“Ouch!” Miller lost focus again, but when his gaze landed back on me, a haze seemed to clear. “All I remember… I was standing on the edge of the cliff. Someone screamed. And then Trenton was standing over me—Ow!”
“Sorry, sorry. Just a little more. I need to get this dirt out of your hair.”
Carson gripped Miller’s forearm and put a hand on his back. “Mae and I had headed toward the cliff, hoping to snag some of the daisies I saw the last time I was out here.” He cut a glance at Miller and Trenton. “And I saw Trenton jump off the cliff. We ran over there and when we got to the edge, he was trying to wake Miller up.”
Trenton handed me the bloody cotton pad and took a roll of gauze from my hand. “He was out of it. Must have hit his head on one of the rocks on the way down. He’s lucky he wasn’t a few yards further to the right. The ledge was narrow enough as it was.”
“There was so much blood!” Mae’s voice still shook, and she buried her face in her hands.
Trenton lowered his voice. “Carson helped drag him up over the ledge to get him up. She couldn’t help. I think she might be in shock.”
I rose to go to her side, then convinced her to lie down on the ground. I was just helping her put her feet up on a log bench when Fallon and Luna came running our way.
“What happened? What’s wrong with Mae?”
“What happened to Miller?”
While Ryder told them everything they’d missed, I went back to kneel at Miller’s side. “You gonna be okay, sweetie?” I asked, taking his hand.
Trenton caught my eye over Miller’s head. “He needs to go to the hospital. He needs to get his wound checked out.”
“I’ll take him.” Carson rose from the ground, but Miller grabbed his hand.
“I’m okay.”
“No, Miller. You’re not okay. You lost consciousness and your head is bleeding. So shut up and let me take you to the doctor.”
“I think Mae needs to go too,” Luna said, looking up from her crying friend’s side. “Carson, can we ride with you?”
“Of course. Trenton, can you help me get Miller in my truck?”
As the guys situated Miller and Mae into their seats, I wrung my hands and tried not to blame myself. This whole camping trip was my and Miller’s idea, and it had turned into a nightmare. Trenton’s words kept racing through my head, and even though I tried not to think about it, I kept picturing Miller’s lifeless body at the bottom of the cliff every time I blinked. I barely even noticed I was shaking until Trenton wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s okay, love. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Turning toward him, I buried my face in his chest. “Thank you for taking care of him. For helping him. I don’t—”
I couldn’t finish, couldn’t think about what I would have done if Trenton hadn’t been there to help Miller. My emotions spiraled back to the dark days after Kosta’s death. It was the first time since I’d fallen into Trenton’s lap that I’d felt that level of despair.
It was Trenton, and only Trenton, who kept me from spiraling out of control.
“Hey, Trent?” Ryder’s voice was quiet, but it felt so loud in the silence that had befallen the campsite. I could hear the rustle of fabric, the same sound he made when he was shoving pinecones in his pockets for some craft Fallon wanted to make.
“What’s up?” Trenton asked, and the rumble of his voice through his chest was a soothing balm against the skin of my face.
“You don’t mind if Fallon and I go with them, do you? Carson’s pretty shook up and she’s worried about her brother.”
“Not a problem, man. No rush. We’ll stay here and watch all the stuff.”
I peeked up as Ryder and Trenton shook hands, then waved to both him and Fallon before they headed to her car. Chills raced up my spine as everyone drove away. I dragged my gaze around the campsite, looking over the trees behind all our tents. It wasn’t until the birds and the bugs started making their noises again that I finally felt somewhat okay.
“Come on, love.” Trenton took my hand and led me back to the log I’d been sitting on before Mae had come racing toward us, screaming for help. He helped me sit, then straddled the log beside me before wrapping me up in his arms.
We sat that way for a long while, my mind racing even as my heart rate and breathing evened out. He ran his fingers through my hair, and each gentle tug helped me escape old memories and bring me back to the present.
“Talk to me,” Trenton whispered near my ear. “Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”
“I feel like I’m to blame.” I shrugged, and the movement nudged him back. I turned to face him. “I feel like, if I hadn’t convinced you to come up here, we wouldn't have done the scavenger hunt and Miller wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”