AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stanley, no,” a small voice cried in the distance.
Reluctantly, he pulled back from Eve and in a kiss-addled fog, wondered who Stanley was.
Loosely held in his arms, Eve stiffened and her eyes widened, not in delight but fear.
Spinning about, he heard Eve scream Jake’s name at the exact same moment his gaze landed on the little boy chasing a kitten up to the loft. Like watching a slow-motion movie, his heart nearly stopped as Jake lost his footing and arms flailing, flew back ever so slowly through the air. No matter how fast Jared’s legs ran, there was no stopping the smacking sound of soft child landing on hard floor, or the shrill that escaped Eve’s lungs. Dear Lord, not again.
Chapter Thirteen
Doors slammed, footsteps fell, and pretty much anyone within shouting distance was running into the barn. Eve hurried to Jake’s side, only a step behind Jared.
“What happened?” Cook called out, coming to a screeching halt at their side, her eyes rounding and her hands flying to cover her open mouth.
Already, Jared was whipping off his shirt and applying pressure to the long gash on Jake’s temple gushing deep red blood.
Eve reminded herself that head wounds bleed—a lot. She tried telling herself it was okay, that Jake would open his eyes any moment and all would be well, but she could taste the panic rising to the back of her mouth. “I’ll call 911.”
“No time.” Jared looked up to Cook, her hands clasped as her lips muttered a soft but constant prayer.
Randy the foreman hadn’t made it fully into the barn when he turned and shouted over his shoulder to Jared, “I’ll get the truck.”
“If we’re going to transport him ourselves,” Eve reached down and held the child’s hand, “we should stabilize him on a board, in case…” She sucked in a slow breath and fought back the threat of tears. “In case he’s got more severe injuries.”
Jared nodded. “There are some spare boards in the tack room.”
“I’ll get one.” Cook ran across the barn and flung open a closed door.
At the same time, she reappeared with a suitable board covered in a horse blanket, the foreman eased the truck into the barn and jumped out. “I figure one of us should ride in the back with him.”
“I will.” Eve pushed to her feet while Jared and Randy carefully shifted Jake onto the board and then into the bed of the truck.
“Here’s another blanket.” Cook handed it to Eve. “Cocoon him in it. Hopefully that will keep him from moving about.”
“Thanks.” Eve accepted the blanket and placed it over the terribly pale and still unconscious child.
“We’d better both ride in back. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” Jared turned to his foreman. “You’d better drive. And take it easy till we get to the main road.”
Jared’s shirt was soaked through with Jake’s blood, but the gusher appeared to be slowing to a stop. If only the kid would wake up.
Despite the adrenaline rush still coursing through her veins, her mind did a tug of war, jumping from the multitude of sensations enveloping her from one short toe-curling kiss to the slow-motion replay of the little boy falling from the loft. The long drive to the nearest hospital gave Eve too much time to consider all the negative possibilities. Anything from spinal cord damage to brain injuries ran through her mind.
“He’ll be okay.” Carefully, Jared covered her hand with his and squeezed. Offering words of reassurance as if he’d just read her mind.
Taking the turn into the hospital parking lot a tad faster than he should have, Randy pulled up to the ER and sprang out of the front seat. “I’ll get help.”
Jared nodded and Eve noted the older man had to be as frightened as she was. A slow meander was the typical speed for the average Texas native. For this situation, Randy ran inside the building faster than a major league ball player rounding third and heading home.
Even though the bleeding appeared to have stopped, Jared didn’t dare stop applying pressure to the wound. Eve went ahead and climbed out the back of the pick up and lowered the tailgate just as the staff from inside hurried up to the truck pushing a gurney. Randy on their heels, hopped back into the driver’s seat. She’d feel so much better if Jake would wake up.
She and Jared followed after the team. Randy called out to them, “I’ll park and circle back.”
“The front desk is going to need information from you.”
Her eyes glued to Jake’s still form, she didn’t notice who spoke, but assumed it was the same person waving an arm at two women sitting by computers on the other side of a long counter.
Another nurse rushing alongside glanced at Eve. “You’d better wait here.”
And that was it. Jared slowed his steps, his gaze darting from the registration desk on the left to the gurney disappearing down the hall ahead of him.
