I follow her suggestion robotically without pause. The screen lights up when I set my cell down. I watch the seconds tick by on the call tracker. It’s been five minutes. Grady appears more ashen and despondent. The air grows thick and gray, a suffocating cloud descending upon us. I scoot forward, ready to do whatever is necessary to save him.
Where the hell are they?
The dispatcher interrupts my rising panic. “The rescue team is about two minutes out. Will they have any trouble finding you?”
I glance around at all the open space. “We’re in the far corner field of my property. There’s a trail they can take straight back. It’s easily accessible. Tell the driver to follow the gravel path. Or they can take the private drive off Batron and Straller. That leads directly to us and might be faster. Either way, just hurry.Please.” I’m on autopilot at this point, spitting out whatever information seems important.
“All right, Sutton. They’ll be arriving any moment. Just sit tight.” Her tone is measured and level, meant to soothe jagged nerves. But I barely hear the words over the rush of my pulse.
I squeeze the chilled fingers that are laced with mine. “Hear that? It’s going to be okay, Gray. They’ll be here soon.” Even to my own ears the attempt at reassurance sounds like a hollow echo. I clench my eyes shut, silently chanting for them to hurry.
The wailing siren alerts me first. In the next beat, flashing lights appear in my periphery. An ambulance races up the small hill and across the pasture to where we wait. Through bleary eyes, I track the wheels bouncing over the rough terrain. I will them to speed up, impossible as that might be.
After what feels like an eternity, the red and white vehicle screeches to a stop beside us. Three men in blue uniforms hustle over, their arms loaded with necessities. One is carrying a massive wedge of sorts and shoves it into the mangled machine’s busted front. The other two are fussing over Grady, shining a flashlight in his eyes and checking for a pulse. A shot of who knows what gets injected into his vein. Whatever it is must be strong because his body droops with a long sigh.
I do my best to follow their rapid and efficient movements. The knot in my chest grows with each tense second. One of them suddenly has his hand on a crank, ready to force the jaws open. I choke on a garbled gasp.
“Wait! Are you sure that’s safe?”
The tallest guy snorts. “With all due respect, let us do our jobs.” His deep timbre does nothing to set my concern at ease.
I bounce my gaze between Grady and these strangers. I wish he was lucid enough to tell me what’s best. As it is, I can’t process everything while keeping my sanity intact. Not sure why I bother trying. My opinion doesn’t mean shit and they make the choice for me.
With a sickening creak of metal, the rusty teeth lift and release Grady’s arm. With the spikes gone, his wounds erupt with blood. The two gouges are deep and resemble a poisonous bite. A tremor ripples through him, but he doesn’t make a sound. The baler’s lethal clutches drip with evidence of the attack. My lunch threatens to make a reappearance. I shudder and avert my eyes.
Grady sags against the man behind him, all the fight melting from his legs. Another paramedic slides a stretcher into place. He flops down onto the board, seeming relieved for the sturdy surface beneath him. His lashes flutter shut while he groans.
They strap Grady down as he fades in and out of consciousness. A river of blood continues to trickle down his arm. I gulp down another round of bile. The waves of nausea crash into the walls of my stomach. I’ve never had a weak gut, but this is Grady. Seeing him hurt crumbles any defenses I could attempt to conjure up.
They load him into the ambulance with seasoned finesse. This team is competent and capable. It’s obvious they deal with this type of situation often. Sad, but realistic. The paramedics are talking at a rate I can’t comprehend. Every other sentence includes a sliver of positive.
Missed the bone.
Not critical.
Can save the arm.
Permanent damage unlikely.
“So, he’s going to be all right?” I hang back to avoid getting in their way.
The stocky one hops out and offers me a smile. “Yeah, absolutely. He’ll need to visit the hospital to get patched up. But that’s basic procedure. He’s very lucky. Your boyfriend will be good as new in a few days.”
My belly swoops at the title I don’t have any claim to. That doesn’t mean I’ll correct him. I tuck some hair behind my ear. “That’s really great news.”
“He’ll be out of it for awhile. Some of that is from shock and the adrenaline wearing off. It’s a very common reaction. We‘re pumping him with morphine for the pain.”
“There’s no reason to worry?” But how can I not?
He shrugs. “Not really. But the doctor will run tests to be sure.”
I give him a blank stare. How the hell long will that take? Grady will be suspended in the balance of unknown for hours. “Um, okay?”
The paramedic turns away without another word. That’s it? But he motions for me to follow. I remain frozen in place.
He quirks a brow at me over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”
I blink at him while static buzzes in my brain. “Where?”
