AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The lake wasn’t deep. Maybe six or seven feet. He and his brothers had of course climbed up to the waterfall and jumped off, but they’d landed right, and even then they hit their feet on some of the jagged rocks below. Sometimes they got cuts and scrapes, but luckily no broken bones.
Please, Lord, let her live, he begged. He had no clue who this woman was, but he couldn’t handle another woman dying on his watch.
Curt swam quickly to where she’d gone under and performed a shallow dive. She was right below him in the water, long dark hair streaming around her head, not moving. He grabbed her underneath her armpits and swam to the surface. Her eyes were closed, and pink blood and water streamed down her face from a cut he couldn’t see, probably on the top of her head but covered by her hair.
Looping his arm across her chest, he tugged her to the shoreline. His mind scrambled for first aid knowledge that he knew but hadn’t practiced in a while. He’d trained as a firefighter and an EMT instead of going off to university like the rest of his brothers. He’d worked with his country’s wildland firefighters for stints and spent the rest of his time exploring and climbing. When he lost his mum, he cut himself off from his firefighting buddies and hadn’t taken any proffered jobs.
His feet touched the rocky bottom. He tugged the lady and pushed through the water until he was waist deep. Then he released his lifesaving hold on her, wrapped his hands underneath her back and thighs, and held her against his chest. He prayed she didn’t have a neck or back injury, but getting her out of the cold water and making sure she had a pulse and was breathing had to take precedence.
Lifting her easily, he cradled her close as he slogged out of the water. His mind was scrambling, frenzied, thinking of the next move and how to keep her alive and get help. But somehow the weight of this woman in his arms felt … right. As if he’d been waiting all his life to clasp her in his arms.
He thrust that thought away. Stupid, sappy thoughts had no place in a rescue mission.
Walking barefoot onto the shore, he settled her gently onto the flattest spot he could find. The sun’s rays warmed his bare back. Grabbing his shirt off his pile of clothes, he wiped at the mixture of blood and water on her face and neck. Her skin was cold to the touch. With her eyes closed, she looked innocent, young, and incredibly beautiful.
He pressed the wet, bloody shirt against her head to stop the bleeding. He’d worry about sterilizing the wound later. If she survived.
He was dripping wet, but the sun was warm and the adrenaline warmed him as well.
With his free hand, he felt the pulse point in her neck. It was strong. Thank heavens. He put the back of his hand to her nose and was rewarded with warm breath. Saying a quick prayer of gratitude, he held pressure on the wound. Thankfully, the blood wasn’t seeping through his shirt.
A head injury. A beautiful woman. Miles from help. It was Suzanne all over again.
Curt reached for his backpack, yanking it closer to him. She had to be freezing. He quickly pulled out the package that held an emergency blanket he hadn’t used, ripped it open, and tucked it around her. The sun would help warm her up.
Since the day he lost Suzanne, and wondered if he could’ve saved her by lowering both of them quickly instead of having to climb to get cell service, he’d carried a satellite phone and always kept it close at hand. He had to release the pressure on the injured woman’s head to fish the phone out. Chad or Steffan first? Helicopter pilot or doctor?
Chad, he decided. His brother Tristan’s close friend was an accomplished pilot and had the military base resources and personnel at his fingertips. Major Chad Prescott would bring the right help along and get them to his brother Steffan and the country’s largest hospital, which was located in Traverse.
Curt and the woman were a fair distance from a suitable landing zone. They could lower a basket and get close enough to hoist her out. The lake gave more clearance without trees than most areas in this part of his mountains, but the forest butted up almost to the lake’s shores.
Pressing on his shirt and the head wound with his left hand again, he scrolled through and found Chad’s number with his right. Before the call could connect, the woman’s eyes fluttered open. Surprised and relieved, he looked into the most intriguing golden-brown eyes he had ever seen. Her long dark lashes were wet and framed her eyes so prettily he lost his train of thought.
She stared at him for a beat, her eyes wide, her pulse beating madly in her neck.
“Curt?” Chad said in his ear. “Everything okay?”
Curt had never reached out to Chad for anything besides an emergency. The last time had been eight months ago … He couldn’t think about Suzanne right now.
This woman was awake. That was incredible news. Suzanne had never opened her eyes after her head slammed into the rock wall of the cliff.
“A woman fell off the waterfall,” Curt rushed to explain. “She has a head wound and lost consciousness, but she’s coming around now.”
“Back or neck injury?”
“I hope not, but possibly. Ma’am?” He stared into her eyes. “Do you feel any pain or tingling in your back or neck?”
She seemed to think, then murmured, “No.”
That was encouraging.
“Can you move your fingers and toes?”
She wiggled her fingers, and he couldn’t see her toes through her Solomon’s, but she rolled her ankles around.
“Good,” he said.
“Have her just lie still,” Chad said. “I’ll come to you.”
