"Fuck...."
We go down. Hard.
My body reacts before my brain catches up. I twist, hard, dragging her with me, forcing her against my chest as we tumble. I don't think. I just move. I know the how many steps the stairs are. I know how bad this fall can be.
And I know she's smaller, lighter and breakeble in ways I'm not.
So I take the fall. fall
The first impact is brutal.
My hip slams into the edge of a step with a crack that sends white pain shooting up my side. I grunt, teeth gritting, tightening my arms around her as momentum keeps us rolling.
She's pressed against me, weight flush to my body, warm and panicked and very real. My back hits next. Then my shoulder. Each impact jars my bones and knocks the air from my lungs.
She's not heavy. No not at all. But falling with someone adds weight in the worst way. Unpredictable and dangerous .
Still, I hold on.
