Chapter 8: The Compound
DOC WAS OVERWHELMED with the load the squad found. He was prepared for them to come home empty handed and had been researching local natural remedies. Being winter made it difficult to utilize many of the things he was finding, as they were out of season and should have been dried and prepared over the summer. But he no longer had to worry as he looked over, categorized, and organized everything they had brought back. “How?” he asked Chris. “And where did you find all this?”
“We have Scott and his sheer stubbornness to thank for this.” Chris Weaver laughed. “Seriously, that man outsmarted a locked door that clearly more than one person very much wanted in. Once inside, it was like hitting the jackpot. Nearly everywhere else in the hospital was well picked over. There was some basic hygiene stuff left. But the pharmacy area, the emergency room, and nearly every area we looked at was trashed and already picked over. They found a small stash of pain meds hidden in an office marked ‘anesthesiologist’ and they thought it was close enough since ‘anesthesiology’ was one of the words you said to look for. But the outpatient surgery room is where we scored. There’s lots more too, we only took what we could carry.”
“Now that the room has been opened, though, it’ll get rummaged quickly,” Doc said with certainty.
“Doubtful, Scott was able to lock it back. Doubt anyone will get in before we return. If we return. Ran into some complications getting out of there. There’s a group living in the hospital, but we didn’t wait around to find out if they were friendly or not.”
“Smart lad,” Doc complimented. “In the meantime, I found a drug in the stash I wasn’t familiar with. Looking through old medical books, it looks like it was used to induce and sustain comas. I think I have the proper dosage worked out, and I’m going to ask Charlie for permission to put Jared into a comatose state. He’s stabilized from the seizures, but the wounds are going to need to be addressed. Having him entirely unconscious for the procedure will be best for him.”
Doc sounded grave when he spoke.
“What is it, Doc?”
“It’s the leg. I’m afraid it’s going to have to go.”
“You mean amputate it?”
“Yes. He’s developed an infection we haven’t been able to control. If it gets into his bloodstream, there’s nothing I can do for him. Right now, the best option will be to amputate and effectively remove the problem. His lower leg is so shattered there’s very little hope he’ll ever regain use of it anyway.”
Chris nodded sadly. He wanted so badly for Jared to heal and be alive and, well, to welcome Holly home. While others tiptoed around her absence and feared she wouldn’t return, he held on to hope. He had already lived through this nightmare once, and it had turned out okay in the end. She’d returned home to them before, and he prayed and held firm that she would once again.
Charlie came in to check on things after he heard the squad had returned. He gave Chris a big hug.
“How’d it go?”
“Success!” Chris beamed. “But let me tell you, those people do not mess around. I thought Amos was going to keel over just getting there. Sam is brutal.”
“Sam? What do you mean?”
“Well, after a battle of wills between her and Jacob, she was dubbed mission leader. I don’t think military units train enough to keep up with that girl! They say Holly was even harder on them. I can’t imagine it, but don’t think I’d volunteer to see for myself, if Sam is any indication.”
They both chuckled and shook their heads.
“So, Doc? How are we looking.”
He turned sadly to Charlie. “Sit down, son, we need to talk. Some decisions have to be made here.” He explained the loss of blood, the seizures, the infection, and his recommendation to induce a coma and amputate the left leg.
Charlie fought back tears for his friend and for his sister who would have to live with the results of whatever decision he made on her behalf. Biting back the anger and despair threatening to overtake him, he nodded in agreement.
“Do whatever you need to. The important thing is that he survives.”
“Now Charlie, there’s no guarantees of that. We are not even close to being out of the woods here.”
“I know, I know, but if you feel strongly that this is his best option towards that goal, then do it.”
Doc didn’t want to put it off a moment longer. Ashlyn was called in to assist with the surgery. She broke down in tears and cried for her friend as Doc administered the necessary drugs to keep him under for a very long time. Jared’s body, which had been thrashing in pain for weeks, calmed. It scared them so badly that Ash went into full hysterics, running to his side to check his vitals. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they realized he was alive, stable, and at peace. Doc explained to her that they would keep him in that state of rest until they were certain he was ready to wake up, or until they ran out of meds. Whichever came first.
Pulling herself together, Ashe washed up, then went to address Jared’s wounds. His left leg had been shot just below his knee. The entire bone had shattered and the gaping hole left behind was now oozing green pus and infection. The smell triggered her gag reflex as she removed the bindings carefully, holding what remained together as best she could. It was the worst smell she’d ever faced, and she knew she would never forget it.
The bandages held to the greenish brown ooze coming from the wound as she carefully peeled back layer after layer. She ran to throw up twice before the job was done. With the wound exposed, she set about the daunting task of carefully cleaning it.
“I’m sorry my dear, but the leg is coming off today. Don’t fuss to much about cleaning it out, just make sure it’s clean and sterile from below the knee.”
“What?” she cried. “We’re amputating?”
“I’m afraid so; the infection is too severe. We tried, but this will be his best bet towards survival.”
“What about the moss Lily told us about? The stuff she said he used on Holly to remove a knife wound infection?”
“She said she’d look for the book and the moss, but hasn’t returned with anything, and I’m afraid we’re just out of time, my dear.”
She could tell it was not an easy decision and affecting him just as much as her.
“I’ve called Emma Grace in for an extra set of hands. I know this isn’t going to be easy on you, Ash. If you wish to sit it out, I’ll understand.”
“No, no. I need to be here. For Holly, and for Jared.”
Emma Grace arrived, and they worked side-by-side for over three hours as the damaged leg was removed, cauterized, and cleaned. Doc was happy with how the surgery went and confident they got the infection removed in time.
As they exited the room he had sterilized for the surgery, they were greeted by Charlie and the remaining squad members. Chris, Cassie, and Holly’s mother were there as well.
“He’s still alive,” he told them. Relief was evident on their faces. “Prayers are needed to keep it that way. Specifically, that there is no further infection. If the infection returns, I’m afraid there isn’t much more we will be able to do for him. Right now, that is the immediate concern.”
“He’s a fighter, and he’ll make it through this,” Cassie said with certainty. “And Lily and I were able to find the medicinal herb book we used to find the moss that helped Holly. We’ve located the moss, and she is working with my parents to create an environment capable of maintaining and reproducing it.”
“That’s good to know. I’d like to read over that book you found.”
“I’ll bring it down tomorrow.”
“Now,” he spoke to the rest of the group, “there’s nothing more we can do for him tonight. So please, go home and keep him in your prayers.”
Holly and Charlie’s mother stepped forward. “Doc, I’d like it if we could see him. I would like it if we could pray over him. Is that possible?”
The doctor agreed hesitantly. They walked solemnly into the small room. Jared looked pale and too still. Cassie started to cry, but Doc assured them he was in a medical coma and doing well.
“He’s finally found some peace,” Mrs. Jenkins told them.
Charlie watched as his mother brushed back the hair from Jared’s forehead and leaned down to kiss him. He hadn’t been at all surprised that she had accepted the man so quickly, despite the transgressions he and his sister had done. Of course, his mother would never know that it had all been a fabrication, a fake marriage that the man lying before them had been honest enough to explain at a time when he knew doing so could have resulted in permanent eviction from the Compound and never seeing Holly again. That was the kind of man Jared Hastings was, and that was the kind of woman his mother was, to open her heart and home and welcome him as a second son.
Jared hadn’t had an easy childhood. Charlie didn’t know all the details, but if even half of the rumors were true, he knew it had been very bad. Thinking of the pale, still man lying before him as the young, bullied, beaten, and abused little boy he’d been warned about, it just didn’t seem possible, and yet was it just another validation of the kind of man Jared truly was. A stand-up guy. Strong and capable of overcoming any obstacle. A true friend. His brother-in-law. Charlie just prayed that after overcoming so much in his young life that he would find the strength to overcome this, too, and live.
“Amen.” He heard his mother say, unaware that he had missed the prayer entirely. His mother turned and sought comfort in her son’s arms. Tears were streaming down her face. He felt slightly guilty for having drifted off in thoughts and not paying attention but was thankful he was at least there in body to comfort her.
“That was lovely, but right now we need to leave him in peace, to rest. The next forty-eight hours are crucial but I am confident he will pull through this surgery just fine. Beyond that, only the good Lord knows.” Doc told them as he ushered them from the room.
Charlie gave his mom a hug goodbye outside the clinic. Chris and Cassie were heading over to the diner with some of the squad. As the group dispersed, Charlie hung back and watched. When Sam passed, he grabbed her by the hand and tugged her back to the side of the clinic.
“What are you doing, Charlie?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Repeat that again.”
“I’m sorry I tried to keep you from going on the mission. I hear you did a helluva job leading those boys back.”
Sam blushed furiously. She wasn’t used to getting compliments, especially not from guys she secretly thought were hot, even if she’d never have the guts to tell them. For all her big talk, Sam was still just a girl … a very self-conscious girl who’s big mouth had always overcompensated to hide her insecurities.
She shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “I hated the idea of you going out there, but I do know you are strong and capable, and I shouldn’t have tried to hold you back.”
She didn’t know what to say. It was easier when he was being an ass and she could yell at him. She didn’t know how to handle this softer Charlie.
Charlie, seeing how uncomfortable he was already making her squeezed her hand still in his and using his other hand, raised her chin and waited until their eyes met. “I’m really proud of you, Sam.”
He had said what he wanted to say, but he also knew he hadn’t needed to pull her into the shadows between the buildings for that. The truth was, he liked Sam. He liked her too much. She was starting to become a distraction for him. When she had gone off on the hospital supply mission, it was all he could do not to lock her up and forbid it, and the entire time she was gone, he barely slept or ate worrying about her. It was a new experience for him, and he wasn’t entirely sure he liked it.
Charlie Jenkins was twenty years old. He ran the Compound and was well liked and respected by all. He had done some incredible things over the past year of his life. The one thing he had never done was kiss a girl, until he had kissed Sam. He had never even been that physically close to a girl in his entire life, aside from his mother and sister. The bunker had just about everything they could possibly have needed or wanted, but it had not one single girl that Charlie had ever been interested in. Sam was the first, and he had no clue what it was about her that set her apart for him but he wanted to find out.
He knew his fingers trembled beneath her chin and saw her eyes widen in shock the moment she realized she was about to be kissed. Charlie’s lips lightly brushed against hers at first, prolonging the experience. It didn’t last long before he pressed them more firmly to hers. She sighed and began to really kiss him. It only took an awkward second or two for him to catch up and return her kiss. When her lips parted, his tongue seemed to know exactly what to do, and he was happy that the little murmurs she made seemed to say she liked what he was doing, too.
With heart racing and breath quickly shortening, Sam pulled back and stared at him. She’d been kissed before, but never quite like that. Charlie Jenkins ignited a fire in her that she didn’t think existed. There was so much he didn’t know about her. So many reasons that what they were doing was a very bad idea, but for once she didn’t fight it. She tried to relax and just enjoy the feel of his lips on hers.
When he pulled back, he placed his forehead against hers and grinned. She thought she’d never seen anything cuter in all her life.
“I think I could get used that,” he said softly.
She blushed and closed her eyes in embarrassment.
“Don’t you start getting crazy ideas in that head of yours, Charlie Jenkins.”
“Probably too late for that.” He chuckled.
She didn’t know what to say or do. Sam was not the kind of girl that was ever without a witty comeback or words to fill an awkward silence. And yet, in this moment, she was at a total loss.
“I have to get back to work.”
“Mm-hmm,” was all she could manage.
“Can I see you later. For dinner maybe?” he asked, nervous she’d say no.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“You aren’t going to hit me or scream at me for kissing you again?” he teased.
She just shook her head no. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. He had expected her to yell at him, maybe hit him with a broom. He grinned at the memory. Even just some snarky comment from her would have been okay and let him know that he hadn’t just made a huge mistake. Too much, too soon. But she had definitely said okay when he asked her out, so he figured that had to be good.
“We’re good?” he asked, needing to know for sure.
“Yeah, we’re good,” she said, smiling almost shyly.
Charlie chuckled, kissed her cheek, and headed back to the front of the clinic.
“I could definitely get used to that,” he called over his shoulder.
“You better!” she replied.
Charlie turned back towards her but only saw her backside rounding the far corner of the building in the opposite direction.
* * * * *