazingly, there were no fires and no chemical spills. Elaine felt like someone, or something, had been watching over them to keep them as safe as possible.

Rescue teams dropped down from the sky along with equipment. Elaine was glad it was a sunny summer day, and not too hot. In fact, the temperature was perfect. They could not have picked a better day for a train wreck if they tried.

Ryan walked over to the first guy off the helicopter. Elaine was close enough to hear parts of their conversation. There were three still trapped. They managed to get everyone else out. Seven were dead, including the engineer. Those severely injured would be the first to be lifted out while the rescue team worked on those trapped. With three hours left until dusk, the head rescue team member requested all available helicopters for assistance.

Ryan led the man to the three locations for assessment, then they returned to those awaiting instructions. Ryan gathered his available men to assist as needed. Hopefully, they would get everyone rescued before dark.

Elaine took it upon herself to notify everyone of the plans.

At 5:30, Derrick was in the Elko airport waiting to board his flight back to Reno. Out of boredom, he watched the news playing on the T.V. when they announced the derailment. Rescuers and news crews were on the way.

Derrick sat in disbelief. “Catherine,” as he knew her by, said she was going to get off in Grand Junction; but he had no idea if she was telling the truth or not. He wondered if she was safe or among those stranded. While he wished she got what she deserved, the derailment was not in the plans.

Back in Reno, Catherine Stewart made it home from work, took out her keys, unlocked the front door, and rushed to change her clothes. She was in a hurry to call her sister, Elaine, hoping she was all right. She had heard about the derailment while driving home. Then she sat down on the couch and dialed her identical twin’s number. No answer. She did not leave a message. Instead, she sent a text asking Elaine to call.

Catherine did not reach out to Derrick. She knew he was on a business trip due to return tonight. On the last day of Elaine’s visit, Derrick called Catherine asking her to lunch. He had spotted her walking downtown. Catherine agreed, then called Elaine and told her that Derrick had spotted her, then asked Elaine to meet Derrick for lunch like they had done once before. Elaine agreed. After lunch, Elaine called and gave Catherine the details of the lunch. Elaine let it slip that she was leaving the next day. Knowing it was up to Catherine to decide when to tell Derrick she had a twin, Elaine told Derrick she was meeting her brother in Grand Junction. At least their brother really did live there, and Derrick knew about Ed. Elaine, i.e.: Catherine, told Derrick she was taking a long weekend and would not be back until the beginning of next week.

Catherine realized she had been staring off into space thinking about the events that led up to this situation. She stood up and walked into the kitchen to prepare her supper. She wanted to call Derrick but knew from Elaine that Derrick would be on a plane. She was just going to have to wait this one out alone.

Her brother. She forgot about her brother. Catherine quickly dialed his number. Both their parents died in a car crash two years earlier. Ed was all she and Elaine had left.

Yes, Ed had heard about the derailment. No, he did not know Elaine was on that train. He would see what he could figure out.

“Just breathe, Catherine. I’m sure she is all right. The train is in a valley. There’s no cell service there. I’ll drive out to where they are taking the survivors. She’ll need a ride to her car at the station. Good thing it’s Friday, no work tomorrow. Just try to keep your mind occupied. I’ll call back when I know something.”

Fifteen minutes later, Catherine received a text message from Ed. “I know where families are to meet the survivors. I’ll be leaving in fifteen minutes. TTYL.”

Catherine turned on the news to listen for updates. She would not hear anything further from Ed until after nine. Derrick was not due to land until around eleven. She would need to stay hidden from Derrick this weekend, but she should at least call him to let him know she was safe. As far as Derrick was concerned, she was supposed to be in Grand Junction with her brother.

The wait was hard and tiring. Catherine dozed off several times, so she laid down on the couch, phone in hand, and allowed herself to sleep.

Ed arrived at the school gymnasium about three and a half hours later to learn Elaine had been taken to the hospital down the road. The trip had taken longer than he anticipated, but they took the survivors further away than first planned. Filled with concern, he decided not to call Catherine yet.

The parking lot was packed. As much as Ed wanted to rush inside, he parked in the back of the lot. No matter the condition, Ed had to remind himself that Elaine was well cared for. He walked up to the door and straight to the line at the desk. She was in room 316.

On the elevator with other family members, the door closed to silence. Everyone was in their own thoughts hoping for the best. Breathe! Ed reminded himself as the elevator stopped on the second floor to let someone out.

It was not a big hospital. The second floor was for surgical procedures, recovery, and ICU. The third floor, the top, was for all other patients. Ed was glad Elaine was on the third floor.

Upon entering the room, Ed looked for Elaine. What he saw instead were two beds pushed near each other in the center of the room. A man was in the furthest bed, and a woman was in the other. She was turned towards the man holding his hand.

“Excuse me, I think I have the wrong room.”

“I worked on the train. I may be able to help you.” Ryan looked intently at Ed, recognizing similar facial features and coloring as Elaine.

“I’m looking for Elaine Stewart.”

Elaine let go of Ryan’s hand and turned to see Ed in the door. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Ed had expected anything but Amnesia. He shut the door, then went to Elaine’s bedside. “Yah, I’m your brother, Ed. Catherine didn’t tell me you have a boyfriend.”

“Who’s Catherine?” Elaine was still trying to recall Ed.

“You’re identical twin. You honestly don’t remember us?”

“Not right now I don’t.”

Ed gave himself a few moments to digest the information, then introduced himself to Ryan. “How did you and my sister meet?”

“To be honest, we met on the train this morning. We helped each other through this and with Elaine not knowing about herself, I decided to stick by her to look after her.”

“I sure do appreciate that. I’m going to step out to call Catherine. I’m sure she’s worried sick. I told her I’d call her as soon as I knew something.”

Catherine awoke to her phone ringing close to midnight. She saw Ed’s name on the screen and frantically answered.

“She’s OK. She’s not hurt that I can tell, but she is in the hospital for observation. She has Amnesia.”

“Oh, Thank God,” Catherine let out before the Amnesia sunk in. “Oh, how terrible!”

“She’s in the same room as the train attendant. He decided to look after her, and I must admit, I think she’s attached to him. I’m going to get a hotel for the weekend and stay until she’s ready to be on her own. I’ll let them get some rest tonight and I’ll find out more details tomorrow.”

“OK, sounds good. And Ed? Thank you!”

The next day, while Ed was visiting Elaine and Ryan, they had Catherine on the speaker phone. They discussed everything that happened including Catherine informing everyone about Derrick, how Derrick did not know about Elaine, but travelled with Elaine thinking it was Catherine. Catherine and Ed learned that the Amnesia began prior to the accident and that Elaine had no purse, ID, or phone with her.

This information made Catherine leery of Derrick. Elaine had cautioned her months ago about Derrick, but he had never done anything to cause Catherine not to trust him. She wondered what happened to cause him to do something to Elaine.

After the call, Ryan’s parents entered. Ed introduced, then excused himself from the room. Then he called a friend for advice.

“Catherine could be in danger. I recommend she leaves Nevada.”

Ed called Catherine back. It was decided Catherine would fly out to stay with Elaine for a while, this way Ed could go back to work.

While Catherine liked her job, her sister’s health and her own life were more important than the job. She quit her job without notice and called movers to pack and move her stuff. Derrick was not worth the risk she might put herself in.

Feeling relieved he would not have to worry about his sisters, Ed returned to the shared hospital room. As he sat down, a sheriff walked in. Ryan gave his account that led to the derailment and the rescue efforts afterwards.

“Well, I think you’d like to know that this investigation is complete. The coroner confirmed the engineer had a heart attack. Thanks to your quick thinking, the accident wasn’t as bad as it could have been. You may still hear from your employer. I’m sure they will have their own investigation to do, but our position is that there was no criminal intent.”

Everyone felt relieved. With smiles on their faces, they thanked the Sheriff for the news and wished him well.