Jack nodded at the men to let us through, and we walked cautiously toward the hole. Jack steered me to one of the edges that had orange cones. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled to the edge. About ten feet down, I saw Max, buried up to his stomach in mud. It would be hard to describe the emotions I felt as our eyes met.
“Royce.” Max’s voice broke, and he clenched his jaw. His face was covered in mud, his hair slicked to his head. I could see he was afraid. Terrified. Max wasn’t a person who showed emotion easily, but it was obvious he was scared and unable to hide it.
“I’m here. You’re gonna be fine, Max.” I was shaking with the desire to jump down to him, and only the fact that I could make things worse for him stopped me. “We’re going to get you out. Stay calm.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“They’re getting everything ready, okay, Max?”
“Okay.”
“I promise it’s gonna be fine.”
He gave a curt nod. “Right.”
Jack crouched down beside me. “You feel okay, Max?” he called down.
Max hesitated. “I’d kill for a glass of water.”
“As soon as we get you up here, we’ll get you some H2O, buddy.” Jack smiled reassuringly, but I could hear the strain in his voice. Max probably could too.
I glanced at Jack. “How exactly are they going to get him out? If the ground is so unstable, how does it work?”
He rubbed his jaw. “This spot we’re standing on seems stable. They’re going to use what’s called the haul technique.”
“What does that involve?” I frowned.
“It’s where they put a harness on Max and basically use brute force to haul him out of the pit. In this situation, it’s the quickest method. I think time is of the essence. His body can’t stay submerged like that for much longer, or he could suffer organ damage.”
I frowned. “Can’t yanking him out hurt him?”
“That it could. We can’t just pull him out willy-nilly, or it could rip him in two.”
“Jesus,” I rasped.
Jack winced. “Sorry. We have techniques that prevent anything like that happening. The man who goes down to Max will use compressed air to get Max’s legs free first. That will create space between his legs and the mud, which allows him to break free. Once he’s free, the team will haul him up.”
“I see.” I glanced down at Max, my heart aching. He looked like a drowned cat. “How about I go down to put the harness on him?”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry, Royce. That’s not gonna happen.”
“Why not? He trusts me more than you guys.” I scowled.
“This isn’t about trust right now. This is about skill. Experience. These guys are trained to do this sort of thing. Let them do their job.” Jack spoke calmly, almost as if he’d expected me to offer to go get Max.
“So, I’m just supposed to stand here and watch? Isn’t there anything I can do to help Max?” I was bristling with the need todosomething.
“The most important thing you can do is talk to Max. Keep him calm. That’s what he needs from you. You’re the one person here he knows and trusts. If you tell him he’ll be all right, he’ll believe you.”
I blew out a shaky breath. “Okay. You’re right. We don’t want him panicking.”
“No. That could be a disaster.” Jack grimaced.
Feeling frustrated that I couldn’t do more, I made my way back closer to the edge. I stretched out on my belly and peered over the ledge again. “Hey, Max. How are you feeling?”
Max looked up, gritting his teeth. “It’s getting harder to breathe.”
Uneasiness went through me. “Hang in there. They’re almost ready to get down there with you.”
