Jackson watched the two men carrying the injured man. He’d made them take numerous breaks during the trip and they were just cresting the final hill of their journey when Sanchez stumbled, his hold on the board slipping as he slid to the ground.
Vin Tanner moved quickly and grabbed the edge of the board just as Sanchez felt it slip from his hands. The younger man struggled to keep himself and the board in a straight line with Buck Wilmington. Another pair of hands soon joined his as Nathan Jackson grabbed and helped steady the board.
JD and Ezra soon had their hands on there as well and they finally steadied the board and gently placed it on the ground.
Jackson released his hold and checked the blond. He didn’t seem to have moved during the ordeal. ‘Thank God,’ he thought as he turned to the man lying on the ground. “Josiah, are you all right?”
“I think so, Brother. I just stumbled on a rock or something. How is Chris?” he asked worriedly.
“He’s fine for now. Vin managed to catch the end as it slipped from your hands. We kept him from any real jarring so I think he’s ok,” Jackson answered. “Can you walk?”
“I’ll have to check. Give me a hand,” Sanchez said.
“Al right but go slow,” the medic reached down and pulled the man to his feet.
Sanchez held Jackson’s arm as he took the first tentative step on the swollen appendage. He gasped as he put his full weight on it and Nathan helped him sit back down.
“Josiah, you stay here until we get Chris down by the water. Wait till one of us comes back to get you.”
“Al right, Brother Nate,” Sanchez agreed as he waited for the pain to subside.
“JD, Ezra, would you two stay with him?”
“Of course, Mr. Jackson,” Standish said as he sat next to the ex preacher.
“Stay off the foot, Josiah,” Jackson said as he turned back to the unconscious man on the board. “All right, let’s get him down out of here. Buck, can you handle that end?”
“I can, Nathan,” Wilmington said confidently.
“We pick him up on the count of three. Vin, you guide us down. Ladies, you take it easy going down, but stay out of the way,” Jackson ordered. “One, two, three,” he said as he lifted his end and felt Buck do the same. Vin guided the two men and their cargo down the final hill without any more mishaps.
“Buck, I’m going back up to get the others. You stay here and make sure Chris doesn’t try to move. Vin, you get some rest. I’ll be checking your side as soon as I get back down,” Jackson said and not waiting for an answer headed back the way they’d just came.
By nightfall the men and the two ladies were exhausted and in need of rest. Nathan once again checked the injured and only Josiah Sanchez was worse than he’d been. The misplaced step on the rock had successfully broken his ankle and Nathan placed it in a makeshift splint.
Chris had yet to wake up and Nathan was worried about the developing fever. He needed to get a couple of the Tylenol he found in the second first aid kit into him. He watched as Vin Tanner, ignoring his own injury, used a cloth to wash the heated body.
Vin continued to wash the fevered brow and chest. Using the cool water from the pool he gently placed a cloth on the blond’s forehead. A mumbled word caught his attention and he leaned in closer to his friend’s mouth.
“V...Vin,” the word came out as a whispered croak.
“I’m here, Chris,” Tanner said.
“E...everyone ok?”
“We’re all fine, Chris,” Tanner said and signalled Jackson. “He’s awake,” he said as the medic knelt beside the board.
“Hey, Chris, how are you doing?”
“Nathan, what’s w...wrong with my f...feet?”
“What do you mean?” Jackson asked as he opened a packet of two Tylenol tablets.
“I can’t feel em. T...thought they were asleep but I c...can’t feel em anymore,” Larabee said in a panicked voice.
“It’s ok, Chris, You just need to let us look after you and don’t worry about your feet. They are probably just sleeping. Think you can swallow these for me?” Jackson asked as he showed the man the two tablets.
“What’s t...that?” the blond asked.
“Just Tylenol, Chris, it’ll help with the fever you’ve got. Now open up,” Jackson ordered.
Larabee opened his mouth and felt the two tablets placed in his mouth. Nathan held him steady as he poured a small amount of water through the open lips. He was surprised when the blond swallowed without protest. “More?” he asked as he watched the man lick his dry lips. “Don’t move your head just answer yes or no.”
“Yes,” Chris said softly and swallowed a few more sips.
“Chris, I want you to squeeze my fingers as tight as you can,” Jackson ordered as he placed his index and middle fingers in the man’s hands. He smiled when he felt a weak but firm grip. “That’s good, Chris. Now I’m just going to see why your feet are sleeping so much, okay?”
“O...okay,” the injured man answered.
“Chris, can you wiggle your toes for me?” Jackson asked and watched the blond’s face as he concentrated.
“I can’t, Nathan. W...what’s wrong with m...me?”
Nathan didn’t meet the eyes of the younger man or his patient as he examined Chris’s feet. “Must be too much lying down,” he tried to reassure the blond. “That’s probably why your feet are asleep and I think it’s nearly time for the rest of your body to join them.” He’d used a safety pin from the first aid kit and was testing to see if the man could feel it. He hid his worry when there was no reaction from his patient. “But first think you could manage a little broth?” Jackson asked.
“N...not now,” Chris said as he held his body tense against the throbbing pain in his arm.
“Just a little,” Nathan tried as he took the coconut shell from Thelma Strickland.
“Come on, Chris, it’s made with fresh fish Ezra and JD caught,” Tanner told him. “For me,” he pleaded.
“A little,” the blond said as he smiled at the man he considered his brother.
“Great,” Jackson smiled and placed the shell in front of the man’s lips.
Chris sipped the warm liquid and was surprised to find his stomach actually craved it. He drank a little more and then found his eyes closing from fatigue. “Enough,” he muttered. He knew there was something he needed to tell the younger man, but he felt so tired.
Nathan examined the cast on his patient’s arm. The ends were raggedy and soft. Sand was caked on the jagged edges and he worried just what it was doing to the incision. The small amount of swelling had him worried as well. He checked the fingernails and was relieved to see they were still pink signalling that circulation was still good. ‘For the moment at least,’ he thought. He raised his head and met Tanner’s worried eyes, shaking his head at the younger man’s unspoken question. “I don’t know, Vin. We need to get him outta here,” he said as he touched the too hot brow.
“Maybe Buck and I can find something back at the compound. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Vin, you’ve got to take care of yourself,” Jackson said and held up his hand at the expected protest. “I know you’re fine. Look you’ve been shot and even though you think you’re fine it doesn’t mean it’s true. I’m doing all I can to keep all of you healthy. I’ve got enough to worry about with Chris, I don’t need you becoming ill as well.”
“Nathan...”
“No, Vin, you listen to me. I know you’re gonna do what you damn well please come morning, but right now you’ll do as I say. Go get something to eat and get some rest. I’ll look after Chris.”
“But you’re tired too, Nate,” Tanner observed.
“Yes, Vin, I am, and as soon as Ezra or JD wakes up I’ll let them sit with Chris while I get some rest.”
“Nathan,” a woman’s voice intruded on their conversation.
“Yes, Thelma.”
“I’d be glad to sit with him for awhile,” she said. “If it wasn’t for him, Josie and I would’ve been sold to some prostitution ring. I’m grateful for what he did.”
“Thanks, Thelma. See, Vin, there are lots of volunteers for this job,” Jackson said.
“V...Vin, s...sleep,” the blond ordered softly.
“I will if you will, Cowboy,” Tanner answered.
“Okay,” Larabee said, closing his eyes but opening them rapidly as he remembered what he’d wanted to tell the younger man. “I...”
“Go to sleep, Chris,” Jackson ordered.
“N...not yet!. Vin, I h...hid a radio. It’s g...got long range c...capabilities.”
“Where?” Tanner asked, amazed that the man managed to do any of the things he did with the injuries he was suffering from.
“Where you f...found me. There’s a rock, I hid the radio under i...it, behind it,” Larabee said as fatigue and pain won out and he lapsed into unconsciousness.
“He’s an amazing man,” Thelma observed softly.
“That he is, Thelma. Buck and I’ll get the radio first thing tomorrow.”
“Not if you don’t get some rest,” Jackson warned.
“I’m going, Nathan,” Tanner said as he touched his friend’s forehead.
“You too, Nathan, I’ll call if he needs you,” Thelma assured him.
“Thanks,” the medic said as he moved his bone weary body to his blanket and lay down.
“I found it, Buck,” Tanner shouted as he pulled the radio from behind the rocks.
“Thank the Lord,” Wilmington said as he watched the younger man flip open the protective covering and adjust some of the dials. “Is it working?” he asked hopefully.
“Don’t know yet,” Tanner said as he keyed in the emergency broadcast code for the Coast Guard search and rescue operations.
“This gotta work,” Wilmington said as he watched Vin’s hand expertly work the radio.
“Mayday, mayday, Can anyone hear me? Over,” Tanner said into the long-range radio. Nothing but static met his words and he turned the tiny dial again. “Mayday, mayday.”
“This is Coast Guard Search and Rescue operations on Guam. What is your Mayday? Over.”
“We were shipwrecked somewhere northwest of Fiji. We’ve got an injured man who needs immediate medical attention. Over,” Tanner said.
“How many are in your party? What is the nature of the injury? Over.”
“Nine. Injury to the back, arm and ribs. Looks like a piece of knife broke off inside his back. He’s running a high fever and we have no medical supplies. Over.”
“We’re trying to triangulate your location now. I’m going to patch you through to the Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island. We’ll coordinate rescue efforts with them. Over.”
“Thanks. Over,” Tanner said and listened as the transfer was completed.
“This is Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island. Who am I speaking with? Over” the voice came through loud and clear and Vin had to stop himself from shouting out loud.
“Vin Tanner. Over.”
“Mr. Tanner, Base is trying to get a reading on your location. Be advised that there is a storm headed into the area. Over.”
“Damn. How bad? Over.”
“Hurricane force winds, heavy rains. Find shelter in case it hits your area before we find you. Over.”
“Will do. Over,” Tanner answered.
“Keep this channel open. Over.”
“Will do. Over,” Tanner said and turned to his companion. “You heard?”
“Yeah. We’d better head back to the others and find a place to hole up,” Wilmington advised.
“Maybe they’ll get here first,” the sharpshooter said hopefully.
“I hope so, Vin, seems to me we need a little good luck for a change,” Wilmington hissed as the two hurried back to the base.
The overhead sky was still clear when they reached the base camp. Chris, Ezra, Josiah, JD, and Josie, seemed to be sleeping as they entered and Jackson signaled for them to be quiet.
Nathan watched the two men enter the camp and grinned as he spotted the radio in Tanner’s hands. “Did you get someone?” he asked hopefully.
“The Coast Guard is trying to get a fix on our location.”
“That’s great,” Jackson said and noticed the look on Wilmington and Tanner’s faces. “But?”
“But there’s a storm headed this way,” Wilmington answered.
“Will the Coast Guard get here before the storm?” Jackson asked worriedly.
“Don’t know, Nathan. I think we’d better find a place to ride out the storm in case they don’t,” Tanner suggested.
“Vin, you and Buck are worn out. You both need to sit down and eat something,” Jackson ordered.
“There’s no time, Nathan,” Tanner told him as he watched Thelma Strickland bathe the blond’s fevered body. “How is he?”
Jackson glanced in the direction Tanner and Wilmington were looking. “He’s about the same. The faster we get out of here the better,” he told them.
“Has he been awake?” Wilmington asked.
“He was awake long enough to have a drink of water. Didn’t hold it down long though.”
“What about his legs?” Tanner asked.
“No Change. I repeated the test I did last night. He’s still able to grip my hands pretty firmly and with equal pressure. He still can’t wiggle his toes. But he can still feel my hand on his upper leg.”
“He is going to be alright, isn’t he Nathan?” Wilmington’s voice was filled with worry.
“I don’t know, Buck. I’ve done all I can and God knows that’s very little,” Jackson answered.
“You’re doing all you can, Nathan. We all know that,” Tanner said as the radio in his hand crackled to life.
“Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island, are you there Mr. Tanner? Over.”
“Tanner here. Over” Vin answered immediately.
“We’re on the way to your location. ETA one hour, fifteen minutes. Are you on the north or south beach? Over.”
“Closer to the South Beach. There’s a large rock formation surrounding a closed in beach area. That’s where we came ashore. We’re about one to two hours inland. Over.”
“Can you move the injured man to that location? Otherwise you will have to stay there till the storm passes. Over.”
“We’ll move him,” Jackson stated.
“We’ll get him there. Over,” Tanner assured the voice on the other end.
“Continue to keep this channel open, Mr. Tanner. Over”
“Will do. Over,” Tanner answered.
“Nathan, get Chris ready to move. Buck help me get the others up,” Tanner ordered as he took charge.
They left everything they didn’t need at the base and started the journey back to the beach. Buck and Nathan were each holding an end of the lid carrying the still unconscious blond.
Josiah Sanchez leaned heavily on the crutch he’d made out of a bent stick, his other arm draped over Thelma’s shoulder.
JD and Ezra brought up the rear with Josie. Both men were feeling the effects of their own injures as they struggled to climb the hills and get back to the beach.
Vin Tanner led the way back through the path he travelled the first day they woke up on the island. He knew the pirate compound was somewhere to his left and wondered if McHenry would ever be caught.
Almost two hours passed since the group started for the beach and Vin knew they’d have to hurry as the wind picked up. The group topped the final rise and everyone felt like cheering as they spotted the large cutter outside the breakwater and the smaller craft making its way towards the shore.
They were met at the beach by two men and two women. Nathan breathed a sigh
of relief as he noticed the cervical collar and backboard.
“Which one of you is Vin Tanner?” a tall man asked.
“That’s me,” Tanner said as a woman knelt beside Larabee.
“I’m Petty Officer Jack Hendricks. We have to move quickly to get you off. That storm is only an hour or so south of here. We’ll have to make a couple of trips,” Hendricks explained as he looked at the ragtag group of people.
“I’ll stay till the last group,” Tanner stated.
“I’m staying too,” Wilmington said.
“The last group will be Doc, the injured man, and the rest of us. You two can stay until the next trip,” Hendricks said.
“But...”
“Look, Mr. Tanner, I don’t have time to argue,” Hendricks warned as he watched his people help Josiah towards the waiting launch.
“I’m Jessica Turner, I’m the Health Services Chief on the cutter” the medical officer said as she set her kit next to the injured man. Turner was thirty-three years old and loved her assignment to the Galveston Island. She kept her long brown hair in a neat French braid, framing her pretty face and complimenting the color of her brown eyes. She was fit and took pride in the workouts that kept her five foot four inch frame at one hundred and forty five pounds. Her trained eyes took in the bedraggled group and she could tell none of them were in dire need of medical treatment, except the unconscious man lying before her.
The medic watched as the woman began removing equipment from the bag. “Nathan Jackson, I’ve got full training as an EMT.”
“That’s great. I’ll be glad for the help. What’s his name, Nathan?” Turner asked.
“Chris Larabee.”
“Chris, can you hear me?” Turner tried as she examined the patient’s eyes. There was no response from the blond as she glanced at Jackson. “Has he been conscious at all?” she asked.
“Not since before we contacted you. Even then it was only for a couple of minutes. He’s been running one hell of a fever as well.”
“What about his back. I was told there’s a piece of a knife blade still in there. How is it affecting him?”
“He started complaining that his feet were asleep, then his legs felt numb. I tried to get him to wiggle his toes but he couldn’t do it. His hand grip is still pretty firm and he seems to be applying equal pressure,” Jackson explained as Turner finished checking the vitals.
“Any loss of bladder control?”
“No,” Jackson answered.
“Any allergies?”
“No.”
“Alright, let’s get the cervical collar on him and put him on the backboard. We need to get him ready for transport. Jack, contact the boat and have them radio ahead for a chopper,” Turner said and knew without looking her orders were being carried out.
Buck sat beside Vin and watched the two people working on his oldest friend. There was something vulnerable about the blond that he hadn’t seen since the deaths of Larabee’s wife and son. His eyes watered as he remembered the terrible feeling of loss, not only for the two people who died but for the loss of his friend.
“Jack, can you give us a hand here?” Turner asked.
“I can do it,” Tanner said as he positioned himself next to the backboard.
“Vin, sit down,” Jackson ordered. “Help is here and it’s time you realized that you don’t need to do it all yourself.”
Vin Tanner hated when he had to admit to his own weakness. He struggled to ignore the annoying pain in his side. He was successful until that moment when it sank in that Jackson was right. Help was here and because of his friend’s selfless sacrifices they were all getting off the island alive, not well, but alive. Instinctively his hand went to his side as he actually felt the pain from his wound.
He listened as Turner counted one, two, three and they expertly performed the Logroll move to put Chris onto the backboard. His worry for his ‘brother’ continued to escalate as there was no movement from the older man.
“Is he ok, Nathan?” Tanner asked as the EMT examined the injured man.
“I don’t know, Vin,” Jackson answered.
“Nathan, I’m going to set up two IV’s?” Turner explained as she reached into her kit.
“What do you want me to do?” Jackson asked.
“I think you’d better take a look at him,” Turner ordered as she noticed the grimace on the younger man’s face.
“Whoa, Vin, easy there, Pard,” Wilmington caught the younger man as he sagged against him.
“God Damnit, Tanner, why the hell didn’t you say something?” Jackson hissed as he removed the gauze and saw the angry red wound.
“I...I.”
“Forget it. You and Chris are cut from the same cloth. Two fools who don’t know when to admit they’re human. Buck hold him still while I clean this,” Jackson snapped.
“As soon as you three are ready we’ll move you to the boat,” Hendricks told Jackson, Wilmington, and Tanner.
“Just give me a minute to finish cleaning this,” Jackson said, indicating the wound in Vin’s side.
“You’d better hurry. That winds picking up and the storm’s gaining momentum,” Hendricks ordered.
“Done,” Jackson said as he taped the gauze in place. He watched as Jessica Turner prepared to set up a second IV on the injured blond. He wanted to stay and help, but knew there’d be no room in the tiny launch. He helped Tanner to his feet. With Buck on one side and Jackson on the other they helped the younger man to the launch.
Vin kept turning his head, keeping his friend in sight the whole time. Even when the launch moved out into the breakwater Vin Tanner’s eyes were glued to the scene on the beach.
Hendricks watched the launch reach the boat, unload the passengers, and begin its return trip. “How’s it going, Doc?” he asked.
“Almost ready, Jack,” Turner
told him. “Just have to finish securing the IV.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Not good. His blood pressure’s low, his temperature’s too high, and from what Jackson said he’s losing some of the sensation in his lower body. He needs to be in a hospital as soon as possible before the blade in his back does any more damage.”
“The captain just informed me they won’t be able to send out a chopper to pick him up. That storm’s going to be on top of us any minute,” Hendricks warned as the craft pulled in to the shore.
“Damn, guess we’d better get him to the boat and strapped into a bunk,” Turner said.
“I’ll take this end,” Hendricks said as he, Turner and another man carried the downed man to the launch.
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