Page 6 of Make It Last
“Of course I’m moving.”
“No. I mean, you’re moving fast. You’ve kind of left everybody else in the dust.”
She twisted a little, and I was pretty sure she looked back over her shoulder. “You all are slow!” she hollered.
Laughter rippled through the trees behind us. “I’m trying to get you down as quickly and safely as I can,” I said. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“How bad do you think it is?” Worry threaded her words.
“I’m not a doctor. I’m just an emergency responder who does stabilization on scene.”
“You also carry people down mountains. You are a badass.”
Laughter rumbled in my chest again. “I’m not sure I’d describe myself as a badass.”
“Total badass,” she said, thumping me on the shoulder.
This was officially turning into one of the more entertaining rescues I’d had in a while. When we reached the bottom of the trail, I eased Ava gently off my back and onto the back of the open truck bed. She stared up at me, cheeks flushed.
“Are you going to just throw me in the back of this truck and drive me to town? Because I’m losing faith in this rescue,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
I threw my head back with another laugh. “No. I just didn’t want you putting weight on that foot. When Lacey radioed about what happened, we left this open. It’s the best way to get you down without jostling your leg. We honestly didn’t know if we’d have to carry you down in a sling or not.”
“I prefer this,” she said.
“Let’s get you in the front. I’ll drive.”
She glanced back over her shoulder. The rest of the group was probably a good two or three minutes behind us. “Don’t you need to wait?”
I shrugged. “I mean, we could. But there are four vehicles here. Your friends can meet you at the hospital. Unless you want to wait.”
“Nope. Tan the rescue man, let’s get me there.” She started to hop off the tailgate, and I braced both hands on the sides of her hips.
“Easy does it.”
“What? I can limp along.”
“Best thing is for you not to put any weight on that foot.”
I didn’t want to tell her just how bad the break likely was. If she was trying to win a gold medal in ankle-breaking, she might win. From my quick assessment, I was fairly certain she’d fractured both of the main bones in her ankle. It was going to be one hell of a recovery, but I’d let the ER doctor and an X-ray confirm that.
I scooped her up in my arms again. “Oh, now I can look at your handsome face,” she teased.
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. Again. “You are something, Ava.”
“Yeah, that’s what all the guys say.”
When I happened to glance down, I caught the flash of pain in her eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but she shook her head sharply.
“I don’t know what you’re about to say, but shut up,” she ordered. “I’m fine.”
Chapter Three
Ava
Tan the Careful Rescue Man
Tan the rescue man—yes, I was officially calling him that in my brain and out loud because why not—carried me with ease and settled me into the front seat of the truck.
