“You go inside. I’ll finish up.” Adam moved the ladder along, his feet sinking in the soft mud.
“Let me help. We’ll get done faster.” Her words still hung in the air, when her phone rang inside. She ignored it.
“Go. Answer it.”
Eveliina nodded.
“And mind that rock.”
She hopped over the large stone, camouflaged by water and mud, and raced up the stairs, slipping across the wet deck.
Eveliina closed the door behind her and stood for a moment dripping on a mat at the doorway. She looked at her wet hands, unsure if she should answer her phone. Should she dry them first? When the ringing stopped, Eveliina took that as her cue. She grabbed the small towel that hung on a hook near the door and wiped the rain from her arms, face and legs, before making her way across to the dining room table where her phone lay. She glanced at the missed call on the screen.
Joel.
What did he want? He called yesterday. Now he was calling today. Was this to become a daily occurrence?
She was about to walk to the kitchen to wash the paint from her hands when the ringing started again. Eveliina snatched up the phone, thankful the paint had dried on her skin.
“What? More work?”
“Hello to you, too, my pupu.”
Eveliina hated Joel calling her his bunny as much as she hated him tucking her hair behind her ears. She hadn’t minded when Adam had done the same thing, though. In fact, she loved the way his hand had brushed across her cheek before tucking the strands behind her ear. She’d left it like that until her hair came loose when, covered in blueberry juice, she’d plunged into the lake.
She softened her tone. “What do you need this time, Joel? I’m in the middle of something.”
“Eveliina, what’s going on? You were in the middle of something yesterday, too, when I called.”
“Maybe you’re calling too much, Joel.”
“I’m going to ignore what you said, only because I know how much stress you’ve been under and that you’re probably still trying to unwind.”
She was trying to unwind all right—out of so many things that bound her, starting with Joel. Eveliina was trying to think of a good comeback, when she heard a dull thud. She turned in the direction of the sound and peered outside.
Adam lay unmoving in the mud. Silver tracks disappeared into the wet earth beside him. The ladder.
She threw her phone on the table and ran for the door, nearly falling as she descended the wet stairs outside. Her scream echoed in the still surrounds.
“Adam!”
Not caring about the mud and the rain, Eveliina knelt beside Adam. A pool of blood had already formed between his face and the rock. His arm lay at a strange angle.
She leaned over Adam. He was still breathing. “Oh God, don’t let him die.”
Tears and rain mingled, soaking her face. “You’re going to be OK,” she whispered before rushing back inside, not caring about the muddy footprints. She snatched up her cellphone. Joel was still connected.
Eveliina cut the call, and with trembling hands, dialed 112 as she hurried back to Adam.
“112. What’s the address of your emergency?” The Emergency Response Center operator’s voice was calm.
Eveliina couldn’t respond in the same manner.
“I’m at my summer cottage on an island on Lake Sahajärvi, Uusipelto, Espoo, Helsinki.” She wanted to make sure they knew exactly where she was located so they could find her and get Adam medical attention as fast as possible. “There’s no boat on the other side.” The statement was more a horrific realization, than information for the ERC.
“I have your location and number on my system. Who am I speaking with?”
“Eveliina Mikkola.”
“Eveliina, I’m Helka, and I’m going to help you. What is your emergency?”
“A—Adam, he’s fallen off the ladder.” Her voice faltered and she began to cry. “He’s in the mud…it’s raining.”
“Is he conscious?”
Eveliina’s voice trembled. “No.”
“Is he breathing?”
“Yes. Yes, he’s still breathing.”
“Can you see any visible injuries? Any bleeding?”
“He’s lying in a—” Her voice caught in her throat.
“Just take a deep breath, Eveliina, and tell me what you see.”
“He’s lying in a pool of blood. There’s a lot of blood…” Sobs racked her body. She quickly stilled them knowing time was of the essence. “His arm— it’s bent awkwardly.”
“Eveliina, without moving him, can you see where he’s bleeding from?”
Eveliina leaned in to Adam. From further away, the wound was hidden by his dark hair, the mud and the rain. Up close she couldn’t miss the movement of blood from the wound on the side of his head.
She took another long breath, exhaling slowly. It helped. “He has a gash on the side of his head, about two inches long. It’s bleeding heavily.”
“Do you have a clean cloth you can press on the wound?”
She looked at her shirt. It was filthy with mud and paint.
“I’ll get one.” Eveliina was already halfway up the stairs before the operator spoke again.
“Fetch a few in case the blood soaks through.”
“OK…”
“Don’t give him anything to eat or drink if he wakes up.”
“He’s on a fast.” Could that have been why Adam fell? Had he overexerted himself on too little sustenance? Or had he slipped with his wet, muddy feet? If only Joel hadn’t called, she would have been outside with Adam.
“Do you know how long he’s been fasting?”
“A week today. No food, only water.”
“OK. Eveliina, get a blanket and cover the patient. Don’t move him. I’ve already dispatched a helicopter. They’ll be there within seven minutes.”
Eveliina started to cry again. She tried to curb her tears, to remain calm, but inside and out she shook like jelly. She stuffed a handful of dishtowels down her blouse and grabbed a blanket out of the cupboard beside the daybed on her way out.
“I’m nearly back with Adam. Tell me what I need to do.”
“Cover him with the blanket. Then press one of the clean cloths against the wound. Be careful not to move his head. If the blood soaks through the cloth, do not remove it. Place another cloth over the first one.”
“OK…” She wiped the tears and rain from her eyes so she could see what she was doing. “It’s OK,” she whispered to Adam. “You’re going to be OK. Help is on the way.”
“Is he still unconscious?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to stay on the line with you, Eveliina, until the helicopter arrives.”
How would she have coped without the soothing voice of this woman?
“There’s nowhere for them to land. And there’s no boat on the mainland.”
“They will hoist paramedics down to assess and prepare the patient for medevac. It shouldn’t be much longer.”
In the distance, Eveliina heard the helicopter. Moments later she saw the red machine coming closer. As it hovered above her, she saw a white cross painted between two words on the side of the helicopter—Medi-Heli. How it reminded her of Adam’s T-shirt and her desperate need for a lifesaver right now.
“They’re here.” Eveliina spoke more to Adam than to Helka.
“I’m going to put the phone down now, Eveliina. The paramedics will take over.”
“Thank you.” Her whispered words were inadequate to describe her gratitude to Helka, whose calmness had carried Eveliina through a nightmare she feared had only begun.
Eveliina pushed a clean cloth on top of the one stained red. She leaned forward—her wet lips kissed Adam’s face. “Wake up, Adam.”
He remained motionless. Even though he couldn’t see, she still attempted a smile. It crumbled beneath the weight of her fear. All she could do with the tears was allow them to fall on Adam. They couldn’t make
him any wetter.
“I was right. Not even a helicopter can wake you.”
She raised her gaze as a paramedic descended through the air. A basket stretcher lowered beside him. She looked past the red-suited man, white helmet covering his head, toward heaven.
“Don’t let him die here in the mud. I’ll do anything You ask, just save him.”
****
“What happened here?” Shock etched the paramedic’s face. “Are you all right? Who did this to you?”
Only then did Eveliina realize that both she and Adam looked like they’d fought with a lawnmower and lost.
She shook her head. “It’s just paint. Please, you have to help Adam. He fell from the ladder and hit his head on that rock. He’s been like that since it happened.” Her body shook—from cold, from shock.
“Don’t worry, Miss. We’ll take good care of him. Why don’t you change into something dry and wait inside.”
“No. I need to be here with him.”
While the first paramedic assessed Adam—airway, pulse, blood pressure—and tended his wounds, a second was lowered from the helicopter.
Adam remained unconscious.
The paramedics worked on him, all the while relaying information through their helmet mics, tossing terminology back and forth that she didn’t understand. Some she did. ‘Suspected broken left arm’, ‘grade three concussion’, ‘two inch laceration, left side of head’, ‘traumatic brain injury’, ‘non-responsive’, ‘unequal pupil size’, ‘CT scan’, ‘neurosurgeon’.
It made her afraid.
After bracing his neck and sliding a backboard beneath Adam, the paramedics lifted him into the basket stretcher and strapped him in.
With final instructions relayed, the basket was slowly raised into the air.
“Where are you taking him?” Eveliina shouted above the noise of the blades as she watched Adam’s prostrate form get smaller.
“Meilahti Tower Hospital, Helsinki.”
Close to home.
“Please, take me with you.” She was desperate not to let Adam out of her sight.
“I’m sorry, Miss, but you’ll have to follow in your car.”
****
As soon as the helicopter swallowed the stretcher, Eveliina dashed inside, leaving the paramedics waiting to return to the helicopter.
She shoved a dry set of clothes and shoes into a small bag, and her car keys and cellphone into her shorts’ pocket. As she hurried past the daybed, her foot collided with something, sending it skidding across the floor.
Adam’s Bible.
Eveliina picked it up and trailed her hand over its leather cover. For a brief moment, she held it close to her heart before shoving it inside her bag. She zipped the bag closed and slung it over her shoulder.
On her way out, she spotted Adam’s backpack. She slid her hands beneath its straps and dragged it down the steps behind her. Adam would need clothes. He’d need his passport and proof of medical insurance, too. Eveliina hoped they were inside his bag. She didn’t have time to check.
One of the paramedics, seeing her lumber down the stairs, rushed forward and grabbed the backpack from her.
“You can put that inside the canoe.” The lighter boat would move faster through the water. Eveliina hurried behind the paramedic, through the mud and onto the jetty. She hopped inside the canoe and grabbed the oars. “Thank you…for everything. Please, take care of him.”
“We will.” The paramedic pushed the canoe onto open water.
Eveliina rowed like she was in a regatta. Except she was alone on the lake, and she felt it.
Once on the mainland, she tied the canoe to the jetty, grabbed Adam’s backpack and her bag, and ran for her car. Forget the regatta, this was a triathlon. She’d canoed, she’d run. What was next?
After dumping the bags inside the car trunk, she slid into the driver’s seat, shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine cranked a few times, and then died.
“No, this can’t be happening.” She slumped over the steering wheel, her energy and emotions spent. “Jesus, I’m begging You to help me. If You love me—”
She turned the key once more, not expecting anything to happen. The engine fired, purred like a kitten for a few brief moments, then roared as Eveliina swung the car around and tore up the road.
12
Eveliina looked a mess. Part of her wanted to find a shower fast, get all the paint off her skin and out of her hair. But part of her didn’t want to ever bathe again. If anything happened to Adam…she wanted to remember the last afternoon spent with him—the fun they’d had. Eveliina looked at her arm and traced the red handprint smeared across her skin as she negotiated the rush hour traffic. She wanted to leave his mark on her forever.
During the thirty minute drive to the city center, Eveliina kept the car’s heater on. By the time she reached the hospital, her clothing was somewhat drier.
She parked close to the Meilahti Tower Hospital ER entrance and dashed inside. Leaning over the reception counter, she addressed the clerk seated on the other side. “I’m looking for Adam. Adam Carter.”
His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. A mixture of emotions filled his wiry face.
Eveliina resisted the urge to explain her disheveled appearance and continued. “He was brought in not long ago by medevac with a serious head wound.”
Jaska Tähtinen, his name tag read, typed on the keyboard with his bony fingers as he checked the screen. “He arrived about a half-hour ago. He’s been taken to Radiology for a CT scan.”
“Will they bring him back here?”
Jaska shook his head. Wispy blond hair fell across his eyes. He pushed the fringe back. “You’d need to check with Admissions, but probably Intensive Care.”
“Intensive Care?”
He nodded. The fringe fell over his eyes again. “In most cases, standard procedure for someone with his injuries.”
Fresh tears stung. Eveliina remembered the ERC operator’s soothing advice to take a deep breath. She did so.
“You can take a shortcut to Admissions through that door.” Jaska pointed to a large automated door on his right.
Without another word, she headed for the door. She touched the red button on the wall and an opening whooshed into view. Eveliina stepped through before the portal closed.
Barefoot, she hurried across the tiled floor. Silence and stares followed her path. She didn’t care—she had to be by Adam, no matter what the cost.
Admissions was larger and busier than the ER. It was only a few minutes before Eveliina stepped up to a cubicle, but to her it felt like an eternity. Another stranger, another name tag, stared at her. This time, Mary Smith.
“Can I help you?” Mary Smith’s American accent seemed out of place. As out of place as a South African missionary.
“Adam Carter. Can you tell me where I can find him?”
Like her Emergency Room counterpart, Mary Smith tickled the keyboard for a few seconds. “He’s still in Radiology.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll know how long he’ll be there?”
Mary shook her head. “Sorry, no.”
“Where will they take him…once they’re done with the scan?”
“Intensive Care, for sure.”
“Which way is that?”
“Take the elevator or stairs up to the second floor and follow the signs—you can’t go wrong.”
Eveliina turned around, ready to find her way to Adam.
Mary’s voice followed. “Only family is allowed into Intensive Care. Are you family?”
Eveliina turned back. “Yes. I’m his future wife.” Her words felt fated. Could they be prophetic?
“What’s your name, honey?” As if her accent wasn’t enough proof, Mary Smith sounded pure American using that term of endearment. Eveliina had heard it in so many Hollywood movies.
She stiffened. Was Mary Smith trying to sweeten her before being the bearer of bad news?
“Eveliina.”
> “I’m sorry, Eveliina, but you won’t be allowed into Intensive Care looking like you just lost a paintball game. It’s a sterile environment.” Her eyes filled with empathy. “Looks like whatever happened to your fiancé caught you unawares.”
“You could say that.”
“Do you live nearby?”
“Just a few miles away.”
Mary’s mouth tilted upward on both sides, like a crescent. “Why don’t you go home? Shower, have some dinner, get some rest? You look like you’ve been through a lot.”
“But Adam…”
“Let me have your cell number. I’ll make sure you’re called the moment anything in his condition changes.” She placed a pen and paper on the counter.
Eveliina eyed her, uncertain. Could she trust this foreigner? But what choice did she have? She snapped up the pen and scribbled down her name and number.
****
The shower water mingled with her tears, filling Eveliina with an eerie sense of déjà vu. Instantly, she was back beside Adam in the mud, rain and tears flowing down her face. She scrubbed her skin. Nothing would keep her from seeing Adam once she returned to the hospital. She hadn’t wanted to wash away their last moments together, but she needed to be at his side. Besides, with her mind clearer now, Eveliina realized it was a silly notion to want to walk around painted for the rest of her life. Fact was, if she wanted to be with Adam, she’d have to clean up—not only on the outside, but the inside, too.
The moment she stepped out of the shower, she checked her phone to see if the hospital had called. Disappointment wrapped around her like a burial cloth. Only more missed calls from Joel. She’d ignored the ringing of her phone in the car from the lake to the hospital—hadn’t returned the calls. She’d do the same now. He was the last person she wanted to speak to.
But she needed to call Mikko and let him know what was happening.
Once she’d seen Adam and spoken to his doctor.
****
“Back so soon?”
Eveliina managed to smile for Mary Smith. “I told you I live close by.”
Helsinki Sunrise Page 8