in most need of repair, I would find the guys somewhere back there. I pushed through the thinnest section of trees in time to catch Cockroach stumbling along, eyes as big as Texas, and face as pale as a corpse.
I grabbed his arm just as he was about to totter over. “What’s wrong?”
He wheezed and coughed. “I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”
“What?”
His knees buckled and he flopped onto the ground.
“Ohmygod!” I dropped to my knees and poked his neck, looking for a pulse, praying the old man hadn’t just dropped dead in front of me. I didn’t think I could live with the guilt of being responsible for a man’s death. Even if he was practically two hundred years old.
Remembering my cell phone, tucked in my pocket, I pulled it out and dialed 9-1-1 for help. As I was jabbering to the dispatcher like a deranged idiot, Cockroach came to.
“What the hell are ya doin’?” he yelled, shoving me away and pushing himself upright.
“Easy!” I said as I tried to keep him down. “You collapsed. An ambulance is on the way.”
“I don’t need no ambulance,” he snapped. “Go!” His arms swung like tree limbs being thrown around in a storm. “Go on!”
He must have had a stroke or something. He wasn’t thinking clearly.
“But you collapsed!”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with me. It’s Walker that needs help!”
“Walker?” I repeated. What did he mean? He was the one lying on the ground. Was he confused? Or...?
“Go, woman!” he shouted, smacking my cheek.
The impact startled me out of the cloud of confusion that had swallowed me. With my phone in hand, the dispatcher’s tiny voice squeaking out of the speaker, I started sprinting across the meadow, my gaze tracking along the fence line, searching for Clay. I had no idea what to expect. Cockroach had said something about an accident before he’d passed out. What happened? Where was Clay?
My lungs on fire, I tripped and stumbled across the pasture. We hadn’t been able to let the steer out into this pasture because of the fence, and so the grass was very tall. It wrapped around my ankles. In the distance, the whine of a siren echoed.
Still, I saw no sign of Clay.
I literally crashed into a section of fence before I saw it. Then I turned right and kept running. The fucking grass was killing me, snagging my boots. I fell, jumped up and started running again. Over and over. The siren’s high-pitched shriek was getting louder. But I still had no idea what was wrong.
Then I fell on top of him. Literally. I did a roll over his back before landing with a thud on the ground. My lungs instantly deflated from the impact, and I sucked hard, trying to inflate them. Holy crap, I needed help too!
Hurt.
Like.
Hell.
And then... relief. Air.
I rocked my head to the side.
Clay was slumped on the ground, eyes open.
Holy shit! Was he dead?
My heart pounded against my breastbone.
What happened?
I logrolled onto my stomach and pushed up on all fours. My movements weren’t exactly graceful as I reached for him. My arm stabbed out, instead of moving smoothly. I accidentally smacked him in the face.
“Ow!” he yelled.
He yelled!
“You’re not dead?” I screamed.
“Not yet. But you and that old coot are trying hard to change that.”
On hands and knees, I crawled closer, gaze roving over his body, looking for blood. “Ohmygod, no. I’m not trying to kill you. I didn’t see you.”
Clay grimaced. One arm was resting across his chest. “That’s what he said too.”
Outside of his scowl and slightly greenish complexion, I didn’t see anything wrong. Why was he on the ground? “What happened?”
“The bastard shot me.”
Shot? “What? Where?”
His face a pale mask of pain, Clay shifted the arm on his chest. “Here.” He inched his arm to the side, revealing a red stain on his shirt.
My heart literally stopped. “Ohmygod!” I froze. Should I touch him? Should I not? What should I do? I’d never been in this
I grabbed his arm just as he was about to totter over. “What’s wrong?”
He wheezed and coughed. “I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”
“What?”
His knees buckled and he flopped onto the ground.
“Ohmygod!” I dropped to my knees and poked his neck, looking for a pulse, praying the old man hadn’t just dropped dead in front of me. I didn’t think I could live with the guilt of being responsible for a man’s death. Even if he was practically two hundred years old.
Remembering my cell phone, tucked in my pocket, I pulled it out and dialed 9-1-1 for help. As I was jabbering to the dispatcher like a deranged idiot, Cockroach came to.
“What the hell are ya doin’?” he yelled, shoving me away and pushing himself upright.
“Easy!” I said as I tried to keep him down. “You collapsed. An ambulance is on the way.”
“I don’t need no ambulance,” he snapped. “Go!” His arms swung like tree limbs being thrown around in a storm. “Go on!”
He must have had a stroke or something. He wasn’t thinking clearly.
“But you collapsed!”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with me. It’s Walker that needs help!”
“Walker?” I repeated. What did he mean? He was the one lying on the ground. Was he confused? Or...?
“Go, woman!” he shouted, smacking my cheek.
The impact startled me out of the cloud of confusion that had swallowed me. With my phone in hand, the dispatcher’s tiny voice squeaking out of the speaker, I started sprinting across the meadow, my gaze tracking along the fence line, searching for Clay. I had no idea what to expect. Cockroach had said something about an accident before he’d passed out. What happened? Where was Clay?
My lungs on fire, I tripped and stumbled across the pasture. We hadn’t been able to let the steer out into this pasture because of the fence, and so the grass was very tall. It wrapped around my ankles. In the distance, the whine of a siren echoed.
Still, I saw no sign of Clay.
I literally crashed into a section of fence before I saw it. Then I turned right and kept running. The fucking grass was killing me, snagging my boots. I fell, jumped up and started running again. Over and over. The siren’s high-pitched shriek was getting louder. But I still had no idea what was wrong.
Then I fell on top of him. Literally. I did a roll over his back before landing with a thud on the ground. My lungs instantly deflated from the impact, and I sucked hard, trying to inflate them. Holy crap, I needed help too!
Hurt.
Like.
Hell.
And then... relief. Air.
I rocked my head to the side.
Clay was slumped on the ground, eyes open.
Holy shit! Was he dead?
My heart pounded against my breastbone.
What happened?
I logrolled onto my stomach and pushed up on all fours. My movements weren’t exactly graceful as I reached for him. My arm stabbed out, instead of moving smoothly. I accidentally smacked him in the face.
“Ow!” he yelled.
He yelled!
“You’re not dead?” I screamed.
“Not yet. But you and that old coot are trying hard to change that.”
On hands and knees, I crawled closer, gaze roving over his body, looking for blood. “Ohmygod, no. I’m not trying to kill you. I didn’t see you.”
Clay grimaced. One arm was resting across his chest. “That’s what he said too.”
Outside of his scowl and slightly greenish complexion, I didn’t see anything wrong. Why was he on the ground? “What happened?”
“The bastard shot me.”
Shot? “What? Where?”
His face a pale mask of pain, Clay shifted the arm on his chest. “Here.” He inched his arm to the side, revealing a red stain on his shirt.
My heart literally stopped. “Ohmygod!” I froze. Should I touch him? Should I not? What should I do? I’d never been in this
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