TasDom
Part 1
Location: Best Exotic -> Silver Mines North of Jaipur
Interacting With: Each Other and various people at the mine
Time: Little Before Lunch
"You only have to ask me once, pretty girl. I'll go gather some supplied. Meet me by my jeep in about ten minutes if you can. We haven't got a lot of time to waste by the sounds of it" Dominic placed a gentle, reassuring hand on Tasha's right arm before offering her a gentle smile.
"No, we don't," she said with a slow shake of her head as she rested her hand over his; squeezing it gingerly. Releasing her from his soft touch he quickly grabbed a bagel from the table and hurried to his room to get ready.
Tas rushed with him, passed his room and darted up to hers. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the sight of him with the bagel lodged in his mouth. Zipping into hers she quickly changed from sandals to gym shoes; grabbed her medical kit and was back down the stairs shortly. Rushing all over a hospital had made Tasha feel like a master of parkour at times; oh well it kept her in shape.
With a bagel hanging from his bearded mouth, the Dominator began to stuff his black bag with everything and anything he had that he thought they might need. He had gone cave diving a few times in the past, though he had never been asked to do it to save someone's life. It's a good job he was the so called walking survival manual sometimes. It was also a good job that Dom brought spares of everything. He stuffed his bag with two of everything, helmets, torches, climbing harness, climbing robe, ascenders, descenders, cowstails and his go pro. Tas had never done this before, he was going to have to be especially careful helping her navigate the mine. This certainly wasn't how he planned on spending his day but then again, he was spending it with the gorgeous Miss Brinne and exploring some new territory. It was a win/win situation.
Tasha quickly ran outside to her jeep and had to smirk that her and Dom drove similar vehicle's; she found it even funnier that he had made sure to tell her to meet at
his jeep. Seemed he was driving; she didn't blame him. She was a good driver, great even but being a passenger turned most white knuckled and green in the face. She wasn't exactly known for taking it easy behind the wheel. Going through her stuff she grabbed a bag, tossing it in the back of Dom's jeep before going to grab the rest.
Hauling everything into the back of his jeep with ease, Dom climbed into the drivers seat to await Tasha. What interested him more than anything was the look that she had given him before she had asked him to help her. Dom had grown to understand Tas in their time together at the Exotic. She had four faces and three of them were resting bitch face. The fourth was one that seemed reserved for special occasions, it was a soft face, a gentle face, it was her true face.
Tas came back and smiled to him as she rested two more bags in the back of the jeep. The idea of going down a mime shaft terrified the woman but seeing Dom there, ready to help her, she felt a little more at ease. He just relaxed her when he was around and she knew right now she'd need that calming effect he had on her more than ever today. This was the last thing she wanted to do today; or ever! But if she had to do it, she was glad he was there.
"What not gonna let me drive?" she teased as she climbed into the passenger seat.
"Hell no, I've seen you drive. There's no way you're touching my car" Dominic smiled. Tas smirked over to him at his words. The situation they were about to head into was a dangerous one, he knew that, so anything he could do to make Tas feel better was his responsibility. He started up the jeep which kicked the stereo into gear. It was an old jeep but at least it had a cd player. Turning it up slightly but keeping it low enough for he and Tas to talk, Dom pulled away from the Exotic, listening intently for directions.
Pulling out her phone as it went off she looked the message. Was a few details and a map. Closing the message proper she left the img up and zoomed in as she leaned over to Dom to show him and point out where they were headed.
"Alright, here's the gate around the mine; they'll let us in there. Here is the mine entrance. Some rescue is there ready but they're waiting on us," she said quickly before turning and looking at him. She hadn't realized how close she was when she leaned over; nearly shoulder to shoulder.
Wow she smelled good;
"mind out of the gutter Mason" he thought to himself. He shook off his man thoughts and began to pay more attention to the map he had been shown.
"I think I know where that is. We'll be there in ten" "Sounds good to me," she said as she righted herself and leaned her head back against the head rest. She wasn't worried about the mine itself but the thought of having to drop down an open hole was there. She was terrified of heights, she was just glad Dom was there with her otherwise she doubted she could do it.
Dominator made sure the journey was a smooth one, mostly just to piss Tas off and show how he was a better driver. Once they had made their way to gated area, he waited for Tas to work her magic to get them in. There were guards at the gate but a quick exchange of words and they were let through; thankfully not held up long. Once through the gate, he parked the jeep near the mine shaft, he turned to Tas, placing one hand on the back of her seat headrest.
"You ready?Tas took a deep breath looking at the opening to the mine were there was am ambulance waiting as well as some rescue crew and the people that worked for the mining company. Something happened so of course everyone was there wanting to know what was going on and to see it. Turning her head, her cheek slightly brushing against his arm, she looked over towards Dom and shook her head.
"Yes," she said quietly, nearly choking on the word, even though it was in contrast of her head shake. Seemed a new look was crawling into her features beyond the three resting bitch faces and the one happy one she had from time to time; this one was nervousness and fear.
Swallowing hard she let out a trembling breath as she undid her seatbelt; her hands shaking somewhat she cleared her throat.
"Yes, ready to go," she said with a little more force; trying to push down the fear. Slipping out of the jeep she made her way to the back and grabbed her two packs. She didn't know what to expect when she got down there so she wanted to be prepared; and focusing on the her medical stuff to try to push the thought of dangling over the side of a mine shaft out of her mind.
Following his companion out and to the back of the car, Dom placed his large hands over Tas's as they trembled, holding them in place.
"I got you down there, ok? Nothings going to happen to you as long as I'm there. We got this".
"Okay," she said with a nervous nod of her head as she squeezed his hand. He offered her the most reassuring smile he could muster before pulling his gear from the back of the jeep and logging the heavy bags over to their dive site.
He looked into the mine shaft with a analytical look in his hazel eyes. He scanned the area trying to make sure it was definitely safe do this while Tas did her thing with the emergency services. The place didn't look all that stable, then again Dom had done more dangerous things but this time, he had Tas with him and he had a little boy down there trapped; this time people were depending on him. The mountain man finally had to look out for someone else for a change and he wasn't sure what to do. In life, he was used to being the shoulder to cry on but on the mountain, in the danger zone he liked to call home, that's when it was just him, that's when he was free. Here, now, today, that had changed and he actually didn't mind.
Dominic made sure to empty the contents of his bag and began to set up, placing on his harness and other gear as well as making sure Tasha's equipment was secure as she made her way to him,
"I'm going to cord us together ok? You'll be tied to my waist so that we're always connected down there. If at any point you don't think you can do something, tug on the rope three times and I'll help. You ready to fly?"Tas lugged her bags over, looking at the entrance more than at Dom before taking a deep breath and following his lead; getting ready, her body still trembling as she cracked her knuckles repeatedly and nibbled on her bottom lip. Slowly she looked over to him, her eyes darting between his and the entrance.
"How about I just scream?" she said trying to lighten the mood, her words slipping out between shallow breaths. Shaking her head she closed her eyes.
"Sorry, bad timing. Yes, I think I'm ready."Two of the rescue workers came over, explaining where they needed to go and handing Tas a map of the inside of the mine; which Tas quickly handed over to Dominic. She focused on what they were telling her about the boy and his injuries. The boy was miles back within the mine in an old closed off area. Once they reached the chasm they would have to drop down around around 60 meters to the boy. He was caught on a rough out cropping that was only slightly bigger than he was. They would need to get the child off the metal impalement and Tasha would need to stop the bleeding as best she could before sliding him onto a stretcher and the rescue crew lifting him out from above.
"Okay Yeti, get me in and out without falling to my death and I'll owe you dinner," she said as she picked up her bags. She tried to focus on what she had to do medically to help keep calm. Tasha waited for Dom to lead the way, her following behind him as the two rescue workers pulled up the rear carrying the rest of the supplies and the stretcher. She kept her eyes on Dom instead of the mine, she was glad he was there; she trusted him with this and he helped to calm her. She just hoped it would keep working once they had to actually start the
hanging over a cliff part.
"Here we go" Dom took Tas's spare hand, her fingers lacing with his, and began to lead her into the darkness of the mines, using the torch on his helmet to read the map she had given him. The network of tunnels down there were astounding, they would definitely have to be on guard. This place stunk of evil, it was almost like a bad horror movie. Also strapped to Dom's helmet was his go pro, so at least if they all died down there it would be on candid camera. He could tell Tasha was nervous, the cold sweat of dread was evident on her hands. He needed to keep her distracted.
"You know, first time I ever climbed a mountain I was maybe, seven, eight years old? My dad loved hiking, it helped him clear his head you know? Running a farm is difficult, raising kids is difficult, so he liked to escape now and again. Well one day, dad decided to ask me and my sister JD to go with him on a trek. She said no of course, to busy with her head in a book but I said yes and he took me with him. It was freezing cold, you know winters in Minnesota are always fun. Erm, we got about three quarters of the way up and I decided to use the little Yeti's room, so I went behind a tree and I fell down a rockface. A fucking deer made me jump and I tumbled back. I broke my left arm and my collarbone and a severe concussion. My dad pulled me out, got me to the hospital and he asked me, Do you want to go up again kiddo? And I said yeah. There's something humbling about being at natures mercy, you know? To be free from everything in your life that could drag. It's just you, your thoughts and possibly bigfoot. I love it"Tasha listened as closely as she could to what he was saying. He enjoyed this type of thing? At first she couldn't understand it but the more he spoke the more it made sense. She doubted she could ever find find something like this enjoyable but she knew where he was coming from. Her hand tightened some around his as she slipped slightly on some loose wet rock. Letting out a trembling breath she regained herself and kept going.
"Funny, the year before my mom died was full of hospital visits. Dad couldn't stand the place but the sicker she got the more I wanted to know. The more the cancer attacked her, the more I needed to know. Stuck with me I guess. First time I opened a chest up to get a heart to start beating once again, held it in my hands everything else faded away. It was just me, my thoughts and that heart. Never knew true clarity until then. We might have different ways of finding that part of us, but guess we're both needing something to help us find it," she rambled on. Her eyes darting about as she spoke, and her breath broken.
As they came to the drop Tashas grip tightened hard on Doms hand as she looked over the edge before quickly pulling back, the color leaving her face as she went flush. The child was at least 100 feet down with what looked like endless darkness below him. They weren't lying about the ledge, it was barely enough to hold him, the impalement seemed to be what was keeping him from toppling off the side.
"Oh God," she stammered, choking on her words; she would have to be suspended next to the boy to operate.
How in the hell she wondered to herself as she dropped her bag by her feet and stared blankly at the ground beneath her feet.
Dom looked into the chasm and let out a sharp breath. 100ft, he had done it before but never in a situation as important as this one. He looked at Tasha and saw the primal fear in her eyes. Man vs Nature definitely was not her comfort zone. Placing his hands on either side of her arms, he looked her in in the eyes and smiled
"You got this ok? I will be with you all the way" Tasha could only nod slightly. He moved his hands to her waist and made sure her harness was secure and the cord connecting them was tight.
"I'll come down with you until we get to the ridge and then I'll lower you to the kid. If anything happens, I can pull you up straight away" The craziness of the situation was not lost on Dominic. He had come to India seeking adventure and fun for his documentary, now here he was in a life and death situation with a little boy at stake.
Taking a deep breath she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, the longer she stood there the harder this was going to be.
"Can you lower down and stay next to me? Steady me while I operate?" she asked as she stepped over to the ledge. The rescue workers kneeling down next to the edge, slowly lowering a bag of gear down near the boy and getting the stretcher ready to lower when she was ready for it.
"Okay, um, now how the hell do I do this?" she asked nervously. He'd have to lead her because while the woman was a whiz in an ER, spelunking was as alien to her as breathing with gills.
*Part 2 Coming Soon
