Page 34 of 1000 of You
Govatried to swallow. Her throat was scorched and raw. Sheneeded to find a source of water. Lifting her face, she tried to spot a nearbyriver or lake, anything that could suffice. If she could manage only a fewsips, it would help sustain her a little while longer.
There wasmovement in the distance. Praying it wasn’t her imagination,Govablinked and focused on where she’d seen it. Aheartbeat later, it appeared again from behind another pile of ruins. It wasone of those horseless wagons, weaving its way slowly down the road as it triedto avoid running over or into the scattered debris. When it turned in herdirection, she waved an arm over her head. The wagon stopped, unable to cometoward her because of the littered road, and a man emerged from it. Sheinstantly recognized him, and waved again. “Muam!Muam, over here! I am over here!”
The manspoke into something clinging to his shirt as he approached her. She tried tosignal to him a third time, but her legs unexpectedly gave out, and she fellhard onto road. The baby cried out, awakened by the sudden jolt. Cradling it,she murmured soft words to it to calm it.
“Ma’am, areyou all right?”
It wasn’tMuam. It was him, but he hadn’t yet awakened. There was norecognition in his golden eyes.
Govashook her head. “I am wounded and bleeding.”
“How aboutyour baby?”
Sheadjusted her hold on the infant. “It is not my child. I found it along theroadside, amid the debris.”
“Is thebaby all right?”
“I do notknow. Please, can you help us?”
In answer,Muamstooped and gathered both her and the baby into hisarms. Lifting them, he proceeded to carry them back to his wagon. He set hermomentarily on her feet when they reached it in order to open the door, thenhelped her inside.Govanoticed him eyeing the bloodcovering her belly.
Going to the rear of the wagon, helifted a door and pulled out a white box, bringing it around to her. Hesquatted beside her, opened the box, and grabbed several bags from it. Tearingthem open, he gathered up a handful of white cloth, then motioned for her tolift up her shirt.Govashifted the baby to her otherarm and gingerly exposed her stomach.Muamwinced andpressed the pieces of white cloth to it. Taking her free hand, he laid it ontop of the covered wound. “Keep pressure on it.”
He tossedthe white box into the rear of the wagon, shutting the door, and climbed intothe other side where the wheel was. Picking up a smaller black box sittingbeside the wheel, he glanced at her as he spoke into it. “Dispatch, this is FourTango Charlie. Come in.”
“Four TangoCharlie, this is dispatch.”
“I am in route to County Generalwith two survivors. One is a young woman, approximately twenty years of age,with a severe puncture or laceration to her abdomen. She’s bleeding profusely. Theother is an infant, approximately two or three months old. No knowledge of thebaby’s medical condition as yet.”
The frontof the wagon talked back to him. “Affirmative, Four Tango Charlie. Will notifythe hospital that you are in route. Any idea as to your ETA?”
“Negative.It’s slow going.”
“Affirmative.EMS is on its way. ETA two minutes. Stay safe, Carson.” The wagon stoppedtalking, andMuamreplaced the little box he’d beenspeaking into and looked at her as the wagon growled like a caged animal.
“How do youfeel? Are you in any pain?”
“It…hurts,”she admitted. After a while, she tried again. “Muam?”
He glancedsideways at her. “Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
She turnedher attention to the infant, who had been lulled to sleep betweenGova’swarmth and the sound of her heartbeat. She’d foundMuam, but he hadn’t awakened, maybe because the gods neededhim to fulfill some sort of destiny in this life before he found her. HerMuamwould not have known how to drive this wagon. Norwould he have known about the small white box in the rear of the wagon.
“Do youhave any idea how you managed to survive that tornado?”Muaminquired.
She raisedher head. “Survive what?”
“That F4that blew through and leveled your town.” His attention remained on the road,guiding the invisible horses that pulled the wagon. She started to tell him shehad no recollection of being injured, when he commented, “There’s the EMScoming toward us. I’m going to flag it down. You’re going to need more medicalattention than I can give you.”
He pulledover and stopped. Getting out, he waved at the approaching wagon, which slowed,coming to a stop on the other side of the road. He spoke briefly to the mendriving it, and they immediately emerged. One came around to her side of thevehicle and opened the door.
“Ma’am,where are you injured?”
She liftedher hand to show him. He took the baby from her, handing it toMuam. As he eased her from the seat, the other man appearedwith a large board and a big red box.
“Lie downon the backboard, please. Take it easy. We’re going to examine you, make sureyou’re stabilized, then transport you to the hospital. What is your name?”
