Page 7 of Everlasting Love

I look back down the hill and out across the expanse of the park enjoying the sun on my skin, and my grin widens. I can’t believe this is where I work;thisis my office. I’ve never been one to be cooped up inside, always feeling happier and more grounded when I’m outdoors. Even knowing I’ll have to deal with the public today—more than usual—I still love my job. Every day is different, and although I know this park like the back of my hand, it’s forever changing according to the season. I don’t know how people can work inside all day where everything stays pretty much the same day in and day out. I would be bored out of my mind—I can’t even contemplate the possibility. Here, the landscape changes daily, from spring wildflowers to snow on the tops of the mountain in winter, to a drier landscape in the summer. It doesn’t matter the time of the year, the park always steals my breath.

Tristan whistles long and low. “Didn’t take them long to get up here.”

I glance at him and then follow the direction he’s pointing down the hill. A group of mountain bike riders are making their way toward us. “Damn. They were fast.”

The track they’re using is rigorous and steep for bikers on a good day. On a bad day, it can be muddy and almost impassable, but that doesn’t stop some hardcore cyclists; we’ve seen all sorts up here. The riders fly straight past us without slowing, and I’m concerned at their lack of consideration for others on the track. If they have no respect for us, they certainly won’t think twice when they come across hikers using the same track.

Once they’re out of sight, I turn to Tristan. “How did the night hike go on Saturday?”

He tucks his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Really well. The kids were thrilled when they saw the scorpions glowing under the UV blacklight flashlights.”

“Oh yeah, I?—”

“Hey!” We both turn toward the voice shouting at us to find a man waving frantically from the crest of the hill the cyclists disappeared over mere moments ago.

I take off at a sprint and shout over my shoulder, “Bring our stuff!”

As I reach the cyclist, he takes off. “Over here,” he calls, waving his arm for me to follow.

When I crest the hill, I see the carnage. It looks as though two cyclists are down but there are three people on the ground. With panting breaths, I come to a stop and quickly assess the situation. At first glance, everyone is conscious, which is a good sign. The two cyclists are being helped to their feet by their friends, leaving one hiker on the ground with a large man kneeling beside her. I drop to my knees next to the woman. “Hi,I’m Violet. I’m a park ranger here. Would it be okay if I check you out to see if I can help you today?”

The woman nods, her face scrunched in pain. “Of course. I’m Fiona and this is my husband, William.”

I say hi to Fiona, then glance at her husband. “Hi, William.”

“Hello.” He tilts his chin to me, and I notice the shake in his hands, probably from shock. “I told Fiona it wouldn’t be a good idea to hike today. She wouldn’t listen to me,” he snaps.

I give his snappy words a pass, he’s probably grumpy because his wife is hurt, and he’s worried about her. I nod so he knows I’ve heard him, but direct my question to Fiona. “Can you tell me what happened?” As she explains about the cyclists coming around the bend too quickly for her to get out of their way, I scan her body for any wounds. She has some abrasions on her hands where I suspect she reached out to catch herself as she fell. “Are you in any pain?”

Tristan drops our medical supplies beside me and rushes over to the two cyclists who are already up and about.

“I landed pretty hard on my hip, so that’s quite sore,” she says with a shake in her voice, indicating the level of pain she’s experiencing. Judging by the silver in her dark, chin-length hair, she’s probably about the same age as Mom, and I don’t want to risk any further injury by moving her.

“I think it would be best if we call an ambulance to come and get you. Hips can be tricky things, so I think we should keep you as still as possible. Would it be okay with you if we call for help?”

She and her husband both nod. “Certainly. We’re covered for an ambulance.”

I nod and step away to call it in on my radio, then check with Tristan if the cyclists need any help, and they don’t. Once I know help is on the way, I return to the couple as William berates his wife for getting injured. “Serves you right. This is what happens when you don’t listen to me. I didn’t want to come out today.If we’d stayed home like I wanted, you wouldn’t be lying on the ground with a sore hip. And now we have to go to the damn hospital, and God only knows how long that’s gonna take,” he yells at his wife.

I drop to my knees, ignoring the husband, and set about cleaning the abrasions on the heels of Fiona’s hands, biting my tongue to stop myself from telling William to give it a break. Fiona doesn’t need his grumpiness right now; she needs his support. “An ambulance is on the way. It shouldn’t be too long. Do either of you have any water with you today?”

Even though it’s not a super-hot day, sitting in the sun for a long period means I need to keep the couple hydrated while we wait. While they share a drink of water, and he continues to quietly berate her—dick—I head back over to the cyclists. I’m so pissed at them. They flew past us without any consideration, and I’m sure they didn’t find their manners as they crested the hill since the evidence of their lack of care is currently sitting on a dirt track. As I step closer, I hear Tristan lecturing the young men. They’re lucky he beat me to it because I wouldn’t be holding back and maintaining the level of professionalism he’s showing them. In fact, they should be dropping dead any moment from my evil eye as I glare at them.

Tristan makes them feel guilty enough that they finally show some respect and apologize to Fiona and William, who only grunts in return, saving all of his mouthiness for his wife. I’m pretty sure I can’t roll my eyes anymore today or I’ll be too dizzy to work the rest of my shift. One would think an apology would have been the first thing out of the young men’s mouths, instead, they had to betoldit would be a good idea to apologize.

What is wrong with people?

Where are their manners? I shake my head—feeling like I’m channeling my mother right now.

Finally, Tristan guides the paramedics to us, and after I explain everything that happened and what I’ve done for Fiona, they carefully situate her onto a gurney and carry her to the roadside, where they parked, and load her into the back of their ambulance.

“Thank you so much for all of your help today,” Fiona calls.

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry your hike ended the way it did today.” I only hope she’s not too seriously injured and that her husband stops with the negativity. I wave to her and her husband as the paramedic closes the doors. The cyclists are long gone, leaving me and Tristan alone. I radio the main office to give them a description of William and Fiona’s car so there’s a record at the end of the day if it’s still in the parking lot. That way we know we don’t have to send out a search party for any unaccounted park visitors.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day,” Tristan says as he pulls out his thermos and pours himself a coffee.

I grab my water bottle. “I hope she’s okay.” I take a drink. “I was so pissed at those boys and their lack of common sense.”

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