CHAPTER FIVE #2
Tess turned to Grayson. “What happened?”
“We were picking up sticks, and a gigantic snake slithered out from one. I froze, just like you told us, but Joseph took off running.”
“Right off the cliff.” Tess sighed.
Grayson nodded. “I warned him to stop, but it was too late.”
“Okay.” Tess switched into emergency mode. “You two run back to camp and get the climbing bag, more rope, the big first aid kit, and the SAT phone. Actually, bring Ashton and Carter with you. I’m gonna need you guys to help pull him up.”
Logan and Grayson stared blankly, and she could tell they had no idea which direction to go.
“That way.” She pointed. “About a football field. Hurry!”
They turned and ran off. She took the rope from her pack and tied it around the nearest tree.
Then, using what was left, jerry-rigged a harness for herself.
She hooked the small first aid kit from her backpack to a belt loop, tested the knots, and walked to the cliff’s edge.
Just as she was about to head over, the cavalry arrived.
“That was fast,” Tess said. “But perfect timing. Give me that.” She got into the climbing bag and grabbed more rope, a climbing harness, and two pairs of gloves. Then she swapped out the tiny first aid kit on her belt for the bigger one.
“You’re going down after him?” Logan asked.
Tess gave a brisk nod, pulled on the gloves, and stepped backward over the side.
“Holy crap,” Ashton muttered.
“Damn, she’s bad-ass,” Carter said.
Tess pushed their comments aside and focused on the task at hand. It only took her a minute to reach Joseph. About twenty feet down, he sat on a ten-foot by six-foot ledge that jutted out from the cliff and had caught his fall. There was barely room for the two of them.
“Well, if you had to go over,” she said. “This is the place. How ya doin’?”
“Not great.” The doctor gritted his teeth, obviously in terrible pain.
“Hey. Don’t worry. We’re gonna set your leg, haul you to the top, and back to camp. Then I’ll call in a medevac. They won’t have enough room to get you from here.”
Joseph sighed. “Okay.”
Together, they did the first aid—gently covering the open wound with gauze, then wrapping it, careful to avoid the protruding tibia. Tess deployed an air cast, and Joseph injected himself with a dose of morphine.
“Handy you’re a doctor,” she said. “It would have taken me forever to figure out the dosage.”
He didn’t say anything, but Tess could tell the instant the meds kicked in. The doctor’s shoulders slumped in relief, and the tight grimace morphed into a relaxed frown.
“Look,” Joseph said. “I know I’ve been kind of a jerk, and I hate to be ‘that guy,’ but I cannot hurt my hands. They’re my livelihood.”
“I understand,” Tess said. “We should be able to get you up without any damage. Here, put these on.” She handed him the second pair of gloves. “Let’s get you tied in. The guys will pull you up.”
After helping him stand, she wrapped the climbing harness around his waist and thighs. She was considering options on how to get him up when Logan popped over the cliff and started down.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said.
“I hope I remembered how to tie a triple barrel knot correctly,” he replied dryly.
So did she. The last thing she needed was two men stuck down here.
He quickly and quietly made his way to them and pressed up against her. “Not much room here,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep them both balanced. “Sorry.”
“Why didn’t you say you knew how to rappel?”
“I’m no pro. Only tried it a few times as a Boy Scout, but I thought you might need a hand.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I do. Joseph’s down one leg and can’t hurt his hands. He’s basically dead weight. Does anyone up there seem like they know how to tie off a rope?”
“Well, I wouldn’t bet Joseph’s life on it,” Logan answered.
Joseph gasped and then started to cry. Tess shot Logan a “good job” look. He met her eyes and gave a wide-eyed shrug.
“I’ll be right back.” Tess hauled herself up the steep hill and tied off the rope she’d wrapped around Joseph.
“Logan and I will guide him up, but y’all are gonna have to do all the pulling.” She handed Joseph’s lead to Ashton. “In case Logan or I need help, my line is blue. Logan’s is green. Got it?” Three identical vacant expressions stared at her.
“Guys!” She snapped her fingers, and they all blinked. “This is what I meant about working together in an emergency. When I say go, start pulling. Slowly though.”
They all nodded. Carter finally spoke. “Yeah. Okay. We got this.”
Tess went back over the side, Logan wrapping his arms around her as she hit the ground. She ignored the bolt of electricity that shot through her at his touch.
“You ready?” she asked Joseph, who gave a curt nod.
Working as a team, they heaved Joseph to the top, Tess and Logan keeping his leg as stable as possible, while inching themselves up beside him.
All three tumbled over the edge, panting and sweating. Tess’s arms burned, but she didn’t complain.
“That was dangerous as hell for you to come down, Fox,” she said. “But thank you. Not sure I could’ve done it by myself.”
“Well, life’s short.” He shrugged. “And I didn’t want to have to turn in my Eagle Scout badge.”
His cavalier attitude made her wonder if he had some kind of death wish. But she quickly refocused on her more immediate problem—getting Joseph back to camp.
“We could lash together a gurney, but there’s no time for that,” she said. “We’re gonna take turns carrying him.”
“Seat carry?” Logan asked.
“Yes.” She and Logan showed the others how to interlock their hands and wrists to do the carry. “I’m sure everyone’s arms are burning from the rescue, so we’ll switch often. Ashton and Carter, you start. I’ll call the medevac. Grayson and Logan pack up the gear and catch up.”
It was slow going, but they made it to the clearing just as the sound of the helicopter roared up the hill.
“Quick!” Tess yelled. “Get anything that might blow away and put it in a tent.” As they scrambled around the campsite, she hurried to save the fishing poles Ashton and Carter had abandoned by the lake.
Everyone instinctively, but needlessly, ducked as the bird set down in the clearing. Two paramedics ran to where they huddled, loaded Joseph onto a stretcher, and slow-jogged him back to the chopper, which took off as soon as he was strapped in.
As the noise faded into the distance, everyone stood, shell-shocked, staring at the spot the helicopter had vacated.
“Things just got real,” Grayson said.
“It’s not called ‘ultimate survival’ for nothing,” Tess said.
“Dibs on any food Joseph left behind,” Carter said.
“We’ll divvy it up fair and square. Logan and I picked a few berries. Don’t suppose you guys caught any fish?”
Ashton and Carter bowed their heads.
“That’s all right,” Tess said. “We’ll try again tomorrow. Let’s get a fire going, and I’ll show you how to make ash cakes.”
“No idea what that is, but it sounds delicious,” Grayson said.
She showed them how to mix flour and water into a play-dough-like paste, flatten it, lay it on a stone by the fire, and flip it until it was baked through.
“Played a little fast and loose with the term ‘cake,’ didn’t ya?” Ashton said, nibbling on his first attempt.
“I don’t care,” Grayson said. “It’s not granola. I love it.”
“It’s incentive to catch some fish tomorrow,” Tess said. “For now, I’ll go pack up the doc’s things and bring back his food.”
She returned with Joseph’s rations, which they split evenly.
Joseph and Grayson had only collected one load of wood before the accident, which meant they barely had enough to keep the fire going through dinner. And since sitting around an empty fire pit wasn’t very inviting, everyone opted to turn in early.
Unable to sleep right away, Tess replayed the day. Could she have done more to prevent Joseph’s fall? She’d warned them about the cliff multiple times. And other than never letting them out of her sight, what more was there?
Another worry was that Joseph might be the litigious type. She’d upped the store’s insurance specifically for these campouts, but was beginning to have doubts as to whether the extra cash flow was worth the hassle.
Her thoughts shifted to the other men. Campers rarely tempted her, but both Carter and Logan were dang good-looking.
Carter was confident, bordering on cocky, but had every right. Logan was mysteriously elusive, but had really kept his head during the emergency. He also didn’t seem as annoyingly rich as the others, and for some reason, that was a plus for Tess.
Once she pushed all the random thoughts from her mind, sleep came hard and fast.