Always Tried and Proven (39 page)

      “Drat it all, anyway.”  Sadie growled.  “Would you listen to that wind pick up?”

    “Yes, it’s really something, isn’t it?”  Callie agreed uneasily.  “I’m bushed.  I think I’ll go on to bed.”

      “All right.  I’ll see you in the morning, then.”  Sadie yawned.  “G’night, Cal.”

    Callie put on her gown, and climbed into bed without further ado.  It was getting cold, and the wind was trying to whistle its way into the cracks of the trailer.

     Sam was notified within the hour that there were tornado warnings posted for the area.  Sam, Clyde and several of the other men got busy, tying the tent off to trucks for stability.  Though the tornadoes were actually expected to go through about forty miles east of their location, the winds were already something to contend with.

     When he had done all he could do to batten the hatches, Sam made his way to the trailer, and knocked softly on the door.

     Callie was sound asleep, but Sadie was still tossing.  She got up and opened the door.

     “Did Callie come in?”  he asked worriedly.

     “Yes.  She’s sound asleep.”  Sadie assured him.

     “Good.  You two stay put tonight, we’ve got tornado warnings.” Sam advised.

     “I'm not surprised.”  Sadie sighed.  “We’re all set.”

    “All right.  They’re supposed to go through fifty miles east, so we shouldn’t have anything more than some winds.  You two take care, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

     “G’night, Sam.”  She whispered.

     At four in the morning, a raging, howling wind swept through the valley.  Sadie awoke to a horrendous, cracking sound.  She sat up, just in time to watch a giant shape obliterate the window at the front of the trailer above Callie’s bed.  Something shattered the window above Callie, and filled the space where the window had been, from one end to the other.  It settled over Callie and then came to rest – a great, swaying darkness.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    
“Oh, my God!  My God,
Callie
!”  Sadie shouted.  She tore across the trailer and found herself stumbling into the branches of a large, thick tree. 

     “Callie!” she shouted again, but there was no response. 

     The tree had fallen across the front of the trailer, its direct hit missing Callie by scant inches.  The giant limbs of the tree had whipped out the window above her bed, and trapped Callie deep within a prison of heavy, dense branches.  Sadie couldn’t see, feel or touch her.

     She struggled through the mess, and made her way to the door.  Finally free, she ran, screaming for Sam.  She beat on the door to Clyde’s trailer with her fists.  “Sam!”

     He opened the door and came out fastening a pair of jeans, followed by two other men.  “What’s the matter?”

     “Callie!  A tree fell!  She’s buried, Sam!  Oh, God!”  she sobbed.

    Pain and fear paralyzed Sam's heart.  “Clyde, get a chainsaw.”  he snapped, with a grim look.  He took off at a dead run, grabbing an ax that sat against the trailer’s side.

    He opened the trailer door, and fought his way through the branches to get inside.  His pounding heart momentarily stopped beating;  then, it pounded like a locomotive.  She was totally buried.  He wondered if she could even breathe.

     “Jesus.” He whispered plaintively.

     He found Callie’s hand, and checked her wrist for a pulse.  It was there, but it was not regular, nor strong.  He grimaced, and tried not to panic.  He pulled branches to and fro, trying to find the ones above her head. 

     Without knowing what was happening next to Callie’s body, he couldn’t use the ax.  He could easily drive a broken branch into her body and kill her, if he didn’t use the utmost care.

      “Sam?”  Clyde called from outside.

     “She’s alive, but her pulse is weak and erratic.  Clyde, I can’t work from in here.  Get up on a truck or something, and start cutting the branches off, from out there.  Start over this end, above her head.  We’re going to have to work fast, but very carefully until I can be sure she’s getting air.  I don’t know how bad she’s hurt, or where the branches are. So work slowly, and carefully.  Cut a branch, and then wait while I start feeding it out to you.  Okay?”

     “Got it, Sam.”  Clyde answered glumly.  He nodded to Sean, and told him to drive his pickup as close as possible.  Then, he fired up the chainsaw.

      Clyde bit his tongue and shook his head.  This was a bad, bad business.  He saw Sam shake a branch and in response, he cut it off.  Then, as Sam pushed, he pulled on the branch, and it slid out fairly easily.  He was grateful to find workers behind him, ready to catch the branch and get it out of the way.  The whole camp was awake and ready to help, now.

     “All right, Clyde, work underneath the one we just cut, if you can.  And have somebody call an ambulance.  Her pulse is weakening."

     A murmur of dismay went through those outside.

     "I'll do it."  Sadie answered immediately.

    It was a tedious job, and one that required the utmost care.  They worked above her head, until Sam was sure she could get enough air.  Soon, Sam was able to see her face.  Her eyes were shut, and there was a deep gash in her forehead, filled with debris.  A branch had clearly snapped against her forehead, and Callie was unconscious.

     Sam shook his head, and sighed heavily.  It didn’t look good.  The only good thing about it, was that Callie had no idea of her predicament.  He was extremely worried, and prayed without ceasing as they worked.

     "Dear God."  He said weakly, trying to extricate the branch from around her head.  Thank goodness, it came away fairly easily.  But, the blood began to flow out of the wound, as the obstructions left.  Sam hoped that he had done the right thing.  He let the blood flow until most of the debris had been lifted out of the holes, using his handkerchief to work the dirt and needles away from the wounds.  Then, he put his handkerchief down, and used direct pressure to try to stop the copious bleeding.

     "Go ahead, Clyde."  He urged, feeling that if there were other bleeds like this one, they should be moving faster.  Still, he knew they had to be careful.  He felt frantic inside, in one part of him -- but the other part was resting in Jesus.  He could feel the Lord's Presence with him.

     The Aid Car arrived just as Sam and Clyde were cutting the branches away from her legs.  The good news was, there were no other obvious wounds outside of a few abrasions.  A man and a woman paramedic fought their way through the branches, and entered the trailer.

     "There is a deep-looking hole in her forehead, but I haven't found any other bleeds.  Her pulse still really concerns me, though.  It’s picked up a bit now that she’s getting more air, but it’s still weak."

     "Good job.  Go ahead now, and let us look her over.  I'll get the head."  One of the men directed.

     Sam nodded, and stepped back.  It wasn't long before they were putting her carefully on a backboard, and taking her out to the van.  One of the men turned to Sam.  "What hit her head?  Glass, or a branch?"

     "A branch.  It was still over her head when I came in.  I didn't see any glass in it."    

     "That's good.  I suspect a skull fracture, so I'm pretty sure we'll be taking her in.  Are you related to her?"

      "I'm the closest thing she's got here, but we're not married."  Sam replied.

     "You want to come along?  And can you reach her family?" the man asked, with affirmative answers from Sam on both counts.

      Sadie took Sam’s arm.  “Sam, let me drive you in.”  she suggested worriedly.  “I’ll just take along some clothes, and change at the hospital.  I had Jeannie get you a shirt, and some shoes.”

     “Okay.”  He agreed.  “Please hurry.”

     Sean and Dalton insisted on driving in, as well. 

    They had a very long wait, once they’d arrived at the hospital.  By eight o’clock, Sadie was trying to talk Sam into eating some breakfast, but he wouldn’t budge.  She sent Sean and Dalton for take-out, and stayed with Sam.

      Finally, around nine, the doctor came out to talk to them.  “Her x-rays show a small depressed skull fracture.  I don’t see any chips inside the cranium, nor is anything terribly displaced.  She’s conscious now, but still pretty disoriented.  I’ve given her something for her headache, so she may be pretty groggy when you see her.  I am going to have to keep her for observation for a day or two.  She’s got a concussion, and we’ll need to watch carefully for any seizure activity.  We’ve got her scheduled for an EEG this afternoon.”

     “What can I tell her mother?”  Sam asked worriedly.

     “Tell her it looks like she’ll be fine, but we’re going to watch her for a couple of days.”

     “What do you think this hole in her forehead is going to do when it heals up?  Is it going to leave a big scar?” Sadie asked worriedly.

     The doctor shrugged.  “No.  Not really.  There could be a scar, or a slight depression, but she didn’t lose much skin.  I suspect it will heal up just fine.  Her biggest complaint will be the headache, for awhile.  It could be that you will encounter some behavioral changes for awhile with the severe concussion, but she’ll most likely straighten out in a few months, at most.  While she’s here, let her get a lot of rest and keep your visits low key, please.”

     Sam nodded.  “Thank you.”  He said quietly.

    Calling Rose was difficult.  Sam didn’t like having to break this kind of news, but Rose was wonderful.  She took it calmly, and she was as concerned for Sam as she was for her daughter.  She could tell that this had been a significant strain for him.  They agreed that Sam would call her again that evening or the next day to tell him how Callie was doing.  Rose was ready to catch a plane or train, but Sam talked her into waiting until they knew more.

     Sadie talked Sam into getting something to eat, while they waited for Callie to be transferred to her room and settle in.  He didn’t eat much.  He just couldn’t help it.  He wasn’t going to be able to relax, until he saw Callie for himself.

     He went up first, by himself, when he couldn’t stand it anymore.  Sadie knew better than to push Sam, or argue at that point.  When he got to her room, there were still hospital personnel inside.  He waited until they left, and then he went inside.

     She was sleeping.  They’d put a few stitches in her forehead, and she was very pale; but otherwise, she looked all right.  In fact, he was exceedingly glad to see her.  He sat down beside her bed, and just watched her rest.  He wondered how much of the morning she remembered.  Had she ever been aware of the smothering branches?  Or had the tree swept through and slapped her unconscious immediately?

     She opened her eyes and looked at him, as though aware of the questions rattling around in his head.  Sam took her hand in his, and gave her a hint of a smile. 

      “Hey.”

     “Hey.”  She answered faintly.  “What, did you get tired of my lip and finally decide to slap the dickens out of me, Sam?” she teased.  “I think I’ve learned my lesson.”

     “Yeah, right.”  He growled.  “You know better than that, much as I may be tempted, sometimes.”

      “What exactly did happen?”

      “You were attacked by a tree.”

      Callie looked at him as though he’d lost his mind.

      “We had tornado warnings last night.  At four this morning, the winds came up and a tree fell into the trailer.  The branches knocked out the window, and you just happened to be in the way, too.”

     “I feel like I’ve been shot in the head.”

     “Just slapped.”  He corrected.  “But it looks like you’re going to be fine.  I don’t mind telling you that you had me very worried.”

      She smiled wanly.  “Sorry.”

    “Oh, good.  You’re awake again.”  A nurse said briskly.  “Let’s check your blood pressure.”

      “Didn’t you just do that?”  Callie asked tiredly.

      “We’ll be keeping a close eye on it.”  The nurse responded evenly.

     When she was gone, Callie rolled her eyes at Sam.  “They are making me crazy.”  She sighed.  

     “You won’t be here too long.”  He promised.  “I’ll have you back at the trailer as soon as possible, and you can sleep just as much as you want.  You could even take some time off and go home to Rose’s, if you want to.”

      “No.  No, I don’t want to go home.” She assured him immediately.

      “Good.  I’ll keep you close to me, then.”  He said with a smile.

       Callie got a funny look on her face.

       “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.