Chapter 795 Chapter 795
Bear hadn’t realized there were so many pieces to a vehicle before. After the pillar, there had been six other parts he’d had to shift out of the way.
“Bear, get the door ready to put her on.” Calum reminded him.
Bear stopped and wiped the sweat off his face. “All right.” He went around behind the back of the van and looked at the back door. It should work.
It took him less time to rip it off than he’d thought.
“Bear?”
He dropped the door and hurried back around. “I’m here, Calla.”
“I was thinking—” Her voice was so weak.
“Yeah? About what?” He stepped around Edda, who still held her hand, and leaned down to figure out how he was going to lift the dash when it was so close to her body.
“If this Alliance gig doesn’t work out—”
When she stopped talking, he checked to see she was taking a few slow breaths.
“—for you. There is always working—” more slow breaths. Was she having trouble talking? “—at an auto wrecker.”
He straightened up and looked at her. “You just focus on staying awake, funny girl” He was relieved that she was attempting to tease him right now.
“Kay.”
“How are you doing, Bear?” Calum asked.
“I have the door off. I just need to lift the dash, but I’m not sure how to go about it. Calla’s legs—” He leaned down and looked. “—if I get it up, I’ll probably have to hold it, and then I’ll be in the way.”
“Bear, it’s Tripp. Do you have a blanket?”
He nodded and looked around. Edda had one. “Yeah.”
“Okay. Wrap it under her shoulder blades and arms. Then she can be pulled from the other door.”
Bear looked at her position and then remembered her arm. “I have to free her arm first, then I’ll do that.”
“When you do, Bear, rest the arm across her stomach if you can so it’s not dragging,” Shaelan said.
“Got it.” He glanced at Edda. “Can you go get that blanket and lean in the other door?”
She nodded and got up.
“I’m free soon?” Calla sounded panicked. “I don’t feel good, Bear.”
“In what way?” Shaelan asked.
“Dizzy. Cold.” Calla said breathlessly.
“It’s the shock, Calla.”
Calla closed her eyes. “Kay. It sucks.”
“I know. Bear, you need to get her out now.”
Bear looked at the phone. It was the first time Shaelan’s tone had altered from anything but soft and patient.
“On it.” He climbed in and leaned over her. The roof was slanted from the impact. Gritting his teeth, he braced his hands on his knees and pushed his back into the ceiling. He heard the creaking, and then he gained a few more inches of space. “Okay.” He looked to see Calla watching him. “I’m going to move the console and get your arm out.”
“Kay.” She was taking breaths and blowing them out.
He suspected the dizziness was making her feel sick, but she was trying to stay calm through it. Bear held her upper arm against her body with one hand, braced his weight, and then made a fist and put it in the console’s compartment. “Don’t try to move your arm.” He pushed against the console with everything he had. The molded plastic gave way and then broke away from the rest. Her arm was free.
He looked at her face. She had her eyes squeezed shut and teeth bared. “I know it hurts. Give me a second.” He leaned over so he could look. He wasn’t very knowledgeable about medical things, but he knew the way her elbow was bent was not a good sign. He checked under it. There was no blood. Being as gentle as possible, he lifted her elbow and wrist and moved it toward her body.
“Oh damn—” She whimpered.
“Sorry.”
“Just finish.” She made a hitch-pitched sound as he moved it toward her body and hoped like hell he didn’t do any more damage.
When he was done, he leaned down and put his forehead on hers. “Sorry.”
She nodded and reached up and put her cool hand against his face. “Get all of me out now, kay?”
Bear got up. “That’s the plan.” He held out his hand to Edda. “Hand me the blanket.”
Gently, he reached under her shoulders, careful not to shift her too much, and placed the blanket under her. He didn’t want to move her arm again, so he threaded the corner of it between her arm and body and then pulled the rest through.
After he got it under both arms, he took her other hand and placed it against the injured arm just about the elbow. “While we’re pulling you out, you hold onto this arm.”
She looked at him but didn’t say anything.
Leaning down, he kissed her forehead.
“Edda, you’re going to have to pull her until her legs are clear and then stop. I need to get the straps around them.”
Edda nodded and reached in and grasped the ends of the blanket. She adjusted her grip, taking more of it into her hand so she had a good hold of it.
“You’ve got this, Bear,” Amari said.
Bear just nodded. Moving back over, he wedged his body in the tiny space so he could lift the dash. He picked up the straps and set them around his neck so they were easy to access. “Ready, Edda?”
“I am.”
“You scream if anything hurts, Calla.”
“Just do it.”
Bear took a deep breath and found a grip on it that he knew wouldn’t slip. It felt like he was lifting the weight of the entire van. He heard the molded material pop and then a groan of metal.
“A little more, Bear,” Edda said.
He was thankful for her telling him, because then he knew it was actually moving. His arms were tired and back wasn’t going to handle much more of this.
“I’m pulling her now. Hold it.”
He froze in place and watched Calla’s body move beside him.
“She’s free.”
Bear released it and grabbed the straps. Shaelan hadn’t said where to do it, so he did just above her knee. It was hard to do them up with the gloves on, but the seconds it would take to remove them, he didn’t have. Once under the first leg, he pulled it tight and then lifted her left leg just enough to feed the strap under it. When it was tightened, he exhaled. He’d been holding his breath the whole time. “Calla, how do you feel?” He looked at her legs. There were indents in them.
“Is she out, Bear?” Shaelan asked.
He looked for the phone. When Edda pulled her free, it had fallen on the floor. “Yes.”
“Okay, what do you see?”
He pulled off a glove and ran his hand along her leg, careful not to use any pressure. “There are indents in both legs, just below the knee, but I don’t want to remove her pant leg to look.”
“No. Leave them for now. No swelling at her ankles? How’s she doing?”
He lifted the cuff of her jeans. Her ankles looked okay. He checked to see she was lying there with her eyes squeezed shut. “Calla? Talk to me.”
She opened her eyes and whooshed out a breath. “They’re throbbing, but no bad pains.”
He felt his shoulders relax.
“Okay, Bear, before you move her any further, I want you to check her abdomen and sides for any swelling or discoloration.”
He wanted to growl. He knew Shaelan was helping. Seriously, he was grateful she was there, but she needed to stop putting more images of ways his mate could be injured in his head. “Okay.” He knelt on one knee, jamming his shoulder into the dash. With careful movements, he lifted her jacket and shirt up. What is classified as discoloration? He didn’t ask. If Shaelan figured he’d know if he saw it, he pictured dark reds and purplish shades. With a light touch, he ran his hand up her side, shifting the shirt out of the way. Her skin looked perfect. Soft and beautiful. He checked the other side carefully and then pulled her clothes back into place. “It looks good, Shaelan.”
“Perfect. Calla, take a deep breath and let it out.”
Bear looked back to her face. She was staring at the roof. He saw her chest rise and fall.
“Any pains or difficulty doing that?”
Calla barely shook her head. “No. Breathing is fine.”
“Okay, Bear. Get her onto the door as gently as possible. Wrap her up in blankets and put something under her head. Just before you move her once on the door, loosen the straps one notch.”
Bear nodded. “Okay.” He backed out and then ran around to get the door. He spotted the bundle of blankets they carried for any rescued transports and grabbed them too.
Going back around, he stood between Edda and the open door. “Can you put a blanket on the door? I’ll hold her.”
Edda nodded and moved out of the way when he put his arm under her shoulders, resting her head against him.
“Good name,” Calla whispered.
He looked at her.
“Yours. You’re strong as a bear.”
Someone on the phone chuckled.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll tell my parents you approve.”
“I do.” She closed her eyes.
“It’s ready.” Edda moved to the other side of her.
“Ready to go for a toboggan ride?”
“Bring it.” Calla grinned and then blew out a breath. “If I throw up on you, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t even worry about it.” Once this was over, he might just throw up.
“We’ll get an IV in after you’re safe, Calla,” Shaelan said.
All Bear could think was he hoped he wasn’t part of the we because the idea of sticking a needle in Calla made him want to puke.