Losing his footing on only the third step, Mike regained his stance 15 feet down the river.
“That’s was close, buddy. We almost got…” There was a loud thud as Mike was hit square in the back, taking his breath away. Gasping for air, he saw the large log that had struck him in the back careening past him.
“Javi,” he yelled, as the boy and his weapon plunged into the river.
His eyes locked on the boy. “Grab the log!” he yelled.
Little Javi’s head was bobbing up and down, with his arms frantically slapping the cold, rushing water. Mike let the current take him—forcing his head to remain out of the water.
His eyes locked on the boy, and nothing else mattered. The strap of his rifle had caught in the log that inspired the drama. Javi clung to the same log at the far end.
Passing up the rifle and instincts to retrieve it, Mike lunged for the boy, grasping the collar of his shirt.
Barely keeping the frightened child above the surface, Mike grabbed the log with his other arm, slowly steering it towards the right bank and kicking frantically with his feet.
“Are you OK?” he asked the scared boy over and over, with no response.
The river slowed as Mike navigated to the shore. He wasn’t sure how far downriver they had traveled, but he was determined to complete his mission.
I was the first one to make it to a wide-eyed Tom.
“Where’s Mike?” I asked. Tom didn’t say a word but pointed down towards the river in the direction of the gunshots.
“He went back for the boy, didn’t he?” asked Mel—“the one Katie was talking about.”
Tom nodded his head yes, still not saying a word. As long as he didn’t speak, he felt he could still be trusted to keep a secret.
“You ready, Lance?” asked Mel, straightening his night-vision goggles.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, doing the same.
There’s an odd feeling you get, I realized, when you’re voluntarily running towards gunfire.
I guessed it was just second-nature to a soldier on the front line, or a veteran police officer who had likely seen this type of scenario before. To a civilian like me, however, it went against every bit of common sense I had. But Mike was down there, and likely a little boy needing help.
“Cover us, Tom, and don’t let anyone pass,” I said, looking behind me to see many from our group running towards us.
Voices yelling could be heard from the other side of the river.
Standing for the first time since entering the river, Mike had Javi in his right arm and could see the strap of his rifle hooked to a branch on the far end of the log. Tugging the strap pulled up a water-submerged rifle, which he put over his other shoulder.
“Let’s go, Javi,” Mike told him, as the voices got closer. Mike carried him at a full run into the woods, away from the river, still with no sounds coming from the boy.
“Over there!” shouted one of the men, firing his weapon.
Mike thought about stopping to return fire but kept running.
Mel and I met Mike, carrying the small boy on our side, near the river bottom.
I called out to him, as he nearly ran straight into us. “It’s Lance and Mel!” I yelled.
We all met for no more than ten seconds, with me taking Mike’s pack and rifle while he kept the child.
“Crack! Crack! Crack!” came the sound from across the river. Javi cried out in pain, grabbing his left arm.
“Hold on, buddy; we’re almost there,” I told him, returning fire randomly into the dark for the very first, and hopefully the last, time.
“Let’s go!” called Mel, as we all turned to run.
Now more cracks from the other side. I counted eight when I felt a thud in my left hamstring, followed by burning, like a fire poker had been put into my leg.
Mike fell forward, tripping over a fallen log, clutching little Javi as a football player may stretch out to catch a ball in the end zone in a close game.
The shooting continued as bullets careened around us. I ran, limping, with Mel helping me along.
“It’s going to be OK,” Mike told Javi. “They won’t cross the river.”
He was right, and with the shooting stopped, we slowly headed back to camp.
“Are you OK?” Mike asked, with no response from the frightened boy. He was grazed on his left arm. There was blood, but Mike could tell the wound was not deep.
Reaching Tom, who was now standing surrounded by members of both Raton groups, he dropped Javi into Nancy’s waiting arms.
“I think he’s OK,” said Mike, out of breath, “but please look him over.”
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twelve
Raton Pass, New Mexico
Lonnie, Jake and David were all present, having heard the gunfire.
“Lance, were you hit?” asked David, noticing the limp but not seeing the blood in the dark.
A flashlight directed by Lonnie told the story.
“Nancy, we need you over here,” called Jake. “Lance has been shot.”
Tammy took over with Javi, cleaning and dressing his wound, requiring no stitches.
Nancy cut my left pant leg, already torn by the bullet and more than one bush I had run through.
The entrance wound was clearly visible in my left hamstring.
“It missed the femoral artery, thank God,” she said, “but there’s no exit wound. When the bullet hit you, did it burn?” she asked.
“Like crazy,” I responded, “but I just kept running.”
“Exactly where did you feel the burn after impact?”
I pointed to a spot towards the front of my thigh. “It was about 30 seconds, I think, before it stopped. Now it just stings.”
“Jake,” she called. “Get my medical bag. And Tammy, I’m going to need your help. We’ve got one shot at this while the wound is open, and Lance, this is going to hurt,” she said, looking me in the eye.
“Is Javi OK?” I asked.
“He will be just fine,” responded Tammy.
David and Jake, grabbing two four-wheelers, took Nancy, Tammy and me up to Beatrice’s house. Beatrice drew a warm pot of water and got clean towels for the event.
The morphine kicked in near the start and I smiled, knowing we had done something really good.
Mike wouldn’t leave my side until he knew I was all right.
“Lord,” Mike spoke silently, “we both know I’m a bad man, but today I did something right. I helped your little boy, and he will be safe for the rest of his days.”
After thirty minutes, the slug was removed successfully from my leg, and the stitching process commenced.
“We’ve done everything possible to keep this wound clean,” said Nancy. “The rest is up to you, Lance. I want you to see me twice a day until I say you’re good. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do just that,” I responded gratefully.
* * * *
Javi was scared and wouldn’t speak to anyone. With Katie and Jonah fast asleep, the group wasn’t sure how to proceed. Sheila tried speaking to him, but he only wanted Mike.
Lonnie drove an exhausted Mike back to the tents, where little Javi was waiting.
Introducing him to Sheila, the boy calmed quickly. “She is my girlfriend, Javi, and she stays in my tent. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” Javi replied. “You mean she will help me like you did?”
“Yes, Javi, she will.”
“I’m so tired,” he said, starting to cry.
“Would you like to sleep next to me?” asked Sheila.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, scooting towards her and melting her heart.
“I’ll just be over here somewhere,” joked Mike.
“You’re a good man, Michael,” said Sheila, “and I’m a lucky girl. Good night, my love,” she whispered, giving him a kiss.
I’m going to get hammered tomorrow by everyone, I’m sure, he thought, but it will be worth it.
“Y
ou brought him back,” said Katie in Mike’s dream that night. “You brought him back!”
I lay next to Joy and our boys, dead tired but content.
I felt good tonight, knowing the dawn would come soon and bring the inevitable pain of fading morphine.
I woke up four hours later, with the sun staring me in the eyes. The pain in my leg was dull as I looked down at the blood-soaked dressing.
Lonnie picked me up on the four-wheeler for the unavoidable meeting to come.
Mike, a few tents down, was looking across his own tent at a sleeping Javi, cuddled tight to his new girl.
Is this it? he thought, not taking his eyes off of them. Is this my new life, my way forward?
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” asked Sheila in a whisper.
“It’s complicated,” replied Mike. “I knew there would be some that would be upset about it, maybe even you,” he continued, “but I had no choice. It was either me by myself or nobody. I would do it again, just the same.”
Lonnie, Jake and I were being peppered with questions about Mike and the little boy. Tom was still asleep following his shift, but would no doubt be interrogated soon enough.
“Time to face the music and get this out in the open. I’ll be back soon and fill you in on everything, I promise,” Mike told Sheila.
* * * *
“Here he comes,” said Lonnie, pointing at Mike walking up the road.
We all waited for him, and even Katie and little Jonah were up, arriving with Mel and Tammy.
“How did they do last night?” David asked Mel.
“We did great!” replied Katie, before Mel could answer. “We haven’t slept in a real bed for a while, and Mel and Tammy are really nice.”
Katie didn’t know anything about Javi yet, having slept right through the gunshots and commotion last night.
“All right, Mike,” pressed Lonnie. “What happened last night?”
“Good morning, guys, ladies,” Mike started, as the whole camp seemed to gather around. “Hi, Katie. How are you and Jonah holding up?”
“Really good,” she said. “That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time,” she added, yawning.
The air was tense, with the obvious conversation about to make it front and center.
I didn’t have the full story, but I had heard Katie and her brother talk about little Javi and how he needed help.
Joy and I had discussed it early this morning, looking at both sides. On the one hand, a boy was taken from the very people we were trying to avoid a conflict with in the near future. This could bring unwanted attention to both groups.
On the other, a scared little boy whose mother had been trafficked was rescued from a group with only bad intentions.
“We should have discussed this, Mike, as a group,” said Lonnie. “It may have consequences for us all down the road.”
“Let’s say you’re right, and I told you all of my plans yesterday. Would you all, or any of you, have agreed to move forward with it?” Mike responded.
To my surprise, Joy raised her hand. I was proud of her, as the only one to do so, with our boys looking on.
“Me too,” I said with conviction, raising my hand.
A few more hands raised, including Mel, Tammy, David, Tina, Nancy and Jake.
“What are you talking about, Mike?” asked a confused Katie.
“Javi,” he replied. “We’re talking about Javi. I rescued him last night, with Mel and Lance’s help, and didn’t ask anyone’s approval first.”
“Is he here?!” she asked excitedly. “Is he OK?”
“Yes, he is here, and he will be fine,” Mike answered.
“So, let me get this straight,” said a sassy Katie, “just so us kids can understand. Every adult that didn’t just raise their hand thinks that Mike should have left a defenseless and scared six-year-old boy to rot over there with those animals?” Her voice grew louder with each word. “Am I hearing that right? What’s wrong with you people?!” she screamed.
Mel put a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly knocked away. Jonah tugged her arm as he started to cry. “It’s okay, Sissy,” he said, looking up at her.
“No, it’s not,” she replied. “Come on, Jonah. Let’s go.” Grabbing his hand, she walked back towards Mel and Tammy’s house.
* * * * * * *
Chapter Thirteen
Raton Pass, New Mexico
Everyone was quiet, and the silence was deafening. Even the other children didn’t say a word.
“I’ll check on them,” said Mel, excusing himself.
“She’s right,” said Lonnie, feeling bad he had not raised his hand. “Sometimes, the right thing to do is the hardest to justify. Mike, I would not have supported you on this yesterday, but I do now.”
A few others nodded their heads in agreement, without speaking up.
“Thank you for saying that,” replied Mike. “I should have brought it up yesterday, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him being over there all alone after Katie and her brother told us the story.”
“You’re bleeding through the dressing,” Nancy told me. “Let’s get it changed now, unless anyone has anything else.”
Veronica raised her hand. “Yes, sweetie?” said Nancy.
“When can we meet Javi?” she asked, with the other children nodding in agreement.
“He’s with Tammy right now,” interjected Mike, “and he had a long night. As soon as he is awake, you can be the first to meet him, Veronica.”
She smiled at Tina, excited to be picked first for this important opportunity.
“To answer your first question, friend,” said Mike, looking at Lonnie. He retold the story in its entirety, realizing it sounded like something out of a Rambo movie.
“Weren’t you scared?” asked Hudson.
“Only when I lost Javi in the river,” he replied.
“Will they come looking for him?” asked Jax nervously.
“I don’t think so,” Lonnie responded. “He will be safe here with us.”
Mel entered his home to find Katie packing their belongings.
“Where are you going?” he asked, concerned.
“I don’t know,” she replied angrily. “We’re not going back, and we’re not staying here.”
“Can we talk for just a minute?” he asked quietly, hoping to calm her nerves.
“Jonah is my responsibility now, not theirs,” she said, pointing back towards the group just down the road, “and not yours either.”
“I understand that,” he replied, racking his brain on the next step. Never having children of his own, and not recalling any recent experience with them, he was at a loss. Think, Mel. Think! he told himself.
“Katie, do you miss anything about your old life? I mean,” he stuttered “besides your parents, of course.”
“Do you mean like my friends and school?”
“Yes, kind of,” Mel replied.
“Well, I miss movie night. We used to have pizza, microwave popcorn, and a movie every Friday night. It was my brother’s favorite day of the week.”
“What was your favorite movie?” he asked, hoping it was one he had on hand.
“My favorite movie, well both of our favorites, is called The Princess Bride,” she said, pulling the DVD out of her small backpack. “We can’t watch it anymore, but we know most of the lines anyway.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” said Mel. “You and your brother agree to stay here one more night, and I’ll figure out how to let you eat popcorn and watch your favorite movie.”
“Yes, Sissy!” said an excited Jonah. “I want to watch our movie!”
“It’s not true,” she told him. “He’s just feeding us lies, like the last guys,” she added, shaking her head.
“Hold on for just a minute,” said Mel, realizing that this was an opportunity that would not come around again. “Can I see your DVD?” he asked.
“Why not,” she said, sarcastically handing it to him. “It’s not
like you can hurt it now.”
He handed her the remote and asked if she knew how to work it.
Next World Series (Vol. 3): Families First [Second Wind] Page 14