Chasing the Wind

by Patricia H. Rushford

  Candace led them toward the ER and immediately snagged Dr. Weller. The child’s father gave her a grateful smile.

  Seeing that the family was in good hands, Candace went back to her post—that of trying to calm victims and their families and make some order out of the confusion.

  One woman sat in a chair sobbing. Candace knelt down in front of her. Taking the woman’s shaking, blue-veined hand, she asked, “Are you injured?”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I can’t find my husband. We were here before the storm hit, but no one’s come out to tell me anything since the crowds started to arrive.”

  “I’ll try to find out what happened to him.”

  Twenty minutes later she had finally tracked him down to the medical unit where he was being treated for elevated blood sugar and a severe urinary tract infection. Candace hurried back to the ER waiting room and escorted the woman up to the second floor. She paused a moment to watch the happy reunion before heading back into the chaos.

  Chapter Seventeen

  JAMES ASKED GIDEON TO WAIT WHILE HE WENT inside the hospital to find out where he’d be needed most. He jogged inside and spotted Dr. Weller.

  “James thanks for coming in. We need someone with your experience out at the high school. Albert Varner has secured the school and most of the lesser-injured people are being sent over there. I’m not sure who’s seeing the patients, but I know they’d appreciate your help.”

  James thanked him and hurried back outside. Dr. Weller’s lack of information bothered him, especially the part about not knowing who the staff out there would be.

  “Where are we going?” Gideon asked.

  “To the high school. Apparently we’re setting up a clinic there.”

  The rain lessened some as James drove down Cahokia Street and made a left on Rishell. He passed Anabelle’s house and went on to the high school.

  “Um, Dad, are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be?”

  James rubbed the back of his neck. The school was dark. Apparently no one had turned on the generator. Several vehicles had pulled into the parking lot and still had their lights on. Probably, like him, they were looking for the medical team they’d been told would be here.

  “Stay here,” he told Gideon. “I’ll see what’s going on.” Several more cars came in behind him.

  A man emerged from a white SUV. “I was told to come out here for treatment. There’s no one around.”

  “What’s going on?” Someone else asked.

  “I have no idea.” James pulled out his cell phone. Still no signal. He jogged up the steps of the old school and tried the doors.

  “Great, just great,” he muttered. Turning around, James spotted a large motor home with lights. Maybe he could use it to treat some of these people. It seemed futile to send them all back to the hospital at this point.

  James jogged over to where the motor coach had parked. A bumper sticker identified the owner as a World War II veteran. An older man stood beside the trailer.

  “Is this rig yours?” James asked.

  “Yep. I pulled under these trees to ward off the hail. What are all these people doing out here?”

  James came right to the point. “Here’s the deal. Folks are being sent over here to the school for medical treatment and obviously someone got their wires crossed.” James nodded toward the trailer. “I’m a nurse. Actually used to be a medic in the Gulf War. Do you suppose we could use your motor coach as a sort of base for a while—until we can fix this mess? I could look over the people who are here. See if they need treatment and what they’ll need.”

  “Sure. Anything for a fellow vet.” He grinned and shook James’s hand, then opened the door to allow James entry.

  James gathered everyone around him and announced the plan. “We’re going to need supplies. Gideon, get the first-aid kit out of our car and see if you can round up some more.” He tossed Gideon his keys.

  “Once you’ve done that, go back to the hospital and tell them to stop sending people out here. Find out what the Red Cross is doing. They should be out here. Tell whoever is directing traffic to stop sending people out here until they get their wires uncrossed.” He hesitated, then to Gideon’s retreating figure said, “And, son, thank you.”

  Gideon nodded and took off running.

  James sighed. It was going to be a long night.

  To the group gathered around him he said, “If everybody stays calm, we should be able to take care of your injuries. Does anyone else here have medical experience?”

  A couple of hands went up. “Okay, talk to me. We’ll set up a triage unit right here in the parking lot.”

  James wished he could get his hands on the fool who’d sent all these people out here. The best thing to do, he decided, was to take things one step at a time and one person at a time.

  An hour later, James saw the end of the people who’d driven to the high school for medical care. Most were cuts and bruises that he and his two helpers could easily take care of.

  By asking everyone there to bring him any first-aid kits they might have, and using the one from his own car, they were able to make do.

  James thanked the man with the RV and left with Gideon, who’d come back to help.

  Once back at the hospital, James went straight to the CEO.

  “I’m sorry, James.” Varner said. “I understand your frustration, but that order didn’t come from this office. Dr. Weller and I had talked about it, but I couldn’t get hold of the superintendent. I decided to go elsewhere. Dr. Weller must have misunderstood and spread the message to go to the high school. Glad you were there to help though.”

  “So do we have a place to go? There’s no way Hope Haven can handle everyone. Even the medical offices are overflowing.” James blew out an exasperated sigh.

  “We’re working on it.”

  “What about the Church of the Good Shepherd? There’s plenty of room. All we need are beds. Or the YMCA.”

  “Therein lies the problem. We need a place that has cots already in place, at least until the Red Cross can get some for us.”

  James sat on the edge of the desk. “When will that be?”

  A police officer knocked on the door. “The mayor radioed in that we can use the YMCA, and the Red Cross should have cots and first-aid supplies there within the hour. The National Guard is coming as well.”

  Varner released a long sigh and tipped his head back. “Thank you.”

  When the officer left, Varner turned back to James. “I’m going to need someone over at the Y who knows what they’re doing. Can you head it up?”

  “Sure. Just wait until I send word that we’re ready to go before you start diverting people there.”

  Clearly relieved, Varner shook James’s hand. “We have a ham-radio operator here at the hospital who’s been getting messages out. We’ll try to get another one out to the Y as well; so if you need anything, get back to us.”

  James nodded. His father-in-law would be in his element right about now—ham-radio operators were depended on by the community.

  “What do you want me to do about staff?” James asked.

  “We’ll make an announcement for anyone available to meet you—where?”

  “At the staff entrance.”

  “Done. We have a number of volunteers. You can handpick a crew to work with you.”

  “Thanks, I will.” James thought immediately of Anabelle and Elena. He’d have welcomed Candace too, but she didn’t have emergency room experience.

  Anabelle was still on triage when she spotted James and Gideon in the lobby. She’d just sent another patient back to the ER, so before starting in on someone else, made her way through the crowd. “James, Gideon, good to see you.”

  “Anabelle.” James turned toward her voice. “I was looking for you. I need some good people to go to the Y with me. We’re setting up a makeshift hospital there. Red Cross and a National Guard Unit are on the w
ay with supplies.”

  Anabelle looked around. “I would love to go out there with you, James, but I can’t leave. Check with Elena. I don’t think she has a specific post as yet.”

  James scanned the room and spotted her back by the lab. “Thanks, I will.”

  “Good luck.”

  A moment later he had merged into the crowd.

  Anabelle felt a tug on her trousers and looked down at a girl around five years old with a tear-streaked face. “My daddy is lost. Can you help me find him?”

  “Oh my.” Annabelle hunkered down. “What’s your daddy’s name, sweetheart?”

  “Bill Preston.” She wiped an arm across her runny nose.

  Anabelle desperately needed a break. Her hip, hand and knee joints ached. She needed a strong cup of coffee and some ibuprofen; but at the moment, helping this child took precedence.

  She took the little girl’s hand and led her back through the ER. “What’s your name?”

  “Lucy Preston.”

  “Let’s get you cleaned up, Lucy, and then we’ll find your daddy, okay?”

  Lucy nodded.

  Stopping at a restroom, Anabelle wet a paper towel and washed the child’s face. “There we go.” Some of what she’d thought was dirt came away red. “What happened to your dad?”

  “The car got all wrecked. Some men took him away in a ambulance and a man brought me here. He said to wait, but I got scared.”

  Anabelle smiled. “He left you here all by yourself?”

  She sniffed and nodded.

  Anabelle handed her a tissue for her nose. “Where is your mommy?”

  Lucy shrugged. “I don’t know. Daddy says she’s a long way from here.”

  Anabelle enveloped the child in a hug. “Okay, Lucy, let’s go and find your daddy.”

  Walking through the ER, Anabelle checked with the charge nurse who didn’t recognize the name Bill Preston.

  “Is Dr. Hamilton still here?” Anabelle asked.

  “Last I knew. I haven’t had time to look in on him for a while.” The charge nurse turned to one of the doctors who’d come up beside her.

  Anabelle, with Lucy in tow, went back to check on Dr. Hamilton.

  Seri stepped around the curtain just as Anabelle was about to peek in.

  “Mrs. Scott.” Seri glanced down at the child.

  Anabelle introduced Lucy and told her about Bill Preston. “I told her I’d help find him.”

  “Good luck with that.” She leaned toward Anabelle and whispered, “I’m worried about Dr. Hamilton. He’s not looking so good.”

  “Seri.” Dr. Hamilton’s voice sounded weak.

  Seri moved back into the cubicle with Anabelle a step behind. Drew was leaning heavily against the stretcher. He lifted an arm to wipe the perspiration from his brow. His pallor prompted Anabelle to lead him to a nearby chair. “Seri, get a wheelchair and the charge nurse and page Dr. Hildebrand stat.”

  Anabelle whipped her stethoscope from around her neck and bent to listen to his chest. She noted erratic beats. “Are you having chest pain?”

  “No.” His head dropped back.

  “What’s going on?” Dr. Hildebrand took one look at Drew and shook her head. She listened to his chest.

  “We’ll have to get him up to the CCU. We have zero beds available down here.” Dr. Hildie jotted some orders on a pad, ripped the page off and handed it to Anabelle. “Anabelle, can you take him up, get him into a bed and hook up the monitors? Order an EKG and get an IV started. I’ll meet you up there as soon as I can.” She leaned toward Anabelle. “Sooner if he codes.”

  Anabelle eyed the patient sitting on the gurney. “Will you be all right for a few minutes? I’ll get someone else in here.”

  “No problem. Doc here was just giving me my discharge papers.” He frowned. “Is he going to be all right?”

  “I hope so.” Anabelle nodded. “I’ll let the charge nurse know.”

  “I can do that, Mrs. Scott.”

  “Thanks, Seri.” Anabelle hesitated. “When you’re finished, see if you can find James. He’s going to need some help at the YMCA.”

  “I will.”

  “Lucy, honey, come with me.” Anabelle took the child’s hand and placed it on the wheelchair handle.

  “Are we still going to look for my dad?”

  “Yes. Just as soon as we take care of Dr. Hamilton.”

  At first, the monitor verified that Dr. Hamilton’s heart was in arrhythmia. Dr. Hildebrand came in while Anabelle was working on the IV. Once it was established, they gave him medication. Her favorite doctor’s heart was now beating in a normal sinus rhythm, and he’d fallen asleep.

  Anabelle rested her arms on the bed rail. She should have insisted that he not try to help, but stopping Drew was as futile as trying to chase the wind. She only hoped their plan for a Parade of Patients would help him to see how important he was to them.

  Genna stepped into the room and stood beside Anabelle. Someone had gone to the house to let her know about Drew, but she hadn’t been there. Eventually, they discovered that she’d been at the hospital the entire time, working as a volunteer. In hushed tones she asked, “How is he?”

  “Okay for now.” Anabelle settled an arm around her friend. “How are you?”

  “Tired.” Genna glanced over at the recliner where Lucy lay stretched out and asleep.

  Anabelle explained the situation. “I’ll keep looking for her dad, but it’s best if she sleeps. If it’s all right, I’d like to leave her here with you.”

  “Sounds like she’s been traumatized enough for one night.” Genna agreed.

  Anabelle nodded. “I’ll get another chair.”

  At around midnight, Anabelle stopped at the cafeteria for coffee and a protein snack to tide her over. She’d checked every unit and looked through the entire hospital without finding a trace of Lucy’s father.

  Bill Preston did not appear to be at Hope Haven Hospital. Was it possible that he had been taken somewhere else and that whoever had dropped Lucy off hadn’t checked to make sure the father was here?

  She would try to get hold of Children’s Services and let the police know so they could be on the lookout for him.

  Anabelle needed to get back to work but had no idea what she would do about Lucy. The girl would be all right for now, but with so huge a mess and her father injured, it might take days to reunite them.

  Elena had been working nonstop with Seri, James and a number of volunteers at the Y. The victims were coming in at a slower pace, but still coming in.

  The medics hurried in with a woman on a stretcher. She was crying and apparently in pain. Elena hurried to assist. “What do we have?”

  “A Jane Doe. We picked her up at a shelter. No ID. The gal running the shelter said she came in after getting knocked around by the hail. She seemed okay, then after a few minutes passed out. She came to in the ambulance but still seems out of it.”

  Elena glanced at the woman’s face and couldn’t breathe. “I—I know this woman.”

  “A friend?”

  “No.” Her reply was harsher than she’d meant it to be. Elena felt their questioning looks. “I just know who she is. Her name is Sarah Fulton.”

  “Where do you want her?” One of the medics asked.

  Elena led them down the hall to an empty cot. “Put her here for now. I’ll get someone to look at her right away.” She helped transfer Sarah from the stretcher to the cot and thanked them. Setting the notes they gave her on the end of the mattress, Elena closed her eyes for a moment to organize her scattered thoughts.

  Sarah grabbed her arm. The girl’s dazed expression didn’t appear to register it was Elena, which was just as well.

  Elena tried to summon up the animosity she had for the girl. It wasn’t there.

  She took Sarah’s vital signs. Her dilated pupils and confusion indicated either drugs or head injury.

  She waved a hand to signal for an aide and saw Seri nearby removing her gloves. “Seri, do you have a minute?”r />
  “I do now. What do you need?” Seri came toward her.

  “See if you can round up a doctor. We might have another head injury.”

  “I can’t believe how many people got caught out in that storm.”

  Elena nodded, then turned back to Sarah, who was trying to get out of bed. Elena rushed to her and guided her back down.

  “Seri, get the doctor right away.”

  “I’m right here.” The doctor frowned, his craggy features became more pronounced as he stepped up beside them. The tall, thin man seemed to shrink the room. “What’s going on here?”

  “Medics said she’d been out in the hail so we may be looking at head injury.” Elena told him what she knew then lowered her voice. “But she also has a history of drug use.”

  “We’d better not medicate her until we do a drug screen and run some tests.” The doctor muttered something under his breath, looking more solemn and forbidding than usual. “Why would the medics bring her here? She should have gone to the hospital. She’ll need a scan and lab work right away.”

  “Maybe I can still catch the medics,” Seri offered.

  “Then do it,” the doctor said.

  Sarah’s head lolled from side to side and her eyes fixated and rolled back.

  Elena startled. “She’s having a seizure.”

  By the time the seizure ended the medics had returned with a stretcher.

  “Sorry about this,” the female medic apologized. “She didn’t seem critical when we…”

  “Well she is now,” the doctor grumbled. “Get her over to Hope Haven. I’m riding in the ambulance with you.”

  Elena watched them get into the ambulance and leave, lights flashing, racing toward Hope Haven. She leaned against the wall.

  “Elena?” James stood in front of her. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not. That was Sarah—Isabel’s birth mother.” Elena struggled with the conflicting emotions wrapping around her like chains. As much as she tried to hold on to the anger she felt toward Sarah, all she could think to do was pray.