In Between Seasons

Chapter 32

I stepped out the door into the white landscape, and a shiver passed through my body before I could pull up the hood of the sweatshirt. I stuck my hands into the pockets and took a careful step. The deck and stairs were shoveled but still icy. I huffed and a plume of hot air passed out of my lips. This was definitely dangerous for someone as accident prone as me.

As I reached the stairs the sound of the men coming up from the basement training room began to echo from behind me. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the icy stairs. Hunter would be with them, and I had no doubt he would not be heading to the common room.

I took a deep breath, and the cold air stabbed my lungs. My brain told me not to rush, but my body didn't listen and I found myself racing up the stairs, two at a time. Relief washed over me as the last two steps came into my view, but just as I was about to sigh in relief I felt my foot slip. I grasped at the stairs as my body was flung backwards, but there was no stopping my momentum.

I screamed in pain and fear as my ass hit the step below me, and I felt my legs going over. The world began to spin aimlessly as I tried in desperation to grab onto anything that would make the banging and slamming of my body stop. I was still gaining speed, and I was heading towards the bottom, suddenly the spacing of the stairs widened and I knew I was at the end.

I stuck my arms out, but my head missed them, smacking into the bottom with a sickening thud that caused the still spinning world to blacken at its edges.

"Kate!" Hunter yelled out, and I knew he was close.

I went to say his name, but the spinning wouldn't stop and I couldn't move any part of me, let alone my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it would cease the spinning but it didn't. Then the pain began to sear up my wrist to my shoulder, and finally my head where I could feel a puddle of warm liquid beginning to form and drip.

The spinning had been better. I fought the urge to vomit as arms pulled me up.

"Oh, God... Kate," Hunter whispered.

I tried to pry my eyes open but they refused, and then as the pain hit me deeper, my body let go to the darkness.

When I came to Hunter was sitting next to me on the bed with his head in his hands.

"Hey," I said as I began to sit up.

"No," Hunter ordered, turning and lightly pushing my shoulders back into the pillow. "Don't move. We're waiting for a doctor."

"A doctor?" I repeated, squinting against the searing light of the room.

"Is the light hurting your head?" Hunter asked as his eyes raced over my face. His vein in his forehead bulged as his chin tightened.

"A little bit," I replied, watching as Hunter stood and shut the light off. "Why did you call a doctor?"

He settled back down beside me, and the movement of the bed giving beneath him jolted my body. I bit my lip to keep in the yelp of pain. Hunter turned on the small bedside lamp before turning to face me. "Does that hurt your head?"

I tried to shake my head to answer, and this time I couldn't help the moan of pain.

"You did a number on yourself. Your wrist is pretty messed up, along with your head...and I think you have a concussion," Hunter explained as he laid his hand on my cheek and stroked it.

"My wrist?" I repeated as I went to lift my arm.

Hunter stopped me by pushing on my elbow. "Don't look."

"Okay." I closed my eyes as I tried to assess the pain surging through my limbs. It felt like more than my wrist and head were messed up. "I'm sorry."