A Little Dinged Up (gxg)

Chapter 16

My original plan once I landed was to pack everything up and hike back up the south rim of the canyon to the trailhead where I would have a car service waiting to take me to Flagstaff where I could relax for a night and then head back to LA for the award ceremony that was in two days. I estimated it would take me five hours to do that when I did my original planning, but with my ribs it took almost an hour just to get the equipment packed up and situated in a way that didn't make me cry every time I took a step. I was that sure hiking up a canyon with broken ribs was going to be pure torture, and I was right.

That tiring five hour hike turned into an eight hour excruciating experience that was only that fast because a group of kind hikers helped me up the last part of the canyon, and I took a lot of rest stops the whole way. I was angry at myself for not thinking to pack Advil or a first aid kit, since it was such a stupid plan to begin with.

The only saving grace was that the car service hadn't left. I'd told them straight up that they should only leave if the park closed, and that they would be on the clock starting at the five hour mark, even if I wasn't there yet. The car was air conditioned, and there was water in the back waiting for me. It was nirvana. Again, I didn't plan ahead and have food though, and we had to grab a pizza on the way to the hospital.

I've had broken ribs before, so I knew the treatment, but I'd never had to hike out of a canyon right after getting them, and I needed an x-ray to make sure there was nothing else wrong. After sitting around waiting for almost two hours, I was finally told it was just three broken ribs and sent on my way with painkillers and ice packs.

When I finally made it to the hotel and lay flat on my back in the bed, I thought about the day, and how I could have done it differently. Doing things on your own was a lot different than it used to be. That was every stunt for me when I started, but as they got more elaborate, I had a team. I should have had someone hiking into the canyon to help me, or already been there and camped overnight. I should have had Ava making sure I was okay. Or Miki. Fuck!

I shouldn't be having these thoughts.

Trish would have been in the plane with me. Ava would have probably jumped with me. Trish had been my love for almost three years. Ava had healed me when Trish left and never asked for anything in return. Two more days and I would hopefully have a chance to talk to Trish, assuming she was at the show with a hobbled Max. I needed this so badly! I needed to understand!

I needed to heal. I needed my heart whole again. Right now, it felt like it was strung together with Band-Aids, tape and staples. I couldn't risk it anymore. I was a daredevil, yes, but I would be much better off risking my body than my heart. It was easier to fix. The worst thing was that I'd done the same thing to Ava because I just couldn't stop flirting, even knowing I couldn't allow myself to do anything. I needed to be much more cognizant of her feelings.

I sent a quick text to Miki, letting her know that I was still good for my flight tomorrow, and she quickly replied with a picture of Titty sleeping in the sun on her cat tower. Damn that little girl was adorable. With that done, I checked out the video from the cameras from the jump, and I was happy with it. I could use almost all of it, even the wipe out. I quickly recorded a little bit of my ribs, just to show all the bruising and abrasions, and then sent it all to my cloud storage. I could start editing in the morning. Right now, I need to sleep. Luckily, my body agreed that an eight hour hike, a jump, and a few hours of sitting in the hospital and the car was more than enough to exhaust me to the point where I easily fell into a deep sleep.

But I guess even as tired as I was, my mind couldn't help me out for a single night. Some time around 4am I was in the bathroom sobbing after another nightmare, emptying my guts into the toilet after seeing Trish punch Ava in my dreams. I won't even try to describe what sausage pizza looks like the second time around. It wasn't fun at all. I also won't tell you how painful it is to vomit with three broken ribs. It was the worst night I'd had since Ava left me.