Page 39 of Class Clown

I knew for a fact that she was going to slip, and that the ground was rocky, so I called out a warning for her to stay put, that I’d get myself back up, but she didn’t listen. Sure enough, she was nearly to me when she slipped, stepped strange, and cried out in pain. Then, she was lying next to me moaning.

In my opinion, a rescue operation should not involve the rescuer becoming more than the rescuee. Just saying. Yet here we were.

“Are you alright?” I asked her, rolling my head to the side. “That didn’t look good.”

“Something cracked,” she replied, her voice thick with pain.

“Crack kills,” I replied with a smile, having been well-trained to lighten the mood.

While it’s not a good sign when things crack on a hike, it wouldn’t be helpful for me to be upset too. I managed to get onto my side and push myself up onto one arm right as Nico called my name from where he was standing above, still on the path, surrounded by crying campers.

“Ruby?” he called. “What’s the situation?”

I appreciated him asking before launching another rescue.

“I’m okay. Gina is injured,” I called back to him.

He nodded and slid his pack off his shoulders. Crouching down he unzipped it and I got to work shifting around until I could sit up and assess Gina. She was holding her ankle and doing her best not to cry. I honestly wasn’t sure if she was trying to save face with Nico or keep the kids from freaking out, but I’d take the win.

“Let me see what we’re dealing with, and then we can decide what to do to,” I said to her.

She bit her lip and nodded, pushing herself into a sitting position across from me, and stretching out her leg with a wince. I left her shoe on and gently probed above it while moving it slightly to see what caused pain. She sucked in a breath and whimpered a few times and I knew she wasn’t walking out of here.

“I can’t tell you for sure if it’s broken or sprained without a closer look and possibly an x-ray, but I don’t want to take off your boot and have it swell up. For now, the boot will stabilize it while we get you back to the health center,” I said. “I want you to keep your weight off of it.”

She swallowed hard. “Alright.”

“Ruby,” Nico called again. “Do you need help?”

I looked up and he waved a rope at me, with the end already knotted in a loop. It was good of him to be prepared, and I nodded at him to toss it down. The area was only a slight incline, but it was slippery and Gina was only able to use one foot. I could tie it around her and use Nico’s help to keep her moving forward and not slipping downhill again.

Nico circled the rope a few times over his head like a total cowboy, and tossed it our way. It landed within reaching distance, and I helped Gina ease it over her head and secure it around her waist.

“Okay, Gina, I want you to wait for me to stand and then I’ll help you up,” I instructed, wiping again at my face. Stupid rain.

“Okay. Be brave little bird,” she muttered under her breath.

I smiled to myself as I moved first to my knees and then to stand. I reached for her and we managed to get her standing without touching her injured leg to the ground. I waved at Nico that we were ready to proceed and he backed the kids out of the way as he put some tension in the rope.

Gina hopped along beside me with an arm around my neck and mine around her back. She was enough shorter than me that I had to hunch a bit, but Nico kept the rope steady, and it provided a good anchor for Gina. My feet slipped once or twice, the mud-soaked bottom of my boots not providing enough traction, and both times I caught Nico starting forward as though to intervene, but he stopped when I waved my free hand in his direction. No sense in all three of the adults being in this ridiculous situation.

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day,” I sang as we reached the group of silent kids and Nico.

A few of them smiled at me, but they mostly watched with worried eyes as Gina hopped one last time straight into Nico’s arms. Based on his expression, I didn’t think he’d expected to find her plastered against him with her arms wrapped around his torso and her head against his shoulder. She looked so tiny, and I wondered briefly how it would feel to be in her position. That kind of safe haven was truly appealing.

I bent and put my hands against my knees, working to catch my breath as the kids crowded around me and offered pats and hugs. It was sweet. Kids really are the best of us.

Then, because Mother Nature took pity on our bedraggled group, the rain actually lightened up. We were all drenched and cold, and a few of us were going to be really achy the next day, but we greeted the shift in weather like the miracle it was.

I stood tall and moved my limbs, making sure I really wasn’t injured now that the adrenaline was wearing off. There were a few twinges, but overall I couldn’t complain. I was lucky.

I met Nico’s eyes and offered him a smile. “As far as backpack mud sledding goes, I give myself a six out of ten.”

“You’re alright?” he asked.

He raked his eyes over me and I nodded. We both looked down at Gina’s head where she still clung to him, his arms dangling unsure at his sides, and then back to each other. I pulled a grim face.

“She can’t put weight on her foot,” I stated.

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