Free The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

area.
    This time when he reached the blind, he pressed through the overgrowth. Moving around to the side, he steeled himself to expect nothing. Shining his light inside, he almost stopped breathing.
    A little boy, sitting in the corner, muddy and scratched, filthy . . . but otherwise, seemingly okay.
    Taylor blinked, thinking it was a mirage, but when he opened his eyes again, the little boy was still there, Mickey Mouse shirt and all.
    Taylor was too surprised to speak. Despite the hours out there, the conclusion had seemed to come so quickly.
    In the silence-a few seconds at most-Kyle looked up at him, toward the big man in a long yellow coat, with an expression of surprise on his face, as though he'd been caught doing something that would get him in trouble.
    "Hewwo," Kyle said exuberantly, and Taylor laughed aloud. Grins immediately spread across both their faces. Taylor dropped to one knee, and the little boy scrambled to his feet and then into his arms. He was cold and wet, shivering, and when Taylor felt those small arms wrap around his neck, tears welled in his eyes.
    "Well, hello, little man. I take it you must be Kyle."

    Chapter 8
    "He's okay, everyone . . . I repeat, he's okay. I've got Kyle with me right now."
    With those words spoken into the walkie-talkie, a whoop of excitement arose from the searchers and the word was passed along to the station, where Joe called in to the hospital.
    It was 2:31 A. M.
    Judy retrieved the phone from the table, then sat it on the bed so that Denise could answer it. She was barely breathing as she picked up the receiver. Then all at once she brought her hand to her mouth to stifle the scream. Her smile, so heartfelt and emotional, was contagious, and Judy had to fight the urge to jump up and down.
    The questions Denise asked were typical: "He's really okay? . . . Where did you find him? . . . Are you sure he's not hurt? . . . When will I see him? . . . Why so long? . . . Oh yes, I see. But you're sure? . . . Thank you, thank you all so much. . . . I can't believe it!"
    When she hung up the phone, Denise sat up-this time without help-and spontaneously hugged Judy while filling her in.
    "They're bringing him to the hospital . . . he's cold and wet, and they want to bring him in as a precaution, just to make sure everything's okay. He should be here in an hour or so. . . . I just can't believe it."
    The excitement brought the dizziness back, but this time Denise couldn't have cared less.
    Kyle was safe. That was the only thing that mattered now.
    Back in the swamp, Taylor had removed his raincoat and wrapped it around Kyle to keep him warm. Then, carrying him from the blind, he met up with the others and they waited in Duck Shot just long enough to ensure that all the men were accounted for. Once they were assembled, they started back as a group, this time in tightly knit formation.
    The five hours of searching had taken their toll on Taylor, and carrying Kyle was a struggle. The boy weighed at least forty pounds, and the extra weight not only made his arms ache, it also made him sink even deeper in the mud. By the time he reached the road, he was spent. How women were able to carry their kids for hours while shopping in the mall was beyond him.
    An ambulance was waiting for them. At first Kyle didn't want to let Taylor go, but Taylor, speaking softly, was finally able to coax him down to let the attendant examine him. Sitting in the ambulance, Taylor wanted nothing more than a long hot shower, but because Kyle seemed on the verge of panicking every time Taylor moved away, he decided to ride with him to the hospital. Sergeant Huddle led the way in his trooper's car, while the other searchers began to head home.
    The long night was finally over.
    They reached the hospital a little after 3:30 A. M. By that time the emergency room had calmed down and nearly every patient had been seen. The doctors had been informed of Kyle's imminent arrival and were waiting for him. So were Denise and