Searching Blind by Tonya Burrows

Author:Tonya Burrows [Burrows, Tonya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

chapter

sixteen

As they moved away from the sinkhole and made camp on a flatter, more solid patch of land, the adrenaline started to wear off and the pain really set in.

Lucy tried to focus on her breathing, on Sawyer’s steady presence beside her, on Zelda, who was scurrying around them like a puppy, sniffing at everything—on anything but the throbbing pain in her back. But it was hard. She was exhausted, physically and mentally, and the pain was relentless. It never stopped, only shifted from a dull, pulsing ache to sharp, stabbing jabs that took her breath away.

Sawyer was a quiet, solid presence beside her, his fingers careful as he unzipped her backpack and pulled out the first aid kit. She could hear the rustle of fabric, the crackle of the wrapper as he pulled out a fresh bandage. He took the time to clean his hands and then squirted sanitizer on them, and she was irrationally torn between gratitude for his gentleness and irritation at his efficiency. A part of her wanted to snap at him, to tell him to stop being so calm and competent when she was in pain. But she bit back the words before they could escape. She couldn’t keep taking her bad tempers out on him.

“Okay,” he murmured. “I’m going to need you to lean forward a bit.”

She nodded, grimacing as she shifted her position. If it weren’t for the pain, she might have enjoyed the feel of Sawyer’s hands on her—strong, warm, and reassuring. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the feelings that were simmering inside her. She couldn’t brush them off as mere gratitude or comfort-seeking anymore. Not when every laugh he shared, every touch, every quiet moment between them felt so intensely personal. So right.

Sawyer dabbed an antiseptic pad on the raw skin of her wound, and she hissed at the sting of it. Her thoughts immediately derailed.

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered quickly, his hands momentarily still against her back. “I’m trying to be as gentle as I can.”

“I know,” she said through gritted teeth, squeezing her eyes shut as another wave of pain washed over her. “It just... it fucking hurts.”

She felt Sawyer’s chest rise and fall against her back as he sighed quietly. “Just another minute, and I’ll be done torturing you. And… there.” He smoothed a fresh bandage over the wound, then handed her a packet of ibuprofen. “It’s the best I can do, but we should head back at first light so Grant can take a look at it.”

She winced at the suggestion and swallowed the pills, washing them down with a swig from his canteen. “I don’t trust him.”

“I don’t trust any of them,” Sawyer said flatly and leaned against the trunk of a tree, pulling her back against his chest. “But he was a medic.”

She relaxed into him. “We should keep going toward the cell tower. Unless you think you can get the radio working…?”

His chin was resting on her shoulder, and she felt his jaw tighten in frustration.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.