A tree stump juts up from the earth near the edge of the path, and just beyond it, Ashton’s four-wheeler is flipped on its side.
My heart stops.
Ashton’s boots stick out from beneath the wheels, his body pinned under the weight of the ATV. His hair is damp and tangled with leaves and debris, his face smeared with dirt like he’s been struggling.
I drop to my knees beside him. “Ash?!”
He blinks a few times, his head lolling to the side like it’s too heavy to hold up. His eyes are unfocused when they land on me.
“Troy?” he croaks.
“Yeah. It’s me, baby,” I say, brushing the hair off his forehead with shaking fingers. “Luke and I are here. We’re gonna help you.”
His eyes squeeze shut. “Was on my way to my parents’ house,” he murmurs, voice weak. “On the four-wheeler… didn’t see the tree trunk. Tire clipped it, and I—” He winces, jaw tight. “Flipped.”
I press a hand gently to his chest, lowering my voice. “It’s okay, baby. We’re here now.”
Luke rushes up beside me, swearing under his breath the second he sees Ashton.
“Help me move it off him,” he orders, already circling around to grab the other side of the ATV.
I snap into motion, crouching at the opposite end. I grip the frame, but the metal is slick and awkward, and it’s hard to get a good hold.
“On three,” Luke says, meeting my eyes for half a second. “One… two… three—”
We shove together.
The thing barely budges at first—it’s heavy as hell—but adrenaline does the rest.
When it finally shifts off him, Ashton lets out a broken cry.
He gasps, clutching his stomach as a raw, agonized sound rips from his throat. Tears slide down his face, cutting clean tracks through the dirt on his skin.
“Bro, look at me,” Luke says urgently, crouching beside his head and snapping his fingers in front of Ashton’s face. “What hurts?”
Ashton groans, his body still limp against the ground. “Everything. I can’t—” He chokes, wincing as another wave of pain crashes through him. “Hurts to move.”
“We’re gonna have to carry you to my truck,” Luke says quickly. “It’s gonna hurt until we get you to a hospital. Think you can handle that?”
For a second, Ashton just breathes through his teeth. Then the faintest smile twitches across his lips—the first glimpse of his personality pushing through the pain.
“It’s fine,” he hisses. “I’m tough.”
I know he is. Ashton is the strongest person I’ve ever met.
“Let’s get you sitting up first,” I say, sliding my arms under his shoulders.
The moment I start lifting him, he groans, a sharp hiss tearing through his teeth as his body shifts. Something warm and slick runs across my hand. When I look down, my vision swims.
Blood coats my fingers, and in the middle of Ashton’s forearm, a bit of bone is pushed through the torn skin.
“Oh, shit,” I whisper.
Luke glances over, his eyes going wide. “Fuck. That’s bad,” he says softly. “The weight of the ATV was probably cutting off the bleeding.”
Ashton groans, confused, trying to turn his head to see.
“Don’t look,” I say firmly, grabbing his chin. “Don’t look, Ash.”
