Mudslide
Chapter 5
These good fellows don't belong to me, but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off, and with a kiss on the cheek, return them safely home.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief. ~William Shakespeare, Henry VI
A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Greatly appreciated!
Johnny rolled out of bed and felt the head-to-toe sore muscles from all the weekend activities. The bunk room was empty, meaning he was the last one up today. Activity was loud down the hall, and the smell of bacon filled his nostrils, letting him know breakfast was ready. With a rumbling stomach, he quickly dressed and ambled in that direction.
"Good morning," he said, passing Katie in the hallway.
"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" She just looked at him with raised brows.
"Uh," he hesitated. "A good morning wish?"
"Then a good morning to you," she said before entering the bathroom.
He could hear her giggling behind the door.
"What just happened," he said as he entered the living room.
The twins were laughing.
"You just got literary dunked," Lori told him.
He followed her gaze to the coffee table where Katie had left her book. "Oh," he chuckled. "I see how it's going to be."
Breakfast was self-serve, so he fixed a plate and joined the others in the living room, finding a place on the floor. He couldn't complain about the food provided by the ladies of the house; it was plentiful and delicious. The conversations were active and multidirectional. He jumped from one to another as the day's schedule was considered. It was the last day, and soon, they would pack up and head home. The plan was a morning of surfing before leaving, and although Johnny had enjoyed the weekend, something was calling him back home, pulling him away all weekend.
Katie returned and joined Luna on the couch, and he was pleased to see her smiling this morning. Soon, they were busy talking about boys, and he could easily overhear Luna's sound advice about being careful who to trust and being alone with. Another reminder that they cared about her.
She caught him watching her. "Grown-ups," she said, rolling her eyes at them.
Luna laughed. "You better be listening to me, nerd."
"I'm the nerd?" Katie laughed, then jumped up. "We gonna sit here and waste time or hit the waves?"
Today, Moon and Luna joined them with their personal boards, and Johnny looked forward to seeing what they could do. Katie stood on the other side of him.
"Ready, baby?" Luna asked her lover.
"Time to live, time to lie, time to laugh, and time to die. Take it easy, baby. Take it as it comes."
Melinda started laughing. "Okay, Morrison, don't start what you can't finish."
He just smiled. "Your days are numbered; use them." Then he looked at Katie. "Marcus Aurelius."
She just cocked her head and replied without hesitation. "There is no other choice but do or die. William Wallace."
Moon laughed loudly. "Oh, I do love me a good battle quote. Bring it," he teased her, then headed to the water.
She was right behind him, full of determination.
"What am I missing here?" Johnny asked Melinda as Luna joined them.
"Moon and Katie always have a quote war on the last day together." She laughed.
"I'm afraid to ask who wins."
She nodded to the water and Katie. "She's wicked smart. She is too smart for her own good most of the time. Moon says he's helping with her schooling, but I think he misses being a teacher."
"Moonrock was a teacher?"
"Professor Eric Moon, Early century literature, over at the University."
He was shocked. "Really?"
Laughing, she patted his arm. "You should have seen him when he decided to be a bull rider."
Now, he was laughing with her.
Looking up, they saw the others waving to them to join. Johnny grabbed his board and followed Melinda into the cold ocean waters.
As he awoke, the sun was coming up, though something was different this time. He was in pain, a diffuse pain. Where though?
"Focus, Roy."
His mind scanned his body from head to toe. The pain was general, every bone, and every part of his body. Exhaustion? General malaise? He was cold again, shivered, and moaned, recognizing the signs of a fever. Exposure or infection? Neither was good news. Saying he felt rotten this morning was a gross understatement.
"Good morning, Ray." He told the bird staring at him. "Bring breakfast?"
The raven croaked and hopped into the car to sit on the seats beside him.
"Not looking good, Ray."
Between the aches and feeling of confinement, he desperately needed to move. But the realization of his injuries mixed with his worsening weakness spelled out a big no. The truth hit hard every time. He couldn't throw off the thought of his failing body and the persistent silence around him. This part of the coastal highway was mostly a desolate stretch of scattered beaches full of rocks and driftwood; tourists had no access to the cliff walls that hugged the shoreline. Unless someone looked down soon, he was going to die here.
His parched lips were dried and cracking, painful with talking. There really wasn't any saliva left for him to swallow, and he also knew the signs of worsening dehydration and the complications that would follow soon.
"Last day off," he told Ray. "Johnny's going home."
Eventually, they would realize he was missing. However, the timeline wouldn't be kind to him. A day to wait, another to be missed, then no telling how many to search. And worst of all? They wouldn't have any idea where to look.
Last day.
The waves were picking up as the storm clouds thickened, though no sign of rain was seen yet. Johnny had drifted to the shallows, taking a break with Melinda as they watched the others continue to play in the surf. The afternoon had been a perfect ending to the weekend.
He kept looking down the beach, then behind him.
"What?" she asked.
Quickly shaking his head, he looked at the surfers again. "I just thought there, uh, nothing, never mind."
They watched Ricky come off a wave and end it with a goofy dive into the foam, then join them in the shallows. Katie got on her feet and picked up the next large ride.
Johnny quietly chuckled, wondering if Roy was ready for a house full of teenagers and all they could get into.
"That girl," Ricky sounded annoyed.
"What?" Johnny asked, his surfing knowledge very limited.
"She takes the risks of a grown adult with thirty years of experience behind them."
They watched the wave knock her off, then her quickly finding her board. Even then, the teen made it look effortless.
"She's going to be great one day," Melinda said with pride.
Johnny smiled as they watched her frolic in the mist with the twins. Yeah, he could picture that for her. The twins exited the water next and sat down to catch their breath.
"Lot of undertows today," Lori told them.
The medic in him understood that danger.
"Just have to read the ocean," Ricky told them.
It was an art to feel the motion of the water, read the horizon, and know when to take a wave and when to wait. Johnny was way too inexperienced to understand this, though he had seen it from this group of friends.
"Hey, Luna heard there's a sandcastle-building competition past the pier," Lori said. We're going to check it out; anyone wants to join?"
Motioning for the others to join them, the group secured their boards and began the walk to the pier.
"Ray."
Roy was thankful for the company, even if it was a one-sided conversation.
"Need a message. Ideas?"
He had tried hitting the car, yelling, throwing what he could reach, and more yelling. The world remained silent around him. An occasional cascade of small rocks and loose dirt would fall around him, getting his hopes up, only to never see any other signs of life.
Ray groomed his feathers as Roy rambled barely coherent thoughts. Soon, he hopped back on Roy's chest. By now, the man was used to it.
"What?"
A long black feather was dropped, and Roy picked it up. "Souvenir?"
Jennifer would like it. She had a shoebox of random stuff under her bed. She occasionally showed him her important things, expecting him to admire her treasures. She'd like the silky soft black feather. Maybe he'd be the one to tell her the story one day.
Jenny and Chris.
They were his shining accomplishments in life, making him proud every day. This would be hard on them, even at their young age. He smiled at how their faces lit up every morning he came home from work, just in time to see them off to school. No matter how tired he was or how horrible the shift had been, their walk to the bus stop was his time to connect with them. It was amazing how much information they could provide him about their day, friends, school, plans, food, fights, and adventures in such a short amount of time. They bubbled over with exuberance of life and joy. They would become everything they dreamed of being one day. And Jo would always be there for them. The grief would be the heaviest weight she had ever borne, but she would be there for them through it. He could picture their lives without him, and if he could see past the tears, he knew they would find joy again one day.
And he wouldn't be there to see it.
"Have to keep going, Ray, for them. They'd love you."
He wasn't ready to give up yet.
The afternoon had flown by as the group saw some of the wildest and most incredible sand sculptures, which left them bewildered by the physics of their existence.
"My favorite was the horse."
Johnny chuckled at Katie. "Of course it was. It was incredible."
Moon pulled Luna closer to him. "From a grain of sand, in the pearl comes."
"Confucius," Katie called out.
Moonrock just laughed.
After stopping for a late lunch at the pier, they gathered just outside the house, where chairs were now in storage and the grill was packed away until the next time.
Moon and Luna were the first to be packed and ready to leave. Hugs were shared, and Johnny was sad to see them go. He'd hesitated about the couple on that first day, but time had taught him a valuable lesson about judging books by their covers.
Moon took Katie's hands into his and looked very serious. "See you later, Alligator."
The young girl smiled, then looked at him almost in sadness. "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
"Winnie the Pooh," he said quietly before pulling her into a hug. "Remember, you can't stop the waves."
"I will."
With final goodbyes said, they hopped onto his motorcycles and headed to unknown destinations.
"Who said that?" Johnny asked her.
"What?"
"About not stopping the waves."
She smiled. "Him, every time we say goodbye," she laughed. "It just means to be careful."
"One last run before we call it a day?" Melinda asked everyone.
The group readily agreed. One last hoorah before reality rushed back into their lives.
Storm clouds were moving closer, threatening some rain, but they didn't appear ominous in nature. A quick shower would cool the late afternoon off, then be done in less than half an hour. It was the southern California way, and nothing anyone had concerns about as they all headed back into the water. The surf was picking up, and Johnny knew his remaining surf time would be short-lived with the high tide moving in.
The runs were routine, though everyone had a harder time riding out the full wave as the water currents shifted with the incoming weather.
"Professional surfers love this stuff," Katie told him. "It's almost perfect."
He looked around. "Storms?"
"No, it can be sunny out. Feel where the wind is coming from? That's called offshore wind. And the waves, see how they are long, that's called peeling. Then put your hand in the water."
He followed her lead.
"Feel the movement. Way out, small waves build together, making more powerful swells. You can feel them."
He felt the current but knew it wasn't the same as what she could detect. "And you get perfect waves?"
"Pretty dang close," she grinned, flipped around, and picked up the swell.
Johnny drifted closer to Ricky as they waited for their run.
"I'll be heading out after this one," Johnny told him. "Work tomorrow."
"Same. The man wants his dime," he nodded in a serious manner.
The twins said their goodbyes before taking a final wave, then paddling to shore and disappearing past the dune. Ricky followed, finishing a great run before resting in the sand to observe for a while. Katie drifted up to Johnny.
"You're pretty radical for an old dude," she laughed.
He decided to take it as a compliment. "Do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"When this weekend is over, be smart and stay together, okay?"
She smiled. "I'll do my best."
Picking up the next swell, Johnny gave the best ride he'd had all weekend. When he popped back up, the small cheering squad on the beach was as loud as ever. He laughed as he swam closer.
"You're getting it, man," Ricky told him. "Now, to get the girl wonder back in."
They watched Katie in the calm, her hand in the water, feeling the dynamics of the beast below her. She was waiting for the right one, the best one. Soon, she was paddling into the swell and found her footing.
"That's a monster," Ricky said, almost hesitating on the excitement.
"Oh no," Melinda said quietly, taking two steps closer to the water.
Johnny looked over at her, seeing concern pressed into her whole body. "What?"
"It's stepping," she gasped.
"What?" He didn't know what she was talking about, but her rising anxiety caught his undivided attention.
Before he realized it, Ricky was already on his board and paddling out to her as fast as he could. Johnny didn't know what they were doing but followed the other man. Keeping his eye on Katie, he watched her expression change from concentration to fear as the wave changed from one to three simultaneously. She didn't have time to get safely out of the barrel, and when the repeated waves crashed, they pounded her down, and she disappeared from view.
His heart raced as they fought the incoming surf, hampering their progress. His eyes combed the surface for her to reemerge. Ricky went towards her board first, searching the water, then sending a quick hand signal back to Melinda at the beach. Johnny glanced back and watched her head to the house in a dead run, and panic gripped his chest. If the experienced, laid-back ones panicked, then he knew the worst had happened.
The dangerous wave broke and fizzled, leaving a moment to visualize the ocean before them. The only thing visible was her board, broken in half. Ricky left his board and began diving, coming up for air, then diving again. Johnny hit the water where he was, about twenty feet north of him.
It was hard to see anything without a mask or goggles. The water was dark and cloudy as the sun hid behind the clouds. Nothing. He couldn't see anything and was now in full-fledged adrenaline mode. Every time he surfaced, he located Ricky and glanced at the shore to see if help was coming. It was taking too long, though deep down, he knew the response time of rescue units couldn't be instantaneous, as one needed them to be. He kept searching.
"KATIE!" He screamed, seeing no one in the water except him and Ricky.
Down again he went, trying to swim in circles, reaching further out. She could be anywhere by now as he felt the current shifting around him. He kept drifting further down the beach, now just south of the house. Repeatedly, he had been looking at the shore, waiting for signs of help to come, and, in the back of his mind, something else. Suddenly, he realized why, and his chest tightened. He had been looking for Roy all this time, even if he didn't know why. He now needed his partner more than ever to help him save Katie.
Sirens then filled the air, red and blue lights reflecting off the buildings as the vehicles were restricted to the parking lot. They urgently needed rescue boats and more eyes in the water.
It had been too long.
Darkness was approaching, and the shadows grew along the rocks as cooler air moved in. Clouds filled the sky, and he smiled when the raindrops fell on his face.
"Thank you," he said to no one in particular.
His mouth opened and caught every drop possible as his right hand grabbed the rags by his side and laid them beside his head. Every precious raindrop was savored as it eased the parchment down his throat. Heavier it fell, but there would be no complaints from him. Water. His thoughts went to Johnny again, wondering if he had had a good time. A smile stretched his painful lips. He'll be full of crazy stories that will drive Chet crazy. Quickly, the picture changed, Johnny was frantically searching, while Joanne cried. They didn't know what was coming, and he wouldn't be the one to comfort them.
"You're hiding from it, and I'm craving it." Cupping his hand in the rain, he let it fill, then rested it on his chest. "Thirsty?"
The bird eyed him from the seat, safely sheltered from the storm, then hopped down to eye him closer.
"It's okay, drink. We have to watch out for each other."
Hopping over, the raven dipped down and drank from his hand. Roy smiled. If Jenny and Chris could see this, they would be amazed.
"Still stuck here, but I really needed this." His voice was still cracked and hoarse. "Think you can keep me awake for a while?"
I'm not ready yet.
Ray shifted his feet, then returned to his perch.
"I'll tell you about my last shift and how the mudslides came for me."
Johnny was on his board, not far down the beach from Ricky. The water was now full of rescue boats and skilled divers, and the shore was alive with onlookers and cries that he recognized from here. Darkness had fallen, and the air was filled with sirens and yelling voices. When someone cried out, he headed in that direction, to the boat nearest to him. Climbing on board, he identified himself and waited at the edge for the diver to reach the spotlight.
He had a body with him.
Barely holding it together, Johnny helped lift her onto the boat as the diver followed. She was gone, and every rationale part of his being knew that, still, he leaned in and started chest compressions. His brain was mechanical, his heart desperate for the miracle. A somber face knelt beside him and began giving her breaths with a bag and mask; silently they continued their task as the boat began moving again. His body was completely exhausted now, and he felt someone place a blanket over his shoulders. Voices were around him. Hypothermic. Exhaustion. Futility. His hips shifted to maintain his balance when the boat hit the waves, more than once knocking him sideways. His hands would immediately find their place again. One and two and three and…
The captain was on the radio speaking words he could hear, but not focus on. Sounds without meaning. They just needed to get to shore. Then he'd have help. Roy. No, not Roy. Roy wasn't here. He was on his own.
Reaching the dock, Johnny felt hands pulling him away, straining to move him. Anger was rising in him now. How dare they make him stop what he was doing?
He was saving her!
"Son, let them take her," the voice said.
Devoid of emotion, he stepped back and watched them pick her up and place her on a stretcher that waited on the dock. There were no sirens, nor an ambulance present here. Rationally, he knew why; emotionally, he wasn't ready. Climbing out, he headed to her again; this time, he was stopped by the captain.
"Gage!"
His name. It was almost confusing. Who knew him here? Looking at the man's face, he realized it was McDonald from 62. He and Roy had helped with water rescues at this station.
"Cap?"
The face reflected his profound loss. "I'm sorry, son. Did you know her?"
He nodded, the words not coming. He wouldn't be able to hold it in the anger and the grief in a minute. He watched as they loaded the stretcher into a transport van and shut the doors. Turning, he tuned out the voices around him and headed down the dock towards the beach. Every part of him needed to be somewhere else. Not here. Never here again. His chest felt like it had been clawed open, burning, the breath leaving him, and he fell to his hands and knees in the sand. A pair of hands held his shoulders as he vomited sea water and anguish.
A heavy blanket of pain and sadness washed over him, surprising him in the darkness. It was so fast nausea threatened to bring up anything left in his stomach if there was anything there. Instead, the heaviness left him in tears with a pain that came from his bones and his heart. Something was very wrong. His eyes searched in the darkness, feeling confused. Of course, something was wrong; everything was wrong.
His eyes were heavy, screaming for sleep, but now the fear of sleep was intense. A sense of dread engulfed him.
What if I don't wake up?
His companion rested beside him, as he had been most of the day. A welcome distraction from the turmoil of emotion that racked his brain.
"I could go for a burger about now. What say you? I'll buy."
It cocked its head, listening, remaining quiet. The ocean was the only sound that filled his ears.
That and his own heartbeat.
Johnny had little memory of getting home that night. It was past midnight, and his body and soul were spent. He'd endured questioning by the police and shore patrol, by the rescue teams, and then by people he had just met this weekend. It was heart-wrenching to have no answers and to feel as helpless as everyone else. It wasn't something he encountered often, the loss of life. It was his job to save people.
Standing in his living room, he didn't even turn on the light. The darkness felt protective, a shield against the world. Only the weakness of his joints pushed him into the bedroom and then into the shower, where he let the water run hot and sting his cold skin. Emptiness cloaked him, a weight that he couldn't budge.
Losing someone you know, well, it was new to him. But it wasn't just Katie; it was something more. A loss he couldn't fathom, which pierced through him like a knife. After purging his guts on the beach, he had stood up, an empty shell devoid of emotion. He didn't want to feel it, keeping it at bay while the world of chaos stirred around him. However, here alone, it could no longer be contained, and he stood in the steam and let it out.
When the sun rose, it was Monday morning. Sleep had evaded him with dreams that woke him drenched in perspiration and panic. He tried to shake the despondent aching knowing his work couldn't be affected by what had happened. There would be other people in trouble, their lives at risk, who would rely on him to keep them safe. Deep in his gut, his failure of the weekend was unmoving and unrelenting. It would be his job to keep it there, tucked away and never to be spoken of. No one would find out because there was nothing left in him to talk about it. Maybe Roy. His brother would know almost immediately that something was wrong. Still, it would be a while before he could say her name again without feeling like he would fall apart.
Work was his task today. Nothing else could matter.
His watch had already stopped working, most likely due to the mud and dampness, but after working the same shift for so long, his body knew it was time to get ready for work. Johnny would be getting dressed, probably running around like a chicken with his head cut off since he had most likely overslept. Between the sunburn, the beer overindulgence, and the lack of sleep, the man would be a hot mess this morning.
Roy smiled gently. Cap would shake his head, Chet would chuckle, Marco would roll his eyes, and Mike would try to ignore them all. Then his heart sank. That's when they would notice the empty spot. Where's Roy? He never runs late. We'll give him time. They'd call his house, and no one would answer. Messages left wouldn't be returned. The time would pass, and the worry would escalate. This isn't like Roy. Johnny would be the first to declare something was wrong.
Roy smiled again. His friend was like that. They'd graduated from work partners to best friends over time, sharing each other's lives, with him becoming family. Sadness washed over him. Joanne. She would come home to an empty house tomorrow, not worrying because her husband was working a twenty-four-hour shift. Her focus would be getting the car unpacked, the kids settled, and probably working on laundry after being gone for so long. She'd scoff at him with frustration, seeing nothing had been accomplished in the garage or the garden. What had he been doing all weekend? Goofing off with Johnny, she would presume. She wouldn't be worried, just annoyed, having a nice lecture ready for him when he got home from work in the morning. And by then, she'd either be mostly over it or even madder.
Yes. That woman could have a fire-breathing temper when it suited her.
Then the phone would ring. It would be the station. Where's Roy? Is he sick? Sick? No, he's supposed to be at work. Then, the conversation would start about where he could be. And no one, not a single person, would think of looking at the bottom of a cliff, outside of town, out of view.
Dying.
Everyone would have to work, so all they could do was make phone calls. An effort to try and track him down, to find out where he wasn't. Had he mentioned his favorite lunch spot to Johnny? He'd taken him before; he was pretty sure of that.
Maybe. Was he sure of anything anymore?
He felt so bad right now that his thoughts were clouded and fragmented. Reaching beside his head, he picked up one of the wet towels, soaked from the night rain and morning dew. A gentle squeeze put drops into his mouth. The taste was metallic, vile, and he had to fight the rising nausea. Thinking of drinking his own blood mixed with mud was enough to bring it all backup.
Focusing on the positive was getting harder now. The car hadn't moved and fell on him. His bleeding had stopped, at least what he could see. He hadn't succumbed to the elements. He had a chance, if he could just ...
Ray was back.
"Need help, Ray. Getting harder. Not looking good."
The bird cocked his head.
"Get help, please." Anything, any type of help.
When the bird flew off, he sighed. Wouldn't it be nice if they spoke English? He had so much he wanted to tell his wife, his children, and his best friend.
Hank waited as the crew lined up in front of him, adjusting belts and tucking in shirts. Everyone looked rested and ready except for one. Johnny looked tired, no, not tired, something more.
"Stoker?"
"Captain."
"You're on meals today. Anything planned?"
Mike nodded. "Subs for lunch and beef stew for dinner, cap."
That met with general approval.
"Marco, Chet, hose duty. Last shift was quiet, so not a lot out there to finish up. Then we need to finish packing the training gear and get it into the storage locker."
"Yes, Cap," they chimed in.
"Johnny, Roy," he started, then looked up. "Where's Roy?"
He heard his name and focused on what Hank was telling him. "Cap?"
"Roy? Where's Roy?"
His response was a confused look. Roy wasn't here? "Running late?" he shrugged.
"Okay. You're 10-8 until he gets here. Let me know. You two have bay and dayroom."
Johnny nodded, then mindlessly headed to the dayroom. Mike was starting a fresh pot of coffee while Chet went straight for the morning paper, sitting beside Henry on the couch. Marco pulled coffee cups from the cabinet and passed one to Johnny.
"So, Johnny, how did the wild beach party go?"
Of course, Chet would ask right away. He had to keep it short.
"Terrible. Melinda was a drag, and I was glad to get home."
It worked. Chet wasn't sure how to respond. Neither the statement nor the look on the medic's face encouraged further conversation. Even Mike and Marco looked at him with silent questions.
When Hank returned to get some coffee himself, he looked to see if Roy had shown up.
"Gage?"
It was the tone that caught his attention, pulling him out of his numbness. This time, Johnny heard the tiniest hint of concern, now alert to the fact that his partner was nowhere to be seen. This definitely wasn't like Roy. He shook his head. "I don't know, cap. I'll call his house."
"Find out when he will be here. I need to know if I need to call in a replacement."
Replacement? Johnny was heading to the phone, a new anxiety brewing in his gut.
Where was Roy?