Chapter 7

 

WE MANAGED TO get me off the floor and headed back to the sheriff’s office. The doctor looked pretty perplexed. He was rubbing at his chin as we entered. McKinley sat in his office chair, staring down at his fixed-up leg with a grin of genuine relief.

“Maybe it’s just bruising?” the doc mumbled to himself. “I swore there was a break.” He turned to me, a smile lit up his chisel-thin face. “You got a touch. I don’t know where you learned that technique but you’ll have to show me sometime.”

I was still shivering. I doubted that anyone would want my burdens. “So how many people are trapped?” I asked, hoping they would let it drop.

The smile fell from McKinley’s face. “Lord only knows. The road was packed. Not in all my life or any of those who were born here has there been such an event.”

“What happened?” Renee asked. Her confusion parted her lips, as she leaned forward, arms folded.

“This morning the snow on the lower part of the mountain crashed down onto the road below the town.” McKinley rubbed his hand over his face as if to try and wipe away the memory. “People were coming in to work and shop. Buried everything in its path.”

Renee leaned in closer. Her fingers dug into her jacket sleeves that turned white at the tips. “Emergency crews are there though, right?”

“Wrong,” McKinley said. His wide jaw twitched like he was trying not to bite at her. “The fire crew are all we got up this way in winter months. The weather and visibility are so bad that choppers can’t fly up here to us.” He motioned to the room. “What you see in this station . . . that’s it.”

“Have you got dogs trained?” Renee asked.

I nudged her as she said it, trying to warn her that she sounded more like Commander Renee Black of CIG than helpless Dr. Llys who she was meant to be. She didn’t seem to get the message.

“There’s got to be a couple of locals with mountain dogs,” Renee said.

McKinley nodded, his eyes narrowed. If she weren’t careful he’d start asking questions. “But most of those people are under maybe two feet of snow. Even if they weren’t crushed to death, by now, they are probably gone with hypothermia.”

Renee stepped forward. Her intensity rippled from her. “Most of the people around here know about the cold weather. They will have had blankets, food, water.” She leaned on McKinley’s desk. “We’ve got to try.”

“Doctor Llys here is right,” I said, hoping she would stop acting like a commander. “I know that I can find folks when they are under much worse.” I folded my arms as if I always trudged about on snow looking for trapped people. “If we work together we could help some folks.” I turned to Renee. “You remember that triage emergency medical system I told you about in the bathroom?”

Renee’s eyes filled with so much pride that I felt like my cheeks were about ready to toast s’mores. “That I do. I can get everything in place but it might be a good idea if you have a radio. You know, to keep an eye on me?”

I looked at McKinley whose relief swept off him. “Sure we can do that but they only have limited range in this weather.” He tried out his fixed-up leg as he went to stand up and looked at me. “You think you can help with the rescue crew?”

No, was my mental answer and thank cotton, Renee took over.

“Aeron’s briefed me on it all,” she said with complete conviction, her hands on her hips like she owned the place. “She’ll head over to the café and get some supplies for the trip. If she takes your deputy . . . Hal, right?”

McKinley nodded. I wasn’t sure if he was more shocked that she was taking charge or her dominant posture.

Renee didn’t seem at all fazed by this and carried on like she was issuing orders to the CIG folks. “Maybe the local ski shops will lend some equipment, and people.”

“Sounds like you will make a great deputy,” McKinley said, regarding Renee with a twinkle in his eyes. “Lead the way, Doctor.”

Renee gave me the look that said, “Shift it,” and I nodded, then headed out to find the intrepid Hal. He was outside still trying to calm the growing crowd of people. I looked back into the station and then back at the crowd. I weren’t much for public speaking but if I didn’t say nothing, McKinley would get invaded.

“My name is Aeron,” I said to them, thinking that my name was as good as any place to start. “You folks know about the . . . er . . . incident earlier on.” I looked at Hal who watched me as avidly as the rest of them. “Well, we kinda need your help.”

The offers from the crowd hit me with such a force that I had to clear my throat. They were ready to do pretty much anything. There were so many I couldn’t tell one from the other. I raised my hands, hoping it would calm them.

“Right, well . . .” I looked at Hal who was nodding too. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was supposed to help anyhow.

“Do you guys have a hospital?” It seemed like something Renee would ask. At least I hoped it was.

“No, ma’am,” Hal said, gazing up at me. “We got the doc’s place though.”

That didn’t sound big enough to me so I went with the first thought that popped into my head. “We need a space for a field hospital, warm, quiet with as many beds as you got.”

“You can use our place,” a guy piped up. “I run the hotel just there.”

I turned to Hal. “Go tell Re—I mean Doc Llys—that we got a place for the hospital.”

“Sure thing!”

Hal hurried off and I tried to remember what Renee had said. “Okay, I need people with ski experience and maybe dogs who are good on snow.”

“Got a St. Bernard,” a woman said to my left. “My boys were born for snow.” The five large young men around her puffed themselves up.

“We have a couple of mobiles and any equipment you need,” A tall, muscular man added. “Brian and I can navigate pretty much any place on this mountain.”

The eagerness to help left me shocked as the ladies in the group started talking about how they could help with the field hospital and with supplies. After growing up in Oppidum, I had no idea that people could band together so quickly. It made me want to hug them all.

“Okay,” I said, my voice sounded wobbly. “Anyone who can help out with rescue, you head inside with the sheriff.” I looked at the ladies who were now grouped together to talk cooking. “You ladies got some ideas to help out, head on over to the hotel there.”

“Aeron,” one lady said. Why her calling my name shocked me I didn’t know but I ended up staring at her blankly. “Oi, freak,” was the usual greeting.

“Charlie,” she said. “He’s my husband, he was on that road.”

Without a single thought in my head, I walked over to her and took off my gloves. I knew that it would look crazy if I just started touching her so I pulled her into a hug. Her surprised “Oh” made me tense but I made a show of pulling her back and gripped her hands in mine.

 

So cold . . . so tired . . . I have to get back . . . she can’t take care of herself . . . I have to—

 

The woman snapped her hand away with the effect of the static shock I’d just given her but I focused on her, trying to convey complete confidence.

“We’ll find him,” I said. “Have you taken your meds?”

She looked at me with narrowed eyes. “How—?”

“I am medically trained,” I lied. “Your sugars are low.”

“I forgot,” she whispered. “I forget sometimes.”

I looked at the group of ladies who seemed to take that opportunity to sweep in like some kind of mothering convention.

“We’ll take Joyce with us,” one of them said. “She’ll be fine with us.”

With that I headed back to find Renee, forgetting all about Martha and Earl’s supplies. Charlie was running out of time and his survival was critical, the blast of wind that buffered me confirmed it. As I walked down the hallway, I took in the name of the place for the first time. Renee couldn’t cover up every indication of where we were and it was painted in nice bright letters on a sign hanging from the ceiling. Somehow, I’d missed it earlier when we walked in. Now, I stood looking at it, shaking my head. St. Jude’s—I would have laughed if my stomach wasn’t in knots. Fate had a funny sense of humor.

“Patron saint of hopeless causes,” I mumbled. “No wonder this place suits me just fine.”