The way King went stiff sent a chill through Gio.
Something was wrong.
“Where? Okay, we’re close by. Heading to you now.”
“What happened?” Ace asked.
“Move out,” King ordered, and everyone took off after him. “A deer jumped out in front of Mason and Lucky’s snowmobile. Mason swerved, and they ended up on a frozen pond. The weight of the snowmobile caused cracks all over the ice. Ace, Lucky fell in.”
Ace didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up speed and outran them. Gio turned to Sacha, who shook his head and waved an arm. “Go. I’ll catch up.”
Gio hurried after the others, Cookie and Chip running alongside him. As they got closer, Gio saw Jack. He was running toward the pond and shouting at Mason, who was slipping and sliding across the ice. Gio’s heart pounded in his ears as Mason kicked at a spot in the ice and fell through.
“Oh my god!” Gio ran with the others toward the pond. A heartbeat later, Mason popped up, Lucky in his arms. Everyone ran onto the pond, including Gio, but King ordered him to stay back, and Gio understood. He stopped near the edge, Sacha caught up not long after. The guys spread out so their weight wasn’t all in the same spot, then they got on their knees and reached into the water. They pulled Mason and Lucky out, dragging them to a more solid section of the ice where Red waited.
Sacha clipped Juniper to Chip in case she tried to run off again. He ordered the dogs to stay before he made his way out onto the ice, and Gio followed. It was slippery, but their boots and the snow on the ice helped a little with the traction. They’d just reached the others when Lucky made a horrible gurgling sound. Red rolled him onto his side, and Lucky coughed up a mouthful of water.
“We need to get them indoors and in some dry clothes,” Red said, pulling thermal blankets from his bag. King and Ace quickly wrapped up Lucky while Red wrapped a blanket around Mason.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing, Cowboy?” King growled as he and Ace helped Lucky to his feet.
Mason stood, shivering, his scowl deep. “I was thinking the man I love fell through the fucking ice, and the devil himself wasn’t gonna stop me from getting to him. Don’t act like you would have done different.”
King didn’t argue because they all knew Mason was right. Any one of them would have done the same. Jack had removed a rope and a weird-looking ax that Gio realized had to be some kind of ice ax. Red carried a wrapped-up Lucky to Jack’s snowmobile while the guys used the rope and ax to carefully drag the other snowmobile off the ice. As soon as they had, Mason headed to that one with Jack. Gio was sure if Mason hadn’t been soaking wet and shivering violently, he would have been climbing on with Lucky. Instead, he let Red take Lucky and rode with Jack.
“Meet us at Urgent Care,” Red called out as the engines roared to life. They took off toward town. Ace turned to King, who motioned for Ace to follow.
“You go ahead. I’ll text Fitz and ask him to bring the boys some warm clothes.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you guys there,” Ace said and took off after them.
Now that the worst of the danger was over, Gio felt a little shaky. He wasn’t going to say anything because, for fuck’s sake, they’d just been through one hell of a scare, but Cookie whined and poked Gio’s leg. Sacha pointed to a stump near the trees.
“Sit down.”
Gio did as he was told and closed his eyes, remembering to breathe.
“Here. Drink this as soon as you’re able.”
Opening his eyes, Gio took the bottle of water and the pill Sacha held out. In the early days of his diagnosis, he’d been embarrassed every time he’d had an episode, but Sacha helped him understand and accept that sometimes his body just didn’t work the way it should, and it was nothing for him to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.
It took some time for Gio to stop apologizing for his condition, and when he did, he realized that he was the only one who hadn’t accepted his new limitations.
King walked over. “I know this gave you one hell of a scare. Scared the shit out of the rest of us too.” He shook his head. “Cowboy was probably losing his damned mind.”
Gio doubted Mason had given it a second thought before jumping in after Lucky. But King was right. As scared as the rest of them had been, poor Mason must have been terrified.
Gio drank down the bottle of water, and once the dizziness wore off, he stood. Between Sacha walking with crutches and Gio being mindful of his pace, it took some time for them to get back to town. By then, Red had texted King to let him know Lucky and Mason were okay. According to the doctor, Mason’s quick—albeit foolish—reaction had saved Lucky. Fitz had taken them some warm, dry clothes, and they were waiting for the pair to be released, so there was no need for everyone to crowd the Urgent Care waiting room.
King said he’d return Juniper to Luz and insisted Sacha take Gio back to the cabin. Gio didn’t argue. They arrived at the cabin before the others and found Laz in the living room with Cocoa and Duchess.
“Red called. I’m so glad they’re okay,” Laz said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I can’t imagine what you all must have been feeling out there. And poor Mason.” He shook his head. “But they’re safe now. Oh, and Fitz called. He’s going to pick up dinner from the Festive Spruce Diner for everyone. I think some hot comfort food is in order.”
“I think you’re right,” Gio said, hanging up all their outerwear. He removed Cookie’s coat. “Off duty.” Cookie immediately joined the others in play.
“Speaking of food. It’s time to feed the beasts,” Sacha said as he walked into the kitchen. The moment he opened the pantry, the furry hoard descended. Of course, Sacha had taught all of them dinner manners—even Cocoa—so they sat in a line at one end of the kitchen.
Sacha prepared all four dog food bowls, and once he finished—one at a time—he put a bowl down, called a dog over, and gave the word for them to eat. All except for Cocoa. Sacha handed Cocoa’s bowl to Laz, who hand-fed the puppy. Hand feeding helped Cocoa build a relationship with his people and learn trust. It also stopped him from inhaling his kibble.
