The other group was already farther down the creek, but Cyrus doubled back to them. “We’ve made contact with the chopper. We’re looking at a very tight load window. Need to pick up our pace.”
“Trying.” Linc sloshed through the water with more effort.
“Let us carry you.” Cyrus nodded at Jacob, who was quick to agree.
“Yeah. It’s the best option and you know it.” And Jacob being Jacob, he didn’t wait for Linc to come to terms with this change of circumstances, simply scooping him up along with Cyrus in an impressively coordinated chair carry. And then they were on the move, it glaringly obvious how much Jacob had been holding back to keep up with Linc and the crutch as he and Cyrus easily plowed through the water. They made up ground with the sort of determination most recruits reserved for their first timed pack-out test.
Meanwhile, Linc struggled to keep his pride in check. It was one thing to know he might have to be stretchered out and another to be bodily carried, realizing there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to make this easier on Jacob and Cyrus who were both huffing with exertion. And yeah his head still ached, but he was conscious enough of every movement, every bounce and jostle. But then they caught up to the stretcher, and one look at Garrick put all that pride to shame. This was nothing. A little indignity, but he wasn’t complaining, not with his friend fighting for his life right next to him.
“I hear something!” Jacob’s voice was breathless but excited. “What’s the word from Command?”
“ETA five minutes,” the comm set reported, Ray’s voice even more filled with static. “The creek widens a little around this bend, and that will give them enough room for a tight landing.”
The drone of an incoming helicopter increased as they all sped up, the sound giving everyone a renewed burst of energy. They reached the wide, flat section of creek bank, and after setting Linc next to Garrick, the rest quickly prepped for the helicopter landing.
“Hang in there,” he said to Garrick, trying to summon all of Jacob’s usual upbeat energy. “Come on, buddy, just a little longer.”
“Yup.” Jacob came to crouch in front of Linc. “Listen, here’s the deal. And you can’t have a fit, okay?”
“Okay,” he reluctantly agreed.
“Because of how bad off Garrick is and because there’s seven of us to evac, they’re updating the plan. They’re sending a second chopper. First chopper’s going straight to the hospital in Bend. Cyrus and Duski want you on that chopper—no one likes the look of your head bump even if you are talking okay. We’ve all seen latent head injuries go bad fast. You need checking out.”
“And you too. Your wrist—”
“Is fine. Even after carrying your ass, I’m fine.” He gave Linc a hint of a rascally grin. “Just a sprain.”
“You need an X-ray.”
“And I’ll get one if the medics say so.” Jacob kept his voice low and patient. “But they’re balancing loads, and I’m on the second chopper. No fits, remember?
“Fuck. Jacob.” He held Jacob’s gaze, trying to get him to see reason, knowing it was pointless, but needing to try nonetheless. “If the fire shifts... If they can’t get a second chopper in...”
“We’ve got our shelters. We’re near the water. And I’m tough.”
“You’re...” My heart. My everything. The words were right there, but then Jacob looked away.
“Here it comes!” he shouted, standing up, helicopter noise increasing now, drowning out whatever Linc might have tried to say. To Linc, Jacob nodded. “Just trust me, man.”
“I do. Always. Find me. After.” Linc had to yell to be heard.
“Always.”
And then Jacob was gone, rushing over to the others as the chopper swooped low. Garrick was loaded first, two uniformed medics taking charge of his stretcher. Next Linc was transferred to a second gurney, leg strapped up. They were airborne almost before he had a chance to grab a breath, Jacob a pale dot on the creek bank, Linc’s heart left right there next to him. The crew working on Garrick kept up a constant chatter of medical jargon, but all Linc could focus on was the smoky canopy beneath them. If the fire took Jacob...
God, he couldn’t even finish that thought. Not before they talked. Not before he made things right. Not before he said all the things. Every thought Jacob hadn’t let him finish and all the others rattling around in his increasingly foggy brain. So much left unsaid. All he needed was a chance. A chance for Jacob and the crew left behind. A chance for himself. And a chance for them, a chance that maybe everything wasn’t already lost.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jacob hadn’t let Linc complete any of what he’d wanted to say. He’d had good reasons for not wanting to hash things out in the middle of a crisis, not wanting Linc to say things he’d later regret. However, as he watched the chopper leave, all those missing words loomed large in his mind.
Be okay, Linc. We’ll talk later, he promised the ashy sky as the helicopter disappeared over the horizon, and the rest of them settled in to wait for the second evac attempt. And for all he’d been short with Linc, he did intend to have the sort of lay-it-all-out conversation they were way overdue. He wasn’t giving up Linc without a fight, but he also couldn’t deny that he was still hurt and angry and frustrated and not sure he could trust heat-of-the-moment apologies. If Linc said what he most wanted to hear and then took it back...
Well, he simply wasn’t sure he could cope with that. The thought alone made his wrist ache worse and made his stomach churn to the point that when he was offered a protein bar he had to decline. He’d let his fears keep Linc at bay, and now that he was faced with the very real possibility of never hearing what he’d been about to say, he was almost sick with longing. Fucking fickle brain.
The helplessness of the wait got to him too. There was not much any of them could do to increase their chances of rescue. They were at the mercy of the wind and the fire, and they had to trust the other crews to do their best with the unpredictable conditions. After two aborted helicopter landing attempts, he wasn’t surprised when the call came down from Command to pack out farther, another long slog of hoping Linc was okay and that Garrick was alive. Everyone was similarly somber, not much small talk as they pressed on.
At the second extraction point, word came that Garrick had been stabilized in Bend and was on a life flight to Portland for further surgery. No word whether he’d lost the leg—Jacob knew he’d done the right thing with the tourniquet but it also increased the risk of amputation and permanent damage the longer it was in place. And no word about Linc’s condition either. Jacob presumed he wasn’t on the life flight, but there was a wide range between life-threatening beyond what the regional hospital could handle and out of danger entirely. He’d promised Linc he’d go to him, and he intended to keep that promise, but it was another two evacuation tries before he was en route to base on a bumpy ride over a fire that was increasingly contained, no thanks to the wind.