It was the first day of Spring Break. All my close friends (in distance) were in a car driving to their vacation destinations. I was alone begging my friend whos husband just witnessed the death of his friend, my husband, to drive the almost 2 hrs to my house. I was alone and didn't know what to do. The friend from work I had called to watch my dog called over and over. I finally answered and as the words spewed out of my mouth, it was as if I was someone else. That this was not happeing to me.
Before I knew it, my work family had arrived at my house and the fog became thicker. I don't remember if I got Hayden up before they arrived or after. All I remember is they came. They came and they stayed. They immediately went into action. Two went to the store to get food for expected guests. Two tried to entertain Hayden as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I started to make calls. I had to be the one to tell his good friends. I had to be the one to call. Two sat outside with me and held me and tried to hold back their own emotions as they took the phone from me when the words just wouldn't come.
Hours went by and I still had not been visited by police or called by an offical. "I'm sorry Ma'ma he is deseaced" is the only information I had. His friend was in shock and did not give his wife details over the phone. He was still on the mountain with the police and my husband. The fog was getting thicker.
My friend and fellow school counselor, tried calling the dispatch for Hardy County West Virginia where the SPOT call center contacted for rescue assistance. They acted as if they knew nothing and bounced us around from locality to locality, no one telling us anything.
Hayden's babysitter came which brought great joy to my daughter who knew something was going on. As I was helping her brush her teeth for bed, "Is tomorrow Saturday? Is daddy coming home tomorrow?" My heart again shattering. "No, baby. Not tomorrow".
By 11:00 PM we still had no word from law enforcement on the status of the recovery efforts. My mother and sister had arrived to be with me. Another friend from work came who called in a favor to someone she knew in the US Marshall serivce. He called back in 10 minutes telling us that Adam's body had yet to be recovered. There was juristicual confusion in the beginning over whether he was in West Virginia or Virginia. A helicopter had tried to access them but ran out of gas and had to go back. It was too dark for a new chopper. The hike in was an hour of steep and difficult tarain. Trooper Durrah and Srgt. Anderson were the two people in charge. They should contact me in an hour to tell me where to go to indentify the body.
My work family left and the house was quiet, too quiet. But yet, my mother wouldn't shut up. She kept trying to fill the void not knowing what to say.
At 1:00 AM my brother in law and his wife arrived. Still no word on if my husband was off the mountain. No word on what happend? How was he killed? Did he suffer? Did he know? It had been almost 10 hrs. Why had no one come to my home or called me? 10 hrs of me waiting and wondering and worrying. Finally, a call from his friend. I couldn't take the call. I couldn't ask the questions I desperatly need to hear. Matt took the call instead. He asked the questions. The one question still remained, where is he now?
Matt and I wanted to go be where ever they were going to take Adam. But, what would I do with Hayden. With my family living so far away, Hayden didn't see them often. As a mother, I couldn't have her wake-up to people she didn't know. I needed her and she needed me. So we sat and we waited. We pretend to sleep. We waited for the phone call from The Troopers. No one called.
By 7:30 AM I texted my friend to see if they had heard anything. They were furiouse that no one had contacted me. So her husband called Trooper Durrah that had taken his statement. He called Hardy County and where ever else to learn where my husband was. It was that friend who told me he was in a funeral home waiting to be transported home, not the police.
The fog was so thick at this point but I had to get up.... I had to dry my eyes because from the monitor I could hear "Mom...Mom". Someone needed me.
All I kept thinking in those 16 and half hours was that my loving husband was still out there on that mountain alone. All I wanted was to go to him.
Is this really happening to us?
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