It Cannot Get Any Worse
Call The Doctor
They slipped a half sheet of plywood under Dad and then dragged him into the house. Ragnar was able to limp inside with help from two people. Kaja insisted they haul both of them down into the basement because that was the only place bullets could not penetrate the house. Quentin thought that was potentially a bad idea, but he was not going to argue with Kaja. Quentin suggested they use his big sister’s former bedroom behind the secret door bookcase, since it might go unnoticed if someone got into the house.
Kaja was deploying people with crossbows and axes to guard the ways into the house. She sent people carrying axes to watch the woods. Some of the people were too scared to do anything but cry. Some wanted to leave, but Kaja told them the guys with guns could well be waiting just down the road and there was nowhere to go since the 911 dispatcher had told them both bridges were out. The operator also told them there was only one cop on the island. Q thought they would all probably be running around the yard screaming wildly except they were more afraid of Kaja than the guys with guns. Kaja was totally no nonsense, barking out orders like a drill sergeant in a movie. It was obvious you did not want to cross her just now.
When they dragged him into the house and down the stairs, Dad kept his eyes closed and made no sound except an occasional moan. Dad was awake now and giving orders (no surprise there). He was in pain and still bleeding. He was listening to people speculate the shooters might come back and he was obviously scared. Quentin had never seen Dad scared.
When Quentin called 911, they told him they should stay put. They said the bridges were both stuck open for some reason and the operators were missing. There was no way to get to the hospital on the mainland. They promised help was on the way. Half the guests had called 911 as well. The dispatcher finally told them to stop calling so she could focus on getting a car there. She said she would call for a helicopter from the State Police because most of the local police were off the island.
“Call Dr. Bronson now” Dad moaned. “ Get him here. He will not want to come, tell him whatever it takes. Then call Gerry Fusinski”
Dr. Brosnan was the family doctor for over ten years. He was an amazing general practice doctor who somehow seemed to always have recently read up on whatever malady any of the family brought to him. Hopefully he had read up on gunshot wounds thought Quentin. Dr. Brosnan lived about a mile away, but he did not like medical calls when he was not working. He usually refused to answer telephone calls and just listened to the messages. If someone reached him off hours with an emergency, he usually told them to go to urgent care, or the emergency room. However Quentin had an in. Dr. Brosnan’s daughter was in band. Better yet, she was a trumpet player and Quentin happened to be the trumpet section leader. Quentin knew better than to actually call on the telephone, but he knew what game room Saachi usually hung out in.
Q ran up to his computer, signed in and found Saachi. “Saachi, this is for real, my dad is shot and another guy too. We need your Dad. Please get him to come. Please. Q.” Shortly after, Saachi replied, “Dad says quit messing around.” Q typed – “Saachi, get him here, this is the most serious thing ever. You know when I am serious. This is more important to me than my trumpet. Do you need me to text you pictures of Dad bleeding? Q”
Saachi was convinced, she knew Q’s most prized possession was his new professional trumpet. His parents had helped him save up for it for three years. How could she convince Daddy?
Forcing herself to burst into tears, Saachi ran screaming into the other room. “Daddy, Q texted me a picture,” Saachi lied, but just a little. “Mr. Hilderman is really shot, Daddy he is going to die, and Q will hate me forever.”
Dr. Brosnan was aggravated. He figured some drunk high school boys were playing some kind of game, but he also knew two things for certain. One Saachi had a crush on Q Hilderman since the fourth grade, and second he could never resist his daughter in tears. “I guess I had better go see what is really going on. Grab my big red bag, you are coming with me.”
Q then called Gerry Fusinski. Gerry was Dad’s friend from Kiwanis. Gerry was bad ass. He was ex military, a Marine who often asserted there is no such thing as an ex-Marine. Best of all Gerry collected guns and he lived two houses away. “Gerry, Dad was shot, they might come back, can you come now?”
“What? Shot? Who would want to shoot your Dad. He is annoying sometimes, but everyone actually seems to like him. Are you playing games with me?”
“I do not know who, Gerry, three guys in a Cadillac. We scared them off with atlatl but they might come back. We are really scared and the police are slow. Can you come?”
“You threw sticks at people with guns? You are stupider than I thought. How many of you are dead?"
“One guy got shot in the leg, then they took off. I hit one of them.“
“I am already on my way, get back to your dad.”
Just then a corvette pulled into the driveway, Dr Brosnan. Q ran out to get him. A large red bag also got out of the car - there was someone behind, it holding it up - Saachi was there too. Why?
“This better be real kid or you are in deep shit.”
“Daddy! Don’t. . . ”
“Hush, where is your father Q?”
Quentin led them into the basement. Dr. Brosnan did not say a word, he took one look at Dad, grabbed his huge red bag from Saachi and cut Dad's blood soaked shirt off and began unwrapping the bandages Nimsey had made out of Danny and Q's shirt. Then he went to Ragnar and checked his leg. Ragnar was moaning loudly. Several of the SCA people were in the back of the room crying, some had been helping Nimsey, Dr. Brosnan pushed hem out of the way to look at Ragnar. “It grazed you, you’ll live.” Was all he said and turned back to Dad.
“Q what is your blood type?”
Quentin had no idea, but he did know Dad had compatible blood. Dad had donated blood for Quentin’s hernia surgery last year. “Same as Dad’s I think, he was my donor last year for my hernia surgery.”
“Well you are now a donor for him. Sit down.”
Someone had left two throwing axes on the chair. Quentin moved them to the dresser and held out his left arm. Quentin asked Saachi to pull the secret door at the end of the hall closed. He could hear a police siren approaching as she shut the bookcase. Finally, they were safe with the cops here. Now, if Dr. Brosnan could save Dad.
Kaja was deploying people with crossbows and axes to guard the ways into the house. She sent people carrying axes to watch the woods. Some of the people were too scared to do anything but cry. Some wanted to leave, but Kaja told them the guys with guns could well be waiting just down the road and there was nowhere to go since the 911 dispatcher had told them both bridges were out. The operator also told them there was only one cop on the island. Q thought they would all probably be running around the yard screaming wildly except they were more afraid of Kaja than the guys with guns. Kaja was totally no nonsense, barking out orders like a drill sergeant in a movie. It was obvious you did not want to cross her just now.
When they dragged him into the house and down the stairs, Dad kept his eyes closed and made no sound except an occasional moan. Dad was awake now and giving orders (no surprise there). He was in pain and still bleeding. He was listening to people speculate the shooters might come back and he was obviously scared. Quentin had never seen Dad scared.
When Quentin called 911, they told him they should stay put. They said the bridges were both stuck open for some reason and the operators were missing. There was no way to get to the hospital on the mainland. They promised help was on the way. Half the guests had called 911 as well. The dispatcher finally told them to stop calling so she could focus on getting a car there. She said she would call for a helicopter from the State Police because most of the local police were off the island.
“Call Dr. Bronson now” Dad moaned. “ Get him here. He will not want to come, tell him whatever it takes. Then call Gerry Fusinski”
Dr. Brosnan was the family doctor for over ten years. He was an amazing general practice doctor who somehow seemed to always have recently read up on whatever malady any of the family brought to him. Hopefully he had read up on gunshot wounds thought Quentin. Dr. Brosnan lived about a mile away, but he did not like medical calls when he was not working. He usually refused to answer telephone calls and just listened to the messages. If someone reached him off hours with an emergency, he usually told them to go to urgent care, or the emergency room. However Quentin had an in. Dr. Brosnan’s daughter was in band. Better yet, she was a trumpet player and Quentin happened to be the trumpet section leader. Quentin knew better than to actually call on the telephone, but he knew what game room Saachi usually hung out in.
Q ran up to his computer, signed in and found Saachi. “Saachi, this is for real, my dad is shot and another guy too. We need your Dad. Please get him to come. Please. Q.” Shortly after, Saachi replied, “Dad says quit messing around.” Q typed – “Saachi, get him here, this is the most serious thing ever. You know when I am serious. This is more important to me than my trumpet. Do you need me to text you pictures of Dad bleeding? Q”
Saachi was convinced, she knew Q’s most prized possession was his new professional trumpet. His parents had helped him save up for it for three years. How could she convince Daddy?
Forcing herself to burst into tears, Saachi ran screaming into the other room. “Daddy, Q texted me a picture,” Saachi lied, but just a little. “Mr. Hilderman is really shot, Daddy he is going to die, and Q will hate me forever.”
Dr. Brosnan was aggravated. He figured some drunk high school boys were playing some kind of game, but he also knew two things for certain. One Saachi had a crush on Q Hilderman since the fourth grade, and second he could never resist his daughter in tears. “I guess I had better go see what is really going on. Grab my big red bag, you are coming with me.”
Q then called Gerry Fusinski. Gerry was Dad’s friend from Kiwanis. Gerry was bad ass. He was ex military, a Marine who often asserted there is no such thing as an ex-Marine. Best of all Gerry collected guns and he lived two houses away. “Gerry, Dad was shot, they might come back, can you come now?”
“What? Shot? Who would want to shoot your Dad. He is annoying sometimes, but everyone actually seems to like him. Are you playing games with me?”
“I do not know who, Gerry, three guys in a Cadillac. We scared them off with atlatl but they might come back. We are really scared and the police are slow. Can you come?”
“You threw sticks at people with guns? You are stupider than I thought. How many of you are dead?"
“One guy got shot in the leg, then they took off. I hit one of them.“
“I am already on my way, get back to your dad.”
Just then a corvette pulled into the driveway, Dr Brosnan. Q ran out to get him. A large red bag also got out of the car - there was someone behind, it holding it up - Saachi was there too. Why?
“This better be real kid or you are in deep shit.”
“Daddy! Don’t. . . ”
“Hush, where is your father Q?”
Quentin led them into the basement. Dr. Brosnan did not say a word, he took one look at Dad, grabbed his huge red bag from Saachi and cut Dad's blood soaked shirt off and began unwrapping the bandages Nimsey had made out of Danny and Q's shirt. Then he went to Ragnar and checked his leg. Ragnar was moaning loudly. Several of the SCA people were in the back of the room crying, some had been helping Nimsey, Dr. Brosnan pushed hem out of the way to look at Ragnar. “It grazed you, you’ll live.” Was all he said and turned back to Dad.
“Q what is your blood type?”
Quentin had no idea, but he did know Dad had compatible blood. Dad had donated blood for Quentin’s hernia surgery last year. “Same as Dad’s I think, he was my donor last year for my hernia surgery.”
“Well you are now a donor for him. Sit down.”
Someone had left two throwing axes on the chair. Quentin moved them to the dresser and held out his left arm. Quentin asked Saachi to pull the secret door at the end of the hall closed. He could hear a police siren approaching as she shut the bookcase. Finally, they were safe with the cops here. Now, if Dr. Brosnan could save Dad.