Disheartened, Tony averted his gaze from downriver. He’d failed. Would the rescue boats arrive in time to get to them? Would someone downstream be able to snag them in their safety rope as they floated by and finish what Tony hadn’t been able to accomplish?
Please God, let somebody save them.
Branches banged against his dry suit making him wonder how badly the mother and toddler were being bombarded by this debris. They didn’t have the protective gear he had. Even with his gear, he’d lost feeling in the cold water, which probably had more to do with his frustration at not being able to complete his mission than the coldness of the water.
Hand over hand, Tony pulled himself across the taut rope to the western bank of the river where two volunteers from the Fairchance SAR team assisted him out of the water. Someone radioed the EMS crew to come downstream, but they wouldn’t be able to do anything about what needed fixing in him.
The flashing lights of the ambulance bounced off the wet trees, but Tony noticed the rain had stopped. Minutes later, Rafe practically charged down the hill carrying a long spine board followed by the paramedic and EMT loaded down with their gear. Rafe must have caught a ride down in the back of their vehicle. Tony stood up to show his big brother he was fine, but swayed a little before being able to stabilize his feet.
“Damned mud,” he growled, hoping Rafe would accept that as his excuse for being unsteady. No way would he allow himself the humiliation of being transported from the scene—especially not in front of Rafe—nor would he tie up the ambulance that would be needed to take the victims to the hospital once they were rescued.
“You okay, Tony?” His brother asked without preamble, setting down the board and squeezing his shoulder as he searched Tony’s eyes. Rafe looked as if he’d seen a ghost. Clearly, he hadn’t jumped in when Tony released his safety line.
Shit. Tony hadn’t given Rafe’s or anyone else’s safety a second thought when he’d jumped in. Because you were focused solely on the helpless victims. He and Rafe could take care of themselves. Hell, hadn’t Rafe proven he was invincible when he’d fallen through a floor in a burning building?
Still, he should have wondered about Rafe as Tony was being pulled out of the river. He added relief and guilt to the emotions warring within him.
“I’m fine. Did somebody get them out yet?” His primary concern remained the same.
“I haven’t heard any radio chatter to that effect,” Rafe said, “but there are others stationed along the banks all the way to town.”
Knowing the victims hadn’t been abandoned by everyone else gave him a small ray of hope. Tony wouldn’t be able to look himself in the mirror unless the two were pulled out of this river alive.
“Tony, have a seat so we can get you out of your gear,” said Fiona Collins, the paramedic who worked Rafe’s shift. She led Tony to a log, and her EMT partner helped Tony unzip the full length of his dry suit, because he’d grown weak after his exertions in the water and hauling himself out of the river. The EMT loosened the tight seals at Tony’s neck and wrists. Once the dry suit was removed from the waist up, Fiona began assessing his vitals and checking his neck and back for injuries.
After a thorough examination, Fiona said, “You’ll be bruised and stiff tomorrow, but I don’t see any serious injuries.”
“You’re damned lucky,” Rafe said. Tony looked up to find his brother glaring at him, but also noticed the lines in his forehead had smoothed out some. “Now, I need to get back to work.” One of the volunteers offered to give Rafe a ride back to the command vehicle, and he took it.
A reprieve of sorts, but Tony would catch hell from Rafe later for using the quick release on his safety rope. He’d do it again if faced with the same situation, though. Hell, Rafe or any of his brothers would probably have done the same thing if they were honest about it.
Waiting to hear what had happened to the mother and daughter, he watched the muddy waters churn in front of him for a few minutes. The water-rescue team’s boat hummed past him, its motor at full tilt with two on board.
About damned time.
Fiona packed up her equipment then she and the EMT helped Tony the rest of the way out of the dry suit before wrapping him in thermal blankets. Tony wobbled on his feet again, glad his brother wasn’t here to witness it this time.
“Let’s get you to the ambulance,” Fiona said.
She insisted he hold on to her and the EMT as they made their way up the slope toward CR 5.
“Hop inside,” she said, opening the back door. “I need to warm you up and check you for any hidden injuries.”
Tony waved her away. “I’m not getting in your box, Fiona.” The paramedic had a rule never to date anyone from her station, but Tony hoped his banter would show her he was his old self and that Fiona would stop fussing over him.
Fiona rolled her eyes. “That’s not what you said last week, big boy.” True to form, she always gave as good as she got. Working with a bunch of guys couldn’t be easy. But she quickly became serious again. “Get inside! Rafe told me not to let you refuse treatment. He has to fill out an incident report.”
He’d already pissed Rafe off enough for a lifetime even before adding the need to fill out that damned report. With a sigh, Tony conceded. All three climbed into the back, and Tony stripped down to his boxer briefs. Fiona examined
