Amber was nervous. She couldn’t help it. What she really wanted to do was find a working phone and contact the DPA to see if someone else could coordinate information on her patients. Jack seemed a little distant. He did things automatically, almost without any thought. He’d seemed so passionate about his work, it was weird to see him behaving in this oddly detached way. What was it like to do things on automatic pilot?
And her stomach was still twisting in knots about Aaron’s parents. Information seemed a bit chaotic right now. She so wished she’d had a chance to talk to them. Maybe she could have persuaded them to stay at home until after the storm. Her gut told her that most parents would have got behind the wheel of a car if their child was at risk, but somehow it just made her feel worse. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to try and stop them. That was the thing that frustrated her the most.
The bright orange pack on her back wasn’t light. It was jam-packed with just about everything she could need. Her hand still held a copy of the list of patients they hoped to find. As she heard the sound of sirens outside, her heart gave a little lurch. She stepped back over to a desk and picked up an internal phone. “May I?”
The nurse at the desk gave a nod and she quickly dialed the room downstairs. “It’s Amber. We’re just about to leave. How are Zane and Aaron?”
The nurse gave her a quick rundown. “Holding steady” seemed to be the most appropriate phrase. One minute later the doors were pulled open and some of the Fire and EMS personnel came in. All were wearing heavy gear, helmets and visors. They started handing out similar headwear to the emergency teams. One of the guys shook hands with Ron and had a quick conversation. He turned to face the waiting teams.
“Okay, people. Remember, hazards will be encountered after a hurricane. Live wires, gas leaks, building fires, unsafe structures, flooding, hazardous materials, victims of the trauma and displaced animals. No one travels alone. Everyone keeps in radio contact. If the wind speeds increase again above fifty miles an hour, you’ll all be told to stand down until it’s safe. All of my staff have flood maps. Listen to what they tell you. Areas may look safe but the ground under the water may be unstable. All our mobile masts are down. Several of our utilities are down. The rainfall is still heavy. Be safe out there, people.”
As soon as the fire chief had finished, several of the EMS staff came forward. “Team one, over there. Team two, you’re with me. Team three, let’s go.”
The first things that struck Amber were the wind, the noise and the driving rain. Even though the eye of the hurricane had passed, the weather was still a force to be reckoned with. It wasn’t an ordinary ambulance that sat outside. This vehicle looked more like an army vehicle. It still had emergency markings, but also had bigger, thicker tires and an overall heavier build.
They climbed inside and Jack checked over the map with the driver. “Dave,” he said as he glanced around at the team. “Consider me your scout. We aren’t sure of all the roads as we’ve only come from the emergency center. It’s a few miles to the school, so be prepared.”
The radio was fixed to the dashboard with the channel open so they could hear any updates.
Amber stared out of the windows as the vehicle started to slowly move. Some of the trees looked permanently bent in the wind. Some shop fronts with shutters appeared undamaged. Others weren’t quite so lucky with gaping holes in the front of their stores. Most of the high-rise buildings they passed were eerily quiet. The city center had plenty of offices that should have been safely evacuated. Some of those windows had obviously been hit by flying debris too, and a few curtains were buffeting in the winds from high floors.
The streets were littered with random and sometimes odd items. Signage, chairs, a table, kitchen utensils and lots of city trash cans rolled around. A few cars were turned on their sides. The wind continued to sideswipe them, but Dave held the vehicle steady. “It’s like a disaster movie,” breathed Amber.
“Except it’s real life,” answered Jack, his voice gravelly.
She could hear it. The edge of wariness in his body. He was perched on the edge of the seat, looking constantly from side to side, as if he were waiting for something to jump out at them. It unnerved her. Inside the hospital they’d been relatively safe. Out here? Anything could happen. And even though there were parts of Jack that reminded her of her father, right now she was glad he was at her side.
They turned the next corner. “Darn it!” yelled Dave, and the vehicle came to a screeching halt. They hadn’t even been going fast, but Amber found herself flung forward, despite being strapped in.
Part of a building lay in front of them. It was as if the edge of the latest block of apartments had disintegrated onto the road. She looked up and couldn’t help but gasp. She could see inside the second-floor sitting room. Pictures were on the wall. There was a door leading…somewhere. Half of a settee was still sitting in the room. But then? Then a whole corner of the room had just disintegrated over the road. “How on earth did that happen?”
Dave very slowly edged the vehicle around the rubble, mounting the pavement on the other side of the street, continuing to stare upward. “Has to be the roof,” he murmured. “Part of it looks torn off, part of it has collapsed downward, taking the edge of the building with it.”
Jack shook his head as he adjusted the backpack at his feet. “This hasn’t been called in. There could be people in that building.”
Amber blinked and looked at the debris on the road. It all just seemed like a pile of bricks, along with an upturned armchair, lampshade and parts of a window. Thankfully, she couldn’t see anyone among the rubble. But Jack already had his hand on the door handle.
“I’m going to check the building,” he muttered to Dave. “Radio in. The entranceway and stairwell look safe. I’ll run up and have a shout, check there’s no one stuck inside.”
Amber’s first thought was to say no. But Dave nodded and Jack was out of the car before she could object. He stuck his head back in the door. “Wait here, you lot. I’ll only be five minutes.”
“Wait. That can’t be a good idea. Should he be going in there?”
Dave shook his head with a half smile. “Nope. But we shouldn’t go in any building without a health and safety check after a hurricane. Do you honestly think that’s going to happen anytime soon? They’re sending us to a high school with half the roof ripped off.”
The irony struck her hard. Of course they were. This was always going to be dangerous. Dave radioed in about the damaged building and partially blocked road, while the rest of them stared out of the vehicle windows, waiting for any sign.
A few minutes later Jack appeared with a bundle in his arms. Amber couldn’t help it. She was out of the vehicle immediately, Lana and Jamal not far behind her.
“It’s okay,” said Jack as he strode toward them in the strong winds. The elderly woman was huddled in toward his chest. “This is Mary,” he said as he placed her inside. “She was sheltering in the stairwell. No serious injuries, just some cuts and bruises. And a whole lot of shock since she was in her sitting room as it collapsed.” He gently sat her down and put his hand at the side of her face. “It’s okay, Mary. You’re safe now.”
There was something so caring and tender about the way he spoke to her. It tugged at Amber’s heart. What was it about this guy? One second he reminded her of her father and she wanted to sprint into the distance; next second he did something like that and it just melted her heart.
He looked up for the briefest of seconds and his dark brown eyes met hers. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Whatever the weird connection between them, it was obvious he felt it too.
After a second he broke their gaze and nodded to Dave. “Nothing serious. We can go on to the high school and tend to her there with the others.”
Amber settled in the back with Mary as they set off again. Jamal patched the few small wounds Mary had on her legs and arms, then bundled her under his arm and held her tight, talking to her th
e whole time.
It was clear she was shocked. Her voice was shaking and tired. She’d missed the transport to the evacuation center and decided to lock down in her house until the hurricane passed. Amber’s stomach turned over. Where would Mary go after the storm? Where would anyone go whose house had been damaged?
Fifteen minutes later they reached the high-school evacuation center. Half the roof was missing from the auditorium and gymnasium. Debris was strewn across the football field. There was another emergency vehicle outside, so the team piled out and headed to the main entrance of the school.
Someone with an orange tabard was waiting for them. “Are you the team from Lahuna State Hospital?”
Jack nodded and held out his hand. “Jack Campbell.” He nodded over his shoulder toward the rest of them. “Amber, Lana, Jamal and Dave. We’ve also picked up a woman with a few minor injuries.” There was no need for more formal introductions as they all had tabards too with their designation.
The woman put her hand on her chest. She looked as if she might cry. “I’m Chrissie. We have a number of injured people and a whole lot more to assess.” She pointed toward one of the classrooms. “Your lady can go in here. We have a few volunteers.”
“Take us to the people that are injured,” said Jack.
“Wait,” said Amber quickly. She handed a note to Chrissie. “Do you have a register of the people here?”
Chrissie looked confused. “We tried to do that, but things got a bit chaotic.”
She squeezed Chrissie’s hand with the list in it. “Please, can you check these names? It’s really, really important we get in touch with these people.”
Chrissie stared down at the list in her hand. “I’ll do my best.”
Amber followed Jack further into the building.
There were a few firefighters already in the building. They were moving debris and assessing damage. One of them shook his head as they approached. “We have a few power issues. Electrical faults. We’ve put tape over some of the doorways so no one goes inside.”