Hot as Heller (Aster Valley 3)

That’s when the next gust of wind hit me square in the chest and tumbled me right off the edge again. I scrambled to grab for the tyrolean ropes, but they hit the back of my hand at top speed as I tumbled past them. Thankfully, the new anchor rope attached to my harness caught, and I swung quickly against the side of the ravine, scraping my face, my bare shoulder, and my elbow against the rough granite. The nasty metallic screech of the carabiners and chocks on my rigging being caught between my body and the rock face made my teeth hurt.

I hung there for a second, stung and shocked while the adrenaline flooded my system, and I vaguely heard the screams of the production assistants at the top and the director and DP down in the cherry picker.

Fuck, that had hurt.

I closed my eyes for a minute to catch my breath. My body jerked upward as Sara and Bo began hauling me back up by the ropes attached to my harness. The twin looks of horror on their faces made my stomach drop, reminding me just how close I’d come to falling to my death. If they hadn’t given me the extra protection of the top ropes…

“Get the jeep,” Bo called to Sara, all business now. “The hospital is on the north edge of town. I have it in my phone.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them I didn’t need the hospital, but I was afraid if I opened my mouth, my voice would break. I was a trembling mess, but I’d be damned if I’d let it show.

I didn’t say a word, only climbed back onto the ridge with Sara and Bo’s help. Bo pulled off the zip-up hoodie he was wearing. “You’re shaking. Probably shock. Put this on.”

I winced as I tried to put my arms through the soft sleeves. Blood splotched the fabric, so I made a mental note to replace the jacket for him. He was right. I was freezing suddenly.

After getting the jacket over my tank top, I turned to follow him to the jeep but noticed the set medic racing toward us in another vehicle. She jumped out of the SUV and hurried over to me with her big kit bag. “You’re fine. I saw it happen from down below. Looks like a few abrasions, that’s all.”

Bo and Sara exchanged a look. “He’s bleeding from his shoulder pretty badly,” Sara said.

The medic flapped her hand like it was nothing. “I’ll take care of it. We’ll get him patched right up. From the looks of it, he didn’t even hit his head. Isn’t that right, Finn?”

I blinked at her. At first I thought she was being oddly cheerful to keep me from panicking, but now it seemed like she was being deliberately obtuse.

I tried to remember if I’d hit my head or not. “Well, no, I don’t think—”

“He might need stitches,” Bo said. “On his shoulder.”

My legs felt like noodles. I wanted to sit down. “Can someone please call…” I stopped talking. Asking for Declan was stupid. I hadn’t even meant to say it out loud. He wasn’t anything to me, and he sure as hell wasn’t someone I could claim in any kind of public way.

“His mom is here,” Sara said to Bo. “We should call her.”

“No,” I said, sitting down on the hard ground and putting my face in my hands. I was so fucking worn-out. “Do not call my mother. Trust me.”

Another vehicle came speeding up, leaving a plume of dust in the air as it stopped. Nolan and Joel hopped out. “There he is. You’re fine,” Nolan insisted. “Just a bit knocked around by the breeze up there.”

He eyed the two PAs. “Not a word of this gets out. Do you understand? Nothing happened here. Just a scrape or two. That’s to be expected while filming a rock climbing scene.”

Bo and Sara looked at me with the same surprise as they’d had when I’d almost tumbled to my fucking death in the ravine. I nodded my agreement with the director. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for word to get out there’d been an accident on set.

Suddenly, the medic’s reaction made sense. I remembered a rule about mandatory accident reporting. It was only necessary when the on-set injury resulted in a trip to the hospital. No wonder they’d hired such a laissez-faire medic.

I reached for Bo’s hand to help me back up. “Take me back to my room, please,” I said before turning to the medic. “You can treat me there after I have a shower.”

Nolan sputtered. “We have two more scenes to film today.”

I did my best to look at him as steadily as possible. “You may, but I no longer do.”

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t argue with me. I managed to hold it together until Bo helped me climb into the back seat of the jeep, and then I asked in a cracking voice, “Can I please use your phone?”