Rapid Descent

Part 3

Everything was cold.  From the top of his head to the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet, he was cold. 

Roy longed for the warmth of a steaming bath, the heat of Joanne’s body curled up next to his own, an old quilt in front of a fireplace . . .  Even the raging flames of a three-alarm fire, anything that would take this cold away.   

Somewhere, he heard voices.  Johnny had been there.  He had talked to Johnny.  He had felt the man shivering as he touched him.  Johnny had been in the river too.  Was he okay?  Roy just didn’t know.  

The voices were close, calling out to him, demanding his attention.  He tried to answer, but he couldn’t make any sounds.  The voices were a blur, something about warm clothes.  That would be good.    

Suddenly, the little warmth he had was gone.  Roy forced his eyes open.  He tried to look around to see who had taken his blanket, but hands held his head, keeping him from moving.  Though he could see figures, he couldn’t discern details.  He wanted to talk, but he couldn’t find his voice.  

Something was put under his neck, as the hands continued to hold his head.  A pillow of some sort?  Some rolled up clothing?  The extra support felt good until it was wrapped around the front of his throat and secured.  What the hell is going on?  He began to struggle to escape, and the hands held him more securely. 

One voice now took on an urgent tone, a demanding tone.  Cap.

 “Roy, stop! It’s okay!”

Something about a C collar.  Why? There was no injury to his neck, was there?  Was that the answer?  Was he really cold, or was this what it felt like to break your neck? 

His head secure, multiple hands now reached beneath him and slowly raised him to a sitting position.

Damn! He heard the scream and knew that he had found his vocal chords.  The excruciating pain started in his left arm and shoulder, and shot across his chest, branching off up to his head and down toward his legs.  My neck isn’t broken.

“Easy there, pal.  We’ll make this quick.  Hang in there.”   Cap again.

Roy’s heart bounded as his body throbbed.  Why are they doing this?  

The life vest was slid easily from his right shoulder.  Hands were holding his left arm, trying to keep it stable.  They shifted and the life vest was gone.  Still being held upright, Roy opened his eyes again.  The man in front of him had scissors and was carefully cutting the material of his jacket.  Who is that?  The blurred image remained silent and focused, but another voice spoke.

“Hang tough.  … warmer …. no time.”  He didn’t catch every word, but he knew the voice.  Chet.

The spray jacket was gone, the wet suit unzipped, the shoulders cut open.  There was a pause in the action.  He waited for the scissors to cut the rest of the suit, but they didn’t.  Instead the suit was peeled down, away from his body. His shoulder moved and the agony shot through his chest. 

The scream again escaped.  Every nerve was on fire now. Oh, God!  Damn! 

Then everything stopped. There was a hand on his face.  A familiar voice. 

“Guess the pain’s back, huh?  Probably doesn’t help much to tell ya that’s a good sign.”

Johnny. 

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the dark eyes of his partner.

“Hurts…” he managed to get out. 

“I know.  I’m sorry.”

The voice hesitated then began again. 

“This part’s the worst.  Then it will get better.  I promise.  Hang in there.  Try to stay with us.”

Roy felt the hand press against his face before it shifted to his shoulder. He closed his eyes and tried to brace himself.  There was no way he could have been prepared.  The pain tore through his body, and he fell mercifully into darkness.

++++++++++

He’s out.

Johnny cursed himself at having stopped the first attempt to remove the wet suit.  Cap and Doug had known what they were doing.  If he’d let it continue, he wouldn’t have had to put Roy through it a second time.  But that scream…

Now in dry clothing himself, Johnny was all the more aware of the urgency to get Roy out of his river gear.  Determined to take advantage of what he hoped would only be a few minutes of unconsciousness, Johnny barked out orders. 

“Cap, Doug, pull the suit down as far as you can, then lay him back down.  Chet, get his sneakers off.  Marco, get me the rest of the dry sleeping bags.” 

Roy was lowered back to the ground and Johnny carefully lifted his hips while Doug and Cap pulled at the wet suit, turning it inside out as they peeled it off Roy’s lower body.  Not yet sure of his hands, Johnny handed the scissors to Cap. 

“You do it.  I’m still a little shaky.”

Cap made quick work of the task, and in minutes Roy was free of all his wet clothing, including his bathing suit.  It left him wearing nothing.  Johnny took the opportunity to do a quick visual assessment, as the crew quickly dried Roy off and carefully lifted him onto a dry sleeping bag. 

Roy’s skin was red with the cold.  He still lay disturbingly still.  His left arm was swollen, bruised, and slightly misshapen just below the shoulder.   A complex fracture of the humerus.  Not enough bruising for damage to the brachial artery, but we’ll have to watch. Damn, I wonder if it was displaced when he first broke it, or if we did that.  Johnny pushed that thought away.  They had done what was necessary to get Roy out of the river, to save his life.

“Let’s get a couple of sleeping bags over him,” Johnny said to anyone.  “He looks a little ridiculous lying here in nothing but a woolen hat.”

But as Chet and Cap put the sleeping bags in place, Johnny suddenly interfered.  Pulling the bags back again, away from Roy’s leg, he looked at the sleeping bag on the ground and the red stain that was not so slowly spreading outward from just below his knee. 

“Damn!  How the hell did I miss that?”  Johnny began barking out orders.  “I need bandages.  Do we have anything like hot water bottles yet?  Someone check the wet suit and the first sleeping bag he was on.  Was he bleeding this bad before?”

Johnny made sure that only Roy’s leg was uncovered as he grabbed a bandage and began to apply pressure to the wound that was now bleeding profusely.  Doug appeared with an armful of water bottles full of steaming water, at the same time that Cap appeared with some answers.

“There’s some blood on the other sleeping bag, but not much.  The wet suit’s torn on the leg, and there’s a little blood there.  Nothing like this, though.  Did we do this when we moved him?”

Johnny did not respond, other than to grab Cap’s hand and pull him down next to him. 

“Hold this, tight.  Use as much pressure as you can.  I don’t want to have to use a tourniquet.  I really don’t want to impede the blood flow to his leg.” 

Johnny watched long enough to assure that Cap had a strong hold before he turned to Doug.

“Help me put those in place.”

Johnny knew he didn’t need to tell Doug where the make shift hot water bottles needed to go.  Quickly the two men placed the warm bottles on Roy’s abdomen, cradled in his armpits, and on his chest. 

Johnny saw Cap cringe as the last two bottles were placed between Roy’s legs, up against his groin. 

“It’s the fastest way to get him warm.  How’s the bleeding?”

“It’s soaked through.  I don’t think it’s stopping.”

Johnny grabbed another bandage and took Cap’s place. 

“How many ace bandages do we have?”

Marco quickly counted the ones in the bag Dixie had prepared. 

“Looks like you’ve got four,” he told Johnny.  “Thank God she thought we were klutzes, huh?”

“I’ve got another four,” Doug informed him.

“Great.  Okay, get me one of them.”

Johnny tripled the bandages then tightly wrapped the leg with the constricting ace bandage.  It wasn’t tight enough to restrict the flow of the femoral artery, but it would hopefully stop this bleeding.

Pulling the sleeping bag back over Roy’s leg, he continued his instructions.

“We need to get him some warm, dry socks.  And have some more water ready so we can fill those bottles up as soon they start to cool down.  Cap, I don’t want to leave his leg uncovered, but I need you to check it every minute or so to make sure the bleeding is okay.  Let me know if it starts to bleed through the ace bandage.”

For the first time since he’d returned to Roy’s side, Johnny stopped, knelt up straight, and pushed his still wet hair back off his face, his hand pausing for a moment over his eyes.  A groan brought his attention back to the man lying on the ground.

“Welcome back,” Johnny said, a grin breaking through his concern.  Roy had started to shiver. 

“You… o..kay?” 

“Is that the first thing you’re going to say every time you wake up?”

“Pro…bly… ‘kay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.  How are you?”

“Fin…ly… Shiv…ring… cold… hur…t.”

“Yeah.  You’re gonna start warming up fast, now that you’re shivering so hard.”

“Hurts… shiv…er… h…urts.”

“I know.  As soon as you’re just a little bit warmer, I’ll immobilize your arm and that will help.  I don’t want you to be uncovered quite yet, okay?”

Johnny didn’t add that he wasn’t ready to put Roy through that pain again.  No matter how careful and gentle he was, the arm would have to be moved again to immobilize it, and that was going to be painful.

“Hey, Roy.  Can you tell me if anything other than your arm hurts?”

“Head… ‘hind … eyes … back.”

Johnny hadn’t been prepared for the latter response, and he wasn’t able to keep a bit of the panic out of his voice.

“Your back hurts?  How bad?  Where?”

“No… b..b..ack …m…my…  head … h..ur..ts.  You… n..ne..ed … to … re..re..la..x. … Ch..ch..ill … ou..t..t.”

“I think we’ve all chilled out enough for today, thank you.  But you’re right.  I’ll try to relax if you try to stay awake and tell me what else hurts, deal?”

“D…d…deal.”  

Johnny carefully lifted the sleeping bag to check Roy’s leg. Although not completely stopped, the bleeding had slowed considerably.  Without being asked, Doug had refilled the water bottles, so Johnny grabbed the BP cuff and pulled Roy’s uninjured arm out from under the blankets. 

Johnny pressed on a fingertip and was pleased to see the blood flow quickly return upon release.  “Well, your color is a little better.” 

This time, Johnny was able to feel his partner’s pulse.  He flexed his fingers, relieved that they were rapidly returning to normal.  Roy looked up as Johnny pumped up the BP cuff. 

“Get…ting…. wa..rm…er.  B…P….  o…ka…y?”

Johnny smiled reassuringly at this friend. 

“Well, it’s a little tough to hear over all the rattling from the shivering, pal, but yeah, it’s okay.  A little low maybe, but it will come up.”

“How… l..low?”

“My job to worry about that, not yours.  It’s okay.”

“How… low?”

Johnny rolled his eyes.  “100 over 70.”

“T..t..oo low…b..b..ut..t o..kay.”

Johnny smiled.  “Good assessment.  Wish I’d thought of that.”  Pulling out more supplies, he made eye contact again with his partner. 

“Do you think with some help you could manage to keep a thermometer in your mouth?”

“On..l.ly  p..p..pl..ace… g..g..g..o..in.”

“Agreed,” Johnny chuckled as he checked to make sure the thermometer was shaken down low enough to register a well below normal body temperature. 

Johnny knew that an oral temperature was almost meaningless, but since there was nothing more he could do to raise Roy’s body temperature, he didn’t figure it mattered enough to put his friend through the process of getting a more accurate body core reading. 

“Hey, Mike,” Johnny knew that all of the men, including Doug, were standing in the immediate vicinity.  “Mike, I need you to hold Roy’s mouth closed while not letting his teeth connect, okay?  Can you do that?” 

The last thing they needed was to have Roy break a thermometer with his shivering teeth.  Johnny showed Mike how to hold Roy’s mouth, then put the thermometer under Roy’s tongue. 

While they waited for a reading, Johnny checked again on his partner’s leg.  The ace bandage was now showing some blood seeping through.  The femoral pulse was still strong.  Johnny untied the ace bandage and tightened the pressure a little more before retying it.  He’d have to watch that closely. 

Covering up the leg again, Johnny pulled the thermometer from Roy’s mouth as Mike released his hold.  93 degrees.  Still in a danger zone, but Johnny suspected it was up significantly from where it had been a half-hour ago. 

“W..w..ell?”

“93 and climbing.  Doug, let’s replace the water again.  Marco and Chet, get me some dry shorts and pants.  I’m gonna have to cut jeans part way up the leg, but I think he’ll be better off with the long pants.  Let’s get some gloves or mittens, or whatever someone brought.  Did we find any zip-front wool sweaters?”

“We’ve got the stuff all ready right here.  Just waiting for you.” 

Johnny carefully shifted the blankets to the side, exposing Roy’s chest and abdomen.  Looking and gently palpating, Johnny checked for indications of other internal injuries.  There was nothing he could find, and Roy never gave any indication of pain as long as Johnny avoided his left shoulder, chest, and arm.  But Johnny knew he couldn’t avoid that for much longer.

Using the stethoscope, Johnny heard rales in both Roy’s lungs.  It wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing.  It could be the sign of all kinds of problems still to come.   As he listened to his partner’s lungs, Johnny fought back a cough of his own.  Roy wasn’t the only one who had taken on water.  But Johnny couldn’t worry about that at the moment, and he appeased himself with the knowledge that no one would be listening to his lungs with the stethoscope, at least not today.

With nothing else to delay him, Johnny knew that the time had come to immobilize Roy’s arm, and get him settled in for the long night ahead.  Pasting a look of calm on his face, he looked at his friend. 

“Okay, Roy.  Let’s get your arm set so we can get you dressed in something more modest than this sleeping bag.  You ready?”

++++++++++++++

Ready?  Ready for what? 

Roy wasn’t really sure what was happening, although it seemed to him that he had known just a few minutes ago.  But he could no longer quite pull it all together.  The whole world had gone a little bit fuzzy.  His feet were numb, his fingers burning.  He could feel the heat of nearby flames, but he shivered with the cold. His upper body hurt with every beat of his heart, and he was sure he could hear the blood rushing past his ears, up into his pounding head.  And he was tired.  He was so very tired.  Maybe he would just sleep for a while.

The smell of smoke and the sound of crackling wood brought him out of his momentary slumber.  He opened his eyes and tried to look about, but found he couldn’t move his head.  The fog that clouded his head also clouded his vision, and he could make out shapes but not faces.  The words that had been clear a moment ago could no longer be deciphered.  Roy thought he heard his name.  Was it Johnny?  The voice was friendly and calm.  Why was it calm?  Didn’t he know that something was burning?  

Roy felt multiple hands moving his legs, pulling on clothing.  He felt a hand at his throat, checking his pulse, the pressure of a BP cuff on his arm, the cold metal of a stethoscope on his chest.  Then he heard the words again. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Roy mumbled, having no idea what he was agreeing to, but if Johnny wanted him to be ready, he would be.

Multiple hands reached beneath him and lifted his back into a sitting position.  Those same hands held him as the pain tore through his torso, and sent him back into the safety of the darkness.

++++++++++++++

“Damn it!”

Johnny swore at no one in particular.  Roy had passed out again, his face contorted in pain.  Quickly, using supplies laid out ahead of time, Johnny splinted Roy's arm, then secured it to his chest, using ace bandages and gauze.  In the same moment he finished, Mike was there, pulling a thermal shirt down over Roy’s head, moving his right arm into the sleeve.  Marco then added a wool sweater that zipped up the front.  Then carefully, the men laid Roy back down, glad to be done with moving him around. 

Once again, Johnny checked his heartbeat.  Although it continued to flutter with occasional irregularities, he felt it would improve as Roy warmed up, especially now that they could keep him still.  Turning back toward the crew, he focused on what was still to come.

“We should still try to warm him from the inside out.  If we have any broth type stuff that we can make him, let’s give that a try the next time he wakes up.  What we don’t want, though, is to make him sick.  So we need to take it slow.  Marco and Chet, do you think you can make a tent near his head with some blankets?  We’ll keep boiling water, and try to get it so that he’s breathing some steam.  That will help him warm up as well.”

“How’s his heart?” Doug asked.  Johnny hadn’t mentioned that at all yet.

“Well, it’s not completely stable, but it’s not too bad, considering.  I’ll feel better when it stops jumping around on me, but it’s okay.  His BP is still too low.  We’ll have to watch that.  At least the bleeding seems to have stopped for the moment.”   

++++++++++

The flickering firelight did little to dispel the gloom of their impromptu campsite.  Chet was silently rinsing the metal plates and cups from dinner, while Marco rearranged the clothes drying near the fire.  Closer to the river, Doug was standing by the raft, his silhouette barely evident in the twilight.  

Poking the stick of wood absently into the campfire, Mike watched as a series of sparks rose up into the dark sky.  The group of men were subdued, their concern evident in the way they seemed to keep to themselves, as if unwilling to admit out loud what they really feared.  There were some decisions to be made, choices that could mean successful rescue or ultimate defeat for their injured friends.  But for now, the men were quiet, needing to be content to simply wait and see what happened.

From the largest tent, Mike could make out the murmured voices of Cap and Johnny.  They'd made Roy as comfortable as possible, keeping him warm and dry as the evening temperatures dropped.  Now they were trying to get him to eat something, or at least drink the warm broth that Doug had prepared.  However, it wasn’t difficult to tell that they were having little success.  Roy had been slipping in and out of consciousness, his condition unstable at best.  Johnny had been worried about hypothermia and a possible head injury, but with the added injury to his arm, Roy had gone into shock.

There was little they could do to help him in this remote location.  With no drugs to ease his pain, or IV’s to replace lost fluids, Johnny was left with administering rudimentary first aid.  It didn’t take much to figure out that the paramedic was angry.  Yet, everyone knew that his anger wasn’t directed at any of them, it was merely a result of the man’s frustration and fear. 

A muffled curse preceded Johnny as he threw back the nylon tent flap and made his way through the narrow opening.  Back bent and gait uneven, the tall man looked strangely distorted as he stumbled toward the fire.  He was now dressed in jeans and sweatshirts.  However, even with several layers of dry clothes, he still looked as if he were trembling from the cold. 

Mike watched closely as Johnny stretched his hands briefly toward the warmth of the flames.  Although it was difficult to see his eyes, there was no denying the look of exasperation on John’s face.   Leaning forward, Mike carefully stirred the fire while surreptitiously studying his coworker.  He didn’t even have time to form a question before the paramedic was moving away from the fire toward the pile of provisions.

Kneeling down, Johnny fumbled with several bags before Doug moved over to help him.  Almost immediately, the paramedic rose and headed back to the tent, the desired articles tucked safely under his arm.  Hesitating at the opening of the tent, it seemed as if he sighed before ducking back inside.

The men outside remained silent, seemingly focused on their given chores.  From inside the tent, the worried voices returned as Cap and Johnny continued to care for their injured friend.

++++++++

Hank straightened up as he exited the confines of the tent.  Pausing briefly, he stretched to his full height, then slowly rolled his shoulders back.  Immediately aware that he was being watched, he shook his head, communicating silently that there was no change in Roy’s condition.

“Chet, why don’t you give John a hand?”

The hurried compliance was evidence of Chet’s concern, his mumbled “okay, Cap,” an unusual response for the normally vocal man.

Warmth and comfort beckoned in the form of a blazing fire, but Hank moved past the enticement.  He had spotted Doug, diligently sorting through their supplies.  The guide seemed to be reorganizing everything, and Hank realized that in the confusion of looking for first aid supplies and warm clothing, the provisions had been left in disarray.

“Need some help with that?” 

“No, I’ve just about got it.  How’s Roy doing?”

“Not very good.” 

Hank was grateful when Doug stood up beside him.  After spending so much time hunched over inside a tent, just being able to stand erect was a luxury he wasn’t ready to relinquish.  The two men stood together, quietly reflecting on the events of the afternoon.

“Do you think it will be safe to move him tomorrow?”  Doug asked.

“You mean, put him back on the raft?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. . .”

Hank looked toward the tent, unable to make out the mumbled conversation from within, but noting the unmistakable tone of concern from his younger paramedic.

“I doubt that Johnny will go for it.  He’s pretty worried about the head injury.  With the hypothermia and shock, not to mention the broken arm, he probably won’t agree to moving Roy around that much.”

“Damn.”

The expletive surprised Hank, and he stared at the guide for several moments.

“That wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

“No.  It means we’ll have some hard choices ahead of us.  Without the radio, we’ll be forced to run the river all the way to the take-out.  There’s nothing between here and there, and no one else out on the river right now.”

Doug paused for a moment, and Hank realized that they had an audience.  Mike and Marco were listening intently, their faces reflecting their apprehension. 

“If we do leave Roy here, that means we leave him and Johnny alone, for up to 24 hours.  Can they handle that or would we need to leave another man with them?  If we do, our paddling time slows considerably." 

“I don’t think we should leave them alone.”  Hank answered, slowly.  “Johnny’s doing much better, but I’m still concerned.  He was definitely hypothermic when we got him out of the river.  The last thing I want to do is head off down the river, leaving two guys here who might both be in need of medical attention.” 

Hank watched as Doug processed his answer.  The man’s expression changed from one of indecision to obvious concern.  It was clear that their guide was taking everything into consideration as he stood there silently going over the news.  Several minutes passed before Hank pressed him for more information.

“How long will it take?” 

“Best possible time would get us there around noon, but with one less man to paddle, it’ll take longer.  Actually, that might not matter.  Barry won’t be expecting us until mid-afternoon.  There’s no way to contact him, and no one else within miles of the takeout.  So, that means that once we get there, we may still have to wait to contact search and rescue.

“There’s more, isn’t there?” 

“Yeah.  The river is at the deepest part of the canyon right now, and will stay like this for most of the remainder of the trip.  There’s no way to get a chopper down here, so even after we contact search and rescue, it’s still going to be a lengthy and difficult rescue.”

Hank rubbed the back of his neck absently, as he went over possible rescue plans in his mind.  Not being familiar with the terrain, he knew he’d have to trust Doug’s judgment, but ultimately, he had to put his trust in Johnny.  It would be up to the paramedic to help make the decision... he was the only one who was truly qualified to assess whether Roy was up to making the move or not.  It was something of a relief when Doug finally interrupted his thoughts.

“There’s nothing we can do tonight anyway.  Why don’t we talk about this in the morning?”

“Yeah.  I think that would be best.  John will have to be consulted, and maybe he’ll have a better feel for Roy’s condition in the morning.”

Doug nodded in agreement, as he turned toward the fire.  Hesitating briefly, as if suddenly unsure of his next move, Doug finally turned back to face Hank. 

“We’ll get them out okay.  I’ve never lost a customer yet, and I don’t intend to start now.”

Hank smiled feebly at the guide, fully aware that the man was attempting to encourage him.

“I sure don’t intend to go home without my crew, either.”   And there’re some wives back home in LA who are expecting us to keep our promises.  Hank added, under his breath.

Doug grinned, then walked on toward the fire where he found a place next to Mike and Marco.  The three men sat quietly, staring into the flames.  Hank denied himself that comfort.  Instead, he walked slowly back to the large tent, hoping that this night would pass quickly.

+++++++++++++

The early morning sunlight was just beginning to filter into the canyon, its golden rays still invisible from the campsite.  There was only a faint pinkish tinge to be seen above the cliffs, but already the birds were chirping their welcome to the dawn.

Moisture pooled on the tents covered with morning dew. Far above the canyon, an eagle called out to its mate, the cry echoing through the clear morning air.

The sound of the river nearby completed the setting, and Mike knew that in other circumstances, he would be enjoying this idyllic scene.  But conditions deemed this morning to be less than pleasant.  Worry over Roy had kept the crew vigilant throughout the night.  Mike was certain that he wasn’t the only one who’d managed but a few hours of sleep, at best. 

Johnny was out of the tent, moving toward the far side of the camp, behind some rocks, before Mike was completely aware of the fact.  He shook his head slightly, as if that simple act would rouse him from the lethargic state.  Reaching for the coffee, he silently hoped a good dose of caffeine would bring him to life.

It was only a few minutes before Johnny made his way back into camp and over to the fire.  He seemed to be moving slowly, yet by all visible accounts, he looked well enough.  However, Mike vowed to keep an eye on him.

“Morning, John.”

“Mike.  You made coffee already?”

“Yeah.  Couldn’t sleep, anyway.  How’s Roy doing?”

Johnny didn’t answer for a moment, concentrating instead on pouring himself a cup of the steaming liquid.   He stood quietly for another minute or two, holding the metal cup tightly between both hands.  When he finally answered, his voice was thin.

“Holding his own.  He’s warmer this morning.   There doesn’t seem to be any lasting affects from the hypothermia, but it’s hard to tell.  He’s definitely got a concussion, and I think he’s suffering from shock.  On top of the broken arm, he lost quite a lot of blood from the cut on his leg. . .” 

Johnny paused, his focus suddenly trained on the flames before him.  His last words were spoken quietly, almost as if to himself.

“I sure wish we could get him to a hospital.”

“Yeah.”  Mike wanted to say more, but decided it was best not to pursue the discussion for now.  It was obvious that Johnny was exhausted, and the best thing would be to let him have a few minutes to unwind.  Besides, it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the group would be getting up, and then decisions would have to be made.  Better to let Cap and Doug push Johnny for the answers they needed.  For now, Mike would just be a friend.

“How about something to eat?  You must be hungry.”

“Yeah, a little.  I need to get back, though.”

“Only take a minute.  I’ve got hot water, and with all this packaged stuff Doug brought along, we can fix something pretty quick.  Cap’s awake, right?”

“Yeah . .”

“Well, he’ll call out if he needs you.”

Johnny nodded imperceptibly, but Mike took his silence as acquiescence.  He busied himself with the simple preparations, all the while watching his companion.  John stood first on one leg, and then the other, finally giving in and settling down on a rock near the fire.  It was obvious that he was stiff, and Mike was fairly certain that the younger man was favoring his left side.

“Here you are.”

Taking the tin bowl, Johnny absently stirred the hot cereal, yet he failed to spoon any of the mixture into his mouth.  His mind seemed to be a thousand miles away, but Mike knew in reality, it was focused on a site only a few yards away.

“He’s going to be alright.”

Looking up, Johnny looked almost startled, as if unaware that Mike could read him so easily.

“Yeah.  Yeah . .you’re right.  Still . .”

“Eat, John.  It’s going to be a long day.”

There was no more conversation, but by the time Johnny pulled himself up again, the bowl was empty.  Finishing off the last of his coffee, he slowly stacked the utensils on the ground. 

“Thanks, Mike.”

Keeping his silence, Mike continued to observe as Johnny walked slowly back to the tent.  As he moved around the campsite, cleaning Johnny’s dishes and laying out the supplies for a quick breakfast, Mike stopped for a moment to stoke the fire, waiting for the others to join him.  He knew that Cap and Doug would be anxious to make a decision and get the expedition on its way; he only hoped that whichever course of action they took would be the best one for everyone.

++++++++++++

The light of early dawn was already turning from pink to gold when Cap finally joined him at the fire.  Mike only caught a quick glimpse of the man’s face, but his expression showed the strain of a long night.  Swiping his hand across his eyes, Cap hesitated several moments before speaking.

“Marco, come here, pal.”

Bleary eyed from lack of sleep, Marco was just emerging from his own tent.

“What d’ya need, Cap?”

“Would you stay with Roy for a few minutes?  I need John to be in on this discussion with Doug.”

“Sure, Cap.”

Mike watched as Marco took Johnny’s place inside the tent.  When the paramedic exited, it was obvious that he was moving even slower than before.  He was striving to cover his discomfort, and Mike was fairly sure that the others hadn’t noticed.  But to the quiet engineer, his watchfulness was paying off.

Their guide had joined the two men, and they were already discussing their plan of action.  Doug was clearly encouraging them to move on, but Cap seemed hesitant.  Mike could see that their captain was studying John, waiting for the paramedic to voice his professional opinion.  But Johnny seemed almost mesmerized by the fire, staring unerringly into the glowing embers.

“John?”

“I know, Cap.  You need to make a choice here.”

His voice was unbelievably soft, catching even Cap’s attention.  He looked at the paramedic questioningly, but Johnny was already speaking again.

“We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible, but taking him out on the river is not my first choice on how to get him there.  Roy has a very serious fracture, not to mention a concussion.  He’s suffering from shock, and it’s only been a few hours since we warmed him up from the last dunking.  If we put him back into that raft, in his condition, he’s helpless.  Not only are we looking at aggravating the injuries he already has, we’re taking the risk of adding to them.  What happens when we hit the next series of rapids?  He won’t be able to right himself if we have problems, and if by some chance he ends up in the water again, there’s no way he’ll be able to get back to the surface.”

When Johnny stopped for a moment to catch his breath, Cap realized that he’d been nodding in agreement throughout the paramedic’s litany.  John had just listed some of the concerns he’d had himself, things he hadn’t been able to put into words when he and Doug had discussed their options last night.   It was a risky proposition, and not one he was anxious to pursue.  Yet, Doug’s words came back to him:  “There’s no way to get a chopper down here, so even after we contact search and rescue, it’s still going to be a lengthy and difficult rescue.”

Hank considered the alternatives.  He had utmost faith in Johnny’s judgment as a paramedic.  He also sensed that Doug was every bit the trusted professional in his field.  Used to making snap decisions, Cap found that this time he was holding back on making a choice.  This wasn’t his territory.  He didn’t know the search and rescue operations here, wasn’t familiar with their response time, or even where the nearest facilities were located.  It went against his instincts, but Hank held back on agreeing with Johnny.  Instead, he turned back to their guide.

“What can you tell us about the rescue operations in this area, Doug?  If we leave Roy, John and Marco here, what’s the best estimate on when we can get them evac’d out of here?”

There was no hesitation from Doug.

“As I explained last night, Barry won’t be expecting us until mid-afternoon.  With the radio gone, even if we manage to get to the takeout earlier, we won’t be able to contact him.  That makes it after 3pm before we’d even be able to call search and rescue.  Then, there’s the time it takes to get things organized out here.  It’s not like your situations in LA. Our rescue personnel are volunteers, and there can easily be a delay if they’re not in the area.   Once they do get here, there’s the time needed to repel down, and then get Roy back up to the top.”

“And getting a chopper down here, or a cable to pull him up, isn’t an option, is it?”  Johnny interrupted.

“No.”

Doug’s answer was friendly but firm.  Cap didn’t doubt the man knew what he was talking about, and you only had to look at him to know that he regretted that answer.  Still, it wasn’t unexpected.  Rescues were their business, and the men had already known that there would only be two ways out of this canyon.  Either they put Roy back in the raft, or they hoisted him up the side of these cliffs in a stokes.

“There’s something else.”

The men around the campfire focused their attention on Doug.  His voice was hesitant, as if he were apologizing ahead of time for what he was about to say.

“I don’t know if you remember, but Barry’s last transmission included a weather forecast.  We’re okay for most of the day, but there’s a storm front moving in later this afternoon.  This time of year, that means we could be looking at a pretty serious lightening storm and strong winds.  So, even if everything goes smooth, and we get to the take-out on time, there’s a strong possibility that a rescue team wouldn’t be dispatched until tomorrow.  If there’s a severe electrical storm in the area, they’ll ground all choppers.”

Doug stopped for a moment, his gaze resting on the men before him.  It was obvious that he wanted to say more, but Johnny didn’t give him the chance.

“Are you telling us that if we don’t put him on the raft now, it could be another twenty four hours before we get him out of here?”

“That’s what I’m telling you.”  Doug nodded slowly.  “I know it’s hard to . .”

“Hard?  Damn right, it’s hard.” 

Silence followed, as each man waited for the other to speak first.  Cap knew what had to be done, and ultimately, the decision was up to him.  He just wanted Johnny to come to the realization on his own.  Having the paramedic’s full cooperation would be tantamount in making this rescue operation a success.  He didn’t want to push too hard or too fast, yet precious time was slipping by.  And with this final piece of news, Cap didn’t want to waste one minute more than necessary.

It was during those seconds of waiting that Cap finally realized someone was watching him.  More like trying to get his attention.  Mike had been standing on the other side of the fire, but unlike his normally relaxed demeanor, the man was practically fidgeting. 

When the two made eye contact, Mike tried to convey his concerns.  With arms crossed in front of him, Mike attempted to look nonchalant as he bent his head slightly to the right while raising his eyebrows in a kind of question.  Hank followed the man’s gaze, recognizing immediately that his engineer was looking right at Johnny.  For the first time that morning, he gave his full attention to the paramedic.  With their thoughts focused on Roy, it had been easy to miss Johnny’s condition, and Hank silently chastised himself for failing to recognize the obvious. 

Johnny was still standing by the fire, holding himself in the same awkward position.  For anyone not familiar with the young man’s normal carriage, nothing would seem out of the ordinary.  But, for the men that knew him, Johnny was not comfortable.  His posture seemed stiff, almost canted to one side.  His hands were cupped around a metal cup, the long fingers quietly, but firmly, gripping the warm sides.  That, in itself, was unusual.  For Gage, being still was an anomaly.

Cap continued to watch his youngest charge.  Was he suffering from the effects of hypothermia?  Maybe he was simply sore after yesterday’s exertion.  Or could there be some undetected injury that was plaguing the young man? Whatever it was, it was clear that Johnny was impaired.  That realization made the decision clear.

“John, I don’t think we have a choice here.”

“No, Cap, you’re wrong.  We do have a choice.  It’s just one helluva choice to make.”

Johnny’s voice was low and strained.  It was clear that he was not happy about their decision, but was resigned to it. 

“Okay, let’s do it.”  Johnny nodded slightly towards the guide.  Still, he didn’t move.

Hank glanced over at Mike, before moving to stand behind Johnny.  With an inaudible sigh, he rested a hand on the paramedic’s shoulder.

“We’ll get him out of here, John.  He’ll be alright.”

Johnny didn’t answer, but his head dropped a notch lower.  Seconds later, he was moving away from the campfire as Doug called out directions to the rest of the group.

“Chet, start taking down your tent.  Mike, as soon as everyone gets something to eat, pack the food and get that fire out.”

The guide had already pulled out his own bag, and was stuffing items in it.  Across the campsite, a groggy-looking Chet was gathering his gear while Johnny slowly bent down to enter his tent.  And behind him, Cap and Mike shared a look of quiet concern as they watched their friend disappear from sight.

+++++++++++++

The flap of the tent fell back in place behind Chet, and Johnny relaxed just a little.  He was grateful for everyone’s help, but it felt good to be away from prying eyes, if even for a moment.  They knew.  But there was nothing he could do about it. Just go on as best he could.  He couldn’t let his guard down . . couldn’t let anyone see the truth.

Squatting down next to Roy, it took only a moment to find the steady beat at his wrist.  Pulse is good, and you’re a lot warmer today.  Just hope you stay that way.  We’re not doing the smartest thing, but I’ll do my best to make sure it’s the right thing.

There was no movement, no hint that Roy was aware of his presence.  That was a relief, yet also a cause for concern.  Was his partner simply in a deep sleep, or was he getting worse?  Johnny studied the slow rise and fall of Roy’s chest, and watched the man’s face carefully as he slept.  Finally convinced that his friend was just resting, Johnny sat back on his heels.

“Okay, so you’re sleeping on the job.  Guess that means that I’ll have to do all of the work getting you ready to go.  You know you’re going to owe me, Pally.”

Stretching out to his full height was impossible in the confines of the small tent, but Johnny did his best to extend his arms and roll his neck from side to side.  It was when he bent over that the pain became almost unbearable.  He couldn’t hold back an agonizing groan, but covered it quickly with a forced cough, then sank down to his knees.  Several minutes passed before he could manage to pull himself up again, although it took a great deal of effort.

Must’ve been that damn rock wall . . but I don’t think anything’s broken.

Johnny fingered his side gently, feeling for anything out of place.  Satisfied that all was well, he slowly stooped to pull swim trunks and a dry sweater from his pack.  It took some careful maneuvering, but he finally managed to pull his t-shirt off.  It took a lot more effort to get the jeans down over his hips without losing his balance, but within minutes, he was pulling the dry trunks up into place.  Suddenly aware of a soft rustling behind him, he turned when he heard the familiar voice.

“What the . . .”

“Roy?  What’s wrong?  You alright?”

“Should be askin’ you . . . what happened?  You’re hurt.”

“Nah.  I’m fine.  Just a little bruise from jumping off the raft yesterday.”

“Not little.  Looks bad . . .”

“He’s right.  That looks pretty serious.”

Johnny looked up to find himself the recipient of Mike’s worried gaze.  Smoothly adjusting the waistband of his swim trunks, the paramedic grabbed the wool sweater and slid it on, biting back the painful moan that threatened to give him away.

“Looks worse than it is.   Roy, Mike’s going to help get you ready.  I know it’s not the best plan, but we’re going back in the raft this morning.”

Glancing down, Johnny realized that the man’s eyes had already slid shut. 

“Well, maybe this’ll be better anyway.  Come on, Mike, let’s get as much ready as we can before we have to move him around.”

They worked together silently, laying out the garments needed, along with Roy’s damaged wetsuit.  It was the moment Mike cleared his throat that Johnny knew he had to get away.

“John, are you sure you’re okay?  Maybe we should . . ”

“I’ll be right back, Mike.  Gotta get some extra bandages from the other pack.”

He didn’t have to look back to know that he’d left the engineer ‘open-mouthed’ behind him.  Clearing the tent, he was met with another challenge.

“John?  You need something?”

Pasting a complacent look on his face, Johnny shook his head as he moved past the campfire, towards the stack of supplies.

“No, I’ve got it, Cap.”

The look faded, however, when Johnny spotted their guide.  It took every ounce of willpower to keep his mind on what he was doing.  Even so, Johnny’s hands shook as he pulled the roll of ace bandage from the pack and turned back to the tent.  Back rigid, he knew he was failing miserably at hiding his feelings, but he refused to drop his guard.  It wasn’t going to help anyone, especially Roy, to get emotional about the situation.   And no river guide, even one as qualified as Doug, could fully understand the risks Roy faced out on that raft.

++++++++++

Mike fumbled with the clothing in front of him, then squatted back to wait.  Everything was ready, now it was just a matter of getting Roy into the river gear without injuring him further.  It was Johnny that had him worried at the moment.  The young man was obviously in pain. 

His earlier suspicions had been confirmed, but what should he do about it?  What could he do?   Nothing had changed.  They still had to get Roy to a hospital, and the raft was their best chance.  The fact that John might be injured too, simply made their mission that much more serious.  It would take all of them, working together, to get Roy safely down river and on to a hospital.  Johnny’s medical knowledge was going to be imperative in making that happen. 

Lost in thought, it took Mike a moment to realize that someone was clutching his arm.

“Roy?  Are you okay?  Can I get you anything?”

“Johnny . .”

“Just a minute, I’ll call him.”

Already pushing himself up, Mike was surprised when the grip on his arm tightened, and he lowered himself back down next to the injured man.

“No . . don’t.  Need to tell . . you.”

“What is it, Roy?”

“Something wrong . . he’s hurting.  Won’t . . tell anyone.  Watch him close . . Mike.”

“Sure thing.  I’ll keep an eye on him.  But don’t worry, it’s probably just like he said, it’s just . .

The sounds were unmistakable, and Mike stopped in mid-sentence.  Just in time, as Johnny was already pushing his way into the small tent.

“Everything okay, Mike?”

“Yeah, he’s doing fine.”

Looking down at Roy, Mike nodded slightly, and was rewarded with an acknowledging nod from the wounded man. 

++++++++++

Johnny watched the interchange between the two men.  Great, he thought, I need that like I need more rocks and water right about now.   He was going to have to put an end to this.  He didn’t want either man’s focus diverted to him.  Mike needed to watch the river and Roy, well Roy surely didn’t need any more distractions or worries.

“Okay, you two,” Johnny put on his best grin as he made a point of making eye contact with both Roy and Mike.  “Whatever it is that you think you know, you don’t.  I hit a wall and I got a little bruised up.  Isn’t the first time and won’t be the last.  But my jacket protected my ribs.  I’m sore, but no more so than after your average cliff-side rescue.  If it gets worse, I promise I’ll tell someone, okay?  Trust me.  Now, can you two stop the mother hen act and take me at my word?  We’ve got enough real things to worry about today without adding made up stuff.”

Mike didn’t look convinced, but he agreed.  Roy didn’t even pretend. 

“Trust you?  With my life, yes . . yours?  Not so sure.”

Johnny shook his head.  “You’re impossible.  But I’m glad to hear you trust me with your life, because I want you to remember that when I tell you what we’re doing today.”

“ . . not gonna like this . . am I?”

“Probably not.  Listen, Roy, there’s no way to pull you out of here by chopper, and there’s a storm coming in.  If you and I wait here, it could be 24 hours, or even more before help can get here.  We’re gonna have to get back on the river and ride out of here with the rest of the guys.”

Johnny thought he saw both fear and pain flash across Roy’s face, but when the man spoke, neither was evident. 

“We do what we need to . . nice day for a paddle.”

“Okay then.”  Johnny was willing to play into Roy’s nonchalance for the moment. “Let’s get you suited up.”

++++++++++

We’re going back on the river.  That was a possibility that Roy had never once considered.  As his hypothermia had resolved and his mind had cleared, Roy had come to understand more about their situation.  He had assumed that the others would go further down the river and send back help.  He had prepared himself for a day of waiting.  But getting back on the river – that was not something he had never thought to prepare for. 

As Johnny re-bandaged his leg, Roy closed his eyes and found himself back in the river, surrounded by water, the river’s forces pushing against him.  His breaths increased in frequency and depth as he fought off the body memories of the frigid water, swirling about his face, laughing as it threw him against the rock.  He fought against the river as it sent him tumbling, shivering, drowning, until a loud voice broke through the flashing memory. 

“Roy!  Stop!” 

Roy opened his eyes and looked into Johnny’s concerned stare.  His partner had hold of his good arm, which was up in the air, as if he had been swinging it about.  The hands holding down his feet belonged to Mike. 

“Sorry,” he said, as he pulled his arm down to his side.  “Guess I was day dreaming.”

“More like a nightmare, I’d say.”  Johnny’s grip had relaxed, but his eyes were no less intense. 

“Just thinkin’ ‘bout Jo’s mother.  ‘nough to make anyone shiver.”

“Uh huh,” Johnny replied.  “Well, if it gets too bad, you can send her on a rafting trip.  I’ve heard there are some great rivers in Africa.  And those lions probably would love a nice meal of fattened white meat, you know?”

Roy knew that his partner didn’t buy his explanation, but he also knew that Johnny understood that he couldn’t bear to put his fears into words at the moment.  So he did his best to smile, and help with the process of getting dressed.

++++++++++

Johnny rolled his shoulders, trying to get some of the kinks out before he knelt back by Roy’s side.  There was little more that he could do to prepare his partner for the rest of the day.  He wasn’t the only one who realized that the readjustment of the straps of Roy’s life vest was necessary only as a means of distraction.

“Cut that out!”  Roy’s voice wasn’t strong, but his annoyance came through loud and clear.  “ . . already can’t breathe.”

Johnny managed a smile as he reached for the BP cuff.  “Okay.  I’ll take another set of vitals instead.”

Roy rolled his eyes and slapped Johnny’s hand away.  Before Johnny could tell him to behave, Doug stuck his head into the tent.

“Hey, Johnny.  When you get a minute, can I talk to you?”

“I’m busy.” 

Johnny kept his eyes glued on the BP cuff, avoiding looking at Doug, and avoiding Roy’s sudden stare.

“No rush,” Doug pushed.  “Just sometime before we put in.”

“I’m not going to have time before we put in.”

Johnny could feel his jaw muscles tighten as he spoke the words.

 “There’ll be time.  We’re not going to launch until you and I have had a minute to talk.  I’ll be around when you can get free.” 

Doug didn’t wait for Johnny to reply.  Johnny threw the BP cuff down as he watched the man walk away. 

“What was that?”  Roy whispered, perhaps to keep the question between them, perhaps because a whisper was all his strength would allow.

“That was our handy dandy guide exerting his authority."

“I meant you.”

Johnny just looked at him for a moment, then got up and left the tent without saying a word.

“Chet.” Johnny nodded toward the tent as he spoke to the man standing a few feet away. He watched as Chet ducked in, and then he turned to face Doug.

“What?” he asked the guide, having no intention of saying anything more than necessary. 

“Thanks for taking a minute,” Doug said as he stood up.

“Uh huh.  What?”

“You’ve got a problem?”

“I’d say we’ve all got a problem.”

“Agreed.  You, however, appear to have a problem with me.”

“No,” Johnny replied without expression.  “Is that all?”

“No, it’s not all.  When we get back on that raft, we’re going to have to work as a team.  So whatever the problem is, let’s work it out now and leave it here.”

“Yeah, well, it’s my problem, not yours, so don’t worry about it.  And you don’t have to worry about me.  Whatever my ‘problem’ is, I’d never do anything to put anyone in jeopardy.”

“Look, Johnny, I know this isn’t the way you want to play this out, but I’m responsible for you guys and I just don’t-”

“Bullshit.” Johnny cut him off.

“Huh?”

“That’s bullshit.  The minute Roy got hurt he became my responsibility.  Some lawyer may tell you that you’re responsible, and HQ may tell Cap he’s responsible, but it’s garbage and you know it.”

“Look, Johnny-”

“No!  You look!  I’m the one who’s going to have to tell his wife, his kids, his mother, that I didn’t bring him home.  Not you, not Cap, not the other guys.  Me.”

Doug opened his mouth to say something, but again Johnny denied him the chance. 

“I’m the one who’s going to have to look his wife in the eye and tell her that I put her husband back on a raft, and that he got bounced out in another rapid, and this time he couldn’t help himself and he drowned.  Or, that despite everything we did to immobilize his arm, the broken bone shifted when we hit a rock, and it pierced his artery and he bled to death before we even got out of the rapid.  Or that he had finally gotten warm when we let him fall into the river again, and this time his heart couldn’t take the cold.  Or that the jouncing around re-opened the wound on his leg, and he lost so much blood that he went into shock and his organs shut down before we could get him to help.  I’m the one who’s going to have to explain to his children why I decided to put him back on that raft, not you.  So don’t tell me that you’re responsible, because you’re not.”

Doug took advantage of Johnny’s pause.  “Look, Johnny, I don’t disagree with you.  But the problem is – “

Again Johnny didn’t let him finish. 

“The problem is . .”  Johnny stopped when he heard how loud his voice had gotten.  Looking back toward the tent, he took a deep breath.

“The problem . .” he stopped again, this time pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. His spewing of the words had released his anger, leaving him only worry and exhaustion.  He looked up and made eye contact with Doug for the first time.

“The problem – isn’t you.  The problem is that there’s no good answer.  Hell, there isn’t even anything close.  If we wait here, maybe help gets to us tonight, probably not.  If we have to pass another 24 hours here, he could lose the use of his arm permanently, if it isn’t already too late.  If the ongoing in and out of consciousness is the head injury, and that sure seems likely, pressure may be building and every hour increases his risk of death.  He didn’t pee this morning.  Maybe that’s no big deal, but if his kidneys are shutting down from shock or from some injury we don’t know about . . well, he may not have until tomorrow. So, since there is another option, we need to take it.  But the other option sucks, and it’s just about as likely to kill him.”

Doug just nodded.  Cap, who had joined the duo in time to hear most of Johnny’s soliloquy, put his hand on his paramedic’s shoulder in a show of support.

“Are there any possibilities for getting out of this that we haven’t considered?  Could we get back on the river for a ways, then leave Roy and Johnny in a place where they could be reached by a chopper?  Maybe there’s a place where a rescue team could drive in close.  Or even a place where we could carry him out?”

Johnny allowed himself a moment of hope before he noticed the expression on Doug’s face. 

“Those are all good ideas, Hank.  But I went through every foot of this river in my mind last night.  There are certainly places where a chopper could get in, but we still have the dilemma of the electrical storm.  The lightning and winds, if they hit us, will ground the choppers, perhaps before we could make arrangements.  Then Roy and John are back in the same position, stuck on the river overnight.  As for walking out, we stay in the canyon until almost the end of the trip.  There’s one spot about half way where folks could hike out, but it’s a ten-mile hike, mostly up rough terrain.  Then we’d have to pray for a passing car on a back road.  The nearest house is probably another five miles away.  By the next place we could walk out, there’s only a mile of river left, and it’s a pretty calm mile.  From there, by raft it will take us minutes to reach the take-out and hopefully help.  By foot it would take us hours.”

The conversation continued on as the three men discussed all the possible contingencies.  In the end, it was Johnny who proposed a sort of compromise.

“Okay, well, we all agree we can’t stay here.  So let’s just agree that we go to the halfway point where we could possibly hike out.  When we get there, we can decide whether to keep paddling or start hiking.” 

There were no objections.

++++++++++

As the men broke camp and repacked their gear, it slowly dawned on each of them that there was going to be a new problem with space in the raft.  The plan was to use Chet’s air mattress as a base for Roy, to try to protect him from some of the rocks bumping against the bottom of the raft.  They would sit him on the floor of the raft, leaning up against one of the thwarts.  Johnny would share that space with him.  But with Roy and Johnny on the floor of the raft, instead of sitting on the sides, the carefully planned space was now a problem.  Mike and Marco were engaged in a conversation about how to resolve that problem when Doug took care of it all with one simple declaration.

“We take only what we need.  We’ll leave the rest here, and I’ll pull it out on my next trip down the river.”

Supplies were unpacked and pared down to fit in the fewest bags possible.  All but one of the water jugs was left behind.  They could always boil more if need be. 

Mike made sure to find a space for the remainder of the duct tape.  Much to Roy’s distress, the material had been used extensively in redressing him for the day.  Mike and Johnny had made use of the tape to refasten the shoulders of the wet suit.  They also used long strips of the tape to create a crotch strap for Roy’s life vest.  Although they had put the vest back on before they had secured Roy’s arm to his chest, they were concerned about what would happen if they had to grab onto the shoulder straps.  At the very least, it would cause incredible pain if the vest were pulled up against the underarm.  At worst, it could cause the brachial artery injury that so worried Johnny.  So the men wrapped the tape around the chest straps, and created a type of harness between Roy’s legs to assure that the vest would not ride up under his arms if they had to pull on it.  Roy was more mortified with the solution than uncomfortable, and in the end he had no grounds on which to protest.  Besides, he had been at their mercy.

The day was warm, but already cloudy.  Barry had said the storm was due in sometime in the late afternoon.  Mike hoped that for once, the weathermen had been right.  If it held off until late afternoon, they would be long off the river.  If not . . well, that was one challenge they could do without today.

Mike knew that the men faced many challenges today.  There were several more rapids to get through before they got off the river.  He hoped that some could be portaged.  But taking Roy out of the raft to carry him around each rapid had its own set of problems.  Besides, that might not be possible for all of the rapids.  It would depend on the canyon and the shoreline.

The fact that none of the men had gotten a good night’s sleep also concerned Mike.  No one on the raft was at a hundred percent today.  What did that mean for their ability to perform?  And their attention was bound to be affected, not only by their exhaustion, but by their concern as well.  Each man would worry about Roy and Johnny with ever bump and bounce.  Would that draw away from their ability to successfully run the rest of the river? 

Mike was sure that the rest of the men, like himself, had played out in their mind a hundred times, what they would do if Roy ended up in the river.  Each scenario that Mike imagined was worse than the one before.  No, it was simply an eventuality that they would have to avoid.  The alternatives were just too dangerous to even consider.

++++++++++

Satisfied with the way the packing was proceeding, Cap allowed himself a moment to sit down next to his senior paramedic who was watching the activity from his resting-place. 

“Hey, Roy.”  Cap lowered himself to the ground.  “How ya doin?”

“Okay.   Sure wish these aspirin were Percoset, but …” 

“Yeah, next time you’ll have to tell Dixie to forget the splints and pack drugs instead.” 

Roy almost smiled before turning very serious. “Cap . . Johnny’s hurting.”

“I know.  Mike told me about the bruising.  But there isn’t much we can do.  We’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything strenuous, no lifting.  And he’s watching over you, so we don’t have to fight about whether or not he can paddle. Once we get off the river, I’ll make sure he gets treated.  But until then, we’re all pretty much in the same boat here.  No pun intended.”

“Just hope we all stay in that boat this time.”

“Hopin’ and a prayin’, pal.  Hopin’ and a prayin’.”

Cap watched as Roy closed his eyes in a grimace of pain.  He reached out and put his hand on Roy’s good shoulder. 

“It’s okay.  We’ll get through this.  By this time tomorrow you’ll be basking in the glow of morphine, and complaining about hospital food.”

“While you guys . . flying home.”

Cap had thought about that, but was somewhat surprised to find that Roy had been thinking that far ahead. “Well, let’s not worry about that one right now, okay?  Let’s get you to the hospital before we worry about leaving you there alone.  I’ll work something out with HQ and the hospitals.  I promise.”

++++++++++

Roy watched with trepidation as the crew got closer and closer to being ready to launch.  Try as he might, he was not successful at calming his nerves.  When he sat or lay perfectly still, the pain was bearable.  Any movement caused a flare-up that made him want to scream.  If things went as scheduled, they still had almost eight hours on the river.  Eight hours of bouncing, and bumping and getting soaking wet.  Eight hours of potential to take another swim. 

Roy thought about his arm, strapped tightly to his chest.  Even with the life vest, would he be able to reach the surface with just one arm if he went over?  Heaven knew the vest wasn’t coming off.  Mike and Johnny, and their duct tape had made double and triple sure of that.  But there was still the issue of balance.  How could he keep his head above water with just one arm? 

As Roy saw the men approaching him, he realized that the time had come.  This was the point of no return.  If he was going to object to this plan, it had to be now.  He looked at Cap and Johnny and Doug, and tried to reach peace in his own mind.  They would not be going forward with this if it weren’t the best choice available. 

He’d told Johnny he trusted him with his life.  Did he mean that right now, in this moment of decision?  Yes.  He meant it.  Roy braced himself for the pain that he knew was going to come, and pasted a smile on his face. 

“Okay,” he said to Chet, Marco, Mike, and Cap.  “What do you say we get this show on the river?”  Then he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, as the men lifted him and the air mattress into the air and onto the raft.  Roy bit his cheek to keep from calling out in pain.  It was going to be a very long day.

+++++++++    

As the crew set off down the river, Chet couldn’t help but think about what the next forty-eight hours would bring.  First and foremost, they had to make it to the take-out.  Their goal was no longer to complete the trip without incident; it was now to complete the trip without debilitating injury or even death.  Once off the river, they would have to get Roy to medical help, maybe Johnny too.  Chet thought back to the last time he had faced a medical emergency in a rural area.  That time they had gotten lucky, and the local doctor had happened in to the office in time to save the lady, and her child.  Chet knew that luck had been on their side that day.  At the time he thought that their good fortune had been a once in a lifetime thing.  Now, he hoped he’d been wrong.

As much as Chet longed to look back and keep an eye on Roy and Johnny, he managed to stay focused on the river.  They were approaching the Mason Madness rapid.  Doug had told them it was a class III rapid because of its length.  That brought some comfort until Chet remembered that was the exact description of the rapid that had tossed him into the river.  Well, this time I won’t lose my grip. 

Chet watched the river while he kept his paddling sure and steady, following Doug’s instructions to a tee.  Ten minutes later, as they emerged, he realized he had never heard Roy call out in pain.  Maybe Johnny’s splint and his air mattress had made the difference.  Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad on Roy after all. 

As soon as Doug gave them permission to stop paddling, Chet turned to look at the men at the center of the raft.  He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain that the moisture on both Roy’s and Johnny’s face was not just from the river.  They were both covered with sweat.  Roy’s eyes were clenched shut, and his hand held a tight grip on the rope that had been attached to the thwart.  Every muscle in his neck and face were tightened, and Chet knew that Roy had neither been spared the pain nor been given the relief of passing out.  He had simply decided not to give it voice.

+++++++++++

The sunlight glinting off the river made a pretty picture, and for a few minutes, Hank reveled in the peaceful setting.  But when he glanced back towards the middle of the raft, reality came rushing back to meet him. 

Roy was stretched out on the bottom of the boat, the look on his face one of controlled agony.  Mumbled reassurances from his partner seemed to do little to relieve the man’s suffering, though he occasionally nodded slightly in the younger man’s direction. 

Hank found himself clenching his T-grip tighter, as he followed Doug’s instructions.  He longed to paddle furiously, moving the raft swiftly to the help Roy needed.  But the current had slowed, and there were miles of river left to travel.  They needed to conserve their energy. 

At the front of the raft, Chet turned to the side as he continued to paddle slowly.  He seemed to be watching the two men in the middle, as if he wanted to say something.  Yet, he appeared almost hesitant, his gaze flicking back and forth from Johnny and Roy, to the river ahead.  Several minutes of watching the man left Hank on the verge of speaking.  The last thing they needed was some juvenile theatrics, but the look of concern on Chet’s face was reassuring.  He wouldn’t say anything out of line today.

Hank turned his attention to the paramedics.  Johnny was watching Roy closely, his worry evident in the frown he wore.  It was at that moment that Chet cleared his throat and finally broke the silence.

“Hey, Gage, bet you wish some of your ancestors were around to help us out about now.”

Johnny looked up, his expression a mixture of surprise, frustration and curiosity.

“What the hell are you talking about, Chet?”

“Oh, you know . . . in all the westerns, they show the Indians living out on the plains.  Those guys made it through every kind of situation with nothing more than what they could carry with them, or use from the land.  Too bad you didn’t learn some of their tricks.”

“Chet, you watch too much TV.”

“That may be, but the stuff they showed was real.  We could use a little Injun know-how in this situation.”

“Madre de Dios.”  Marco muttered from the side of the raft.

“What’s wrong with you, Marco?”  Chet asked innocently.

“Chet.” Hank’s voice was low, but strong.  He wasn’t sure if Chet really didn’t hear him over the sound of the river, or just chose to ignore his captain.  Either way, the Irishman was like a dog worrying a bone, and he wasn’t ready to give up.

“I’m serious, Gage.  There must be something in your native background that’ll help us out.”

Hank did his best to get Chet’s attention without actually shouting at the man.  Mike quickly caught on, but even his attempts to control Chet went unnoticed.  In the end, Doug was the one who put a stop to the conversation.

“Just ahead is where we’ll make the portage.  Everyone pay attention now, we’re going to head for shore.”

Immediately, the group quieted, focused on the work at hand.  Paddles dipped in the water, matching the guide’s verbal commands, and within seconds, the raft was headed towards the river’s edge.

++++++++++++

The rocky shore was a welcome sight to Johnny.  Passing safely through one series of rapids had helped to calm his fears.  Still, the thought of Roy being completely vulnerable at the bottom of a rubber raft on a dangerous river, made the younger paramedic cringe. 

“Right, back hard.”

Doug’s voice rang out as he directed the men to beach the raft.  It seemed odd, but Johnny couldn’t help but recognize the improvement in the men’s abilities as they dipped their paddles into the water.  Their movements in unison, the paddles matched in depth and pull, his shift mates worked well together as the boat glided smoothly towards shore.

“Steady, Chet, that’s it.  Okay, Mike.”  Doug was already out of the raft, his legs knee deep in the river water as he steadied the craft.  At the bow, Mike had just climbed out, and Chet was doing the same.  Within minutes, they had the raft securely beached.

“Alright, Pal, let’s get you out of there first.”

Johnny looked up to see Cap waiting patiently to help him out.  It took a moment, and his legs felt like they’d been folded into the same position for hours, but he carefully edged himself away from Roy and out of the raft.  Pins and needles seemed to burn his feet and ankles, but Johnny ignored the discomfort as his feet slipped over the side and into the water.  He was grateful when Cap’s hand grasped his arm, supplying the stability he needed to stay upright and move towards shore. 

Unwilling to admit it verbally, Johnny was grateful that the guys were taking charge of getting Roy out of the raft.  Sitting on the bottom of the raft put a person in a much worse position to manage the bumps and jolts of a river passage.  It took a few minutes of stretching before he felt that everything was in good working order again.  Even his side felt a little better, now that he wasn’t bent over like a pretzel. 

It took a little more finesse to get Roy out of the raft, but the group was well versed in rescue operations, and they quickly came up with a way to use Chet’s air mattress as a makeshift stokes.  

“Okay, partner, this concludes your early morning river adventure.  We will now take a short rest before starting the next leg of our scenic tour.”

Chet’s snort of laughter seemed to grant the others’ release, and they all enjoyed the absurdity of Johnny’s remarks.  Roy managed a rather weak grin for his partner, but that was enough to give Johnny a sense of reprieve.  They’d made it through a difficult part of their journey.  There was more ahead, but this part was over, and he was grateful.

“Why don’t we all take a little breather?”

Doug’s suggestion was accepted with nods and smiles.  Chet and Marco both sat down, stretching their legs out in front of them.  Doug began to check out the raft, a routine the men were familiar with by now.  Mike stepped over to give him a hand, while Cap squatted down near Roy.  Johnny, for his part, spent several minutes walking slowly around the narrow strip of beach.  It felt good to stretch his legs and back, but it also gave him an excuse to step away from the group for a few minutes.

There was no question that they were making the right decisions, John was certain of that.  Still, the worry was there, nagging at him constantly.  Would the next part of the journey be worse?  Could they portage this area safely?  Could the three men left in the raft, guide it successfully through this dangerous section of the river?  Or would the men on land be left with no way out, if the raft didn’t make it through?

The questions plagued Johnny as he shuffled slowly along the shoreline.  Still, he was practical enough to shove those thoughts aside and focus on what needed to be done next.  Turning back, he paused next to the raft.

“Doug?”

“Yeah, John.”

“How many paddles can I use?”

Doug studied the younger man for a moment, as if trying to discern what Johnny was thinking.  Yet, he didn’t hesitate to answer the question.

“There’s the two that you and Roy used, and the two that Cap and Marco are using.”

Johnny didn’t respond, standing quietly instead, his head down.  His silence finally prompted Doug to inquire.

“What do you have in mind?”

“We’re going to build a travois.”

Ignoring Doug’s questioning look, Johnny stepped over to the raft. 

“Mike, can you get that length of nylon rope?  And we’ll need the duct tape.”

The engineer responded immediately, pulling out the requested items, and laying them in a pile.   It was clear that he was used to trusting Johnny’s impulses. 

“Anything else?”

“No, just the paddles.”

Johnny picked up the rope, slowly undoing the loops until he had several lengths splayed out before him. 

“What do you have in mind, John?”

Once more, Cap rested his hand on his paramedic’s shoulder.  Johnny wondered, briefly, if the contact was for his sake or his captain’s.  But the thought was immediately dismissed.  It didn’t matter.  Maybe they both needed the reassurance.

“I was just thinking about something Chet said.”

“What?  What did I say?”

Chet had moved over beside them, his curiosity piqued.  But Johnny chose to ignore him, working instead on uncoiling more of the rope.

“Come on, Gage.  What did I say?”

Johnny knew he was pushing Chet’s buttons, but it felt kind of good to enjoy the familiar baiting.  Besides, the guy had it coming after all those “injun” cracks earlier.  He knew that Chet was just trying to lighten the mood, but Johnny wasn’t about to let the man know that his teasing had been appreciated.

“Nothing special.  At least, not to you white men.”

“What?  Tell me what I said!”

“Cap, can you lay two of those paddles together, end to end?”  Johnny asked, as he continued to ignore Chet.

“Sure, John.  How’s that?”

“Fine.  Now, place the other two the same way, about two feet apart.”

Johnny squatted down next to the paddles, now twice their length.

“Good.  Now, Marco, take this tape and secure the paddles together.  Make sure to overlap the widest parts, so you can snug them up tight.”

While Marco, with Mike’s help, taped the paddles together, Johnny made a loop at one end of the rope, and slipped it over one of the paddles.  Then, he began to criss-cross the rope, from one set of paddles to the other, carefully intertwining the rope until he had a makeshift net between the two poles.  It didn’t take long for the others to realize what an ingenious stretcher he’d created.

“I made you think up this contraption?”

“No, Chet.  You just made me remember what they looked like.” 

“How did I do that?”

Johnny grinned at the flustered man.

“You kept making all those cracks about the Indians, and I got to thinking about all the westerns I used to watch when I was a kid.   Shoot, everyone’s seen an Indian pony pulling a travois.  Well, this one’s going to be a cross between a travois and a stretcher.  We’ll have to carry this one, but it’ll be a lot easier on Roy than bumping along behind a horse.” 

The others nodded in appreciation as they realized what Johnny had managed to come up with.  He studied the finished product a moment, before adding his approval. 

“Okay, now all we need is to put the air mattress on top of the rope and tie it together.  Then we’ll be ready to move.”

“Good work, John.”

Cap’s words of praise meant a lot to Johnny, but he couldn’t help but add his own comment under his breath.

Yeah, if it holds.

Part 4