"Lisa, stop it." His voice sounded alarmed. "You're going to make yourself sick."
She gasped for breath and managed to get two words between sobs. "Go away."
He walked away, leaving her to cry privately. How long she sat there and cried, she couldn't say, but gradually the sobs subsided. She stood and wiped her face with her shirt sleeves, still hiccoughing. Finally even those subsided, leaving her feeling weak and drained. Even so, it was as if a something had been lifted from her chest, allowing the flow of oxygen and blood to a starving brain. Everything seemed clearer, as though she had come out of a fog.
Giddon returned, his expression guarded. "Here. I think this is yours." He shoved a shiny read object at her.
"My purse!" Opening it, she removed a tissue and wiped the tears from her face. Blowing her nose, she finally responded. "Thanks." It wasn't enough, but it was all she felt capable of at the moment. Finally she looked up at his face.
He met her gaze soberly, probably seeking the cause of her distress. She must look a sight with red swollen eyes. Taking a deep ragged breath, she turned away from the car.
"I guess there's nothing we can do here."
"You can call your parents from the house," he said. "It isn't as bad as it seems."
She started walking without responding. Maybe it was best he didn't know about the cell phone yet. Maybe it wouldn't work. The battery might be dead or the fall might have broken it.
He grabbed her arm, pulling her in another direction. "This way," he said, and then took off with long strides.
She tried to keep up with him, but her legs ached from the unfamiliar exercise. Must he travel so fast? Not that she had any right to complain. He didn't have to bring her here at all. In fact, he was under no obligation to help her get back, either. She hurried after him, glancing nervously at the jumble of rocks and trees. Where were they, anyway? By now she was so turned around that she couldn't have found her way to the ATV, much less the road.
Exhaustion left her feeling cold and weak, which was probably why her foot slipped on the edge of a rock. Her ankle twisted painfully, forcing a quick cry of pain from her lips. She paused for no more than a few moments, but apparently Giddon hadn't heard. His broad shoulders swayed with the swing of his stride. She limped after him, muttering under her breath. "Don't let me slow you down. I'll get home somehow."