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Ally gave him a sharp look.
“What’s that?” Dale didn’t sound happy.
“I’ve got some faulty landing gear. I can’t take the chance in this weather of taking off and landing again. I’m going to have to ask you guys to call around and see if anyone has a part for me.” Tag went on to explain what he needed.
Dale asked, “What are we going to do about the patient? How are we going to get him out of here?”
Ally stared at Tag, her stomach cramping with fear. He hadn’t said a word about it, but that explained the rough landing. No point in thinking about what could have happened. They were safe now. A rush of appreciation flowed through her for his experience and excellent piloting skills.
Dale steered the vehicle onto a side road, and they skidded slowly through the snow-covered turn. Ally held on, reminded of the more immediate problem. How were they going to get the patient out of here?
Dale stopped the SUV in front of a modest home at the end of the drive. The accumulation of snow had already obscured the path and softened the edges of the footprints dotted around.
Inside, she was relieved to find that the more severely injured patient, Zeke Laughlin, was conscious even though he was experiencing intense pain. She discovered his pupils were not dilated, so she ruled out brain trauma.
His girlfriend, Bonnie, informed them that they’d both been wearing helmets, and that the young couple had been on their way to deliver medication to her grandmother, not on a joy ride as had been reported. Ally was sure the helmets had saved their lives. Beyond some bruising and a twisted ankle, Bonnie appeared to be in good condition.
The first responders had done a fine job moving and stabilizing Zeke. His leg was the obvious problem, but there was something else troubling her. There was no way to know for sure unless they could get him to a hospital or… Ally had just finished checking his vitals again when Max poked his head into the room.
“Tag, no luck getting my hands on that part yet. Brandon Smith has one in Smiranov but I realize that doesn’t do you any good right now.”
Tag exhaled a deep breath. “Thanks for trying, Max.”
“I’m not giving up. I’ll keep calling, and there are a couple of places I’m waiting to hear back from yet.”
Ally watched him go and then looked at Tag. “Can you step into the kitchen with me? I have an idea.”
Nodding, he moved in that direction and Ally followed.
“My grandpa can do this surgery.”
“Can he get here?”
“I’ll call him, but I think we should transfer Zeke there. He’s got the facilities and a nurse. By tomorrow morning we’re going to be snowed in, and if the forecast is accurate, another front will be moving in right about the time this one lets up. Even if you get the part for the plane by morning, which I doubt, and we get shoveled out, will you have time to install it before the weather starts up again? That kid is lying in there in agony and…” Ally held back the rest of what she suspected.
“But transporting him in these conditions won’t be easy, either. The roads are a mess and getting worse by the second.”
Ally had seen her grandfather resort to the simplest solution too many times not to consider it now. “But the river’s not. If we get him upriver as far as Clifton, it’s a straight shot to my village across a good road. It won’t be comfortable, but he’s not comfortable now. We can be there in two hours, maybe less.”
Tag nodded and gave her a tense smile. “I would ask where we are going to get a boat, but I’m guessing you have an answer for that, too.”
She smiled, relieved that he’d already opened his mind enough to consider this a viable plan.
* * *
IF TAG HAD had any lingering doubts about Ally’s medical proficiency, they would be gone now. She prepared the patient and supervised his transport, firmly but gently giving orders until they’d loaded him into the boat.
They thanked Dale and Max, and the men promised to keep Tag informed about the search for the plane part. The owner of the boat was a young man of Native descent with an intense gaze and eyes so brown Tag could barely distinguish the black of his pupils.
“Tag, this is my friend Coda. Coda, this is Tag. Coda and I go way back.”
