Page 86 of No Going Back

“I feel it,” Sam confirmed.

“Good. Take the straw and insert it. Push it in until the air releases. You’ll hear it and see it.”

Tyler waited as Sam followed his instructions.

“Nothing’s happening, Tyler.”

“Push it in further. You might get some resistance. Just keep pushing.”

Tyler held his breath as Sam gently pushed the straw further in. A few seconds later, he heard Mira gasp.

“It worked, the air came through the straw,” Sam said.

“That’s good. Keep the straw upright. Mira, babe, try to take slow breaths, not too deep.” He watched her ribcage slowly lift and fall. “Nice and slow, that’s it, babe, you go it.”

“What now?” Sam asked.

“As you have nothing to secure it with, you’re going to have to hold it in place until the medical supplies get to you.”

“Backboard and supplies are on the way down right now,” Dex said. Tyler hadn’t even noticed Dex had been right next to him the whole time.

“How’s she doing, Sam?” The phone was still angled on her ribs as Sam held the straw in place.

“She’s out, but her breathing is steadier now.” The relief in Sam’s voice was clear. “And her lips are returning to normal color.”

“How long, Tyler?” Mackie asked quietly.

Tyler moved away from the laptop, not risking Mira hearing if she woke up.

“The straw relieved the pressure for now, but the dirt, open wound? That’s going to create a new set of problems very quickly. I can’t tell if she has a collapsed lung or worse, but the bruising on her body... There’s likely other internal injuries we can’t see. If there’s fluid seeping into the chest, then she’s going to be in serious trouble within minutes.”

The team looked at him with admiration and sympathy. He didn’t want either. He wanted to get down there and get his girl out.

“Tyler!”

Tyler rushed back to the screen.

“The guys have the medical supplies, but the wall’s not stable enough for them to bring them to me. Can I release my hold to go get them? They can throw them over.” Sam said.

“Try it. Remove your hands, let me see.”

Sam slowly took his hands away. The straw stayed in place, blood oozing from the incision.

“Go. Quick as you can.”

Sam disappeared. Tyler kept his eyes fixed on the straw, willing it to stay in place, trying to ignore the pain in his own chest.

Sam came back into view. “Am I replacing the straw with the tube?”

“No. I don’t want to disturb it while it’s working. How’s her skin color?”

“Better than it was.”

“Then we’ll leave the straw in. There should be gauze and tape. Clean the area best you can. Place gauze around the bottom of the straw, over your incision. Then tape it in place. It will soak up the blood and help it to clot. That should slow the bleeding and keep the straw in place.”

Sam did exactly as he asked then moved his hands away and the straw remained in place.

“Fuck, Tyler. Nice work. She looks way better than she did.”

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