Chapter 33
CHAPTER 33
ELLE
S moke billowed out the open barn door and the hole in the roof as burning pieces fell into the barn. Flames licked and clawed for more unburned wood as I watched the orange glow get larger, waiting for Griff to come back out. My pulse thrummed in my ears, and every second he wasn’t coming out made a new knot form in my stomach.
Wood cracked and popped, and the structure almost screaming made me look back to the door as I watched a beam fall into the alleyway.
He’s been in there too long.
The smoke’s too thick.
Grabbing one of his shirts off the clothesline, I shoved it into the water trough and rang it out as I headed for the barn. The heat radiating from the building made my determined steps falter, but I threw the shirt over my head, grabbed a sleeve, placed it over my nose and mouth, and continued.
As I entered the burning building, I hunkered down as close to the floor as I could while still walking. I didn’t want to have to crawl yet. It would take too much time.
“Griff,” My muffled calls of his name didn’t sound like they were loud enough for him to hear with the noise from the fire. I never dreamed a fire would make noise, but the flames sounded like they were snapping, the pop of the wood giving way, the shattering of glass from the heat, and the floor above falling around me with a thud made me jump.
Reaching out in front of me I felt the strong neck of a horse. “Shit,” I yelled as the flames licked around us. In the fire’s glow, I saw the black mane. “Tempest.” He was close, and she’d never leave him.
Slowly moving around the strong animal, my foot caught on something hard and soft, and I sank to my knees. Feeling around I felt my way up a denim-covered leg over his waist, chest, and face. Something snapped above us, and I covered his body with mine as a beam came down and narrowly missed hitting me. “I’ve got him girl. Get out of here.” I waved my arms and swore the horse nodded to me before turning and running out the door. Just before the fire overtook the opening.
Standing, I bent over and grabbed his feet. There wasn’t time to be gentle because the one thing I didn’t feel when I was lying on him was his heart beating or his chest moving.
I pulled that hulking man out of the barn and a safe distance from the blaze by sheer will and determination. Putting on hand on his chest, while checking his pulse with my other hand I wanted to feel something, but it was still.
Our yard light was bright enough for me to get a look at his shoulder, and not only was it at an incredibly awkward angle, bit the fiery red burns and dark scorch marks made me shiver o ne thing at a time, Elle. My head was right. The burns and broken bones were the least of his issues at the moment.
Ripping open his shirt, I quickly landmarked and put my hands on his chest. “You can’t die on me, you stubborn fool. I’ve waited my entire life for you and I won’t let you go. Griff you’ve got to breathe, please.” My voice sounded loud even over the burning barn. I counted my compressions and blew into his mouth.
The first pop made me sick to my stomach, but I had to focus. The second pop under my hands made tears blur my vision. I’m giving him the best chance at survival. You have to do this, Elle. My rational nursing brain finally kicked in and counted out loud even though there was nobody to hear me.
“Parker and I need you, Griffin. Please, start breathing on your own, or there will be hell to pay,” I yelled, losing count, but I didn’t care; I gave him two breaths and started the process again.
“Move, Elle, I’ll take over.” I looked up at Jake’s face. His eyes were full of concern, and I noticed I was surrounded by people.
“No, I have to keep going.” My body was moving involuntarily at this point like a well-oiled machine. Thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths. Start over and repeat. I didn’t know how long he’d been down, and I had no idea how long I’d been trying to keep his heart pumping and oxygen flowing through his body. My arms were burning, I was breathing hard, and my shoulders were screaming in agony, but I wasn’t going to stop.
A gasp from the man I was working on made me freeze, and I stared at Jake, not daring to look at the man I was in love with. “He’s got a pulse, stop compressions. You did it, Elle; you saved him.” Jake kept his fingers on Griff’s pulse and smiled at me.
The paramedics swarmed and moved me out of the way and talked to one another as they put oxygen on him. I listened but didn’t comprehend what they were saying. Glancing toward the barn, I watched neighbors filling buckets and using every hose they could find to extinguish the fire that had spread to the corrals.
Another group of paramedics gathered around me, asking questions, and reaching for my hands trying to get my oxygen saturation and pulse. “I’m fine,” I whispered, but they didn’t listen. Someone was checking my blood pressure, which I could have told them would be elevated, but I didn’t say a word. A stethoscope was pressed on my back, and I involuntarily took deep breaths, like someone else had taken over my body as they evaluated me.
“Elle.” Someone yelled at me and I looked at the man holding my face in his hands. “Are you going with the helicopter?” Ryder was yelling at me. Looking over, I watched the flight team running the stretcher to the helicopter and loading Griff inside.
Scrambling up, I pushed Ryder away and ran to the helicopter. A strong hand reached out for me and helped me into it. “Sit there and don’t move,” he yelled, buckling me in.
Someone took my hand and I turned to look at Ryder, who had hopped in behind me. Thank you for saving my best friend. He signed to me, knowing there’d be no way for me to hear him.
I love him, Ryder. I signed back as the tears fell again.
I know you do. He put his arm around my shoulder and I sank into his side.
For the rest of the flight, we watched the nurses monitor Griff. I didn’t even try to keep up with the machines. I could tell from their faces that they were worried. They looked calm and focused, but I could see beyond their calm as they glanced from one to another and occasionally over to me.
The hospital came into view, and the pilot landed with a slight bounce. People swarmed the door, and they pulled the stretcher out. Ryder and I stayed put until the teams started running toward the hospital doors. As I exited the aircraft I watched the man I love get further away.
“We’ve got him now, Elle. You did great,” the familiar voice said as I looked into Dr. Theon’s face. He smiled and nodded before turning to follow the rest of the staff.
Ryder put his arm around me, and we walked into the hospital.
The bleak white walls of the waiting room felt like they were closing in around me as I sat in the uncomfortable pleather chairs that were a god-awful brown color. Whoever was the interior designer for hospitals should be fired. Being here waiting was the most agonizing thing I’d ever experienced. I was used to being in control. I was good at my job, and just behind those metal double doors were people doing my job.
“Do you know anything?” Kipp asked as he entered the waiting room followed by Nora. A moment later, Nash and Fallon arrived with Linc and Kristin.
“There hasn’t been anyone come out since we got here,” Ryder said quietly. Everyone nodded and took seats around us. “I called his parents. They’re on their way.”
I wanted to tell them it wasn’t good, but I didn’t think I needed to state the obvious. I think they all knew how bad it was. “Wait, who has all your kids?” I asked, looking at Nora and Fallon.
“Mom and Phil have them all at their place. I’m sure we’ll owe them vacation after this.” Fallon laughed and Nora nodded in agreement.
We all seemed to take turns pacing the waiting room. “I’m going to get coffee. Who wants some?” Kristin said as she walked toward the exit. Everyone raised their hands, Linc stood up, and they walked out of the room hand in hand.
‘They’re back together?” I whispered to Nora, who had taken the spot right beside me.
“Yeah.” She shook her head. “I wish they could just see how good they are together.” She shrugged and looked at me. “Speaking of being good together.”
“I told him I loved him while I was doing compressions, so I don’t think it counted,” I whispered.
“He heard you. I know he did.” She smiled at me and hugged me. I hoped she was right, but if she wasn’t, I’d tell him again if he wakes up.
“Griffin Harp’s family?” A doctor walked through the double doors and pulled the surgical cap off his head.
Pushing myself out of the chair, I moved toward the doctor, followed by all the people who I now knew weren’t just friends. They were family. “He’s stable.” The doctor’s words were cautious, but that didn’t stop me from taking a step back. Ryder put his arm around my shoulders to steady me.
“The beam fell on his left arm and shattered his shoulder. We’re prepping him for surgery to see if we can replace it. I won’t lie, it’s going to be touch and go, but we’ll do our best. There’s far more nerve damage involved than I expected.”
“It’s not new doctor. He’s got severe damage from years of bull riding and a fall last year, where he broke it and his collarbone. I’ve been helping him with physical therapy, massage, and cortisone injections.” The room fell silent, and all eyes turned from the doctor to me.
“Thank you. That will be helpful when we open him up. You acted extremely fast Elle. You saved that man’s life. He might be mad at you until his ribs heal but I’m sure he’ll get over it.” The doctor smiled at me before turning to go back into the restricted area.
“What do you mean you’ve been helping him?” Kipp asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his gaze on me.
“It should be him telling you this, not me.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s available at the moment,” Ryder said with more attitude than I’ve ever heard from him.
Turning on my heel, I returned to the chair I’d been sitting in. Reaching for my coffee, I grabbed it and downed what was left coughing while I swallowed a mouthful of coffee grounds.
“When I got kicked out of my place, I moved in with Griff to help him rehab his shoulder, not because we’d been seeing one another. The first time I saw him since the hospital a year ago was when I brought his horses home.” Looking out the window I stared into the parking lot illuminated by the yellow lights and the occasional glow of red brake lights.
“So I did things around the house he wasn’t able to. By the end of the day, he usually has no use of that arm.” Running my hands through my hair, I realized how much I smelled like smoke and how dirty I must be.
“Even with me working on his shoulder almost daily, there was very little improvement. His last scan showed further deterioration. Surgery was inevitable. He just had to figure out when.” I shrugged like my explanation would solve every question they were bound to have.
“Wait. Was the dropping stuff, and keeping his hand lodged in his belt loops or pocket because he couldn’t feel it?” Ryder said as if he just realized all the signs were there, but they didn’t see.
I nodded in confirmation. “He didn’t want anyone to know. Even me, but I saw the signs and asked questions. He did a really good job of hiding it until someone knew what to look for.” I gave them half a smile, hoping it would set their minds at ease. All the guys took their seats around me and were quiet. Eerily quiet. This was what Griff didn’t want. He never wanted them to feel bad for missing the signs and not making him slow down. They were his brothers, the men he’d trusted with his life, and they didn’t see that he was hurting.