speed to beat the next gust.
Luck is with me. I make it to the bottom without too much trouble and land ten feet from the boy.
“Hey Daniel, I’m Gage,” I say and squat next to him, doing a quick assessment. I sniff the air. Did the kid shit himself when he fell? Something smells horrible.
“Hi Gage, that was really cool the way you came down.”
“Yeah, you like that? You ever been rappelling?”
First Aid 101 — keep them talking.
He shakes his head, then cries out when I touch his ribs, his right wrist and both legs. I don’t have to check his left ankle. This break is bad; his left foot is at a ninety degree angle. I hope rescue comes quick. I don’t want to have to set it down here.
“You should try it sometime,” I say to him, trying to keep up the flow of conversation. “Heck of a better way to go down forty feet than falling.”
“Stupid. Sister. Tripped. Me.” The words are staccato as he fights to talk around the pain.
That surprises me. “Sisters can be a pain in the ass. Did she do it on purpose?”
He grimaces, this time more in memory than in pain. “No, I don’t think so.”
“So you tripped over her?”
“Maybe,” he grunts, still a twelve-year-old boy.
I look up and still don’t see Beth overhead. I do a more thorough check for abdominal injuries. Seems to be okay.
“You a doctor?” he asks as I cup a hand over each of his eyes and remove it, checking for dilation. A head injury is possible, although he seems okay there too.
I want to cup a hand over my nose; the smell is getting really bad. It isn’t shit. What the hell is it? A dead animal?
“Nope, firefighter and EMT,” I tell him, ignoring the smell and everything except this boy. “You chose a really lucky day to fall off a cliff. My girlfriend is a nurse.”
What the fuck? Girlfriend?
“Gage!”
I hear her before I see her, then her face is looking down at me. “Air rescue is on their way!” she yells. “ETA is twelve minutes. They are sending ground crew too, in case the wind turns them back.”
I give her a thumbs up. “Toss down the kit. No splint.”
Two heads appear next to her. “I love you, baby. You’re going to be fine. I promise.” The mom seems to have pulled herself together. I bet Beth had something to do with that.
The dad says, “We’re going to meet you at the hospital, okay? We love you, son.”
The boy grumbles, embarrassed. I look up at them and yell, “He said he loves you both too. And his sister.”
“Hey!”
I grin at him. “Come on, you know you do.”
“Do not!”
“Gage, heads up!” Beth yells from above. I stand and she drops the first aid kit at my feet.
I open it and know it is completely inadequate for what I need, but he has a few scrapes and cuts I can tend to while we wait.
I talk to him while I render first aid and, more importantly, keep him calm. I glance up and Beth’s still there. She gives me a smile.
She looks up and points. I turn and hear it. “Ride’s here, buddy.”
He looks too. “Cool.” Then he looks around. “Where are they going to land?”
I laugh and rumple his hair. “Not landing, buddy. They’re going to send down a basket and I’m going to strap you in tight and then they’ll pull you up and get you to the hospital.”
His eyes are big with excitement and fright. He gulps and I add, “It’ll be okay. Just imagine the adventure you get to tell the girls when you get all plastered up and home.”
Daniel looks up at Beth and then back up at me. “There aren’t any girls like that in my school.”
I grin at him, but am saved from additional conversation when the chopper grows closer. They call down instructions and I give them a thumbs-up in affirmation.
The red basket is dropped from the side and it sways in the wind as it descends to us. The damn wind isn’t as bad as before, but it certainly isn’t helping any. I have to dig my heels to keep the basket from dragging me when it’s down far enough.
“Okay,
Luck is with me. I make it to the bottom without too much trouble and land ten feet from the boy.
“Hey Daniel, I’m Gage,” I say and squat next to him, doing a quick assessment. I sniff the air. Did the kid shit himself when he fell? Something smells horrible.
“Hi Gage, that was really cool the way you came down.”
“Yeah, you like that? You ever been rappelling?”
First Aid 101 — keep them talking.
He shakes his head, then cries out when I touch his ribs, his right wrist and both legs. I don’t have to check his left ankle. This break is bad; his left foot is at a ninety degree angle. I hope rescue comes quick. I don’t want to have to set it down here.
“You should try it sometime,” I say to him, trying to keep up the flow of conversation. “Heck of a better way to go down forty feet than falling.”
“Stupid. Sister. Tripped. Me.” The words are staccato as he fights to talk around the pain.
That surprises me. “Sisters can be a pain in the ass. Did she do it on purpose?”
He grimaces, this time more in memory than in pain. “No, I don’t think so.”
“So you tripped over her?”
“Maybe,” he grunts, still a twelve-year-old boy.
I look up and still don’t see Beth overhead. I do a more thorough check for abdominal injuries. Seems to be okay.
“You a doctor?” he asks as I cup a hand over each of his eyes and remove it, checking for dilation. A head injury is possible, although he seems okay there too.
I want to cup a hand over my nose; the smell is getting really bad. It isn’t shit. What the hell is it? A dead animal?
“Nope, firefighter and EMT,” I tell him, ignoring the smell and everything except this boy. “You chose a really lucky day to fall off a cliff. My girlfriend is a nurse.”
What the fuck? Girlfriend?
“Gage!”
I hear her before I see her, then her face is looking down at me. “Air rescue is on their way!” she yells. “ETA is twelve minutes. They are sending ground crew too, in case the wind turns them back.”
I give her a thumbs up. “Toss down the kit. No splint.”
Two heads appear next to her. “I love you, baby. You’re going to be fine. I promise.” The mom seems to have pulled herself together. I bet Beth had something to do with that.
The dad says, “We’re going to meet you at the hospital, okay? We love you, son.”
The boy grumbles, embarrassed. I look up at them and yell, “He said he loves you both too. And his sister.”
“Hey!”
I grin at him. “Come on, you know you do.”
“Do not!”
“Gage, heads up!” Beth yells from above. I stand and she drops the first aid kit at my feet.
I open it and know it is completely inadequate for what I need, but he has a few scrapes and cuts I can tend to while we wait.
I talk to him while I render first aid and, more importantly, keep him calm. I glance up and Beth’s still there. She gives me a smile.
She looks up and points. I turn and hear it. “Ride’s here, buddy.”
He looks too. “Cool.” Then he looks around. “Where are they going to land?”
I laugh and rumple his hair. “Not landing, buddy. They’re going to send down a basket and I’m going to strap you in tight and then they’ll pull you up and get you to the hospital.”
His eyes are big with excitement and fright. He gulps and I add, “It’ll be okay. Just imagine the adventure you get to tell the girls when you get all plastered up and home.”
Daniel looks up at Beth and then back up at me. “There aren’t any girls like that in my school.”
I grin at him, but am saved from additional conversation when the chopper grows closer. They call down instructions and I give them a thumbs-up in affirmation.
The red basket is dropped from the side and it sways in the wind as it descends to us. The damn wind isn’t as bad as before, but it certainly isn’t helping any. I have to dig my heels to keep the basket from dragging me when it’s down far enough.
“Okay,
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