I run as fast as my body will allow, desperate to get to Nicole and make sure she is okay. I practically fly through the rain in my haste, my wet locks sticking to my neck and my boots squishing with the mud beneath them.
Up ahead, I see Nedley take a protective stance in front of Nicole's prone body as Eos still appears dangerously restless.
My heart beats wildly in my chest and the ache in my lungs increases, the result of my extreme concern for the redhead rather than lack of fitness. In fact, I have never been more grateful for all the runs I frequently worked into my week.
A mile quickly turns to half a mile, and then all that is left between us is a few more feet before I am finally at Nicole's side. I fall to my knees next to her and cradle her head gently in my lap, wiping wet scarlet strands from her forehead.
"Nicole! Nicole wake up, please!" I desperately urge her to say something, anything. But the only response I get is the soft sound of the breaths leaving and entering her lungs.
This sign of life removes a huge part of my concern. But it flares right back up at the sight of the deep gash on Nicole's temple, blood oozing endlessly from it.
"She is bleeding!" I shout in panic to Nedley, who keeps one eye trained on Eos as he looks back towards us.
"The damn horse got her bad. We have to get her out of the rain so we can clean it up. But first, we'll need to get pressure on that wound." His voice sounds gruff, full of worry and urgency.
Sifting through all my medical knowledge from Grey's Anatomy University, I realize what I have to do. "Can you turn around please?" I ask Nedley. He looks at me in confusion. "I can use my shirt to put pressure on the wound." I explain.
"All right, but be quick about it. Can't have you freezing to death." He says, and the genuine concern for my wellbeing in his voice fills me with warmth. After he turns away from me, I start the process of getting to my shirt.
I remove my raincoat and then my jacket, before finally taking off my shirt. The drops of rain leave goosebumps on my exposed skin, but I ignore them and focus solely on the girl in my lap.
I bundle up the shirt and hold it against her wound, applying pressure to stop the flow of blood. An involuntary shiver runs up my spine from the cold air and I knew I had to get my jacket back on soon. Me dying from hypothermia wasn't going to help anyone right now.
I turn towards Nedley, finding him already holding up my jacket as he stares in the other direction to keep protecting my modesty. "Here, let me do that. Put your jacket back on."
"Thank you." I say, removing my hand from Nicole's wound to get my jacket back on. Nedley crouches down and takes my place in keeping the pressure on Nicole's wound.
I notice the paleness of her skin and remember how cold it felt against mine when I held her head in my lap. Nicole Haught needed heat urgently.
I pick up my raincoat and drape it over her in an attempt to keep her warm and protect her from the rain. This was only a temporary solution, however. We had to get Nicole somewhere warm and dry before her body temperature dropped too low.
Which is why my next action is to take out my phone and call Jeremy and the others for help, along with an ambulance.
I try calling three times without success. To my frustration I notice that I had no cell reception. I only barely stop myself from flinging the useless piece of technology across the field.
"There's no signal, I can't call anyone for help!" I exclaim in frustration. Nedley does not seem surprised by it.
"A cellphone tower in our area got knocked out by the storm. One of my neighbours called me on the house phone to tell me. That's when I knew this damn storm was going to be bad and came up the stairs to ask for Nicole's help." He explains, looking down at Nicole with guilt.
"Shit. What do we do then? She needs help urgently!" I say, trying and failing to keep the panic out of my voice.
"I think I managed to stop most of the bleeding for now. We need to get her out of the storm." He says, his face showcasing deep worry for the wellbeing of the girl who is practically a daughter to him. He looks back up at me, the worry replaced with determination.
"The barn is the best option we have. We keep a fully stocked first aid kit in the cupboard against the left wall."
He looks over at the two quadbikes as he contemplates the best course of action to get Nicole out of here.
With a final nod to himself he looks back at me, his tone serious. "The quadbikes are going to be our fastest option to get her to the barn. Take Nicole's quad, we can put her behind you and use your raincoat to tie the two of you together." He says finally.
I feel like my day has turned into some Bear Grylls episode, but cannot argue that Nedley is right. It was the best plan we had.
I nod in the affirmative and we both crouch down on either side of Nicole. Just as we are about to lift her, the sky rumbles angrily. Realizing what happened with the previous lightning strike, my throat fills with panic.
"Eos!" I shout over at Nedley, indicating at the sky. He nods in understanding.
"We need to get this rope around his neck before the lightning makes him go crazy again and he injures another one of us or himself." He says, pointing at the rope left abandoned in the grass when Eos knocked out Nicole.
I gently release my hold on Nicole and get back up. I pick up the rope and look over at Eos. The horse stands a few feet away trampling the ground restlessly, his eyes wild.
I feel like I can almost see a flicker of guilt in them every time he looks towards us and his owner lying on the ground. It was as if he knew what he had done. I meet Nedley's worried gaze.
The lightning would strike again soon, which would be sure to cause Eos to freak out. Nicole would want us to make sure he was okay.
"You can do it, Waverly. I have seen you with him." Nedley encourages me. He was right, I was the only other person besides Nicole who he trusted.
Releasing a breath and gritting my teeth, I grip the rope and raise slowly to my full height just as the sky gives yet another rumble.
I steel myself and meet Eos's gaze, drawing up memories of watching Nicole with him. I remember how entranced I had been watching them that very first time. "It is all about trust, Waves." She had told me once.
Trust. That can't be too hard right? I relax my demeanor and raise my hands towards Eos, in a sign of transparency. His wild eyes lock onto mine.
"Shhh Eos… it's okay boy. I know you're scared bud, but… you are a giant. This storm? You are bigger than it. Shhh, boy. I got you."
He calms ever so slightly at my words, flooding me with relief. That relief is quickly replaced with dread when the sky gives its loudest rumble yet. I knew I had only a few seconds before the sky would light up with a flash of static energy.
"It's okay boy. It can't hurt you; you are a giant." I repeat, trying to remain calm despite my desperation to get this over with.
With my eyes still locked to Eos's, I take a final slow step in his direction and move the noose at the end of the rope over his neck. I only barely manage to get it in place before the lightning hits.
Knowing what was about to happen and what was at stake, I grip the rope with all my might. Eos starts rearing up again in fright, causing my heart rate to accelerate with fear. I push the fear away, it would only make everything worse. I focus my energy towards Eos, my eyes never leaving his.
"Shhh boy, you are okay. Shhh." I coax gently despite the burn of the rope straining in my hands.
I am relieved to find that his reaction is not as dramatic as the last time, his front legs barely leave the ground. His body language seems much less restless and his eyes calmer as they finally look towards me with dulled fear and, to my joy, trust.
He finally seemed to understood, knew that he was bigger than the storm. The fear had seeped out of him, because I had shown him he was no longer alone in facing the tempest. The rope in my hand slacks.
In that moment, seeing the strength in the eyes of a horse, I am hit with a sudden realization. I glance towards the beautiful girl in Nedley's arms and knew that it was time to give up fighting my own storm.
I had feared love for so long, feared that it was a force that would only strike me down and leave a trail of the destroyed pieces of my heart in its wake. Just like it had many times before in my life. The times before I had Nicole Haught.
She had proven to me over and over again that love was not a destructive force, but the most powerful thing you can wield. It does not cause the storm; it makes you strong enough to face and overcome it. Even if that storm is the biggest, most hurtful hurricane that makes you feel like you will never see the light of day. Why? Because love makes you a giant.
With a set of my jaw, I make a silent promise to myself. When all this is over and she is safe and unharmed, I am going to tell Nicole Haught the truth. That she was the anomaly I have always needed, the light that has unknowingly saved me from drowning in my own darkness.
I turn towards Eos, laying my head against his as I rub his neck. "Thank you, bud." I whisper, receiving a nudge to my neck and a grunt in response.
"Good job, Waverly. Now, quickly, help me get Nicole to the barn for the night." Nedley says behind me.
"For the night? She needs real medical attention urgently!" I say in disbelief.
Nedley sighs sadly. "She does, but the farm roads are closed when a storm like this hits. Too much debris and too little traction makes it a life-threatening exercise to drive on them. The winds are also too strong for a chopper. The first aid kit in the barn will have to do until morning."
I release a huff of frustration at the situation, feeling powerless. He was right, we were just going to have to make do with what we had to help Nicole until we could get her to the hospital. I feel a moist muzzle poking my neck and realize we had another thing to consider. "What about Eos?"
Nedley gazes towards the much calmer horse attached to the rope in my hand.
"I'll guide him to the stables and meet you in the barn after. Good?"
My face contorts with determination as I give him a curt nod and guide Eos towards Nedley's quadbike. Once there, I tie the rope to the vehicle and walk back towards Nedley and Nicole.
I crouch down and help Nedley lift her into an upright position. With her arm slung over each of our shoulders, we carry her towards the second quadbike. I release her into Nedley's hold as I get onto the quad.
Nedley lifts her into a seated position behind me. He then places the open raincoat onto her back and hands me each of the sleeves. I use them to tie Nicole in position against me before starting the quad.
With a final nod towards Nedley, I hit the gas and direct the four-wheeler towards the barn at top speed.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
I only slow down when the barn door is right in front of us. When the quad is parked, I untie the raincoat and slowly slip from the seat as I support Nicole's weight to keep her from falling down.
I fold the raincoat into something resembling a pillow and gently lower Nicole's head onto it. Satisfied that she was not in any discomfort, I walk to the barn door and open it wide enough to fit the quad.
Maneuvering myself back in front of Nicole on the quadbike, I turn the ignition and slowly drive us into the barn.
I park the quad right next to Nicole's bed and move her as gently as I can onto the mattress. Thereafter I grab some towels along with the first aid kit in the cabinet on the opposite side of her bed.
I am able to dry her face and hair to some extent with the towel, but I was going to need to get her wet clothes off.
My eyes roam over her living space in search of her clothes, finally seeing a shirt peeking from below the bed.
When I crouch down to inspect my findings, I strike gold. Nicole keeps a stash of clean clothes folded neatly underneath her bed.
Armed with a freshly extracted shirt and comfortable tracksuit pants, I return my attention to the girl on the bed to start the process of removing the wet clothes from her body.
The raincoat goes first, then her blue flannel. When I reach her T-shirt, I am unable to stop the small smile that spreads across my face.
She was wearing her Wombats T-shirt, the same one she lent me. I only gave it back to her yesterday. It seemed to be a permanent fixture to our relationship, travelling with us through every up and down.
I shake off my reminiscing and focus on the task at hand, removing the wet shirt sticking to her skin.
I avert my gaze to protect her modesty as I remove the Tee. There would be lots of time to stare at Nicole Haught's exceptional body once she is out of the woods and I have confessed my feelings. At least, I hoped so.
Shaking off these thoughts, I proceed to remove her boots and soaked jeans as well.
I make quick work of putting the dry clothes onto Nicole and then tuck her into bed, making sure to add a bonus blanket for extra warmth.
Satisfied that she was now warm enough, I focus on patching up her wound next. With a pair of latex gloves from the first aid kit on my hands, I grab a bowl and one of the bottles of water Nicole keeps next to her bed.
I pour some of the water into the bowl and moisten a clean towel from the cupboard. Then I start dabbing at Nicole's temple with the moist end of the towel to remove any dirt and debris.
The remaining water in the bowl gets replaced with disinfectant from the first aid kit. Along with some cotton wool from the kit, I make quick work of disinfecting the wound.
Finally I remove a butterfly plaster and place it gently over the now clean and disinfected gash, just as Nedley enters the barn. He looks over at Nicole in worry, which quickly turns to relief when he sees the clean state of her wound.
"You did a really great job, kid. I didn't know you knew first aid." He tells me, impressed.
"My sister used to get hurt a lot and I was the only one who could help her." I say with a shrug, euphemizing the truth as to not alarm Nedley to my own tragedies.
He doesn't push the matter, just gives me a warm smile. "I am really glad you are here, Waverly."
He says it in a way that doesn't mean just in the barn, that means he is glad about me being at Joy Farm in general.
It warms a part of my heart that I never knew I had. The part that was a little girl dying to be loved by her dad.
The sudden emotion resulting from his words clogs up my throat and causes tears to well up in my eyes. I quickly avert my gaze to compose myself.
Finally able to meet his eyes again, I smile towards him. "I am glad to be here too, sir."
He nods, another warm smile directed at me before he looks towards Nicole with a frown. "What is the verdict, Doc. Will she be okay for the night?"
"Yeah, I think she is good for now. Her wound looked worse than it was, but she still needs to go see an actual doctor in the morning."
Nodding in relief, Nedley takes Nicole's hand and gives it an affectionate squeeze. "You had us real worried, kid. Now get through the night, okay? I can't run this farm without you."
His words are full of vulnerability and warmth, his fatherly love for Nicole Haught clear in his tone.
"I am going to go get cleaned up. I would tell you to do the same, but I know you won't move an inch from her side." He says with a smile when he finally looks back up at me.
I give him a sheepish grin. "I don't want to leave her. Think I might stay here for the night, if that is okay?"
"If you didn't stay, I would have. Wouldn't want her to wake up alone. So go ahead, just shout if you or she needs anything."
I nod at him gratefully. "I will. Goodnight, Nedley."
With a final look towards Nicole and a tip of his Stetson, Nedley exits the barn.
When he is gone, I grab another shirt and pants from Nicole's stash and replace my own wet clothes with dry ones.
The essence of Nicole drifting from her clothes overwhelms my senses. Her scent was addicting. I place my nose inside the shirt to breathe in another whiff of earth and vanilla dipped donuts. Finally high enough on her smell, I move over to the bed and get under the covers next to Nicole.
I raise onto my elbow and release a sigh, exuding all the day's emotions as I gaze at Nicole's beautiful, relaxed features. Filled with gratitude that she was okay, I lean forward and place a soft kiss to her cheek.
"I love you." I confess before laying my head onto her chest, the beats of her heart lulling me to sleep.
