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To stop would be to disappoint him as well as risk lives, so Jenna kept going, thinking to herself that if he genuinely thought this was easy she wouldn’t want to do a difficult abseil. The cliff fell away sharply and she went down slowly, listening to Ryan’s voice from below her, thinking of Lexi and not of the drop, or of the man who had died when his rope was severed. As her feet finally touched the rocks strong hands caught her. Ryan’s hands.
He unclipped the rope and the sea immediately swamped her feet. If he hadn’t clamped an arm around her waist she would have stumbled under the sudden pressure of the water. As it was, the cold made her gasp. Above her the cliff face towered, blocking out the last of the sunshine, revealing only ominous clouds in the chink of sky above. Here, in the slit of the rock, it was freezing.
She guessed that if the helicopter didn’t manage to get to them soon, then it would be too late. The weather would close in and make flying impossible.
And then what?
‘The tide is coming in—Ryan, I can’t hold his head any longer—’ Lexi’s voice came from behind them and Jenna turned, her stomach lurching as she saw the blood on her daughter’s tee shirt.
‘It’s not mine.’ Lexi read her mind and gave a quick shake of her head. ‘It’s Matt’s. His legs—both of them, I think. He jumped in and hit rock under the surface. I didn’t know what to do—he’s too heavy. Mummy, do something!’
Mummy. She hadn’t heard ‘Mummy’ since Lexi was about six, and it sent strength pouring back through her rubbery legs.
‘Just hold on, Lexi.’ Her voice was firm and confident, and Ryan gave her a brief smile and released her, checking that she was steady on her feet before crossing the rocks to the two teenagers.
‘You’re a total star, Lexi. I just need you to hold on for another minute. Can you do that?’ He ripped equipment out of the rucksack as he spoke, and Jenna saw Lexi swallow as she stared up at him.
‘Yes.’
‘Good. We’re going to get him out of the water now, and you’re going to help.’ Ryan had a rope in his hand. ‘Just do everything I say.’
Jenna saw the fierce light of determination in her daughter’s eyes—saw the faith and trust in her expression as she looked at Ryan.
Gone was the child who moaned when she couldn’t get a mobile phone signal.
Jenna’s flash of pride lasted only seconds as she saw another huge wave bearing down on them.
She saw Ryan glance at Lexi and then back towards her, trying to make a decision.
Jenna made the decision for him. ‘Hold onto the children!’ She slithered towards the rock face and managed to get a grip just as the wave rose in height and started to break. With a ferocious roar it crashed onto the rocks with an explosion of white froth, as if determined to claim its prize. Jenna clung, feeling the water pull at her and then retreat.
Wiping salt water from her face, she looked over her shoulder and saw that Ryan had his hands on Lexi’s shoulders, holding her. As soon as the wave receded he turned his attention to Matt. The boy was moaning softly, his body half in and half out of the water.
‘My legs—I can’t put any weight—’
‘Yeah—we’re going to help you with that.’ Ryan glanced around him, judging, coming up with a plan. ‘If we can get him clear of the water and onto that rock higher up, that should give us at least another ten minutes before the tide hits us again. Enough time to check the damage and give him some pain relief.’ He spoke into the radio, telling Nick what he was doing and listing the equipment he needed. ‘While they’re sorting that out, I’m going to get a rope on you, Matt.’
‘Just leave me.’ His face white with pain, the boy choked the words out. ‘I don’t want anyone to drown because of me.’
‘No one is drowning today.’ Ryan looped the rope under the boy’s shoulders and secured it to a shaft of rock that jutted out of the cliff. Then he did the same to Lexi. ‘The rope is going to hold both of you if another wave comes before we’re done. We’re going to get you out of the water, Matt. Then I’m going to give you something for the pain.’ He questioned the boy about the way he’d landed, about his neck, about the movement in his limbs.
Jenna wondered why he didn’t give the boy painkillers first, but then she saw another wave rushing down on them and realised that the boy was only minutes from drowning. Rope or no rope, if Ryan couldn’t lift him clear of the water the boy was dead.
As the wave swamped all four of them Jenna held her breath and gripped the rock tightly. The tide was coming in. They didn’t have much time.
‘What can I do?’
‘Do you see that narrow ledge just under the waterline? Stand on it. I need you to hold his body steady so that we move him as little as possible.’ As a precaution, Ryan put a supportive collar around Matt’s neck.
Jenna stepped into the water, gritting her teeth as the ice-cold sea turned her legs numb. If she felt this cold, how must the children be feeling? She steadied Matt’s body, her hands firm. ‘I’m ready.’
‘I’m going to lift—try not to let his legs drag against the rocks.’
Using nothing but brute strength and hard muscle, Ryan hauled the boy out of the water. Matt’s screams echoed around the narrow chasm, bouncing off the rocks and adding to the deadly feel of the place.
Her heart breaking for him, Jenna gritted her teeth, wanting to stop but knowing they couldn’t. They had to get him clear of the water. He’d already been in there too long. Even as Ryan lifted him she saw the terrible gashes on the boy’s legs and knew they were dealing with serious injuries. Blood mixed with the water, and as they laid him flat on the rock Matt was white-faced, his lips bloodless.
‘Shaft of femur—both legs.’ Now that he could see the damage, Ryan worked swiftly, checking for other injuries and then examining the wound. ‘Jenna, we need to control the bleeding on his left leg and cover that wound. Get me pads and a broad bandage out of the rucksack. I’m going to give him some Ketamine. Matt, this will help with the pain.’
