Page 20 of One Last Run

“Okay, now as you begin, I want you to keep your weight mostly centered, with only a slight extra amount on the front foot,” Pete instructed, and Danica nodded.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” Danica said quietly, like she was embarrassed to say it.

“I have nothing but patience for you,” Pete said, realizing that she was admitting far too much with that simple statement. She opened her mouth to add something, unsure if she’d regret it later, but was cut short by the sound of a painful scream.

“Maggie,” Danica breathed, looking over Pete’s shoulder. She bent, frantically removing her gloves and reaching for her bindings. “Oh my god, I don’t know how to do this faster. Can you help me unclip?”

Pete crouched, unstrapping Danica from her board. They ran down the slope to where Maggie lay on the ground halfway down the hill. She was flat on her stomach, still clipped to her board, clutching her wrist. Two others knelt beside her, but stood to make room as Pete and Danica approached.

“Maggie!” Danica yelled from just behind Pete. Pete felt a pain deep in her chest at the worry in Danica’s voice. “Don’t move her yet.”

Pete knelt beside Maggie. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I fell kind of hard and put out my hands to catch myself and there was this jolt of pain,” Maggie said, panting.

“Does anything else hurt?” Danica said, ditching her board beside them as she knelt next to Pete, her eyes scanning Maggie. “Your neck? Your back?”

“My pussy and my crack?” Maggie sang, and it took Pete a moment to register it as a song that had come out when she was a sophomore in high school. She remembered it was so dirty that in hindsight, she couldn’t believe 15-year-olds sang it.

Danica pulled her goggles onto her helmet and stared down at Maggie as she sat back on her heels. “Yeah, you’re fine.”

“Couldn’t resist. My wrist really does fucking hurt, though,” Maggie conceded, and Pete helped her out of her bindings as Danica took her good arm, helping her sit up.

“Did you hit your head?” Danica asked, her tone serious as she began to check Maggie over. She was in full doctor mode, and Pete had to admit, there was something to be said about watching Danica in her element, completely professional and capable. Danica took Maggie’s glove off carefully, gently turning Maggie’s wrist over to examine where the skin was already swelling and bruising. Danica murmured a few questions to Maggie, asking her if certain positions hurt more than others, and Maggie nodded or shook her head in response

“Want me to call ski patrol?” Pete asked.

“No,” Maggie said quickly, just as Danica negated her answer with a firm “Yes.”

Maggie groaned. “Please, no. I’m fine. I don’t need ski patrol. That’s so embarrassing.”

“I don’t think it’s broken, but I do think it could be sprained, and we can’t risk you falling again trying to get back to the lift. We’re a long way from the top of the run, and an even longer way to the bottom,” Danica elaborated to a scowling Maggie. She gestured toward Pete’s scarf. “Can I have that?” Pete unwound her scarf and handed it to Danica, then watched Danica wrap it over Maggie’s shoulder to create a makeshift sling. “This will keep your arm stable and help to reduce any further injury.”

Pete pulled out her phone and dialed the number for ski patrol, explaining where they were and what had happened.

“Are they going to take me down on one of those embarrassing sleds behind a snowmobile?” Maggie asked, her voice pitching higher.

Pete shook her head, not wanting to worry Maggie.

Danica did not seem to feel the same way about worrying Maggie. “Probably,” Danica said calmly, making another adjustment to the sling as Maggie looked in in horror. “But I’ll make sure to take photos so we can never forget it.”

“That’s really thoughtful,” Maggie deadpanned. “You’re sure it’s not broken?”

Danica looked contemplative. “It could be fractured, but it’s definitely not in too bad of shape. You’ll be back on the slopes in no time.”

Maggie sighed. “Do you think they’ll give me a real sling?”

“Probably.”

“Nooo,” Maggie whined. “Can we at least come up with a really good story for this?”

“You ran into a burning building to save a child,” Pete said, nodding emphatically.

“Also, there was a bear,” Danica added with a small laugh.

“You’re onto something. Definitely a heroic feat,” Maggie said, then sniffled, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so mad this happened. After everything this year, I can’t...”

She trailed off, and Danica and Pete exchanged a quick look of concern. Two ski patrollers appeared in their bright red jackets, one pulling a rescue toboggan behind. Although they were kneeling in the middle of the path, Danica still signaled for them to stop. Pete held Maggie’s good hand and watched as Danica explained what happened in a composed voice, sharing her assessment as though she was handing off a trauma patient to an emergency crew. In a way, she was.

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