A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Hope you enjoy!
Gus fell forward at the abrupt stop, the old seatbelt doing little to hold him back. He smacked his face against the back of Shawn's seat and immediately felt the blood pouring from his nose. He reached a hand up to pinch it tightly, grabbing a towel from his bag and pressing that against his nose. When the stinging had worn off and he could see again, Gus immediately looked to the front of the truck, concerned that he hadn't heard much of anything from the other two occupants.
"Juliet?" he asked, seeing her moving slowly. "Are you okay?" Juliet placed a hand against her head, nodding.
"Yeah, I just bumped by head," she answered. "Oh God, Shawn!" Juliet yelled, seeing her boyfriend unmoving in the seat next to her. Shawn had his head canted to the left side, resting against the window and he didn't move when Juliet called to him. She could see his left arm was pinned between his body and the door, but couldn't tell if it was broken. Juliet unbuckled her seatbelt, placing two fingers against his carotid, breathing out a sigh when she felt the responding pulse of his heartbeat. "He's breathing," she told Gus, "but unconscious."
Shawn started to move his head the second she said that, letting out a low groan. Juliet placed her hand on his shoulder. "Shh Shawn, don't move around too much." Shawn lifted his right arm sluggishly but dropped it before he had lifted it all the way to his head. "What happened?" he mumbled, turning slightly towards Juliet.
"You killed the car," Gus answered simply, ignoring the look Juliet shot him which clearly told him to put on the kid gloves for this.
Shawn groaned again. "My dad's going to kill me."
"Hey, hey," Juliet said, placing a gentle hand on his face. "As long as you're okay, I don't think he'll be too mad. Plus, the truck might not be so bad. We can see if the ranger can help pull us out tomorrow."
Shawn dropped his head against the seatback with a thud. "Some vacation."
The wind chose that second to pick up, howling loudly and blowing the trees wildly. "We need to get to the cabin before the storm hits," Juliet said decisively. "Can you move?" she asked Shawn.
Shawn grunted in assent, shifting slightly. He cried out when he tried to move his left arm which was still pressed against the door by the weight of his body. "Shawn?" Gus asked, concerned.
"I'm okay buddy. It's just my w-wrist," he choked out, wrenching it free of the door and yelping in pain again.
"Let me see," Juliet said, taking his hand gently. "I think your wrist is broken," she said. His wrist was already starting to swell and there was a lump which she didn't think was supposed to be there. "Or at least badly sprained. Is there a first-aid kit up at the cabin?"
Shawn nodded but Gus answered for him. "Sal made sure to have it well-stocked whenever Shawn and I were visiting. We made good use of it," he added with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Yeah we did," Shawn agreed, chuckling a little and reaching back with his right hand so Gus could fist-bump it.
Juliet rolled her eyes. "Okay, good. We need to get up there now. Gus, can you get whatever bags you think we'll need and climb out the right side? I think the ground is flatter over there. I'm going to help Shawn to the passenger door but I'm gonna need your help getting him out of the truck. And check your cell phone. If you have service, try calling the ranger station and see if they can give us a ride."
Gus agreed, removing the towel from his face, happy to see his nose had stopped bleeding. He reached into his pocket and checked his cell phone, not surprised when the screen said no service. He pulled the bags out of the truck bed and threw them out the door, choosing to leave behind the bags that contained laser tag and water guns. He was pretty sure they weren't going to be able to use those this weekend, and they had enough to carry as it was. Dropping onto the rough ground below, Gus circled the car to check out the damage.
Juliet had been right - Henry's truck really didn't look that bad, but it was definitely not getting out of the ditch without some help. And it was inevitable that there'd be scratches. He groaned silently. Henry was definitely going to put them to work again. Gus returned to the right side of the car, approaching the passenger side to see if he could help Juliet.
Juliet had slung Shawn's right arm over her shoulder and was helping him scoot over to the passenger seat. He clutched his left arm to his chest protectively, unwilling to move it. Shawn tried his best to suppress the whimpers of pain the movement caused, but he was doing a poor job of it.
"Almost there," Juliet whispered reassuringly. She had kicked open the door and now had one foot on the step. "Gus?" she asked, unsure where their friend was.
"I'm right here, Juliet," Gus answered from the space by the open door. "The ground is relatively flat on this side. A few more inches and you'll be out."
Juliet nodded. "Okay, Shawn, I'm going to climb out and then Gus and I will help you get down. Got it?"
"Got it," Shawn grunted.
Juliet maneuvered so that Shawn now had his right arm around the passenger seat headrest, then she turned and took a hold of Gus's hand as she jumped out of the truck, landing softly on the ground below.
"How you doing, Shawn?" Gus asked, sticking his head through the door.
"Peachy," Shawn answered. "Can I get out of here now?"
"Okay, scoot as far over to the door as you can," Juliet instructed. Shawn followed her directions, having considerable difficulty as he tried not to move his left arm. He shut his eyes tight as he closed the last bit of distance between his seat and the door. "You okay?" Juliet repeated, seeing the sweat on his brow and the tight pinch of his face.
"I'm good. Let's do this."
Gus stepped over to take Shawn's arm and Juliet kept her hand on his right side, trying her best to avoid touching the damaged wrist. "On three," Gus said, "One, two, three," and Shawn jumped down, landing roughly. He would have fallen onto his butt if Gus hadn't had such a strong grip on him. Even so, the movement made him dizzy and he squeezed his eyes closed again. He could feel Juliet examining his right side, the side that had been obscured when he was in the car. She had her fingers up near his hairline and he winced when she pressed gently.
"You've got a big goose egg here," Juliet said, concerned. "Do you feel dizzy?" She asked, already knowing the answer to that question.
"A little," Shawn admitted, choosing to omit the fact that he was dizzy before the crash.
Juliet frowned. "We should probably get to the cabin as soon as possible. Gus, did you get the bags?" Gus held them up and Juliet took one from him. Shawn took the other, even though Gus insisted he would carry it. "Any cell service?" she asked hopefully. Gus shook his head. "Dammit," she cursed quietly. "About a mile, you said?"
Shawn nodded. "Maybe a little less."
"Do you know where to go?" Juliet asked Gus, and at Gus's nod, she hoisted one of the bags over her shoulder. Staying close to Shawn's right side, she urged Gus forward. "Alright then let's get going. Lead the way, Gus."
Lassiter looked up from his paperwork when he heard the chief's voice. He'd been relegated to his desk after the crime techs had complained that they couldn't work with him breathing down their necks. He immediately knew something was wrong when he saw the look on her face.
"They're releasing him, aren't they?"
Vick nodded. "He'll still be under police surveillance, but we have to let him go."
Lassiter cursed quietly. "What the hell is their reason? We found the damn bodies."
"Improper processing of evidence."
"We did everything by the book!" Lassiter insisted.
"I know, they're just grasping at straws, but the truth is we can't connect him to the evidence yet. Don't worry we're putting two officers on-watch outside his home. Estevez won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Vick paused, studying Lassiter. "Go home, Detective. Get some sleep. I know you'll be back early tomorrow anyway. There's nothing you can do here now."
"That's okay, I have some work I need to finish."
"That wasn't a suggestion, Detective," the chief added simply before heading into her office.
Lassiter knew better than to defy Karen Vick, so he packed up the papers he'd been working on and gathered his things. He'd go home, but he had no intention of sleeping. Estevez was a snake and he wasn't going to get away with this. If only Lassiter could figure out whom he'd been working with...
In the 30 minutes that they had been walking, the wind had picked up considerably. The humidity in the air was palpable – it was going to start raining soon and hard. Shawn saw Gus quicken his pace in front of them, obviously thinking the same thing.
"Just a little farther," Juliet reassured him, even though Shawn knew she had no clue how much longer until they reached the cabin.
Shawn huffed out a laugh. "I appreciate the optimism."
"Cabin's up ahead!" Gus yelled, turning to look at them.
Juliet turned to Shawn. "Told you," she said happily. Shawn grinned in response, trying to walk a little faster, the prospect of finally getting to rest providing him with renewed energy.
"Oh, the key, Buddy!" Shawn shouted to Gus, reaching into his pocket. The movement caused him to lose his balance and Juliet couldn't compensate quickly enough. Shawn stuck out his left hand to catch himself when he realized he was going down, for a second completely forgetting about the whole broken wrist thing. The second his wrist connected with the ground, the pain was unreal. He curled in on himself, gasping harshly, feeling nauseous from the pain. Shawn could hear Juliet and Gus calling to him, but he was too focused on not screaming.
After a few horrible moments, the pain started to back down to a dull ache. Shawn opened his eyes to see Juliet's and Gus's concerned faces. "You okay?" Juliet asked worriedly. "You blacked out on us there for a second."
Shawn looked confused, pretty sure passing out would have been preferable to what he just went through. He nodded tightly. "Sorry," he whispered, unsure what he was apologizing for. "Let's just get-get into the cabin," Shawn choked out, struggling to stand. Gus was at his side, allowing Shawn to put all his weight on him. "You get the keys?"
Gus chuffed out a laugh. "Yeah I got them, Shawn. Next time make sure you have your balance before doing something like that."
Shawn let out a harsh laugh. "You...got it." Juliet hovered nearby in case Shawn decided to take another spill, but they made it to the cabin steps without incident.
"I hope there's heat," Shawn mumbled, shivering.
Juliet frowned, reaching up to feel Shawn's forehead again. "It's pretty warm out, Shawn. Are you sure you're not sick?"
Shawn shook his head, "Not sick," he insisted, but then proceeded to cough harshly, undermining that assertion.
The clap of thunder overhead filled them with renewed urgency to get inside the cabin, and Juliet hurried up the steps with the keys. Gus and Shawn followed behind at a slower pace, Shawn not wanting a repeat of what happened a few minutes ago. Juliet propped the door open and turned on the lights before returning to Gus and Shawn, taking the extra bags from them and walking alongside as they climbed the steps.
"Home sweet home," Shawn said enthusiastically once they were inside.
"Man this place hasn't changed in fifteen years!" Gus exclaimed, looking at the familiar decor that surrounded the cabin. With Shawn's arm still around his shoulder, Gus led his best friend into the kitchen area and lowered him into one of the chairs. Juliet followed closely behind, flicking on the light switch.
In the bright light from the kitchen, Shawn looked even worse, if that was possible. He was a few shades paler than earlier and his eyes had deep smudges underneath them. The bump on his head didn't look as bad as Juliet had originally thought, and for that she was thankful.
"Gus, why don't you go get the first-aid kit?" Juliet asked. Gus nodded and headed for the bathroom.
Shawn had his eyes closed and he was breathing harshly, bending over as if in pain.
"Shawn," Juliet said, bending down to look him in the eyes. "Did you hurt your ribs in the crash?" she asked, trying to figure out why he was bent over and struggling to breathe.
"Don't th-think so," he wheezed, lifting the hem of his shirt so Juliet could see. There were no marks from the seatbelt and she couldn't find any cracked or broken ribs when she pressed on his stomach. "Can't," he wheezed, coughing dryly, "catch my...breath," he huffed out, on the verge of hyperventilating. Shawn pressed a hand to his sternum, trying to calm down. "Stomach hurts." Gus hurried back with the first aid kit, pulling out another chair for himself.
"What's going on?" he asked Juliet, noticing his friend's obvious distress. Shawn was leaning forward even more now, groaning.
Juliet had her hand on Shawn's shoulder but she looked at Gus worriedly. "I don't know, he said his stomach hurts and he's having trouble breathing."
Gus seemed to think for a second before cursing under his breath. "Shit," he murmured, and that caught Juliet's attention because she had only very rarely heard him curse before. Something was wrong.
"What is it, Gus?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"Shawn, in your extensive SCUBA diving training, did they warn you about the Bends?"
Shawn looked up at his best friend, hand still pressed against his sternum. "Why would...they warn me...about a luxury c..car?"
"You think he has the Bends?" Juliet asked, vaguely remembering learning about that in the first-aid class the academy required. "What does that mean? Can we treat it?"
"It means Shawn's probably only going to get worse," Gus started. "And we need to get him off this mountain."
Way to go to those of you who guessed what was wrong! I don't really know much about Decompression Sickness or the Bends, so these symptoms are just pulled off of the Internet. And for those who said Shawn or Gus should have figured it out sooner, Shawn's SCUBA certification wasn't actually legit and Gus didn't realize because Shawn hadn't really been showing symptoms. Thank you all for reading, please review! (The reviews make me update faster).