It took Haley a full minute to realize that, this time, the screams were hers.
Chapter 9
Brooke and Peyton charged through the woods, followed by a policeman and two paramedics. They didn't even have to look for Nathan, Haley, and Lucas. No, Haley's screaming was like a beacon in and of itself. It took no more than a minute for the five would-be rescuers to reach Lucas, but for all of them, it felt like much longer.
"Haley! Haley, stop it!" Nathan yelled, snapping her out of her trance- like screaming. "Haley, they're here! It's going to be ok!"
"Shut up, Nathan! Don't you realize, he's already gone! Look at him! He's not breathing!" Haley yelled in response.
"How long ago did he stop breathing?" one of the paramedics asked as they arrived on the scene.
"I don't know...a couple of minutes," Haley said. "Oh god, he's gone..." She collapsed, sobbing, into the arms of a shocked Peyton.
"Let's not count our chickens before they're hatched, ladies," said the other paramedic. They had placed a plastic tube down Lucas's throat, and were forcing air into his lungs with a bag that one of them squeezed in rhythm. "He's not gone. He's not breathing, mind you, but he still has a pulse. If we get him to the hospital, he just might make it."
"Well, then," Brooke said, "what are you waiting for?"
"We're working as fast as we can, ma'am," one of the paramedics said. They were already placing Lucas on a backboard, preparing to transport him.
Near the road, the policeman was questioning Nathan about the accident. Since everyone other than Lucas had been near the car at the time of the accident, no one was really able to provide much in the way of answers to the policeman. But, the policeman was able to start Haley's car.
"How far is the nearest hospital?" Peyton asked, as the girls followed the paramedics back toward the road.
"Too far for this kid," one of the paramedics said. "We're going to call in a chopper, and meet him a couple of miles up that way, in a field where he can land."
"Well, we're going to have to drive," Brooke said icily. "So could you please answer the girl's question? How far is the hospital?"
"About thirty miles," the policeman supplied, easing the tensions. "Your car's started up, so you can be on your way. This road will take you almost all the way there, just head on straight. You'll see the hospital from the road, anyway. It's on the left." He handed Nathan a business card. "Call me if any of you remembers anything about the accident. We could charge whoever shot your buddy there; that was negligence, pure and simple."
The ambulance doors closed, and it pulled away, sirens blaring. The four teenagers stood in silence for several minutes, staring after it until it disappeared. Then, they loaded into Haley's car again and headed down the road toward the hospital.