couldn’t contain a sigh of relief. He might try his damnedest to annoy her but she already knew he could handle a difficult situation. As he got closer he flicked a quick frown at Vikki before kneeling beside George on the grassy bank.
“I think he’s broken his ankle,” Cam told him. “He got it trapped under a boulder and then fell backwards into the river.”
Daniel took in her drenched appearance, then looked at George and checked his pulse. “How you doing, George?”
“Hurts like a bitch,” George hissed through bared teeth.
“I need to remove your boot in case you’re bleeding.” Out of nowhere, Daniel pulled a lethal-looking knife and Cam flinched and almost lost her balance on the rocks.
Chapter Five
Death On Call Tactical Air Control Party, U.S. Air Force
Daniel raised his brows. “We’ve been over this, Doc.”
Cam nodded, but the savage glint of steel brought back a vivid reminder of the gash across Sylvie Watson’s neck.
He edged George’s waders away from the man’s body and sliced from the waist down, careful not to nick George’s leg as the wounded man tried to hold still.
“You have medical training?” Cam asked. Her clothes and waders were plastered to her body like a saggy second skin.
“Some.” Daniel paused in his ministrations, clearly impatient. “Get out of the water before you catch pneumonia.”
“I need to get my hat.” She jerked her thumb toward her ball cap, which bobbed against the fence. She’d already lost one yesterday.
“Tommy, go get the Doc’s hat,” Daniel ordered.
Cam opened her mouth to protest, but the boy was already in the water. “Heck, that’s the fastest he’s moved since I met him.”
George shrieked as Daniel sliced open the other side of the waders. Cam tried to crawl up the bank, but she kept slipping in the mud. Daniel hauled her out one-handed, like a sack of grain.
“Thanks.”
“Here’s your hat, Dr. Young.” With a smile, Tommy held out the sodden Florida Panthers cap. Suddenly the kid looked excited and motivated. Go figure.
She took the cap and wrung it out. “Thanks, and call me Cam.” Her teeth chattered. George was shivering, too. Daniel managed to get the guy’s waders off and threw the ruined green rubber beside the equipment coolers. Then he gently removed George’s sock.
Cam blew out a sigh of relief when she saw his foot. The joint looked puffy and swollen, the skin reddened, but no obvious bleeding or jagged bone poking through flesh. But the foot rested at an unnatural angle that made her stomach squirm.
“Can you wiggle your toes?” Daniel asked.
George nodded and twitched his toes, letting out a terrific groan as he did so.
“Pass me that rucksack,” Daniel told the kid, who once again jumped to obey orders. He slid the pack under George’s leg.
“You got any cardboard I can use for a splint?” Daniel’s focus was one-hundred percent on the injured man, and his confidence and calm under pressure reassured her.
She raced over and opened the coolers she used to haul her equipment.
“And a towel or something to pad it,” he called.
Cam grabbed a box that contained her cleanup kit and dumped the contents inside the cooler. She pulled out a foam pad she used to cushion fish during surgery. As they hadn’t done any tagging yet, it was clean. Some people might call that fortuitous.
Daniel manipulated the foam around the leg and ankle, followed by the cardboard, and positioned it beneath George’s injured foot.
“Hold this.”
Both she and Tommy supported the cardboard splint around the leg while Daniel secured it with duct tape. “Tommy, get on the blower and request a helicopter ride back to the ship for you, Vikki and Katie.”
“Why can’t I go with you?” Tommy coupled his whine with a resentful glare in Cam’s direction.
“I’m taking George and the Doc to Nain—”
“Why her? I can help—”
“Non-negotiable, Tommy,” Daniel told the kid, who stomped off.
“He
“I think he’s broken his ankle,” Cam told him. “He got it trapped under a boulder and then fell backwards into the river.”
Daniel took in her drenched appearance, then looked at George and checked his pulse. “How you doing, George?”
“Hurts like a bitch,” George hissed through bared teeth.
“I need to remove your boot in case you’re bleeding.” Out of nowhere, Daniel pulled a lethal-looking knife and Cam flinched and almost lost her balance on the rocks.
Chapter Five
Death On Call Tactical Air Control Party, U.S. Air Force
Daniel raised his brows. “We’ve been over this, Doc.”
Cam nodded, but the savage glint of steel brought back a vivid reminder of the gash across Sylvie Watson’s neck.
He edged George’s waders away from the man’s body and sliced from the waist down, careful not to nick George’s leg as the wounded man tried to hold still.
“You have medical training?” Cam asked. Her clothes and waders were plastered to her body like a saggy second skin.
“Some.” Daniel paused in his ministrations, clearly impatient. “Get out of the water before you catch pneumonia.”
“I need to get my hat.” She jerked her thumb toward her ball cap, which bobbed against the fence. She’d already lost one yesterday.
“Tommy, go get the Doc’s hat,” Daniel ordered.
Cam opened her mouth to protest, but the boy was already in the water. “Heck, that’s the fastest he’s moved since I met him.”
George shrieked as Daniel sliced open the other side of the waders. Cam tried to crawl up the bank, but she kept slipping in the mud. Daniel hauled her out one-handed, like a sack of grain.
“Thanks.”
“Here’s your hat, Dr. Young.” With a smile, Tommy held out the sodden Florida Panthers cap. Suddenly the kid looked excited and motivated. Go figure.
She took the cap and wrung it out. “Thanks, and call me Cam.” Her teeth chattered. George was shivering, too. Daniel managed to get the guy’s waders off and threw the ruined green rubber beside the equipment coolers. Then he gently removed George’s sock.
Cam blew out a sigh of relief when she saw his foot. The joint looked puffy and swollen, the skin reddened, but no obvious bleeding or jagged bone poking through flesh. But the foot rested at an unnatural angle that made her stomach squirm.
“Can you wiggle your toes?” Daniel asked.
George nodded and twitched his toes, letting out a terrific groan as he did so.
“Pass me that rucksack,” Daniel told the kid, who once again jumped to obey orders. He slid the pack under George’s leg.
“You got any cardboard I can use for a splint?” Daniel’s focus was one-hundred percent on the injured man, and his confidence and calm under pressure reassured her.
She raced over and opened the coolers she used to haul her equipment.
“And a towel or something to pad it,” he called.
Cam grabbed a box that contained her cleanup kit and dumped the contents inside the cooler. She pulled out a foam pad she used to cushion fish during surgery. As they hadn’t done any tagging yet, it was clean. Some people might call that fortuitous.
Daniel manipulated the foam around the leg and ankle, followed by the cardboard, and positioned it beneath George’s injured foot.
“Hold this.”
Both she and Tommy supported the cardboard splint around the leg while Daniel secured it with duct tape. “Tommy, get on the blower and request a helicopter ride back to the ship for you, Vikki and Katie.”
“Why can’t I go with you?” Tommy coupled his whine with a resentful glare in Cam’s direction.
“I’m taking George and the Doc to Nain—”
“Why her? I can help—”
“Non-negotiable, Tommy,” Daniel told the kid, who stomped off.
“He
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