"Andrew!" Shane cried, as Steve rushed towards the small, motionless figure lying a few yards away. Andrew was curled in a tight ball as he lay on a pile of wet leaves. He was completely still, and Steve detected no signs of life.
He's got to be alive, Steve thought. He can't be dead.
When they reached the boy, Steve fell to his knees and began checking for a pulse. Andrew's body was pale and cold.
Come on. . .. Come on . . . . Steve heard himself silently begging. He's just a little kid.
There. Under his fingers, he felt some faint movement. It was weak, but at least it was there.
"I've got a pulse," Steve said.
Shane had knelt on the other side of Andrew and was pulling his sweater over his head. He had already tossed his jacket aside. With a grim look, he handed the sweater to Steve. "Wrap that around his head."
"What are-" Steve started to ask, but then realized what Shane was doing. Andrew was hypothermic and they needed to warm him up. Doing as he was instructed, Steve wound the sweater around Andrew's head to keep him from losing more body heat.
Shane finished removing his shirt and leaned over to began unbuttoning Andrew's. In an eerily calm voice, Shane told Steve, "Help me get his clothes off."
Steve briefly marveled at the lack of emotion in Shane's voice, but the slight trembling in Shane's fingers as he worked on Andrew's clothes made it clear that Shane was not nearly as detached as he sounded. Steve was scared too. Andrew was still not moving, and Steve could barely tell if the boy was breathing.
"He's going to be okay," Steve said, as much to himself as to Shane as he helped Shane undress the cold and wet little boy. "He's a tough little dude." Steve caught Shane's sharp nod out of the corner of his eye, but otherwise Shane remained focused entirely on Andrew.
"Slowly," Shane finally said, as they pulled away the last of Andrew's clothes. "Don't jostle him too much."
When the clothes were removed, Shane pulled Andrew off the ground, wrapped his arms around him, and held him close to Shane's chest. "Andrew . . . please," Shane whispered, the emotion no longer held in check. "Come on, son. . . . Don't give up." He stopped talking and began to blow warmer air into Andrew's face.
"Here," Steve said, as he placed Shane's forgotten jacket over Andrew's back. Then, removing his own jacket, he added another layer. "He's going to be okay, Shane. We just need to get him warmed up."
Something flashed in Shane's eyes - fear perhaps - but Shane seemed to force it away and simply nodded. Resuming his even tone, he said, "Let's get him out of here."
As they began the trek back to the road, Steve heard sirens in the distance. He hoped Roman had thought to call paramedics, and kicked himself for not suggesting it when he called earlier. He had been so focused on getting help to find Andrew, Kayla, and Kim that he had not even thought about the fact that Andrew might need medical help.
The trip out of the woods was a slow one. With Shane keeping his arms around Andrew to hold him close to Shane's body heat, it was up to Steve to keep the jackets over the boy. That meant walking close together in an area full of wet leaves and branches. Now that they had found Andrew, Steve began to think once again about Kayla. Who took her? What did they want from her? What would they do to her? All those questions began running back-and-forth in his head as they silently made their way back to the road.
"Shane! Steve!" Roman's voice cut through the night.
"We're over here!" Steve called out. "We found him!" Still holding the jackets over Andrew, Steve guided Shane and Andrew towards the sound of Roman's voice. When they reached the edge of the woods, they shoved their way through some low-hanging tree branches and finally reached the clearing. Steve quickly spotted a bunch of flashing lights on the road and a number of flashlight beams. "Roman, where are you?"
"Here." Roman came running toward them carrying a flashlight. He stopped still when his light reached Shane and Andrew. "Is he-"
"He's hypothermic," Shane interrupted, an edge to his voice. "We need to warm him up."
Roman nodded and helped lead them back to the road. As they passed the wreckage of Kim's car, Steve saw a slew of police officers studying the scene. He nearly stumbled on the uneven ground, but kept to his feet and pushed the jackets back up against Andrew.
"Tell them to be careful." That came from Shane. "We found some footprints - a man's and Kim and Kayla's."
"Don't worry about that right now," Roman replied. "Let's get him to the hospital."
Shane seemed to hesitate. "I'm not sure . . . ."
"What are you talking about, dude," Steve said. Shane was not thinking right, no matter how calm he might appear. "Andrew needs a doctor."
"I know he needs a doctor," Shane snapped. "But he may not be safe at a hospital."
Steve stopped, which forced Shane to stop as well. "You're not thinking straight, Shane. Andrew needs a hospital." He looked down at the still-motionless boy. "I know you're scared, but Andrew will be safe at the hospital."
"Will he?" Shane asked sharply. "Like you were safe from Lawrence?"
Steve did not know how to respond to that. He understood Shane's fears, but this was not rational. Looking at Roman, he silently pleaded for help, but Roman did not seem to want to argue with Shane.
"I'll call Neil and see what he thinks," Roman said. "Take Andrew to the squad car and I'll get an officer to drive you." He looked again at Andrew. "Does he have any other injuries that Neil needs to know about?"
Shane shook his head. "I don't think so. At least, I didn't see any. Just some minor cuts and bruises."
"All right," Roman replied. "Let's get you out of here."
Shane nodded and continued to the road with Steve's help. One of the police officers motioned for them to take Andrew to a police cruiser. Shane continued to clutch Andrew close as he climbed into the back seat, and Steve again saw the calm mask slip as Shane quietly begged Andrew to wake up. Once Shane was inside, Steve placed Shane's jacket over Andrew's back, along with a blanket from the police car. Holding his now unneeded jacket, Steve softly brushed his hand across Andrew's forehead. He skin still felt so cold.
"He's gonna be okay," Steve said yet again, still willing it to be true. He wanted to tell Shane to stop being a stubborn fool and take the boy to the hospital, but then he caught the look in Shane's eyes. The fear and desperation were evident and Steve knew the last thing he needed right now was an argument. Steve took a deep breath and was trying to find something encouraging to say when Roman appeared beside him.
"Neil will meet you at the house," Roman told Shane. "He'd prefer you go to the hospital, but he understands the security issue. Plus he said there's probably not much more they can do at the hospital than at your house."
Shane just nodded, as Roman backed away. "Hang in there, partner."
"I'll call Simmons from your car," Steve said. "That way he'll be ready for you."
Shane looked up. In a quiet voice, he said, "Thank you." Then he looked back down at Andrew. "Thank you for finding him."
Steve just nodded and then backed out of the car. He looked at the officer who was getting into the front seat and closed the door. An instant later, the car pulled out, turned on its sirens, and sped into the night.
Steve said a silent prayer for Andrew, and then turned back to where the officers were examining the wrecked car. Pulling on his jacket, Steve turned to the task at hand. Kayla was still out there - possibly hurt, and definitely in danger. Steve started to head to Kim's car when he remembered the phone call he promised to make for Shane. Turning again, he hurried to Shane's car. First, he would make the call. Then, Steve was going to find Kayla and whoever had done this. Then, that bastard would pay.