Rating-----PG
Disclaimer----I still don’t own them, no copyright infringement intended.
Comments-----This story was written for Ninheve as a thank you for all the wonderful pictures she’s supplied me with. The idea came in the chat room when the subject of cliffs came up. Thanks again Julie for all the medical details and the idea for the fic in the first place. As usual I couldn’t have done it without you, Pard.
“Tell me again that we’re having fun, Tanner,” Chris Larabee said as he wrapped his coat tightly around him.
“Ah, hell, Chris, how was I supposed to know it was gonna rain. The ranger station said it was supposed to be hot and sunny with maybe a few puffy white clouds,” the sharpshooter laughed as rain dripped from his hair in rivulets.
“Hmm, those clouds don’t look to white or puffy to me. Kinda look more on the dark side.”
“Reminds me of some of your moods,” Tanner laughed in spite of the chill running through him as he huddled under the overhanging ledge.
“Very funny, Tanner,” Larabee grinned in spite of his discomfort.
“Do I have to remind you whose idea this whole thing was?”
Larabee glanced at the younger man, a tiny grin on his face as he remembered the surprised look on his friends face as he opened his birthday gift. Chris spent months researching the perfect gift for Vin Tanner, a man who relished the outdoors. “You saying this is all my fault?”
Tanner grinned as he shook the rain from his hair. “Well I don’t think I can blame you for the rain but you did pay for the trip,” the younger man said. “Seriously, Chris, this is one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever had. I’ve dreamed of visiting Yellowstone but never thought I’d get the chance.”
“I’m glad, Vin.”
“It’s even better because you agreed to come along,” Tanner told his friend.
“Couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Larabee laughed.
“It looks like it’s finally letting up. You ready to get out of here?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I’m looking forward to a hot bath, hot coffee, and hot soup.”
“You must be gettin’ old, Larabee.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You never mentioned a hot woman,” Tanner answered and laughed at the stunned look on the blonds face.
“I thought that was a given,” Larabee glared.
Tanner’s quicksilver laughter rang out over the wilderness, echoing off the surrounding cliffs. “You know, Cowboy, you sounded like Buck just now.”
The blonds’ laughter joined his friends as he stepped out from under the ledge. “How far off the trail do you think we are?” he asked as he searched for a sign of the path they were supposed to follow.
“I don’t think we’re to far off. It’s a damn good thing you spotted that bear before he spotted us. Let’s just go back the way we came and we should find the trail.”
“You mean we have to cross that ledge again?” Larabee asked, remembering the horror of watching his friend lose his footing. Chris’s reaction had been pure instinct and he’d grabbed the younger man’s backpack before he’d plunged down the cliff face.
“It’s the only way. I promise to be more careful this time,” Tanner grinned sheepishly.
“I’ll believe that when I see it. Lead the way, Tanner. I want to get out of these wet clothes.” Larabee said as he lifted his heavy backpack onto his shoulders. He smiled as he watched the younger man do the same.
Silence once more took over as the two men made their way back towards the trail. Chris watched as the younger man, a natural tracker, led them easily back to the ledge. “Are you sure there’s no easier way?” Larabee asked as he looked over the edge. The cliff face was a jumble of rocks, broken trees, and deadwood. The raw danger of the area was broken only by the abundance of wildflowers. The path itself was wide enough to walk across but was treacherous because of the heavy downpour
“I don’t think we should go searching for another way out. I have a feeling this storm ain’t over yet, Chris.”
“Alright, Pard, let’s get it over with,” Larabee said.
Tanner moved out on the narrow ledge, carefully placing his feet on the slippery surface. “Better take it slow, Cowboy,” he ordered as his friend followed him. Both men had their backs pressed tightly against the wall in an effort to keep their balance.
“You’re not kidding, Vin. Slow and careful,” Larabee said just before the narrow section he was on gave way.
“Chris!” the younger man shouted as he reached out to grab his friend, barely missing the edge of the backpack. He grabbed the edge of the slope and watched helplessly as his friend went over the cliff.
Chris knew he was going to fall and reached for anything to try to keep his balance. His hand touched a large protruding root, but months of rot had caused it to weaken and he felt it snap. His body began spinning wildly as he tumbled down the sheer face of the cliff. His left arm slammed against a rock as he tumbled head over heals. A scream ripped from his throat as he felt something snap in his left leg. He fought the blackness that welled up inside him as his right leg slammed into a tree and he barely registered that pain as his back came up against a small boulder. He thought his downward journey had ended but the rock came loose and once more he was sliding down the cliff. ‘Musta found every damn rock on the mountain,’ was his last conscious thought as his head impacted with a small sapling.
Tanner could only watch in shock as his friends’ body, looking more like a marionette than a human, finally came to rest at the base of the cliff. He’d watched in horror as the blonds body slammed into the debris cluttering the path he’d taken. With little care for his own safety, Vin Tanner followed the same course down the cliff his friend took moments before.
He reached the bottom without incident and knelt beside the injured man. “Chris,” he said as he began examining his friend through the wet clothing. He reached for the neck, relieved at the strong pulse he felt there. Larabee’s body was covered in bruises, his clothing torn, his backpack ripped to shreds.
Tanner pulled off his own backpack and dropped it to the ground. He pulled out the first aid kit and opened it up, placing it within easy reach of his hands.
Shaking his head he began a slow careful exam of the injured man, beginning with the gash above his right eye. The cut was approximately two inches long, a deep purple lump surrounding it. Vin continued his cursory exam, scowling as he saw the extent of the damage to the left arm and shoulder. Blood pooled around the protruding bone and he knew this was an extremely dangerous injury. He’d have to figure out a way to cover the wound and keep it and the broken collarbone immobilized. He continued down the man’s body, checking for damaged ribs, relieved when he found nothing broken. His hands felt the break in the left leg, between the knee and the hip, “Gonna have a lot of fixin’ up to do before I can get ya outta here, Cowboy,” he said as he finished the left leg and moved on to the right. Once more his hands found a break between the knee and ankle. “Dammit, Chris, you really did a good job on yourself this time,” Tanner’s voice was filled with frustration.
“Vin?” Larabee felt the hands touching him and opened his eyes. “Oh, God!” he cried as agonizing pain flooded every part of his body.
“Lay still, Cowboy, Got a lot of work to do. The faster I get it done the faster we can get ya off this damn rock,” Tanner said as he cleaned the cut over Larabee’s eye, placing a square of gauze over the injury.
“Gonna be sick,” Larabee’s weak voice warned as he turned his head, crying out as the pain and his emptying stomach caused him more misery. He felt Tanner’s hands on his left shoulder and gasped as he let his head drop back to the ground.
‘Concussion,’ Tanner immediately thought as he held his gasping friend. “Chris, I’m gonna have to set the broken bones.”
“Not yet, Vin. I c...can’t s...stand it. H...hurts too much. Please, Vin, just leave it,” the blond pleaded.
“Don’t have much choice, Larabee. Can’t get you outta here until I do. Now you just lie there while I gather the things I need,” Tanner said, ignoring the pained look on his friends face as he stood up.
The blond watched as his young friend moved away. He’d seen the lines of pain and horror on the sharpshooters face and knew the injuries to his own body were massive. ‘Don’t think it’s gonna matter what you do, Vin. I'm not getting off of this mountain alive,’ he thought as pain radiated out from his back. He fought the tears that threatened to fall, ‘Dammit Larabee, don’t be such a whiner. It’s just a little pain,’ he gasped and lay still as the darkness fell over him once again.
Tanner built a fire and moved back to his friend. He’d fashioned splints, using his Swiss army knife, carefully trimming the sharp edges. He turned to the right leg first, preying Larabee would remain unconscious he took hold of the leg and snapped the bone in place, his eyes never leaving the pale face of his friend.
Vin’s concern grew as Chris didn’t move or make a sound as he removed his wet and dirt covered clothing. The concern building even more when no protests came as he treated the injuries. Finally finished with his legs he moved on to the compound break in the left arm. Using the last of the water he cleaned the blood from the broken skin, grateful there didn’t seem to be much blood. As quickly as he could he snapped the bone in place, ignoring the sharp cry of alarm from the blond. ‘God, I wish Nathan was here,’ he thought as he bandaged the injury and splinted the arm.
By the time Vin finished his ministrations he set about pitching the two-man Timberline lightweight camping tent he carried in his backpack. Once the tent was set up, Tanner placed his own sleeping bag on the floor and carefully moved the blond inside, covering him with the second sleeping bag. His hand gently touched the injured man’s forehead, checking for any sign of fever. The forehead was warm but nothing to be concerned about yet.
Tanner placed more wood on the fire and moved to the creek he’d found close by. He filled the two canteens and hurried back to the makeshift camp.
Chris opened his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the pain. The constant agonizing pain that seemed to take hold of his arm and both legs. His head throbbed with every heartbeat and he felt chilled to the bone. His memories were fleeting as he tried to make sense of why he hurt so much. The last thing he remembered was stepping out on the narrow ledge. He knew someone had been with him but couldn’t seem to remember who it was. A picture of a smiling longhaired man came to mind and he tried to sit up, “Vin!” he cried out as he relived the moment when his friend had nearly fallen.
Tanner heard the cry, dropped the canteen and moved into the tent. He placed his hands on the blonds’ upper chest, easing him back down on the soft sleeping bag. “Hey, Cowboy, what’re you hollering about?”
“V...Vin,” Larabee’s glazed eyes focused on his friend. “N...not hurt?”
“Me? No, Chris, I’m not hurt,” Tanner assured the other man.
“T...thought you fell,” Larabee coughed and clutched his right arm to his chest.
“Not me, Cowboy. You’re the one who decided to slide down the side of a mountain.”
“T...that why I feel l...like shit?”
“I’d say it has a lot to do with it,” Tanner laughed. “I’m just gonna cook us up some of those dehydrated soups.”
“Oh joy,” Larabee groaned as he closed his eyes.
“No sleeping yet, Pard. I need you to drink a little water first,” Tanner said as he lifted the blond head and helped him drink from the tin cup.
Chris turned his head after drinking a couple of small sips. “Thanks,” he whispered as he closed his eyes again.
“Anytime, Cowboy, anytime,” Tanner said as he left the tent.
Larabee had no idea how long he laid there, fighting the building nausea in his stomach and the pain in his abdomen. He used his uninjured right hand to touch his abdomen and knew something was wrong. The area was firm but very tender and he wondered if he had internal injuries. Groaning softly Chris opened his eyes, worried that the younger man would overdo things in his efforts to care for him.
“You awake, Chris?”
“Y...yeah,” Larabee’s pain filled voice answered.
“Think you can drink a little of this soup?”
“G...guess so,” he gasped.
“I’m gonna sit you up a little and put my backpack under your head. It might hurt a bit,” Tanner explained as he lifted the blond forward, careful of the immobilized arm and shoulder.
Larabee waited for the world to stop spinning before opening his eyes again. He groaned and once more clutched at his abdomen as Tanner reached for the cup of warm liquid. The grimace on his friends face told him this was more than just nausea. “Chris, let me take a look,” he ordered softly.
“K.”
Vin removed the blonds’ right hand from his abdomen and palpated the area, causing the injured man to cry out weakly. The firmness and tenderness of the upper left area of the abdomen worried Vin and he sat back on his heels.
“W...what is it?”
“Not sure, Cowboy, maybe just an upset stomach,” Tanner told him.
“T...told you b...before you’re not a g...good liar,” Chris said, his body shivering uncontrollably.
“I could say the same for you, “ Tanner said, wrapping the sleeping bag more tightly around his friend. He picked up the cup of soup and slowly fed it to the man, his concern growing as he felt the cold clamminess of his skin, and the trembling of his body. He managed to get half the cup into the blond before he pushed the cup away with his hand.
“What h...happened to me, Vin?” Larabee asked seriously.
Tanner’s eyebrows narrowed as he looked at the pale face. “You took a tumble down the side of a cliff. Banged your self up pretty good too.”
“C...cliff. Damn, I c...can’t r...remember,” he said, fear evident in his voice and on his face.
“That’s alright, Pard, it’ll come back to you,” the sharpshooter assured him. Vin watched the face as it contorted in pain. He knew Larabee was in bad shape and the sooner he got him to medical attention the better. He thought the blond had fallen asleep until the man spoke softly.
“I’m not g...gettin’ off t...this mountain am I, Vin?”
“Course you are, Chris. We both are. You just gotta let me do all the work and I’ll get you to the hospital. I’m not letting you go, Larabee! You hear me. I’m not lettin’ you go and I’m not lettin’ you give up. The guys need you, Chris. Dammit, Cowboy, I need you,” Tanner shouted and then lowered his voice. “Don’t give up, Chris. I know you’re hurting but just hang on, alright?”
“I’ll try, V...Vin. So t...tired. So c...cold,” his teeth chattered as he struggled to stay awake.
“Go back to sleep, Cowboy. I promise we’re both gettin’ outta here,” Tanner swore as he hurried from the tent.
Three hours later, with maybe six more hours of sunlight ahead of him, the sharpshooter finished building the makeshift stretcher/travois. He’d used two sturdy saplings as the main poles. He pulled Chris’s tent from his backpack and used the nylon ropes to affix smaller saplings to the main poles. Once finished with that section he cut the Nylon tent lengthwise and used more of the rope to attach it to the stretcher. When he was finished he tested the poles, making sure he couldn’t pull them apart. He pulled the stretcher over to the tent and lay it flat on the ground.
Vin slid into the tent, stopping for a minute to watch the blonds’ chest. He knew Larabee’s breathing was far to fast and he began to worry about shock and hypothermia.
“Vin? What’s wrong?” Larabee gasped weakly.
“Nothing, Cowboy. Just came to see if you were ready to get out of here.”
“H...how?” Larabee asked.
“I’m gonna carry you.”
“C...carry me? How’re you gonna do t...that?”
“By using a travois. It’s not gonna be a comfortable ride for you, Pard, but we gotta get you to the hospital. Now I’m gonna take this sleeping bag off you and wrap you in the one you’re lying on. You just lie still and let me do everything, Ok?”
“Ok,” the blond answered, shivering as Tanner removed the sleeping bag, exposing his bruised body to the air.
Vin pulled the second sleeping bag around the blond, zipping him in securely. “Ill be right back, Cowboy.”
“I’ll be h...here,” Larabee answered.
Tanner hurried to place the sleeping bag around the stretcher, wrapping it in such a way that he used the zipper to hold the bag to the poles. “You ready, Chris?” he asked as he ducked back into the tent.
“R...ready for what?” the blond asked, looking around confusedly.
“Ready to get out of here.”
“T...think so,” Larabee answered, still unsure what was happening.
“Sorry, Pard, this is gonna hurt for a few minutes,” Tanner said as he began pulling the sleeping bag, with his friend inside, out of the tent. The outright cries of pain were alarming to the younger man but he knew he couldn’t stop. To stop now would mean more pain and lost time. The sooner he got Chris on the stretcher the sooner he could start pulling him along the base of the cliff and find an easier way up.
Chris held his breath as Vin pulled him out of the tent. His right hand fisted tightly, his eyes clenched tight, his jaw locked as he tried not to cry out.
“Ok, Cowboy, now for the hard part,” Tanner said.
“T...thought that was the h...hard part,” Larabee groaned.
“I’m gonna lift you on the stretcher now, Cowboy. Take a deep breath and I’ll do it as quickly as I can,” Tanner told him as he gently rolled the blond on his side, holding him in position for a few seconds while he pushed the stretcher underneath him. He gently rolled Chris onto his back. He watched as the older man struggled to get his breathing under control. Finally his breathing seemed to get easier but the lines of pain never left the handsome face. “Just gonna make sure you’re not gonna fall off,” Tanner said as he cut the nylon ropes from the now empty tent.
“K,” the blond gasped painfully.
Tanner secured Larabee’s body to the stretcher and reached for the cup of warm soup broth he’d already prepared. “Drink a little of this, Cowboy, and we’ll be on our way,” Tanner said, lifting the blond head and helping him swallow the tepid liquid. Once again Chris only took a few small sips before turning away.
“N...nuff,” he said, closing his eyes once more.
“Alright, Cowboy, now you try to sleep and we’ll be out of here in no time,” Tanner said.
“Hmm,” was the only answer he received as Larabee lost the fight to stay awake.
Tanner watched the man’s chest, worried that his breathing seemed to be getting harsher. He felt the pulse at the blonds’ throat and knew it was weaker than when he’d first checked him. “Dammit, Cowboy, you gotta hang on,” he pleaded as he stood up looked at his watch and picked up the poles. “We got six hours of daylight, Pard. Should be able to get you up to the trail by then,” Tanner said aloud, even though he knew the blond was far beyond hearing.
Vin walked along the base of the mountain, his arms aching with the effort it took to keep the stretcher moving. He’d been walking for well over two hours but hadn’t found an easier place to try to scale the cliff. A strangled cry from behind him caused him to stumble but he didn’t go down. He gently placed the stretcher on the ground and hurried to his friends’ side. “Hey, Cowboy, you awake?” he asked, keeping the fear from his voice as he saw how much pain his friend was actually in.
“Hmm,” Larabee answered. “C...can’t stand t...this m...much longer. H...hurts to damn much.”
“I know it does, Pard, but we’re almost out of here,” Tanner lied.
“It’s c...cold, Vin. R...really cold,” the blond gasped through chattering lips.
“Won’t be cold much longer. We’ll find the ranger station and I’m sure he’ll have a nice fire going,” Tanner said. He looked up at the sun, feeling the heat on his face. ‘It’s not cold, Pard. Please, God, let me get him outta here,’ the sharpshooter prayed silently.
“V...Vin?”
“Yeah, Cowboy?”
“In c...case I don’t m...make it...”
“Don’t talk like that, Chris. I ain’t gonna listen to that shit. You hear me? I know you’re hurtin’ right now but you gotta just keep fighting cause if you die on me I’ll never forgive you. You’re the closest thing I got to family and I can’t lose you too,” Tanner ground out.
“I’m s...sorry, Vin,” Larabee said as he lost consciousness again.
“Chris!” Tanner cried reaching out to touch the vein in his neck once again, finally releasing his own breath when he felt the slow, but steady pulse. “Please stay alive, Pard,” he said as he placed his hand over his friends’ heart before turning back to the task at hand.
Tanner was exhausted and didn’t notice the upward grade of the slope until he was halfway up. He placed the stretcher back on the ground and turned to check on his friend. He was surprised to see the green eyes open and almost lucid. “Hey, Pard, How are you doing?”
Larabee lifted his head and looked around. “Where the h...hell are we, V...Vin?”
“We’re still on the Seven Mile Hole trail, Pard.”
“Seven Mile Hole? What’re we d...doing here?”
“You gave me this trip as a birthday present,” Tanner explained, worried about the blonds’ confusion.
“I did. D...doesn’t seem l...like it was s...such a good i...idea from w...where I am,” the blond laughed weakly.
“I bet it don’t. Want some water?”
“Yeah,” Larabee rasped. He took two quick gulps from the canteen and started coughing harshly.
“Easy, Cowboy,” Tanner said as he tucked the sleeping bag securely around his friend. He waited till the coughing stopped and drank some of the water himself, coughing as he recapped the canteen.
“S...sounds like you got a c...cold,” the blond said softly.
“I’m fine, Chris. Now you just lie back and enjoy the ride. Better keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all time,” Tanner said, grinning at the older man.
Larabee laughed, remembering the warning given every time you rode the coasters at Disneyland. “Damn straight,” he said as Vin picked up the stretcher once more.
Vin kept moving up the trail, his arms now numb to what had once been a throbbing pain. The sun had dipped below the horizon as he pulled his weary body and the stretcher over the edge. Once more turning to check on his partner. Larabee was still unconscious and Vin once more drank from the canteen, recapping it and looking around at the encroaching darkness. He recognized a large rock formation shaped like a fist and surrounded by large pines. It was used as a marker by hikers and Rangers alike.
“Not much further, Cowboy,” Tanner said happily. “ The Ranger Station should be an easy two mile hike down the road.” The sharpshooter lifted the poles once more, ignoring the open blisters on the palms of his hand, and started towards the station.
By the time he reached the Station, night had completely taken over and Vin was shivering violently. He pulled the stretcher and it’s burden up to the door, placed it gently on the ground, and pounded loudly on the door.
“Just a minute,” a female voice called from inside.
“We need help,” Tanner rasped, coughing loudly.
Sylvia Mercer heard the pleading voice and hurried to the door. She threw it open and glanced at the dishevelled man standing before her. “What happened?” she asked sympathetically.
“My friend fell down the cliff over at the Seven Mile Hole trail. He’s hurt real bad,” Tanner explained.
“How far back is he?” Mercer asked as she opened the door and tried to pull the young man inside.
“No, Ma’am, he’s right here. I carried him back. He’s beat up bad. You gotta get a medivac chopper out here,” Tanner told her as he knelt beside Larabee’s unconscious form.
“Let’s get him inside,” Sylvia said as she picked up one end of the stretcher. She waited for the exhausted looking young man to pick up his end and the two carried the burden inside.
“Let’s put him over by the fire,” she suggested.
Tanner nodded and they placed Larabee beside the fireplace.
She picked up a blanket off the single bad and pitched it to the younger man, “You’d better get outta them clothes and get warmed up yourself while I call for help,” she said. “There’s some clothing that should fit you in the cupboard over there,” she told him as she used the radio to contact her home base.
Vin touched the too still form of his friend; his chest constricting as he thought of how close he was to losing him. “See, Cowboy, I told you I’d get you out of here,” he whispered.
“T...thanks.”
“Chris?”
“Yeah. W...where are we?”
“Ranger Station. She’s calling for help right now.”
“G...good, “ Larabee answered.
“They’re sending an ambulance from the clinic.”
“Ambulance? He needs a medivac helicopter and a hospital not a clinic,” Tanner said angrily.
“E...easy, Vin,” the blond said, gasping as pain laced through him again.
Sylvia smiled at the pale blond on the floor. She knew he was badly injured from the awkward outline of his body. “There’s nowhere the medivac chopper can land here. It should be waiting for you when you reach the clinic,” she explained as she touched the blonds’ forehead. “What’s your name?” she asked as the dazed green eyes looked at her.
“Chris Larabee,” the blond answered weakly.
“And you?”
“Vin Tanner.”
“Well, Vin, you best do as I said and get changed. I’ve got some hot chocolate and some soup warming on the stove. By the time you’ve changed it should be ready,” she told the longhaired man.
“C...change, Vin. It’s c...cold,” Larabee shivered as the words left his lips.
“I will, Cowboy,” Tanner assured the injured man as he reached behind him and took the pillows from the bed.
“T...tired,” Larabee said as his eyes drooped.
“I know you are. Go to sleep, Chris.”
“K.”
“Sylvia, he’s in shock.”
“You lift his legs and I’ll place these pillows underneath him,” she said.
“Thanks,” he said as he carefully lifted the legs and placed them on the soft pillows.
“Ah, h...hurts,” the blond groaned.
“Easy, Cowboy, all done. Go back to sleep now,” Tanner ordered.
“I’ll sit with him while you change,” Sylvia told him.
“Thanks,” the sharpshooter said as he turned to the cupboard and took out some of the well worn but dry clothing. “How long before the ambulance gets here?”
“They should be here in less than an hour,” Mercer said as she examined the injured man. “Anything else wrong besides the injuries I can see?”
“I think he’s got some internal injuries.”
“I take it you know something about treating injuries like this?”
“Our agency requires we know some basic medicine. His abdomens pretty firm,” Tanner said as he changed into the dry clothing.
“Good thing your agency does that. You’ve done a great job of caring for him. Not many people can set broken bones properly,” Mercer said.
“We’ve had plenty of practice,” Tanner told her as he sat beside his friend.
Sylvia left him sitting there and walked to the tiny stove, returning with a cup of hot chocolate and thick fragrant soup. “Drink this,” she ordered as he took the cup. She watched as he shivered before sipping the warm beverage.
“Sarah.”
“Oh, hell, Chris, stay still,” Tanner ordered as the mournful cry came from the injured man. He put the cup back on the floor and placed his hand on his friends’ chest.
“S...Sarah, d...don’t go. P...please. I n...need y...you and Adam,” Larabee cried in his delirium.
“Lie still, Chris,” Tanner ordered.
“No! D...don’t go,” Larabee sobbed as he watched the two people he’d loved and lost leave him to his pain once more. “No!”
“Come on, Cowboy, you ain’t got no cause to be fighting like this. You’re gonna do more damage if you keep it up,” the sharpshooter said as he gently touched the blond, sending strength through his touch.
Larabee shuddered and lay still, his breathing shallow and fast, as he once more opened his eyes. “Vin?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Helps on the way,” Tanner explained as he locked eyes with his friend.
“Help?”
“Yeah, Sylvia called an ambulance. It should be here any minute,” the younger man explained as he watched the confusion on his friends face.
“Sylvia?”
“That’s me, Chris, I’m a Park Ranger,” she said as she heard the wailing sirens. “Help’s here,” she told the two men as she hurried to open the door.
“Hear that, Cowboy, helps here,” Tanner said, and saw Larabee nod his head in answer.
Two burly males rushed through the door, the stretcher between them covered in emergency medical supplies. They knelt beside the injured man as Tanner moved out of the way. “What happened?” the first paramedic asked.
“I...I fell,” Larabee answered weakly, trembling as the men removed the sleeping bag.
“What’s your name?”
“C...Chris,” the blond gasped as the two men began placing a cervical collar around his neck.
“Well, Chris, it looks like you took quite a fall,” the first paramedic said as he pulled out a stethoscope and listened to Larabee’s chest. “I’m Tony, and the guy starting the IV in your arm is Tom. If you just relax we’ll make you as comfortable as we can and get you to the clinic, alright?”
“Yeah,” Larabee gasped, his body trembling from pain and cold.
“He’s got internal injuries as well,” Tanner said as he watched the two men efficiently work on his friend.
Tony took out a BP cuff and placed it around Larabee’s right arm, carefully avoiding the newly inserted IV line. He nodded as Tom began setting up a second line just above the first.
“Blood Pressure is eighty over fifty. Heart rate’s one twenty,” Tony said as he picked up an oxygen mask and began placing it over Larabee’s face. “We’re gonna start giving you oxygen, Chris, it’s gonna help you breath easier.”
“K.”
Tony noted the blood on the bandage covering the splinted left arm and looked up at Tanner.
“The bone’s showing through,” Tanner answered before the man could voice his question.
“Tom, we’ve got a compound fracture here,” Tony told his partner as he cut the makeshift bandage from the arm. He removed a pressure bandage from its sealed package and secured it around the wound, careful not to jostle the broken bone too much. He felt his patient flinch as he touched his abdomen. The worst area being in the upper left quadrant. “Definitely have some internal injuries here. The faster we get him to the clinic and the medivac chopper the better.”
“I took a look at his legs and whoever splinted them did a great job. I think we can leave them as they are and let the doctors look after them,” Tom said as he looked up at the worried young man standing over them.
“Yeah, that’s the best thing for now,” Tony agreed, carefully removing the bandage from the wound on Larabee’s forehead. He once more applied a pressure bandage, making sure it was secure.
Larabee tried his best to ignore the pain the men were causing but muffled cries escaped from under the mask.
“Can’t you give him something?” Tanner asked.
“That’s not advisable right now, Son,” Tom said and then turned back to his patient. “Chris I know you’re in a lot of pain but we can’t give you anything right now.”
“K,” the blond answered, his face a mask of pain.
“What’s your name, Son?” Tom asked.
“Vin.”
“Alright, Vin, you’ve done a mighty fine job with your friends injuries. Now I’m gonna need you to help us once more.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“We’re going to need to get Chris on a backboard before we move him,” Tom explained.
“You want me to help you logroll him?” Tanner asked.
Tony smiled as the young man knelt beside him. “Do you know how it works?”
“I’ve done it a few times,” Tanner answered.
“Alright. I want you to hold him here,” Tony said, indicating the patients’ legs. “Sylvia, I need you to push the board underneath him.”
“Ok,” the Ranger answered.
Tanner nodded as he placed his hands on Larabee’s legs, carefully avoiding the scratches bruises and broken bones. He watched as Tom supported Larabee’s head and neck and Tony took the shoulders and hips.
“We’re going to turn you, Chris. You just lie still and let us do all the work. Alright?”
“A...alright,” was the muffled reply.
“On three,” Tom ordered. “One, two, three,” Chris cried out as his body was turned, unprepared for the searing agony in his abdomen or the screaming pain from his broken limbs. He mercifully lost consciousness as the backboard was gently pushed beneath him and his body was once more turned onto his back.
Tony and Tom quickly
secured the straps across the injured man and lifted him onto the stretcher
where more straps were added.
“I’m coming with you,” Tanner stated as they wheeled the stretcher out of the small cabin.
“Alright,” Tony told him. “You ride up front with Tom and make sure you put on your seatbelt,” he ordered as the two paramedics secured the stretcher in the back of the ambulance.
“Thanks, Sylvia,” Tanner yelled as he climbed into the front of the ambulance.
“You’re welcome. Now take care,” Sylvia Mercer shouted after him, unsure if he’d heard her or not as the door slammed closed and the ambulance, sirens warbling, raced towards the clinic.
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