Chapter 6 #3
“We’re okay,” Doc said, taking a second look at the woman standing next to him. Her eyes were wide in her face and he could see her pulse hammering in her neck. She was holding her left arm close to her side, supporting it with her right. He frowned.
“All right. We’re stuck on this side of the gate,” Trigger said. “We’re holding steady here in case they get through so we can take them out and protect the athletes.”
“We’re okay where we are for now. A lady let us take refuge in her shop.”
“Thank fuck. For the record, man…Ember is badass. We couldn’t see everything that went down, but since you weren’t answering your phone we figured you were in the middle of that shit.
We saw that van coming toward the gate and knew that must’ve been their objective the entire time.
Then suddenly through the smoke, we see you kneeling and aiming for the driver—and Ember fucking standing behind you, arm outstretched, firing that damn pistol as if she was in the middle of her pentathlon competition!
Seriously, man. Damn! It was impressive. ”
Doc wasn’t surprised. He had a feeling Ember could do anything she set her mind to. But at the moment, something was wrong with her arm, and he needed to find out what it was. “We’re all right. We’re going to keep our heads down for now. When it’s clear, will you let me know?”
“Ten-four. Doc?”
“Yeah?”
“Glad you’re all right.”
“This might not be over yet. Those assholes might have more bombs or cars. Stay alert,” Doc said.
“Will do. The South Koreans look like they’re getting things under control. It’ll take a while to help all the wounded. Just stay holed up and I’ll be in touch.”
“Later.”
“Later.”
The second Doc clicked off the phone, he reached for Ember. “What’s wrong with your arm?”
She flinched as he touched her left biceps. “I’m okay.”
“You aren’t. What’s wrong? Were you hit?” Doc hadn’t even thought about that. He didn’t see any blood on her arm, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a wound under her shirt or something.
“No. You protected me when that bomb went off. I wasn’t hit.”
“But…?” Doc asked.
She sighed and her brown eyes met his. He could see pain there. “I think my shoulder’s dislocated.”
Doc stared at her blankly for a second. Then the ramifications of what he’d done hit him like a ten-pound brick. “Fuck,” he swore. “I hurt you!”
“You didn’t mean to,” she said softly.
That didn’t make him feel any better.
“I injured my shoulder falling off a horse when I was a teenager. It never really healed properly and has a tendency to pop out every now and then,” she said quickly.
“It came out when I jerked you up, didn’t it?” he asked.
Ember nodded, but then said, “It’s not your fault, Craig. Seriously.”
“The hell it’s not,” he said, distraught.
“It’s my left arm. It’s fine,” she said. “Good thing I’m a right-handed shooter, isn’t it?”
Shit. He hadn’t even been thinking about her having to compete tomorrow.
He’d been more upset that he’d hurt her at all—but knowing he might’ve fucked up her chance to medal?
He felt like complete dog shit. He couldn’t believe he’d jerked her off the ground so hard he’d actually pulled her arm out of socket.
“Craig,” Ember said gently, putting her hand on his cheek. “It’s okay. You saved my life. That’s way more important than anything else.”
Ember stood next to Craig with her hand on his cheek and did her best to comfort him. Her shoulder throbbed, but she had so much adrenaline coursing through her veins that she barely even felt it.
This man had saved her life. She knew that as well as she knew her name. Not only that, but he hadn’t hesitated to give her a pistol. He’d trusted her enough to help him. In that moment, she wasn’t a pampered social media influencer. She was his partner.
She’d been scared to death when the explosions started going off, and when that van had been barreling toward them, but she’d used everything she’d learned over the years to hold her hand steady and block out the chaos as she aimed at the driver.
She’d known the second Craig had dislocated her shoulder. It was when he’d jerked her up after that first explosion, to try to get them out of the line of fire.
He shook his head and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Em. I’m so fucking sorry.”
She pressed her lips together in frustration, a trickle of anger seeping in. “Sorry for what? For getting me out of there? For protecting me? For trusting me to have your back? What exactly are you sorry for?”
His eyes opened, and he stared at her for a long moment. “You got hurt because of me,” he finally said.
“I would’ve been dead without you,” she said.
“You don’t know that.”
Ember shrugged one shoulder. “I know that I was a hell of a lot better off with you than without you. Are you going to help me put it back or what?” Craig blanched, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know you’ve seen and dealt with injuries a lot worse than a dislocated shoulder before.”
“But they weren’t you,” Craig said softly.
“I need you. I can’t do this by myself,” she told him.
That seemed to do the trick. He stood straighter and nodded.
The shop they’d taken refuge in was a deli of some sort.
The tables around them would be perfect for what she needed.
Craig seemed to know exactly how to help her.
He moved the chairs away from one side of the nearest table and gestured for her to lie down.
Craig shrugged out of her backpack and headed for the kitchen. The older Korean woman didn’t try to stop him. She was just watching them curiously.
Ember was glad Craig wasn’t there to watch her get situated. She grimaced as pain shot through her shoulder when she let her left arm dangle off the side of the table. She did her best to relax her muscles, knowing this would be a lot easier if she wasn’t tense.
Craig returned with a large bottle of oil.
Ember would’ve laughed if she didn’t know how much the next few minutes were going to hurt.
Sitting down, Craig untied his boot and used the lace to tie the bottle to her arm. The weight of the oil and gravity would be just enough to reposition the ball of her arm bone toward the socket. It should just pop back in.
“You’ve done this before,” she said quietly.
Craig nodded. “Ready?” he asked as he knelt by her side holding the bottle so it didn’t put pressure on her arm until she was prepared.
Ember took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Yeah. Do it.”
Ever so slowly, Craig let go of the bottle and gently applied a steady downward pressure to her arm. His actions, along with the weight of the oil, achieved what they were supposed to. It didn’t take more than half a minute for her shoulder to cooperate and pop back where it belonged.
Sighing in relief at the immediate release of pressure and the lessening of pain, Ember opened her eyes, only to find Craig’s gaze boring into her own.
“Are you going to be able to compete tomorrow?” he asked. She could hear the agony and concern in his voice.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
“You haven’t even tried to move it to see how much it hurts.”
“Craig, I’m a professional athlete. This isn’t the first time my shoulder’s been knocked out of its socket and it won’t be the last. I’ll take some painkillers and it’ll be fine. Wait, do you think they’ll continue on with the competitions after what happened?”
“Yeah. No one wants to let the terrorists know they got to them. I’m pretty sure things will go on as planned.”
“I hope there weren’t any athletes killed,” Ember said softly. “I mean, I hate that anyone was hurt or killed, but the idea that someone who’d just wanted to compete for their country may have died makes me really sad.”
“I know,” Craig said.
She could see the sorrow in his own eyes.
She had a feeling he was still thinking about her shoulder and the fact that he’d hurt her.
She hadn’t lied, she’d be able to compete tomorrow…
but it was going to hurt like a bitch, especially the swim.
Because she was right-handed, she’d be all right with the fencing and shooting.
The horse jumping would be a crapshoot, but there was no getting away from the fact that she had to use her left arm to swim.
And she couldn’t take any hardcore pain meds because of the strict rules about that sort of thing and the drug test she was required to take after finishing competing.
Ember would internalize any and all pain just so this man didn’t beat himself up anymore. She truly believed he’d saved her life, and she’d take a dislocated shoulder over death any day.
After ten minutes or so, Ember sat up and the Korean woman made a sling out of a couple fabric napkins. Both she and Craig thanked her once again, and she didn’t miss it when Craig took out all the South Korean won he had in his wallet and left it under a book on the checkout counter.
They stayed hunkered down in the small café for twenty more minutes, until Trigger called and told them things had been secured and that it was safe for them to make their way to the gates of the Olympic Village.
When they headed back outside, it almost felt as if they were in a different world.
Craig grabbed a baseball hat that was lying forlornly on the ground and put it on her head, pulling it low over her brow.
“The last thing we need is a picture of you with that sling on to show up on social media,” he mumbled.
Ember wasn’t sure a hat was going to make her incognito, but she didn’t say anything. There were a few people standing around looking shellshocked, but for the most part the area had been cleared. It was dusk now, and it wouldn’t be long before darkness fell.
Before Ember knew it, they’d made it past security and Lefty, Brain, and Trigger were meeting them in a golf cart.
Each of the men gave her a long, careful hug, telling her how relieved they were that she was all right.
Trigger also mentioned how impressed he was with her shooting and wouldn’t stop calling her a badass.
Craig helped her into the back seat, and she was soon sandwiched between his large body and Trigger’s. She was surrounded and felt completely safe as they headed to the dorm without speaking.
Upon arriving, as Brain drove off to who knows where, Trigger, Lefty, and Craig escorted her up to their floor.
The men on the water polo team were gathered in the multipurpose room, talking about what had happened, but Craig hustled her past without stopping when the athletes spotted them and tried to ask questions.
Trigger stayed behind to talk to them, to reassure them that the danger had passed.
Ember was relieved she didn’t run into Leila, Nick, or Aiden. She didn’t want their sympathy…or morbid curiosity over what had happened.
She wasn’t surprised when Craig walked her to her room, then entered behind her.
“Do you need help in the shower?” he asked.
Ember’s eyes snapped up to his in surprise. But he obviously wasn’t trying to make a move on her, he was genuinely concerned for her health. “I’ll be okay,” she told him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll be out here when you’re done. Do you have a tank top? That might be the easiest thing to put on for tonight.”
Ember stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got one.”
“Where is it? I’ll get it for you.”
Ember told him, then watched in bemusement as Craig went through the rest of her drawers and pulled out a pair of underwear and shorts, as well. She should’ve been angry about the way he was pawing through her personal stuff, but it felt kind of good to be looked after.
He went into the small bathroom and put the stack of clothes on the counter. Then he turned to her. “What else can I do?”
“Stay?” The request popped out before she could think better of it. As soon as the word left her mouth, Ember cringed. He’d already said he’d be there when she was done.
“Of course,” he replied. “While you’re showering, I’m going to go change myself. I’ll be back in five minutes. If you need help, just hang tight and I’ll be right back. Don’t hurt yourself more.”
It was obvious it was going to be a while before Craig forgave himself for what had happened. Ember stepped toward him until they were plastered together from head to toe. She rested her forehead against him and sighed in contentment when he wrapped his arms around her carefully.
They stood there for a few minutes, not talking, just existing in the same space.
“I’m okay, Craig. Promise. And if I’m being honest, I’m pretty damn proud of myself.
I don’t know whose bullet hit that driver, but doing my part to protect others is so much better than getting first place or winning a damn medal.
Maybe I was put on this earth to be a pentathlete just so I could learn to shoot, so I’d be exactly where I was tonight.
I don’t know. But no matter what happens tomorrow, I don’t regret meeting you, being with you, or anything that happened today. ” She looked up into his eyes. “Okay?”
“Put that way, how can I be anything but okay?” he asked.
“You can’t,” she said with a small smile. “Now, go change. And maybe shower too. I don’t want to smell smoke for a very long time.”
“Yes, ma’am. For the record? Trigger’s right. You are badass.” Craig kissed her softly, then headed for the door.
Ember stood where she was for several heartbeats, smiling, before heading for the small bathroom.