Page 28 of Strictly Curious
We sat like that a while longer before I noticed the light shift. I cracked one eye open to find Ava standing there with her arms crossed. Lucy was standing behind her looking us over.
“Where the hell did you two go?” she questioned.
“Ty fell, and I helped bring him back.” Garrett explained.
Ava sighed before nodding. “And you took a nap before making it all the way to the campsite? You two sure look cozy.”
My heart sank a little when Garrett worked his fingers free of mine and climbed to his feet. He dusted the dirt from his butt then turned to me. “Someone thought we needed a break. It’s hot as shit.”
I nodded, but said nothing, reaching out for his hand. He pulled me to my feet with ease, and I winced from the pain. Without saying a word, he turned and crouched down again to carry me the rest of the way back.
Garrett
Mom,Dad,AuntJoyce,and Uncle Albert were already at their campsite when we came down the road. Mom immediately caught on to the fact that I was carrying Tyler and rushed over to meet us.
“Good God, what happened?”
“Just twisted my ankle really badly while we were hiking,” Tyler explained.
We made it to their campsite and I set him down at one of the picnic tables. Mom hustled over to the cooler and grabbed a bag, filling it with ice. She wrapped a towel around it before bringing it over. I grabbed another small cooler and elevated Ty’s foot on it. She wrapped the ice pack around his ankle and then stood, chewing her nails as she took in his injury.
“You didn’t break anything did you?”
“Nah, I think he just sprained it pretty bad,” I answered.
Mom grabbed her phone and cursed when she realized we didn’t have any signal out here. “Do you think we should get him to the hospital?”
That was too extreme, so I shook my head. “No, maybe just go alert the park ranger?”
Aunt Joyce took off toward the front of the park to find them. Tyler shifted on the bench, leaning forward and readjusting the ice pack on his ankle and foot. I sat next to him and rubbed one of his shoulders to help him relax.
“I think it’s fine. There’s no need for everyone to get so excited.” His cheeks turned pink with all the attention on him as we sat there and waited for Aunt Joyce to come back with the park ranger, which didn’t take very long.
The park ranger was a tall, good looking, and fit man. He didn’t look that old, maybe in his mid to late twenties. He carried a first aid kit with him, but I wasn’t sure how much medical training this guy really had.
He crouched down next to Tyler and lifted the ice pack and examined his swollen ankle. It wasn’t bruising at all, which was probably a good sign. He looked up at Tyler and gave him a small smile.
“Are you able to stand on it at all?” he asked.
Tyler nodded and then shook his head. “I can, but it hurts pretty bad. We tried getting me to walk, but we didn’t get very far.”
The ranger nodded before he gently grabbed Tyler’s foot and attempted to rotate his ankle. Tyler grimaced, but allowed him to look things over.
“Well, nothing feels broken, so you’ve probably just sprained it.”
“That’s what I said!” I chimed in and everyone turned to stare at me. I didn’t like this guy’s hands on Ty, even if he was just trying to help.
The man raised his eyebrows before he turned back to my stepbrother and continued explaining things. “I think ice, rest, and some ibuprofen will help. I have an ace bandage I can give you to help give it some extra support.”
Tyler nodded, and the ranger opened his first aid kit and pulled out the fresh ace wrap. He carefully helped Tyler remove his boot and sock before wrapping his foot. I held my breath watching the other man touch my brother. I was sure Tyler thought nothing of it, but a weird wave of possessiveness swept over me, especially because he was hurt.
“Now, I’m not authorized to give you any meds, but if someone has some, it wouldn’t hurt.” The park ranger stood and dusted off his hands and picked up his first aid kit. “My name is Todd by the way. If y’all need anything else, don’t hesitate to come find me.” He left the site, and I itched to take Tyler back to our tent and tend to him for the rest of the day.
Mom rubbed the back of her neck, then started to rush around the campsite, picking things up and putting them back down before she finally came over and dropped down on the bench with a heavy sigh. It was a nervous habit of hers when she was under stress. If she were home right now, she’d be stress cleaning the house. “Maybe we should just cut this trip short? Get you home so you can take it easy properly?”
That idea appealed to me until I realized our rooms were on the second floor of our house and it would be difficult for him to go up and down the stairs.
“Let’s not jump to that extreme yet. How about we play it by ear and if he’s not feeling up to staying we can head out tomorrow,” I said. Everyone was back to staring at me and I felt heat rise up the back of my neck. Was it weird that I was speaking on his behalf?
