16. Chase
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHASE
“ A re you two dating?” Harper, a thirteen-year-old with braces, asks from across the table. She’s looking between Kayla and me like we’re a math problem to be solved. And maybe we are. I don’t know what’s happening, but something has shifted between us this last week at camp. Our other campers—Jack, Cameron, and Sarah—sit across from us, chatting away.
With a wink and a smile, I say, “Not ye?—”
“No.” Kayla steps on my foot, and I bite back a smirk. “We’re just friends,” Kayla assures her, shaking her head.
“Friends, huh?” I question, raising my brows in mock surprise. “That’s new. I’ll take it!”
Kayla rolls her eyes, knocking into my shoulder. We’re sitting close enough that our knees bump occasionally, and the brush of her arm on mine sends tiny jolts through my skin. We’ve landed in some kind of valley where we’re past the acquaintance stage, but not quite more . It’s a fragile friendship. She knows where I stand, and she hasn’t kept her distance like she was doing before. But her cool, calm, collectedness has me floundering sometimes. I don’t think I’ve ever had to work this hard to convince a girl to give me the time of day.
Outside, damp earth spreads under my hiking boots, not quite dry from the drizzle of rain last night. We have one last hike with our campers before they load the bus and go home.
“Alright, guys, this hike isn’t very long,” Kayla announces from the trail opening. “But with the rain last night, the path will be a little more slick than normal. Please, watch your step. We don’t want anyone going to the infirmary or worse.”
She takes the lead, and we sandwich the campers between us, hiking our way up the spongy path. Bright green trees covered with moss flank the trail. I look up in time to watch Kayla crest the hill, the morning sun casting an ethereal glow over her. It triggers the memory I have of her basking in the sun weeks ago. Just like then, I’m having a hard time looking away. Jack stumbles in front of me, snapping me out of my reverie. “You okay?” I ask, grabbing his shoulder.
“Yeah, just got distracted…” His voice trails. I follow his gaze to Sarah, who stands next to Kayla in the sunlight. They slap hands and celebrate, acknowledging the feat of climbing up the steep hill.
“I know the feeling…” I say wistfully.
We reach the waterfall in record time, and after teaching the campers how to build shelter and craft fires, it’s time to head back. The sun has dried up the trail some, but slick spots still surprise us as we slowly wind our way down the hill. The clearing behind the cabins comes into view, and before I know what’s happening, Harper has slipped, sliding into Sarah, who launches at Kayla’s back. Kayla yelps, trying to catch herself, and her head hits the side of a lichen-covered log as she goes down. How it happens so quickly and in slow motion baffles me as I watch from the back of the trail, unable to do anything.
I leap around the boys, quickly assessing which of the three girls needs attending to first. Harper’s in shock, standing frozen as she stares ahead. Sarah sits in the mud, holding her knee to her chest, blood trickling down to her ankle. Kayla isn’t moving, her body splayed face down on the ground.
“Jack, Cameron, find Claire,” I shout over my shoulder. “Tell her we have a camper and a counselor hurt. Run! ” They take off in between the cabins toward the main building as I slip and slide over to Kayla. She’s breathing, and quiet moans slip past her lips, but her eyes stay closed. A gash dribbles bright red above her eyebrow. “Kayla…” I shake her leg, attempting to wake her up, then carefully turn her over to rest on her back.
“Sarah, are you okay?” I call over to her, shaking Kayla’s leg again. She groans but still doesn’t open her eyes. I grab her pack and rip into the small first aid kit, using my teeth to tear open the package of sterile bandages. Applying pressure to her forehead, I wait, stroking her other cheek.
“I think I’m alright, just scratched up,” Sarah answers, voice shaking. “Is Kayla okay?”
God, I hope so . “I’m not sure yet,” I reply honestly, eyes scanning over Kayla for any other injuries. “Harper, you okay?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Harper?”
I look up to see her staring at the scene, her eyes wide as she shakes her head back and forth. “I didn’t mean to,” she whispers repeatedly.
Claire and Samson come running from the building, first aid supplies in hand. Samson checks on the campers, guiding Harper to a rock before attending to Sarah.
“We need to get her inside. Can you lift her?” Claire asks, bending next to us and lifting the gauze to check Kayla’s wound.
“Yeah, I just don’t want to hurt her.”
Kayla stirs under my hand, her eyes fluttering open. “Wh-why is my face wet?” she asks.
“Hey, just lie still,” I say. Before I can stop her, she reaches up to the gash above her eye and looks at the fresh blood on her fingers. Her eyes widen before rolling into the back of her head.
“Chase, inside! Now!” Claire booms.
I lift Kayla in my arms, and her head falls limply on my chest as I heft her to the infirmary. After laying her down on the closest bed, I grab gloves and more gauze to swap out the crimson-soaked cloth on her head. The bleeding has slowed some, but it’s a deep cut, one that needs proper medical attention.
With shaky hands, I rip open the fresh pad and promptly drop it on the floor. “ Damn it …” I mutter and reach for another pad. Taking a deep breath, I try again, still trembling as I drop another one. “ Shit !”
“Chase,” Claire steadies my hand. “Let me do that. Sit.”
“I can do it!” I snap, shaking my head as I grab the side of the bed for support.
Claire puts both hands on my arms and walks me over to a chair against the wall before plopping me down in it. My vision blurs at the edges, and I link my gloved fingers on top of my head, my chest heaving as I try to slow my frantic breathing. When that doesn’t work, I lean forward with my elbows on my knees and close my eyes. Images roll into each other in my mind of Kayla falling, her helpless yelp as she went down, my inability to reach her fast enough.
After several minutes, my breathing steadies, and I’ve calmed enough to notice I’m still wearing the blue gloves on my hands. A lamp in the corner dimly lights up the space. The soft whir of the refrigerator as it kicks on in the corner helps bring my focus back to the room. Claire is standing next to Kayla’s bed, dressing her wound. I’m almost scared to see how bad her injury is. Watching her fall like that, seeing her crumpled on the ground, I can’t get the image out of my mind.
“Where’s Sarah and Harper?” I ask.
“You passed them in the hallway. Samson thought it would be better to keep them out of the room in case Kayla’s injuries were dire. ”
“I guess I was a little preoccupied…”
“It happens,” Claire says softly. “I need to call the parents of your four campers to see if they want to pick up their kids, since they saw everything. Are you okay to sit with her until the paramedics get here?”
I nod. “No problem…and I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier.”
She waves her hand, dismissing the thought. “If any time were a time to snap, this is it.” With a reassuring smile, she heads out the door.
I move my chair next to the bed and wait. Even with the bandage taped to her face, Kayla looks as beautiful as ever. Her long eyelashes curl up at the crest of her cheeks, full lips parted slightly. Not able to resist, I put my hand on hers and stroke the smooth skin with my thumb. Her head moves side to side, her eyes slowly fluttering open. “Where…what happened? Where are the kids?” She attempts to sit up on her elbows, and I gently guide her shoulder back down.
“Hey, it’s okay. The kids are alright. I can explain it all later, just rest.”
She shakes her head, then grabs it in agony before lying back down. “Ah, my head hurts.”
“Yeah, you hit your head out on the trail. Just…lay…down,” I say as she struggles against my hand.
“I’m fine, Chase. If you would stop moving around, my head wouldn’t be pounding like this.”
Despite the somber circumstances, I can’t help but smile. “I’m not moving. That’s the concussion talking.”
She lays back down in defeat, closing her eyes and wincing at the pain in her head. For the next thirty minutes, she dozes in and out of sleep, and it takes everything in me not to reach for her hand again.
With a tap on the door, a slender bald man flips on the overhead light as a younger red-haired woman walks to the bed with a flashlight in hand. Kayla groans at the sudden brightness, shielding her eyes. I take a step back and let them work.
The young paramedic clicks off her light and peels back the sopping gauze, tsking as soon as she sees the wound. “Looks pretty deep, Todd.”
Todd takes a quick look and hands his partner a small bottle of saline, some cotton swabs, and a sterile bandage from his pack. “Eh, I’ve seen worse.” He turns a friendly smile to Kayla while his partner gets to work on the cut. Todd wraps the blood pressure cuff around her arm, saying, “Kayla Harris, I haven’t seen you in ages. Tessa here’s gonna clean you up.” Air hisses as he squeezes the pump in his hand. “Now what’s this I hear about you slapping logs with your head?”
“Hey, Todd.” Kayla grimaces a grin, flinching with each dab Tessa presses on her wound. “Any chance you could patch me up right here?”
Tessa shakes her head as she secures a new bandage over Kayla’s eye before glaring over at Todd. “She really needs to go in for stitches and observation, ASAP.” Todd chuckles like it’s an overreactive assessment, but after seeing how Kayla hit her head, I’m siding with Tessa. The sooner she can get to the hospital, the better.
He puts a hand on Kayla’s knee, smiling while he fishes his penlight out of his shirt pocket with the other. “Afraid not, doll. Falls like this need a proper workup. Follow my finger.” Shining the light in her eyes, he slides his pointer finger from left to right in front of her. “Tessa’s right. You gotta go in. But I’ll save you the ambulance ride if your friend here can drive you. Sound good?”
“ Ugh, fine, ” Kayla mumbles.
“Sure, no problem,” I say quickly, feeling a little relieved at Todd’s recommendation after his nonchalant bedside manner. Helping Kayla right now is my top priority.
Kayla groans and draws her knees up. “I don’t have time to sit at the hospital.”
“Thanks to that cut on your head, now you do.” Todd squeezes her shoulder and sticks his light back in his shirt pocket before turning to me. “Since you saw the fall, you relay that information to the doctors. Like I said, I’m okay if you want to drive her there, but make sure she stays awake the entire time.”
“Absolutely. I’ll do whatever she needs.”
“Great!” Todd turns back to Kayla and pats her knee. “Tell your mom hello for me.” He zips up his pack while Tessa tosses the used first aid supplies in the hazardous waste bin. I step to the side and thank them while they shuffle toward the exit.
From the doorway, I watch as Kayla sits up straight and loosens her hair from the usual bun. Black locs cascade around her, framing her shoulders and halfway down her back. She catches my stare. “What?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair down,” I say carefully, hands in my pockets.
“It helps with the headache…” She grimaces, turning to face me.
“The girls want to see you before we go, if that’s okay.” Sarah and Harper peek around my back, and Kayla forces a smile, scrunching her nose in pain as she does. I leave them while they hug and cry and reassure one another, off to find Claire to figure out logistics. My steps echo through the long hallway connecting the infirmary to the mess hall.
To my surprise, Kyle meets me in the large dining hall with my bag and Sami with Kayla’s. Sami hands me Kayla’s car keys, and I thank her before heading out to stick the bags in the trunk. When I come back inside the dining area, I’m shocked to see Kayla sitting at a table, talking to Claire.
“Don’t worry about the cleanup or anything. I want you to get on the road and get checked out. Chase already put your bags in the car, and he’ll be driving you. We can worry about the incident reports later,” Claire says, giving way too much information to someone with a concussion. And yet, Kayla nods like she’s following every word.
“Ready?” I ask, helping her to her feet. She grabs my hand, and I slide my arm around her, gripping her waist as she finds her balance. While having my arms wrapped around her again has been high on my list of experiences, this is not the way I imagined. She sways, bumping into me, and I grip tighter. “Don’t worry, I got you,” I whisper, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling with worry.
I load her into the passenger side, and as we head down the road, she lays her head back and closes her eyes.
I shake her arm to get her attention. “Nope. You gotta stay awake, dear.”
“Dear? Ew .” She scrunches her face, eyes still closed.
“Honey?”
“Ugh! That’s bad too.”
“Bae?” I chuckle.
“ You’re making my head hurt now,” she groans, but a smile tugs at her lips. I blast the cold air in her direction, and that gets her eyes open. “Are you going to be this annoying the entire drive?” she asks, turning her head toward me.
“Probably.”
She makes it a few more miles down the road before closing her eyes again, and I lace my fingers in hers, shaking her arm to wake her a second time. “Kayla, sweetheart, you gotta stay awake.” Her eyes pop open, but she doesn’t object to that one. She doesn’t move her hand away either until we pull up to the hospital an hour later.