Broken but Unbowed
Monday Night-Tuesday Morning
As the skiff approached the dock, Alex pointed ahead, leaning over the side as he gazed forward. “The ambulance is there! I see the lights!”
“Alex!” Colin called from his place on the stretcher. “Sit down! I don’t want to have to call another one foryou!”
Joshua leaned over him, shaking his head in soft laughter. “You just never stop, do you.”
Colin caressed his cheek, then laced his fingers with Joshua’s. “God, baby, I’m so sorry.”
“For what? For being a hero?Again?”
A sharp pain pierced Colin’s side, leaving him momentarily breathless. He gripped Joshua’s hand and clenched his jaw, refusing to let a groan escape. “Hero,” he spat out finally. “I’m really starting tohatethat fucking word.”
Trent eased the skiff close to the dock and shut down the engine. The ambulance lights reflected off the water, painting streaks of red and blue across the rippling surface. The hum of the engine vibrated through the air as the EMTs moved with practiced urgency, preparing a stretcher, their voices clippedand efficient. Trent glanced back as they leaped onto the skiff and knelt next to Colin, with Nate one step behind them.
“Colin!” Nate cried, falling to his knees beside the stretcher, his bright blue eyes filled with tears. He bent over and pressed his forehead to Colin’s shoulder, and Colin reached out to embrace him. “I’m fine, buddy. I’m totally fine.”
“Sir, we need to move him,” one of the EMTs murmured, easing Nate to one side while his partner positioned their stretcher next to Colin. “Who did this?” he asked, indicating the splint.
“I did,” Trent told them. “I’m his physical therapist.”
“Great job, man.”
“Alex!” Colin called, then reached to touch the arm of the EMT kneeling beside him. “Hang on a second.”
Alex knelt beside him, and Colin reached to take his hand. “You saved me, Alex. I knew you had it in you. I knew I could count on you.” Alex’s face flushed, his eyes widening. He’d never heard words like that before, and hearing them now stung his eyes with grateful tears. His shoulders squared, a spark of confidence igniting in his gaze as he stepped back, allowing the EMTs to take over.
The medics lifted Colin and placed the foldable stretcher on top of their own, and tightened the straps around him. Within seconds, they were loading him into the ambulance, with Joshua clambering in after him.
“Trent!” Colin yelled, then smiled as his friend stuck his head into the vehicle. “Aren’tyoucoming?”
“You don’t need me,” Trent told him.
“The fuck I don’t! Get in here!”
“No room. I’ll follow in my van.”
“You damn wellbetter!” Colin warned as the door slammed shut.
Joshua situated himself in a seat near Colin’s head, his fingers trembling as they tangled in Colin’s mud-encrusted hair. His lips twitched into a smile, but his eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “You,” his voice caught, “need a shower.”
Colin scoffed out a laugh. “I need a lot more than that.” He grabbed the medic’s arm. “Listen, pal. Make sure they know: No narcotics!”
“Do you have an addiction?” the EMT asked.
“No. I’m just not an idiot.”
The medic laughed. “No worries. I’ll make sure they know.” He leaned over Colin’s head and slid oxygen tubes around his neck and into his nose.
“Why are you doing that?” Joshua asked.
“Your physical therapist told us he had a cracked rib. The O2 is just a precaution.”
“What’s next?” Colin muttered. “A plastic bubble?”
The medic snorted. “You’re pretty damned feisty for a guy with a broken ankle and cracked rib.”
