“Be right there!” Tony assured her before helping Ryder onto the shelf a few minutes later.
Coming upon the scene a minute or two later, a quick survey of the scene showed that both victims were covered in mylar blankets to retain heat. Four helmeted mountaineers surrounded them for added warmth. The injured woman lying on the ground grimaced in pain, while the man sat upright and appeared to be alert. At least someone had thought to pack those blankets.
The scene appeared to be a relatively safe place for a successful helicopter evacuation. Given their exposure to the cold overnight and the woman’s possible injury, air evacuation probably would be the safest and quickest option. Before beginning his medical evaluations, Tony asked dispatch to send the Black Hawk to their location with a harness and a Stokes basket.
“I think her ankle might be sprained or broken,” came that familiar voice again from a woman kneeling beside the fallen climber. She turned toward him.
They simultaneously recognized each other. “Carmella?” “Tony?”
What the hell is she doing up here? Thank God she wasn’t one of the injured climbers.
Tony donned nitrile gloves while Ryder began asking questions of the man to determine what had happened and whether he might have any hidden injuries.
“Let me know how I can help,” Carmella offered as she scooted aside to give Tony room.
Tony nodded. While he conducted his assessment of the injured woman’s responsiveness, Carmella held her hand. “Any head, neck, or back pain?”
She shook her head. “Just my ankle. I can’t put any weight on it.” Tony noticed that her boot had already been removed and that she shivered uncontrollably. The sooner they got her off this mountain, the better. The man shivered less often, but probably had been able to move around more than the woman had.
“Because of her injury, we couldn’t make it back to the campground,” the man said. “We nearly froze to death last night.” Was he blaming her for that? “Luckily, we had the space blankets and these kind folks provided us with water and energy bars a little while ago.”
Tony cut the climber’s pant leg and sock off to expose her swollen ankle. “Can you grab a roll of gauze and the orange SAM splint from my backpack?” The flexible aluminum splint would help him immobilize the leg until she could be treated at a hospital trauma center.
“Sure.” She quickly found the items he wanted and handed them to him.
“Thanks.” He felt his patient’s pedal pulse to confirm she had adequate circulation before asking her to move her foot as best she could. He then tested the bottom of her foot for sensation. Satisfied, he placed the splint on her ankle to stabilize it from further injury.
The wop-wop-wop of the Black Hawk’s rotors drew closer. “Ryder, radio dispatch that we need both the basket and the harness sent down at the same time.” While they lifted the man out on the harness, he and Ryder could prepare the woman for transport.
With the help of another climber, probably from Carmella’s group, Ryder took care of getting the man into the harness soon after and sent him up. Tony checked the woman for further injuries, but none seemed apparent other than the aftereffects of hypothermia. However, her ability to recover without worsening hypothermia would be determined by how fast she reached the hospital.
Twenty minutes later, the hovering helicopter swallowed up the woman in the Stokes. As it flew away, those on the ground watched in silence.
“That was amazing work, Tony,” Carmella said. “You, too, Ryder.”
Tony shrugged off her praise. It’s what he trained for. But he admitted to himself how good it felt to be a part of saving someone after the disastrous call earlier in the week. These two would probably live to see another day.
“They were lucky you found them when you did,” Ryder said to Carmella.
“You did a good job of keeping them calm too,” Tony said, returning her earlier praise. “If they’d spent another night out here, hypothermia would have taken its toll.”
“I’m just glad we were in the right place at the right time.”
There wasn’t anything more they could do there, so he assessed their next steps. Between Ryder and Tony, they’d be able to carry the two extra backpacks down to the staging area. Tony prepared for the descent.
“Let us help with those packs,” Nick said.
“We don’t want to disrupt your climb any more than it already has been,” Ryder said.
Carmella waved away his concern. “We were just finishing up anyway. We can hike down together.”
Although Tony—and probably Ryder—would prefer to go back to the staging area alone, he felt a need to make sure Carmella and her group made it back safely too. However, watching her preparations to rappel over the cliff to the gully, he could see she put safety first and knew what she was doing.
“Where’d you learn mountaineering?” he asked once Carmella and her fellow rappelers joined him and Ryder in the gully.
“Marc mostly,” Carmella said as they began their hike toward the lakeside campground. “He used to bring me up here when I was a teenager, after we’d hiked a lot of Class 1s and 2s and he thought I was ready. I was about thirteen. It was a good four years before he let me anywhere near the peaks of Capitol or K2.”
Good for Marc. This wasn’t a forgiving mountain, even for experts.
“Of course, I continue to train year in and year out. I’m sure as a firefighter, EMT, and SAR volunteer you can appreciate how quickly things change and how you can get rusty fast.”
Sometimes there isn’t enough training in the world to avoid that.
When Carmella cocked her head in his direction, Tony realized he wasn’t acting his usual self. He didn’t need for her to see him sinking into a morass of self-pity like the one he’d been plagued with for days. To lighten the mood, Tony regaled them with tales of some crazy rescues he’d been involved with.
“A few months ago, we had a call for some stranded hikers on Quandary Peak. Well, they called themselves hikers, but it was clear they were more interested in taking advantage of Colorado’s new law legalizing marijuana. They were definitely high on the mountain.”
“I never thought anyone would be stupid enough to mix drugs or alcohol with hiking and climbing,” Shawana said.
“You wouldn’t believe what people do that ends up in a 911 call. But these three were a piece of work. They called us, but when dispatch responded, the guy had no clue why they had called. They also didn’t know where they were, not even which mountain.” He laughed, shaking his head. “It took hours for them to come down off the drug enough to help us locate them. At least they were too stoned to continue hiking and climbing after the call, or it might have been a lot worse.”
“Marc’s shared some wild tales, too,” Carmella said. “Never a dull moment for first responders.”
Sometimes the stupid decisions people made didn’t end with a successful rescue. Anger burned inside him at the woman who’d put herself and her child in jeopardy by attempting to cross a bridge that had overflowed with water from a flooded waterway. A senseless waste. But his remorse over not being able to save them soon subdued his anger. In the end, Tony had failed to save them, plain and simple.
The remainder of the hike back to the campground was filled with stories from Nick and Carmella about their past adventures in the Elk Range. Tony surreptitiously watched Carmella—the way her face lit up when she talked about the mountains, but also the uninhibited laughter at Nick’s jokes and the touch of her hand to Nick’s arm when she wanted to connect. Tony wondered if perhaps they were an item, but Nick treated her more like a brother would.
Shawana and Joyce tried to engage Tony and Ryder in conversation, but Tony left it to Ryder to keep the small talk going.
Back at the staging area, Tony and Ryder turned over the backpacks for the rescued hikers to the command center to return them to the climbers. He and Ryder would have to wait for the helicopter to return for them. In the meantime, they rejoi
ned Carmella’s group.
“That was a lot of fun,” Carmella said to her climbing group as she removed her helmet. When she noticed Tony, she added, “Well, the part before and after the rescue anyway.” Her smile lit up her face and made her eyes twinkle. “If you two ever want to go up on Capitol, Maroon Bells, or any other peaks around here, give me a shout.”
The thought of mountaineering with Carmella left him with mixed feelings. He’d enjoyed seeing her in her element today, more than he cared to admit, but didn’t really think spending more time with her would be a good idea for reasons he couldn’t quite name.
“I’ll let you know,” Tony said noncommittally. Ryder was equally vague, but his SAR partner usually preferred hiking and camping alone with his wife.
Carmella grinned and shook her head, no doubt not expecting to hear from either of them. “Well, consider it an open invitation. You know where to find me. Take care.”
As she turned to make her way to their campsite, the skies opened up, and they were drenched within minutes. Carmella turned back to shout, “Join me in my tent until this passes!”
The thought of being in close quarters with Carmella made him nervous, but the helicopter wouldn’t be able to return until the weather cleared. Tony and Ryder looked at each other silently conceding that they didn’t have much of a choice.
They’d set off behind Carmella and the others when someone in a bright orange Broncos T-shirt darted across Tony’s path. His stomach tightened as images of the doomed mother struggling in the river slammed into him.
Tony stopped in his tracks.
Chapter Nine
Carm and her group had pitched their four tents at the far end of the campground to distance themselves from the other hikers. The six from New York had doubled up in three tents with Carm occupying the fourth and largest one by herself. She used the extra space to store equipment and gear for the others who were pressed for space. Besides, she also liked having her own space for some down time after the day was done.
When she reached her tent and didn’t hear footsteps behind her, Carmella glanced back only to see Tony drop to his knees in the mud, staring ahead blankly.
The look on his face reminded her of the times she’d seen Marc experience PTSD in those first few months after he’d returned from Iraq.
Ryder leaned over him, careful not to touch him. He said something close to his ear, but Tony didn’t acknowledge him.
What happened? He’d just been joking around a moment ago. Her stomach twisted in a knot for whatever nightmare Tony appeared to be reliving. Worried, she backtracked, wiping away the rivulets of rain from her eyes. “Everything okay?” Carm asked as she approached.
Tony muttered, “Too late.”
“Give him a minute,” Ryder said, holding out his hand as if to ward her off from coming any closer. Ryder didn’t look in her direction; his focus remained locked on Tony, addressing him slowly, but firmly. “Tony, it’s Ryder. We’re at Capitol Lake. We just finished a successful rescue. You helped save a woman’s life. Everyone’s safe.”
Tony shook his head. “She’s dead. Can’t you see her?”
Carm wasn’t sure what he was seeing but wanted to help. “Tony, it’s Carm.” She hunched down close to him on the opposite side from Ryder. “I watched you splint her ankle and get her in the basket to be airlifted out. You did a wonderful job. She’s going to be okay.”
“She drowned!” he hissed with such vehemence that Carm was taken aback but held her ground. But he still stared straight ahead.
“You’re at Capitol Lake, Tony,” Ryder repeated calmly. “You’re not in the river. It’s Wednesday. Everyone’s safe.”
Tony shook his head again then made a keening sound as he doubled over. “Oh God. No! They’re both dead!” His breaths came in short, shallow bursts as he continued to moan as if in pain.
Both? He’d lost two victims? When had that happened? Poor Tony.
The nightmare he relived in his mind kept its firm grip on him, but Carm began again. “Tony, we need to get inside my tent and out of this rain.” Ryder had mentioned a river. Perhaps the rain had triggered this apparent PTSD episode. “May I take your elbow?”
He held his abdomen as if trying to hold the pain inside but shook his head. Marc’s counselors had said not to touch him without permission, but it wasn’t safe for them to be exposed out in the open due to lightning. Helpless, she looked toward Ryder, pleading for him to do something.
“Carmella, wait for us in the tent,” Ryder instructed.
Like hell. “I’m not leaving you two out here.” Suddenly remembering one of the techniques that had worked for Marc, she turned her focus back to Tony. “I want you to take a deep breath, Tony. In through your nose and hold it until I reach a count of four.”
He ignored her, his breathing still erratic and swift, but she repeated herself two more times until finally, he took in a slow breath.
“That’s right, Tony. Now hold it for one, two, three, and four. Okay, good. Now exhale slowly through your mouth, Tony.” He did as she instructed. She’d been taught to say Marc’s name repeatedly. It seemed to be working for Tony too. She seemed to be getting through to him on some level.
“Good job, Tony,” she said, encouraged by his responsiveness. “Again, inhale slowly through your nose.” She counted again. He complied on her first command this time. Keeping her counting slow and calm, she continued. “Hold it for one, two, three, four.” On the count of four, he exhaled without being told to do so. He was beginning to reconnect with his body. His breathing was no longer shallow or rapid.
“Tony, will you come to my tent so we can get out of this storm?” An almost imperceptible nod gave her more hope. “May Ryder and I help you up by the elbows?” Again, he nodded, which was all the encouragement she needed to take him by the arm.
Together, they managed to get him to his feet and half dragged him to her tent. Nick and Shawana ran to where they’d been and picked up Tony and Ryder’s gear to follow. “Just leave it under the rain awning,” she said to them. “And thanks.”
“I’ll round up some dry clothes for you guys.” Nick left.
Shawana offered to make a pot of coffee, and Carm soon smelled the propane from the cookstove under her tent’s awning. Everyone pitched in to help. Nick ran a great group.
Inside with Ryder and Tony, she shifted to the next important step. “Let’s get you two out of these wet clothes.” Neither man had a change of clothing and both were soaked to the skin; the wet clothing would only cause hypothermia problems if not removed. Nick should be back soon.
“Can I remove your shirt, Tony?” she asked, not wanting to wait too long.
After a moment’s pause, he nodded. She and Ryder took it off together. Tony’s broad shoulders and muscular chest sent an inappropriate tingle to her core. Get a grip, Carm. Emblazoned on his right biceps was a Maltese Cross tattoo with the name Antonio Giardano Sr. and the years 1946-2004.
Tony’s father.
A shiver went down her spine at the reminder that Tony’s family had also suffered the loss of a loved one who had been in service to others. Each of the man’s sons had gone into the fire and rescue service after their father’s death. What a beautiful way to honor the man’s sacrifice.
“Have any blankets?” Ryder asked.
Dragged away from her wayward thoughts, she went to the pack in the corner and pulled out several of the emergency ones she’d brought. Ryder wrapped a thermal one across Tony’s shoulders.
Tucking the ends together to cover his chest, she asked, “Can I dry your face, Tony?”
After furrowing his brows, he nodded. She grabbed a towel from her backpack and gently wiped the rain off his forehead and smoothed back his jet-black hair. She hoped the familiar routines would help to pull him out of the depths he’d been mired in for the past few minutes.
“Tony,” Ryder began again in his firm voice, “we’re with Carmella and her group from the resort. We’re going to have
to wait out the rain before the chopper can pick us up to take us back to the airport in Aspen.” Ryder’s litany of matter-of-fact statements were an attempt to ground Tony in the present, but Tony’s persistent death stare began to scare her. What was he seeing? How could they draw him out of it?
What had he experienced—and when? Sometimes PTSD triggers happened within a short time after the incident, but other times they could return long afterward. Was he getting the help he needed to deal with them? He’d seemed so happy-go-lucky every time she’d seen him up through the wedding weekend.
The intensity he’d exhibited during the rescue below The Plank earlier had revealed a side of Tony she’d never seen before.
When his breathing became fast and shallow again, Carm kneeled on the other side of him and stroked his back automatically before realizing she hadn’t asked permission. She pulled her hand away as if burned. All she wanted to do was provide the tortured man a little comfort, but she needed to be careful, or he might lash out as Marc had done sometimes.
Sweat broke out on his forehead. “Tony, I’m going to wipe your forehead again. Is that okay?” she asked. He nodded slightly, and she wiped his face with the towel. “Tony, take a slow, deep breath. You’re safe now.”
Nick opened the tent flap, stepped in, and handed Ryder a variety of folded hiking shirts and pants for the two men to choose from. When her teeth chattered, Carm realized her clothes had been soaked through, too.
“Ryder,” Carm said, glancing over Tony’s head from where she was kneeling, “why don’t you get changed?” The tent didn’t provide much privacy.
“You need to get into dry clothes first,” he countered.
“Use my tent, Carmella,” Nick said from the open tent flap. “Roger took some snacks over to the other SAR volunteers so it’s clear.” She wondered how many volunteers were in camp waiting out the storm.
Ryder’s breathing became labored now. Carm remembered from the wedding Saturday that he wasn’t comfortable in tight spaces around too many people. He might be feeling claustrophobic.
TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) Page 9
