Page 29 of Beyond the Rainbow (Pride Camp 2025 #11)

Rescue

M onday

From his place on the dock, Joshua stood frozen, the radio clutched in a white-knuckled fist. He could feel his knees shaking, and without conscious thought, he grabbed one of the dock’s strong pillars, his fingers digging into the wood.

His chest tightened, and a sharp, burning ache stole his breath.

A horrifying vision flashed in his mind: Colin, lying on a gurney, breathing through a respirator, caked with his own blood.

“Oh god, please …” he choked out, then spun and raced toward the cabins.

“David!” he called out, falling against the door, pounding on it. “David!”

The door burst open, and Nate stood before him. “Josh? What the hell?—”

David darted to his side. “Josh, are you alright?”

“Colin’s been hurt! Hurt bad! We have to take the skiff to the campsite. I need your help.”

David nodded once, then wheeled to grab his jacket. “Nate, call 9-1-1! Tell them to get here fast then guide them to the dock. Josh, what else do we need?”

“Blankets,” Joshua gasped out. “Med kit, foldable stretcher.”

“How bad is it?” Nate cried out, clutching his arm. “Josh! How bad ?”

“Broken ankle, maybe cracked rib. Trent wasn’t with him yet, so he wasn’t sure.”

David put a hand on Joshua’s shoulder and moved him out the door. “Get to the skiff and get it ready. I’ll get the stuff from the medical station. Nate, go next door and wake Jeff, then make that 9-1-1 call! You and Jeff bring blankets down to the dock!” He wheeled to Joshua. “Anything else?”

Joshua shook his head and then dashed toward the boathouse where the skiff was kept.

Within minutes, he had unlocked the building and leaped into the skiff.

For a moment, he stood, staring down at the boat’s dashboard.

“Goddammit!” he spat out. He had never driven the skiff.

Never driven any boat. He wheeled at the sound of footsteps pounding on the dock, and seconds later, David burst through the door with Nate and Jeff at his heels.

“David!” Joshua cried out, his voice a panicked croak. “I don’t know how to drive this damn?—”

David set the medical kit and stretcher on the skiff’s bench and shoved Joshua aside. “Nate!” he called as Nate ran into the boathouse. “Open that damned back door so I can get this thing out!”

Jeff tossed a pile of blankets into the skiff and raced to help Nate open the back door.

David fired up the skiff and steered it out of the building and into the lake’s calm waters.

“Call me!” Nate cried out from the dock. “David, call me!”

“Nate, you and Jeff wait for the ambulance,” David yelled back to him. “Bring them to the dock! “

Nate nodded, his phone still clutched in his hand, his throat aching as he watched them speed away.

David gunned the engine, moving the skiff swiftly across the small lake. “Where are they?”

Cold spray hit Joshua’s skin, but all he felt was the fear clawing at his heart. “About a mile down the river,” he said finally. “The boys are shining flashlights. Oh god, Davy, please hurry .”

“Josh, I’ll go as fast as is safe. It won’t help Colin if we wreck this skiff.” He gestured behind them. “Unfold that stretcher. They’re going to need it. I’ll watch for the lights.”

“If I lose him …” Joshua moaned, his voice filled with tears.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Josh,” David snapped. “ Lose him? Take a breath. He’s the toughest guy I know. He’s not going to croak from a broken ankle.”

A breathless laugh broke through the fog of Joshua’s panic, and he laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder, his own shoulders sagging as some of the tension drained away. “Thanks, Davy. I needed that.”

David’s elbow gave his ribs a good-natured nudge. “Well, don’t make me repeat it. He’s going to need you to be his oak, not a weeping willow. Now unfold that stretcher!”

At the campsite, at least eight flashlights were aimed down the river, waving frantically against the dark night to signal their location.

It had been ten minutes since Trent and Alex had rowed away in search of Colin, and as the boys waved their lights, they all listened, straining to hear the sound of the approaching skiff.

Aaron, devastated by the damage he had done with his teasing remark, huddled near the campfire, too ashamed to join the signalers. As he lifted his hand to wipe away a tear, he caught the faint sound of a motor. “I hear it!” he cried, leaping to his feet. “I hear the skiff!”

The rest of the boys hollered in relief as the lights from the skiff came into view, and seconds later, it pulled close to the shoreline.

David turned to Joshua. “Can you drive this thing downriver? Will you be OK?”

Joshua nodded and took David’s place at the wheel. “I can drive it!”

David tapped a lever. “Throttle’s there—go easy , Josh.

” He pointed to the key. “If you stall, just restart.” He turned and leaped into the water, wading to shore where he was greeted with backslaps and hugs from the remaining campers.

“OK,” he told the boys. “Start packing up. I’m afraid your overnight stay is going to be cut short.

” He spun back to Joshua, who was inching the skiff forward.

“Josh! Take it SLOW! You’re not an experienced boatman, and Colin needs that skiff! ”

“It’s that way,” Evan called out to Joshua, pointing. “Watch for the flashlight! Trent took the biggest one! It’s about a mile down.”

Joshua nodded and waved, then gunned the skiff and moved out onto the river.

For a moment, David followed him with his eyes.

“Jesus! I hope he’ll be OK.” Then he turned back to the campers, who all stood stock still, staring at him with wide eyes, some of which gleamed with tears.

He gave them a smile. “Look, Colin will be OK. Trent knows medical procedures, and Colin’s injuries don’t sound very serious.

He couldn’t be in better hands, and the ambulance is on the way.

” He nudged them toward the tents. “Right now, you can help him most by packing up so we can get back to the campground. You know Colin. His chief worries right now will be Joshua and you guys. So, let’s do him proud. ”

As Joshua and David roared toward the campsite in the skiff, Trent and Alex’s rowboat moved swiftly down the river in the opposite direction. Alex sat in the bow, shining Trent’s flashlight along the shoreline, searching for the spot where Colin lay injured.

“It’s further down, Trent,” Alex called out to him. “I remember passing this spot.” He called out Colin’s name again and again, hoping to hear his voice shout back, but so far, he heard no response.

“Keep calling out, Alex,” Trent told him, pulling on the oars with all his strength. “Let him hear us. He’s probably still conscious.”

“Colin!” Alex yelled. “We’re here! Shine the light at us!”

After only ten minutes or so, Alex spotted a faint gleam along the shoreline. “I see him!” he cried out. “Trent, he’s there! Pull over!”

Trent’s muscles tensed, his eyes locking on the gleam of light along the shoreline.

“Hold on!” he shouted, his voice rough and urgent.

He stopped rowing with his right oar, his left arm straining as he dug the left oar deep into the water, pushing hard.

The rowboat spun sharply to the right, the hull slicing through the water.

“Nearly there!” he growled, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Colin!” Alex screamed, his hands trembling as the boat surged toward the shore. “We’re coming!”

The boat groaned as it turned, the wood creaking under the pressure. Water sprayed up, cold and sharp, stinging Alex’s face. The flashlight beam danced over the shoreline, illuminating twisted branches and gnarled roots. And just beyond, Colin’s light, flickering and weak.

Alex’s chest tightened, his heart slamming against his ribs. “We’re almost there,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Hold on, Colin … please.”

Trent’s jaw clenched, his muscles straining as he pushed on the left oar with all his strength. “I see him!” he cried out between panted breaths. “I see him!” He gave one last, mighty push, and the rowboat’s bow crashed against the shoreline, only yards from where Colin lay motionless.

Trent leaped from the boat, the six-pack of water and his first aid kit in his hands. He raced to Colin’s side. “Jesus, buddy,” he stammered as he knelt beside him. “Tell me you’re still conscious.”

Colin’s eyes slid open. “I am. But I wish I wasn’t.” He gritted his teeth and gave a soft moan.

“Alex!” Trent called. “Bring his jacket and those sleeping bags.” He spun the top from one of the water bottles and held it to Colin’s lips.

“Take a drink, buddy.” After Colin had drunk his fill, Trent poured the remainder of the water over a towel and wiped the dirt from Colin’s face. “Any trouble breathing?”

“Some,” Colin whispered. “Not much.”

“Dizziness?” Trent asked. “Nausea?”

“A bit of dizziness, but not for a while.”

Trent massaged Colin’s neck with skilled fingers. “Can you move at all?”

Colin nodded. “Yeah. I can move.” He glanced up to see Alex hovering over him, clutching Colin’s jacket and a sleeping bag. “Hi, kid. Thanks for bringing the cavalry.”

Trent took the jacket and laid it over Colin.

“I’m not going to try to put his on you just yet.

I don’t want to risk it.” He took the sleeping bag from Alex and covered Colin with it, then turned to the boy.

“Alex, I need a stick, in fact I need two . Thick, sturdy ones. Can you look around? Take my flashlight.”

Alex bolted toward the woods.’

“Don’t go far!” Trent called after him. “Stay close enough to see us!” He bent over Colin’s ankle. “Any numbness? Tingling?”

“Nope.”

Trent grimaced. “Dammit! I don’t want to risk taking your sneaker off.” He turned to Colin. “Can you wiggle your toes?”

Colin drew in a breath, then groaned. “Yeah, but not much.”

“Long as you can move them, I’m happy.”

Alex returned, carrying a long, thick branch. “I know this is too long, but …”