Page 32 of Calla's Boys

I’m so glad I bought them now, though I’d been hoping we wouldn’t need to use them, except maybe to alleviate some of the effects of the altitude.

Doc has Billy covered, so I can focus on treating Jesse’s wounds and monitor Calla without worrying about Billy as well.

“Keep holding the mask over her mouth and nose,” I instruct Jesse, lifting one of his arms to check I’ve cleaned it thoroughly.

“Sure,” he agrees, using his free hand to hold it in place while I bandage his other arm.

I’m hoping she’ll come round soon, but until then, we’re not moving from here. Even when she does, I’m reluctant to do anything until I’m sure she’s alright and we’ve all had a rest.

Once Jesse’s injuries are fully covered in the white bandages, I leave him holding the oxygen over Calla’s mouth while I retrieve the trail map.

Scanning it, I’m relieved to see that the next waypoint isn’t much farther ahead of where we are, and I decide that we’ll head there and stop for a while.

I don’t want to push any of us harder than we already have been, and it’ll be an ideal place to stop, possibly for the night, or until everyone is well enough to either continue on ahead, or journey back down to the hotel.

“There’s a spot not far from here where we can stop, regroup, and recuperate,” I tell them, holding up the map to point it out.

“Are you crazy, we should go back down. Calla probably needs a doctor!” Jesse snaps angrily, gesturing at Calla with one hand.

“You think I don’t know that! But how will we even make it with you, Calla, and Doc in this condition? It’ll be more dangerous to go before we’ve had the chance to rest. We were lucky none of you were hurt any worse than you are.”

Jesse falls silent, but his expression is still angry and twisted with worry.

“Clyde is right,” Billy agrees, and I huff out a sigh of relief that he’s backing me on this.

“You’re both right, but I think Clyde makes a good point. It would be better to carry on just a little bit farther right now than risk all of our lives trying to rush back down,” Doc says slowly.

“Right. Let’s rest for a moment, then we can move on. We’ll need to take things slowly. Doc and I will carry Calla. Billy, you help Jesse. We all go together, stay close, and don’t take any risks.”

I’m more worried than I’m willing to admit, but I’m certainly not going to show weakness in front of the others, no matter how warranted it is.

My priority right now is getting us all safely to the next waypoint so we can rest, regroup, and properly tend to Calla.

It’s incredibly concerning that she’s not woken up yet, and I really hope it’s because her body has gone into a state of shock and needs to reset itself.

It’s going to be tricky to maneuver the narrow trail while carrying her, so we need to remain focused and careful.

With Billy and Jesse injured, me and Doc need to keep our wits about us to keep Calla and the other two safe from further harm.

The sun is starting to get a little lower, and I decide we’ve waited long enough.

“We need to get moving. I don’t want us to be on the trail when darkness hits.”

“Definitely not,” Doc agrees, and the other two nod their assent. We all get to our feet, Jesse a little unsteadily.

I notice red is seeming through his jeans, and I realize he must have scraped his knees as well. Unfortunately, we haven’t got any more time to spare to take a look, so he’ll have to waituntil we reach our destination. Billy is going to be paired with him, anyway, and I know they’ll look out for each other.

Despite our friendly—and occasionally not-so-friendly—competition when it comes to vying for Calla’s attention, these guys are still my brothers, and we take care of one another.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Doc

My shoulders are killing me with the weight of my backpack, and it’s only going to get worse when we pick Calla up.

Clyde seems to be willing to still take the lead in this little expedition of ours. When he steps between Calla’s legs facing forward and crouches down to lift her, holding one leg on either side of his hips, I put my hands under each of her armpits. Between the two of us, we can lift her easily, but that’s not going to be the hard part… Moving with her is.

“I’ve got her,” I tell him, and he looks over his shoulder briefly and nods.

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