“Is he going to be okay?” His normally robust voice came out hoarse and weak. He remembered the boy and…the horse. Chad couldn’t remember what happened next. Did he hand the child back to anyone? Was he hurt, too? As he struggled to sit up and get his bearings, a searing pain shot through his arm and he collapsed onto the gurney. “The kid?” he choked, hoping someone was listening.
“He’s fine,” a soothing voice came from behind. “He’s with his mom. No harm.”
Chad craned his head, finding a familiar EMT. “Marty?” he said on an exhale.
“Yep, who else would it be? You get hurt in Apple Grove, it’s either going to be me and Doug who come to your rescue, or Pam and Newton. Luckily, I was stationed at the parade headquarters, just a block away.” He patted Chad’s leg. “Stay still. You’ve definitely broken your left arm and you’ve got some road rash on your skin from sliding a few feet.”
Chad tried to shift a little and groaned at the pain.