Separated ways

11.Hospital

Going through the thick smoke didn't make it any easier for Sam to take his emotions in control. When he heard the emergency call through the radio, he realized what Penny had had to endure when he fall down from the cliff top. As soon as he, Ellie and Arnold managed to put the fire down after the second collapse, they knew they had even less time. Sam was probably the first to put on his breathing apparatus as they began to search for a way to get to the victims. 

As soon as Sam squeezed himself by a small gap on the way between the bower and the fallen roof of stage. He barely could move under the construction, he had to crawl and he could rise up his head onky a few inches, because his helmet already scratched the roof. But Sam's heart was high in his throat. At such moments he had a urge to punch himself for not gathering his courage, confidence or boldness, or something else what it takes, to tell Penny. 

Now he was terrified as he crawled on the ground, not able to rised his head up to help him see and with a flashlight adjusted to his uniform shining on the ground below him. When he reached to the point that seemed like a middle of former stage, the dim light tried to fight its way through the thick smoke. A plastic sheet that was supposed to serve as a roof for the stage in case of rain was torn where the fire consumed it. A changing height of the metal structure allowed Sam to raise his head higher than his shoulder level and when he had crawled a few more meters, he could even sit down straight.

Sam felt how his leg stumbled over something. He turned around hoping it would be either Penny, Chief Fire Officer Boyce or Ryan, but his hopes quickly crashed when he realized it was only Ellie. 

"Let's spread and search the area" Sam ordered. "But be careful, not to move the construction any more. If it falls,..." he stopped. He didn't want to even think about what could happen in the best case if the roof would collapse once again. 

He walked to the left as Ellie picked the way to the right. Sam's thoughts were running crazy in his mind as he patted the ground around him with his hand while his flashlight guided him through the smoke. He crawled maybe few mkre meters, when his hand grabbed something that felt familiar but at the same time it seemed so forgein. He looked up and his mind suddenly began to dance from relief, because he had just grabbed Penny's hand. He got up to his knees as he stroked her cheek gently without realizing what he was doing.

"I found her!" Sam reported happily throught the radio, even though Ellie was sitting right on his tail. "Ryan is here too" Sam shone his light closer to the other wall formed by collapsed stage roof.

"Sam! We might have a problem" Ellie said terrifited as she shone her flashlight to the collapsed structure. Sam, who was aboit to check Penny's pulse, looked up where Ellie's light guided him. Immediately he understood why Ellie was so frozen. 

"Arnold, get the jaws of life here. Tom, how much time it will take for you to get there with Wallaby 2?" Sam asked throught the radio as soon as he found himself back in this situation. 

"One minute and I can move" Tom answered briefly. Sam just hoped it won't be too late. 

"Ellie, we can't do much here, better get Ryan and Penny out" Sam ordered when he assured himself that Boyce and Penny were somehow still alive. 

"But how? We barely got inside ourselves" Ellie turned back to Sam on the crawl to Ryan. 

"Arnold" Sam turned on the radio once again, as he took off his mask to let Penny and Boyce breathe clear air for a moment. "Get two strechers through the bower to us. We can't move Boyce anyway!"

Sam and Ellie managed to laid Penny and Ryan somehow on the strechers and helped Arnold pulled them out. As soon as two victims were safe outside, Helen immediately began examinating them. Both Penny and Ryan lost consciousness due to smoke inhalation. Ryan had a badly broken leg, while Penny didn't seem to have any serious injuries.