Page 31 of You Were Invited
Julian’s knees buckled. “Kickback,” he ground out. “Hand. Blade.” He shut his eyes tight like he was holding back another scream.
She whipped off her jacket so quickly her phone flew out of her pocket. Julian gladly wrapped his hand up, winding the fabric around his forearm and fist. She didn’t see the blood, looking away, but when she turned back, Julian’s face had gone from red to an ashen green.
The blood ran from Annie’s face as the severity of the situation clicked. "How bad?" she asked, bracing for the answer, dreading the worst. “Oh, God, did you lose your fingers?”
He shook his head. "Fingers okay. Still a hand. For now." His wide eyes were filled with stifled agony, much like a leaking dam holding back a heavy lake. As he looked into her eyes, Annie could see the worry lurking behind them. He needed a hospital immediately.
“I-I’ll go get my car,” she said, helping Julian to his feet and supporting his weight as she led him to the front steps of his cabin. He swayed a few times, but stayed upright. "I'll be rightback. Hang in there." She felt a twinge of panic as she got him sitting down.
Julian’s gaze was distant and somewhat feral. "Okay."
The sound of Annie’s heavy breathing filled the air, accompanied by the distant chirp of birds and the gravel crunching beneath her boots. As Annie bolted for Molly’s cabin, she couldn’t shake the fear that Julian might pass out or go into shock at any moment. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to move him.
Trembling, she got her car and pulled it up as close to Julian as she dared. She helped Julian into the passenger seat. Buckled him in. Once behind the wheel, panting, she went to the next step.
“Directions. Yes,” she muttered to herself.Crap.Her phone, which was what she usually used for maps, was still outside. “One sec.”
How much blood is he losing?Seeing Julian’s blood was unavoidable as she reached down for her phone, the bright red violently striking against the muted tones of the ground. Her hand brushed a wet blade of grass, leaving a red tint on her finger. A wave of nausea pinched her stomach. She swiped the blood off onto her pants.
Back in the car, Julian had reclined the chair all the way back. Annie channeled her nervous energy into her bouncing leg. She struggled to search for a hospital, her fingers barely working. "Is Clemency Medical Clinic okay?"
Julian didn't answer as he stared forward.
"Are we going to Clemency?"
"Yes, yes. That's great." Julian winced.
Gravel spit out from under her tires as she got onto the main driveway. "I'll get you down the mountain, okay? E-everything’ll be better once you see a doctor."
Julian nodded and closed his eyes.
Annie’s stomach twisted. She could only imagine the pain he was in. And for that matter, would he still have a hand after all this? She thought she was going to be sick.
No, no. No time for that. He needs you.
He needed her to concentrate. He needed her to get him help quickly. His whole livelihood was at stake.
Steeling herself, she drove.
Julian’s palm burned.
Annie drove them out of town, just past Eureka. The force of Annie slamming on the breaks in the emergency patient bay at the hospital jostled him in his seat. She flung off her seatbelt and dashed to the passenger door. He was careful not to lean his full weight on her as they shuffled inside the austere, white and tan building.
“Name?” asked the reception nurse. She was about his parents’ age with thick black glasses. She eyed the jacket hiding his arm.
“Julian Lincoln.”
“Insurance card. I.D.”
“Ma’am, he’s cut open and bleeding,” Annie snapped. “And can he please get a wheelchair?”
The next few minutes were a bit of a blur. Julian struggled to keep up, between the nurse saying they were out of wheelchairs at the moment, and ordering Annie to move her car immediately. Annie helped him to a waiting room chair so he could be triaged while she parked. He thought he heard her mutter something meant for the nurse under her breath.
Julian rubbed the upper half of his left arm, hugging it closer and closer to his body. He was glad that Annie’s coat was black. Surely it was ruined from all the blood that had—
Don’t think about blood.For a second, the fluorescent lights in the room took on a disturbing sharp shade of electric green.
When she returned, Annie helped him pull his insurance and I.D. from his wallet. He was glad he hadn’t lost the habit of carrying it, considering how rarely he interacted with anyone on the mountain in the middle of the week.
