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I glanced at my laptop, then froze. One of the team’s vitals were dropping. “Kessler. Kessler, are you there?”
I heard a small moan.
“She’s here, Doc,” Bennet answered. “She’s just coming around. Her head hit the wall during the explosion.”
“Explosion?” approximately ten voices said at once. That explained the noises we’d heard.
“Kessler threw a small grenade. Only way to escape.” Bennet grunted and groaned. “Dragging her into the room now. No eyes on the enemy. I’m barricading.” He let out a shriek and his vitals spiked.
“He’s in pain,” I told the team. “Bennet can you self-assess?”
“Same wall that got Kessler took out my shoulder. Dislocated.”
“See if you can rouse Kessler, get her to help you,” TJ said.
“She’s not quite there.” Bennet gasped and grunted, then sighed. “It’s a steel door, but not too thick, and the lock is old, so I moved an industrial shelving unit to help it hold. Oh. Oh shit.”
“Talk to us, Bennet,” TJ said.
I could see it on my monitor. “Kessler’s vitals keep dropping. Bennet, I need you to check her for bleeding.”
“Blood,” he said. “Yes, there’s blood on the floor. Holy Christ, there’s so much blood.”
“Steady, Bennet,” Evan said, his smooth voice sliding into the conversation like a salve. “I know it’s been a few years, but you’ve got this. Look for the bleed. Can you trace it back to a source?”
“It’s been ten years,” Bennet said. It wasn’t just rustiness working against him. His vitals were telling their own story. He was in a world of hurt. “Here. I found it! It’s her leg. I’m pressing it.”
Leg. So much blood. Fuck us all. “You’re doing great, Bennet,” I said. “Now listen very carefully. Where exactly is the wound?”
“Uhh..” His voice was thready. I didn’t like it. “Left thigh. Outer, kind of on the top. Deep. No bone protruding. Just...deep.”
“Is Kessler’s purse there?” I asked.
“Y-y-yes.”
“Good,” I said. “Inside her purse, there are some supplies. Pull out the gauze pads.”
“How many?”
I closed my eyes. “All of them. Take three off the pile, put those over her wound, and press down with all your might. Put your weight into it, okay?”
“Ahh!” Bennet cried out in pain. “Doing the best I can, Doc.”
“You’re doing great. If those gauze pads get saturated, grab more and press them on top. But keep all the pads and one hand over the wound at all times. Tell me, is Kessler awake?”
In the background, Kessler moaned out a yes.
“Great,” I said. “Bennet, keep her talking. Anyone else who can multi-task, talk in her ear. Keep her conscious if we can.” I cleared my throat. “Jensen?”
“Go Doc. You, Evan, and I are back on a private channel. Need TJ?.”
“Yes,” A click told me when TJ was listening. “Listen guys, the best assessment I can make from here is that Bennet’s pain level is about an eight on a scale of ten. It’s interfering with his cognition and reasoning functions, not to mention weakening him. I don’t know how long he can keep pressure on Kessler’s wound, and if something nicked her femoral artery...” I didn’t need to spell it out for them. “How long until you can extract them?”
“Longer than Kessler might have,” TJ said. “Penn’s team just pulled video surveillance that showed three people carrying bags that could have been loaded with weapons entering the funeral home this morning. We don’t know what we’re looking at. Could be explosives. It’s going to take time to put contingencies in place.”
“What about the tunnel?” Evan asked.
“He’d be too weak to drag her out,” I said, “and he’d have to take his hand off her wound to do it.”
“I was thinking the other way,” Evan said. “I can go in. I had medic training in the army.”
“Years ago,” I said, “and if she needs a tourniquet, you shouldn’t be doing it. I’ll go through the tunnel. TJ, how soon can Penn get a bird here to take me?”
“I already routed one in this direction,” Jensen said. “Hope that’s okay, boss,” he said to TJ. “It’ll be on the roof in three.”
Evan appeared in the doorway with a large tactical backpack and two full-gear suits slung over his shoulder. He held out his hand. “Let’s go. We’ll suit up in the air.”
I grabbed his hand and followed him, hoping we weren’t heading straight into a hellscape.
