Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Mattel. The OC 'Chloe Flood' belongs to CarsWorldFan. The OC 'Hoshi' belongs to DenMoother.
Chapter 3
Out at sea, Tom flew Wallaby Two back and forth across the search zone. They passed over Titan, which Ben was steering towards Pontypandy Island. Malcolm was seated in the cockpit next to Tom, scanning the waters below with his binoculars.
"Anything yet, Mal?" Tom asked.
"Nothing yet. There's a lot of whitecaps, so even if there is something down there, it'll be hard to spot from a distance."
Tom nodded in agreement. "Let's do a flyover of Pontypandy Island. Something may have washed up there." As he spoke, Tom moved the steering column, which turned Wallaby Two towards Pontypandy Island.
It took a few minutes for Wallaby Two to arrive at Pontypandy Island. Tom flew around it, getting lower in altitude as he circled the small island. Malcolm scanned the island carefully.
"Tom!" Malcolm exclaimed after a couple of minutes. "I can see something on the beach down there."
Tom flew Wallaby Two lower down and he hovered the helicopter over the water facing the beach. He frowned anxiously when he recognised what the object was.
"Ben, Penny and Station Officer Steele," he radioed. "We've located someone on Pontypandy Island Beach."
On board Titan, Ben grabbed his radio. "Rodger that, Tom. We'll head on over and check it out." Ben put his radio away and he let out a relieved sigh. "I think we're finally getting somewhere…"
Ben steered Titan towards Pontypandy Island. He gunned the engine a little bit in his excitement. He kept a close eye on the Island's shoreline to make sure he didn't hit anything on the way in. He managed to get Titan as close as he could to the beach without grounding her. Then, he turned to face Elvis and Ellie.
"That's as close as I can get to the beach. Elvis, Ellie, you ready to go ashore?" he asked.
"Ready, Ben!" Elvis replied.
Ellie gave Ben a thumbs up before she and Elvis climbed overboard. They sank waist-deep into the chilly water, and they walked as quickly as they could towards the beach. Once they were on the beach, Ellie knelt down next to the figure lying face-down on the damp sand. They immediately realised that it was Sam because he was still wearing his Ocean Rescue wetsuit, helmet, and life jacket.
"Sam?" Ellie called. "Sam, can you hear me?"
There was no response from Sam, so Ellie took a closer look at him. Sam was terribly pale, unconscious, and lying with his head resting on his left forearm, facing to the right. His right arm lay limply next to his side. He was breathing so shallowly that his chest barely even moved. Ellie placed two fingers against Sam's neck artery, to check his pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt it. It was weak, but it was there.
"He's still alive!" Ellie announced. She pressed the PTT button on her radio. "Ellie to Station Officer Steele! We've located Sam on Pontypandy Island Beach. He's alive, but unconscious. He's barely breathing, has a weak pulse and he feels cold. His lips and fingers are purple. There are no obvious signs of injury. We'll need to evacuate him via Wallaby Two. He needs urgent First Aid. Over."
"Roger that, Ellie," Station Officer Steele replied. Ellie could hear the relief in his voice. "I'll alert Doctor Flood."
Tom was listening to the conversation over the radio. "Roger that, Ellie," he added. "I'll land in that clearing over to my left, and I'll send Malcolm over with a stretcher and a first aid kit."
"Rodger that. Out." Ellie replied.
Once Tom had safely landed Wallaby Two, Malcolm jogged over to the beach carrying a stretcher and a First Aid kit. He knelt in the sand next to Ellie.
"What do you need, Ellie?"
"Let's get him on oxygen before we move him onto the stretcher," Ellie replied. "His breathing is very weak and irregular. I don't think there's much more we can do to stabilise him. Let's hope that Helen can save him."
Ben was watching on from Titan's deck. "Thank goodness we've found Sam! But Charlie is still missing…" he whispered to himself. At least Sam being alive will put Kitten's mind at ease. I don't know if she heard the news over the radio though.
Ellie secured a brace around Sam's neck. She didn't think he had any spinal injuries, but given the rough nature of the storm, she didn't want to risk hurting him more. Carefully, Elvis and Malcolm rolled Sam over onto his back. Ellie noticed that the whistle was missing from his life jacket, but the torch was still attached.
Once Sam was lying on his back, his helmet was carefully removed, and Ellie fitted a medical oxygen mask over his face. Elvis attached the oxygen cylinder and he turned it on. After a few breaths, Sam's breathing rate increased slightly and became a little stronger.
"Okay, I think that's the best we can do for him," Ellie said. "Let's get him on the stretcher. Make sure you support his head, Malcolm, but try not to move it."
Working together, Malcolm and Elvis lifted Sam up, while Ellie slid the stretcher beneath him. The two men then gently lowered Sam down onto the stretcher. Ellie repositioned him slightly to make him comfortable before she strapped him down securely. Then, the three of them carried Sam over to Wallaby Two.
"Ben?" Ellie radioed. "I'm going to travel back to Pontypandy with Tom, since I have Advanced First Aid. Elvis will join you shortly, so you can resume the search for Charlie."
"Rodger that, Ellie. Be careful getting back."
"I'll be fine, Ben. Just find Charlie."
Once Sam had been secured inside the cargo bay of Wallaby Two, Ellie and Malcolm strapped themselves in. Elvis slid the door closed. He jogged back towards Titan as Wallaby Two took off.
"Right. Let's keep looking," Elvis said as Ben helped him get back on board.
Ben navigated Titan away from the island cove. He continued looking around the edge of the island in hopes of maybe spotting Charlie close by.
…
Meanwhile, Penny had been listening attentively to the radio messages. As soon as she'd heard Ellie declare that they'd found Sam, she was relieved. She felt her heart relax and she'd rested her head against Neptune's steering column. Tears formed in her eyes. She was so thankful that her best friend and colleague had been found alive.
…
A short while later, Wallaby Two landed on the helipad at the Ocean Rescue Centre. Malcolm and Tom unloaded Sam, leaving Ellie to carry the oxygen cylinder. They descended in the lift down to the common room, where Helen and Chloe had their triage centre set up. Bronwyn stood up expectantly and she and Hoshi watched one as Tom and Malcolm placed Sam, still strapped to the stretcher, down on the portable examination table that had been set up near the kitchen.
"We found him lying face-down on the beach at Pontypandy Island," Ellie quickly explained to Helen and Chloe. "He had a weak pulse along with shallow and irregular breathing when we found him. I think both are a little stronger now. He hasn't regained consciousness, but he responded well to the oxygen. I haven't administered anything else to him in the field."
Helen nodded. "And you didn't find any sort of injuries on him?"
"I didn't see any," Ellie replied. "I put the neck brace on him as a precaution. I'm sure he's suffering from hypothermia though. He's very cold to touch."
Helen pulled on a clean pair of latex gloves. "Thank you, Ellie. We can take care of him now. You three had better resume searching for Charlie."
Knowing that Sam was now in safe hands, Tom, Malcolm, and Ellie quietly left. They returned upstairs to Wallaby Two.
After Chloe had released the straps that restrained Sam to the stretcher, she set to work undressing him, so that Helen could assess him more closely. Since she had to avoid moving him too much, Chloe used a large, sharp pair of scissors to cut the life jacket and wetsuit off him. The life jacket was easy to remove, since it was very thin at the seams. However, the wetsuit wasn't as easy to cut, but she managed it. Once Chloe had removed the life jacket and wetsuit, she set about cutting off Sam's station uniform that he was wearing underneath the wetsuit. She frowned when she realised that the wetsuit had leaked, resulting in Sam being soaked to the skin.
While Chloe was removing Sam's clothing, Helen started to check his vitals. His breathing was indeed shallow and irregular, despite the steady flow of oxygen. His pulse was very weak, which concerned her greatly. Helen made notes of Sam's condition, so she could keep a record of his treatment and recovery.
Before long, Chloe had cut away all of Sam's clothes, except for his underpants. She then covered Sam with an emergency blanket, to both warm him up and to preserve his modesty. The last thing Chloe did was to remove Sam's boots and socks, which were also completely soaked through. After Chloe had finished removing Sam's clothing, Helen started to examine him more closely.
"Okay, Sam… Let's see how you are after your ordeal…"
Helen folded the blanket down to Sam's waist. She gasped when she saw that his entire right-hand side, from his shoulder to his hip, was covered in an enormous bruise. Even Chloe winced in sympathy.
"How on earth did that happen?" Chloe wondered.
"Who knows?" Helen carefully touched Sam's ribcage, feeling for any internal injuries. "Can you pass me my stethoscope, Chloe? I can feel a couple of broken ribs. Might explain why he's not breathing properly."
Chloe handed over the stethoscope and Helen put it on. Bronwyn, Hoshi, and Chloe watched silently as Helen listened to Sam's heart and lungs. After a few minutes, Helen gently pressed against the lower half of Sam's ribcage. She frowned when she heard no change in Sam's breathing. She removed her stethoscope from her ears as she looked up at Chloe.
"His right lung has collapsed," she announced.
"Is that bad?" Hoshi asked anxiously.
Helen glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's serious, but not normally life-threatening," she explained. She looked back at Chloe. "We need to move him to the Medical Centre a.s.a.p. I need to take x-rays before we insert a chest tube."
"What's a chest tube?" Hoshi wondered.
"It's a tube used to remove excess air or fluid from the lungs," Chloe patiently explained. She looked at her aunt. "Should I start him on an I.V.? He's been without fluids for at least twelve hours."
"Not yet," Helen replied. "We don't know how much seawater he may have swallowed. We don't want to risk accidentally giving him sodium poisoning. Can you conduct a prick test and check his sodium levels?"
Chloe nodded. She took a prick test machine out of the first aid kit. After she'd sterilised the middle finger of Sam's left hand, she pricked the tip with a needle. A small drop of blood appeared, which she collected on a slide. Chloe inserted the slide into the machine, programming it to test for sodium. After a couple of minutes, the machine beeped to indicated that the results were ready.
"Okay, it says that Sam has a sodium level of a hundred and fifty-five milliequivalents per litre," Chloe said reading the machine. "That's in the moderate-to-severe range."
Helen frowned as she nodded thoughtfully. "It's too dangerous for him to have any saline right now. If he doesn't regain consciousness within the next fifteen minutes, we'll have to give him water via a feeding tube. We still need to keep him hydrated."
Chloe sighed sadly. Much as she hated force feeding people, she knew that her aunt was right. Sometimes doctors and nurses had to be cruel to be kind. It was part of their profession.
Helen replaced the blanket over Sam's torso. She then lifted the blanket off his legs in order to examine them. After she'd felt and moved Sam's legs and joints, checking for any breaks or sprains, she replaced the blanket.
"Until we're able to move him to the Medical Centre for treatment, we need to focus on keeping him warm," Helen said to Chloe.
Chloe started rubbing Sam's cold left hand. "There's some hand warmers in the first aid kit. If we place them on his wrists and around his ankles, they'll warm his blood up slowly." She glanced over her shoulder. "Hoshi? Would you mind very much boiling a kettle of water? It'd be good if we can have some warm tea ready to give to Sam once he wakes up."
Hoshi stood up. He snapped out of his trance. "Well first of all, thank you for asking nicely and second of all, of course." Hoshi headed over to the kitchen to boil some water. "Will Uncle Sam live at least?" he asked.
Chloe smiled for the first time in hours. "I'm sure he will. His injuries are serious, but not life-threatening. He just needs to rest."
Helen handed Chloe a couple of hand warmers, keeping two for herself. They both activated them, and Helen shaped them around the top of Sam's ankles, while Chloe placed hers against the veins on the underside of Sam's wrists.
"What should we do about the bruising?" Chloe asked. "Should we put some ice packs on it?"
Helen shook her head. "No. Leave it alone until his body temperature is back to normal. I know it looks nasty, but it's the last thing I'm worried about right now."
"Okay."
Bronwyn took a few steps closer to the examination table, so she could see her brother-in-law for herself. She had mixed emotions upon seeing him. While she was glad that Sam had been found alive, she was still anxious to know her beloved husband's fate.
Hoshi kept his back to them. Where are you dad? Why haven't they found you yet? he wondered in frustration. He kept silent as he worked to contain the dark thoughts that he had lurking in the back of his head. Why wasn't he there on the island too? Did he end up somewhere else? There's just miles of water past that island. His hand tensed up a bit. He closed his eyes before opening them again. No. No. Don't get angry. You need to be calm and collected. At least for your mother's sake. If Uncle Sam is still alive then there's hope that dad is too. He kept repeating that phrase over and over again in his mind.
Chloe gently slipped a thermometer into Sam's ear. When it beeped a moment later, she removed it and read the screen.
"Thirty-two point six degrees," she announced. "I'll check it again in another fifteen minutes."
A shiver raced through Sam's body, causing his limbs to jerk uncontrollably. Two of the heat packs fell to the floor, which Helen picked up and replaced. Then, they heard a welcoming sound. Sam groaned. It wasn't very loud, but it was enough.
"Sam? Can you hear me?" Chloe asked, begging almost.
Sam groaned again, louder this time. His eyelids fluttered for a moment, but then the convulsion ended, and he lay completely still once again.
Hoshi turned on his heels. "Uncle Sam?" He looked at Chloe. "Was that supposed to happen?" he asked worriedly.
Chloe nodded. "I think that was a reflex response to the warmth. His brain is fighting to wake up, but his body isn't ready yet." Chloe leaned over Sam again, and she tenderly brushed a damp lock of hair off his forehead. "Just rest for now, Sam," she whispered. "We'll take good care of you. I promise."
"I think the kettle is ready, Chloe." Hoshi stepped away from the kitchen. "Is there anything else you need done?"
"Thank you, Hoshi. Could you please make up a cup of peppermint tea for him? That'll help settle his stomach if he feels nauseous when he wakes up. Even if he doesn't, it'll help warm him up from the inside and give him some fluids." Chloe glanced at her aunt. "That will be okay to give to him, won't it?"
"Yes. It'll be easier on his stomach." replied Helen.
Hoshi nodded. "You got it."
Helen sighed softly. "Now Sam just needs to rest until his body is ready to wake up. That's if he will stay down long enough to let his body rest."
Chloe smiled despite herself. She knew that Helen was right. Sam would probably wake up before he was ready. Sure enough, he did. Chloe had just finished taking his temperature again a short time later and, after noticing that it had gone up by point three of a degree, Sam blinked open his eyes again.
"Charlie?" Sam muttered, dazed. He tried to turn his head, but the neck brace prevented him.
Helen looked down at him. "Just rest, Sam. You're okay. You're safe." She gently took hold of his right hand. "Can you try squeezing my hand for me?"
Sam did so. It wasn't a strong squeeze, but it was enough to satisfy Helen that he was recovering.
He shivered violently as he glanced around with wide, anxious eyes. He was clearly very confused. Then, he ripped the oxygen mask off his face,
"Ble ydw i? Beth ddigwyddodd? (Where am I? What happened?)" he demanded to know, almost angrily.
Before anyone could answer his questions, Sam lashed out. Chloe instinctively grabbed him by his wrists, leaving his legs for Helen to deal with. It's just his fight or flight instinct, Chloe reasoned. He must've been fighting for his life when he passed out, so of course he's going to keep fighting as soon as he wakes up.
Helen pinned Sam's legs down. "Sam! Sam! It's alright! Shh. It's alright! You're safe. You're in the Ocean Rescue Centre." She kept a firm hold on his legs but not enough of a hold to accidentally hurt him. Sam cried out in pain as he continued to fight.
Luckily, Sam didn't have much fight left in him. After a couple of minutes, Chloe and Helen both felt his muscles relax. Cautiously, they released their grips. Sam let out a tired sigh.
"Gorfod parhau i nofio... (Have to keep swimming…)" he muttered wearily. "Brifo... (Hurts…)"
"What is he saying?" Hoshi wondered.
"I have no idea," Chloe replied. She glanced anxiously at her aunt. "Why isn't he speaking in English, Auntie?"
"Sam's first language is Welsh," Helen explained. "He naturally reverts to it whenever he's confused or in pain. It's normal for bilingual people to do that. If Penny was here, she'd be able to translate for us. She's fluent too."
Chloe exhaled loudly with frustration. The noise seemed to snap Sam back to reality, although he tried to turn his head to look around again.
"Ble mae Charlie? (Where's Charlie?)"
"Sam, you need to speak in English," Helen gently reminded him.
Sam stared at her, confused. He didn't seem to be able to understand what she was saying to him.
Bronwyn took a step forward. "I know a little bit of Welsh from when I was at school," she said. "He wants to know where Charlie is."
"Don't worry about Charlie for now," Chloe told Sam softly. "How are you feeling?"
Sam stared blankly at Chloe. Bronwyn moved closer to him. "Sut wyt ti'n teimlo?" she translated.
"Wedi blino (Tired)," Sam muttered. "A (And)..." He clutched his left hand to his stomach. Taking the hint, Chloe grabbed a bucket from under the kitchen sink, and she held it up under Sam's chin. Helen and Bronwyn helped Sam sit up just as Sam vomited a large amount of seawater into the bucket. It wasn't easy for him to vomit with the neck brace on, so he kept vomiting for several minutes. Helen noticed that Sam was favouring his right arm.
Chloe glanced over her shoulder at Hoshi. "Could you please fill a glass with tap water? Just for him to rinse his mouth out."
"Yes Chloe, ma'am." Hoshi reached for a glass. He filled it with water before handing it over to her. "Here ya go."
"Thank you, Hoshi." Using one hand, Chloe held the glass up to Sam's lips. "Just rinse your mouth out, Sam. I can't imagine that regurgitated sea water would taste very nice."
Sam took a sip of water. He held it in his mouth for a few seconds before he spat it out into the bucket. Chloe held the glass back up to his mouth.
"Again," she prompted.
Sam rinsed his mouth out again. Then, he sighed heavily with exhaustion. "Mor flinedig... (So tired...)" he muttered, closing his eyes.
Chloe removed the bucket so that Helen could help Sam lie down again.
"Do you think you could have a small drink before you go back to sleep?" Chloe asked him.
"Diod bach? (Small drink)" Bronwyn translated. She didn't know enough Welsh to translate all of what Chloe had said, but Sam seemed to get the message. He nodded slightly.
Chloe picked up the cup of peppermint tea off the kitchen bench and, after placing a straw inside it, she held the straw up to Sam's mouth. "Drink it slowly, because it's hot," she warned.
"Te poeth (Hot tea)," Bronwyn added.
Sam took a few cautious sips before he released the straw. He fell asleep again within seconds.
Helen let out a sigh of relief. Sam had regained consciousness and had had a little to drink. Bother were good signs. She sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. The rest of them joined her at the table. Hoshi set about pouring hot cups of tea for all of them. It was the only thing he could think of doing to keep himself busy.
"At least he's resting now," Helen said. "I'm beginning to worry even more about Charlie. There's still no word."
Chloe rested her chin in her hands. While she wanted to voice her opinions about Charlie's chances diminishing by the hour, she decided not to do so in Bronwyn and Hoshi's hearing. Instead, she said, "They'll find him." One way or another...
"Agreed." Helen could feel the clutches of exhaustion creeping up on her. She fought it though. It was important for her to remain awake.
…
Outside the Ocean Rescue Centre, Station Officer Steele was still co-ordinating the search and rescue mission. He was so relieved to know that Sam had been found alive, even though he didn't yet know Sam's condition. It made him feel optimistic that Charlie would soon be found alive too.
Rose had just finished a sitrep update with Penny over the radio when Joe approached the marquee.
"I was just wondering… I mean, I heard a rumour that someone had been found?"
Station Officer Steele exhaled with frustration. Joe wasn't the first Pontypandy resident to ask for an update on the search effort. Rose rested a hand on her hip.
"Norris, I think it's time for us to call everyone together to give them a statement," she suggested.
Station Officer Steele nodded in agreement. "I'll go and see if Helen can spare a few minutes while you round everyone up."
Rose also nodded in agreement. Station Officer Steele headed over to the Ocean Rescue Centre. He hesitated before entering it.
Helen was standing next to the examination table that Sam was lying on. She was just listening to his lungs again when she heard someone enter the building. Looking up, she frowned when she saw Station Officer Steele approaching.
"How is he?" Station Officer Steele asked.
"Serious but stable," Helen replied.
"Good. Erm, Rose and I are just about to give an update to the town. Are you able to leave him for a few minutes to join us?"
"I can keep monitoring him," Chloe offered. "I'll send Hoshi to fetch you if he wakes up again while you're gone."
"Thank you, Chloe," Helen replied. "Keep a very close eye on his breathing rate."
"I will," Chloe promised as Helen followed Station Officer Steele out of the Ocean Rescue Centre.
Back outside, Rose had managed to gather the entire town's residents to the quayside. She was holding a megaphone, ready to address the anxious crowd. Station Officer Steel nodded at her, indicating that she could begin.
"Thank you all for coming," Rose began, speaking into the megaphone. "As I'm sure you're all aware by now, yesterday afternoon during Storm Riley, the Ocean Rescue Team responded to an emergency involving Charlie Jones. During the rescue, contact was lost with Leading Fireman Sam Jones, who had been rescuing Charlie at the time. Both of them were declared missing at sea and, due to the storm, the search was called off. Early this morning, the search for the brothers resumed. At approximately nine-thirty a.m., Sam was located and brought to the Ocean Rescue Centre. I will now hand over to Doctor Flood, who will provide you with an update on his current condition."
Helen stepped forward, taking the megaphone from Rose. "Thank you. I'm afraid there's not a lot for me to add, except that Sam is currently in a serious but stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. We believe he may have been struck by a solid object resulting in some internal injuries. He has, however, briefly regained consciousness since he was found, and he was able to communicate with us. That's all I'll say for now."
Rose took the megaphone back from Helen. "Are there any questions?"
Immediately, a hubbub of noise arose from the gathered crowd as they all started asking questions at once.
"One at a time!" Rose ordered. She pointed to Sarah as everyone quietened down again. "Yes, Sarah?"
"Have you found dad yet?"
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but our Search and Rescue Team haven't been able to find him yet. Yes, Gareth?"
"May I be allowed to join Bronwyn and Hoshi in the Ocean Rescue Centre?"
Helen nodded. "Of course, Gareth! You may go and join them now."
"Anyone else?" Rose asked as Gareth hurried away. "Yes, Mandy?"
"Mum, why can't you tell us how badly Fireman Sam is injured?"
"Primarily because I know you'll post it to your newspaper website," Helen replied sternly. "There are some things that shouldn't be made public, and you need to learn that, young lady."
Rose nodded in agreement. "Next? Yes, Mike?"
"Will Sam make a full recovery?"
"It's a bit too early to be able to say for sure," Helen answered. "Chloe and I will do our very best for him though. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to him now."
Helen hurried away from the crowd, despite several more questions being directed at her. There just wasn't much more she could say regarding Sam's condition. When she entered the Ocean Rescue Centre again, she found Gareth giving Bronwyn a tight hug.
"They'll find him, Bronnie," Gareth whispered to his daughter. "They'll find him…"
…
It was early afternoon when the search party found Charlie. Elvis was the first one to spot his life jacket, floating in the ocean to the west of the Northern Buoy.
"Life jacket at ten o'clock!" Elvis shouted as soon as he saw a flash of red bobbing up and down with the waves. Ben reacted by steering Titan in that direction.
"Could that be him, Elvis?"
"I think so..." With all his heart, Elvis wanted to deny that it was Charlie, but deep down, he knew that it was. There wasn't just a life jacket floating around in the water; there was a body in it.
Ben slowed Titan down as they approached the floating life jacket. When they drew up alongside it, Elvis immediately recognised that it was Charlie, even though he was face-down in the water. Elvis leaned over Titan's railing, and he grabbed hold of the life jacket. Pulling hard, he managed to pull Charlie over Titan's railing and onto the deck. Elvis rolled Charlie over onto his back. He frowned sadly when he saw how pale Charlie's skin was and that his eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the sky. Then, Elvis saw a large gash on the right-hand side of Charlie's head. Given the size of the wound, it appeared to have been caused by a large, sharp object.
Although Charlie's state was quite obvious, Elvis needed to be sure. He placed two fingers against Charlie's neck artery to feel for a pulse. After a moment, Elvis looked up at Ben. He slowly shook his head, silently conveying to Ben the horrible truth. Charlie hadn't made it.
Ben glanced down. He tightened his fists, silently controlling his urge to scream. He gave himself a few moments to compose himself before he got on the radio.
"Ben to Station Officer Steele. We've found Charlie but...he didn't make it."