Steve had seen Noble's shocked glance in his direction, and he knew.
Under his touch, Carter could feel the San Francisco detective freeze in fear and alarm, and he increased the pressure of his hand, knowing he had to keep his colleague where he was.
Noble willed himself to the spot as two of the men in the back of the truck put their shotguns down, stepped onto the lowered tailgate and jumped to the ground. One of them and the driver reached back into the bed, grabbed Mike's legs and began to pull him forward.
"No!" Steve gasped when he realized what the Caudills were doing. Carter felt him begin to rise and pushed him back down, digging his fingers into the detective's shoulder in warning.
The third man on the ground reached back into the bed as they got Mike's legs over the lip of the tailgate and he grabbed Mike's belt and his left arm at the shoulder. They dragged him the rest of the way out. Clear of the tailgate, Mike's head lolled back and his right arm hung limply. The three men carried him away from the truck and, with unexpected restraint, laid him almost gently in the middle of the road.
Noble, who had yet to tear his eyes from Mike's body, resisted the urge to run forward. Beside him, he could hear an almost inaudible whimper from Carruthers.
Scrambling back onto the truck, the two dark-bearded Caudills picked up their shotguns while the third man got behind the wheel. As the driver shifted into gear, one of the men in the back picked something off the floor of the bed and tossed it behind the truck. Misshapen and soiled, the grey fedora landed brim up on the dirt road. Within seconds the pick-up had followed the first one and disappeared over the swell.
Noble turned his head quickly. "Get on the horn and get that ambulance up here now!" he barked as he and Carruthers started to sprint towards the body on the road.
Steve tried to get out of the car but Carter stopped him. "Stay there, I'll drive us closer!" he barked as he slammed the door, raced around the car and got behind the wheel.
Steve could feel his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring, watching helplessly as Noble and Carruthers skidded to a stop beside the unmoving figure and knelt. Carter stood on the gas and the cruiser spun dirt and gravel as it crossed the short distance to where Mike lay, sliding as he braked and the passenger side door swung open. Ignoring his own pain, Steve pulled himself out and dropped to the ground. "Mike…" he breathed in fear as he reached for his partner's motionless body.
Noble grabbed Steve's arms, trying to hold him back. "Easy, easy, Steve, easy, he's alive, he's breathing," the sheriff cautioned soothingly.
Steve tore his eyes from his partner to glance up at Noble, and the older man could see he was close to panic. "If he's going to die, he's going to die in my arms." There was so much hopelessness in his voice that the two police officers were stunned into momentary silence.
Then Noble increased the pressure of his grip on Steve's wrists and held him still. He stared unblinking into the frightened green eyes. "He's not going to die, Steve," the sheriff stated boldly. "We're not going to let him, I promise you." He held the younger man's stare for several long seconds, then Steve began to relax. As if gaining control of himself, he nodded quickly and the wisp of a smile even appeared.
"Here," Carter said as he skidded to a stop beside them, "I keep a couple of jars of water in the trunk, just in case, you know." He handed Carruthers a mason jar and Noble pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. Carruthers popped the lid off the jar and poured the warm water on the hanky.
As Steve held Mike's head in his lap, Noble gently began to wipe the grime from the lieutenant's beard-stubbled face. He could feel how hot Mike was under his touch. Some of it, he knew, was from lying unprotected in the unforgiving midday sun, but he also suspected the lieutenant was running a fever, no doubt the result of the untended gunshot wound. Mike's eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. His skin, which should have been moist with sweat, was unnaturally dry; Noble knew from experience that he was dangerously dehydrated. Suddenly he hoped that his promise to Steve could be honoured.
The lapels of Mike's disheveled and filthy dark grey suitcoat lay open and, even through the dirt and dust, the dried blood on his right shoulder and upper chest stood out starkly against the light blue of the knitted vest and blue-and-white shirt. The stain was bigger than Steve remembered and, if possible, his heart began to pound even more.
A vehicle slid to a stop very nearby and they all glanced up at the ambulance. Two attendants got out quickly, one crossing to kneel beside Mike while Carter helped the second remove the stretcher from the back and wheel it closer. They knew they would be dealing with a gunshot wound at the very least and were prepared.
"I'm pretty sure he's dehydrated," Noble offered as he and Carruthers moved back slightly and the attendants positioned themselves to lift Mike onto the gurney. Steve relinquished his hold on Mike's head as the two attendants, Carter and Carruthers gently and easily raised the injured man and set him carefully on the stretcher. Noble helped Steve stagger to his feet, all his weight on his right leg. As he started to take a painful step forward, Noble held him back.
"No, Steve, you can't ride in the ambulance, there's not enough room. And they've gotta tend to Mike, right? They don't need you in the way," he tried to reason with the distraught younger man. "Look, ah, we'll let one of the state cruisers take the lead, and you and Carter follow the ambulance. Carruthers and I'll bring up the rear in the other car. Lights and sirens all the way. How does that sound?"
Unable to tear his eyes from the gurney being loaded into the back of the small station wagon-sized ambulance, Steve nodded absentmindedly. Turning his worried gaze towards Carter, Noble nodded, and the youngest deputy took Steve's arm and helped him the few short steps back to the Kearney cruiser.
Getting the city detective settled in the passenger seat, Carter circled the Chevy Caprice and slid behind the wheel, snapping on the siren and lights as he peeled out behind the ambulance. He glanced across the front seat; Steve was staring, almost unblinking, at the vehicle in front of them. Carter swallowed heavily. He had no one at this point in his life who generated such deep love and unquestioned devotion, and he smiled sadly in bittersweet envy.
The small convoy navigated the rough dirt road as rapidly as possible, then picked up speed when they hit the blacktop of the county road. Steve had been surprised at how long it had taken to drive from the hospital to the meeting place, which was very near where their night of terror had taken place. He wasn't aware that the hospital was in Harlan, the next county over, more than doubling the distance they had to cover.
And now, he realized, it would take them almost that long to get back. And though he knew Mike was in good hands, he wondered if his partner was strong enough to survive the trip. The country roads were decent, at best, but very winding and narrow. It would be a long and worrisome journey.
They had been screaming along for about twenty minutes when the ambulance braked suddenly and pulled to the side of the road. On its tail, Carter slid the Caprice onto the tight shoulder as the cruiser behind did the same. Alarmed, Steve turned to Carter as he shifted into Park and got out all in one movement, sprinting to the ambulance. He watched with growing anxiety as Noble ran past their car and joined his deputy at the ambulance driver's window.
They talked for several long seconds, then Steve saw Noble nod and both he and Carter turned and started back to their respective cars. Noble stopped at Steve's window as Carter got back behind the wheel. Noble smiled encouragingly, "You can relax, Steve. They want to get a saline IV goin' in Mike's arm and they can't do that safely when the ambulance is movin'. But he's doin' okay, don't worry."
As he finished, the ambulance pulled out onto the road again and Carter began to follow. Noble sprinted back to his car and quickly caught up. Closing his eyes and taking a deep relieved breath, Steve settled back into the seat.
# # # # #
The remainder of the high-speed trip back to the Harlan hospital passed without incident. Carter pulled the Caprice close to the back of the ambulance when it stopped outside the Emergency entrance. Two hospital attendants moved quickly to the ambulance back doors and opened them, beginning to slide the stretcher out.
Steve had opened the Caprice door and, wincing from the pain, pulled himself up to stand unsteadily, watching with his heart in his mouth as the gurney legs unfolded and its occupant came into sight. The ambulance attendant slipped out beside the stretcher, holding the IV bag aloft, as the small entourage hustled towards the open glass doors.
Mike's torso was exposed; his clothes had been cut off in the ambulance. A clean, white square bandage covered the wound in his right shoulder. The IV line was in his left forearm. His mouth and nose were covered with a clear plastic oxygen mask, the cylinder lying on the gurney between his legs. His shoes and socks were off.
In seconds, the stretcher and attendants disappeared through the doors and out of sight. Steve started to push himself away from the Caprice when Carruthers appeared next to him with a wheelchair. "Get in," the deputy said quickly, "I've got ya. Alfie's gotta move the car. "
Glancing at Carruthers gratefully, Steve turned and sat, trying not to moan from the pain. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as Carruthers slammed the door and started to push him towards the hospital entrance.
The gurney was nowhere to be seen when Steve and Carruthers approached the desk. The clerk looked up and smiled. "Lonny," she greeted the uniformed officer kindly, including Steve in her warm gaze, "they've taken the Lieutenant into Examination Room Three. Now you know you can't go in there, but if you and, ah, the Inspector," another smile at Steve, "wait here, I'm sure they'll be out to let you know what's going on as soon as they can."
With a smile and chuckle, Carruthers wheeled Steve deeper into the waiting room. He leaned over and whispered in the city detective's ear, "It's a small hospital – everyone knows everything. Believe me, you and your partner are big news around here, and everybody knows who you are."
Steve managed a smile through his worry. "I came from a small town," he said, nodding. "I know what you mean."
# # # # #
Noble looked at the almost somnambulant young detective. The forgotten slice of pizza in front of him was getting cold. Noble gestured with the head towards the uneaten meal. "You're not hungry?" he asked gently.
Steve shook his head slightly, as if waking himself up, and looked towards the sheriff. "Oh, ah, no, sorry, no, not right now."
They had been waiting for over an hour. Noble had sent Carruthers and Carter back to Kearney, then had a pizza and sodas delivered. He wasn't sure how long they were going to have to wait, and he knew the younger man hadn't eaten much in the past forty-eight hours. He had hoped the appetizing smell from the all dressed pizza would stimulate his appetite, but so far it hadn't worked.
Someone nearby cleared his throat and both Steve and Noble looked up. A tall dark-haired doctor about Steve's age was standing over them. "Sheriff," he said, nodding, and Noble got quickly to his feet.
"Oh, ah, Doctor O'Neil," Noble said, wiping his right hand on his pants before reaching out to shake the doctor's. "This is Inspector Keller from the San Francisco Police Department." He nodded towards Steve. "Your patient is his partner."
O'Neil smiled at Steve and leaned forward slightly to shake his hand. "Yes, I'm aware of that," he said pleasantly. "Inspector."
"Steve, please," the city detective said, but the anxiousness of his tone told the doctor he wanted to dispense with the pleasantries. "How is he?"
Glancing at Noble, O'Neil sat and faced the very worried young man.