Covered in Coal

by Silla Webb

  “Missed ya,” she whispers against my lips. I kiss her softly, because if I pull her any closer, I’ll be late for work.

  “Thanks for takin’ Heidi Jo out for the evenin’, did my girls have fun?” She follows me into the kitchen and puts together my lunch for the night.

  “We had a great time. We went to the salon for some pampering, shopped for some Christmas presents, then we shared some ice cream.”

  “Ice cream in the middle of December? Shoulda had hot chocolate.” I shake my head.

  “How’d I know you’d say that?” She laughs, wrappin’ her arms around my neck to kiss me.

  “Well, I’m gonna be late if I don’t get goin’. Make sure she eats dinner, and has her bath. Don’t let her con you into lettin’ her stay up past eight thirty, got it.” I bark out my orders on my way out the door.

  “I got this. Be careful tonight. Love ya.”

  When I get to the mines, I put on my gear and head to the man trip.

  I’ve been tryin’ to keep a close eye on Eric since I suspected that he was usin’. I’ve talked to Dave a couple of times, and each time I mention Eric, he assures me that Eric is a hard worker, never givin’ him any reasons to doubt him. Regardless, it’s my job to make sure that these men stay in line, and there are no safety issues.

  When I get to the section where the men are workin’, everything seems to be runnin’ steady. I make my way through the section, lookin’ for Dave when I hear cussin’ comin’ from the pinner men. I approach the two who are about to come to blows right here, underground.

  “Y’all wanna tell me what the hell’s goin’ on?” I ask, lookin’ from Eric to Duke. Eric doesn’t say a word, just shakes his head and scratches his beard.

  “I can’t work with this jackass when he’s all jumpy. He’s gonna get me hurt. Son of a bitch ain’t payin’ a lick of attention to what he’s doin.” Duke’s face is beet red, as he flexes his fists at his sides.

  “Duke, I’ll take over for ya. Go see if Dave needs your help movin’ supplies or somethin’.” Duke nods, turnin’ on his heels in search of Dave, cussin’ every step of the way. I look to Eric, his face is void of emotion. He appears calm.

  “What was that about, Eric?” I ask him, pullin’ on my gloves.

  “Boss, I lost focus one time and the damn son of a bitch just started screamin’ at me. I don’t know what his problem is. It won’t happen again.” I nod, and grab the supplies for the next row of roof to be bolted.

  “Well, let’s get this shit done. Times wastin’.” We get to work, pinnin’ the unsteady roof above us. I operate the pinner for a while, then hand it off to Eric. We pin a few more rows, before takin’ a lunch break. I grab my bucket and head off to join the rest of the crew.

  I drop my ass to the cold ground, and Eric sits beside of me. The men around me are bitchin’ as usual, but I pay no mind to any of ‘em. I just let ‘em bitch. After we finish up with lunch, we shoot the shit for a beat, before startin’ back to work. Standin’ to my feet, I tell Eric to move his ass.

  “On my way Boss…let me take a piss first.”

  I nod and head back to the pinner. Eric joins me shortly after, a little longer than I’d say a piss takes, but damn, I ain’t about to even ask about that shit. We get back to work, pinnin’ the roof. I hate roof boltin’. It’s loud, filthy, and dangerous as hell. But someone’s gotta do it, or this shit’s gonna collapse.

  Eric’s good on the pinner, pretty quick and accurate. So, I let him roof bolt, while I help with the supplies. We pin a few more rows, when I notice Eric’s demeanor start to shift. He’s calm, but too calm. His face is palin’, sweat beads rollin’ down his forehead.

  “Ya alright?” I ask him, worried that he may have taken somethin’ durin’ lunch.

  “Yeah Boss, I’m good. Just ate somethin’ that ain’t sittin’ right with me. Probably just picked up the stomach bug from my damn kids.” He tells me wipin’ his sweat laced brow. Stomach bug’s been floatin’ around for a while, Heidi Jo had it just last week, so I think nothin’ else of it.

  Eric drills through the roof with the pinner, and I grab a plate and bolt to secure the roof with, after the hole is drilled. I reach him the bit, and place the plate over the hole. He positions the drill centered with the plate, and begins to drill. He swipes his face with his shoulder, wipin’ away the sweat that is now rollin’ from his eyebrows.

  Once the bit is close enough to keep the plate in position, I try to pull my hand away. But I can’t, my glove is wedged beneath the plate and the roof. I tug again, and scream for Eric to stop the pinner, but he keeps the pinner rotatin’ at full speed. My arm twists with the rotation of the drill, and I continue to scream for Eric to back off the drill, but he ain’t hearin’ a word I’m sayin’ over the sound of the machine.

  The pain is intense and excruciatin’, as the pinner twists into my flesh, snappin’ my arm in two. I try not to focus on the pain, but it’s just too much. I can hear the other men screamin’ as they make their way too me. Eric is fumblin’ with the controls on the pinner, tryin’ to reverse the drill from the earth, but it’s too late. The damage is done. The pain takes over and everything goes black.

  Chapter 31

  Carly Jo

  The annoying ringing tone vibrating against my ear has finally pulled me from my peaceful sleep. I’ve subconsciously hit stop on the alarm more times than I should have. When the ringing won’t stop, it finally registers that it’s not the alarm buzzing loudly in my ear, but the ringer. Someone is calling my cell phone.

  I grab the phone from under the pillow, and harshly rub the sleep from my eyes trying to focus on the number on the screen. There are a few missed calls from Simon Energy, and from Emily. I jump to my feet, and start to dial Emily’s number when I hear a pounding on the front door. I hurry into the living room, and swing the door open wide. Bill is standing on the front porch, his hair is disheveled across his head, and sleep and worry fill his eyes.

  “Girl, you ain’t been answerin’ your phone. There’s been an accident at the mines. Get your ass dressed, we gotta get to the hospital now. Emily’s on her way over to sit with Heidi Jo.”

  “Accident? What? Who got hurt?”

  “It’s Colton. Get your ass in my truck now so we can get to the hospital.”

  Fear freezes over my body, as Bill’s mumbled words mix with the sound of my heart pounding loudly in my ears. He grasps his hands around my shoulders and shakes me.

  “Carly, I don’t know what happened, but we can’t figure it out if you don’t come with me now. Don’t make this worse on me. Emily’s already a shakin’ mess that her boy’s hurt and she can’t be there with him. So scoot.” He barks.

  I wipe the tears from my eyes, and nod that I understand his words. Emily walks in behind Bill, her soft porcelain face is flush pink, and her dark brown eyes are red rimmed and blood shot. She steps towards me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, sobbing softly into my hair.

  “They wouldn’t tell us what happened, or how bad his injuries are. Carly, please get to him. I’m so scared for my baby.”

  “Damn it, girls, we can’t to get the hospital if you two don’t stop the damn cryin’. What the hell good is that doin’ my boy. Emily, we’ll call ya as soon as we know somethin’. Carly, for the last time, get your ass in the truck.”

  Bill is screaming now, clearly worried about his only son. I change my clothes quickly, putting on a bra, jeans and an old UK tee, then slide on my shoes and race out to the truck, where an impatient, unnerved Bill is waiting. Slamming the passenger door shut, he drops the truck into reverse and peels out of the driveway, rolling black smoke from the tires. I rest my head against the window and watch the world pass me by, as we drive what feels like hours to the hospital.

  Pulling up to the front entrance, the truck has barely slowed down, let alone came to a stop, before I sling the door open and run inside towards the reception desk.

  “Colton Weston. He was brought in a while ago, from a
mining accident. Where can I find him?” The words rush from my mouth.

  “Are you family, Miss?” The grey haired lady asks, never once looking away from the computer screen.

  “I’m his girlfriend, and the owner of Simon Energy. He’s my employee. Where is he?” She looks up at the mention of Simon Energy, and nods before asking me to follow her. Bill is stomping through the entrance just as I’m walking away with the receptionist, but I ask her to stop and wait for him. Together, we walk down the bright white halls, and pass through a key coded door into the emergency department. Machines beep, echoing off the walls, beep beep, beep beep. The lights are blinding, and the distinct smell of bleach and disinfectant turns my stomach, as a foggy haze takes over my mind. I can hear cries of agony and pain from the rooms we pass by.

  I feel like I am walking through a dream, aware of my surroundings, but everything is slow paced. There is a nurse and doctor rushing down the hallway ahead of us into a room that has a light blinking over the entrance. My heart slowly crawls to my throat, as my stomach knots and turns. Goosebumps cover my skin, and I can’t control the tremors that are wracking my body. My feet are heavy, but my mind, steady on auto pilot, slowly drags my heavy feet through the halls.

  I know the kinds of accidents that can happen underground. Men are killed daily. I’m not prepared to walk into this room, unknowing what type of accident happened and the injuries that Colton has sustained. Halting behind the receptionist, she tells us to go inside, motioning towards the room Colton is in. Bill lays his hand on the small of my back, to lead me inside, but my feet won’t move. I hear Colton cry out a blood curdling scream, and I gasp at the sound of his pain. My breath hitches and tears fall down my face.

  “Carly, we ain’t doin’ nothin’ good out in this damn hall. Get in there and see what’s wrong with your man.” Bill’s husky voice is thick, filled with agitation. I nod and slowly shuffle my feet into the small room. When my eyes take in the scene before me, I grab my stomach and cover my mouth, trying to stifle back the bile that is rising in my throat.

  Colton is laying in the bed, with his right arm resting upon a pillow. It’s wrapped in blood stained gauze. Black soot laced with blood smears across his beautifully tan face, and the painful anguish wrapped tightly in his gorgeous brown eyes rips my heart from my chest. There is a nurse beside of his bed, adjusting the IV drip connected to his vein. She smiles politely at Bill and me, before asking if we are family. We ask her if she can tell us what happened, but she steps out to get the doctor.

  His eyes roll back then flutter shut, but he is flinching in pain. I pull the chair beside of the bed, and rest my head on his left shoulder. I can’t control the tears that are escaping my eyes. I’m so worried about him, and I have no idea what happened to cause the accident.

  The doctor comes in a short while later, and explains that Colton’s arm got twisted inside of the pinner. He tells us that he has sustained substantial damage to the muscles and skin of his forearm, and that his radius bone is split in two. They have him sedated to control the pain, and are just waiting for the surgeon to arrive, before he will be taken down to surgery. He tells us that the surgeon will put pins in his arm, and he may possibly even need a skin graft at a later time, depending on how the gashes heal.

  Bill steps out of the room to call Emily, and I keep my face pressed to Colton’s shoulder, silently praying that he will be okay. I know he is tough, but I still worry about him. Just as Bill walks back into the room, the surgeon and his team walk in to take Colton down to surgery.

  The nurse shows us to the surgery waiting room, and I sit impatiently, under trembling nerves. Bill is quiet, just staring at the television. Mack walks into the waiting room and I stand to greet him. It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to fall apart again, but right now I have to will my mind into functioning just a little so I can try to find out what exactly happened.

  “Well, MSHA is crawlin’ the mines as we speak. I personally ordered the entire night shift to be pissed for drugs.”

  “Drugs, what?”

  “Eric, the pinner man was wasted. They found Xanax and Oxycodone in his blood, and a pocket full of pills. He got a little aggressive with the nurse, so they had to call security. Cops just came in and arrested him for possession ‘bout an hour ago. Apparently, Colton was helpin’ him roof bolt when his arm got twisted up in the pinner.”

  “So it’s his fault that Colton is hurt? Damn that jackass, Colton could have been killed!” I shout as the anger builds in my chest.

  “Carly, I know you’re upset. He’s gone. Done fired his ass, along with Dave too.”

  “Dave?”

  “Yep, found drugs in his system, too. Can’t have no crack heads workin’ underground. Colton’s gonna be alright though. He’s a tough son of a bitch.”

  “I know. Thanks, Mack.”

  “I gotta get back to the mines. MSHA investigators are everywhere, and I gotta make sure all the accident reports are finalized before they leave.” He pats me on the arm, and stands to leave.

  The thoughts that earlier I couldn’t begin to process, are now flooding through my mind in jumbled messy waves. Colton is injured, and could have possibly been killed had the situation been just slightly different. We have only been back together a short while, when life steps in and tries to strip him away from me once again. There is nothing to do but wait for them to bring him from surgery to recovery, and my emotions are vying for their release. I pull my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms securely around them, and just cry.

  I feel a stern nudge on my shoulder, so I raise my swollen lids to see who is touching me. Bill is standing in front of me with one hand shoved into his pocket, the other on my shoulder. I take in my surroundings and the memory of what I am doing here comes rushing back. I pop my head up from my lap a little faster than needed, and my neck screams with tension. I clear my throat, trying to find my voice before I speak.

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. They have him in a room. Emily and Heidi Jo are on their way now, so I’ll wait here for them. Go on up and check on him. The doctor said he’ll be a little groggy from the anesthesia, but it should wear off within a few hours. They will have to give him medicine to control the pain, so he’s gonna be an ass about that. Go on, he’s in three-fourteen. I’ll be up in a few.” Bill scrubs his hands up his face, his eyes are dark and tired, but he’s standing strong. Colton gets his strength from his dad.

  I make my way to the elevator, and press the number three button. The door closes, and the gears turn, pulling the car to the third floor. I get off the elevator and walk slowly through the hall to Colton’s room. I push the door open, quietly, then make my way over to the side of his bed. His arm is bandaged in thick gauze and is resting in a sling. There are monitors placed beside of his bed, with cords running to his chest, tracking his vitals. They must have cleaned him up during surgery, because his face is clean of the blood laced soot that covered it earlier. I pull the chair closer to the side of the bed, lacing my fingers in his, and trace imaginary circles across his knuckles.

  Bill, Emily, and Heidi Jo come in a few minutes later. Heidi Jo crawls in my lap, burying her face in my chest, and cries softly. Emily is sobbing uncontrollably beside of Bill, who is as rigid as steel. The doctor assured us he would make a full recovery, but it’s still hard to see someone you love so deeply, in this state.

  We sit in silence for over an hour, just listening to the beeps from the monitors. Colton finally begins to stir in the bed, releasing deep groans in pain. His eyes open slowly, then sweep the room, taking in his surroundings. He looks down at his arm and winces in pain. He clears his throat and tries to speak, but his voice comes out in a raspy mumble. Emily tells him to lay still while she goes to ask the nurse if he can have some ice water.

  He looks to Heidi Jo and smiles, then pats the bed for her to join him. I lift her up on the side of the bed, and she rests her head on his chest, crying softly. Colton is trying to whisper
in her ear, but his voice is just too rough. Emily comes back to the room, carrying a large cup of ice water, with the nurse right on her heels. She gives Colton a few sips of water, while the nurse checks his vitals.

  “Are you hurting, Mr. Weston?” She calls over her shoulder, writing his vitals on her notepad. He grunts, then clears his throat and mumbles, “a little.”

  “I can give ya something for the pain, in your IV, but you’ll be out in under ten minutes. That sound like a plan?”

  “Hell no, you ain’t givin’ me any of that shit.” He growls at the petite nurse. She winces at the fierceness of his roar, then shakes it off.

  “Well, if you change your mind, just press that little red button, and we’ll be right in.” She says, turning on her heels and leaving the room.

  He presses the button on the side of the bed, and inclines into a sitting position. Heidi Jo scoots up the bed with him, and he smiles down at her, then ruffles her hair. She giggles at him, and ask if he is okay. She’s a Daddy’s girl, and in her eyes, Colton hung the moon. She’s a pretty tough little lady to be able to smile through the fear she has been faced with today. Me, I’m barely hanging on by a thread.

  Colton replays the events of the accident for us all, skipping the more gruesome facts for the sake of Heidi Jo’s little ears. Bill gives him the rundown of his injury and his prognosis for healing. Emily just sits quietly taking everything in. She has bowed her head and silently prayed several times, but that’s the only comfort she needs right, prayer.

  Colton is getting tired, and aggravated, so Bill and Emily take Heidi Jo home so he can rest. He tells me to go home too, but I can’t leave him here alone. I press my forehead to his and cry silently for just a minute. I’ve tried to stay strong in front of him, and Heidi Jo. But Colton always brings out the vulnerable side of my heart. He kisses me gently on the cheek, and shushes my crying. I look up at him under tear soaked lashes, and giggle. I feel silly for crying to him, after all, he is the one suffering in pain right now.