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“My leg…” the kid said, wincing.
Mitch’s stomach turned at the sight of the twisted limb bent underneath the child in an unnatural angle. Definitely broken. “Do you have any pain anywhere else?”
Dylan shook his head.
“What can I do?” Jess asked, kneeling on the snow next to them.
“Hold his hand, maybe… Just provide comfort.” He quickly examined the child for signs of other injuries. He was conscious and there wasn’t any sign of concussion. No obvious fractures anywhere else.
Jess took the child’s hand between hers as he studied the leg and sighed. He glanced toward Ski Patrol, who were still making their way toward them, at least a few minutes away. “I’m going to straighten the leg.” They wouldn’t be able to get the child onto the litter like this. And he wasn’t confident leaving this up to the mountain emergency team. He’d done this a million times. Better to act quickly before the injury had time to swell even more.
Dylan’s eyes widened in fear. “Is it going to hurt?”
“A little.” He was honest. The child needed to be prepared for the pain. “I’ll make it quick and in a minute it will all be over,” he said. He turned to Jess. “Can you support his upper body and try holding him still?”
She looked nervous as hell, but she maneuvered herself into a better position to support the child.
“You okay?” he asked her. She looked slightly pale, the color having drained from her cheeks. Not everyone did well in an emergency situation. He didn’t need her passing out on him as well.
But she nodded confidently as she cradled the boy’s upper body and held tight. She leaned closer to offer soothing words, and Mitch’s heart lurched in his chest at the sight. Jess was caring and compassionate, and in these situations, that went a lot further than anyone realized. Calming the patient, helping keep their heart rate low, was crucial.
Ski Patrol stopped next to him and he quickly explained his position and intent. They didn’t argue, visibly relieved to have a more advanced medical team member for assistance. They moved back to give him space and held back the crowd that was gathering around.
“Are the parents here?” he asked.
“No one’s stepping forward yet,” one of the Ski Patrol members said, scanning the crowd.
Mitch glanced at Dylan. “Ready?”
The child nodded quickly, then buried his head into Jess.
Mitch glanced at her and she nodded. He took a deep breath and carefully gripped the child’s wounded leg. Another deep breath later the leg was straight. Dylan let out a yelp and clung to Jess, but relief spread across his features as he opened his eyes.
“Oh my God! He wasn’t supposed to be on this hill,” a woman’s anguished voice said as she approached.
Obviously the mother. She was followed by two smaller children who looked just as worried. Mitch stood and turned to her. “It’s okay. He’s okay. A broken leg for sure, but I think he’s through the worst of it.” He’d need to be brought in to the medical clinic in town for further examination, but the child hadn’t complained of any other pain and his quick assessment hadn’t revealed anything else of immediate concern. “He was lucky to be wearing a helmet,” he said.
She looked appreciative at the kind reassurance. “I only left him for five minutes to take these two to the restroom.” She looked distraught as she approached her oldest child, now on the litter, being attended to by Ski Patrol.
Mitch suspected snowsuits and five-year-olds took a lot longer than five minutes, but he sympathized with her. Children didn’t always listen and, left unattended, they could get into trouble. “He’s going to be okay.”
She smiled tearfully down at her son and sent Mitch a grateful look. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, aware of Jessica’s gaze on him.
They left the boy with emergency services, and Mitch forced several deep breaths as they headed back toward the lodge. The boy was lucky. With the speed he’d been traveling down the slope, things could have been much worse.
“That was incredible,” Jess said when they stopped, a look of admiration and respect reflecting in her gorgeous eyes. “Youwere incredible.”
He turned toward her and took her face between his hands. “Believe me when I say this—what you did, your part in that, was the part that mattered most.”
…
That night she was going to tell him she’d go to Cambodia with him.
Her hand shook as Jess curled her hair in the hotel room bathroom hours later, getting ready for dinner. That day had been exhilarating, and seeing Mitch in action with the injured kid had opened her eyes to another side of him. A quick-thinking, resourceful, confident side.
One that was impossible to resist.
