Fear filled Matthew again. He hated every minute of this. How it made him feel both helpless and restless to do something. Yet it seemed that the most helpful thing he could do was to stay out of the way. As Nikki pushed her shoulder-length auburn hair over her shoulder to breathe life into David, Matthew remembered being at the emergency room the first time this had happened. He remembered leaping out of the ambulance and the EMTs demanding an intubation from a young man who looked just as scared as Matthew had been, whom Matthew assumed to be a medical intern. The intern’s hands quivered around the complicated medical equipment until the senior EMT had shooed him away and taken matters into their own hands. Matthew couldn’t blame the intern, even as he was filled with rage that his father was considered the perfect teaching moment while he fought for his life. Watching that thick paddle be shoved down David’s throat had filled Matthew with a shock both terrifying and full of respect.
Matthew looked at Nikki’s small hands. They seemed like a laborer’s hands, unsuited for the delicate work of medical practice, but the woman navigated David like a professional, making Matthew certain she worked in the field. Her hands didn’t shake a bit.
“C’mon,” Nikki said in a rush to David. “C’mon.”
Matthew bit down on a hundred follow-up questions as a breeze floated by him with the scent of crisp mountain freshness. For a moment, the whole scene seemed unreal. Part of a bad dream. How had they gotten here? This was the exact situation that Matthew and the rest of his family had sought to avoid. It was why they’d decided to buy the hotel in the first place. Once Matthew had realized he’d been more concerned with his incoming emails and signing contracts than he was with building memories with his father, he knew his life needed to change. Buying the hotel was supposed to be that change and give them all purpose and peace. It was supposed to make them slow down. They were supposed to make new memories together while David healed and recovered. But now, it all seemed to have become convoluted.
This situation couldn’t be happening. Yet here they were, fighting for David’s life for the second time.
Time seemed to stretch and contract. It seemed as though Nikki had been working CPR on David for eons, while at the same time the sun was in the same position above his head and had barely moved. Max put his hand on Patton’s other shoulder, and the three of them stood closely together. Waiting for Nikki to call it. Waiting for Nikki to look up and do that slow head shake.
Except when Nikki did look up, a relieved, triumphant smile crossed her lips. Matthew’s heart nearly stopped beating too when he saw David’s chest rise and fall on its own. Short, shallow intakes, but short, shallow, independent intakes. Tears prickled against Matthew’s eyes.
“He’s not out of the woods yet,” Nikki said to Matthew. “Not by a long shot.”
She had one of those no-nonsense voices that brooked no argument. The kind of person who had unwillingly tempered their data-and-facts analytical nature with a grudging bedside manner, giving them that tough-love compassion. If they had been in a hospital setting, Matthew might have taken offense at her sharp and to-the-point tone. But now, all he could be was relieved that she had enough knowledge to help them.
“Can we move him?” Max asked, and Matthew was grateful that his brother-in-law could remember to ask the questions he hadn’t been able to.
Nikki glanced at the stretcher. “I think he’s stable enough. The gun club is close, so the trek won’t be that far. I think he can make it.”
“We need to take him to the hotel,” Matthew said sharply. He didn’t want his father in an unknown environment. He especially didn’t want to have his father wake up, disoriented, and panic at being someplace unfamiliar. “My family is there. It’s not that much farther than the gun club.”
“It’s far enough,” Wyatt put in. “They’re at the River Rock Hotel, Nik,” he finished.
Nikki nodded in understanding. “It would be better to go to the gun club,” she said. “Everything I have to help him is there. I need to make a full examination. Or as much of one as I can without hospital equipment.”
“But his wife and family are at the hotel,” Matthew argued, feeling a surge of protectiveness wash through him. For some reason, he felt if he let David go to the gun club, he would never come out. He wanted his father at Matthew’s place, in a place he knew. At their home.
Nikki hesitated and bit her lip. “They can come to the gun club, can’t they?”
“Isn’t it part of recovery? To be in a place you’re comfortable and know? If he wakes up alone in a strange place, would that cause him to have another heart attack?” Matthew asked, feeling desperate.
Nikki looked agonized. “Yes, it would be helpful for him to be in a place he knows, but at this point, in his current state, I’m not sure he’ll make it.” She paused. “You’re his son?”
“I am,” Matthew said.
“Next of kin gets to decide,” Nikki said with a wan smile. “You make the call, hoss. Where are we going?”
“The hotel,” Matthew said, even as he began to second-guess his own decision. Shouldn’t he defer to Nikki’s good judgment? But that persistent dread that told him David had to go to the hotel to be safe overrode any other internal objections. “I want to take my father to the hotel.”
“Then that’s where we go,” Nikki said, and as simple as that, she gestured to Wyatt. “Can you load him onto the stretcher? We need to make it as smooth as possible, but it will take all of us to do it. We don’t want to jostle him too much.”
“Got it,” Wyatt said and then gestured to Jade. “Hang back on this one, okay? I know you’re tough, but we don’t want you to pull on that gunshot wound more than you have to.”
“So that’s what happened,” Nikki said even as Jade appeared to clamp her mouth down on a protest. “I wondered why there was so much blood on you.”
“It’s stopped bleeding,” Jade said. “Kinda.”
“Let’s not make it worse,” Matthew said as he moved around to his father’s head. He bent down and slipped his hands under his father’s shoulders. David’s lips were open and pale, shallow breaths wisping through his mouth. His eyes were shut. His skin was still too pale. It was as though the heart attack had once again stolen all of his strength. Wyatt stood at David’s feet, while Nikki stood on one side of him and Max on the other. Patton hovered and tried to find a space to help.
“Support his back as best you can,” Nikki instructed Max. “As soon as they pick up his legs and shoulders, he will sag, and we want to keep him as flat as possible. We only have to lift him up and set him down. Nothing more.”
Matthew took in a deep breath and crouched down. He cupped his hands around his father’s shoulder blades.
“One,” Nikki said. “Two. Three.”
Matthew tensed, and for a moment, he feared they wouldn’t be able to hoist him up. Then, all as one, they lifted him smoothly up. David was heavy, and if one of them slipped it would all be over. Matthew’s arms strained with exertion. Patton stepped forward and grabbed one of David’s shoulders to keep it from rotating over and out of Matthew’s grip. As one, they took a step to the side and lowered David slowly onto the handmade stretcher with a whoosh.
Matthew assumed his father would make a grunt, but David uttered no sound. His head just slipped to the side and his breath wheezed out. “Is he okay?” Matthew asked, looking to Nikki.
“So far, so good,” she said, moving up to check his pulse and breathing. “Let’s try to be as easy on him as possible getting him up the mountain. We’ll have to do the same thing to get him into a bed, too. Can you and Wyatt take him up the mountain or do you need help?”
Matthew looked at Wyatt for confirmation. Wyatt nodded and took the rudimentary wooden handles near David’s head. “We can handle it,” Matthew said.
“We’ll follow up behind you,” Nikki said. “Get there as fast as you can, but don’t rush so that you jostle him. Cautious speed is what I’m going for. Got it?”
&nb
sp; “Yes, ma’am,” Matthew said, eager to get going up to the hotel. He put his hands around the logs that acted as handles for the stretcher. Sap stuck to his hands. “Are you ready?” he asked Wyatt.
“Born ready,” Wyatt said with a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him home in no time.”
Matthew tried to return the smile. “Thank you.”
“On three?” Wyatt asked. “One. Two. Three.”
It was easier to lift the stretcher, even if the weight was more intense. He and Wyatt struggled for a moment to find the right kind of rhythm, but once they did, they were able to move ahead quickly. Patton jogged beside Matthew. Behind him, he heard Nikki say, “I really should check out your shoulder.”
“Are you actually a doctor?” Jade said, her voice somewhat caustic.
“A young one, but yes I am. Do I not look like one?”
Matthew snorted. Leave it to Jade to offend the only medical professional of the group.
“I didn’t mean...” Jade trailed off. “Look, it’s just a graze. I’ll get it cleaned up when we get back to the hotel. After you’ve seen to David, I’ll let you check me out. But please, focus your attention on him. He’s the one in danger. Not me.”
Nikki sighed. “As you wish,” she said. “But can I just see if it’s infected?”
Matthew stifled a smile as he and Wyatt hustled up the mountain out of earshot of the others. After everything that had happened between him and Jade, she still was putting David first. He might have made some assumptions about her, and he had never really given her the second chance she deserved, but after today he’d give her a million chances. Deep down, Jade was a good person, and for the first time Matthew was truly glad she was on his team.
3
Matthew’s arms ached as he and Wyatt hiked up the last incline that indicated the hotel was close, just around the bend. When the mountain road flattened and the River Rock Hotel came into view, Matthew sagged in relief. The stretcher holding David wobbled and Matthew straightened up, making sure he didn’t jostle his father. Even if they were finally home, David was still in danger.
Wyatt never faltered, even though sweat shone damp on the back of his neck. Together, they hustled to the hotel. Patton jogged up beside Matthew and nudged Matthew’s hands on one of the hewed handles to make space, taking some of the weight. Patton’s cheeks were flushed red with exertion and a swell of pride fill Matthew’s chest. Behind him, he heard the far-off and terse conversation between Nikki, Jade, and Max as the story of their injuries was relayed to the doctor. Jade’s sharp words mingled with Nikki’s no-nonsense attitude and Matthew suspected they would have a test of wills sooner rather than later. Honestly, he hoped Jade won, even though he knew she would have to yield to get the treatment she needed for her shoulder.
David’s face began to take on a bit of color from the sun, even though he seemed unnaturally pale and hadn’t stopped sweating. He barely made a sound, despite the many bumps he’d been through on their walk back up to the mountain. The absence of his father’s complaints or offers of advice made Matthew miss him acutely. He hoped that Nikki would be able to help him. He felt relieved that they had a medical professional in their midst. It calmed the panic that was continuously building inside of him. Not much, but some.
As soon as they got to the front steps of the hotel, the front door slammed open. Kathleen rushed out. Her face was pinched and frantic, but once she laid eyes on Patton, she let out a soft sob of relief.
“Patton, thank God,” she said.
“Hi, Mom,” Patton said, giving her a smile.
Kathleen’s eyes roved over Matthew and then settled on David. Her relief melted away. “What happened?” she demanded.
“Dad’s been hurt,” Matthew grunted as he and Wyatt ascended the steps. “We need a first-floor room right away.”
“I’ll get it,” she said. “Ruth and Allison are in the kitchen. Matthew…”
“She has to see sometime,” Matthew said. “Mom’s stronger than you think, Kathleen.”
Kathleen nodded and bolted into the house, holding the main door open for them. As Matthew and Wyatt maneuvered through it, he heard the scuffles of his daughter’s footfalls along with the soft tones of his mother. He couldn’t focus on her, not yet. He had to get his father into a safe place before they told her about what happened.
“Oh my god, David!”
“He’s hurt, Ruth, we just have to get him in a bed,” Kathleen said.
Ruth and Allison darted forward and began moving the furniture in the main lobby out of the way. Kathleen motioned them across the room and toward the hallway on the other side of the lobby where a few of the guest rooms were. Patton let go of the stretcher, leaving Matthew with the rest of the weight, and helped move obstacles out of their path. Matthew tilted David gently as he and Wyatt passed through the narrow entrance of the hallway and managed to get him into one of the rooms.
It was a small suite, with an adjoining bathroom and a gorgeous mountain view. Kathleen opened the drapes to let in the sunlight. Wyatt swung the stretcher into the room, allowing Matthew to inch inside, until they stood on one side of the queen-sized bed.
“Lift him and lay him down,” Matthew instructed.
Wyatt didn’t have to be told twice. Together, they hefted the stretcher up until they could slide it onto the old-fashioned, rose-patterned quilt. Matthew didn’t care about the style, only that it was comfortable for his father. David uttered a small groan as they settled him onto the bed. Matthew stepped back and stretched his burning muscles. Wyatt let out a sigh of relief. But their job wasn’t done yet.
“Has he been shot?” Ruth asked from the doorway.
Matthew turned to her. She looked unnaturally pale and sick. “No,” he said. “He had another heart attack.”
“Is he…still alive?” Ruth choked out.
“Yes,” Matthew said, wanting to grab his mother and hold her tight, but then Nikki pushed past Ruth with a curt nod of greeting. She entered and put her hands on her hips. She glanced around the room, as if taking everything in and finding it satisfactory. “We need to roll him side to side to remove the stretcher,” she said.
Matthew nodded and he, Wyatt, and Kathleen started untying the clothes that held the stretcher in place. Sap coated his fingers. Bark pieces fell onto the blanket, covering it in a layer of debris as he worked at the knots, which were tighter after the weight and pressure that had been put on them. Finally, he handed the wooden poles of the stretcher back behind him to Max and Jade. His brother-in-law took one of the poles, and Jade insisted on taking the other out of the hotel.
“Be careful, young lady,” Nikki yelled at Jade. “Don’t hurt yourself more than you have to!”
“I’m probably older than you, you baby,” Jade yelled back.
Matthew sighed and looked at Patton. “Can you help her?” he asked.
Patton nodded and scooted out of the room, laying a gentle hand on his grandmother before he left. Again, Matthew felt a surge of pride in his son. He’d been through so much and he still had the capacity to give his grandmother a little bit of love and empathy.
“Okay,” Nikki said, taking the other side of the bed next to Wyatt. “We’re going to roll him toward us. Wyatt and I will hold him while you remove the clothes from the stretcher.”
Matthew nodded and positioned his hands on David’s shoulder. Next to him, Kathleen put her hands on David’s waist and hip. Together, they pushed David into a tilt and onto his side.
“Gently,” Nikki cautioned.
Matthew quickly grabbed the loose shirts and coats out from under his father while Kathleen worked on removing the boughs and pine needles. Matthew dumped the clothes on the floor and then began sweeping the tree debris out from under David, sending it all tumbling to the ground but leaving the space underneath clean.
“Okay, done,” he said. Nikki and Wyatt lowered David back down. “We should do the other side,” Matthew put in.
Without a word, Nikki a
nd Wyatt pushed and Kathleen and Matthew held all of David’s weight as Nikki and Wyatt cleaned everything else out from under David. “It looks good,” Wyatt said as they lowered David back down.
When they had finished, Matthew stepped back, wiped his forehead, and gave Kathleen a tight hug. He looked over her shoulder at his mother, who was standing unnaturally still against the doorframe. Her eyes looked haunted. “What happened?” she asked in a small voice.
“I think he’s had a heart attack,” Nikki said. “I’m Nikki, by the way.” She held out her hand for Ruth to shake, and Ruth accepted with a limp wrist.
Ruth swallowed hard. “Should I get you his heart medication?” she asked.
“Actually, yes,” Nikki said. “That would be really helpful.”
Ruth looked at David for a long moment before turning around and leaving. When she returned moments later with a handful of yellow pill bottles, Nikki examined each of them with a critical eye. Wyatt sat down in an accent chair in one corner of the room. Matthew tightened his arms around Kathleen. He knew she was bursting with questions about what happened to them, that she wanted to check Patton and Max over, to see with her own eyes that everyone was alive and well. He was grateful she was helping them solve this crisis first, though.
Nikki held up one of the pill bottles, making the pills inside clink together. “Has he had a heart attack before?”
“Yes, over a year ago,” Ruth said, slowly coming closer to David and taking his limp hand in hers. “He had a partially clogged artery. The cardiologist wanted to see if the medicines helped him before going to drastic measures of surgery. She said the surgery route wasn’t necessary because the artery wasn’t completely clogged.” Ruth sat at the edge of the bed and took David’s hand into her lap. “Honestly, I thought he was doing well, despite everything that had happened. He had fire and determination. He pushed himself too far sometimes, but he always seemed to recover. I hoped this would never happen.”
EMP Catastrophe | Book 3 | Erupting Chaos Page 2
