Shortly afterward, they boarded the helicopter together.

Mitchel draped a blanket around Raegan and then sat down, staying quiet and upright.

Raegan, having seen him joke around before, thought the rock might not have hit him that seriously.

However, even before they landed, Mitchel began to show signs of distress. He broke out in a cold sweat with rapid breathing and pale face.

Upon reaching the hospital in town, a local doctor quickly cut open Mitchel's shirt, revealing a sight that shocked Raegan.

Mitchel's back was covered in bruises, making it hard to tell what his skin originally looked like.

The area around his shoulder blade was particularly bad, with large patches of black and purple that looked like they were rotting.

Raegan's tears flowed freely as she realized the extent of his injuries. They were much worse than she had feared.

It made sense now why Mitchel had sat so straight on the helicopter.

Lying down seemed impossible for him.

Raegan couldn't begin to understand how much pain he must have been in, trying to keep her spirits up with his jokes.

After getting a shot for the pain, Mitchel passed out.

The doctor, after examining an X-ray, announced, “He's got twelve broken ribs. Our hospital isn't equipped to handle this. He needs to be transferred to a larger facility immediately."

Twelve ribs of Mitchel's were broken. But one man only had twenty-four ribs in total.

Raegan couldn't fathom the agony Mitchel must be in, her heart nearly breaking with the thought.

She accompanied Mitchel to the ambulance, her eyes filled with tears.

If Mitchel hadn't acted to save her, he wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly. The rock would have struck her if he hadn't shielded her.

Surviving a fall into the deep pond below would have been doubtful after such a hit. No wonder it took Mitchel so long to resurface from the bottom of the lake.

Raegan shuddered at the thought of the sheer willpower it must have taken him to swim up and then, despite his pain, carry her to safety.

Upon reflecting, Raegan realized his position was slightly awkward, indicating the extent of his pain.