Chapter 22

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Dr. Small cautiously shifted and removed some rubble, enough to make a small tunnel to the hand he saw. "James?" Small called, "Hey James, I need you to wiggle your finger for me." He watched for any movement, none.

He felt for a pulse, "He has a weak but strong steady pulse." Dr. Small reported.

"James can you hear me?" He called again then he saw the index finger barely move. "We have movement." Small informed the command post.

"Good, now I need to ask you a few crazy questions, you ready?" The finger moved again. "All right, move your index finger for yes and pinky finger for no. Do you understand?" Both fingers moved.

"I take that as a yes," He saw the index finger move again, Small smiled.

"Are you James Wilkins?" a trick question but James answered correctly with his little finger. "Are you James Hathaway?" The index finger moved eagerly.

"Would you like to stay here or do you want us to dig you out," Small teased. James held up his middle and index finger. Small laugh and he could hear through his headset the people in the command post laughing.

Continuing to confirm they have James Hathaway Dr. Small asked a few more questions that only James would know. "Is your boss Halley Berry?"

"I wish," a weak voice answered from underneath the rubble. "Lewis is my …." Unable to speak any more he moved his small finger.

"Is Robert Lewis your boss," Small asked. The index finger moved, he was satisfied that this was James Hathaway.

"James, you're going to feel a stick in your arm," Dr. Small cleaned an area on James' arm to insert an IV. "Here comes the stick."

James felt the sting of a needle and then he felt his arm go cold. He started to panic then he heard the doctor talk some more.

"Your arm is going to feel cold. That is from the fluids going into your dehydrated body," the doctor continued to explain everything. James relaxed.

"Now, James, a word of warning as your body re-hydrates you will start to feel more pain," he warned. "Just give me a sign and I'll give you something for the pain. However, we really like to have you awake and alert for us while we dig you out."

James wiggled his index finger, he understood. He was starting to get anxious knowing he would soon be out. He was thinking of all the things he wanted and needed to do. He wanted to smell fresh air, taste cold water, brush his teeth, take a shower and fall asleep in his own bed. But, first he needed to apologize to his friends.

His was startled out of his deep thoughts of planning when he felt something or someone touching his face. James tried to move but something was holding his head. He started to panic then he relaxed when he felt something moist touch his lips.

"Hello, James," Dr. Small introduced himself to the buried man he could now see most of his body. "Nice to meet you face to face." He placed his hands on the sides of James' head to steady the frightened man. "Easy, James here's a bit of water for you." Small placed a wet cloth to Jame's dry cracked lips.

"Okay, Drake, medium collar and O2," Small ordered the medical supplies he needed for James. "Hey, also check that IV change the bag if needed."

"Ready and done," Michael Drake all ready had the needed items ready and he placed a fresh bag of saline onto James' IV. He was a former army medic and worked on many rescues with Dr. Small. He knew what was needed and always had items ready before Small requested them.

Small pulled the rope attached to the collar and portable O2 tank. "James, I'm going to place this collar around your neck," gently he brushed away the dirt and debris from James' neck. Then carefully placed the collar immobilizing James' neck, preventing any further neck injuries.

He washed around James' mouth. "I'm going to look into your mouth James to check for broken teeth then give you some oxygen," the doctor check and placed the O2 mask on him. "All done. Nice teeth. This should make breathing easier." He noticed the color starting to come back to James' face, which is always a good sign.

Small continued to clean around James' face, washing his eyes. "James, can you open your eyes?"

James' eyes fluttered and blinked several times. Small washed the eyes more with sterile water, cleaning out the dirt.

James tried to thank Small but only coughed. He was thrilled to finally be able to open his eyes without pain. He could see a shadowed face, a much welcomed site to him.

"Your welcomed. Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up," he questioned.

"Two," James weakly answered with a smile.

"Correct. Now I'm going to place some stuff in your eyes and tape them shut," the doctor slowly squeezed a tube of ointment into James' eyes and place a wad of gauze over each eye. "I know you prefer to see, but this will prevent anything falling into your eyes while we get you out of here."

Disappointed, James start to panic. He wanted to see, he tried to move his hands but both arms were still trapped. He tried to move his head but the damn collar would not let him. His breathing started to come in short painful pants. He felt even more trapped with his eye taped shut.

"Easy, James," Small tried to calm his patient down. "Lewis is here, listen." He put an ear piece to James' ear.

James listened, he could hear Lewis but not clearly. He concentrated on trying to hear his boss' voice. Slowly he calmed down and his breathing slowed. He began to relax.

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Innocent motioned for PC Bell to leave them alone. His brother Randell also left. When she knew they were alone Innocent sat across the table from Lewis. Laura sat next to him and MacGim stood beside the table with his arms folded across his chest.

"He's not dead, so you don't have to look so glum," Lewis tried to lighten the mood. "What!"

"The nurse that was attacked identified her attacker and Dr. Wills' killer," Innocent pause trying to form her next dreaded words. "In a photo.. We showed her.."

"Oh for Pete's sake," MacGim finished what Innocent could not say. "The nurse picked Hathaway's photograph. She swears that James was Mr. Smith the amnesiac patient that killed Wills and stabbed her."

Lewis could hardly believe what they were saying. "She's mistaken! James could not have killed anyone. He was buried right here over fifty miles away," Lewis raised his voice and pounded his index finger on the table. He was in complete shock to think they were accusing James of murder. "You're wrong."

He turned to Laura, his eyes begging her to agree with him. All she could do was bow her head. He noticed her eyes were red and her face was wet from crying. Quickly, Laura bolted from the table and out of the command post.

Lewis started to follow but MacGim put his hand on his shoulder, "I'll go." He narrow his eyes to Innocent and turned away.

"Robbie, I don't believe James killed anyone," once again she searched for her words. "But, there is an eyewitness."

"We know what an eyewitness is worth!" He defended, "What evidence do you have against James?"

Innocent sighed heavily, "A side from the eyewitnesses and CCTV there are several descriptions all fitting James."

"I don't give a damn what they say," Lewis stood up and leaned angrily toward Innocent. "This is Glasgow's fault, that bastard!"

"The average healthy man can walk two miles per hour," PC Bell poked his face to an open window behind Innocent. "In the 2008 Olympics a man ran a 100 meters under ten seconds his average speed was 23 MPH." He smiled and then he was gone from the window.

"It's 46 miles from High Wycombe to here if you drive the M40," MacGim's face appeared in the window. "Not that we're listening to your conversation." Then he was gone.

"I don't think James can run that fast nor walk that far," Laura popped up to the window and then quickly was gone.

"He didn't do it," he defended James adamantly.

Innocent thought deeply. "No he didn't," relieved to finally know for a fact James was not Mr. Smith. But who and where was the killer, Mr. Smith?

The Bell brothers, Hobson and MacGim returned to the table. "You're a walking encyclopedia," Innocent smarted to PC Bell.

"No Ma'am, Wikipedia," Bell joked.

"Wiki what?" questioned Lewis. He did not listen for an answer because he heard Dr. Small say his name. Lewis looked at the laptop monitor and saw the face of his friend. He could see James was struggling and he could hear Dr. Small trying to calm him.

"Hey, James," Lewis called into the microphone.

"Press this button," Randell reminded Lewis.

"James," Lewis called again. He could not think what to say.

He could see James calming. Randell encouraged him to say anything to keep the trapped man calm.

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"Hey I think you owe me a pint," Lewis teased then he felt like an idiot. He looked at Randell who was giving him two thumbs up and encouraging him to say more. "In fact I think you owe all of us a pint or two or three."

James listened to Lewis and smiled. "Deal," was all he could say.

"James," Dr. Small interrupted. "I'm going to check you over to see what we need to do to get you home." Small eased his small framed body close to James, running his hands over James' abdomen and legs. "Tell me if anything really hurts, James."

He continued to talk and calling James by his name. He learned from past rescues calling trapped victims by their name relaxes them. They know someone cares and is trying to help even if no one can help or if the help is too late.

James could feel Small's hands gently palpitated his body. He inhaled sharply when Small touched his stomach. "There," James hissed through pain clinched teeth. "Aghh," he cried and tried to lift his head to look, only realizing his neck was restrained and his eyes were covered.

"Easy, James," Small tenderly touched around James' navel and felt a piece of rebar pressing hard against the stomach. "Guys, we have a 1/4" piece of reinforcement steel pressing but not penetrating the abdomen," he informed the rescue team.

"No hole, James," Small tried to easy James' mind. "Just stay still." He continued to frisk the rest of James' body when he touch the leg James screamed.

Small felt another piece of reinforcement steel, this time piercing James' thigh. "Okay, James be still, I need to feel around your leg," Small felt the thigh and underneath. He felt his gloved hands getting slippery from the blood James was loosing.

"Hurry up!" James panted. He was feeling hot and could feel his head starting to swim. "Stop PLEASE STOP." James begged.

"Okay James I'm done," Dr. Small crawled back to James' head and replaced the bloodied gloves with a fresh pair. "James, I'm not going to lie to you," Small explained. "You have a piece of rebar stuck in your leg. I can't remove it, it's too close to an artery."

James held his breath. He knew if an artery was nicked then he would bleed to death before the doctor could help. "Okay," was all he could say.

"Good Lad. Just lay still and everything should be all right," Small gave James a pep talk. "They're starting to remove the big stuff off you, James. When we get you uncovered then we can cut the rebar and you'll be on your way to the hospital."

"How long?" James asked through the pain. "It hurts."

"Not long," this time Dr. Small lied, he did not know how long the removal of the debris covering James would take. "James, I'm going to put a wad of gauze between the steel pressing on you and your stomach. I'm also going to bandage around your thigh. I'm sorry but this will hurt, a lot. If you want I can give you something to take the edge off the pain."

"No, no drugs," he moaned. James squeezed his taped eyes tight trying to fight the pain.

Dr. Small gingerly place a thick piece of padding underneath the rebar pressing on James' stomach keep the sharp rusty steel off the bare flesh. Then he moved to the thigh. Slowly and gently he wrapped James' leg. He could feel James tightening up his muscles. "Try to relax, James," he continued to work as fast as he dared. "Almost done."

Beads of sweat poured off his forehead. "Hurry, I feel sick," James moaned. He swallowed trying to push back the growing lump he had in his throat. James moaned more as the pain increased in his leg and stomach.

"Almost done, James," Small coaxed. "Try to breath through the pain." He encourage James, but he was too late.

James started to panic. "I'm...," he coughed. He could not turn his head to spit out the foul tasting liquid creeping up the back of his throat. The oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose filled with vomit. He tried to cough but gagged and spewed more. His body heaved involuntarily from lack of oxygen.

"James breath through your nose," Small scurried backwards to get back up to James' head. He tried to hold him still but James continued to thrash and kick. "Easy, I'm here. Calm down," he kept talking, trying to sooth James.

A hand appeared next to Dr. Small's side handing him the much needed portable suction hose. "Thanks, Drake," he took the hose and started to clean the vomit. "Easy James. You're all right, try to take a breath."

The ringing in his ears muffled Dr. Small's voice. James tried to breath but his lungs burned and would not work. His body slowly stopped moving and James slowly drifted away.

"Shit SHIT! NO! James. BREATH, DAMN IT," Dr. Small crawled to James' chest. As expected Drake had the defibrillator ready.

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Lewis held his breath as he listened to Dr. Small describe James' condition. The medical terms confused and scared them all. They turned to Dr. Hobson for answers and translations.

"He's breathing on his own," she explained. "He unconscious, but stable." Tears washed her face. Randell place another tissue box on the table for them to use.

The dog moved to the seat between Laura and Lewis. She too wanted to see her friend. She laid her head and front paws on the table watching the monitor. Innocent looked at the mangy dog and swore it was praying.

Lewis started to leave when Randell stopped him. "Talk to him, Robbie. That is the best thing you can do for James," he knew waiting was harder. "Just don't talk like he's not going to make it. Talk about the dog. Sports. His girlfriend. Work. Whatever."

Lewis took a deep breath, he squeezed his eyes tight and wiped the tears away. "Okay," he whispered and cleared his throat. "Hey James, have you thought about what you'll name your new dog? She's sitting right her next to me and Laura waiting for you." He continued to talk about different things. Lewis did not know if James could hear him, but the talking did help him and the others.

They all listened to Dr. Small and the removal crew. Time slowly passed. The generators kicked to life illuminating the old Quonset hut. More people arrived to relieve the crew. A Red Cross truck pulled in and started handing out much needed coffee and sandwiches.

Lewis kept talking his voice grew hoarse. Laura listened to Dr. Small describe James' deteriorating condition. Time was running out.

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Small and Drake worked diligently together to stabilize James. Small applied a pressure bandage to the thigh, he could do nothing else but rip the reinforcement steel out of James' thigh. Luckily the metal was not deep. The bandage stopped the bleeding giving them more time to dig.

They could hear the metal scrapping and creaking as the rescue team removed each piece. Dust drifted down causing the doctor and medic to cover James and themselves with a tarp. Small kept glancing at his watch.

"No matter how many times I do this, Michael, it never gets easier," Small reminisced. Michael nodded in agreement. He started to say something but stopped the metal above them began to moan and shift.

Past experience warned them all Hell was about to break loose. They instinctively covered their heads protecting James the best they could and waited for the inevitable to happen. Praying they would survive.

The crew outside stopped and listened to the metal groan. They held their collective breaths. Suddenly the pile collapsed in on it's self and the remaining standing walls folded like an accordion. Then silence.

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