Setting Up For a Fall

Chapter Thirteen - Yeu

"S, you better get a move on. You know in the early morning light, coyotes are known to prowl around here."

"What?!" she said loudly and then jogged up to catch up to him. She grabbed onto his forearm and he smiled. She looked around the area for ang stray coyotes.

"Yeah, didn't you know? Early morning and dusk are their prowling times."

"Jer! Don't joke around like that. It's not funny!"

"Do I look like I'm joking around?"

"Let's go now, please?!" she began tugging on his sleeve. She began jogging as she still had a hold on his sleeve.

Jeremiah chuckled at Skye. "Be careful...we're going down hill."

"Come on! I don't want to get eaten alive by coyotes up here," she was clearly in a panic.

"Skye, slow down..."

She pulled his hand and kept running down hill at a fast pace and did not see the little pebble that caught the bottom of her shoe. She tripped before he could even react and it was much too late to catch her. She tried to stop her fall with her forearms and landed with a thud.

"Ow!" She whined.

"Skye, are you okay?" Jeremiah said, worry filled his voice.

"No..." she rolled over onto her back and examined her arms. She had scrapes on both arms, her jacket not providing enough cushion to soften the blow.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

"Let me see."

He opened up his bottle of water and washed her scrapes as best as he could. He also noticed she tore her leggings and her left knee was a bleeding mess. He rinsed her knee and examined the cut. It wasn't very deep, thankfully. He helped her up, but she winced and fell back down when she tried to put weight on her right ankle.

"S?"

"I think I rolled my ankle, Jer," she looked up at him in pain.

"Here, let me see."

Jeremiah carefully lifted up her leggings and gingerly took her socks and shoes off. He checked for any broken bones, and didn't feel any, although her ankle was already turning black and blue and beginning to swell up. He kneeled in front of her and pulled her arms over his shoulders.

"Hop on."

"Huh?"

"Hop on. You can't walk, babe. Hop on."

She looked at him incredulously at his term of endearment outburst, but she was in a lot of pain and couldn't stand up. She took him up on his offer, holding her socks and shoe in one hand. Jeremiah gripped the backs of her knees tightly, not wanting to drop her and cause her body more trauma than it already had. Skye held on tightly for dear life, her chin resting on his shoulder. He hoisted her up even further up his back as he slowly made his way down the trail.

"Jer, sorry if I'm so heavy."

"S, you're not. I told you to slow down."

"It was your fault! You scared me with coyotes. You know I'm not one for nature or wild animals," she pouted. Even though he couldn't see her, he could imagine her face, and because of that thought, he chuckled.

"I was only telling the truth."

"Well, the truth hurts. Literally," she giggled. "Good thing I made a fool of myself in front of you and not Dylan."