12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Oliver
Y ou would think I’d get used to the pain, but I don’t. The tiniest movement makes me want to scream. The pain numbs my other senses and at times I just want to close my eyes and sleep. But Keeley is relentless in keeping me awake.
She talks and talks, and every so often asks me a question, probably just to check I’m still conscious. Having her here has been my salvation, as much as I hate that I got her into this situation.
“I’m sorry, Keeley.” I realise I haven’t said that yet.
“What for?” I can’t see her and I don’t dare turn my head, but her voice sounds confused.
“For putting you… at risk.” I never thought talking could be so exhausting. I sincerely hope it’s just the pain that’s tiring and not the severity of any injuries.
“Pish posh. You didn’t know this would happen. Although next time I think I’ll stick to canyoning,” she tries to joke. It doesn’t help to eliminate my guilt. How did I miss the signs that we had drifted into that air vortex?
We are quiet for a while. I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been lying here, but it’s slowly getting darker. Keeley’s hand is gently squeezing mine. For a brief second, I see a future with her and then I remind myself that she is leaving Fellside in a few days and is a bit of a nomad. But whatever happens I promise myself to at least stay friends with her. I felt sad when she told me about losing her friends and feeling lonely.
A sudden spasm hits the muscles in my back and I cry out.
“What is it?” Keeley asks alarmed.
“Spasm,” I manage to formulate that one word between groans. Keeley positions herself above me and gently holds my head stable.
“Take a deep breath for me, Ols. Breathe through the pain,” she says in a calming voice.
“Fuck,” is my only reply. Fuck breathing and fuck this pain.
“Come on Oliver, breathe with me.” She inhales loudly and I try to copy her.
“And out,” she instructs, “And in… and out.” The pain is searing but slowly ebbing away as the muscles relax again.
“That’s it.” When I’ve calmed down, Keeley moves back to sit next to me.
“How do you know so… much about first aid?” I ask.
“When I started with my blog I travelled to some pretty wild places. So, I did a trauma first aid course.”
“Definitely not a damsel in distress.”
“Nope. I was never one to—” She stops talking before getting to her feet.
“I think I hear a helicopter,” she whispers. I want to tell her that doesn’t mean anything. There are always helicopters in the air around here, but then I hear it too. And it seems to move towards us.
“They won’t see us down here.” The panic in her voice is plain.
“Keeley there’s nothing you can do… they might have picked up the phone signal, or someone saw us going down. But they also have thermal cameras. FMR know what they’re doing… If they are here for us they’ll find us.” I try to reassure her.
“Who are FMR?”
“Fellside Mountain Rescue.”
She drops to the floor next to me and we are quiet. We are both listening intently hoping to hear someone approaching. In reality even if they know we’re here it’ll take them a while to get to us. The trees are too dense for a rescuer to be lowered from the HELO where we are. They might try higher up, closer to the mountain, where there should be less trees, but it depends on the wind.
If that’s not possible the HELO would have to drop them on the ridge above the rock face for them to abseil down. The rock face looked at least three hundred feet high. They have to set an anchor halfway down before they can reach the slope we’re on.
And then they have to get me up there. I’m not looking forward to that.
“What’s the first thing you’ll do when we get out of here?” I try to pull Keeley from her thoughts. The helicopter noise is constant and doesn’t sound too far away. That gives me hope.
“Go to the hospital to find out what is happening with you.”
“You don’t have–”
“Don’t be an idiot, Ols. I need to know you are okay.” She bends over me so I can look in her eyes. “I know we are not having a relationship relationship, but I care about you.” She presses a soft kiss on my lips.
I don’t know what to say to that. These last couple of days have been crazy and completely unpredictable so I shouldn’t really be surprised by her comment.
“I don’t understand why you never swept one of the lovely ladies from Fellside off her feet.” Keeley giggles.
“Just never met the right one.” Not a lie.
“What’s your longest relationship?”
“Three… no, four years. She was nice but I just didn’t feel it would last forever… and call me a bloody romantic—” I suck in a deep breath as pain shoots through my back, “but I only want to get married to… the woman I want to be with forever.”
“Wise. I didn’t do that.”
“You were… married?” She surprises me yet again. I have dated a few divorcees in the last few years and have found that the subject normally comes up very quickly.
“Yes. For five years. We fell out of love and just, well, mutually agreed it was for the best. I’m not really in touch with him anymore. I started my blog soon after we split and had a few short relationships but nothing serious.”
There is so much I want to say. Like, why is she cutting people out of her life so easily? But I don’t think now is the time.
“No more que—” Someone calling my name stops Keeley. She jumps up and almost loses her footing.
“Here! We are here!” she calls out. I can see her waving at someone and I’m close to weeping. I didn’t allow myself to contemplate the possibility that they wouldn’t find us but now they’re here I know that I have had that fear all along.
“FMR Four to FMR Six, we found them.” I make out the voice of a woman coming closer.
“Keeley, Oliver, my name is Suzie. This is my colleague Dan,” she introduces herself and someone else. Both are out of my sight but by the names I know it’s Tommy’s unit.
“I’m Keeley.” In her excitement she introduces herself even if there isn’t really any need for that. “Ols thinks he’s hurt his back,” she stutters, and I detect deep emotion in her voice.
“Don’t worry, Keeley we’ll take care of him. Why don’t you take a seat for me now? How are you feeling?” Suzie talks calmly with her.
“Hey mate.” Dan kneels down next to me.
“Hey.”
“So, your back?” he asks.
“Yup, lower down near my pelvis.” I can hear Suzie continue talking to Keeley.
“Listen mate, two more rescuers are on the way. As soon as they’re here we’ll transfer you onto a backboard. Is your seat cutting into the back of your legs?”
“Not sure. The only pain I feel is in my back.” I mumble. Neither of us say what this could mean.
“Stay still just a little bit longer, okay?” Dan takes a step away and I hear him radio a sit-rep to whoever is running the rescue; probably Tommy.
“Is he going to be alright?” Keeley asks.
“We’ll do everything we can to get him to hospital ASAP so they can assess him,” Suzie reassures her. “Why don’t we start walking up to the extraction point and Dan will take care of Oliver until the other rescuers get here?”
That's a suggestion Keeley doesn’t like.
“Not a chance, no, nope. I’m staying here.”
“Keeley,” I call out. She’s next to me in an instant. “It’s going to take you a while again to get to the top of the slope. You should go. I’ve… got the privilege of getting carried.”
“But—”
“No, please. It’ll help me if I know you’re being taken care of. Please,” I beg. I need to know that she’s safe. I’m not sure if they are going to pull her up the rock face or fly her out with the helicopter but whatever it is, I need her to be safe.
“Fine.” She places a long kiss on my lips. “But I’ll see you at the hospital.”
“Sure.” As she gets up to leave, I almost want to call her back. It feels so bizarre—like my safety rope is being cut the moment she walks away. We were in our own little bubble, where nothing could touch us. In that bubble, she wasn’t leaving Fellside, my mum wasn’t at risk of slipping back into darkness, my business wasn’t in trouble, and I wasn’t paralysed. But now it’s time to face reality, and as odd as it sounds, I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.