Page 128 of Caught in the Axe
With quick nods and contrite expressions, they made a beeline for the door.
For such a sweet lady, Debbie was not to be messed with.
She cupped my face in her hands. “I know it’s scary. Loving someone is the most terrifying thing in the world.”
I should be the one consoling her. This woman’s son had been in an accident, yet here she was, whispering reassurances and comforting me. My mind spun and panic continued to course through my veins. My hands shook as I tried to make sense of everything.
Jude stood and took off his glasses. His eyes were red rimmed and his breathing was choppy. “It was my fault,” he said. “I fucked up.”
“You did not,” Gus growled. “It was a machinery failure. Not operator error.”
Finn padded over and put his arm around Jude in silent support.
“In fact,” Gus continued, “you probably saved his life. If you hadn’t gotten control, it would have hit him so much harder.”
Debbie gasped and cupped a hand over her mouth, her eyes welling with tears.
Jude hung his head and shook it. “Still my fault.”
“Accidents happen,” Gus argued. “You and I know it. And we were going fast, which was my fault.”
My chest heaved as I willed coherent words to form on my tongue. “What happened?”
Gus put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s gonna be okay. He’s just banged up pretty good.”
I pushed his hand away, still shaking. “Start talking. Now.”
“He was on the loading platform, and the hydraulics on the knuckleboom loader failed.”
“None of those words make any sense to me.” I rubbed at my head and closed my eyes.
Jude sighed. “The tree slipped, and the boom swung, knocking him off the platform.”
Jesus. My stomach lurched. “You hit him with a tree?” I punched his shoulder so hard a sharp pain shot up my arm.
“It was an accident,” Gus said, stepping between Jude and me. He bowed his head. “Trust me, no one feels worse about this than me. I am the captain of this ship, Lila, and my brother could have been killed.”
Though it hurt to breathe, I forced in a shallow breath and let it back out. “How bad is it?”
“Broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. Concussion and some cuts and bruises. Could have been so much worse. He was knocked out cold, and we were worried about a potential spinal injury, so we radioed for MediVac.”
I nodded, mentally assuring myself that he would be okay. My brain comprehended, but my racing heart did not. I put my face in my hands, only beginning to see how scary this must have been for Gus.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It must have been terrifying for you. I just didn’t have enough information, and I panicked. I care about him so much.”
Gus put an arm around me, his warmth comforting. “It’s okay. I get it. And I’m glad he has you.”
Taking a small step to the side, I peered in the nearest door, desperate to lay eyes on Owen.
“We can’t see him yet. He’s sleeping. His body is inshock, but he’s stable. Here,” he said, “have a seat and wait with us.”
I nodded, feeling the adrenaline start to subside. Suddenly, my body felt exhausted. I took a seat next to Debbie and tried to keep myself from spiraling further. He’d be okay. Minor injuries. I kept repeating those phrases in my head like a mantra, praying we could see him soon.
We were silent, the hours having blurred together, when Adele heaved herself out of the chair with a grunt.
I assumed she was headed to the restroom for the tenth time, but halfway across the room, she froze and doubled over.
“Fuck,” she ground out.
