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.”
Chapter 8
RENEE HAD PRETTY much marshaled the troops by the time I got into
the room. Her aura was calmer than I’d seen it since she picked me up, and I
almost forgot my urgency as I took in the sight. She was one of those special
people who shone in a crisis. That was when her true heroic nature seemed to
come bursting out of her and there was no doubt that she was a natural born
leader.
I cleared my throat as I realized that, sometime during my
daydreaming, Renee had turned to look at me, along with the rest of the guys
present.
“Did you manage to get supplies too?” Renee asked. Her smile
lifted the corners of her lips and filled her aura. She was pretty impressed
with my gaggle of volunteers and their offerings.
I shook my head, hoping nobody would see me blush in response.
“What’s wrong?” Her grey eyes tracked over mine. Her aura rumbled
like a towering storm cloud.
“Charlie,” I said, turning to McKinley. “He’s a deputy, right?”
McKinley nodded, his misery poured off him. “Poor guy was on the
way home.” He looked at the rescue team. “Took the hit hard.”
“He’s alive,” I announced, earning myself some shocked looks in
return. “I can find him but I need an ATV to carry him back, a medical person .
. . to . . . er assist me and that St. Bernard.”
The five strapping brothers once again puffed out their chests.
“Evan has been training Duke since he was a pup,” one of them
announced, pushing forward the smallest. “If anyone can find him, Duke and Evan
can.”
I looked at Evan who was just a nose shorter than me and gripped
his shoulder. “Welcome aboard.” I glanced around the room for show. “I think
the doctor should stay in the field hospital. I’ll take Doc Llys here with me.”
“I’m Mark Jenson,” the man from the ski shop said. “I’ll take you
down on the ATV.”
“Will it cause another avalanche?” I asked the rescue team.
“Could do,” one guy answered. “But there’s no way you’ll get down
there that won’t.” He shrugged. “Even animals and skiers can set off a run.”
Reassuring
.
As if nearly being buried alive once wasn’t enough
.
Renee’s warning look made me stand up that much straighter. I was
supposed
to
be a cold weather expert.
“Right,” I said, clearing my throat. “We ready?”
“How about the food and water provisions?” Renee asked. “The
essential
things for the cold.”
“That’s all sorted,” I lied. “Mark here is outfitting us, right?”
He nodded and I tried not to show the relief that thudded through me. “And
Martha and Earl will have food and water.”
“Don’t you think freeze dried would be better?” Renee asked again.
“Easier to carry and the high energy supplements would help?”
Like heck did I know, so I nodded.
Renee must have seen the panic on my face as she turned to Mark
Jenson. “Do you have them?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I am always stocked up for ski season.”
“Guess we’re lucky it ain’t then,” I said, earning myself another
glare from Renee. Note to self. When I ain’t got the foggiest what is going on,
I should shut up. “Just kidding,” I said with a smile, making most of the room
laugh.
As we headed to the ski shop, Renee hung back with me. I didn’t
need to be an empath to know that she was going to give me an earful.
“Did you pay any attention to Ursula . . . at all?” she muttered.
Then she turned to me, her hands on her hips. “And why an ATV? Why not a
snowmobile?”
“I kinda lost the thread after the three hours of safety stuff . .
. I ain’t built for learning.”
Renee scowled at me. I was pretty sure that she would start poking
me in the shoulder any second. “You
are
, you taught yourself to play the
violin like Vanessa Mae.” She poked me in the ribs. “You just have no attention
span for the things that don’t interest you.”
“Yeah, well. Being a superhero was never in my game plan.” I
smiled at a couple of well-wishers as we headed down the street. “I never
thought I’d get out of—”
Renee placed her finger over my lips. “Not here.”
I sighed. There are lots of things that I ain’t good at and lying,
concealing the truth, whatever you want to call it is one of them. “Why can’t
we just tell the sheriff what you are and then you can lead?”
Renee stopped us both and pulled me around by the shoulders.
“Listen to me. Under no circumstances, and I mean none whatsoever, are you to
utter a word to anyone.”
“But—”
“I mean it, Aeron.” Renee’s eyes blazed with intensity, making me
want to look anywhere but at her. “There is nothing, bar national security,
that warrants anyone knowing.”
“National security?” I asked. “As in—”
“
Nothing
you need to think about.” She sighed and motioned
to the busy main street filled with folks hurrying back and forth as they
pitched in to help. “Look, even if you told these people what we were, they
wouldn’t understand.” She smiled as another couple of folks wished us well.
“And even if they did . . .” She looked at the shop door as Mark Jenson stood
waiting for us. “If they did know what it meant, they could get hurt or worse.”
“Bill and Kay knew back in Oppidum,” I argued, not willing to let
this drop. Lives were on the line. “You told them yourself.”
“Yes,” Renee said in a long breath. “And that was for national
security reasons.”
“You were saving my butt,” I said. “How is that anything to do
with it?”
Renee bit her bottom lip. Again there was that barrier between her
wanting to come clean with me and be truthful and her protocols. The CIG made
me dizzy with them.
“Let me guess,” I muttered, starting to walk toward the shop. “You
can’t tell me, it’s none of my business . . . blah, blah, blah.”
I didn’t give her a chance to come up with an excuse and headed
into the shop with my temper simmering like a hot pot. I was meant to be part
of the team, only the last six months had been filled with me being told that
the military side could keep me in the dark whenever they felt like it. I, on
the other hand, had to share everything whether I wanted to or not. I was
getting pretty damn tired of it.
“Okay, fit me up,” I said to the girl behind the counter. “Act
like I don’t know nothin’ and just get me what I’ll need.” I turned to the rest
of the group. “Evan, where’s your buddy?”
Evan smiled. “Benny just went to get him.”
“Mark, where are the ATVs?”
Mark thumbed to the back of the shop as Renee slipped through the
doorway. “Out back. Brian is checking them over to make sure they are ready.”
“Doctor Llys,” I said, acting like I didn’t want to yell at her.
“I want you to organize the folks into teams.” I walked toward the back to fend
off any objections. “I’m gonna get myself ready.”
Ten minutes later I was looking and feeling like I was ready to
trek to the polar ice caps. Renee had somehow gotten suited up while I was
fighting my way into my outfit. I guess that short people had it kinda easy.
I led the team out onto the street and took a look at the ATVs
ready and waiting for us. I hadn’t answered her question as to why I chose them
over snowmobiles. The answer was simple. Snowmobiles didn’t back up and, to me,
they were way too dangerous. There was a reason why there was a higher
percentage of deaths on those things than in automobile accidents. I frowned at
my own thought process. Where the heck had I learned that? I could see Renee
casting a wary glance my way and got my answer. Ursula Freaking-Franken-Frei
that’s where.
“Doc Llys,” I said, ignoring the look. “You drive Evan, Duke, and
me down.”
I didn’t wait for confirmation as I figured it would look better
if I acted confident. I felt anything but, me and anything electrical are as
compatible as ice and fire. Only difference with me is that things tend to
explode.
Renee took charge without so much as a glare and soon the
caterpillar tracks were making light work of the snow. Duke and Evan who sat in
the trailer behind us looked like they were off on an excursion. I guessed that
snow-based drama was pretty average for the locals.
“We need to make sure that they think Duke is tracking the deputy,”
Renee called over her shoulder to me. I held on to her skinny waist and I tried
not to fall as we rode over a hump of snow.
“You got to distract Evan long enough for me to talk to Duke,” I
told her.
“Talk to the dog?”
“Yeah,” I answered, ignoring her shaking her head at me. “It’s the
easiest way to get him onside.”
“Freaky, that’s what you are . . . Freaky,” I heard her mumble. It
wasn’t the first time she’d said it and I doubted it’d be the last.
“Either way,” I said. “Dazzle the kid until I can chat up furry.”
Her laughter rumbled all the way through me like a blast of
warmth. I don’t think I’d heard her let out such a roar of happiness since
she’d picked me up.
“So you
are
still in there,” I said. “Good to know.”
I got a mouthful of snow a second later as we rounded a corner.
“Bet you did that on purpose.”
Her silence was all the response I needed.