Partridge Family Love: Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I do not own The Partridge Family, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Shirley goes on a hike, hurts her ankle and she rewards the ranger who finds her.
Shirley Partridge needed to clear her mind. Sunday was not even half over and she had already had sex with her minister and gardener. She drove to a nearby state park where she could be alone. Only a few cars were in the parking lot. She started walking down the path through the trees. It was a warm sunny day, but cool in the shade. The blue jeans and a long sleeved blouse were just enough to keep her comfortable as she hiked through the beautiful foothills of this southern California park.
After an hour, she felt much more at peace and hadn't seen a soul. The trail crossed a dirt road and she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the rattlesnake on the other side until she almost stepped on it. The snake rattled its tail and coiled startling her. Shirley jumped back and her foot got caught on a root and she fell to the ground. She tried to scramble back further from the snake and screamed as pain shot through her left ankle. Fortunately, her scream scared off the snake which slithered off into the woods. Unfortunately, she had really twisted her ankle badly. When she tried to stand up and put her weight on it, the pain was too much for her and she was forced to hop. She hopped to the dirt road and stopped. There was no way she could hop all the way back to her car. Her only hope was having someone come by and finding her.
She sat on the side of the road and listened intently. Her ankle throbbed and swelled. After an hour, she began to worry. There was no sound of civilization. She was starting to get chilly now that she wasn't moving. And she was thirsty. No one knew she was here. What if no one came? How long could she wait? Another half hour agonizingly passed. She could feel a sense of panic start to build. She was a city girl. How could she survive? What if no one found her? What if some wild animal got her? She started to scoot down the trail on her bottom back to her car, dragging her injured leg behind her. Just then, she heard the sound of a car coming down the dirt road. She started to scream and wave her arms as a green truck drove by. It passed her then stopped.
The injured mother was filled with relief when she saw the ranger wearing olive drab trousers and a grey shirt get out of the truck and approach her.
"Are you ok, ma'am?" he asked.
"Now I am," she answered. "I think I twisted my ankle and I can't walk."
"Let me take a look." He squatted by her and examined her ankle, gently probing. "Can't tell. Could be a sprain, could be broken. I'll have to take you to the hospital."
