Not because there’s nothing to say, but because words aren’t needed here. We all heard the call. Adult male. Fallon wet rock. Suspected broken leg. Five-year-old child present.
That last part sits heavier than the rest.
Tommy slows as the path narrows along a band of wet rock.
“There,” he says quietly.
The man sits propped against a slope of loose scree just off the main path, one leg stretched out stiffly in front of him. Even from here, the angle is wrong. Too straight. Too still.
Next to him stands the boy.
He’s small for the mountain, his bright blue waterproof jacket zipped all the way to his chin. His hood is down despite the cold, like he decided at some point that he needed to see properly in order to be useful.
He isn’t crying.
He isn’t fidgeting.
He stands close enough that his shoulder touches his father’s arm, one hand gripping the fabric of his dad’s sleeve.
Watching.
Waiting.
When he sees us, his eyes widen—not with panic, but with something else.
Relief he doesn’t quite allow himself to show.
Tommy raises a hand in greeting.
“Hi there,” he calls. “Fellside Mountain Rescue.”
The man lets out a breath that sounds like it’s been trapped inside his chest for hours.
“Thank God,” he says hoarsely.
Chris and Rob lower the stretcher carefully onto the path while Nick and Tommy move in to assess the injury.
I crouch beside the man, careful to stay in his line of sight.
“I’m Phil,” I say. “We’re going to take care of you.”
Up close, I can see the strain in his face. The exhaustion. Pain layered over the deeper fatigue of waiting without knowing when help would arrive.
“How long have you been here?” Nick asks gently.
The man shifts slightly and immediately regrets it, his jaw tightening.
“Couple of hours,” he says. “Maybe more. Hard to tell.”
His hand moves instinctively toward the boy’s arm.
“He’s been brilliant,” he adds quietly. “Stayed calm. Didn’t panic.”
The boy straightens at that, shoulders pulling back.
Chris crouches down beside him, bringing himself level instead of towering over him.
“You alright?” Chris asks.