He didn’t die immediately. After he fell, he landed on an outcrop, about thirty feet below. A few bushes broke his fall, saving his life. I lost conciousness again soon after he fell.

We were found by a couple hiking on the trail above where we were climbing. The called the Park Service and we were flown to the nearest hospital.

I had a broken arm and a minor concussion.

James broke several ribs and suffered from intense internal bleeding. The doctors managed to fix him up, though it was clear he wouldn’t survive the night.

I sat in his hospital room on the corner of his bed, waiting for him to wake up, if even for only a few minutes.

His eyelids flickered open, “Blue? Am I dead?” He whispered in a hoarse voice.

I immediately started crying. I shook my head.

“Will I die?”

I nodded, not being able to speak through the tears.

He looked at me, his eyes intense with passion.

“Don’t give up, Blue. Keep living. Keep making the lives of others as amazing as you have made mine.”