Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I didn’t recognize the crew, based out of a nearby town, but they knew Caleb, as evidenced by their hurried greetings and a couple of jokes. My lower back tensed. The whole crisis, I’d focused on Diesel and been more than a little in awe of Caleb, but now, fresh worries flooded my brain. No one was supposed to know we’d spent the day together.
The life flight helicopter pulled off a tight landing even a seasoned army pilot would be impressed by, and their crew took over. And yet more people who knew Caleb, as the medic nodded at him. “Good work, Caleb. Not a rookie anymore, are you?”
“Nope.” Caleb glanced away, uncharacteristically bashful. “Just trying to do my job.”
“Well, you did good. All of you.” The older guy had one final nod for us as they finished moving Diesel from the EMT stretcher to their own transport. A few moments later, the chopper took off, speeding away, carrying all our hopes for Diesel with it.
“You really were incredible, Caleb. You too, Tony.” Maren’s voice was much more enthusiastic now. “Wait till I tell my dad.”
“Yeah.” I managed only the barest of replies.
“Well, I better get Stephanie to the hospital. And call Diesel’s dad again.” Maren’s businesslike expression mirrored the one Eric used on shift. They might not share blood, but the family backbone ran deep nonetheless.
“You did great too, sweetheart.” I gave her a fast hug, the kind I’d offer one of my sisters. I couldn’t exactly ask her not to tell Eric, so I waved her away even as my gut twisted.
Caleb and I walked the rest of the way to his truck in silence.
“This doesn’t have to be a big deal,” he said at last. “Not like anyone saw…you know.”
“Yep.” I exhaled hard, but the bitter tang of doubt remained. “Friends hike together all the time.”
“Exactly. Two buddies out for a hike and an escape from the heat.” Caleb made a dismissive gesture with his hand before unlocking the truck. “Nothing to see here, folks.”
“Nope.” I let out a near-manic laugh.
“You okay?” Caleb frowned. “You seem even punchier than me.”
“I’m fine.” I darn near threw myself into the passenger seat to avoid his shrewd gaze. “Fine. Just adrenaline.”
“That was a lot.” Caleb slid into the driver’s seat before stretching backward. He groaned as he twisted this way and that. “And a first. Never had quite that level of emergency on a day off.”
“Yeah. It was…unexpected.” Maybe that was why I was a mess, why I hadn’t been more helpful, why I hadn’t been the one to take charge. I hadn’t been prepared. But I should have been. “God, I shouldn’t be this fucked up afterward.”
I hated admitting even that much, but Caleb merely shrugged, as unflappable as ever. “I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong way. The first time I saw an impalement injury, I puked afterward. It haunted me for days.”
A scoff escaped my throat. “You say that, but you were amazing back there. In charge. Calm. I was like a deer in headlights. Frozen. You’d think I’d never been a Ranger.”
“Or that you had,” Caleb said quietly. “I know you don’t want me beating the ‘Talk to someone, Tony’ drum, but seriously, you’ve been through a lot, and not simply today. Twenty years active duty. That had to take a toll.”
“Maybe,” I allowed, looking away at the forest, the vast canopy of trees on either side as we returned to Mount Hope. “Maybe you’re right, and I do have some amount of PTSD, but if I talk to someone, they might say I’m not cut out for fire rescue. And maybe they’d be right.”
My breathing sped up and my skin grew cool and clammy. Caleb pulled over to the shoulder of the road.
“Hey. Hey.” He forced me to look at his solemn expression. “Deep breaths. This was an unexpected emergency in a place you consider special and safe, not a call out on a shift.”
“Oh.” When he put it that way, my reaction seemed almost understandable. I’d never anticipated anything like this when I’d invited Caleb on what had felt like an escape from the world. Maybe that was why I’d struggled, but I wasn’t sure the explanation was enough to forgive myself.
“No rash conclusions, okay?” Caleb peered deeply into my eyes, concern and care evident in his expression. “And absolutely no beating yourself up.”
“Never.” I forced a smile, but he shook his head.
“I don’t believe you. But we need to head back and get cleaned up. You wanna share my shower if Scotty’s still gone?”
Yes. More than life itself. I managed to break eye contact, studying the floor mats instead. “Probably shouldn’t. I should head back to Eric’s, try to beat any gossip from Maren or the EMT crew.”
“Smart.” He looked as disappointed as I felt. “I’m here if you need to talk later.”