Page 31 of Calla's Boys

It burns my hands, cutting into the flesh of my palms. I grit my teeth as I ignore the pain. This is nothing compared to how it would feel to lose Calla.

“Don’t let go of her,” Doc orders from behind me, and I nod.

“Hurry up and pull her back up,” Jesse grunts, his voice muffled by the path that his cheek is currently pressed into as he hangs part way over the edge.

I wince as I pull on the rope while Doc and Clyde help. The seconds tick by, seeming so slow as we fight against the pull of gravity threatening to claim Calla and Jesse.

He’s managed to get a stronger grip on her, one hand clasping hers and the other wrapped around her forearm. Somehow, we manage to get them both to safety.

My hands are bleeding, and we’re all breathing hard, but I’m more worried about Calla and Jesse than myself right now. Clyde carefully moves past me with the tote in his hands and goes to check on them both while Doc digs through his backpack.

“Is she okay?” I ask, balling my hands into fists to apply pressure to the rope burns.

“Unconscious,” Clyde says, “But she’s alive and doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere.”

He pulls out a small, portable oxygen tank and turns it on, then presses the little mask over her face.

“How are you doing, Jesse?” he asks, looking him over while he tends to Calla.

Jesse lifts his arms, and I can see blood running down them where he’s cut them on the rocky cliff face.

“Peachy,” he laughs weakly, rolling onto his back as he lies down near Calla. “I don’t know if she hit her head or anything, but it didn’t look like she did.

“Got it!” Doc exclaims, holding up the first aid kit.

He sets it down and unclips it, rummaging through it for the medical supplies we’ll need.

“I need help as well,” I tell him, holding up my bloody fists.

“Clyde, once we’re done patching everyone up, I think we ought to go back down,” he suggests as he sets down three packages of bandages and a bottle of saline.

Doc shuffles closer to begin wrapping my hands. After undoing the cap and rinsing my palms with saline to clear out any grit or dirt from the rope, he then passes it to Clyde so he can begin helping Jesse.

Doc tears through the plastic wrapping of one of the bandages with his teeth and unrolls it.

It doesn't take long, and soon enough, my throbbing hands are tightly wrapped in white bandages.

“Keep pressure on your palms to slow the bleeding,” he instructs me, and I roll my eyes.

“Yes, I know what to do, Nurse Doc,” I say sarcastically, balling them into fists again.

I wince at the pressure of my fingertips on the cuts, but he ignores me.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Clyde

For a second I thought we were going to lose Jesse and Calla. My heart is racing in my chest, and it’s difficult to get enough air to focus properly.

Once I’m sure Calla is going to be okay and I’ve checked for any potential bleeding on her body or head, I turn my attention to Jesse. Blood is dripping slowly onto the ground beneath him, staining the skin of his cut arms as he waits patiently for his turn.

“You alright, Jesse?” I ask, and he nods.

“I’m more worried about Calla than myself,” he replies, grimacing as the salty saline runs over the open wounds.

“I think she’ll be fine,” I tell him.

I don’t admit that I’m scared for her. She seems unharmed, but I can’t be sure exactly what happened to make her fall until she regains consciousness. The oxygen should offer her lungs some support and give her blood enough oxygen to ensure she’ll be okay.

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