“Funny guy, you are. I designed four places last year and have contracts for six more. I just don’t go around making a big deal about it,” Asher barked at me. “It’s not like you didn’t know. You just never asked.”
“Are you pouting over there?” I asked from across the room. “I know you’ve been designing. It’s me that hasn’t but, honestly, I’ve been missing it.”
“We should do some designs together after all of this,” we both said at the same time.
Chapter 17
Jade
Ihad to walk away before I said things I would regret forever, but I knew I couldn’t leave him out there for too long in the heat. I’d been at the counter in the office, working on the books and keeping an eye on him, when I saw him trying to stand. That was my cue to go out.
“Hang on, Dad, let me help you,” I called to him as I approached. “Dad. I said hold on. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
“I don’t need help. I’m The Admiral,” he yelled back at me. “You hear me, lieutenant?”
Great, now he’s in military mode, too.
I watched it happen as if it were in slow motion. He struggled to stand and fell several times, until his leg went through a weak board on the dock.
“Dad! Oh my God, hold still. Let me see how bad it is.” I ran around him, looking at all the angles. “It’s pretty bad. The board went through your leg. I need to call 911.”
“It’s fine. Just pull me out, ensign,” he bellowed. “We’re under attack. Save yourself.”
I dialed 911 as I ran for the office. I grabbed a rope and towels and ran back to the dock.
“I have to stop the bleeding, Dad. Please listen. I need you to hold still,” I begged. “I’m going to tourniquet your leg.”
I could hear sirens screaming in the distance. Help was on the way, but an upper thigh bleed could be deadly pretty quick. I couldn’t get to enough of his leg. I grabbed the rope and dove in the water.
He’s bleeding pretty bad.
“Jade! Jade! Where are you?” He yelled from above me. “I need your help.”
“I’m here, Dad. I’ve got you,” I yelled from below the dock while I tied the rope around his leg as tightly as I could. “I need you to stop thrashing around.”
“What did you say, commander? Where is everyone?” he yelled. “Who are you?”
I’d heard the sirens come to a stop, so he had to be talking, or yelling, at the EMT. I swam out from under the dock and joined them.
“As you can see, it’s through his leg. I put a makeshift tourniquet just above the injury, but we need to get him out soon.” I pointed to where his leg was trapped. “Where’s the fire truck? They have the equipment we need.”
“Jade, what’s going on?” Allen, from the pub down the street, came running up. “Holy cow, Admiral, you really got yourself in there.”
“Lieutenant, go to the bridge. Let the captain know we’re under attack,” Dad ordered Allen.
“Yes, sir, right away, sir,” Allen replied.
Allen came around behind Dad to stand with me, trying to figure out how to get him out. Bobby, the local mechanic, ran up just as the fire truck did.
“What can I do?” Bobby got down on his knees to look at the situation. “I can go under him with Allen and hold him up while they use their chainsaw on the dock.”
“How are you going to hold him up?” I asked. “The tide is in, you can’t stand. Wait. Untie the floating temporary dock, then float it over here under him.”
“Admiral, we need to cut the wood, so lay still for a few minutes. This is my partner Ed,” Sam, the firefighter, ordered. “Ed, hold him still or we’ll have a bigger problem.”
Twenty minutes later, they got him out. The guys had been a huge help.
“We gotta get him to the hospital. Good thinking with the tourniquet, Jade.” Ed gave me a side hug. “You probably saved his life.”