Copperback by Tarah R. Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page B

with that,” she said doubtfully. “Even if I could, I
wouldn’t know what to use. I don’t know much about Sayners or their chemistry,
and I only brought standard supplies. I’m not sure even aspirin would work for
him. Unless he can tell us what he can have, I have to do this without.”
    She
had been looking at him when she spoke, hoping to get him to speak up. He just
laid there staring at me again, like he hadn’t even heard her, his scared eyes
still questioning where he was and what was happening. He either didn’t know,
or he was being stubborn. I knew he was going to feel worse before he felt
better. The whole situation wasn’t sitting right with me.
    Sally
made it around to the side of the bed to get a closer look at the wound. She
used the corner of the gauze to wipe away the blood that had accumulated again.
With her fingers, she pressed against the outside edges of the puncture, forcing
the skin away from the metal embedded into his abdomen, causing him to quicken
his breath again, gritting his teeth to keep silent.
    “It’s
copper. It doesn’t look too deep, but I won’t be able to take it out until
everything else is done. Once it is out, he’s going to shift when we touch him,
and it will make stitching and setting his leg impossible. I’ll have to start
somewhere else first.” She looked him over, deciding where to start. “Were you
able to find anything we can use as a splint?”
    I
showed her the yard stick and elastic bandage I had found. She nodded in
approval and asked Chase to find her a sheet and some pillows. He jumped at the
opportunity to leave again and wobbled up the stairs.
    She
continued moving her hands across the rest of his body, pressing down in
different places on his abdomen, watching for his reactions and checking for
spots that were tender. She even slid her hands around to his back and neck. It
looked like a game of hot or cold, the way he responded. As she moved near a
sensitive area, his hand grabbed the sheet tight, holding on and waiting for
the agony to start again. Some areas brought on the spasms again, while others
he remained calm for. Aside from the obvious places – in which she checked
thoroughly as well – most of the tenderness was in his abdomen, even though I
couldn’t see it.
     “Is
he going to be alright?” I asked, still concerned.
    “I
don’t know,” she responded, as though Job wasn’t in the room. “I’ve never done
anything like this before, and without X-rays or a doctor, it’s hard to tell
for sure how extensive everything is.” There was a sigh. “From what I can see, he
more than likely has some broken ribs, and that is making it hard for him to
breathe. There could also be a collapsed lung. He may have fractures in his
face, but there is no sure way of knowing right now till the swelling comes
down. His leg is definitely broken in two places – maybe more. From the angle
it’s in, all I can do is hope I can get it lined up right and keep it stable.
Usually something like that would require surgery.” There was another long
sigh. “The part I’m worried about is there is a good chance he is bleeding
internally. I can’t see how badly, but without the right tools – I don’t expect
him to make it through the night. I will do everything I can, but the rest is
going to be up to him.”
    Hearing
the news was a devastating blow. I had pulled her from bed in the middle of the
night to have her tell me it was pretty much hopeless. Chase wouldn’t handle
the news well, and I was equally concerned with where to put the body when it
was over as I was with how Job was going to handle a slow and painful death.
Suffering in the last moments of life would not be the way I would choose to go.
I would beg someone to kill me first. He needed to overcome his fear of
speaking up if he had a final request. He remained silent.
    Chase
returned, carrying a yellow floral print sheet and matching pillows from my
bed. How wrong of me it was to