"He's on his way with a customer who was in the cellar. Oh hell, Tibby, why am I so fucking stubborn? I could have prevented this."
"No,...not your...argh." Mason tried to talk to her but the pain was too much.
"Shhh, don't move or talk. Help is coming." She looked up at Tibby and cringed. He was looking at her with sadness and she assumed it was because she was right.
With tenderness she didn't know she had, Sami wiped the sweat from Mason's forehead and talked softly to try and calm him down. He threw his head from side to side and groaned in pain. The sound went straight to her gut.
So much for being stubborn and wilful Sami, look where it ended up.
"Don't you go passing out on me, girl." Tibby shook his head at her. "You have no more colour that he does."
"I'm scared, Tibby."
"Me too, love, me too."
The sound of a four wheel drive reached their ears and the slam of a door was followed by cursing. James ran down the hill with a burly gentleman closely on his heels.
"Oh shit. I knew this was a bad idea." He dropped beside Sami and lifted Mason's eyelids. "Right, we need to get a move on here. I can hear the chopper coming in. Lance, grab the end of the first post and when I say three, lift."
James rose and steadied himself at one end of the post. Crouching down he gripped it firmly and counted. "One, two, three. Lift!"
Mason cried out in pain and his body twisted on the ground. Gripping his hand tightly, Sami tried to calm him down. His semi-conscious state was scaring her badly and she didn't know what to do but hold his hand.
"Okay, next one. One, two, three."
The air stirred with the downdraft of the rescue chopper. Sami leaned over Mason's head to keep the dust from his face. As soon as it landed and they turned off the blades, a medic jumped out. He grabbed a case from the chopper and ran forward to the group surrounding Mason.
Tibby moved out of the way to make room while they assessed him. Sami went to move and they stopped her. "You're doing a good job of keeping him calm, love. It all helps so stay where you are until we are ready to load him up then you can drive in and meet us at the hospital."
She shook her head and opened her mouth to explain but James cut her off. "I'll bring her in myself." He shot a glance at Sami and she looked down wondering why he was being so nice when all of this was her fault.
They checked Mason from head to toe and declare one leg badly broken and the other one a suspected fractured ankle. The lacerations in his thighs would require stitches but it was minor compared to the broken bones. They were concerned about how he fell and placed a neck brace on as a precaution.
When they were ready to place him on the stretcher, Sami stood back with Tibby while James had a quick word with the medics. Tibby placed a hand over her shoulders and she leaned into him seeking comfort. As soon as they had Mason on the chopper, James called her over.
"Let's go. I have to tell Garth what happened and then I'll give you a ride in to the hospital." He walked to the vehicle and Sami looked at Tibby, uncertain if she should go.
"You know you want to, so go." He pushed her forward and she ran as the chopper left the ground and swung out over the farm. She kept her gaze on the machine as they drove up the paddocks until it was out of sight. A trembling sigh shuddered from her mouth.
"He will want you there, Sami." James looked at her in the rear vision mirror.
"I somehow doubt that."
"He told me you were stubborn."
She got in the vehicle and glanced out the window remaining quiet until they pulled up at the cellar. While James was thanking Lance, Garth ran out.
"What happened, Sami? How is he?" He gripped her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"Broken legs, lacerations, barely conscious. It's all I can tell you. James is taking me in. Look"—she wiped her hand over her face—"can you go home and see to Tibby. He's pretty shaken and I don't want to leave him alone. I'll call as soon as I can, okay?"
Garth frowned and looked over as James came out with the car keys in his hand.
"Sure. Let me know how he goes."
Sami walked over to the sleek, black sedan and climbed into the front seat conscious of her work clothes and shrugged. There was nothing she could do about it now.
The drive passed in a blur. James pushed her into the emergency department and held her arm as they walked up to the desk.
"Hi, Lucy. Is Mason in here yet?"
The nurse smiled at him. "Sure is Uncle James. I'll go and check and see if you can go in, I think the doctor is with him."
"Connections in the right place make things easier." He smiled at Sami and she attempted to smile back.
"I don't understand why you brought me here, James."
The older gentleman looked at her with kindness in his eyes. "Because he asked me too."
She bit her lip and looked up when the nurse came back signalling them to follow her. "You can have a quick visit but they are waiting for an operating room and then they will take him in. Looks like they need to pin his leg."
James took Sami's arm and walked her to Mason. When the nurse pulled back the curtain Sami stumbled and fell against James. He grabbed hold of her until she found her feet.
"Still falling at my feet." Mason tried to laugh but grimaced instead. He was lying on a stretcher, the sheets bloodied around his legs. They had cut off his jeans and he was barely covered by
