Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
But we’re alive, and that is a miracle in itself.
6
“WHERE ARE WE?” AGGIE asks, staring around at the large island.
“Could be fuckin’ anywhere,” Zeke mutters, his eyes narrowing as he takes in our surroundings.
“Let’s hope this is somewhere people come often,” Rachel murmurs to herself. “It is kind of pretty.”
“It’s the cleanest island I have seen,” Adrian squints.
“How many islands have you seen?” Kellen questions.
“One,” Adrian answers, then just walks off.
God.
Iris, who is sitting in the sand, looks over at Ace and her eyes are filled with an odd kind of fear. “Ace,” she whispers, and it is enough to get everyone’s attention, because even in a whisper, her tone is off.
He looks over to her. “What’s up?”
She pulls her jacket to the side and we can see her jeans are soaked in blood and torn. I rush over, without thought and drop to my knees beside her, Ace following close behind.
“I got injured when I was pulled back into the boat during the storm,” she says, “I think...I think it’s bad.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Ace mutters, taking a knife from his belt and using it to cut her jeans open even further.
Once he exposes her leg, Rachel sucks in a breath that is very telling.
It’s bad.
I can see the muscle moving beneath the split skin, a gash so wide and white it almost doesn’t look real. The edges are already puckering and the blood is not pulsing but seeping, steady. For a second I think I might pass out, but then the sound of Iris’s breath, chopped and shuddering, yanks me back. She needs us all to be strong.
Ace’s eyes scan the wound. “It missed the artery, lucky as hell,” he says, though he doesn’t sound relieved. “This is going to need more than tape. Grace, go back to the boat, grab anything we can use.”
Thankfully, we packed a first aid kit.
I turn and rush off. Behind me, I hear Ace ordering Zeke and Kellen to get the boat further up the beach, out of reach from the tide, in case we lose any more precious supplies to the water. The two guys turn and follow me. I jump in the boat, pulling everything I can carry out. I rush back to Ace, throwing the bags on the ground. I dig through until I find the first aid kit, then I hand it to him.
He’s stripped off his jacket, using the clean side of his t-shirt to wipe blood away, exposing the wound even further. My own stomach churns at the sight. Aggie is crouched behind Iris, hands on her shoulders, trying to offer support. Tatiana is just staring, eyes huge, face slightly pale. Rachel has buried her face in her hands.
“We need to clean this. Is there anything in that kit we can use?” Ace asks, his eyes locking on mine, as if I have all the answers.
I pull the first aid kit and dig around, finding a bottle of antiseptic and some saline. I hand them both to him.
“This will hurt,” he murmurs, but doesn’t give Iris a chance to protest.
He pours it straight into the wound, and the sound Iris makes is so ear-shredding I see Aggie flinch. I use a wound dressing to dab away all the blood and grit that comes out, until it looks as clean as we will probably get it. It’s a perfect cut, but so deep it seems impossible. I don’t know how she didn’t bleed out in the boat.
Ace turns to me, his voice low as he murmurs, “I have to close it. If I don’t, it will go bad.”
Our eyes lock, and I’m sure he can see the uncertainty in mine. “How?” I whisper, low.
“You got fishing line in that boat?”
I nod. “There was some in there, I don’t know if it still is after we flipped it.”
“Check the first aid kit, see if there is anything we can use. I’ll go see if there is anything in the boat.”
I do as he asks, my heart beating so hard it hurts. I feel horrible for Iris, because it will hurt like hell. Ace stands and disappears towards the boat while I dig through the first aid kit. Turns out, there is a suture kit in there—thank gosh my father at least ensured his boats have the best medical supplies, and this is a decent kit.
When Ace returns, I hold it up. “I found a suture kit.”
Aggie swallows, her voice thin. “You’re going to stitch it?”
“What?” Iris gasps, her tear-streaked face darting towards mine.
I kneel in front of her. “I know it’s scary, I know, but if we don’t close it, you could get a really bad infection or worse, bleed out. We have to close this.”
She shakes her head, over and over, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I’m goin’ to need you two to hang onto her,” Ace orders Zeke and Kellen once they finish dragging the boat up onto the sand.