As she pressed down on the stick, the trunk didn’t move.
“Keep going, pixie,” Theo encouraged.
“I’m not heavy enough.”
“I’ll need to feed you more to fatten you up. I promise to make your favorites if you get this stupid tree off me.”
Pressing again, the tree lifted slightly. Could he slide out?
The crack of the wood made her blood run cold. “It’s breaking. What do I do?”
“Shove it under the trunk as far as you can. It will keep the tree from pressing all the way down.”
She did as told, but she could tell it wasn’t giving Theo much relief. When would Rico get here?
“You need to use the chainsaw. You’re going to have to start getting some of this off me.”
“What? I don’t know how to operate the chainsaw.”
“Listen, pixie.” His voice sounded like gravel. “My leg is going numb, and I really don’t want to lose it.”
“But what if I cut your leg off instead of the tree?” With the way her life was going, she didn’t doubt it might happen.
“You don’t need to cut anywhere near me. But this tree is over a hundred and fifty feet long and most of that is currently pressing down on me. Start on the smaller part to the left of me, and it should help.”
Could she do it? She’d have to if she didn’t want Theo to lose his leg. Or possibly die. Grabbing the chainsaw, she hefted it and moved it closer to the pine.
“Pull the starter like I showed you. Remember to yank it forcefully.”
“Okay.” Her tiny word sounded pathetic to her own ears. Did she have the strength? The cord didn’t want her to succeed, but as she watched Theo’s eyes squeeze shut and his jaw tighten, she knew she had to find the strength.
After a few tries, the machine roared to life.
“Don’t try and cut through the whole thing all at once, pixie,” Theo said. “Cut out some smaller V-shaped pieces until you get through.”
How the heck was she supposed to do this? She wasn’t a lumberjack, for Pete’s sake. Nevertheless, seeing Theo in pain helped her along. The chainsaw jolted her arms as it sliced through the pine. One small cut, then another. This was taking forever. Could she do it before it was too late?
His complexion grew paler, and his lips compressed together as the tree shook from the effects of the saw. The ridiculous machine kept getting stuck in the wood of the tree, and she had to yank forcefully on it to get it out. Surprisingly, she hadn’t sliced her head open yet.
“You can do it,” Theo encouraged again, however his voice wasn’t as strong as it had been. Being a hero had not been in the job description when she signed up for this work. Still, she kept going, sawing away at the wood inch by slow inch.
“Only a little more, pixie. You’re doing great.”
As Theo spoke, the chainsaw sputtered and stopped.
“What? No!” She wiggled it out of the wood and tried tugging on the pull cord again. Nothing.
Theo’s sigh could be heard in the now silent forest. “You ran out of gas. I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough.”
The emptiness in her stomach threatened to swallow her up. “What do I do now?”
The pain lines around Theo’s eyes were deep. Lifting one hand, he held it out. “Come over here and talk to me.”
“You’ve got a huge tree flattening you into the ground, and you want to chat?”
He wiggled his fingers, coaxing her near. When she knelt down beside him, he grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You got most of the way through. Rico should be here soon, and he can take care of the rest.”
The tears she’d pushed aside as she cut through the tree returned. “I should have done more. I should…”
