CHAPTER THREE
They lifted him up as gently as they could and still Face couldn't help the groan that escaped his throat. As quickly as they could carrying their lightweight team member, Hannibal and B.A. made their way deeper into the mineshaft with Murdock leading the way. The shaft, however, wasn't at all that deep. Not long after they had moved, they heard the explosion and the force of the explosion caused the entrance of the mineshaft to collapse completely just like Hannibal had predicted. On top of that, the impact caused B.A. and Hannibal to lose their balance and no matter how hard they tried not to hurt their young Lieutenant he ended up suffering even more.
"It's alright, littl' brother. Don't hold back!" B.A. said when he noticed the pain etched on Face's now pale features.
They gently eased him down.
"Take it easy now, kid," Hannibal said. "Focus on your breathing, okay. I'm gonna go and check out the damage and see if I can find a way to get us out of here. Keep an eye on him."
"Don't worry, Face. We'll get you out of here!"
He managed a weak smile. B.A. and Murdock shared a worried look. Meanwhile, Hannibal checked out the damage and soon found out that there was no way to get out through the collapsed part of the tunnel not unless they found the right tools to get the job done which he doubted. He would have to come up with another creative idea to get out of the mess they were in. But his first priority was to check on his second-in-command and find out just how bad his injuries were.
"And?"
"There's no way to get through the shaft without the proper tools," Hannibal answered B.A.'s question.
"Thought so."
"We'll need to come up with other alternatives. How's Face?"
"He's done better."
"I'm seriously worried about him, Hannibal."
Hannibal knelt beside his wounded second-in-command and still noticed the intense pain etched on his pale features.
"Face! I'm going to check your injuries, son. I'll try to be as gentle as I can be."
Face nodded his head. Hannibal unbuttoned his dress shirt only to reveal dark bruises on his lower abdomen immediately. The team shared worried glances.
"No wonder he ain't doin' well."
"Fists or the butt of a gun, kid?"
"Both," Face managed to say hardly audible.
"I'm sorry, kid, but I need to make sure your ribs or either bruised or broken."
"Squeeze my hand," Murdock offered.
Hannibal gently started to prod around on Face's abdomen. He had his eyes firmly shut and tried to breathe through the intense pain without so much as trying to groan. But you could clearly tell by looking at his face that he was in pain. Hannibal had noticed that too and tried to be as gentle as he could be.
While prodding around, he kept his eye trained on his second-in-command's face. It worried him that Face's abdominal muscles seemed to be tense especially around his belly button.
He couldn't really detect any broken bones, but he couldn't be too sure since he didn't want to hurt Face any further.
Murdock squeezed his hand reassuringly. He had also noticed the pain etched on Face's pale features.
"It's alright, kid. You did good! Just rest for a bit now. We'll work on a plan to get us out of here."
Face closed his eyes and Hannibal motioned for B.A. and Murdock to step away from him.
"And?"
"I can't detect any broken bones so far, but with all of the bruises he has I can't be too sure. He's in enough pain as it is. I'm not about to make it worse for him. We'll have to figure out a way to get out of here as quick as we can and I'm afraid he won't be of any help at all. Not with these injuries. And when we do get out of here, we need to get him medical help asap."
"What do you suggest we do, Colonel?"
"B.A., I think you and I should have a look out here at the back of the tunnel and see if we can somehow dig our way out of there. Murdock, I want you to stay with Face and keep an eye on him. If he gets restless or whatever, let us know."
"Roger wilco, Colonel."
The team split up and Hannibal and B.A. started to look around for possible escape routes. Murdock sat down next to his injured best friend and watched him sleep. At least he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, Murdock thought. He had buttoned up Face's shirt again so he wouldn't get cold, but there wasn't much else he could do to keep him comfortable.
After a little while, Face started to groan in his sleep occasionally. Murdock had picked up on that, but it didn't alarm him.
Getting out of the mess they were in turned out to be more difficult too. At first sight, Hannibal and B.A. couldn't find any tools to dig them out. Hannibal wasn't about to let his team be caught by Decker like this. They never gave up without a fight even if one member of the team was currently not able to help them out. The wheels in his head kept on turning. He had to get them out and he had to get his Lieutenant to a doctor or possibly even a hospital. Hannibal's thoughts were interrupted by Murdock's sudden shouting.
"Hannibal! Where are you?"
Hannibal motioned for B.A. to keep searching for a way out while he made his way over to the Captain."
"What's up, Murdock? Something wrong?"
"It's Face," he stated wearing a serious expression on his face. "He started to groan in his sleep a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to it as he still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But then just now, I noticed that he started to shiver ever so slightly. I think he's running a fever."
"That's not good. You don't just run a fever with bruises or broken bones. This might mean we're dealing with an infection."
"Did you find a way out yet?"
"We're still working on it, Murdock."
