It was that Bryce’s head had hit the ground.
He crossed the two steps between them, knelt, and looked for signs of breathing. Bryce was breathing. Owen did not shake him or try to sit him up. He looked at the nearest bystander.
“Call emergency services. Tell them an adult male has lost consciousness after a fall and a blow to the head. Keep the area clear.”
The woman fumbled for her phone. Simone dropped beside Bryce, pale with fear.
“Don’t move him,” Owen said gently. “Help is coming.”
He backed away enough to leave space. His right palm ached sharply. His heart was beating hard now; he could feel it through the quiet steadiness of his breath. The old training had made him responsive, not invulnerable.
From the food cart, Caleb called, “Grandpa?”
Owen looked toward him.
The child stood in Grace’s sheltering arm, clutching his paper tray. He had seen more than Owen wanted him to see. The older man had protected the space around his grandson, but he had not protected the boy from the memory of what happened there.
That knowledge landed harder than the punch.
Chapter 5 — Four Minutes on the Grass
Bryce began moving before the paramedics arrived. His eyelids fluttered, his fingers curled, and he tried to roll onto his side. Simone spoke to him, asking his name, asking him not to get up. He answered the first question and then demanded to know why everybody was staring.
Devin lowered the camera at last.
The first park ranger reached them four minutes after the emergency call. His name was Paul Harmon. He wore a brown uniform shirt, carried a radio, and had worked enough summer festivals to recognize that witnesses rarely agreed about anything once adrenaline entered the picture.
He stopped at the edge of the circle and asked who needed medical attention. Simone pointed at Bryce. Harmon spoke into his radio, then asked the crowd to move back.
An older man in cargo shorts stood apart with both hands visible. A boy in a blue shirt watched from behind the corn dog cart. The ranger noticed the boy before he noticed the unusual calm of the older man.
“What happened?” Harmon asked.
“Your guy assaulted him,” Devin said immediately, pointing at Owen.
Simone looked up sharply. “That’s not what happened.”
“He knocked him out!”
“After Bryce shoved him and swung at him,” she replied.
Harmon held up a hand. “One person at a time.”
He separated the witnesses. He asked whether there had been a weapon, whether Bryce had struck his head, and whether anybody had moved him. Then he introduced himself to Owen.
