highway, the speedometer needle was bouncing off one-twenty. She would’ve gasped if she could take a breath. Lines on the road flew past like dots. She braced herself for the worst as Suicide Bend came into view. There is no way we will make that bend without rolling this thing.
Out of nowhere, a huge deer leapt into the headlights before they hit the bend. She failed to halt the scream that erupted from her throat. Mason slammed the brakes. The truck fishtailed and skidded at least fifty feet and a loud thump followed by the sound of breaking glass filled her ears. She swung her arms up to shield her face as the seatbelt held her in place. After what seemed like forever, the truck came to a screeching halt on the side of the road.
“Are you fucking insane?” she screamed at him. Her unrestrained reaction stunned her.
Apparently her atypical response startled him back to some sense of sanity. The intense sadness filled his eyes again. “I’m sorry, baby.” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What the hell did we hit?”
“I think we hit that deer.” He jumped out and ran around to her door, then opened it.
She allowed him to help her stand on trembling legs. They made their way around the truck and saw the smashed grill, then the deer lying alongside the road.
“Oh shit,” he muttered. “I totally fucked up my truck.”
“Maybe if you weren’t driving like a lunatic you would’ve been able to stop in time.”
“She came out of nowhere.” He knelt down on the road. “Holy shit, she has babies. They’re still alive. I have to save them.”
“What?” Sydnie looked down in horror. Sure enough, two little fawns lay in the grass. She burst into tears. “What are you going to do?”
He ripped his shirt off. “I have to save them. They cannot die.”
The entire scene unfolded as if she was watching it from behind glass. Mason performed CPR on both fawns until they began breathing on their own. He wrapped the babies in his shirt and carried them to the truck where he carefully laid them on the back seat of the extended cab. He ran back to the mother and double-checked for signs of life.
“She’s gone.” He nudged Sydnie toward the truck. “Get in. I have to save them.”
She buckled up. He drove fast, but not as reckless as before, back toward home. She kept an eye on the fawns, having no idea how he planned to save them or if they were even old enough to survive on their own. He swung into the drive, parked, then leapt from the truck. She followed as he carried the babies inside. His upper body and face were covered in blood.
“Would you grab the blankets from my bed?” He looked at her with desperate eyes.
She ran upstairs, gathered the blankets, and brought them back down. Mason was rubbing each fawn with his shirt. Then she noticed something peculiar taking place. Obviously trained in first aid, he checked their breathing and listened to their hearts every few minutes while briskly rubbing their coats dry. But he’d passed the point of tending an animal. She could tell that he clearly thought the baby deer were fallen soldiers. His expression was gravely serious. He worked furiously. Unwavering determination hardened the lines of his face.
He wasn’t about to let these men die. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Hang in there, buddy,” he told the fawns, then glanced up at her. “Call the medics. Tell them we have two men down and we need a chopper.”
For an instant, she froze, not knowing what to do.
“Kool, now, we need those medics now. Buddy, pull your shit together.”
She whipped out her cell phone and dialed 911, then walked a few feet away, but kept a close eye on Mason and the deer. “I need a State Trooper, someone from animal control or a paramedic,” she told the operator. After giving quick details and confirming the address, she laid her phone on a chair. “Help is on the way.” She knelt beside him. The babies looked so precious, dark
Out of nowhere, a huge deer leapt into the headlights before they hit the bend. She failed to halt the scream that erupted from her throat. Mason slammed the brakes. The truck fishtailed and skidded at least fifty feet and a loud thump followed by the sound of breaking glass filled her ears. She swung her arms up to shield her face as the seatbelt held her in place. After what seemed like forever, the truck came to a screeching halt on the side of the road.
“Are you fucking insane?” she screamed at him. Her unrestrained reaction stunned her.
Apparently her atypical response startled him back to some sense of sanity. The intense sadness filled his eyes again. “I’m sorry, baby.” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What the hell did we hit?”
“I think we hit that deer.” He jumped out and ran around to her door, then opened it.
She allowed him to help her stand on trembling legs. They made their way around the truck and saw the smashed grill, then the deer lying alongside the road.
“Oh shit,” he muttered. “I totally fucked up my truck.”
“Maybe if you weren’t driving like a lunatic you would’ve been able to stop in time.”
“She came out of nowhere.” He knelt down on the road. “Holy shit, she has babies. They’re still alive. I have to save them.”
“What?” Sydnie looked down in horror. Sure enough, two little fawns lay in the grass. She burst into tears. “What are you going to do?”
He ripped his shirt off. “I have to save them. They cannot die.”
The entire scene unfolded as if she was watching it from behind glass. Mason performed CPR on both fawns until they began breathing on their own. He wrapped the babies in his shirt and carried them to the truck where he carefully laid them on the back seat of the extended cab. He ran back to the mother and double-checked for signs of life.
“She’s gone.” He nudged Sydnie toward the truck. “Get in. I have to save them.”
She buckled up. He drove fast, but not as reckless as before, back toward home. She kept an eye on the fawns, having no idea how he planned to save them or if they were even old enough to survive on their own. He swung into the drive, parked, then leapt from the truck. She followed as he carried the babies inside. His upper body and face were covered in blood.
“Would you grab the blankets from my bed?” He looked at her with desperate eyes.
She ran upstairs, gathered the blankets, and brought them back down. Mason was rubbing each fawn with his shirt. Then she noticed something peculiar taking place. Obviously trained in first aid, he checked their breathing and listened to their hearts every few minutes while briskly rubbing their coats dry. But he’d passed the point of tending an animal. She could tell that he clearly thought the baby deer were fallen soldiers. His expression was gravely serious. He worked furiously. Unwavering determination hardened the lines of his face.
He wasn’t about to let these men die. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Hang in there, buddy,” he told the fawns, then glanced up at her. “Call the medics. Tell them we have two men down and we need a chopper.”
For an instant, she froze, not knowing what to do.
“Kool, now, we need those medics now. Buddy, pull your shit together.”
She whipped out her cell phone and dialed 911, then walked a few feet away, but kept a close eye on Mason and the deer. “I need a State Trooper, someone from animal control or a paramedic,” she told the operator. After giving quick details and confirming the address, she laid her phone on a chair. “Help is on the way.” She knelt beside him. The babies looked so precious, dark
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