They started her on a little oxygen and gave her an ice pack for her cheek.
"What happened?" she asked in a weak voice.
"You got your bell rung," I said.
The protesters dispersed. Deputies hauled troublemakers to squad cars, cuffed at the wrists.
"Might want to avoid these types of events in the future,” I cautioned. “They can get out of hand quickly.”
"I'm not going to stop speaking up for the things I believe in.”
I smiled. I had to admire her spirit. "I'm Deputy Tyson Wild."
Even with the shiner, she was still cute.
“So, you’re the enemy,” she groaned.
“I’m not the enemy.”
“What are you doing to stop this madness?”
“I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but we just broke up a massive brawl.”
“No. I mean the chaos that’s happening offshore. How many innocent sharks are going to be harvested? They are a valuable part of our ecosystem.”
“I don’t disagree. But that’s an FWC issue. If I catch someone breaking the law, I’ll arrest them. Right now, I’ve got my hands full trying to solve a few murders.”
"Ma’am, we can take you to the hospital for a full evaluation and a CT scan, if you’d like," an EMT said.
"No. That won't be necessary. I'm fine. Thank you."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive.”
"You took a pretty good hit to the head,” the EMT said. “If you have any dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or slurred speech, you need to get yourself into the ER right away. It’s nothing to play around with. Someone needs to stay with you and wake you up every three to four hours tonight. Do you have someone to monitor you at home?" The EMT looked at me.
"No," Ariel said.
"I'm not trying to be weird, but if you need a place to stay, we've got more than enough room on the boat,” I said. “We can keep an eye on you for the next 24 hours.”
She scoffed. "We just met. I think I'll be fine.”
"Totally up to you.” I dug into my pocket and handed her a card. "Call me if you need anything. I suggest you find a friend you canstay with to keep an eye on you. Like he said, a traumatic brain injury is nothing to fool around with.”
"I got punched. It's not a big deal.”
"Sometimes that's all it takes.”
I stayed with her another few minutes as she regained her wits. I figured she’d be just fine, but she’d probably be sore as hell in the morning.
“Do you need a ride home?“ I asked.
“No. I can manage.”
“You probably shouldn’t drive in this condition.”
“I would advise against operating heavy machinery for the next few days,“ the EMT said.
