fireplace, staring at me. Everyone else was completely focused on Syl, but Zack wasn’t paying attention to anything but me.
I stopped backing up and looked at him.
He nodded.
Megan pulled off Syl’s shirt then she leaned in and looked at the bandage. When she sat back she said, “That’s a bullet wound. He’s been shot.”
There was a commotion, then everyone took a step closer and looked down at Syl. I turned and walked out of the room and into the office.
Butch was coming the other way. He was carrying a stack of yellow blankets and didn’t see me.
“Sorry, Minnesota,” he said. “Are you leaving?”
“I have to tell Sara what’s going on.” I motioned back to the dining room. “I guess that guy’s been shot.”
Butch’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“Holy shit.” Butch looked past me toward the dining room then held out the blankets. “Do me a favor and take these in there. I’ve got a first aid kit in the back, might help.”
I didn’t take them at first, but I didn’t know how I could say no. “I need to get to Sara and—”
Butch pushed past me and ran out of the office.
I watched him go, then I carried the blankets into the dining room. Megan and Zack were kneeling over Syl. Caroline was arguing with Marcus. Zack was the only one who looked at me when I walked in.
No one else had noticed I’d left.
“What the hell do you mean there’s nothing we can do?” Caroline was yelling at Marcus and the slur in her voice was worse. “We can’t just sit here. Look at the man.”
“Well, what do you suggest?” Marcus leaned back in his chair and motioned toward the window with his coffee cup. “The highway is closed. More than that, it’s completely buried under snow. We’d drive off into a ditch within five miles.”
I walked past them and set the blankets on the floor next to Megan. “Butch went to get a first aid kit,” I said. “But he gave me these.”
She took one of the blankets off the top then unfolded it. “Help me sit him up.”
Zack reached down and grabbed Syl’s shoulders and lifted him enough to get the blanket under him. Megan wrapped him tight then took another blanket and draped it over him.
“I’m not going to accept that,” Caroline said. “If we don’t get him to a hospital he’s going to die.”
I heard the bells over the office door then Butch came in carrying a large metal box. There was a red circle on the front with a white cross in the middle. He sat it on the table and undid the latches.
“No idea what’s in here, but there might be something we can use.” He looked at Syl. “How’s he doing?”
“Unconscious,” Megan said. “But breathing.”
I got up and looked over Butch’s shoulder at the first aid kit. All I saw were Band-Aids, individually packaged over-the-counter pain pills, and saline eyewash bottles.
“How old is this kit?” I asked.
“Old.” Butch looked at me. “Does this stuff go bad?”
“I think we’re beyond first aid,” Caroline said. “He needs to get to a hospital or else he’s going to die.”
“Closest thing we’ve got to a hospital is forty miles north in Frieberg. I don’t see how we can—”
“You’ve got a plow,” Caroline said. “On that truck you used this morning in the parking lot. I heard it.”
“It broke,” Zack said. “I snapped the mounting pin.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Even if it was brand-new, it wouldn’t work on a highway, especially not all the way to Frieberg. That plow barely handled the two or three passes it took to clear the lot out there.”
Caroline looked at Marcus then to Butch. “I think we have to try, don’t you?”
“I just told you, the mounting pin is busted. We’ve got nothing to hold it in place.”
“You can’t find a way to rig it so it’ll work?”
“Jesus, Caroline, the man just said—”
“How about that wire you got back there?” Butch asked.
Zack shook his head.
I stopped backing up and looked at him.
He nodded.
Megan pulled off Syl’s shirt then she leaned in and looked at the bandage. When she sat back she said, “That’s a bullet wound. He’s been shot.”
There was a commotion, then everyone took a step closer and looked down at Syl. I turned and walked out of the room and into the office.
Butch was coming the other way. He was carrying a stack of yellow blankets and didn’t see me.
“Sorry, Minnesota,” he said. “Are you leaving?”
“I have to tell Sara what’s going on.” I motioned back to the dining room. “I guess that guy’s been shot.”
Butch’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“Holy shit.” Butch looked past me toward the dining room then held out the blankets. “Do me a favor and take these in there. I’ve got a first aid kit in the back, might help.”
I didn’t take them at first, but I didn’t know how I could say no. “I need to get to Sara and—”
Butch pushed past me and ran out of the office.
I watched him go, then I carried the blankets into the dining room. Megan and Zack were kneeling over Syl. Caroline was arguing with Marcus. Zack was the only one who looked at me when I walked in.
No one else had noticed I’d left.
“What the hell do you mean there’s nothing we can do?” Caroline was yelling at Marcus and the slur in her voice was worse. “We can’t just sit here. Look at the man.”
“Well, what do you suggest?” Marcus leaned back in his chair and motioned toward the window with his coffee cup. “The highway is closed. More than that, it’s completely buried under snow. We’d drive off into a ditch within five miles.”
I walked past them and set the blankets on the floor next to Megan. “Butch went to get a first aid kit,” I said. “But he gave me these.”
She took one of the blankets off the top then unfolded it. “Help me sit him up.”
Zack reached down and grabbed Syl’s shoulders and lifted him enough to get the blanket under him. Megan wrapped him tight then took another blanket and draped it over him.
“I’m not going to accept that,” Caroline said. “If we don’t get him to a hospital he’s going to die.”
I heard the bells over the office door then Butch came in carrying a large metal box. There was a red circle on the front with a white cross in the middle. He sat it on the table and undid the latches.
“No idea what’s in here, but there might be something we can use.” He looked at Syl. “How’s he doing?”
“Unconscious,” Megan said. “But breathing.”
I got up and looked over Butch’s shoulder at the first aid kit. All I saw were Band-Aids, individually packaged over-the-counter pain pills, and saline eyewash bottles.
“How old is this kit?” I asked.
“Old.” Butch looked at me. “Does this stuff go bad?”
“I think we’re beyond first aid,” Caroline said. “He needs to get to a hospital or else he’s going to die.”
“Closest thing we’ve got to a hospital is forty miles north in Frieberg. I don’t see how we can—”
“You’ve got a plow,” Caroline said. “On that truck you used this morning in the parking lot. I heard it.”
“It broke,” Zack said. “I snapped the mounting pin.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Even if it was brand-new, it wouldn’t work on a highway, especially not all the way to Frieberg. That plow barely handled the two or three passes it took to clear the lot out there.”
Caroline looked at Marcus then to Butch. “I think we have to try, don’t you?”
“I just told you, the mounting pin is busted. We’ve got nothing to hold it in place.”
“You can’t find a way to rig it so it’ll work?”
“Jesus, Caroline, the man just said—”
“How about that wire you got back there?” Butch asked.
Zack shook his head.
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