When Ordinary Isn't Ch. 06

"Officer! Close the eastbound lane and shoulder!" said one of its occupants.

The deputy jumped back in his cruiser and did as he was asked, protecting all of them from the idiotic drivers who were trying to dangerously pass the scene in both directions.

It took the two EMTs several minutes to physically stabilize the arm and immobilize it in an expanding foam splint. Only then could they transfer him to a gurney and load him into the ambulance to get his IV infusion started.

"Doctor, are you coming with us?"

"You bet I am, but you need to know I'm not licensed in Texas so I'm acting under Good Samaritan laws, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. Absolutely. I'm sure we can manage this from here, but it might help him if something else goes wrong en route," he said, helping her into the back of the ambulance after the gurney had been anchored. Though the lead EMT had carefully listened to Peggy's assessment, he began performing his own in the much better-lit interior.

"Where are you going?" Eric asked.

"Wichita County Medical. Follow the highway west and take the first exit you see after the city limits sign that has the hospital marker on it. That's the one."

"Okay," Eric said. "I'll meet you there, Peggy!" he yelled as they shut the rear doors.

The truck accelerated away with sirens blaring. The fire engine went the opposite direction without lights or sirens.

The deputy drove his cruiser back to the Jeep. "I'll go to the ranch and check on the folks there," he said.

"I appreciate it. Thank you."

"Sure thing. And don't chase the ambulance. I don't want to hear of another wreck tonight," he said with a commanding expression.

Eric arrived at the hospital about fifteen minutes after Peggy and Mickey had. He parked in Emergency parking and entered the building through the same doors arriving patients used.

He saw Peggy coming out of a set of double doors. She was a mess but had a calm bearing about her.

"Is he alright?" Eric asked, closing the distance rapidly.

"They just took him to the OR. They have both a vascular and orthopedic surgeon waiting for him.

"He's been in the tourniquet a little over an hour and fifteen minutes already. Getting blood circulating through his arm will be their priority. Then they'll probably take him for a full CT. The firmness in his abdomen indicates possible internal bleeding which a CT might confirm. He'll be in surgery at least three or four hours, I imagine. It's going to take a week or more until a long-term outlook becomes a little clearer.

"By itself, a fracture like his usually isn't a big deal, but he lost a lot of blood. What was his name? Dalton? Whoever he was, he did the right thing by putting the tie-down around his arm, but he didn't get it as tight as it needed to be. But it at least slowed the blood loss and kept him alive."

"Yeah," was all Eric could think to say.

"Come on. Let's go back," she said. "I really need to get cleaned up. Look at me. I'm an absolute wreck."

He argued with her. He wanted to stay and wait for news.

"Eric, listen to me, honey. There's no reason to stay here. I asked the nurses to send me an update as soon as they have one, okay?" she said with her hand softly on his shoulder.

She added, "Mickey was lucky. If Dalton hadn't found him and placed that tourniquet when he did, we would be having a very different conversation. Ten minutes longer would have been too long."

When they arrived at the ranch, they passed a utility truck at the entrance to the property and saw the power had been restored to the ranch house and telephone pole lights. The deputy was still there, talking with Dalton and Izzie. Dalton had Sophie on her leash.

"Is Mickey okay?" Izzie asked anxiously.

Peggy answered. "He was when we left. His surgeons will know more tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be working until at least one or two o'clock, but because Dalton had the presence of mind to put that strap on his arm, he's alive. He received enough fluids in the ambulance and ER to get his blood pressure back up and his pulse down."

Dalton said, "I saw it coming out of his arm, ma'am! It was the only thing I could think of to do!"

"You absolutely did the right thing," Peggy reassured him.

Eric wisely distracted him. "What's the status here?"

Dalton said, "It looks like your house took the brunt of the damage. Almost all the windows are out, the garage is about gone, and most of the roof is pretty chewed up. Half of the west side of the house is almost down to the concrete. The generator got crushed, and the power meter has been torn out, too. I shut off the water and propane tank, just in case.

"The hangar is in good condition other than one of the doors coming off its roller track. We'll move it out of the way first thing in the morning so someone doesn't accidentally run over it. With three or four guys, we should be able to re-hang it. The barn isn't bad, either, but one corner of the roof is pulled up.

"The ranch house is pretty much okay. Lost a few hundred square feet of shingles on the east side, and one window got knocked out.

"The stables and tack room are fine, as are all the horses there. We're going to have to wait until daylight to check all the pastures, but I did check on Lucky and Starlet. They're both safe."

"Good," Eric said. "You were the one to find Mickey. Do you have any idea what happened to him?"

"I can only guess, sir. I drove out that way," he pointed, "and saw the ATV, like, in a ball, and upside down about fifty yards into the field. That's when I found him in a bar ditch. Thank God he was wearing his safety vest because I doubt I would've seen him if not for the reflective stripes. I'm thinking maybe he took cover in the ditch and the wind blew the ATV on top of him before it went into the pasture."

Eric looked at Peggy.

"His injuries are consistent with something like that."

"Deputy, is it safe to go in the houses?" Eric asked.

"If you watch your step, it should be stable enough for you to go in and get whatever you need out of there if you can reach it without moving loose framing around. The ranch house should be fine as long as it doesn't rain again."

"Damn. You've got to be back home tomorrow, don't you?" he asked Peggy.

"Screw it. You look like you need all the help you can get right now. I'm suddenly not feeling very well, you know? Dr. G. can eff himself."

"Deputy, where are you stationed?" Eric asked.

"Montague, sir, but I'm heading back to Wichita Falls. That's where I live."

"I need to leave the Jeep here because they might need it. I know you're not a taxi service, but is there any way Doctor Foreman and I could trouble you for a lift to a hotel? I think there's a couple in Henrietta."

"There's one. My shift ended twenty minutes ago, so I'd be happy to. I'll wait while y'all get whatever you need and get cleaned up a little," he said, pointing at Eric's and Peggy's blood-stained clothing.

"Oh, bless you." Eric smiled wearily.

"Mister Eric, we can make room for you and Doctor Peggy in the house, I am sure," Izzie suggested.

"I know you could, Izzie, and I sincerely thank you for offering, but you don't need to. I'm sure everyone's exhausted. I suggest you all try to get some sleep. I think Peggy and I will use the showers there before we leave, though."

"Okay." She smiled weakly.

Peggy and Eric went back into the main house. Three of the four bedrooms had water standing in them to varying degrees. There were mats of wet insulation and chunks of gypsum board littering them, as well as shards of glass from broken windows.

They were each able to find a set of clean clothing and decided to leave the rest behind. They walked back to the ranch house, took showers, threw away their bloodied clothes, then departed the property with the deputy.

It was almost one o'clock when he deposited them at the hotel.

"Good night, sir, ma'am. Please let me know if you need anything. I'll check in over there whenever I can."

"You know, I never got your name," Eric said.

"Wayne Simmons, sir," he replied, handing him a contact card.

"Good night, and thank you for the ride, Deputy Simmons," Eric said, shaking his hand.

"Does this place make you feel rooted?" Peggy chuckled after the deputy had driven his cruiser away and they'd entered the lobby of a low-key motel.

They were met by a pimple-faced teenager who struggled to figure out how to check them into a room because there was no reservation already in the system. Twenty minutes later, they crashed into a bed which was far more comfortable than either expected, and were fast asleep from exhaustion.