North

North Chapter 5/6

Stan and Debbie, the elderly couple who had found them, stayed until the ambulance arrived and then vanished in a haze of fever. Daniel couldn't remember if he'd said goodbye to them or thanked them for saving their lives. He hoped he did.

There was one ambulance, and they'd quickly wrapped Daniel's leg in a bright orange splint, then loaded him onto a comfortable gurney.

"OK, Daniel, you'll feel a sharp scratch now," one of the paramedics said, and Daniel cast his eyes to the prowler which lay abandoned at the side of the road. He wondered what would happen to it. Would they just leave it there in the forest? He wanted to take it home, a symbol of the days they'd spent in the woods. Proof that they could do anything if they set their mind to it.

"Daniel?" The paramedic asked again.

How did they know his name? He hadn't told them. He'd told Stan, so maybe Stan had told them before he left, before he left without Daniel saying goodbye. He really wished he'd said goodbye.

Daniel felt a scratch on his hand and looked down, as someone asked him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK," Daniel said, trying to look around the person who was speaking to him. "Is Johnny OK?"

"We're taking good care of him, but I need you to help me look after you too," the man said. "What's your pain level at?"

"What?" Daniel asked, focusing back on the person speaking to him.

"Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Is Johnny OK?"

"Daniel," the man said, stepping into his eyeline and blocking his view of Johnny who was still on the ground. "Let's focus on you for a second. Are you in pain?"

"Yeah," Daniel finally admitted.

"I'm going to give you some painkillers, but I need you to let me know if you feel like you're going to vomit, OK?"

"OK," Daniel replied, then he felt like he was floating. Daniel was floating, laying on a comfortable bed, but Johnny was still laid on the floor.

"Johnny," he said.

"I'm going to go check on him now," the man said, "But if you feel sick, just let me know."

Daniel nodded, but then added, "He knows karate and he was really confused."

"Thanks for the warning," the man said with a smile.

Daniel watched as the man knelt next to Johnny, speaking to him in low tones, and a woman was talking on the radio next to him.

They both seemed agitated as they worked together, kneeling on the floor, asking where the other ambulance was, and passing information over the radio to someone at the other end.

There was the sound of a siren, and the second ambulance arrived. He watched, still feeling like he was floating above the whole thing looking down, and when they took Johnny away, seeing the ambulance doors close left Daniel feeling small and alone.

The ride to the hospital was a blur as Daniel faded in and out.

The next time he opened his eyes he was in a white room, people buzzing about him, as a voice said, "You're going to be OK. We've called your wife, and she's on her way now."

"Thank you," Daniel said.

"You'll be going down to surgery soon," someone said. "Just try to stay calm, OK."

When Daniel woke he had the vague feeling that he might have been awake before, but had dismissed it all as a dream. He could remember blurry images and disconnected voices, but nothing made sense until now.