Jake went onto auto pilot, thankful for the amount of times they’d done this before. Zack was silent too, simply following the instructions that Alex gave and within minutes they were descending, picking up knocks and bruises that on a scheduled, unrushed abseil they would’ve avoided.
But there was no time to be steady.
Jake thought about the last conversation he’d had with Scott, just minutes before. He thought of Keren and their baby and of years ago when he’d wanted Keren for himself. He’d been a stupid young adult, they all had. But now, there was a baby who needed its father, a woman who needed her partner. And he, Scott, was somewhere below them because he’d been trying to help save a girl.
“I can see him!” Zack’s words were the first he’d said. “He’s there!”
Jake looked to where Zack had pointed and saw Scott, his dark hair and beard unmistakable against the plainness of the white stone.
He was holding on, gripping with one hand onto a small crag that was jutting out from the cliff face. The other hand held on to the man who had caused this, gripping his ankle.
“For fuck’s sake, Scott, let him go!” Zack shouted. “You need both hands!”
Jake could hear Scott yelling in pain and figured his shoulder was probably dislocated. Above them, the whirr of the helicopter sounded. Alex spoke calmly into a radio and then to them, issuing instructions. Quickly. Quickly because there was no way Scott could hold on much longer. Either his grip was going to give or he was going to lose consciousness.
Jake went first, Zack acting as his anchor. He was probably the strongest out of the three of them, although Ludd was capable of lifting a truck, so he’d once proved. He need to get to Scott and hold him. Then they’d drop down in a controlled manner.
The other guy was secondary.
“Hold on, Cuz,” Jake said as he got closer. Scott’s yells were timed, two yells and a breath, two yells and a breath. Controlled. The guy was in pain and he was focusing on the noise to help his breathing.
“That’ll be Keren yelling like that in a few months,” Jake managed to speak. “When she’s birthing your son or daughter.”
He was almost there. So was Ludd.
“Keep holding on, Scotty. We almost got you. Almost there.” The face of the cliff was slippery and he wasn’t wearing the right footwear for this. Nothing about this was right.
“Jake, two feet more.” Ludd’s voice was deep.
Jake did it. He got there, using the rope to take his weight as he straddled Scott, hooking his arms around his chest. Ludd was below them, taking hold of the man who could drop to his death for all Jake cared.
“I got you. You can let go of the bastard you’ve saved. Let go of the rock. Fuck man. How the fuck have you survived this?”
“Tree.” Scott briefly glanced upwards to where a random tree had grown. “Lost consciousness. Woke when I hit that. Keren. Baby.” Scott became a dead weight in Jake’s arms. Jake let the harness take it, knowing that they were secure, that within minutes there would be further help. He saw the cuts and scrapes and blood on Scott and prayed for the first time in years that there was nothing more serious than superficial injuries.
“He’s losing consciousness!” Jake yelled, tightening his grip, using his legs against the cliff face.
“Nearly there, son.” His father, Scott’s uncle, descended from the ‘copter and within a few more minutes he was lifted with Scott into the helicopter. It was only then that he started to breathe and with each exhalation he started to sob, not caring that his father saw or the paramedic or the pilot or Ludd. He had just watched his worst nightmare unfold.
Keren was at the hospital already. Jake noticed how pale she looked, her hand constantly on her belly. Sorrell was with her, her arm around her waist, but neither of the women were talking when Jake first saw them.
“They’ve taken him straight in to check him over.” He was aware that his eyes were red and his face was a mess. He was full of dirt and grime and soaked to the bone, but none of it mattered.
“Is he conscious?” Keren looked the most scared he’d ever seen her.
Jake shook his head. Scott had lost consciousness when he’d held him on that cliff face and hadn’t regained it.
“What about the guy he saved?” Sorrell said.
Jake figured she’d spoken to Zack already. “Unconscious but I don’t know any more. I don’t care if he dies. Scott should’ve let him go.”
Keren shook her head. “There’s still the other man that Sadie Grace saw. We need this bloke to tell us about him.”
Jake shrugged. “How’s Lois?”
“Lena said she was okay. Incredibly shaken up, but okay. They’re here too. Keeping her in for observation overnight. You did good, Jake.” Sorrell grasped his arm but he shook her off, not able to cope with touch or sympathy. He’d nearly lost his cousin.
He might still lose his cousin.
