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“Anchor yourself!”
Shit. Usually if he placed a top rope he did it after climbing up and placing several pros along the way to catch him if he fell. Since he’d come up on foot he wasn’t on belay and had no safety net.
Leave it to Noah to keep him in line.
Just as he spun around to double back to where he’d dropped his gear, a strong gust of wind whooshed past, knocking him off balance.
His foot slipped and his arms flailed, seeking purchase and finding none. His stomach plummeted as his back hit the rock and gravity took hold. Graham had one last thought before pain shot through his body and everything went dark.
If I survive this, Claire’s gonna kill me.
7
Claire always tuned in at the mention of firefighter injuries. But traumas from the plethora of outdoor activities Denver and surrounding areas were known for?
Not so much.
They were just such frequent fliers in the ER she expected at least one per shift. Which was why when she heard Ruthie take the call about a climber coming by ambulance with several injuries, she’d caught very little other than to hear the patient would go straight to the trauma bay upon arrival.
Must be pretty bad, then.
Claire sat in front of her computer to chart and catch her breath for a few seconds. Two of the three patients currently assigned to her were high maintenance and she’d been running around for the last three hours getting medication, bringing ice chips and warm blankets, and providing written information on various potential medical conditions.
She hadn’t even taken a break to pee.
Might be wishful thinking, but she hoped things would be different once she was on shift as a provider. She loved being a nurse, always had, but had never been great at taking directions from other people. She’d still report to a physician once she officially made the move, but she’d also have more autonomy than she did now.
She didn’t expect things to be less stressful, per se, but in most situations the more control she had, the better she fared. She’d take on more liability, but also had room to be part of the decision-making team. She’d be the one ordering medications rather than giving them, the one interpreting and responding to lab results rather than the one drawing the blood. Each piece was critical to do well, but she was ready for a change.
Progress in the love department hadn’t budged in a long time, so she focused on taking a step up in her career instead.
Sirens in the distance edged closer and finally shut off when the vehicle parked outside the unit. The doors to the ambulance entrance burst open and the standard flurry of movement commenced. Paramedics barked information to the receiving staff, and the attending physician who had been alerted of the incoming patient shouted orders and demands to get out of his way as they wheeled the patient to the nearest trauma bay.
Claire glanced up briefly, planning to stay well out of the way at this point, but her eyes landed on a familiar face.
Noah stood just inside the doors, his face pale and eyes wild. It took her several long seconds to piece together why he was here, and why he’d come through the ambulance entrance. Fear shot through her like a bolt of lightning, and she jumped to her feet, catching a glimpse of the patient’s lower half before the door swung shut to the trauma bay.
Pushing aside the unnatural angle of his right leg, her brain homed in on the green shorts—the same ones Graham often wore climbing.
She blinked twice before her brain caught up.
“Noah,” she cried out, and his eyes found hers. She stumbled toward him, pushing off the counter, but with each step her lungs squeezed tighter. She tried to breathe but her throat was closing in. At the edge of the nursing station she gripped a chair and slid to the floor, knowing she might pass out if she remained on her feet.
Noah was at her side immediately, kneeling down and with one hand on her shoulder.
“It’s Graham?”
He nodded, his expression grave. “I don’t know what happened. He was at the top of a cliff to anchor the rope. We haven’t top-roped in a while, but it’s basic, beginner stuff and I’ve seen him do it a hundred times. I noticed he didn’t anchor himself first, but I don’t know why. I was at the bottom, waiting. We all were.” He shifted onto his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. “Claire, when he hit the ground I thought he was dead.”
Her stomach heaved and she whirled around to reach behind the counter for a trash can. By the time she’d emptied her stomach, Ruthie was there, her hand on Claire’s back. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Claire shook her head and lifted a shaking finger to the room where they’d taken Graham. “That’s my friend. My roommate.”
“Shit.” Ruthie’s forehead wrinkled in concern. “Hang tight. I’ll see if I can move your patients around, okay?”
Claire pressed a trembling hand to her forehead and nodded.
“But...you can’t go in there right now.” Ruthie’s eyes were empathetic but stern. “Okay?”
