Whitewater Rendezvous

at the river’s edge. She had a gash in her forehead that was bleeding profusely, but she was breathing on her own.

“Grab the fi rst-aid kit,” Chaz cried hoarsely as Sally rushed to help her, and the other women converged on the scene.

A few seconds after Sally dropped the fi rst-aid kit at Chaz’s feet, Megan came to and immediately began coughing and vomiting up water. Chaz held a compress of gauze against her head to stop the bleeding. When the worst had passed, Megan stared up at Chaz and Sally, who were kneeling on either side of her.

“Where do you hurt?” Chaz asked.

“Left shoulder.” Megan grimaced and coughed up some more water. “And head, where you’re pressing.”

“Do you have any pain at all in your neck? Or anywhere else?”

Chaz asked.

“No. Just shoulder and head. My helmet came off somehow.”

“We need to get your PFD off,” Chaz said.

Megan’s eyes got wide. “Can’t,” she croaked. She coughed again.

“We have to,” Chaz said. “You may have dislocated your shoulder.”

“Can we wait a while? I mean, I don’t want to be a baby about this.

But I just want to lie still for a minute. It’s only just stopped absolutely killing me.”

“We have to do this soon,” Chaz said. “If you’ve dislocated it, the sooner we get it back in place the better. We want to do it before you start having muscle spasms.” She couldn’t stand the look in Megan’s eyes. So scared. “Look, I’ll dress your head wound fi rst. We can wait on the other until I do that.”

Megan took a deep breath. Let it out. “Thanks,” she said, just above a whisper.

“Sally, I think I can handle this at the moment,” Chaz said. “Will you take a look and see if you can spot Megan’s kayak?”

“We can do that,” Pat offered. “Linda and I will take the kayaks down and portage back.” Glancing at Elise, she suggested, “Maybe you could walk alongside with a rescue line and look for the kayak.”

“Sure,” Elise agreed, but her eyes were on Megan. She looked stricken. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes,” Chaz said grimly.

• 167 •

KIM BALDWIN

Elise looked like she wanted to linger, but Pat tapped her on the shoulder and she hurried away.

“Don’t go so far you’ll kill yourself walking back, okay?” Sally called after them. “And be careful, please.”

Chaz fi nally got the bleeding stopped and gently bandaged Megan’s head wound, which was turning into a good-sized purplish goose egg. The lump concerned her, although Megan seemed perfectly lucid. When that was done, it was time to check her shoulder.

“I’ll be as gentle as I can,” Chaz said. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Chaz leaned over Megan and looked her in the eyes as she unhooked the vest. She could see how much Megan was already hurting, and how terrifi ed she was of what they were about to do. She hated causing her even more pain. But she knew she would probably have to.

“Okay,” Chaz said. “Try to relax.”

“Easier said than done.” Megan’s eyes remained locked with Chaz’s, as if for reassurance. Something to hold on to.

“See if you can pull your other arm out of the vest,” Chaz said.

“Then I’ll slip it off you.”

Megan accomplished that part with another loud groan, and the vest was quickly off.

Chaz unzipped Megan’s dry suit top and pulled it back. Megan was wearing a black, two-piece swimsuit beneath. The top created a mesmerizing display of cleavage that Chaz couldn’t, for a moment, bear to tear her eyes from. In the middle of this crisis, all she could think about was touching Megan’s breasts. I should be ashamed of myself.

She forced her eyes away, to Megan’s shoulder, and steered her mind fi rmly back to the task. She gently palpated the joint, trying not to think about how soft Megan’s skin was under her fi ngers.

“The good news is, I don’t think it’s dislocated.” She looked into Megan’s eyes. “Tell me where it’s tender.” She continued to gently probe, and Megan indicated with a grimace when she hit a sore spot.

“There. Ow.”

“Can you wiggle your fi ngers?”

Megan did so, without moving her arm. “Hurts in the muscles in my upper arm when I do that.”

“Any loss of feeling?”

“Nope.”

• 168 •

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14