Page 32 of Everybody Needs a Hero

“And then what?” asked a man in a purple and gold Laker’s jersey.

“When someone is located, we see how bad their situation is to determine if they need attention immediately,” Bryce continued to explain. “Everyone else stays in place. If we all rush over, something could shift and make the situation worse.” She looked hard into each face. “We will have to make some choices, not necessarily easy ones. But we can’t be everywhere at once.”

“Jesus,” a tall, skinny man said under his breath. “I sure don’t want to be the one in charge of making those decisions.” Bryce wasn’t a big fan of that task falling on her shoulders either but stepping into the breach was what a Marine did. She wouldn’t back down in the face of a challenge, no matter how difficult.

Not wanting to waste another second, she started pointing to the left and right. “Let’s line up,” she said. “Go slow and keep together. The last thing we want is to miss someone.”

The others nodded and did as she asked. Once everyone was in place, Bryce started them walking. They had only gone a dozen paces when Allen who was two down from her held up his hand. Everyone stopped, waiting. As Bryce watched, the man knelt until his face was almost touching the concrete rubble. Another moment passed, and then the man raised up, waving his hands. “Someone is here,” he yelled, then leaned to listen again. “She says her legs are caught but otherwise is okay.” The group started to converge.

“Stop!” Bryce warned. “Stay in the line. It could be dangerous, and we need to keep searching.” She saw the reluctance on the faces of the others, but they did what she asked. “Allen, please stay there and talk to her. We will keep going until we reach the other side of the pile, and then I’ll come back.” When the line was back in place again, she started them moving. Only one other trapped survivor was located by the time they reached the far edge of the rubble.Should there be more?she wondered as she stepped carefully to the spot of the second person found. When she had watched the onramp swaying when the earthquake hit, a lot of the people abandoned their cars to run to safety. Time would tell.We will have to wait for emergency personnel to arrive before we start digging to see if there are others.

Coming to the edge of the gap in the concrete and twisted metal where the second person was trapped, Bryce joined the man in the Laker’s jersey on his hands and knees. “The guy’s not doing so good,” he advised. “He says there’s a bar of metal or something on his chest, and he can’t breathe very well.”

As Ashley nearedthe school bus, a couple young boys waved through the windows to get her attention. “Hey, lady,” one of them called. “I think something might be wrong with Coach.” That was when Ashley realized the kids she could see wore baseball jerseys.A sports team caught in this, she thought.And they don’t look very old.When she reached the doors, they opened before she had to knock. A boy who looked no older than twelve worked the lever from the driver’s seat.

He grinned at her when she boarded. “Always wanted to do that,” he said but sobered quickly. “Good thing you’re here.”

Not liking the tremble of fear in his voice, Ashley hurried up the steps. “What’s up?” she asked from the front of the bus, and a dozen young voices came at her.

“It’s Coach,” they all said, pointing over seats to a red-faced, overweight man in a T-shirt with a woodpecker mascot logo, sporting a baseball cap and holding a bat. Even in her non-medical opinion, he did not look good. Sweat poured off his face, and the pinched look around his eyes gave away the pain he felt, even though he appeared to be trying to hide it.He doesn’t want to freak out his baseball team, she thought, feeling respect for the man already. He had to be in a lot of discomfort.

Walking down the row between the seats, Ashley passed the boys all looking between the ages of nine and twelve if she had to guess. They watched her go by with wide eyes, and she noticed one especially young-looking boy crying quietly against the side of the bus. Whatever was wrong with the coach, she needed to keep a positive appearance or there might be more than one boy crying. Coming to the row where the man they called Coach sat, she knelt beside him. “Hi, I’m Ashley,” she said. “What’s going on?”

Before the coach could answer, the young man sitting beside him, the only other adult she had seen so far, leaned toward her. “I think it’s a heart attack,” he whispered, and the coach grunted.

“Don’t say that. I only ate too many of those stupid chili dogs with extra onions,” he said. “Give me a Pepcid, and I’ll be fine.” He coughed and then winced as he rubbed his chest. “Let me sit here a minute and catch my breath.” Ashley looked him up and down. He might be right, and what he was suffering was indigestion, but he might be wrong too. To be on the safe side, she wanted him to see Drew. The last thing she wanted was for him to get worse there on the bus surrounded by his junior-league baseball team.

Making up her mind, she put a hand on his knee. “Coach, do you think you can walk a little way?” she asked. “I have a friend, a nurse actually, who can help figure out what’s going on with you.” She smiled. “Get you that Pepcid at least.”

He nodded. “I’m sure I can,” he said. “But we can’t leave the team.” Glancing around, Ashley saw a dozen pairs of eyes watching her over the backs of the seats. They looked scared half to death. Having them stay on the bus alone did seem like a bad idea.Especially if there’s another shake,she thought, feeling her stomach knot with anxiety at the possibility. The thought scared her half to death too.Please don’t let there be more of that.

Standing, she assessed the options. Someone would have to help the coach walk the distance to the first aid area. Considering he looked like he outweighed Ashley by at least fifty pounds, she knew she couldn’t support him. That left the only other adult, which would mean Ashley stayed with the team.

She nodded at the young man. “What’s your name?”

“Assistant Coach Ryan. I drive the bus, but Coach lets me help him with the kids too.”

“Okay, Assistant Coach Ryan, here’s the plan I have in mind.”

With the injuredwoman’s arm wrapped across her shoulders, Tess stepped carefully between the cars. “Only a little bit further,” she said, coaxing her along. “They’ve set up a first aid station, and they can take a better look at your ankle.”

The woman groaned, limping another step. “Is there a doctor there?”

Furrowing her brow, Tess kept pace with her. “I’m not sure, but there is an amazing nurse in charge,” she said. “She’s called together—”

“I don’t want a nurse,” the woman snapped. “I need a doctor.”

Hesitating to respond, Tess wasn’t even sure what to say at first. “She’s an excellent nurse and—”

The woman huffed. “She’s still just a nurse.”

“I’m not sure I understand—”

“How hard is it to understand?” she said, cutting Tess off a third time. “A doctor is a doctor, and nurse is a nurse. One saves lives, and one takes my blood pressure.” Tess had heard enough. It was all she could do to keep her mouth shut at the ridiculous perspective. She saw Drew in action and would put herself in the woman’s care over anyone’s. The fact she was a nurse made no difference to her.

Tess was impressed by how organized things looked as they approached the cleared spot where people who needed care gathered. Someone had collected blankets and bottles of water donated from other drivers and the surrounding office buildings. Chairs of all types and some tables were brought out too. A triage was clearly in place with those who looked to have minor issues seated along the side of one building. For cases more urgent, she saw Drew had laid out blankets with the mishmash of volunteer medical personnel attending.

Under the circumstances, things were well in hand. “See,” Tess said to the woman beside her. “There is nothing to worry about, and they will take care of you.”

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