Solar Fury

by E A Chance

  The girls did as she asked while she scrubbed her hands with hand sanitizer and pulled on a pair of gloves. Coop groaned when she rubbed his side with the snow.

  “You’ll thank me,” she said. “This is going to a lot hurt worse than stitches, but it’s better than suffocating to death. The pain will be quick and done.”

  “Cardiologist, remember,” he said between gasps.

  “Don’t move,” she ordered. “Hannah, get that beam on the X. You can turn away if the blood bothers you, just keep the flashlight steady. Julia, get ready to hand me instruments, such as they are.”

  She pressed the scalpel to Coop’s skin and made a half-inch incision. He let out a cry, but she shut it out of her mind. She asked Julia to hand her the small plastic tube she’d cut to the correct length and slid it between his ribs. The air that had built up in the cavity around his lungs rushed out, and he took a deep breath as his lung inflated.

  “That got it,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “I owe you.”

  Riley taped the tube in place and sat back on her heels. “This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t jabbed you in the ribs.”

  “Broken rib would have moved on its own. Glad it happened in daylight.”

  He tried to lift up on his elbow, but Riley held him down. “Stay where you are.” She rechecked the tape and covered him with his coat before injecting him with an antibiotic. “When you can sit up enough to swallow, I’ll give you ten milligrams of Oxy. We only have ten tablets left, so you’ll only get five milligrams after that.”

  He turned his head toward her. “Just give me Tylenol and Advil. Save the pain meds. We might need them later, and I need to be alert.”

  “Not happening. With this and your other injuries, you’ll be in too much pain to be any use to us, and you’ll heal faster without the pain.”

  He closed his eyes and nodded. Riley got to her feet and asked Hannah to stay with Coop while she and Julia repacked the supplies.

  Julia handed her the rubbing alcohol, and said, “Mom, we aren’t going to make it to Charlottesville, are we?”

  Riley zipped the pack and motioned for Julia to follow her to the edge of the road. She leaned against a tree and folded her arms. If their situation was critical before, it was grave now. It would take a miracle for Coop to walk twenty yards. She’d have to carry the tent and his pack as well as her own. It was after four. They’d need to set up camp before dark. With Coop out of the picture, she was left alone to plan their next move. She swallowed her dread and switched into take-charge mode.

  “Where’s the map? Let’s figure out exactly where we are and find a safe place to spend the night. It needs to be as close as possible.”

  Julia found the map in Coop’s pack and handed it to her. She racked her brain, trying to remember the signs they’d passed since the accident, but she’d been too focused on not getting flattened by space bombs. They couldn’t have gone more than two miles past the twenty-eight miles to Charlottesville sign. She studied the map and did her best to estimate.

  She hadn’t noticed Julia wander off and was startled when she called to her from thirty yards down the road.

  She pointed at a sign that Riley couldn’t read. “Look, Mom, there’s a campground over here. It says they have cabins and propane.”

  Riley jogged to Julia and read the sign. The campground was only a quarter-mile ahead. It was a promising option, but others may have had the same idea. She’d hoped to avoid other people, but given their desperate situation, it might be their only option.

  Julia tugged on her sleeve. “Come on, it’s perfect, Mom.”

  “Go back to Hannah and Coop while I look into it.”

  She covered the distance to the campground entrance at a full run. The gate across the gravel road was locked and had a “Closed for the Season” sign tacked to it, but the fence ended about ten feet to the left. She walked over and squeezed between the fencepost and a tree. She passed the check-in stand and trotted to the campground store. The propane cage was empty, but the store looked undisturbed.

  She passed the store and reached the first cabin after another hundred yards. It was no more than a roof, four wood-plank walls and a window, but it would keep out the cold. There were two twin beds with worn mattresses resting on wire springs. There was another cabin, twenty feet past the first. It, too, was empty and had a queen bed. She didn’t bother to go farther. She’d passed a cargo cart tucked behind the campground store. She took it and ran back to Coop and the girls.

  She bent over to catch her breath, then said, “The campground’s perfect. It’s less than half a mile to the cabins. Girls, help me get Coop onto the cart, and we’ll arrange our belongings around him.”

  Coop went pale and took quick, shallow breaths as the three of them gingerly helped him get situated on the cart.

  Once their supplies were loaded, Riley gave the cart a gentle nudge to get it moving. “I’ll have to take this slowly to keep from jostling you too much, Coop, but we should make the campground by sunset.”

  “You get no argument from me,” Julia said. “Tell me if you need help pushing the cart, Mom.”

  Riley gave her a weak smile but kept moving, grateful they were on a gradual decline. She blocked out the little voice urging her to quit and repeated the phrase, just get to the campground in her mind.

  Coop covered her hand with his and softly sang, “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to camp we go.”

  Riley passed five empty cabins inside the campground and kept going.

  Julia finally pulled the cart to a stop and put her hands on her knees. When she could get the words out, she said, “I’m about to pass out. What’s wrong with that cabin or the last three you ignored?”

  Hannah sank onto a tree stump at the side of the gravel trail and crossed her arms. “I can’t go another step. Can’t we stay here?”

  Riley straightened and rubbed her hands on the small of her back. “I know you’re exhausted, but it’ll be safer if we get as far off the main road as we can. I want to avoid running into anyone else. You two rest here. I’ll push Coop the rest of the way.”

  Julia stood and wrapped her gloved fingers around the cart handle. “I’m not staying here alone, and you can’t push the cart by yourself over this gravel. If we can’t all stay, we all go.”

  Hannah got to her feet with a groan. “I guess I can make it a little farther.”

  Riley nodded and put her hands on the handle. She hadn’t wanted to leave them, but Coop was pale and shivering. She needed to get him to a cabin. It wasn’t easy for her to drive the girls so hard, but safety had to be their top priority.

  “Thanks, girls,” she said. “One last push, and we’ll have the whole night to rest.”

  Riley and Julia shoved the cart into motion. The right front wheel rolled over a small rock and Coop gasped, then pressed his hand to his ribs below the tube.

  “Easy,” he whispered without opening his eyes.

  Riley squeezed his shoulder, then motioned for Julia to stop. She reached into the closest backpack for a flashlight. “It’s getting too dark to see the bumps.” She flicked the light on and handed it to Hannah. “Shine that in front of the cart. Hang on, Coop. Almost there.”

  Coop peered up at her. “You said that an hour ago. Why don’t I believe you?”

  Riley took out the tattered camp map she’d found and rechecked their location.

  “Fifteen minutes. We can handle anything for fifteen more minutes.” She repocketed the map and helped Julia get the cart rolling.

  As they trudged along in silence, she made a mental assessment of their situation. She empathized with the girls. She was running on pure adrenaline, but her day would be far from over when they reached the campsite. Once they unpacked and settled in, she’d have to stay awake and monitor Coop throughout the night. She’d have no choice in the morning but to ask Julia to take over for a few hours so she could sleep, at least for a few hours.

  Their next priority would be to find wate
r and more food. She’d tested a few of the water spigots they’d passed, but the pipes were either frozen, or they worked on electric pumps. The map showed a stream that ran along the back of the campground. They’d have to use that and boil their water, but at least the wouldn’t die of thirst while Coop recovered.

  When they’d covered another three-hundred yards, they rounded a curve in the trail and the campsite came into view. Two cabins sat side by side and backed up to the woods. Riley wanted to drop to her knees and cry for joy, but she kept moving. There would be time to celebrate later.

  Julia helped her maneuver the cart to the base of steps for the first cabin. “Wait here while I check the area,” Riley told her.

  The campsite was cleaner and better maintained than the ones closer to the entrance, so the extra effort to get there had been worth it. Like the other cabins they’d passed, one of these had two twin beds and the other a queen. Riley gave the girls the queen and took the twins for Coop and herself.

  After inspecting the cabins, she surveyed around the outside. The water spigot in the common area between the cabins was frozen like the others. The sound of water flowing in the nearby stream floated through the trees. She was relieved it hadn’t iced over and hoped it was accessible, but she’d have to wait for daylight to find out.

  She rejoined the others and took a sleeping bag from the cart to spread on Coop’s bed. When she finished, she squatted next to him to check his heart rate, respiration and the air escaping through the tube. Satisfied that he was stable, she felt his forehead for fever, but he was cool.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re going to have to walk up three steps to get to your bed. The three of us aren’t strong enough to carry you. We might drop you.”

  Coop grimaced. “I’m not worried about the walking. It’s getting off this rolling bone crusher that has me concerned.”

  “Logroll onto your right side and use your arm to push yourself to a sitting position. It’s what I tell my back-surgery patients. You won’t have to use the muscles on your left side.”

  Coop frowned. “I’m familiar with the logroll maneuver. That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to hurt.”

  “No way around it. Let’s get it over with.”

  Riley walked to his right side and extended her crooked arm. He gripped it and held his breath as he rolled. As cold as it was, Riley could still make out the beads of sweat on his forehead. Once he was upright on the cart, she told him to catch his breath and let his balance equalize. He nodded after two minutes and raised his arms for Julia and Riley to lift him to his feet.

  Riley showed Julia how to lock her arms under his and lift without injuring him further. He wobbled once but righted himself and took three quick breaths.

  Riley shined a flashlight on his face. He was gray and clammy but seemed coherent. “Ready to scale the steps or do you need more time?”

  “Get that blasted light out of my eyes,” he barked. “Makes me miss your puny penlight.”

  She handed Hannah the flashlight like before and nodded for Julia to help her get Coop moving. He took little shuffling steps, but they had him tucked into the sleeping bag five minutes later. She propped him on a backpack since it would be easier to breathe if he wasn’t flat and coaxed him into taking four ibuprofen.

  She kissed his forehead and smiled. “I’ll quit pestering you and let you rest. You can take more Oxy in two hours but promise not to be a martyr. Tell me if the pain becomes unbearable, and I’ll do what I can to alleviate it. I need to get the girls settled, but I’ll only be a few feet away if you need me.”

  He caught her arm as she turned to go. “I can see in your face how stretched you are. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

  “No choice. I’ll be fine. We’ll have to stay here until you’re recovered. It’ll be a vacation after what we’ve been through.”

  “I hate that you have to do this alone.”

  Riley kissed his hand. “It’s my fault you ended up this way, but just having you here makes all the difference. Rest and follow your doctor’s orders. I need you well. You can’t imagine how much.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ll do my best to be a model patient.”

  Riley spent one of the longest nights of her life keeping watch over Coop and the girls. She fought to keep her eyes open but couldn’t help dozing off twice. Fortunately, the forest sounds soon startled her awake. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders and had no one to share the burden. Her only hope was that a few hours of sleep in the morning would be enough to keep her from collapsing.

  Coop moaned and tossed despite her best efforts to control his pain. He finally fell into a deep sleep around four-thirty. By the light of the aurora, Riley could just make out the even rise and fall of his chest. The air releasing from the tube had lessened, indicating that his lung had re-inflated. If so, she could remove it, and he could begin the healing process. Only time would mend the broken ribs.

  When the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, she left Coop sleeping peacefully and went in search of the stream. The map didn’t show a trail or road leading to the water, so she risked it and wound her way through the woods toward the sound. If they’d been in different circumstances, she would have enjoyed her hike, but this time it was a matter of life and death. The snow had become shallower the further south they’d traveled. What was left was thin and dirty and wouldn’t offer much in the way of drinkable water.

  She’d been walking for ten minutes when the sunlight grew brighter through the trees as she neared a clearing. She quickened her pace and broke through the woods to find not a stream but a river. The rocky edge where she stood was fifteen feet about the water, but the ground sloped away to a pebbly beach twenty yards upstream. She headed that way to find a quicker route to the campground and was rewarded with discovering a well-worn trail. The return trip took half the time.

  She threw their empty water bottles and canteens into a pack when she got back to camp and was on her way back to the river when Julia poked her head out of the cabin doorway and yawned. Her hair was a tangled mess and she had a smudge of dirt on her cheek, but her eyes were bright and clear. The bruising from her black eye had faded to almost nothing. She looked almost like the daughter Riley remembered.

  Riley hugged her and whispered, “What are you doing up so early? There’s nothing to rush off to for once. We’re stuck here until Coop’s better.”

  While Julia pulled her hair into a tie, she said, “The sun’s blaring in my eyes, and I went to sleep at like eight. I don’t think I’ve ever gone to bed that early in my life. Plus, I’m starving. Where’s the backpack with the food?”

  “In the corner in my tent. I found a river nearby. I’m going for water. Try not to wake Coop. He didn’t sleep well.”

  “How about you? You look like hell.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart. Just what I needed to hear. I was keeping vigil over Coop. I’m going to sleep when I get back and leave you in charge if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “No problem. Are there outhouses here? I’m about to burst.”

  Riley pointed at the two outhouses on the opposite side of the common area. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t wander off.”

  Riley took the trail at a slow jog and reached the river in five minutes. She was uneasy leaving Coop and the girls unprotected and wanted to get back as quickly as she could. A thin layer of ice had formed out five feet from the edge and slowed her down. She gathered a pile of rocks to break it so she could fill the bottles. She lost her footing once and almost tumbled in but was able to catch herself in time.

  With the exertion and weight of the bottles, she was forced to walk on the return journey but still made it in ten minutes. Hannah was awake, and she and Julia were munching on protein bars.

  “Morning,” Riley said and hugged her. “Did you sleep?”

  “Like the dead. If it weren’t so sunny, I’d probably still be asleep. Can I have some water?”
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  “We have to boil it first. Start collecting wood and we’ll get a fire going.” She set the pack down and turned to Julia. “Any sound from Coop?”

  “Sleeping like a baby.” Julia stood and put her hands on her hips. “I’m ordering you to take a nap as soon as we get the water boiling. I’m worried about you.”

  “I’m fine other than needing sleep, but I won’t argue. When I wake up after my nap, we’ll go on a scavenger hunt.”

  She went into the cabin and checked Coop’s vitals while the girls gathered wood. He stirred and opened his eyes for a moment before drifting off again. Riley was relieved to see him getting some good rest. Sleep would speed his recovery better than anything she was able to offer.

  She helped Julia get a fire going and showed the girls how to heat water in the metal canteen cups on hot rocks ringing the pit. She was nervous about leaving them to the task, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open another moment and had to trust them to manage. She went into their cabin and collapsed on Julia’s bunk.

  It felt like she’d only slept for two minutes before Julia was shaking her awake.

  Without opening her eyes, she said, “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “I’m sorry, but Coop needs you.”

  Riley sat up and glanced at her wrist, but she’d left her watch in the other cabin. “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Over four hours,” Julia said, as Riley got up and followed her out of the cabin. “You probably would have slept until tomorrow.”

  “Wish I could, but those four hours helped. I feel much better. Another good night and I’ll be good as new.”

  “I think we’d all need a week of sleep for that.”

  Riley went into her cabin and found Coop sitting up, sipping something from one of the canteen cups. He gave her a half-grin and said, “Hello, Sleeping Beauty.”

  She smiled. “This is promising.” He grimaced when she tapped her fingertips on the tissue around the tube before taking his pulse and respiration. She pressed her ear to his chest and listened for several seconds. “How’s your pain?”