"I promise." All the operators had goodbye letters. The chance of a short life came with their job. Julian and Zach would not make unkeepable promises. He and Zach backed to safety, removing any debris in the path. "Whenever you're ready,mon frère."
Martin rotated his left foot. After one more deep breath, he planted his toe, turned and broke for the safety of the stairwell. Fifteen feet from the car, a pop sounded, and a light flashed from behind him. The vehicle exploded. On instinct, Martin covered his head, dropped and rolled. He hit the wall hard, his lungs emptying from the force of the blast. Water from the sprinklers and debris pelted him from the direction of the explosion.
"Medic." Julian and Zach ran to him, ripping off their cumbersome suits. "Martin! He's alive." Julian knelt at his head. A strong pulse beat beneath his fingertips. "Help me roll him. On my count. One, two, three." At the comforting sight of Martin’s chest rising, Julian slowed his own breathing.
Light bulbs buzzed, and the sprinklers continued to pelt the area with dirty brown water. Seth ripped open Martin's shirt. "Right ribs bruised. Possible fractures. Shallow air exchange. Serious bleed left calf. Multiple abrasions. One-inch laceration, left brow."
Zach paced in a small circle. "Mike, he's unresponsive. The best route is the south stairwell."
Julian tore off his shirt to tie around Martin's hemorrhaging calf. With the bleeding controlled, Seth continued the exam. "He needs to be in the ER."
Kenny and Trask, dressed in full turnout gear, were moving toward them with a longboard. "The structure may be compromised. Let's go."
On the ground floor, two Silverton firefighters rolled a stretcher toward them along the gravel-pelted pavement. With Martin deposited on the gurney, they reversed direction toward the ER. "You guys are crazy. There might be more devices in the building," one of the firemen spoke.
Julian said a prayer at Martin's side and, with hesitation, left the area as per Ian’s earlier orders. Kenny pushed against the head of the stretcher. "Never leave a man behind."
The ER was busy, but the panic from the explosion made the night more chaotic. The triage nurse scolded them as they rolled inside. "What did you bring us? It would be nice to get a warning."
Seth's nostrils flared. "The what is a thirty-nine-year-old male, victim of an explosion in your garage. No known health problems. He's wet from the sprinklers; we need to warm and dry him. IV, monitor, trauma panel, pan CT…"
"Hold it, big boy, this is my ER. I'm Dr. Lou Miranda. Move him to the trauma room."
"Dr. Miranda, don't mean to piss in your cornflakes, but this man needs immediate attention." Seth stood to his full six-foot, four-inch height.
Dr. Miranda repeated what Seth demanded and added more. The doctor scrutinized him. "Who do you think you are? This man is my responsibility. Any idea how close he was to the explosion?" The five Chase operators, the residents in the room, and the two firefighters stayed quiet.
"Seth Brady, Critical Care Trauma PA. This is Martin Bailey. Fifteen feet in front of the detonation."
"Well, Mr. Brady, you have an investment here."
A nurse's voice broke the tension, "Lou, urine clean for blood. I'll send a sample to the lab."
A technician called out, "X-ray." Everyone stepped back.
Lou looked at the digital images, then continued her examination. "Three broken ribs on the right."
Seth's eyes glued to the digital images. "Also, a four-inch deep lac to his calf. We need to watch for brain swelling, pulmonary contusions and hollow organ damage from the overpressure. We also need to be ready for blast wind injuries."
"You understand blast injuries. You saw combat?"
"Yes, ma'am. Two tours, Iraq and Afghanistan. The brain appears uninjured. Ribs five, seven, and eight broken on the right," Seth spoke as the images changed on the CT scanner screen.
A chorus greeted him, "How is he?"
The newest PA to Chase management experienced the men from Chase trying to contain their nerves for the first time. "Lucky. He'll hurt like hell for a few days. He needs to stay a day or so in the hospital. There can be delayed issues from the explosion. I arranged a bed in the ICU. I figured putting him near Beth is the only way we’ll be able to hold him." Seth frowned.
"All right. I'm taking control of the investigation under Homeland guidelines. I'm done trying not to offend the locals. I'll handle the politics and the interagency clusterfuck. This is an official terrorism activation until I have solid evidence to call it otherwise. FBI, IBI, and ATF are dispatching teams. I want to know who sneezes,” Mike said.
“Tate, Julian disappeared. I don't want him to be a familiar face. Update him. Zach, wipe Elizabeth's, Martin's and Austin's name from the census. Give the administrator a lap dance if necessary, just get it done.”
Zach's brows rose at Mike's impolitic words.
"With all the respect in the world, I don't have the time nor patience for red tape." Mike's tone was steely. "Seth, how many explosions did you hear?"
"Just one and my ears are still ringing," Martin grumbled.
"Welcome back, sleepyhead." Seth hit the call bell. "Look at my nose." His thumb supported Martin's eyelid while he examined his left eye.
