The Grim Reaper Comes Calling

by Darrell Maloney

  Because it was typically just a tad softer than the blacktop it wasn’t as hard on a pony’s shins and hooves.

  It was still bad for them. It would have been better for Bonnie to ride her through the brush, on soft ground.

  But the side of any highway is littered with a variety of things, from old fenders and mufflers to discarded tires.

  Back in the days before the electromagnetic pulses sent the earth back to the Dark Age, riding a horse on the soft ground just off the shoulder wasn’t a risk.

  Now it was, because the highways hadn’t been maintained in a year and a half.

  The litter and hazards hadn’t been picked up in that long.

  The grass and weeds hadn’t been mowed in that long either.

  Those fenders and discarded tires which once could be seen soon enough to ride around were covered and couldn’t be seen at all.

  Red weighed the risks and made a calculated decision.

  Having to decide whether to ride her on pavement and risk shin splints or a bruised hoof; or to risk her stepping on a large piece of debris and going down, possibly breaking a leg or a hip, Red chose the former.

  But because they were such good friends, she felt the need to explain herself and to apologize.

  That might sound odd to people who aren’t horse people, but people who own horses often talk to them.

  Not only that, but many or most of them swear their words are understood. And that while their horses lack the vocal cords to talk back, every horse owner knows that the longer they own a horse the more they can communicate with it.

  “I’m sorry, girl,” Red said as she rubbed Bonnie’s neck just before mounting up.

  “I’m going to ride you pretty hard on pavement. We have to get where we’re going as quickly as possible. I promise you I’ll be careful and won’t push you past your comfort zone.

  “And I’ll reward you later with a good rubdown and some dried apples.”

  Maybe Bonnie understood every word, or perhaps she just recognized the last two: dried apples.

  They were her second favorite thing in the world, you see, after Red herself.

  In any event, she pawed the ground with her front hoof and nodded her tremendous head.

  She was ready to place her trust in Red’s capable hands and was raring to go.

  Red kept her word and was as careful as she could be.

  She was well aware that horseshoes are slippery on pavement and horses can very easily lose their footing. The softer shoulder is a bit better than the travel lanes, but footing can still be treacherous.

  Accordingly, she slowed to a walk at every turn and grade.

  When the grass was relatively short they left the pavement completely.

  After what had to be two and a half miles she was starting to wonder how much farther they had to go.

  She got her answer as they rounded a blind curve.

  There in the distance was quite possibly the oddest contraption she’d ever laid eyes upon, being pushed by a man who appeared to be struggling up a slight grade.

  Keeping pace with him was a tiny human not much taller than the wheelchair she was pushing, who appeared to be struggling as well.

  Even from that distance there seemed to be something familiar about the man looking down at the ground as he pushed mightily against two red Target shopping carts which appeared to be tethered together.

  The gap between them lessened and from a hundred yards or so she knew it was Dave.

  Despite Tony’s concerns they’d never been lovers.

  But they did share a very chaotic few days together when she saved his life and nursed him back to health.

  It was enough to bond them together for life, and each had wondered a thousand times what became of the other.

  Now they could stop wondering.

  Chapter 29

  “Dave, what happened?”

  Her words came instead of a standard greeting.

  A “hello,” or a “how have you been,” or even “it’s about damn time!”

  Red sensed the situation was dire. That every minute counted. That there was no time for frivolities or small talk.

  “She drank some tainted water. Four, five days ago, I think. Hell, it’s hard to keep track.”

  “Tell me she hasn’t been without water for that long!”

  “No. Well, sort of. She’s been drinking clean water but can’t keep it down. It keeps coming back up.”

  It wasn’t a good answer, but it was better than the alternative.

  Red knew that if she hadn’t had a drink in four or five days her organs would already be shutting down. The kidneys would go first, followed very quickly by the others. At some point the stress would be too much for the heart.

  Attempting to drink, even if most of it came back up, was a bit better. Red knew that despite the appearance all the water came back up, a certain amount was retained in the body.

  Whether it was enough? It was too soon to tell.

  She knelt down beside Sarah but addressed Dave instead.

  “Dave, I’m sorry. Please tell me again what her name is.”

  “Sarah.”

  “Sarah, can you open your eyes for me, honey?”

  Sarah was awake, but appeared to be sleeping. Her eyelids were pasted shut, deprived of tears for so long they were stuck together.

  Red saw the movement in her eyes.

  “Dave, get me a bottle of water.”

  Dave did as he was told. He recognized this situation was beyond his capabilities; that Red was in a better position to help her.

  And that like it or not, he was now relegated to the role of helper.

  He handed her the bottle he’d have had Sarah drink ten minutes later.

  Red unceremoniously poured it over Sarah’s face and forcibly lifted her left eyelid.

  Sarah’s pupil went to a pinpoint at the bright sunlight.

  A good sign.

  “When’s the last time she tried to drink?”

  “Almost an hour ago.”

  “Sarah, honey, my name is Red. I’m a friend of your husband’s, and you’re going to be okay. Can you understand what I’m saying to you?”

  There was a slight pause as Sarah fought to make sense of the words through the fog her mind was.

  Then she nodded.

  “Atta girl, Sarah. Now, help is on the way. In the meantime, I want you to sip the water, a little bit at a time. As soon as you feel your stomach start to churn, I want you to stop and wait until the urge to throw up passes. I need for you to fight that urge to throw up as hard as you’ve ever fought anything, okay?”

  Another pause.

  Another nod.

  “Atta girl.”

  Red looked to Beth, standing at her mother’s side and on the verge of tears.

  “Are you Beth?”

  Why she remembered Beth’s name after a year but not Sarah’s was a mystery to her, but it didn’t really matter.

  Dave had mentioned them both only in passing during the ten days they spent together before. There may have been some subconscious reason at work, but she could figure that out later, if it even mattered at all.

  Right now there was something more pressing to worry about.

  “Can you help your mommy, sweetheart? Hold the bottle to her lips and let her have as many small sips as she wants, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She pulled Dave off to the side, and out of Sarah’s earshot.

  “Dave, she’s grave. Past the tipping point. If we’re going to save her I need for you to do exactly what I tell you, without argument or delay. Can you do that?”

  Dave said “Yes,” without the slightest hesitation.

  In the days ahead Red would apologize over and over again for being short with him.

  And over and over again he’d tell her it was okay. When she was in lifesaving mode she was all business and had no time for niceties. He’d tell her time and time again he understood. He was a former Marine. That he was th
e same way when he was in combat mode. That there was no time or need for explanation or apology. That he got it.

  She’d feel bad anyway.

  It wasn’t the way one greeted an old friend. And it certainly wasn’t the way she ever thought she’d greet Dave, if she ever saw him again.

  But she wasn’t worried about niceties or friendly banter.

  She was trying to save a woman’s life.

  “The cowboy you met earlier… Tony… he’ll be here in a few minutes with an open wagon. The wagon has some medical supplies we’ll need to administer immediately.”

  “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

  “Get ready to lift her onto the back of the wagon. Then I’ll need you to stay out of my way and let me work.

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll ask you to hand me some things I’ll need to stabilize her. It’ll take ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Then we’re going to get her to Blanco as quickly as we can.

  “I see your other daughter over there. Lindsey, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tony told me she has a broken leg. Is she splinted? And can you get her into the wagon without hurting her?”

  “Yes and yes.”

  Chapter 30

  “Okay. I’m not going to lie to you, Dave. It’s bad. Real bad. But we’re gonna do what we can to bring her back from the brink. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  With that she left his side and ran over to where Lindsey was propped up on one elbow and wondering what was going on.

  “Hi Lindsey, I’m Red. How you holding up?”

  “Umm… okay, I guess.”

  “We’ve got a wagon on the way that’s going to take you and your mom to the doctor. It won’t be comfortable, but I’ll need for you to be tough for your mother’s sake. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Atta girl. Just hang tight for a few more minutes.”

  Back at Sarah’s side Red was pleased to learn she’d taken in half the bottle of water and held it down.

  She placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder and said, “You’re doing great, honey. Let’s hold off for a few minutes. I don’t want to push our luck too much. Are my words making any sense to you?”

  This time there was no pause; the nod came almost immediately.

  “Good girl. Hang in there now.”

  She looked at Beth and winked.

  “You’re doing great, sweetheart. You’re the one I want helping me the next time I get sick.”

  Beth managed a nervous smile.

  Dave whispered, “Now what?”

  “Now we do two things. We keep an eye on Sarah and try to hydrate her a bit more.

  “And we wait for the wagon.”

  Then she had another thought.

  “Dave, is there anything here you can’t live without? Anything you can’t leave behind and come back for later?”

  “I don’t know. Probably my weapons is all.”

  “Okay. Get them now and have them close by. After you get our patients in the wagon and I’m stabilizing Sarah you can load them up. Just understand that if they’re not in the wagon when I’m ready to go they’re staying behind.

  “You can ride, right?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  “Good. I need for you to ride Bonnie back for me.”

  “I can’t ride in the back and help you take care of them?”

  “Dave, remember, no arguments, no questions. I won’t have time for any of that.

  “The buckboard is very small. With two patients there’ll be very little room for me. And Beth will be riding up front with Tony. Please, you’ll be riding right alongside us. But I’ll need you on the horse, not in the wagon.”

  Dave swallowed hard, a mess of tangled emotions.

  He was used to giving orders in times of crisis, not taking them.

  But again, he understood his place.

  He stole a glance at Sarah.

  Then he moved aside to let Red do her thing. He ran over to the rear shopping cart to remove his rifle and ammunition.

  While he was gone, Beth looked up at Red and asked her, with tears in her puppy-dog eyes, “Is my mommy going to be alright?”

  With her own heart breaking and feeling the little girl’s pain, Red first considered avoiding her question. If she had to determine Sarah’s prognosis she’d have to say her chances were slim at best.

  And she never liked lying, or people who lied.

  She always thought that honesty was the best policy.

  Then she had a change of heart.

  If Sarah didn’t make it little Beth would be destroyed.

  If Sarah didn’t make it that would happen soon enough, whether Red was honest with her or not. What reason was there, therefore, to rush it?

  On the other hand, if Sarah found the strength, and if God saw fit, to somehow beat the grim reaper back… if she somehow survived, then what was the point in telling a little girl she wouldn’t make it?

  Why cause an innocent child unnecessary pain?

  She finally answered, “Yes, honey. Your mommy’s going to be fine. It might take her a few days to get better, and we’re all going to have to work hard to help her. But she’s going to be fine.”

  She hoped.

  Chapter 31

  A few minutes later all heads turned, even Sarah’s, as the sound of horse hooves on hard pavement seemed to hit everyone at once.

  Tony was an expert horseman.

  A wagon-master he wasn’t.

  But he wasn’t bad.

  He pulled to a stop in front of the wheelchair, applied the handbrake, and climbed down.

  Red didn’t have to tell him to stand by and await her instructions.

  He instinctively knew that was his tasking.

  He didn’t mind taking a subservient role to Red.

  Many prideful men would have tried to take charge. To be the “manly man.” To be everybody’s hero.

  Tony wasn’t like that.

  Tony was a lot like Dave in that respect. They were confident enough in their manhood not to be threatened by a woman.

  Especially if they knew that woman to be as strong and capable as they knew Red to be.

  “Tony, get on the back and help him get her on the mattress. Be careful, she’s fragile and weak.”

  “Got it.”

  The bed of the buckboard was about waist-high, and the side rail added another eight inches or so.

  Sarah, bless her heart, had lost several pounds from the seven hundred miles or so she’d walked from Kansas.

  That was even before she drank the bad water.

  She lost five more pounds since.

  Dave would later learn she now weighed less than the day he carried her over the threshold.

  Picking her up and carrying her to the buckboard wasn’t difficult, but it was very concerning to Dave when he realized she was as light as a feather.

  Tony, on the far side of the mattress, helped her get situated and comfortable.

  He climbed down at the same time Red climbed up.

  “Tony, would you give the team some water? Not too much. We’ll be ready to go in about ten minutes or so.”

  “Already on it.”

  “Dave, take a box of latex gloves from the supply box over there and hold it this way, would you?”

  He held the box by the corner at arm’s length. Red took two gloves and put them on. Then, since she couldn’t’ scrub up beforehand, she put a second pair over the first.

  Dave did the same thing, without being asked.

  “Look for a scrub kit in the back corner of the box. White container, black letters. It’ll say “Povidone-Iodine.’”

  “Got it.”

  “Okay. Bend it until you hear the glass vial on the inside break. That’ll activate it.”

  “Okay, done.”

  “Okay, very carefully pull back the plastic without touching anything underneath it. I’ll take it out once the plastic is out of the way.”

&
nbsp; Once she pulled the scrubber from the package she said, “Now throw that aside. We’re done with it.

  “Look for a venipuncture kit. Green plastic with a clear plastic cover.”

  “Got it.”

  “Pull back the clear plastic just like you did before. Don’t touch anything beneath it.

  “Good. Perfect.”

  She looked at Sarah, who appeared to be in a daze but was watching her with some fascination.

  “How you doin’, honey?”

  Sarah’s throat was too dry to speak, but she managed a nod.

  “Okay, Sarah,” Red continued. “If you have to vomit just turn your head to one side and let loose. Don’t worry about the mess. I’ll clean it up later.

  “I’m gonna stick you in the arm so we can get some fluids in you. Try not to jump too high, okay?”

  Another nod.

  “Okay, here we go. Little stick.”

  Sarah winced.

  Red somehow found her vein on the first try, although it was dried out and shriveled up to next to nothing.

  “Okay, Dave. Almost finished. Hand me the bag of saline that’s on top of the pile.”

  He grabbed the bag on top of a stack of four and handed it to her.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’m going to run this all out. We’ll have to replace it before we get to Blanco, and we’ll have to stop to do it. But at least she can’t throw this up.”

  From the inside of the side rail she unhooked a hinged steel bar. She raised it up, locked it into place, and hung the IV bag onto it.

  “Okay, I’m ready for patient number two, boys. Get Lindsey up here beside her mom. And for God’s sake, be gentle with that leg.”

  Two minutes later they were moving, headed back to Blanco.

  Chapter 32

  Red’s best friend Lilly had a lunch date with her, and was a bit put off when she showed up at the police station to find Red was nowhere in sight.

  Lilly was a great friend and a trusted ally, but not exactly the most patient girl in the world.

  She waited for all of five minutes before leaving a note on Red’s desk:

  To my so-called “BFF”:

  Where in hell are you?

  Signed, “Tired of being stood up!”