Chapter 30
JONAH
She’d been gone for too long. I fretted, peering in the direction in which she’d disappeared.
The rain had started coming down harder again, and it was now impossible to see more than a foot in front of you without a flashlight.
I shone my headlamp into the darkness and called her name, but there was no answer.
I lifted my sleeve and checked my watch. She’d been gone for ten minutes.
‘Mae,’ I shouted again. The wind snatched the words and carried them out to sea.
I headed towards where I’d last seen her, continuing until I found the tree line.
Underneath the canopy of pine needles, it was more sheltered.
I called her name, but again there was no answer.
Feeling panic start to rise, I searched the undergrowth.
‘OK,’ I told myself. ‘Stop. Breathe. Think.’
I closed my eyes and listened, focusing hard. Then I heard it. A faint sound, so faint I almost dismissed it as nothing. Then I heard it again. It was like a kitten meowing. Mae. My heart started pounding in my chest as I headed out into the rain again, following the sound.
She was near the edge of the bluff. A crumpled heap, lying on the ground. I nearly tripped over her, but at the last minute my headlamp illuminated her white face.
‘Jonah,’ she said, wincing.
I dropped to my knees, landing in a puddle of slush. Underneath it though, I could feel hard ice. ‘What happened? Are you OK?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘I just slipped over.’
I ran my eyes over her. ‘Where does it hurt?’
‘My ankle.’
‘Broken?’
‘I don’t think so. Maybe sprained. But it’s not bad. I just need to rest it a minute and then it’ll be fine, I’m sure. I’m just mad at myself for not being more careful. The flashlight stopped working and I didn’t see the icy patch.’
‘You should have stayed put and waited for me to come find you.’
‘I was almost back at the truck.’
‘Actually,’ I told her, tight-lipped, ‘the truck is over there. You were walking in completely the wrong direction, and if you hadn’t slipped, you’d probably have walked right over the edge of the cliff just behind you.’
Her face, already pale, whitened further. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said in a small voice.
‘You don’t need to be sorry.’
Her eyes blinked at me in the bright light of the headlamp. She wiped the wet hair off her forehead. ‘You seem mad.’
All the fear and tension I’d been holding on to since I’d realized she was missing flooded out of me in a rush. ‘I’m not mad. I’m sorry if I sounded it. Come on, let’s get you out of this rain.’
‘Help me up,’ she said. ‘I think I can hobble with your support. I just need a shoulder or arm to hang on to.’
‘Screw that,’ I said simply, and scooped her up into my arms.
She squealed. ‘Put me down.’
‘No.’
‘Jonah I can walk; you don’t need to carry me.’
‘You’re injured. We need to get you into the tent, check you over.’
‘I’m—’
‘A strong, independent woman. Yes, I know. But I can’t risk you falling again. Jesus, Mae, I thought I’d lost you there for a minute. I’ve never been so scared in my life. Can you just let me help you, please.’ I implored her with my eyes.
‘OK.’ She gulped, wrapping her hands around my neck. ‘Thank you.’
I held her to my chest and carefully made my way back to the truck. ‘Can you climb the ladder?’ I asked her.
‘Only one way to find out.’
‘I’ll help you.’
Between us, we soon got her up there, and I laid her down on the cushions and blankets while I zipped up the tent and shut out the rain.
‘You’re wet through,’ I growled.
‘So are you.’
‘We’re not talking about me.’
I unzipped her coat and gently helped her out of it, clipping it to a pole near the front panel of the tent.
Next, I removed her boots one at a time, taking it slowly when it came to her injured foot.
She winced a few times when I peeled off her sock, thinking I didn’t notice.
In the light of the headlamp, I studied her foot.
‘What’s the verdict?’ she asked.
‘You’re right, I don’t think it’s broken. No obvious deformity, only mild swelling. Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.’
She grabbed my arm. ‘No, wait, where are you going?’
I placed my hand on top of hers. ‘Just to the truck. I have a first-aid kit in there. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.’
‘Makes a welcome change,’ she said when I was back in the tent with her and wrapping a bandage around her ankle to strap it. ‘Having someone nursing me for once.’
I smiled at her, feeling my heart still pounding in my chest, thanks to the adrenaline that had coursed through me when I found her.
‘Full disclaimer,’ I said, cracking a single-use ice pack to activate the ammonia nitrate and water inside.
‘I’m not a qualified doctor, so take any medical advice I give you with a grain of salt. ’
‘What is your medical advice, doctor who isn’t a doctor?’
‘Take it easy for a day or two and you should be fine.’
‘That’s a relief. I was worried you were going to have to perform a rudimentary operation with a… a… pocketknife and a fish hook.’
I smiled, feeling the tension ebb from my shoulders. ‘That would have been a last resort, but if it meant the difference between life and death, I would have done it.’
She stared at me, her eyes apologetic and full of emotion. ‘I’m sorry I scared you.’
I ran a hand through my hair. ‘Going to be a few new gray hairs tomorrow, I’ll tell you that for free.’
‘Gray hairs?’ she scoffed. ‘Surely not. You’re far too young.’
‘It’s kind of you to say, but I can assure you, the tides have well and truly started to turn.’
‘Well, I hadn’t noticed. And hey, even if you do get the odd gray hair it’ll just make you look more distinguished.’
‘That’s something I’ve never been called before.’
‘Distinguished?’
‘Yeah.’
She yawned. ‘That’s a crime.’
‘Tired?’
She shook her head. ‘Not really. I think it’s just the adrenaline wearing off.’
‘I don’t think mine will for at least a week.’
‘I really scared you, huh?’
‘Let’s just say I’ve been at sea during some pretty gnarly storms but I have never been as scared as I was tonight.’
‘Come here.’ She patted the space beside her.
I maneuvered myself in the small space and lay down beside her, so that we were facing each other, sharing a cushion as a pillow. She reached out and smoothed my hair away from my forehead.
‘I’m sorry.’
I caught her hand and held it to my lips, kissing her fingers softly. ‘Stop saying that. You don’t need to be.’
‘I gave you this big speech about how capable I am and how you didn’t need to fuss over me,’ she said sheepishly. ‘And then I went and did this.’
‘It was a random accident. Could have happened to anyone, myself included.’
‘Well, thank you for being my hero, anyway.’
Her words almost choked me up. ‘I’ll always be your hero,’ I said gruffly. ‘If you’ll let me.’