Page 30 of Built of Flames
He heard Sam talking as he neared. “This is Mitch Robinson. He’s a firefighter.”
The man’s face was pale, but he managed a weak laugh. “I’m not on fire. My ankle just feels like it is.”
Mitch knelt down and smiled. “I’m a paramedic, too. Sounds like you took a tumble?”
The man sighed. “Not my finest moment. I was looking at the lake and searching for the loons I heard calling. I’ve never seen one. Wasn’t looking where I was going and completely missed the change in elevation.”
Mitch eased up the man’s jeans but didn’t move the leg yet. “Did you feel or hear a snap?”
“Yeah. Pretty sure I broke something.”
Sam patted the man on the shoulder. “You okay with Mitch checking you out, Gilles?”
Gilles nodded and Mitch followed procedure, checking the leg’s temperature and looking for obvious deformities without taking off the shoe.
“Ankles are tough to tell and they swell easily. You’re going to need an x-ray. I think we’ll leave the shoe in place. Hopefully that’ll keep the swelling down until they can get a look at the bones.”
Graham approached with a bag of ice and an elastic wrap.
“Perfect.”
It didn’t take long for Mitch to wrap the exposed part of the leg to reduce the movement. Graham pulled up a golf cart, and they got Gilles settled. He gave them a wry smile. “Sorry to screw up your day. You can count me in again once this is fixed up.”
After Graham drove the cart toward the sawmill, Sam turned to Mitch. “Thanks for the assist. You ever done any outdoor tracking?”
Mitch frowned. “Like search and rescue stuff? Not really.”
“Want to learn? With Gilles out, we’re a man down for the team exercises today. Feel like filling in? It’ll take about three hours, starting in a bit.”
Mitch wouldn’t wish a broken ankle on anyone, but after thinking about the desire to find out more about Midnight Security, this wasn’t an opportunity to pass up. “Let me check in with Isabella first, but I’d like that.”
“Thanks. Be back here as soon as you can.”
Mitch jogged over to Isabella’s cabin and found Christo sitting on the deck in the sun. “Hey.”
Christo lifted his coffee cup in greeting. His buddy wasn’t talkative until at least three cups had been consumed.
“Izzy inside?”
Christo nodded and took another sip while Mitch walked in and found Isabella in the tiny kitchen area. She smiled when she saw him walk in and he strode over to haul her into him and capture her lips with his.
She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back with enthusiasm. Before he could lose control, Mitch gentled the kiss and then rested his forehead on hers. “Morning.”
She kissed him softly with a smile. “Good morning.”
“Did you need me for a couple of hours? One of Sam’s clients for the day injured his ankle and they need someone to fill in. I told him I’d check with you.”
She grinned. “You want to play with my friends?”
Mitch laughed. “I do. I like them and what they’re doing with Midnight Security.” He thought about telling her he was considering options, but decided this wasn’t the time. He wasn’t sure he’d even fit in with the group.
He also wanted to fill her in about Troy’s suggestion that he head up a volunteer firefighter group. They hadn’t talked salary yet, hadn’t really gone into details, but the idea intrigued Mitch the more he thought about it.
“I’ve got some things I want to talk about with you later. Is your brother staying again tonight?”
Isabella shook her head. “No. He’s on shift early. He’s going to leave late afternoon.”
Perfect. “I’ll be back before he goes. Then I hope we can hang out after supper and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.”