by Laura Acton
“Noah Barton is dead,” Bram said as he turned away from the gruesome sight and roved his light towards an overturned gurney. “Jonas too.” Bram didn’t need to take a pulse to establish the younger Barton’s status. The odd angle of his head indicated a broken neck, and if that weren’t enough, the empty socket where his eye should be was a dead give-away.
Flicking the flashlight upward, trying to determine what would’ve caused the wound, Bram found a sight which caused him to gag. The remnants of an eye and brain matter slowly slithered down a protrusion at the center of the overhead surgical lamp. He lowered his gaze, putting a gloved hand over his nose and mouth before taking a few deep breaths to calm his roiling gut. Unfortunately, the acrid odor of burnt flesh made its way through the fabric, and Bram wondered if visions of the Bartons’ bodies would haunt his dreams.
Unearthing two females and determining them to be alive, Jon and Ray didn’t dare move them for fear of exacerbating any potential neck or spinal injuries. Understanding if Ray found Loki dead, it would be a momentous blow, Jon used the women to keep Ray from continuing his search. “Stay with them. Feed Boss details he can relay to the medical team.”
Ray glared at Jon, wanting to rebut his order, but instead nodded, realizing he must remain professional and apply the priority of life protocol … civilians, officers, subjects … no matter how much he wanted to continue searching for Loki.
After rising, Jon noted the grisly dead bodies but more important to him at this moment was his best friend who seemed lost in a daze. He tapped Bram’s shoulder. “You okay, buddy?”
“Yeah.” He met Jon’s gaze, both experiencing trepidation, concerned for their teammate’s chances of survival. Steeling himself, Bram moved around the gurney, careful not to disturb Jonas’ body. Crime scene investigators would want things as untouched as possible.
Bram’s light illuminated a devastating sight, causing him and Jon to suck in sharp breaths. With their faces turned away from them, Dan lay atop Loki, stomach-to-stomach as if shielding his teammate. Dan’s hospital gown, open in the back, revealed substantial bruising. A cut on the back of his head bled copiously, running down his neck and soaking Loki’s shoulder.
However, what scared the hell out of them was the massive amount of blood pooled on the floor near their abdomens. His voice unsteady, Bram whispered, “How much does the body hold? Is it Dan’s or Loki’s?”
“Perhaps both,” Jon managed to eke out as his throat constricted, hoping that to be the case, because if the lifeblood came from only one, he was undoubtedly dead. Aware one of them must determine if they survived the explosion, as team leader, Jon assumed the responsibility for the task. Crouching, he placed fingers on Dan’s carotid artery, noting the significant heat radiating off his skin. “He’s alive and hot as hell.”
“Loki?” Bram’s grip on the flashlight increased.
Shifting a bit and without moving Dan, Jon reached under him and searched for Loki’s pulse. Please, please let me find one, Jon silently begged when at first, he didn’t detect a beat. He pressed harder. “There. Found a pulse. Very weak, but it’s there.”
Bram reported, “Boss, we need medics in here NOW! Dan and Loki are alive, but Loki’s got a weak pulse, and one or both of them lost a lot of blood. Dan is on top of Loki, so we can’t tell who is bleeding.”
Hospital – Hallway
Her heart in her throat, Lexa sped down the hall as she called out, “On their way inside. Coming to you.”
Nick stood near Master Corporal Forbes and put up a hand to stop Lexa as she attempted to rush past him. “Lexa, hold a moment.”
Hastily swiping away at the tears which began to melt and resume their trail down her face, Lexa halted though all she desired to do was run to Loki and Dan. “What?” came out with irritation indicating her level of distress.
Taking in Lexa’s distraught state, Nick believed it would be best to give her another task to focus on. Phone in hand, he came up with a solution. “Need you to go to the stairwell to check Scott, then engage with Hinder or Welch upstairs to gather information from them. I need to relay a detailed sitrep to Gambrill so he can communicate with General Broderick.”
Though it pained her to not go directly to her teammates, Lexa understood the necessity. She drew in a steadying breath and replied, “Copy,” before resuming her trek down the corridor towards the stairs.
Hospital – Stairwell
Lexa yanked open the door, spotting Scott lying on the floor at the base of the steps in the process of hacking up a lung. She dropped to her knees and assisted him to sit against the wall. “Scott. Help is on its way. Hold tight.”
Gasping for breath after a prolonged coughing fit, Scott rasped, “Thanks.” His blue eyes reflecting concern, he queried, “Dan, Loki, Vanessa, Minna?”
Assuming Vanessa and Minna were the women hostages in the surgery with Loki and Dan, Lexa shared, “All alive. Medics are going to them.” She did not tell him more. Scott appeared to be in respiratory distress, and she wouldn’t burden him with stressful news. Besides, she justified her answer as being accurate since she remained unaware of the extent of their injuries. Alive, for now, is truthful.
Visually inspecting the rest of him, Lexa noted a huge green spot with a blue-green center on his bandaged thigh. “Whoa, I thought Dan is the one with the infected leg?”
Scott wiped the sweat from his brow. “Brodericks don’t do things by half measures. Mine might be colorful, but Dan’s is much worse.” He dissolved into another taxing fit of coughing.
Lexa redirected her gaze up the stairwell upon catching the squeak of the second-floor door opening. To ensure the soldier or whoever entered didn’t shoot, Lexa said, “I’m Constable McKenna. The area is secure. The Bartons are deceased. Is everyone upstairs, okay?”
Hinder bounded down the steps two at a time. “Yeah. What happened? We heard the blast but were ordered to protect those up here. Price and Forbes aren’t responding on comms.”
Lexa shook her head. “Not exactly sure. We arrived right before the explosion. Five of your unit are down, but alive. The medical team is coming in. Does anyone upstairs require medical attention?”
“No, Doc Landry and the nurses have things under control for now.” Hinder crouched beside Scott. “I’m a unit medic. Let me take a look at you. Interesting color discharge.”
Scott nodded. “Vanessa, the ER doctor, said the infection is pseudo ageous something or other.” He began hacking again.
Hinder cocked his head to the side. “Never seen secretion like this, but I doubt this is causing your breathing problems.”
Getting a break from coughing, Scott wiped sweat from his brow. “Most likely, the result of the hours spent in the blizzard.”
The sound of the door opening drew Hinder’s attention, and when Welch requested a sitrep, he said, “AO secure. Our guys are down, and medical is tending them, but they’re likely stretched thin, so I’m taking care of Scott.”
Relieved, Welch said, “Dr. Craig and his wife want to assist if possible.”
“Great, I could use his help. Scott’s got an infection I’ve never encountered. I’ll retrieve the wheelchair from the hall while you carry him down.”
As Welch went to retrieve her husband from Ethan’s room, Maisie made her way downstairs. She reached Scott, and her expression reflected concern. “Oh, Scott, my boy, you’re not doing well. Landry will be here in a moment. He’ll make you fit as a fiddle soon.”
Her gaze shifted to the petite constable, noting a similarity to Minna, at least in hair coloring and stature. Oh goodness. She must be Dan’s Lexa. Extending a smile, Maisie introduced herself, “I’m Maisie Craig. My husband, Landry is a surgeon, and I assisted him when he started eons ago.”
Lexa returned the smile with one of her own. “I’m Lexa McKenna.”
Maisie wondered if Lexa knew Dan had a thing for her. Probably not, they are teammates, and I’m sure romantic relationships are forbidden.
With s
ome difficulty, Scott breathed out, “Doc Landry took the ski pole out of my leg and operated on Dan.” He settled worried eyes on Maisie. “Did he, um, lose his …”
Maisie tenderly stroked Scott’s fevered cheek. “Don’t you fret. Landry removed all the infected tissue. Our dear boy Dan won’t be losing his leg if he receives proper antibiotics.” Her expression saddened. “But he will have another scar to add to his collection. He has so many on his chest. Whatever happened to the sweet boy I knew when he was a teen?”
Scott clasped Maisie’s hand and squeezed lightly. “Too much. But he is okay. Dan’s a survivor.”
Welch stepped off the last tread and settled Landry in the wheelchair Hinder pushed into the tight space. He returned to the stairs to provide more room for the others and gave the cute constable a slight nod. As he observed, remaining in case Landry required anything from upstairs, Welch wished he could check on his buddies.
“Wow, I haven’t seen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in years,” Landry said, taking a glance at Scott’s thigh. “Maisie, we need to start Scott on a course of intravenous Ceftazidime. Please ask Vera or Yasmin to retrieve the antibiotic and any other meds past due or required for patients from the pharmacy.”
“I’ll do it,” Welch offered and sprinted up the steps, saving the kind, older woman from making the trek. Mrs. Craig reminded him of his favorite grandaunt, and after everything the lovely lady had been through tonight, he would do anything to make things easier on her.
“Thank you,” Maisie called out to the helpful soldier.
Landry turned to Hinder. “I suspect you can start IVs.”
“Yes, sir.” After opening his medic pack and pulling out an IV kit, Hinder prepped the saline bag and Scott before inserting the line.
The soldier returned with one of the nurses and assisted Maisie to her feet when she indicated she would accompany Vera to gather the medications necessary for Scott and the patients above. Lexa stood and addressed the man, “I’m Lexa, and Sergeant Pastore, my boss, needs a detailed status report on everyone upstairs to relay to our commander and General Broderick.”
Welch inwardly cringed at the thought of reporting this debacle to the general and would happily allow this Pastore to be the one. He provided her his name and a sitrep.
As Lexa relayed the information to Boss, she paused when Scott began coughing so hard and long that he had trouble catching his breath.
Landry turned to Welch and urgently said, “There is a portable oxygen tank upstairs. Jeremy will know where. Bring it down here fast.”
Welch raced up the stairs again.
Kneeling next to Scott, Lexa gently rubbed his back as he coughed. “This certainly isn’t the fun ski trip you guys planned.”
Despite his difficulty in breathing, a laugh-like snort emitted from Scott as he rolled his eyes. If he possessed the air to speak, he would’ve said with sarcasm, “Yeah, no one could’ve predicted things going so wrong.”
Hospital – Surgery
A host of medics entered the room with bright LED lights strapped to their heads, backboards, and packs of supplies slung over shoulders. The group split up, one set went to the women, and the other converged on Dan and Loki. Jon and Bram stood aside, making space for them. They stayed, mostly because they wanted to remain close, but also to offer assistance if needed.
Bram’s gaze didn’t move from Dan’s bruised back as he asked, “What do you think happened in here?”
Shaking his head, anger edged Jon’s voice, “No idea. Something exploded, but what went on before and what caused the blast, who the hell knows?” His gaze centered on a medic putting a cervical collar around Dan’s neck. “I swear if Dan took an unacceptable risk and got himself killed trying to protect Loki, I’m gonna bench him in the truck for a whole damned year.”
Bram glanced at Jon, unable to contain the smirk at the non-sensical, yet heartfelt statement. “You do realize that doesn’t make a lick of sense?”
“Yeah, so sue me.” Jon waved his hand toward Loki and Dan, conflicting emotions warring to come out. “This … they … all this.” He corralled his thoughts as he ran his fingers over his bald head to remove the dripping water. “Hell, they were on vacation. If I hadn’t lost the Bartons after the diamond heist, this wouldn’t have happened. They’d be having fun on the slopes, or well, stuck in the cabin eating s’mores and drinking hot cocoa.”
Squeezing in near Jon, Ray got his first glimpse of Loki’s pale face. Needing someone to blame for Loki’s condition, Dan became the easiest target. “They would still be here. You’re forgetting, they came to the hospital because of Dan’s leg. If he’d thought of someone besides himself and postponed the trip, Loki wouldn’t be lying in a fucking pool of blood.”
“Whoa! Ease back there. This isn’t Dan’s fault,” Bram responded, noting the ice in Ray’s usual smooth tone and his use of a rare curse word. “We’re all worried, but the ones responsible for this are Noah and Jonas Barton. I’m certain Loki, Dan, and Scott all went the extra mile to keep everyone safe. But, as you are fully aware, things don’t always work out the way we want.”
“Whatever!” Not ready to relieve Dan of his complicity, Ray’s tone implied dismissal of Bram’s remarks.
Banking his anger, for now, this not being the time or place to express or sort out his emotions, Jon clasped Ray’s shoulder. His information tech officer appeared to be wholly off-kilter, and he understood why … his best friend knocked at death’s door. Hell, not just knocking, potentially being ushered inside. He also comprehended Ray would likely regret his words later once he calmed down. “Loki and Dan are in competent hands.”
Lieutenant Fiona Pastore spared a glance at the men observing, having overheard their remarks. They reminded her of unit soldiers who stood by restless and full of rage while buddies lay injured in a field hospital tent. But this was rural Canada, not a battlefield in Afghanistan, although the carnage on full display might make one think differently.
Recognizing being idle fueled a sense of helplessness, she decided to put them to work, and truthfully, she needed their assistance with nine patients to triage. “Can you help us? We must move the one on top to assess the man below and determine who is bleeding.”
Jon and Bram moved forward without hesitation, while Ray hung back, unable to pry his eyes from Loki. Bram shifted to Dan’s shoulders near the lieutenant and asked, “What do you want us to do?”
“We need to move him to a spine board. I’ll stabilize his head and neck while you two assist the others in carefully rolling his body.”
Bram nodded, his fingers ghosting Dan’s cheek, as he said, “Hang on, Dan. We’re gonna take care of you now.” Following instructions, Bram helped position him on the board and then held foam wedges on either side of Dan’s head until a Velcro strap was pulled across his forehead. Straps were also applied to his chest and thighs to hold him in place.
“Davis, no signs of GSW. Tag him yellow and have Peterson check his leg,” Fiona directed as she refocused on the man on the floor.
Corporal Davis said, “If one of you will help me carry him out, Miller can stay here to help your other buddy.”
“I’ll help.” Bram grasped the top as Davis took hold of the foot. They lifted in unison and picked their way out of the operating room, heading for the triage area set up in the hallway near the emergency room.
After they carried Dan out, Ray filled the void, dropping to his knees and grasping Loki’s hand as it became clear all the blood was his. “Please don’t die, Loki.”
Fiona started to cut away the fabric, but blood began gushing. “Miller, apply pressure.” She scanned the area, finding Tadman, who stood at the entrance. “Captain. Massive hemorrhaging … he’s in hypovolemic shock!” Glancing to her left, she added, “Hanson, need Ringer’s lactate started yesterday. Need a type and cross match to determine his blood type.”
“O negative.” Ray’s voice came out flat.
“What?” Fiona paused in her orders to glance a
t the man holding the patient’s hand.
“Loki and I are both O neg. If he needs blood, you can take mine.”
Fiona took a brief moment for the distraught man. “We brought blood. We’ll do everything in our power to save your teammate. You need to move now so we can work.”
“My best friend … he’s my brother,” Ray said as a medic pulled Loki’s hand from his grasp and pushed him aside as people swarmed around the one guy on this earth he would willingly die for. The noise level increased as those working on Loki began conversing in jargon Ray didn’t comprehend.
Jon put a supportive arm around Ray’s shoulder’s and with care, guided him out of the way of the flurry of activity. The dazed expression told him Ray might be in shock. Hell, who wouldn’t be once they realized all the blood came from Loki? As he stared at the crimson puddle, Bram’s question came back to him. How much blood does a body hold?
No Rest for the Weary
48
November 25
Hospital – Café – 3:30 a.m.
Lexa shuffled into the café, soaking wet, chilled to the bone, exhausted, but pleased she had skills which could be put to use while waiting for word on Loki and Dan. She spied Boss sitting with Ray at the table loaded with their tactical vests and weapons. Well, actually, Nick sat while Ray lay on the ground with his feet up on a chair, a pillow under his head, and a blanket draped over him.
“What happened, Ray?” Lexa inquired as she halted and took a seat.
“Geez, Lexa, your lips are bluish. You need this more than me.” Nick pushed his hot coffee to Lexa, stood, and unfurled another blanket, wrapping it around her upper body. “You should’ve come in for coffee and a break a long time ago.”
Lexa took a sip, relishing the hot liquid and the toasty mug warming her hands and insides. “Needed to fix the broken plumbing so they could turn the water back on. My renovation skills came in handy. Water’s no longer flooding the hall from the OR sinks. Jeremy organized a couple of people to do the mop-up after I capped off the leaking pipes.”