Chapter 98:
Time’s Up
AJ shoved Matt roughly aside, not caring
about anything but getting to Kevin quickly. He knelt down as best he could,
sliding a hand in to check for a pulse. It was weak but steady and AJ breathed
a sigh of relief, nodding at Matt that Kevin was alive. With a grimace, Matt
stared at his hand for moment before hurriedly wiping the blood off onto his
pants leg, the shock of contact fading as he bent next to AJ to examine the
fallen man.
In the increasingly dimming light, Matt
pointed to Kevin's right leg, indicating the injury.
"AJ, I've got to cut off his pant
leg, see how much damage is done," explained Matt.
"How?" asked AJ, frowning at the
dark denim jeans Kevin wore. "I don't know where any scissors are."
With a flourish, Matt whipped out a small
Swiss Army knife from his pants pocket, grinning in the darkening glow. "A
good boy scout always comes prepared."
AJ snorted and smiled thinly. "Wouldn't
know. I'm never good."
Matt smiled back, motioning with his hand
for AJ to come closer. "Your friend here is bleeding pretty good. It looks
deep but I can't be sure. I need you to find some kind of dressing, anything
clean, that I can apply for pressure. Okay?"
AJ took off like a shot, scrambling
through the various articles strewn about until he located a plain white
t-shirt. "This okay?" he panted, holding it up for inspection.
"Perfect, great."
AJ hurried back, handing over the shirt
and chewed on his lower lip in alarm as he viewed Kevin's twisted body.
"AJ!"
Startled, AJ looked at Matt.
"Come on, I need your help. It's not
going to be nice. Are you up for it?" Matt's eyes questioned AJ
commandingly.
"Yeah, sure." The tone was firm,
his voice steady and Matt nodded in approval.
"Okay. I need you to apply pressure,
directly over the wound." He guided AJ's hands, making sure they bore down
on the injury. "Yeah, that's right, we've got to staunch this flow of
blood. He's lost a lot already." Matt glanced at AJ for a second before
beginning the delicate task of tearing open Kevin’s pant leg. Taking a deep
breath, AJ watched as Matt began cutting, trying not to pay attention to the
blood that was oozing between his fingers. Feeling his grip become slippery, AJ
pressed down harder. "You see, I'm looking to see how bad it is, how to
treat it," spelled out Matt in a soothing tone, feeling AJ's uneasiness.
"I need to know….ahh!" Matt stopped his explanation as he threw the
bloodied scrap to the side. "Okay, AJ, I want to release your grip for a
second so I can get a good look. Ready? Now!"
AJ pulled his hands away as Matt peered
closely. "It's a puncture wound. Something must have pierced him good.
Look."
AJ really didn't want to but did as he was
told. He saw Matt pointing to the perforated injury, watched as Matt gently
checked the wound for any foreign matter.
Grabbing the t-shirt, Matt ripped into
three pieces, taking one of the shredded pieces and wrapping it into a small,
tight ring. Gently placing it over the puncture wound, he took the other strip
and wound it over the ring and around Kevin's thigh, stabilizing it. With the
last piece he rolled up the cloth up tightly, placing it on top of the puncture
and grabbed AJ's hand, forcing him to apply pressure.
"There, that should help."
AJ heard the slight shakiness in Matt's
voice and gave him an encouraging smile. "That was awesome. Where'd you
learn that?"
Matt shook his head. "Didn't. My
dad's a surgeon though, so I guess through osmosis because I sure as hell never
listen to anything he says!"
AJ gave a short, sharp laugh.
"Yeah." He eyed Kevin's unconscious form. "Okay, now what?"
"Same thing as Howie. Side position.
Then we need to elevate his leg."
AJ reached over to support Kevin's head
and neck, ready for Matt’s count when he felt a weak hand reach out to touch
him.
"AJ."
Startled, AJ almost lost his hold when he
saw Kevin's green eyes open wide, glittering in pain. "AJ, it hurts,"
he whispered. "Help me, make it stop."
"Kev, Kev, I know. I know it hurts.
Hang in there. We've got the bleeding almost stopped. We tipped over, the bus
crashed. Do you remember?"
It was too much to absorb all at once and
Kevin closed his eyes, gasping as he involuntarily shifted his weight to make
himself more comfortable.
"Don't move, don't move!" barked
Matt and Kevin squeezed his eyes open at the strange voice.
"Who are you?" he asked faintly.
AJ cut in. "Kevin, this is Matt. He
and his friend Zac found us, they’re helping us."
Kevin nodded, trying to bite back the
pain. "Tell me, who’s hurt?"
AJ leaned closer. "Nick’s hurt but I
think he'll be okay. Zac managed to get him out of the bus. Howie is
unconscious." AJ felt Kevin's grip around his fingers, revealing his
alarm. "We can't find any injures, yet."
"Brian."
AJ threw a nervous look towards the
unexplored front bus and then at Matt. Matt shook his head slightly, in
warning.
"Uh, Brian…well, Brian…" he
began and stopped as he noticed Kevin's rapid, shallow breathing. "What,
what is it?" hissed AJ, watching Matt's fingers wind around Kevin's wrist.
"He's going into shock," stated
Matt, leaning over Kevin to look at him square in the eye.
"Kevin, Kevin, you're going into
shock. I need you to lie down, lie down, yes that's it. AJ! Elevate Kevin's
leg, somehow, with anything you can find!" Keeping his eyes trained on
Kevin's he spoke calmly, assuringly. "Kevin, I
want you to fight this, okay? Come on, talk to me. Keep your attention on me,
that's it." Matt turned his eyes for only a second to see AJ gently
placing a ragged duffel bag under Kevin's injured leg. Feeling a jacket brush
against his shoulder, Matt accepted the covering gratefully, laying it over
Kevin. "Okay, thanks. You're doing good Kevin. Talk to me, talk to me,
man."
"What about?" grimaced the
dark-haired man. "I'm thirsty."
"Yeah, that's to be expected. You
lost fluid." Matt turned to AJ. "Go find something, water, juice,
anything."
What about Brian? AJ mouthed, worried.
"Not now," Matt said firmly.
"Go find some water. Hurry!" Matt's urgency made AJ forget as he
rushed to locate the bus's small refrigerator. He found it easily, the contents
of the small fridge still intact. Grabbing a couple of bottled waters, AJ
scrambled back to the two.
"Here," he offered, twisting off
the tops quickly. Matt grabbed one, carefully slipping a hand around Kevin's
neck to support him and let Kevin sip, mindful not to let him gulp the water.
Matt could see AJ's nervous agitation as he crouched next to them, his eyes
darting repeatedly towards the front section of the bus.
Matt gave him a quick nod. "Go,"
he said simply and AJ left.
"Go? Go where?" asked Kevin
dazedly, struggling to sit up.
"Not you! AJ. He's gotta, uh, do
something. Hey, lay back down. Talk to me. Don't close your eyes okay, Kevin?
Okay?" Panicked, Matt shook Kevin a little more forcefully than he should
when he saw the large man's eyes flutter wildly.
"Skay,"
slurred Kevin. "Where's AJ? Where's Brian?"
Matt glanced up worriedly, trying to
pinpoint AJ from where he knelt. The bus's interior air was stifling,
oppressive and he wiped his brow hurriedly. "AJ?" he yelled out,
"how’s it going?" He tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he
waited for AJ to reply, smiling with fake confidence at Kevin.
"AJ?"
Matt heard the grunts as AJ strained to
lift objects aside, ignoring Matt's query as he struggled to locate Brian. Matt
gave Kevin another fake smile, keeping his ears trained on AJ, his sight on the
injured man before him. "AJ must be pretty busy. So, who's Brian?" He
tried to make the conversation light, troubled by Kevin's pale complexion.
"Brian." Kevin closed his eyes
for a moment, concentrating. "Brian's my cousin."
Matt nodded, not really listening, his
hearing zoned in on AJ. "That's nice," he murmured. "You guys
sure have a huge-ass bus."
"It's for the tour."
Kevin coughed and Matt immediately reached
over with one hand to touch Kevin's forehead. It was cool and clammy. Frowning,
Matt glanced at the back end of the bus. Where the hell was Zac? He
shifted uncomfortably, his knees beginning to ache as he knelt next to Kevin,
wondering how AJ was doing, glancing back apprehensively at the still
unconscious form of Howie.
"Tour," he repeated. "You
guys all on vacation?"
Kevin gave a small bark of a laugh.
"I wish." He cringed as a spasm of pain flowed up and down his leg
and Matt instantly checked it. Blood was still seeping through, but not as
much.
"Take it easy, come on, yeah, you're
gonna be okay, Kevin."
Kevin seemed to sense the hesitancy in
Matt's voice and knitted his brows in distress.
"How bad is it?" he asked his
voice amazingly calm, his green eyes displaying the turmoil within.
"Do you have a cell phone?" Matt
bypassed the question with one of his own. Knowing that no amount of
hand-holding and waiting patiently was going to get them the medical attention
needed, he decided to throw caution to the wind. "Ours got stolen, and we
are out in the middle of nowhere." He looked hopefully at Kevin, also
praying that the reason Zac was so late getting back was that he was trying to
flag down a passing car.
Kevin waved a weak hand. "Yeah, I’ve
got one, I think. Yeah, in my bag." Another tremor of pain rippled through
him and he gasped, gritting his teeth.
"Where does it hurt?" asked
Matt, now knowing that Kevin was injured somewhere else.
"My ribs," replied Kevin softly.
"It feels like they’re broken. It hurts to breathe…"
With a concerned nod, Matt lightly touched
Kevin's ribcage, exploring, his fingers pulling back in surprise when he heard
AJ shout.
"I found him! Matt, I found
Brian!"
* * * * * * * * *
Obediently waiting for him after receiving
Xavier's urgent phone call, Abe sauntered over to the truck window, peering
through.
"Man, you look like shit. What
happened?" he chuckled, scrutinizing him with a humorous eye.
"Shut up and get in," growled
Xavier, "we gotta hurry." He waited impatiently for Abe to settle in,
revving up the little engine. Tearing out of the run-down gas station, Xavier
stomped on the gas, pushing the small truck's ability to the limit.
"Damn, slow down a little, will ya?
You're going to get us killed, driving like that!"
Xavier swiped a peek at the time, his
mouth compressed into a thin line. It would be close. No way did he want to
cross the border on foot. Sparing a quick glance at Abe, he frowned sourly.
"You got them?"
Abe held up the small bottle of
painkillers and Xavier took four on the spot, swallowing them whole, all the
while driving like a maniac.
* * * * * * * * * *
Matt jumped up, excited and fearful. He
glanced worriedly at Kevin, wondering what to do as he heard AJ’s cry to come
help Brian.
* * * * * * * * * *
Against the light sprinkling of rain, Zac
squinted as he helped Nick try to find a comfortable place to lean against the
bus. Nick gave a low moan as he rested against the steel side, his body shaking
from pain. Zac looked at Nick, uncertain, questioning whether to stay with him,
go back and help Matt, or climb up the side to try and get help.
He squatted down on his heels, grabbing
Nick's attention. "Hey, hey! Nick! How ya doing?" Zac chewed on his
lower lip, deciding on a course of action. "I'm going to climb up,
Nick!" he said, pointing towards the highway. "We need help. Think
you'll be all right?" The young blonde man gave no reply. Zac ran a hand
through his hair, worried. "Nick! Did you hear me? I'm going…"
"Go!" shouted Nick, his eyes
ablaze with agony. "Go!"
"You sure?" asked Zac, hesitant.
"Go!" cried Nick once more.
"Yes, get help! I'll make it, just go!"
Zac was off like a shot, tripping,
clambering up the embankment and disappeared over the edge just as Nick let out
a scream of pain and curled up into a tight ball.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Taking a calculated risk, Matt left Kevin,
scurrying over as fast as he could to AJ. He located AJ at the very front of
the bus, crouched down. Matt came up from behind him and gasped involuntarily,
turning away at the sickening sight before him.
'No! No! That's not Brian!" said AJ,
grabbing a hold and jerking hard on Matt's arm. "That was our bus driver.
Here, over here, that’s Brian."
Relieved, Matt avoided his eyes at the
mutilated form of Les's crushed face, concentrating on the slumped figure
wedged into the stairwell of the bus's entry door.
"Hey, wait! AJ, hold on just a
second. Let me help," Matt instructed, waving for AJ to move away so he
could inspect Brian. Obeying, AJ stood upright just as the lights wavered one
more time, then spluttered out, leaving them in total darkness.
* * * * * * * * * *
Slipping out of the driver seat, Xavier
motioned for Abe to switch seats as they waiting patiently to drive across the
border. Curious, Abe did as he was told, figuring Xavier knew better than he
about these things. Not that they were likely to be stopped. Border patrol
really didn't care who was entering
* * * * * * * * * *
AJ and Matt froze, reaching out with
uncertain hands to locate one another. With nothing to light their way they
stumbled, managing to right themselves with each other's help. Kevin's agitated
cry carried to them and Matt shouted back an encouraging reply, ordering him to
stay put. AJ's grip was tight, unwilling to let go for even a second.
"Shit! Matt! I can't see a thing!
What should we do?"
"I'm going to have to feel my way
out, AJ. It's the only thing. I need to get to the freeway, see if I can wave
anybody down for help."
"Let me go," Matt heard AJ say
passionately. "I know this bus better than you, even if it is upside down.
You need to stay here, take care of Brian."
"But I can't see!" protested
Matt. "How can I…AJ!" he yelled in irritation, feeling AJ's fingers
slip away. Listening to AJ's words of "wish me luck", Matt shook his
head. Luck? It was going to take a miracle.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nick tilted his head up to catch the cool
breeze of the desert night, the final drops of rain soothing to his swollen
mouth and jaw. Breathing in great gulps of air through his nose, he willed
himself to think about anything but the agony his face and back was enduring.
Come on Zac! he screamed silently in prayer. You can do it!
Find anybody, anyone, that's all it takes, just one. Straining to listen,
he couldn't seem to hear over the pounding throb that filled his head, his
ears, and now his eyes. He closed them and in an instant a vision flashed
before him, the tumbling of the bus, the wild tangle of arms and legs as everyone
was tossed about. His last view had been of Brian, his body thrown forward
violently. Squeezing his eyes tighter, Nick thrust the picture out of his mind,
beginning another prayer. Come on Brian, you can do it….he began,
repeating it over and over….until a bright light forced him to open his eyes.
* * * * * * * * *
AJ used Kevin's light moans as a guide as
he crawled nearer, careful to watch his head after painfully bumping it into
something. He felt a small trick of blood course down the back of his neck and
he ignored it, moving on, his nimble fingers showing
him the way. He passed Kevin with words of support as he wove his way to the
back of the bus. Just a little more, that's it, AJ coaxed to himself,
knowing he was close as he smelled the stagnant air become cooler, fresher.
"Matt, I'm almost there!" he
yelled excitedly, hearing the crunch of the rear window's broken glass under
his feet. Wondering why Matt didn't reply, AJ didn't have time to ask again as
the bus's interior exploded with an intense brilliance, massive beams directed
at him, through him, above him, flooding everything with wonderful, glorious
light.
* * * * * * * * * *
Strong arms pulled him easily out, into
the illuminated brightness of flood lights, blinking, swirling colors of red
and blue intermixed. AJ wavered for an instant at the intensity, shielding his
eyes as his mind fought to make sense of the shouting commands and tense
replies of unknown people. He turned away from the light, back to view the
window, watching in amazement as several paramedics crawled through the
opening. Gaping in disbelief and wonderment, AJ felt several hands tugging at
him, coaxing him away, but he would have none of it, shaking off their
assistance angrily.
"No!" he shouted, twisting. He
stumbled into another person, feeling the stranger grab onto his shoulder.
"AJ!"
AJ saw Zac holding him, an excited smile
lighting up his face. "Come on, come over here, out of the way!" Zac
led him gently a few yards away, out of the mad rush of firemen, paramedics and
police, all trying in mass to set up a makeshift search and rescue.
Eyes adjusting to the harsh glare of
emergency lights, AJ waved off a concerned paramedic with a harsh, "I'm
fine", pointing to the bus. "Please, please, get them out!"
Zac gave an okay nod to the medic, stating
he'd stay with AJ. The paramedic took off, lost in a sea of uniformed men.
"Holy shit!" exhaled Zac,
flabbergasted at the number of emergency vehicles, the amount of policemen and
EMTs, the magnitude of the whole thing. He had never seen such a massive and
intense rescue as this. Standing next to AJ, he watched wide-eyed, disbelief
and suspicion growing by leaps and bounds. Turning, Zac frowned, looking at the
disheveled man before him.
"Hey, just who the hell are you guys,
anyway?"
* * * * * * * * * *
The Border Patrolman slouched
nonchalantly, one hand rested comfortably on top of the truck cab, the other
hitched on his hip, next to his gun. His demeanor calm, his eyes not, the guard
coolly scrutinized the two occupants inside.
Abe tried to act indifferent, but he
wasn't much of an actor and began to sweat as the patrolman indicated with a
finger to roll the window down. Damn Xavier! What had he gotten them into
this time? Abe shot a quick glance at Xavier, who, by all accounts, seemed
bored and motioned for him to do what the guard wanted.
Abe hurriedly lowered the window, trying
to ignore the nervous tic in the corner of his eye. "Officer?"
The Border Patrolman said nothing for a
moment, his gaze roaming the interior of the truck. "Got into a
fight?" he finally asked, his voice butter-smooth.
Xavier blinked once and slightly smiled.
"More like a bus crash, officer."
The guard perked up. "Crash? Where? I
didn't hear anything about it."
Xavier smiled once more. "You
will." Reaching over, Xavier handed the young patrolman his ID card.
"I'm a bodyguard for the Backstreet Boys. Their bus overturned. Huge
accident."
Taken aback, the guard frowned.
"Looks like you need medical treatment. How come you're here crossing the
border so late at night?"
Handing over another ID, Xavier watched as
the suspicious guard scanned it.
"Dual-citizenship," explained
Xavier evenly. "And yes, I do need medical help but I would rather seek it
in
The patrolman snorted in disgust,
understanding all too well how notoriously incompetent
As the truck began to pull away, Xavier
waved his hand casually, turning away to hide his sneer. "Yeah, I hope
nothing bad happens to AJ. He's my favorite too."
* * * * * * * * * *
"Look!" said Zac with a gentle
poke, tearing AJ's attention away from Nick, who was being attended to by the
paramedics. Turning in the direction of Zac's pointed
finger, AJ saw Howie being carefully lifted out through the back window,
strapped down to a body board. With a quick squeeze to Nick's hand, AJ rushed
over, desperate for a closer look.
Howie's head was turned his way, his eyes
closed, a large bruise now visible on the side of his face and temple. Forcing
down the fear that rose in his throat, AJ tried to capture one of the EMT's attention, shouting his concern, but was overshadowed
by the sudden wind and noise of two Air-Vac
helicopters touching down a few hundred yards away. Anxiously trailing behind,
AJ stepped back as a swarm of medics surrounded Howie, shouts and yells of
urgent medical orders too complicated for AJ to follow. Turning to Zac with
bleak despair, Zac could only shrug back helplessly, offering a consoling hand
as they both stood and watched.
A sudden flurry of commotion behind them
caused AJ and Zac to turn around simultaneously, the horizontal body of Kevin
being the next to be transported out of the crushed bus. AJ ran over, heedless
of Zac's concerned shout, disregarding the displeased
cries of the paramedics to stand back. Kevin's eyes were squeezed shut, the
pain evident by the creases lined tight around the corners of his mouth.
"Kevin!" yelled AJ, shaking off
a medic's hand. "Kevin!"
With supreme effort, Kevin opened his
eyes, seeing AJ peering down at him. "Bone," he said exhaustedly,
"did they get Howie out?"
"Yeah, yeah they did. They're working
on him right now, Kevin."
"Good … good," Kevin replied,
his voice fading. "What about Nick?"
"I'm here, Kevin."
Shocked, AJ saw Nick standing beside him,
his forehead swathed in a bandage, a blanket wrapped securely around him.
"Nick…" began AJ but stopped,
seeing Nick holding up his hand in protest.
"I'll be okay, AJ," he promised,
his blue eyes dulled from the painkillers administered. "I'm leaving for
the hospital just as soon as they Air-Vac Howie and
Kevin out." Nick studied Kevin for a moment, watching as the paramedics
readied him for flight. Quickly weaving his fingers through Kevin's, he
squeezed Kevin's hand encouragingly for a brief instant before their hands were
pried apart, the medics flocking around their patient to transfer him to the
awaiting helicopter.
Both AJ and Nick moved back, taking it all
in: the glare of the unforgiving search lights, the orange shapes cones
outlining the perimeters, the policemen as they talked excitedly into their
walkie-talkies, their neon jackets reflecting eerily off the headlights of
slow-moving traffic. Adding to their disorientation was the high-pitched whine
of blades, the helicopter vibrating impatiently for take off. Shielding their
eyes from the buffeting winds, AJ and Nick watched as the helicopter rose
gracefully in the air, banked and headed north, disappearing quickly into the
night. Still too stunned by the whole event, it took Nick and AJ a few moments
to comprehend what Zac was shouting at them.
"Come on! Come on! They're bringing
your friend out!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Xavier stroked his jaw lightly, not sure
if the painkillers he took were having any effect whatsoever. Pissed, it took
every ounce of his willpower to keep from screaming out in frustration. Another
delay, another setback, another glitch in his desire to get back on track.
Irritated, he glanced at Abe, who was now weaving through the traffic of
Sighing heavily, he barked instructions at
Abe. Xavier's hostile outburst took Abe by surprised and he glanced at him
curiously.
"What?"
Xavier rolled his eyes exasperatedly, the
slight movement sending jagged ripples of pain throughout his face and jaw.
"I said, hurry! I need to find the nearest open pharmacy!"
"Huh?"
"Jesus Christ! Are you deaf? There!
Right there! Pull into there!" shouted Xavier harshly as he saw the red
glow of an open store.
Startled by Xavier's violent insult, Abe
did as he was told, cutting wildly across the lane to reach his goal. The
deafening screech of hydrolic brakes filled their
ears, the blinding light of oncoming headlights filled their view, and with a
sickening realization Xavier turned his head at the last minute to see that the
semi had no time, no time at all in which to avoid smashing violently into the
small truck.
* * * * * * * * *
Racing over to where Brian was being
worked on, Matt managed to stop AJ and Nick with a violent shake of his head,
thrusting his hands out, barring them from getting closer.
"Stop!" he ordered, his voice
shaky but firm in conviction. "Don’t get near. Let the paramedics work on
him, give them some space!"
Nick stared at him for a brief moment and
then shoved past him, AJ following suit. Standing as close as they dare, Nick
and AJ fairly screamed with nervous worry, their agonized faces peering down
over the heads of the paramedics.
Brian’s face was turned towards them,
small bubbles of bright red edging the corner of his mouth, his hand dangling
limply as the medics rushed to hook him up to an IV. Curt, brief words were
spoken between the two paramedics, a medical shorthand that only they seemed to
understand as the others watched haplessly on. AJ spared a quick look at Matt
and Zac standing a few feet away, Matt’s face filled with alarm.
"You know, you know what they
are saying," said AJ, his fear increasing ten-fold. Matt took a few steps forward,
his eyes never leaving the paramedics as he nodded silently.
"Your friend there is hurt bad,"
began Matt solemnly, " I had to administer CPR on the bus. He regained
consciousness for just a minute and then passed out again. By what they are
saying," he nodded at the medics, "Brian has severe internal
injuries. They are trying to stabilize him for transport."
"So why aren’t they?" cried
Nick. "Why aren’t they putting him on the helicopter?"
Matt seemed to be in a daze, not hearing
what Nick demanded, his attention focused on the scene before him.
"What?" yelled AJ, his gut
tightening in terror at Matt’s expression. "What?" He took in the
paramedics, Brian’s still form, then glanced back to Matt again, shaking his
arm with fury. "What?!"
Matt blinked, his face a mixture of
sorrow, surprise, and fear. "Level One Trauma," he said simply, as if
that explained it all.
Nick would have nothing of Matt’s vague
explanation and towered over him, terrified and angry. "What the hell are
you talking about? What’s going on? What’s going on?"
"Level One Trauma is for severely
injured patients," said Matt. "Not many hospitals have that kind of
specialized care. They’re trying to decide where to fly him."
"So?" cried Nick, now furious.
"So, fly him to the hospital that has it!"
Matt raised his eyes to Nick, a sadness so
deep it shook both AJ and Nick. "Nick," he said softly, "it
won’t matter. Brian isn’t going to make it."
***
