Page 55 of Rescuer
At a more controlled pace, he completed the climb. Crawling over the top, he immediately sought out Mia. Only when he saw her calmly putting away her gear could he take a deep breath and feel his heart rate slow.
“You okay?” she asked him. “I looked over the edge and saw you lose your footing. Those rocks are treacherous.”
“I didn’t know you were there. Once you crossed the top, I lost sight of you.”
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t yell down to you and tell you to be careful. That would have distracted you. But I also couldn’t watch.”
So she hadn’t been as unconcerned as he’d thought. Good to know.
He set about packing up his own gear.
When that was done, he swung his pack onto his shoulders. Between his lack of sleep, the pain from his injuries, and his recent stress, he moved too swiftly and stumbled. He took a couple of steps to regain his balance.
A loud click was his sole warning before the metal jaws of a small-game foothold trap closed around his boots.
“Those are illegal in Colorado!” Mia dropped her gear on the ground and rushed to Jackson. “Does it hurt?”
Stupid question. Of course it hurt!
“Not too bad. At least I have my boots on. They took most of the sting. But I can’t walk like this. I don’t want the teeth to dig in deeper.” He bent down, then groaned. “I can’t.”
She patted the hand at his side. Then she sank down to see if she could find a way to open it.
“I don’t see any buttons on this thing. How do you open this?” Sweat trickled down her face. She swiped it away, still scanning the trap for instructions.
“Do you see the two levers on either side of the teeth?”
Jackson’s low words pushed her to action. She winced at the raw tremble and leaned sideways to get a better angle. There. The levers were at the front and back of the teeth surrounding his boot.
“I see them!”
“Okay. You’ve got to be careful. I don’t want you getting your hands caught in this thing.”
“Hold on.” Rising, she rushed to her pack and put the gloves she’d recently discarded back on.
“That’s just what I was planning on telling you to do.” He took a deep breath.
She chanced a look at his face. Deep lines framed his mouth. His lips were pressed so tightly together that a white line had formed on the outside. He might say he wasn’t in pain, but his face told another story.
She scrambled back to the trap. “What now?”
“You need to use your palms. Fingers aren’t strong enough, and if the trap buckles, you could break one.”
“Got it.”
“The levers are attached to very strong springs. Press them down at the same time, and whatever you do, don’t let go until I tell you what to do next.”
“Pressing down now.” She pushed. It was harder than she thought, so she leaned into it. They depressed slowly. Her muscles protested, but she kept pushing. Above her, she heard a whispered prayer.
She hoped his prayer worked. While she struggled to believe praying achieved anything, she still envied those who had the comfort of a relationship with Jesus.
“It’s coming!”
The jaws opened like a slow-motion video. Her hands were nearly flat on the ground. She just needed another inch.
She pressed. Nothing happened.
“I can’t get it all the way!” If she let go, it would catch him again. Even if he stepped out, she might get caught.
