on with everything ounce of strength she had, tearing the skin of her palm to shreds. Bringing her catapulting body to a hard stop.
After a couple of seconds to catch her breath she pulled herself to standing and reassessed the situation.
Safety first—assess the environment. Should have done that before. ‘Okay, Rach. Wait here. Don’t move. I’m going to scramble up to the path and get the others. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘Please hurry. Please.’
The pain in Rachel’s voice spurred her up the slippery incline.
It was too dark and dangerous to run. The loose scoria slid under her weight and she had to concentrate on keeping upright. Stepping gingerly over the rubble, she called out to the others, trying not to sound like she felt. Lost and lonely, scared and hurting. ‘Max. Max. Quick!’
In the distance she heard the low rumble of laughter.
‘Max!’ She called louder, unable to erase the panic from her voice. Kilometres of ocean stood between them and any proper medical help. And she still hadn’t been able to assess her friend in any kind of way. A lot of blood, she’d said. Gabby didn’t want to imagine the dark possibilities. But they were real. ‘Max. Please. Please. Help me.’
The voices stopped. Then she heard a thunder of footsteps.
Never had she felt so relieved as when she saw his large shape hurtle towards her out of the gloom. He was a doctor. He’d be able to sort out her friend.
No. It was way more than that. Her heart lifted every damned time she set eyes on him.
When he reached her his hands gripped her shoulders as he scanned her up and down. ‘What the hell…? Are you okay, Gabby? My God. You scared the living— You’re okay?’ Now he was holding her tight in his arms. His lips were pressing on her forehead. In front of the whole crowd.
Before she shoved away she committed the feeling to memory. His smell. The shape of him. The feel of him as his body fitted so perfectly to hers. One last time. Her throat closed over and she forced words out as she directed them to the damaged foliage and the drop. ‘It’s Rachel. She’s down there. She’s hurt her leg.’
And it’s my fault. She shouldn’t have hurried like that in the dark, shouldn’t have made Rachel run to catch up just because she was avoiding a difficult topic of conversation. ‘But be careful, Max. It’s dangerous.’ She wouldn’t forgive herself if something happened to him, too.
Within seconds he was scrambling down the ravine, assessing the situation. After a few minutes his calm voice rose through the darkness. ‘Hey, listen, I think Rach has an open fibula fracture. We’re going to have to call the coastguard—there’s no way she can kayak back. But I need a hand to get her out.’
Between them they scrambled together a wound dressing and fashioned a splint out of a walking pole. Max, Rob and the guides carried Rachel down to the jetty and waited for help to arrive. Night clung to them, darker and colder, as they waited for long anxious minutes.
After what seemed an age, lights loomed out of the darkness and two paramedics jumped off a boat onto the jetty. Gabby finally felt able to breathe properly again.
As they waved her off, Max grinned. ‘She seems a lot better with Rob holding her hand. Job done.’
‘Yeah. There’s definitely something brewing there. I just wish it hadn’t all ended like that.’ Then she admitted the truth. ‘It was my fault.’
‘No, it wasn’t.’
‘I should have made us stay with the group.’
Instead of trying to avoid you. I should have been honest from the start, instead of trying to take what I wanted. Greedy. Impetuous. Selfish. Nonna was right all along. One day you’ll pay, my girl.
Gabby had been paying every day since.
With all the excitement, she’d almost forgotten her own unease, light-headedness and pain. But now it came back with force. Her legs turned jellylike as her stomach stabbed and swirled. ‘Please, can we go now? I’m so tired.’
‘Hey, you’re shaking. Here.’ Taking off his fleece jacket, Max wrapped it round her shoulders. Despite his heat coating her limbs, she didn’t think she’d ever be warm again. ‘Too much excitement for one day, eh?’
Max held the kayak steady as she wobbled into it. Sitting down was the sweetest feeling she’d had for days. As she turned round to nod to him her vision didn’t keep up with her head. Whoa. She needed