Chapter 6: Finding Christopher

He woke with the sound of an explosion not far from them but not next to them either, and then he heard tires screeching from the direction they were headed in. The woman carrying him stopped; "La ayuda está aquí pequeño" (Help is here little one).

"Buck?" he asked weakly. He was heaving more for air now than he had earlier, struggling more with every breath he took.

"Aún no, pero aun así ayuda" (Not yet, but still help) she answered him; He nodded and gave her a weak hug.

"Gracias mami. Te veré en el cielo algun dia" (Thank you mommy. I will see you in heaven one day) he said to the lady, tacking in shaky breaths with each word as he did so. The woman froze, unsure what to answer the young child in her arms; The pain this young boy must have experienced and the horrors he had gone through that day alone, and still he was able to smile and be this lovely little boy.

"Siempre mi hijo. Siempre" (Always my child. Always) she told him lovingly, while a tear of love and admiration for this boy ran down her cheek.

"Miss? Miss, are you hurt?" someone asked, moving towards them; Someone who sounded like Chimney.

"No. Going to the shelter. Police lady said the shelter will help. Little boy lost, need to find Buck" the woman carrying him answered in english.

"Buck?" Chimney breathed out, unsure on whether he had understood the woman correctly. Just then the child she was carrying started coughing violently and the woman had to struggle to continue holding him; Chimney jumped forward to help her;

"Here let me have a look at him" he smiled at the lady who laid the boy down on the ground. Chimney noticed how the boy was still holding on to her hand, and how she gently soothed him by stroking his chin and singing to him. Then the hood fell from the boys face and Chimney lost his breath for a few seconds, staggering closer to see;

"Christopher" he breathed out, looking in horror at the eight year old boy laying in front of him. It was obvious that Chris was struggling to breath, looking at him with tired eyes and white as a ghost, heaving for air. He didn't even turn around, instead just fell to the ground next to Chris while yelling for the others to help.

"Chimney?" Chris asked the guy next to him, not able to see him clearly because of the loss of his glasses, but he was almost surden this was Chimney; "Did you find Buck" he asked, still heaving in breaths for every word.

"He was looking for Buck" the woman told, letting go of his hand and backing away as others came to aid. Three scared faces stared up at her after hearing those words.

"Where… where did you find him?" Chimney asked the woman.

"Parecía muerto pero sonriendo" (He looked like death but smiling) she answered; "On wood in the water" she continued, hesitating a little before saying again: "He was looking for Buck".

"Gracias" (Thank you) someone next to him said, crying; It sounded like Hen. "Thank you for getting him here. For getting him to family" Hen said, looking at Chris with big watery eyes.

"Okay let's get him loaded in the back with the others and get a move to the aid station" a strong voice said, definitely Bobby; "Maybe Buck will have found his way there as well" he said a little lower, hopingly, probably meant more to himself than anyone else. Someone picked him up and carried him, now that he wasn't lying flat the breathing became a little easier. He felt the person stop to take a step up and then sit down with Chris on their lap.

"Don't worry Chris. Everything will be fine. You just focus on that breathing a little longer" Hen's soothing voice told him, before turning to the person next to her: "We need to get a move on Cap. His breathing is getting worse, almost like he is drowning". Drowning is exactly what it felt like he was.

"How far away are we Chim?" Bobby asked, and Chris could hear someone answer back over the radio: "Two minutes Cap. How is our favorite Diaz doing back there?" It was obvious that Chimney was just trying to ease the tension, but it wasn't working.

"Not too hot… so if there is anything you can do about shortening that time…" Cap left the sentence hanging with that, and a very serious Chimney was heard over the radio: "Get ready to move. We're there now". The car stopped and the back doors were opened, Chris could feel the cool air and the sound of Bobby yelling for a medic. The next he felt was Hen holding him tight and turning around.

"I'm here. What do we have Cap?" his dad's voice sounded.

"Eddie you can't. We need someone else" Bobby said, and even though Chris couldn't see it, he knew Bobby was holding his dad back.

"Dad" he tried calling, but it just ended up as more of a weak whisper.

"What is it. We're short handed so I'm helping out" his dad said, a little frustrated and sounded like he was struggling with someone.

"Not this one Eddie. You can take the carbon monoxide poisonings in the back of the trucks, but I can't let you take this one. Eddie I'm sorry but it's… it's Chris" Bobby said.

"No" he heard his father breath out; "No that's impossible. Chris is with Buck, they are at the movies. It can't be" his dad was crying, and Chris struggled against Hen's hold on him, he wanted to go to his dad.

"Please" his weak voice pleaded as he gazed up at Hen; "Please...", and then he started coughing violently. He look up at Hen with horror in his eyes, the last thing he heard was his dad's cry: "CHRISTOPHER"