Page 126 of Love Letters on Hazel Lane

‘I don’t think so. Ankle’s sore. I’m not sure if I can stand.’

‘Don’t try yet. Just hang on down there, Jo. Mountain rescue are coming, but they’re on another call so there’ll be a slight delay. I rang Em but Ludek’s visiting family in Poland for the weekend.’

Jo closed her eyes. She felt woozy and wanted to go to sleep but knew she probably shouldn’t. She remembered vaguely that you weren’t supposed to sleep if you had concussion.

Concussion – 14 points.

She needed to stay…

…awake – 12 points.

Damn it. Tonight was her date with Razz. She wouldn’t make that if they took her to hospital. And she’d been so looking forward to it.

Razz – 22 points.

The man for her. She was certain of it. Well, as certain as she could be when she wasn’t sure if he liked her too.

‘Oh God, Jo,’ she heard him say.

No, how could she hear him? He wasn’t here. Was she unconscious again? Asleep? Dreaming?

‘Jo, are you hurt?’ he said.

The voice seemed to come from above her. She opened her eyes again and saw Razz standing beside Kate up on the path, peering down at her.

Was this her imagination? Or a hallucination? Perhaps she’d hit her head harder than she thought. Or was he actually there?

‘Mountain rescue are on their way,’ he called. And then to Kate, ‘How long did they say?’

She couldn’t hear Kate’s response, but heard Razz say, ‘Oh shit. That long?’

‘Jo,’ he called again. ‘Where does it hurt?’

‘My ankle.’

‘Anywhere else?’

‘And my head,’ she called. ‘And I’m cold.’

‘Stay there. I’m coming down.’

His words didn’t register at first. She looked up and saw him arguing with Kate. Then he headed a couple of metres back down the path, to a place where the slope to the river wasn’t quite as steep, before beginning to scramble down the rocks, slipping and sliding towards the bottom.

‘With you in a second, Jo,’ he called.

This was Razz, she thought. Razz who was frightened of heights. Razz who’d been too scared to sit on a chair wearing a hard hat and be winched perfectly safely down Gaping Gill. And now here he was, negotiating his way down a steep, rocky slope with a river below, and no helmet or rope, in order to reach her.

‘Ow, bugger,’ he shouted suddenly, and she watched in horror as he lost his footing and tumbled the last few metres down to the river, a short way downstream from her.

Her heart pounded. Watching him fall was every bit as frightening as falling herself. What if he was injured? It’d be her fault, all because of that stupid usie. What had she been thinking?

‘Razz?’ she called. She managed to sit up so she could see him. ‘Are you hurt?’

He was getting to his feet now, she saw with relief, but he was wincing, clearly in pain, his left hand on his right shoulder. He stumbled along the side of the river until he reached her, then knelt down beside her. He struggled out of his coat and, using only his left hand, slipped it around Jo’s shoulders. ‘Are you okay, Jo?’

She pulled it around her; it was still warm from his body. ‘Thank you. I think so. I was a bit dizzy, but I’m okay now. Apart from the ankle. I’m not sure if I can stand on it. Are you okay?’

‘Don’t worry about me…’