“Sorry!” Farah says with a wince. “I don’t think you’re fine, Dono. It’s already swelling.”
I curse, slowly lifting my head to look at the wrist she’s gently holding. Not that I need to see it. The sharp, throbbing ache is telling me plenty. I get battered on these trips all the time, but I don’t remember the last time I got hurt enough for my vision to blur at the edges. If I don’t keep breathing, I’m either going to throw up or pass out. She’s right about the swelling, though it doesn’t look terrible. Yet.
“Move your fingers for me,” Farah says. Orders, more like.
I comply, preemptively wincing. Thankfully, moving my fingers doesn’t hurt any more than letting my hand rest. “They’re fine.”
Farah nods. “Now, move your wrist up and down.”
That one’s harder, and I grit my teeth as I gingerly move through the pain. I have mobility, but it hurts. A lot.
“Rotate,” Farah says.
I get halfway through the twist, then give up. “Nope,” I grind out.
With her eyebrows low, she meets my gaze for half a second before returning her attention to my wrist. “Try gripping my arm.” She says it quietly, like she already knows the outcome.
I know it too, but I slowly sit up, pushing myself up to a sitting position with my good hand, despite my shoulder’s protest. As if not doing it will change the result of the test, I take my time wrapping my fingers around her wrist. Just moving my thumb to the other side ispainful, so I’m not surprised when trying to squeeze earns me nothing but pain.
Another curse slips from my tongue. Of all the days for Brody to be an idiot…
Meeting Farah’s gaze again, I silently beg her to tell me that I just tweaked my wrist and I’ll be good with an hour of rest and a tightly wrapped Ace bandage.
“I think you sprained it,” she whispers eventually and looks up at Mason and Thiago, who give each other worried frowns. We all know what this means.
Instinct pulls my eyes to Derek again right as he looks at me too, and his anger instantly shifts to worry when he sees my face.
“Donovan!” His hoarse shout breaks through the building tension at the same time Hunter loosens his hold enough for Derek to slip free and rush toward me. He practically dives into the sand next to me, and his hand finds my face, his eyes searching me for signs of injury. “He wouldn’t let me come after you. When I realized what was—I tried to—Hunter stopped me—I couldn’t—” His words are jumbled, disjointed, and he’s heaving for breath like he’s on the verge of a panic attack. “Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” I assure him, lifting my injured hand to his cheek because I’m still dizzy and need my good hand to steady myself. I touch his skin with my knuckles instead of my fingertips, trying to avoid movement where I can. “I promise.”
“I’m going to kill him,” he growls, as if my promise was enough to pull him from the edge of panic and bring him right back to rage. “I warned him what would happen.”
I can almost swear I hear Brody gulp somewhere in the crowd.
Derek Riley is one of the kindest, most considerate people I’ve ever met. But I don’t doubt that he’s more than willing to follow through with his threat, which explains why it took Hunter so long to releasehim. Derek’s usually bright eyes are stormy, and I’m glad he’s keeping his focus on me instead of Brody. I might be the only thing standing between Brody and a beating right now.
I smile despite hot tears pricking at my eyes. Derek’s concern and protectiveness are pooling in my chest and leaving me warm in a way I’ve never been before. “It was an accident, Derek.”
“When I saw you fall, I…” He places his hand over mine and squeezes.
Pain escapes my throat in a cry I can’t hold back, and I tug my hand free and tuck it against my chest.
Derek stiffens, his gaze slowly dropping to my wrist. His eyes darken as his body grows tense. “I’ll kill him,” he says again.
“No!” Throwing my arm around his neck, I pull him close to me in a stiff and awkward hug. I don’t need him going all macho for me. That’s not who he is, and the whole thing was an accident. “I lost my balance, and he tried to catch me. This wasn’t his fault.” Maybe it was Brody’s fault, but placing blame isn’t going to help anything.
We have bigger problems right now.
I don’t loosen my hold on Derek until he relaxes in my arms with an exhale. He slowly snakes his hands around my back and pulls me into him, somehow both possessive and gentle, and I have a feeling he’s not going to want to let go anytime soon. I don’t want him to let go either. Now that the adrenaline is dissipating, I’m all too aware of the lingering fear pulsing through my veins. I may get nervous sometimes, but I’ve never beenafraidof the river.
I was today.
If Mason hadn’t been so fast, I could have been swept downstream and straight into the three biggest rapids in this section of the river. Assuming I wasn’t pinned against a rock before then. Without a lifejacket, I wouldn’t have…
“I’m okay,” I say again, as much to reassure myself as to convince Derek.
“We should get that wrapped,” Farah says with enough hesitation to tell me she didn’t want to interrupt. I’m glad that she did, given the audience we have right now. “And you should take something to help with the swelling.”
