Page 111 of Hit the Ground
My boy. My son. Jesse.
The words pounded through my skull in rhythm with my heartbeat. All I could see was his face. All I could feel was the terror clawing at my chest. I pushed harder, faster, the machine bucking beneath me as I tore across the fields, cutting every corner I could.
Hang on, Jess. Just hang on. Your dad’s coming, kid.
I was halfway across the last pasture when a mare bolted out of the tree line, wild-eyed and spooked.
“Shit—” I jerked the wheel hard. Too hard.
I skidded sideways, caught the edge of a rut, and tipped. The world snapped into chaos, the sky and earth flipping in a blur. My shoulder slammed against the roll bar, air punched from my lungs, then nothing but the violent tumble and the roar in my ears.
When the UTV finally crashed to a stop, silence rushed in, broken only by the ringing in my skull and distant rumble of Bill’s engine. I tried to move, but white-hot pain lanced through my chest. Black danced at the edges of my vision, and hot copper filled my mouth.
Jesse.
That was my last thought before it all dimmed then faded to nothing.
Chapter Forty-five
Caleb
“Jesse!”
I tried to knife upright, but my body betrayed me. Muscles seized, fire streaked through my chest, and I collapsed back onto something too soft to make sense.
Where the hell—?
A hand pressed down on my shoulder, gentle but firm. Cool fingers skimmed my temple, comforting in my confusion.
What was happening?
I fought to push up again, but something sharp and tight tugged at my chest, and the hand on my shoulder pushed me back down. I struggled against it, but only for a moment.
“Jesse’s safe.”
Her voice in my ear.
My sweet Alice.
She was here beside me.
My boy was safe.
The fight bled out of me. I let go, sinking into the dark warmth of her nearness.
For now, I could rest.
Jesse.
My eyes snapped open as my heart thundered in my ears. Darkness pressed in on all sides. A lone green light blinked somewhere above me. A thin bar of yellow glowed near the floor.
“Where…” My throat was made of sandpaper, so raw, pushing out words was an exercise in pain. “Where am I?”
Shadows moved beside me, delicate taps on the floor. Then light, too bright for my tired eyes. I flinched, blinking against the glare, until a shape leaned over me, blocking it out.
“Caleb?” Her face came into focus, piece by piece. Her worried eyes. Her flushed cheeks. Her bitten lips. “Are you awake, honey?”
“Alice.” I reached up, my arm traveling through thick mud to get to her. “You’re here.”
