Jake didn't take long to get a good flame going. Over the 37 days or so we'd been out here, he's gotten to be really good at building fires—we all have. I was growing nervous by the second about how much this was going to hurt. However, to keep calm I reminded myself that I was doing this for Jake. I would do anything for Jake.
I watched as he grabbed a knife from his backpack, turning it over in his hands before he spoke, "Cassie... are you sure about this?"
No...
"Yes," I replied despite my subconscious, "I can't lose any more blood."
"Okay..." he said hesitantly. He brushed some sweat away from his face before crouching down in front of the fire. I watched as the knife entered the flame, heating to the point of turning orange.
My stomach flipped as I watched him heat the knife. To help calm myself down, I let my thoughts wander to Wes. He needed us and he was waiting. Stopping my bleeding would help Jake and I return to him by nightfall, and we were already behind schedule.
Once the knife was hot and glowing, Jake crouched beside me and gently guided my leg where he wanted it.
"Ready?" He asked, although he looked hesitant.
"Yes. Do it now," I commanded.
With that, he immediately pressed the burning knife onto my wound. At first it didn't really hurt too bad; it kind of felt like when you burn yourself on a curling iron. However, the longer the knife sat on the wound without me being able to pull away the more it hurt. It was excruciating. It felt like it had been resting there forever but it was really only for a second.
"Ahhh! Son of a bitch!" I shouted in an attempt to dull the pain.
Jake immediately pulled the knife away, "Oh god, was that not right? I'm so sorry!"
I quick reached a hand out to him, placing it on his forearm before speaking through clenched teeth. "No that was good. Do it again on the other side of the wound and then any spots you missed."
He didn't put the knife back to do it again, even though he nodded his head in agreement.
"It's okay Jake, I can take it. Just don't stop no matter what I do. Finish the cauterizing okay?"
He nodded again and I guided his arm back towards the wound, holding his hand in place.
I let out a few more shouts of agony but finally Jake had finished. A thin sheen of sweat coated my body from pain and blood loss and I felt like passing out. But, it was over.
"You okay?" Jake asked, tossing the knife to the side and rewrapping my wound.
I was about to answer when a voice rang out into the clearing. "HEY!"
Jake was quick to move in front of me, shielding me from view. I peeked around his frame to try and get a look at who was yelling to us, and then my heart jumped.
It only took me a second to realize that coming towards us was Derek, Nate, and Cam!
I had missed them all, and had been so worried about them that I honestly wanted to cry at the sight of them safe and together.
"Holy fuck!" Jake said as he immediately rose to his feet to greet the men.
I wanted to stand up and run to them but I was feeling way too weak. Instead, I just stayed put and listened in on the guys as they spoke, knowing I'd get my chance to talk to them.
"Hey guys! I can't believe you found us!" Jake said, offering Derek a hand and pulling him into a brief hug.
"We tried to stay near to camp so that we wouldn't lose you guys! But then when y'all left we didn't know where you were. We happened to be nearby when we heard gun shots and Cassie's shouting so we just ran towards the sound. What happened? Is she okay?" Derek questioned as he made his way over to me.
Jake followed Derek's lead and crouched down beside me. "Wayde shot her in the leg. He was aiming for me and she jumped in front of it."
"Oh my god..." Cam said while he approached, fixing his eyes on my wound.
Derek took a look at the bullet hole and I flinched as he poked and prodded at my leg.
"I didn't see an exit wound and Cassie says it feels like the bullet is scraping on her knee; I didn't let her walk on it and we just stopped the bleeding but I don't know. She lost a lot of blood and I don't know if I did it right..." Jake explained.
Derek cut him off when he started to ramble. "No Jake you did good. It's good you stopped the bleeding. The bullet should stay in until we can get her to a real hospital, or at least until we can get to some decent medical supplies," Derek said.
"I can't believe you're here," I whispered. I just couldn't believe it; I had been so worried about them and thought we wouldn't find them. Then they just showed up out of nowhere, at a time when we needed them the most; it seemed surreal.
"We're here princess. Don't worry," Derek responded with a smile, wiping a tear away from my eyes with his thumb. I didn't realize I had a tear... it could have been from the pain or happy tears that the 3 men were here with us again.
"Where are the others?" Nathan asked from somewhere out of my view.
I let Jake relay the events of the day to the guys. I just didn't have the energy. They all expressed their concerns for Wes and agreed that getting the rope was the best option.
"We should get going then," Derek said. "Jake take a rest and hand the rope to Nate. Cam can take the backpack, and I can carry Cassie."
I was so relieved that the guys were here to help us that I felt 10 times more relaxed, but that made my eyelids feel heavier and I felt an overwhelming need to sleep. Derek crouched beside me and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he slid an arm under my thighs and another around my lower back.
He scooped me up off the ground and I laid my head on his chest. I felt his chest rumble against me as he spoke, "I got you Cass. You okay?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, Thank you. Where's Nathan?" I asked.
Nathan immediately appeared in my field of view, taking my hands in his, "I'm right here Cassie."
A tear almost escaped my eyes again at seeing him here and okay. The last I saw of him, he took the blame for stealing the bullets and was being hit and kicked repeatedly. The relief I felt in this moment being reunited with them was overwhelming, and I didn't think there were any words that could express my gratitude enough. "Thank you for what you did back at camp... taking the blame for me. I can't tell you how much it meant, even though it was terrifying."
"Of course. Don't worry about it; we're all okay and I would do it again. Same as how you jumped in front of a bullet for Jake, ya little crazy ass," Nathan replied with a smirk. He placed a quick kiss on my forehead before disappearing from view.
God I had missed his ability to always make me smile.
"Alright everyone, let's go save Wes! You can rest now Cass. I've got you," Derek said as everyone headed off.
I gazed up at Derek's features as he walked. It had really only been like 2 days since we were separated, but time moved slowly out here, and it was long enough for me to truly miss him.
"Why are you staring at me?" Derek asked with a chuckle.
I felt my cheeks tinge pink at getting caught. "I don't know. I'm just glad you're back."
Derek smiled down at me, "It's good to be back. Believe me when I say we've all missed you."
I couldn't help but grin back, "So what happened to you guys after you got away?" I asked loud enough for the rest of the guys to hear.
"Well... honestly not a lot," Derek replied.
"Yeah he's right," Nathan chimed in from somewhere behind us. "After we ran into the forest we weren't really sure what to do. We left without any weapons or anything; but we decided to stay near to camp so that we wouldn't lose you guys, and that way we could get our food from some of our traps. We walked further away during the night and came back in the day though, just incase Wayde or Garret ever came looking for us."
"How did you find water?" Jake asked.
"We found a small stream... it wasn't clean but it had to work," Cam replied, "and sometimes if all was clear we snuck back into camp."
"Well, Cass and I have extra water in the backpack so help yourself," Jake encouraged, "I'm glad you guys are okay."
Derek adjusted his arm under my leg and I flinched when I felt a pang where the bullet wound was. "Oops. Sorry Cassie."
I laid my head back down on his chest. "It's okay," I replied. As much as I wanted to stay awake and talk with the guys, my eyelids just felt so heavy.
"You can sleep if you want Cass. I'm sure you're feeling weak and you look really pale. Get some rest. You'll feel better when you wake up," he encouraged.
I felt bad about falling asleep and becoming dead weight in Derek's arms, but at the same time it was a struggle to stay awake and alert so I took him up on the offer. The men's voices faded to the background and I could hear Derek's heart pounding in my ear in even beats; it wasn't long before I fell asleep to the sound.
When I woke up, I was surprised to find I was in Cam's arms instead. I must have been out for a while because it looked like the sun was about to set.
I picked my head up off Cam's chest and stretched my body, momentarily forgetting about my knee until I felt the familiar pang again. I flinched.
"You okay?" Cam asked, looking down at me with concern.
"Yeah I'm good. I forgot about my knee for a second," I admitted.
Cam smirked, "Yeah. Seems kind of surreal that you actually got shot."
Nathan chimed in, "That makes you kind of a badass! You've got some battle scars now."
I smiled over Cam's shoulder at Nathan, "I am a badass! And trust me, I have plenty of scars from being out here, not just this one."
"Speaking of..." Cam stated, "when you were sleeping, Jake filled us in on what happened with Wayde; how he tried to... well you know. We just want you to know that we're all here for you. If you ever want to talk about it or just need a friend, you can come to me anytime."
"Me too," Nathan agreed.
"Same here," Derek added.
Jake dropped a palm on the top of my head from beside Cam, "And of course me too. I love you Cassie."
My heart fluttered at their support and affection.
"Awe," Nathan said, "I don't know if I've heard you two say that yet. It's sweet."
I chuckled. "Thank you guys; it means a lot knowing that I have all of you to talk to." I was about to start another conversation when I saw some figures off in the distance. "Wait... is that them?" I asked, pointing.
"Luke! Adam!" Jake shouted, waving his arms to help them see us.
"Over here!" Luke called back, standing up from the ground.
"Holy shit, you're all here!?" Adam questioned from beside Luke, "and what the hell happened to Cassie?!"
"Long story," Jake answered once we got closer. "How is Wes?"
"He's doing okay. His leg is hurt but he'll live. We just gotta get him out," Luke answered. "My god, it's good to see you guys. You'll have to fill us in on everything!"
"And we will," Cam responded, "let's just get Wes out first. Cass, can you stand or do you want to sit?"
"You can just set me down on the ground... I don't think I can stay balanced right now," I responded as I watched the rest of the guys unwind the rope.
Cam gently eased me down, dropping his arm out from under my thighs so that I was standing on my good leg while he was supporting my back. Adam appeared beside me, offering me his hands to hold on to as they both lowered me onto the ground.
"So what happened to you?" Adam asked.
"We ran into Wayde... and I got shot in the knee," I explained briefly.
"What!? Holy shit! Where are they now? Why did he shoot you?! Adam exclaimed, his eyes wide.
Cam wiped a palm across his brow and shook out his arms before speaking, "She saved Jake's life. They can explain it all later. Come help with the rope."
The boys had the rope untangled now, and Nathan was working on tying a good knot that Wes could sit in; redoing it completely from the knot I had used. Eventually, when it was secure, they dropped the rope down to Wes.
Jake was holding the rope in the front, followed by Derek, then Luke, and then Cam. Adam and Nathan were standing on either side to help grab Wes when he was up high enough. The boys made it look effortless as they worked together to pull him up. I wished Cam had set me down closer to the edge so that I could see Wes, but I supposed it wasn't all that important for me to see. I was just impatient.
Eventually, I saw Nathan reach down and pull Wes up beside him. Jake removed the rope from his legs and began to wind it up again. I watched Nathan and Derek help Wes to his feet, but I could tell he was hurt and avoiding putting weight on his left leg. I could see the 3 of them talking, but couldn't hear what was being said since I was too far away.
The sun was almost completely set now, so I could really only see their silhouettes. I watched as Derek and Nate each placed one of Wes's arms around their necks, acting as crutches as they made their way towards me.
"Wes! Are you okay?" I asked once they were close enough, "How is your leg?"
Nathan and Derek eased him to the ground beside me before he spoke, "Well... it hurts but I'll let the doc decide how bad it is. You of all people know how this goes," he smirked and placed a hand over mine.
"Wes I'm sorry..." I said, "I should have caught you."
Even in the dark I could see his ice-blue eyes piercing mine as he spoke. "Hey no. None of that. You tried. And honestly, even if you did manage to get your little hand around mine, I would have pulled you right in with me since I'm so much bigger than you."
I sighed, "I guess. I'm really glad we got you out of there."
"Me too. Smart thinkin' with the rope," he said, but flinched as Derek continued to prod at his leg. "Ouch!"
"Sorry Wes," Derek acknowledged as he continued to assess the damage. "I don't know though. It's too dark for me to see the full extent of what's going on, but it'll be best to keep weight off of it for now."
"Great," he grumbled. "Well Cass, looks like the tables have turned. Now I'm the one who can't walk."
"Oh Wes, I wish that was the case," I muttered. He didn't hear what had happened yet.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Wayde shot Cassie in the leg," Nathan chimed in from beside us.
Wes's eyes went wide as he shouted, "What!? Okay that's it! I'm over it out here. Where the fuck are the rescuers!?"
As much as I enjoyed our time here a couple weeks ago, now it was a whole new ball game and Wes was completely correct; I just wanted to go home.
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Hi!!
Usually I have stuff to say here but on this chapter I really don't 😂 I hope you're still enjoying the story. I have some mixed feelings about this chapter so let me know your thoughts please!
Also, happy fall everyone! Hope y'all are enjoying the pumpkin spice as much as I am! 😊👌🏼
-Haley