by C. L. Brees
“We’ll do our very best. He needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible though.”
“So, what in the hell are you waiting for? Get him out of here. Now!” Reed ordered as he pointed towards the ambulance.
Talking amongst themselves, the younger medic asked, “Is he stable enough for transport?”
“The weather conditions are too treacherous to work on him out here. Let’s get him into the back of the ambulance so we can examine him there,” the paramedic hollered to his partner over the howling sounds of the wind.
The two medics quickly loaded Mike onto a stretcher and carried him towards the ambulance. Reed followed them, standing guard at the back of the ambulance. He watched in disbelief as they loaded his motionless body into the back. He turned his head away for a moment to collect his emotions. He saw another team of medics working on Agent Tanner. He carefully observed as they kneeled down and spoke to one another. He couldn’t make out what either of them were staying, but whatever it was, it didn’t look like good news.
Reed returned his attention to Mike. He hollered into the back of the ambulance at the paramedic, “Seriously, can you guys get a move on? He’s the best officer I have. You’re wasting time sitting here.”
Annoyed at this point, the medic yelled into the cab of the ambulance, “Smith, get us the hell down the mountain to the hospital.”
“Where are you taking him?”
“He’ll be going to Middle Park Medical Center in Granby, about fifteen miles south of here. It’s the closest hospital that can stabilize him in the area. From the looks of it, we may need to be medevacked to either Denver or Colorado Springs.”
“I’ll be there shortly. Now get out of here.”
Reed slammed the door closed, pounding the palm of his hand upon the window. Slowly rolling forward down the driveway, the ambulance descended along the snowy road. As the ambulance faded into the night, he returned his attention to Agent Tanner, who was still sprawled out across the driveway. His jaunt quickly turned into a jog as he made his way towards the medics that were working on him. Seeing him approaching, the medics stood to their feet in a nonchalant fashion.
Reed inquired as the men stared at him, “What’s his condition?”
“I don’t know how to tell you this, but he’s dead. One gunshot wound to the center of his chest. I’m not a doctor, but I’d say it killed him instantly,” the medic said as the sheriff walked up behind.
The sheriff rested his hand upon Reed’s shoulder. “You’ve been through enough already. Let’s get you somewhere warm.”
As he patted Reed on the back, the two walked away from the medics and towards the sheriff’s cruiser. As he walked on, Reed hung his head down, recalling the events of the evening. He zoned out, engrossed in his thoughts about his officer being rushed to the hospital. He tried to process everything in his mind: Even with all of my police training, how could I not see any of this coming?
The two men finally reached the back of the cruiser. Sheriff Miller stood in front of him and placed both of his hands upon his shoulders. “Eric, we’ve got everything under control from here. I think it’s best if you get back into your car, drive down the mountain, and attend to your officer in need. Keep driving until you hit U.S.34. Once you get there, take a left and drive south about twenty minutes into the town of Granby. From there, follow the signs for the hospital.”
Choking back tears, Sergeant Reed nodded, “Thank you! If you need anything, you know how to reach me.”
“I know how to find you. Don’t worry about that now; just get out of here and take care of your officer.”
Heeding the sheriff’s advice, he ran towards Tanner’s SUV. The keys were still in the ignition. He figured he’d have to explain commandeering the vehicle at a later point in time, but right now he had to get to Granby. He started the vehicle and picked up his phone. He had to let everyone back in Ridgewood Hills know what was going on. The first person he phoned was Detective Scott.
Scott answered without even saying hello: “Sarge, what’s going on up there? Did you find them?”
“Everything is under control for the most part now. The hostages have been rescued, however, Temple has been shot and is being rushed to the hospital as we speak.”
“Shit—how bad is it?”
“Bad.”
“What about the others? Are they alright?”
“Agent Tanner is dead; Alex Jones was rushed to the hospital along with Amy Williams. All of the suspects are either in custody or deceased.”
“Sounds like quite an eventful night. I’ll pass the word along to everyone here. Where are they taking Temple to?”
“Middle Park Medical Center in Granby. There’s no need to rush out here, as I doubt he’ll be there too long.”
“Alright. Keep me updated on what’s going on.”
“You know I will.”
He hung up the phone and flew down the snowy, curvy road one last time. He sat there and said aloud to himself, “How did this simple investigation end up so twisted?”
Reed sat in the emergency department waiting room as his watch beeped. It was four o’clock in the morning. It had been almost five hours since he arrived at the hospital. He was growing more impatient as the hours elapsed. His leg bounced up and down as the suspense of not knowing anything drove him insane.
The automatic doors from the emergency department bolted open as a grey haired, middle-aged doctor emerged to greet him. “Eric Reed?” the doctor inquired.
“That’s me. Do you have any updates on the three patients?”
“Which news do you want first? The good or the bad?”
“Well, my day has already been turned upside down so I’ll start with the bad news.”
“Officer Temple’s condition hasn’t changed much. He’s conscious now, and he’s stable, but he’s still in very critical condition. We just don’t have the resources here to repair any of the damage. We made the decision just moments ago to have him medevacked to Denver. The chopper should be arriving in about half an hour. We had to wait for the weather to clear up so they can land here.” “Well, that’s definitely not what I wanted to hear. What about the other two? How are they doing?”
“Amy Williams had very mild hypothermia and has improved tremendously. We’ll be discharging her in a few hours, more than likely. We’ve contacted her parents, and they should be arriving at any moment,” Doctor Green explained as he cleared his throat flipping to the third chart in his hand. “And last but not least, Alex Jones received several serious injuries. He also suffered from moderate hypothermia and frostbite to his hands and feet. His condition has been improving gradually, but he’s still in serious condition.”
“When can I see them?”
“Now, if you’d like. I can take you to them.”
They walked into the first emergency bay to find Amy laying in the bed with her head turned to the side, examining the monitor. Hearing them enter the room, she quickly turned her head towards them.
Without hesitation she looked straight at Reed. “Thank you for finding us and making sure we didn’t die.”
“Of course, Miss Williams. How are you feeling?”
“A little exhausted and worried, but physically, I feel good. Now, ask me how I feel mentally, and I’ll give you a totally different story,” she sighed. “Have you seen Alex or Mike yet? How are they doing?”
The doctor interjected into the conversation: “Miss Williams, why don’t you rest for now. I assure you that they are both being very well taken care of here, and you’ll see them soon enough.”
They exited the room and walked back out into the hallway. He felt terrible that he couldn’t tell her the truth about her friends. He thought: What good would it do to upset her with any bad news?
They continued down the hall towards the second room where they arrived at Alex’s room. He lay in the bed with his eyes closed, covered in blankets. He caught a glimpse of the heartrate monitor, which periodically would make a
beeping sound. Reed sighed with relief that he was still alive. He knew that if anything happened to Alex, it would just devastate Mike.
Doctor Green muttered quietly, “We are trying to bring his core body temperature back up, but this is something that we cannot rush. It is going to take some time.”
Having seen many incidents during his years on the police force, he knew that hypothermia was a serious condition. Adding frostbite to the mix only complicates the condition. He turned away from the doorway, as he didn’t want to wake Alex from resting. Knowing everything that he had been through the past few days, rest was the best thing for him right now.
They continued on as they finally arrived at Mike’s room. A cheerful nurse flashed a bright smile towards them as they were walking up. She walked past in the direction of Alex’s room. Stepping inside he was faced with tubes and IV lines scattered across the bed. Mike lay there with his eyes closed, an oxygen mask covering most of his face. As he stepped closer to the side of the bed, Mike opened his eyes slightly. He glanced back at the doctor, who motioned with a nod of the head towards a chair in the corner. “I’ll be just outside if you need anything.”
His hands trembled as he slid the chair closer to the side of the bed. He sat down as Mike smiled at him. Never before in his career had he seen any of his officers in shape this bad. He was never good at reassuring people. He hated giving false hope by telling people that everything was going to be alright. He sat there in silence for a few minutes, just looking at Mike; he didn’t even know what to say.
Mike reached up towards his face and grabbed hold of the oxygen mask, pulling it to the side as he began speaking in a low voice.
“Where’s Alex? Have you seen him? Is he alright?”
“I’ve seen him. He and Amy are here, and they are both safe. Better question is, how are you feeling?”
“You’re looking at it. I heard they are moving me to a trauma center in Denver shortly. I need to see Alex before I go. This might be the last time I see him.”
“I’ll check with the doctor, but neither of you are in any shape to be moving around at the moment. Hang tight, though.”
Reed managed to stand to his feet as he lightly patted him on the shoulder. Walking out into the hallway, he looked both ways down the long, dimly lit corridor, trying to spot Doctor Green. After a few seconds, he spotted him stepping out of Alex’s room. He rushed down the hallway, walking up behind the doctor.
“Doctor, he wants to see Alex. Is there any way possible we can wheel him down here?”
“I don’t feel comfortable doing that—you understand that they are both in desperate need of recuperation.”
“I understand that, I truly do. However, Officer Temple isn’t feeling confident that he’s going to pull through this, and he wants to see the love of his life one last time before he leaves for Denver. Surely you can understand that, right?”
Hesitating and looking down at his feet Doctor Green said, “No promises, but I’ll see what we can do.”
Doctor Green walked towards the nurse’s station at the end of corridor. He had a brief conversation with the nurse who was attending to Alex, who nodded her head continuously and smiled as they spoke.
Reed wondered to himself: Could this be good news for Mike? Is he actually going to see Alex before he leaves?
The doctor and nurse both concluded their conversation and walked steadily back towards him as he stood in the shadows of the hallway. His adrenaline pumped through his veins as he awaited the response from the doctor.
“Nurse Adams says that she feels Alex is stable enough to allow him to come down here for five minutes—nothing more than that. You understand what I’m telling you, right?”
“I understand. Five minutes is all he will need. I’ll make sure to thank Ms. Adams when she arrives.”
“I’m sure she knows how much you appreciate this. Besides, the helicopter should be arriving around that point anyhow.”
“Thank you so much, doctor. I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you’ve done.”
The wait was agonizing, as Reed paced around the room every so often glancing out in the hallway. After a few peeks down the hall, he could see Alex being pushed down in a wheelchair. He walked back to the bedside and tapped Mike on the shoulder. “He’s almost here. I’ll be out in the hallway if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
As the nurse pushed Alex into the room, he stepped outside.
The painkillers were wearing off, and it was making Mike’s ability to turn his head hellish. He removed the oxygen mask from his face once again, and whimpered as he slowly turned his head to speak. “Alex, are you there?”
“I’m here. Holy shit. I didn’t know you were shot. What happened?”
“Never mind that right now; it’s a long story, and they’re moving me to Denver very soon. I have something I need to tell you—it’s just so hard.”
“Hold up. They’re moving you? I’m going with you. I can’t stay here without you.”
“You’ll be fine. I overheard them saying that you will probably be released tomorrow. Now listen to me—there’s something important I have to tell you before they take me away.”
The suspense was killing him inside. He leaned in as close to Mike as he could. “Well, don’t keep me sitting here in suspense. What is it?”
“I don’t know how to put this; I never would have guessed in a million years I’d ever be giving you this news—it’s about your mother,” he said as he swallowed the hardest he had ever in his life. “Something happened to her, and it’s not good news.”
Two months later
The sun streamed brightly through the half open blinds in the study as Alex tore off a large piece of packing tape from the roll. He slapped it hard upon the gaping seam of the final moving box. He stood to his feet, setting the half empty roll of tape on top of the box. Brushing his hands together, he wiped off the dust. He placed his hands upon his hips and looked around the room. Letting out a deep sigh he said aloud to himself, “Finished—I’m glad this part is over.”
In the distance, the sound of a familiar voice echoed down the hall. He turned his body around and walked out of the study towards the living room.
“Anyone home?”
Picking up the pace he shouted, “I’m almost there.”
He rounded the corner into the foyer, and there stood Mike with his one arm in a sling while he held a large plastic sack in his left hand.
“I know you’ve been busy all day packing, so I brought you dinner. I know it’s your favorite.”
Nodding his head in appreciation he replied, “You know you didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. And besides, after all of your encouragement during my time in the hospital, it really is the least I can do to pay you back,” he smiled, as Alex raced towards him, wrapping his arm around his neck. “Easy now turbo…not healed, not healed.”
“Oh, right—I keep forgetting about your shoulder.”
“It’s alright; I’ll let it slide this time.”
He stood there, not wanting to let go of him. The events of the past few months had shaken Alex to his core. Losing his mother and almost losing the love of his life had given him a new outlook on life. He chuckled to himself as he gradually loosened his grip on Mike. The smell of Chinese food filled the air as he looked down at the bag.
“So, what did you get us?”
“Well, for myself I got the general Tso chicken but for you, and only because I love you, I picked you up Lo Mein with tofu.”
“Well, I’ve always said you care more about others than you do for yourself,” Alex pointed out as Mike smiled at him.
“When it comes to you, yes. I care more for you than myself,” he blurted as he looked around the empty house. “Is the dining room table still here?”
“Yeah, of course. The movers don’t arrive until tomorrow, and besides I have to have somewhere to eat in the meantime.”
The two meandered t
hrough the foyer towards the dining room table. The battle scars from the night of his kidnapping had since been repaired, and the room looked like nothing sinister had ever happened there. Alex took the bag from Mike as he pulled a chair out for him to sit in.
“Sit down while I get everything out.”
“You’re the boss,” Mike joked as he could hear a vibration coming from Alex’s pocket.
“Sorry, let me get this really fast,” he said as he walked back towards the foyer. “This is Alex.”
A familiar voice greeted him, “Hey, it’s me. I’m going to be stopping by with John in a few minutes. We both have some amazing news to share with you.”
“Did it finally come?”
“I am not spoiling the surprise; you’ll just have to wait until I get there.”
“Fine; you know I hate to wait.”
“Yes, we all know this about you Alex. I’ll see you in a few.”
Alex flipped his phone closed, turning back towards the dining room. Mike sat in the chair, grinning from ear to ear. The past two months had reaffirmed their commitment to one another and had brought more strength to their relationship.
Alex wasn’t exactly sure was going to happen now with him and Mike. After graduation things were bittersweet for him, emotionally. While he was thrilled to finally be done with high school, he was also saddened by the passing of his mother. Her funeral was held only a week prior to graduation, and not having her there with him saddened him immensely.
Before the whole ordeal, his future was all set: The University of Colorado; he would stay in Ridgewood Hills and live happily ever after with Mike. Sadly, those dreams were shattered in the blink of an eye. His two best friends were both applying to schools out of state. He was hoping that they were coming over to give him good news from their prospective schools they had applied at.