Page 4 of The Trauma Response
“You don’t know anything,” I said and swam to the edge of the pool. Now I had to do it. I had to prove that I was just as brave as Mark St. James, the guy April dumped me for. Okay, so it might have been a little bit because of my inability to walk on the wild side, to be daring, to be adventurous, but I had enough respect for my life and my parents to abide by their wishes.
Still, a guy could only take so much teasing, and from his best friend no less. Water streamed from my trunks as I walked to the other side of the pool and toward the ladder.
“Cai, I was kidding. You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Jackson said. His tone had a distinct waver, something likefear, but I was already halfway up the ladder. I wasn’t about to change my mind and look stupid.
Once I reached the high board, I shook out my arms and legs in a pathetic attempt to focus. Fear tickled the back of my neck, but I wouldn’t let it stop me. Lots of people, even guys my age, jumped from the high board all the time. I could do it too…or die trying.
“Cai, I mean it!” Jackson shouted. He was climbing out of the pool when I made the final commitment. “Get down from there!”
I stepped to the edge, prepared to work through the logistics of such a jump, when I slipped. Trying to right myself only made it worse, and before I knew it, I fell over the edge and whacked my head on the board. My vision blurred as my body took a freefall toward the water. The last thing I remembered was Jackson’s frantic scream and darkness sweeping in from all directions.
Then I woke up to his sister’s blue gaze filled with tears. From inside the clubhouse, she’d seen me fall and hit my head. When her brother forgot everything about how to handle an emergency, she stepped up and saved my life. If she hadn’t leaped into the pool and dragged me out, I would have drowned. She performed CPR and warmed me up while we waited for my parents to arrive. I got grounded for the rest of summer break after that…and I never looked at Tallulah Whitmore the same way again.
I shake my head. My childhood friend is trapped in an overturned car, covered with blood, and she’s scared to death. Though I shouldn’t, I pull my helmet off and lean in close so she can see me better.
“It’s okay, Tallulah. It’s me, Caius. You’re going to be okay. I promise, and I’m not going anywhere until you get into an ambulance, okay?”
“Cai?” she whispers, but her eyes still bore into mine as if she’s not quite sure I am who I say I am.
I slide my fingers between hers. They’re slick with blood but I manage to squeeze them anyway. “Yeah, it’s me.”
She takes a deep breath and her eyes flutter closed again.
“Wake up, beautiful. I can’t have you in and out of consciousness, okay?”
She chuckles, though I am certain it takes a lot of work, judging by her wince. “I’m not. I’m tired, but I’m awake. I’m relieved.” Her eyes lock on mine once more. “Still on that old nickname, are we?”
I grin and adjust so the pressure is off of her neck. “Yep. You’re still beautiful as ever. Seems to fit.”
“Mmm,” she hums but no matter how much I move my hand or squeeze, she doesn’t clasp the fingers of her left hand with mine.
“Do you feel my hand?” I ask and slide it up her left arm. Someone has already bandaged her hand and wrist, but it’s bled through.
“Barely. My hand is numb. I feel it a bit more at the elbow.” It’s hard to tell if her worried tone stems from fear or knowledge of what the issue might be. As if reading my mind, she adds, “I feel everything else. It isn’t spinal as far as I can tell. I think something was lacerated in my wrist.”
Last I heard, she became a surgeon. We lost track of one another during college, but there’s no ill will. Those things happen sometimes, but if she is a doctor, then she knows the deep cuts on her hands, wrists, and forearm could mean some severe nerve damage.
I glance over my shoulder. “The ambulance just pulled up. My guys are working to get the doors pried open, but we’re probably going to need to get the car on its side, stabilize it, then cut it open.”
“You said you wouldn’t leave me. Cai, I’m—”
“I won’t. I won’t, Whits. I’ll be here. I only need to step away for a minute when they roll it, but I promise I’ll be right back in here with you when it’s stabilized. Who else are you going to trust to lift you out?” I give her that childish grin again, knowing it’ll put her at ease. She gives me a nod and takes a deep breath. I brush the bloody hair from her face and pinch her cheek like I used to. “I’ve got you.”
“Gray, we need…” Swanson pauses, takes in our clasped hands and my show of affection. “Do…Do you know her?”
“Yeah. We were childhood friends.” I give him the look that says it’ll take an army to get me off of this call, which is standard protocol when someone we know is injured.
He licks his lips and relents without a word. “All right. The thing is too smashed to turn without putting her in further danger. We’re gonna cut the side off.” Swanson hands me ablanket to cover Tallulah with to protect her from sparks and debris, along with a protective neck brace, then he’s off to issue more orders.
“Here, I’m going to wrap this around you and try to position you so you won’t feel the shaking as much when they cut the car. And you know what this is, yeah?” I show her the neck brace.
“Yeah. All good,” she says and lets me wrap it around her neck.
“Now, just lean on me.” Without further instruction, she presses her body against mine as best she can, considering she’s still stuck in the seat upside down. I wrap my arms around her to further support her body and hold her as still as I can while my friends chop her car to pieces.
The guys get to work and she presses harder against me. Rubbing her arm under the blanket is the only thing I can think to do to ease her worries, but there’s no way around it. She’s in a terrifying situation. Soon enough, the door comes off the driver’s side along with the windshield framing. It’s a large hole now, but we still have to maneuver her out without injuring her further.
“Okay, you’ll have to hold on to me so you don’t fall when they cut the belt.” I wrap my arms tighter around her upper body while Kempler supports her hips. One of the other guys cuts the belt and Kempler supports the weight of her lower body long enough for me to maneuver her into a better position. Then we ease her out to a waiting paramedic.
