Disclaimer: It's backwards day! I own this. Sigh, such a teasing day is backwards day.

Author's Note: So apparently I can get a lot done during study breaks and minor cases of insomnia (Note to self: fix sleep schedule). I remembered what I wanted to say in my last AN: a great number of you are now wishing to have Gulch for their big brother, I personally would have other plans for him if I met him in real life, but I can understand the temptation – he certainly is nicer than my big brother. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with my big brother, he'd drive me to the hospital if I needed to go there (has in fact) – would make me go in on my own power (did in fact), but at least he'd take me – I think maybe the respective age gaps might be a factor. As for my big sister, well, Quality Control has proven herself weak to MY big blue eyed gaze, even transmitted across the continent via text messaging. She tried to claim immunity for a bit, but since you are getting this now and not sometime later tonight, well, I guess you know who needs further inoculations. Props to her on the title by the way.

PS Didn't I say there were going to be posting delays? I thought I did. Must have been backwards day.

...

DG was well aware that she had done a lot of stupid things in her life: performing stunts that ought, by anyone's calculations, to have wiped her right off the face of the planet, listening to dares and taking bets that any particle of common sense should have told her were a bad idea, and following her curiosity into places that had likely proven deadly to the proverbial cat nine times over. The fourteen year old couldn't count the number of times she'd turned on the TV to see one of those farm accident awareness ads and hear about how so many kids had lost limbs and lives due to an unhappy altercation with some piece of equipment or other – and none of them had ever purposely stuck their head in a running combine before. She knew full well that there but for the grace of God, good luck and stubborn cops go I. DG would be the first to admit it if she didn't want give a certain policeman the right to say I told you so. Officer Gulch often told her she was the living exception to Darwin's rule; the fourteen year old privately thought that he must be the living proof.

Darwin might have finally won this round, though.

The farm girl had often come to grief over her continuing antagonistic battles with childhood enemy Bobby Gibbons – though score was generally in her favour more often than not – and she certainly should have known better, unfortunately there was just something about a double dog dare that DG just couldn't seem to resist. Not to mention that this particular stunt had the added lure of driving Officer Gulch right up the wall, something DG had been doing with enthusiasm ever since someone had managed to convince the policeman to help chaperone the trip to the Colorado Rockies her class had won in a state competition last fall. Hopping over the protective barricade was sure to get his goat all on its own, walking right out to the brink to look down was guaranteed to prove to Bobby that she was no coward, while dancing along the edge was just something she did because DG never could help but push things just that little bit further.

As it turned out, Officer Gulch didn't even have time to freak out, only to bellow her name in horror and fear as he turned to see the fourteen year old take a wrong step and plummet over the edge.

It was amazing how the mind could slow the world down when facing the very real possibility that the next couple of seconds might be all the time you had left. She only had a fraction of a second before her classmates disappeared from view, yet it was more than sufficient for every single dawning expression of shock and alarm to sear itself on the back of her mind, the beginnings of a panicky tableau. The cop, already pivoting in place as instinct overrode frozen intellect, was still too far away, the distance impossible to cross in an instant no matter how hard he tried. He wouldn't be able to stop her falling, she realized as cliff face filled her view, nor would he be at the bottom to catch her. She was on her own and all she could do was think light thoughts and try to land feet first and rolling. Sorry Momster, Popsicle, O…the world went incredibly bright and then there was pain, pain, pain.

Gasping down anguished breaths, the fourteen year old got lost in a confusion of sensory overload. Everything hurt as the sky spun drunkenly overhead, there was a great deal of clattering and screaming, and she just couldn't make sense of…twitching a hand, DG nearly passed out from the agony it induced. Closing her eyes, the girl wept for misery; she wanted her mommy, her daddy, her…lavender eyes stared back at her in concern then they were wiped away by a fresh wave of pain that settled into a deep throbbing ache. It was everywhere, trapping her in the darkness, in the agony, then somewhere nearby something hit the ground with a resounding thump.

DG opened her eyes to see the ghost-white face of Officer Gulch appear above her.

"DG, can you hear me DG?" the cop asked almost…frantically. The fourteen year old had never seen him so scared in her life.

"H-hurts."

Letting out an explosive sigh of relief, the policeman's voice steadied as murmured comfortingly, "I know, Imp, I know it does. I need you to hold still for me now okay?" he instructed as he placed trembling hands, stilled with an effort of will, on either side of her head to stabilize it, "Help is on the way, I need you to stay with me okay? Talk to me, DG."

"M-my turn," she uttered vaguely in response.

"What's that?"

"My t-turn to fall," DG told him fuzzily, "only fair, I let go, s-should f-fall, I sh-should…"

"Shh, DG, shh, it's okay, no one's falling, you're not falling, I've got you," Officer Gulch reassured her, "Ms. Beckley's calling for the ambulance and Bobby's – OUCH," he exclaimed suddenly as there was another dull thud, "Bobby's beaning me over the head with my darned first aid kit," he continued with a grumble, "genius plan that, concuss the only person on hand to help."

Hurt though she did, the fourteen year old couldn't help but giggle at the accustomed exasperation in his voice, unfortunately it made everything ache even worse. "Ow," she gasped.

"Hey now, brat," the cop said gently, his brows furrowed in concern, "how about you hold off laughing at me until you are in better shape to do so, then you can laugh all you want, alright?"

"O-okay," she agreed breathlessly.

DG drifted after that. Officer Gulch kept interrupting the haze as he began cataloguing her injuries, splinting and bandaging as he went, asking her questions, keeping her conscious, keeping her there. Then the rotating helicopter blades appeared overhead and time fractured altogether…

"…can you hear me, DG? I'm Dr…"

"Take her up…"

…so loud…

"…en route to hospital with one patient and accompanying…"

…falling, let go, falling, don't let her fall…

A hand managed to find some place that didn't hurt. "It's alright, DG, I've got you, you're not going to fall, you're safe."

…don't let go…

"I'm sorry, sir, you can't come in here…"

"Has someone called her parents…?"

"…she waking up?"

"…did you see him…vaulted the freaking railing…"

"…practically threw himself over the cliff…"

"…visiting hours are over. I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave…"

…blackness …

It was dark when she woke up. From somewhere nearby came the familiar and oddly reassuring sound of a beeping monitor, an IV drip, and the subdued noises of a hospital at night. The pain was mostly gone now, distant and muted, her limbs felt heavy, tied down, and she was thirsty, so very, very thirsty. Turning her head, DG peered groggily about the room in search of the water she was pretty sure would be around there somewhere only to catch sight of the figure leaning in the doorway, arms crossed tightly over his chest, watching her.

"You're not allowed to die," Officer Gulch informed her quietly after a moment, "excepting I strangle you myself, kapeesh?"

"Kapeesh," the fourteen year old rasped in response, "thirsty."

The cop snorted. "Figures," he muttered, striding noiselessly into the room to fetch the water from its hiding place, "How do you feel?"

"Float-y," she replied, sipping gratefully, the water hitting her parched throat like a soothing rain.

"That's 'cause they're giving you the good stuff," was the policeman's knowledgeable response, "I brought you a hospital survival kit," he added, nodding to a lumpy shape in the nearby chair, "Had the girls raid your bag for your art supplies, it's a good thing you broke your left wrist not your right since the broken ribs and collarbone are bound to limit your activities for a bit. Not that I trust mere sprained ankles to immobilize you well enough to protect the poor, ignorant hospital staff from annihilation; they don't know what they're up against unlike the folks back home. Speaking of, your folks are on their way, they ought to be here in a few hours, I'm holding down the fort until then."

"Mmmm, mom n' dad?" she slurred, feeling suddenly drowsy now that her thirst was slaked.

"They'll be here soon," he confirmed, setting the cup aside, "bearing one of my mom's hospital food prevention packages, you go back to sleep and it will seem like only moments."

"N-not tired," the fourteen year old declared drowsily.

"Ever the stubborn one," the policeman sighed, tucking the blanket up under her chin, "well, if you want I can always read you these nice rock climbing course brochures I have here. Maybe they have some tips about holding onto things so you don't fall off cliffs."

"Wha' 'appened to yer hand?" she asked, her eye caught by the movement.

"Hmm? Oh, the splint, it's nothing, just twinged it a little trying to get down the cliff is all."

Blinking blearily at him, her next thought was lost as lassitude began to creep in on her. "W-whaaaaaaaat time is it?" DG yawned.

"About three thirty in the morning," the cop answered.

"Ish-isn' that past visitin' hours?" she murmured sleepily, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Ah, well, that's the advantage to having a badge," Officer Gulch rumbled soothingly, as the fourteen year old lost the battle and drifted back to sleep, "even if it is the wrong one."