“My pleasure,” he said and headed back down the incline. His form faded into the darkness while I turned and set my gaze on the small building.
I considered the thing looked more like a dilapidated shed than a ranger shack. But I understood everything came in their own shape and size, and this shack was no different. With a shrug, I continued forward. As soon as I step through the door, I was blown away by a tall, fine black man. His eyes settled on mine and my knees instantly became weak. There was another man with smooth tan skin and deep brown eyes. The wait of his eyes forced heat to flood my face. I took in a deep breath to level my hormones and focused on the task at hand.
“I’m Maxine,” I said. “I was called to come help.”
“I’m Ghalen,” the black man said and held out his hand. “I’m the older brother.”
I took his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you albeit in such unfortunate circumstances.”
“Likewise,” he said and pointed toward a small room. “He’s in there.”
I nodded and started to walk toward the room. I opened the door and saw a small black boy laying on a cot, sweating profusely. His arm was bent at an unnatural angle.
“It’s a good thing they called me,” I said. “Any longer and I might have had to amputate.”
The boy’s dark brown eyes met mine, wide with fear. I took a seat on the edge of the cot and set my back on the floor by my feet. “Relax. You’re in good hands.”
“It hurts,” he said.
I nodded and gently lifted the arm up. “Yes. I would imagine so.”
He panted for breath. “I was just trying to impress a girl.”
“So, I was told,” I said. “You’re lucky it was just an arm.”
He scoffed and struggled to speak. “It wasn’t just an arm.”
I stared at him as a pinch formed in the center of my forehead. I stood up and pulled the blanket back. His legs were twisted too. He had numerous bones that needed to be reset. Probably a number of ribs that had to be set as well. I wasn’t experienced enough to do this on my own. This boy needed more help than what I could give him.
“Oh, my goddess,” I gasped out. I met the boy’s gaze and said, “I’ll be right back.”
The boy painfully moaned, and I headed back into the main room. I met the brown eyes of who I assumed was Quinn.
“Excuse me,” I said. “Quinn, right?”
He nodded and smirked. “Yes ma’am.”
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Why did you call me?”
“What?” he asked. “I told you over the phone.”
“No. What I mean is, why didn’t you call someone else more experienced and equipped to treat the boy other than me?” I asked. “That kid is in bad shape. He needs—”
“No one else will come to help,” he said, cutting me off.
“What?” I asked, switching my gaze between the two men. “Why?”
“This isn’t the first time my brother has done something so reckless,” Ghalen said. “No one else will help.”
“So, since I am new in town, you came to me, because I haven’t worked with the boy before?”
“And it would be a good test of your skills,” Quinn added.
I scoffed at him. Then I held up a finger and shook my head. “You had better hope I can help this boy. If this ends badly it’s on you. And I highly suggest you find someone—anyone—to help him.”
He nodded once and I headed back into the room.
The boy settled his gaze on me. “Is everything okay?”