Chapter 9
As soon as Nikolas made his way into the fog shrouded docks, the smoke and haze engulfed him. It clogged his nose, made his eyes water and his lungs burn. Trying to get a grasp on the situation, he spotted a paramedic coming towards him and flagged him down to ask what the search plan was.
"We're starting with the closest buildings and then fanning out from there," the medic replied. "But this place is a ticking time bomb. I just hope we can get everyone out safely before the docks collapse," he added as he walked away.
Nikolas nodded, mentally formulating a plan of his own. If there was a real possibility of structural damage and collapse of the docks and piers, then there was also a real possibility that rescue crews wouldn't get to everyone in time. Therefore, Nikolas would start at the farthest end of the dock and work his way inward, meeting the paramedics in the middle as they worked their way outwards. It seemed like the only option in order to rescue the maximum amount of people. Without a moment's hesitation, he began moving as quickly towards the end of the dock.
When Emily could no longer see Nikolas through the haze of smoke, she turned and headed towards where Robin was establishing a medical triage area, wiping the tears from her eyes as she went. Even though she was worried and concerned for Nikolas, she knew that her medical skills were needed and she had a responsibility to give these people the best possible care she could. Shifting into doctor mode, she approached Robin. "What's the plan?"
Robin shook her head. "Honestly? Not much. I'm basically just trying to set up a triage area here so we can determine who has the most severe injuries and who needs to get to the hospital first."
Emily looked around at the assembled people who had already been rescued, men and women with injuries ranging from serious burns to minor facial lacerations. She nodded. "Okay. Let's get to work." Moving towards the nearest group of people, she began assessing their injuries, unmindful that she was probably ruining her dress in the process, doing whatever she could to occupy her mind and not let in wander to thoughts of Nikolas and the danger he could be in. She was heading towards the ambulance to get more supplies when she heard frantic voices calling her name. Turning, she saw Courtney rushing towards her with Elizabeth not far behind.
"Emily, what's going on? The news said there was an explosion on the docks…" Courtney trailed off, looking terrified and worried, an outward expression of everything Emily was holding inside.
Liz, meanwhile, looked slightly more composed. "Lucky called and told me what had happened and that he was going to help the rescue teams. I dropped Eric off at Gram's and decided to come down and see if I could help."
"I haven't seen Lucky, but Nikolas went to help too," Emily explained. "I heard it was a pretty big explosion and that it affected pretty much all the buildings on the docks."
What little color was left on Courtney's cheeks drained at hearing Emily's words. "Oh God…" she gasped. "Jason's in there."
Emily looked at her sister-in-law in shock and fear. "Jason's in there?"
Courtney nodded. "He was looking at buying one of the empty warehouses. We were thinking of moving the gym and expanding it…" she broke off, a sob catching in her throat as tears pooled in her eyes.
Emily wrapped Courtney in a hug, trying to comfort her. "It'll be all right," she soothed. "Jason is resilient and has more lives than a cat. He'll make it out," she assured her, trying to sound confident when deep inside she was just as scared for Nikolas. "He'll make it out."
It was worse than Nikolas had anticipated. Debris and splinters of charred wood littered his path, making his journey even more treacherous. He had managed to make his way to the end of the dock and was now searching for people building by building, but thus far he had not found anyone. As he moved through a warehouse, however, he heard what sounded like a groan of frustration coming from further inside the building. "Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there?"
After a beat of silence, a familiar voice responded. "Nikolas, is that you?"
Nikolas peered through the smoke, straining to see the person to whom the voice belonged as he gingerly picked his way through the remnants of the building. As he got closer, he was able to make out the figure of a man lying pinned under a beam of wood. Recognizing him, Nikolas quickly moved to his aid. "Jason, what the hell are you doing here?"
Jason grimaced as he once again attempted to move the beam off himself without success. "I was out here looking at the warehouse to maybe buy it for the gym, but then there was this big explosion and the next thing I know, I'm pinned under this beam, and I don't have the leverage to push it off me."
"All right, let me help you," Nikolas replied, bending down to grasp the beam. He pulled as Jason pushed, and together they were able to lift and remove the beam.
"Thanks," Jason said as Nikolas helped him to his feet. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'm helping with the rescue efforts," Nikolas responded. "It's pretty bad."
"Let me help," Jason offered immediately. "I know my way around the docks."
Nikolas shook his head. "It's too dangerous," he countered. "I can't let you risk getting hurt. I'm sure Courtney's worried about you. Just get out of here and get back to her and Katie in one piece."
Jason nodded. "Okay. Be careful out here." He turned to go.
"Hey Jason?" Nikolas called out, causing Jason to turn back. "If you see Emily, tell her I'm okay and that I love her, please?"
A slight grin crossed Jason's face. "Will do."
Emily was losing her mind worrying about Nikolas. The majority of people in need of medical attention had already been transported to the hospital, and now all she could do was pace and think about Nikolas. She was concerned for both Nikolas and Jason, and she and Liz were trying to comfort Courtney and reassure her that everything would be fine. Emily found herself constantly scanning the docks, looking for any movement in the smoke. It was on one such perusal that she noticed the figure of a man emerging from the dense smog.
"Look!" she exclaimed, causing Courtney and Liz to turn their heads and follow her gaze. Courtney gasped as she recognized Jason and she ran to him and into his arms. They embraced, and Emily watched with a smile as Jason approached her.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Emily said as she hugged her brother. "Did you see Nikolas at all?"
"I did," Jason affirmed. "I was pinned under a beam of wood, and Nikolas helped me out. He probably saved my life."
"Where is he now?" Emily asked, looking over Jason's shoulder. "Did he follow you out of the building?"
He shook his head. "No, he left to go look for more people, but he asked me to tell you that he's okay and that he loves you."
Emily smiled slightly and nodded as she gave Jason another hug. "Let's get you over to the medical tent to get evaluated," she suggested. As she, Liz, and Courtney escorted Jason over towards the medical area, Emily sent a silent prayer to God asking Him to keep Nikolas safe and feel her love. She couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him.
Nikolas knew he was running out of time. The foundations were becoming more unstable by the minute, and flames were beginning to encroach upon him. As he navigated through what was left of the warehouses, he kept an eye out and an ear open for any trapped people. He stepped into what had once been an office of some sort. Looking down, he was taken aback to see the body of
an unconscious woman partially buried under the debris. Dropping to his knees next to her torso, Nikolas reached out and touched her throat, exhaling a sigh of relief as he detected a pulse. Quickly assessing the situation, he began to gently and cautiously remove some of the rubble covering her lower body. As more and more of her body as revealed, Nikolas could see that a desk had partially collapsed on top of her, trapping her lower body underneath it. Finally excavating enough rubble to be able to see her position under the desk, Nikolas began to gingerly try and extricate her body, taking extreme caution to not disturb her, as he did not know what kinds of internal injuries she could possibly have.
Before he could complete his task, however, he heard the sickening creak and crack of the ceiling above him as it succumbed to the flames and instability and began to collapse on top of him. Sheltering the woman as best he could, Nikolas threw his arms over his head, shielding himself from falling debris. Still, a heavy piece of plaster landed on him, and the last thing Nikolas thought of before he fell unconscious was of the woman he had promised he would always return to.
Emily was busy checking Jason over for any injuries when she heard Elizabeth calling Lucky's name. She glanced over and saw Lucky heading towards Elizabeth with a look of relief on his soot and ash covered face.
"Thank God you're alright," Liz exclaimed fervently as she threw her arms around him. "I was so worried."
Lucky shook his head as he returned the embrace. "I'm fine, sweetheart."
Emily walked over and joined the group. "What's going on, Lucky?"
He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "The rescue effort is being called off. There's too much structural damage – the building and pier could collapse at any moment."
"Did Nikolas leave with you?" Emily asked anxiously.
Lucky looked at her in confusion. "Nikolas is here?"
Emily nodded, feeling a knot of dread and fear begin to form in the pit of her stomach. "He went to help the rescue teams. You haven't seen him? He hasn't evacuated with everyone else?"
The sound of a second explosion cut off Lucky's response. The unmistakable sound of a building collapsing followed, and Emily just knew. She just knew that Nikolas was in danger. She could feel it. "No," she breathed, taking a step away from Lucky and towards the docks. Breaking into a run, desperate to get to Nikolas, she began screaming his name. "Nikolas! Nikolas!"
