Page 39 of Raven's Curse
Chase grabbed some gear and readied a couple anchor points, securing the woman before the damn branch cracked and she tumbled the fifty-foot drop into the ocean. Once secure, he crouched beside her, removing enough supplies to run through her vitals — determine what level of screwed she was — before brushing back a tangle of hair from her face. “Kash? It’s Anna.”
Kash breathed into the mic. “Break it down for me, buddy.”
“Airway’s clear, but I’ve got reduced breath sounds on her right side. Pulse is weak with bouts of tachycardia. Skin’s pale, lips bluish.” He moved down her body. “Visible leg deformity suggests a fractured right femur. Femoral pulse present but thready. Minimal external blood loss, but I suspect massive internal trauma.”
He secured a neck brace, then rubbed his knuckles along her sternum. “Anna? Can you hear me?”
She groaned, eyelids fluttering a few times before she managed to keep them open — look up at him.
He smiled, readying more supplies. “Welcome back. Do you remember me? Chase Remington. I’m with Raven’s Watch.”
She blinked, blacked out for a moment, then resurfaced, nodding ever so slightly. “I…”
“Don’t move your head or try to talk too much. Just stay with me, okay? I’ve got you.”
She gasped, then fisted his shirt. “Help…”
Chase snapped his gaze to hers for a moment before slipping a needle in her arm — setting up an IV. “Everything’s going to be okay. Did you fall? Or did someone do this to you?”
Her chin quivered. “A man…”
“Got it. Just stay calm. I’ll have us out of here in few minutes.” He tapped his comm unit. “Everyone have their head on a damn swivel. Anna said someone left her like this.”
Chase removed his vacuum splint and secured it around her thigh, lining up the straps. “It looks like you’ve broken your leg. I need to immobilize it before we can pull you up. It’s gonna hurt, but I need you to stay still so we don’t Peter Pan off this cliff, all right?”
She cried out as he removed the air, increasing the pressure as the splint molded to her leg — gave him the stability he needed in order to get her up the cliff.
Her grip eased for a while, before she pulled herself back. “Monster…”
Chase made eye contact. “It’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Just keep looking at me.” He adjusted the IV flow rate. “Anna? Did he give you anything? Inject anything into your arms or legs?”
Tears welled in her eyes, a few slipping down her cheeks. “No… he…”
“It’s going to okay. We just need to get you out of here.” Chase tapped his mic. “Kash, send down the SKED.”
Rocks and dirt rained down beside them, the rolled strip of orange plastic quickly slipping along the cliff face. Chase grabbed it as it settled beside him, bouncing in the gusting wind.
The anchors groaned, the rope creaking against the strain as he eased her against his chest long enough to wrap the sheet around her — snug the straps until the unit created a protective cocoon. She mumbled something under her breath, fading in and out of consciousness as he readied everything for the main haul.
He pushed a few meds, placed some warm compresses on the outside of her clothes, then radioed in. “She’s stable. Double checking knots.”
Anna reached for him, but he tucked her hand back inside.
“I know it’s scary, but all you have to do is relax. Let us do the lifting. I’ll be right beside you.”
She blinked twice.
He clicked his mic. “Package ready. Start ascent.”
The SKED shimmied, shaking as Kash started hauling from above, the outer layer screeching over the jagged rocks. They got her a few feet up before her eyes flashed as her breath hitched, a thin, whistling sound tightening into nothing. She arched, clawing at the webbing, a few tears leaking down her cheeks.
“Damn it, hold the main. She’s got a tension pneumo.”
Chase ripped open the kit, bracing her with his knees as he grabbed the needle — slipped it between her ribs. Air hissed through the open tube, some of the color returning to her cheeks as she sucked in a large breath, finally easing back in the litter.
Chase checked her breathing, relaxed a bit as it slowly equalized, before taping the tube in place. “Okay, we’re good. Resume ascent. On her left.”
The litter rattled, then inched up the cliff, rocks and dirt sloughing off as Chase pushed from beneath, keeping the edges clear from the stabbing branches and bramble. The gusting winds roared past as they neared the edge, the strong currents catching the SKED — almost knocking him off as the litter floated above the rock, swinging like a pendulum. He tugged his line taut, wrestling with the SKED until he locked it down — got everything stabilized. Dirt and leaves swirled around them in small eddies as he reached for the lip — held the litter secure as Kash wrapped his hands around the top.
