“They found him near the falls. He’d managed to get part way up the cliff and just behind the falls was a small cave. He’s broken his arm, they think, and has hypothermia. They’re stabilising him, warming him up or whatever they do. The doctor will come and find us as soon as he can.”
Harleson Falls was where Miller’s cottage was. It was where the river deposited into the sea via a waterfall. In winter, that river had often flooded, causing devastation to the local properties. I remembered the local council widening the banks and funnelling excess water off the cliff top. As a kid we’d play in the river, but I’d never attempted to get behind the waterfall.
“Did you get to speak to him?” I asked.
“No, he’s pretty much out of it at the moment.”
“How did they find him?” Lincoln asked.
“One of the search team remembered the cave. I know that area was searched thoroughly.”
“Not thoroughly enough,” Lincoln said, echoing my thoughts.
“Well, he’s been found, and for that we need to be thankful,” Daniel said.
We were then back to the waiting. I texted Dad to let him know the news, he replied that he’d just been told himself and was about to call me.
The door opening woke me, I hadn’t realised I’d fallen asleep, and the stiffness in my neck and back suggested I’d fallen asleep where I’d been sitting.
“Mr. Copeland’s family?” a man asked, looking at some notes in his hand.
“I’m his father, this is his brother and his friend,” Lincoln said, not looking at us.
The doctor sat. “Your son suffered severe hypothermia, Mr. Copeland. He’s undergone what we call cardiopulmonary bypass, which basically means removing his blood, heating it, before pumping it back in. We’re continuing to, slowly, get his temperature raised, but at the moment, I’m afraid you’re son is classed as critical.”
“I don’t understand; is he going to die?” Lincoln asked.
“His temperature was so low that, from what I understand, the paramedics couldn’t detect a pulse. His body was shutting down. The process to warm him back up, I guess is the basic term, is slow. There is a risk he could go into cardiac arrest, his body has been through a lot of trauma. But he’s a fit man. I’ve seen plenty of people in his condition pull through.”
“Why was he half-naked?” Daniel asked. I saw Lincoln stare at him with a frown.
“There are a few theories behind that. Our best guess is that your brother might have experienced what we’d call paradoxical undressing. During that process, the muscles relax through exhaustion from the shivering. There would be a surge of blood to his extremities; confusing him into thinking he was overheating. Add that to the fact he was found in the small cave, which could have been terminal burrowing, your brother was very lucky to have survived.”
“Burrowing? What does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s often the case, and it’s believed to be a primitive reaction, the casualty will ‘burrow’ into a small space. It’s also referred to the hide and die syndrome.”
Silence followed the doctor’s statement. Miller must have been so close to death. I covered my mouth to hide the sob.
“Will there be any permanent damage?” Lincoln asked.
“Until we’ve got his temperature up and he’s conscious, I can’t tell you with any certainty. However, as I said, he’s a fit and healthy man, so I think there’s a possibility for a full recovery.”
“When can I see him?” Lincoln asked.
“He’s in ICU, so one family member at a time, but you can pop in now if you like. Our ward sister is a little ferocious; she’ll tell you if she thinks you’ve been in there too long. We don’t generally have restricted visiting for our ICU guests, but Lincoln isn’t the only patient on that ward, so we’d ask that you keep that in mind.”
The doctor rose and shook Lincoln’s hand. He nodded towards Daniel and me, and then left.
“Dad, do you want to visit him?” Daniel asked.
Lincoln nodded and Daniel gave me a smile before escorting his dad from the room. I wasn’t sure what to do. I decided to hang around for a little longer and then, I guessed, I would have to leave for home. As the doctor had said, only family were allowed around his bedside. I’d have to wait until he was moved to a ward before I could visit him.
I sat for about an hour before a weeping Lincoln was helped back into the room. I stood and took his arm, leading him to a chair.
“He looks so frail,” he said quietly.
I looked up at Daniel. “He’s very pale still but that’s to be expected according to the nurse.”
There was no offer for me to visit him, and I didn’t expect to. “I’ll make my way home, you will keep me informed, won’t you? And as soon as he’s up for visitors, I’d like to come back,” I said.
Maybe there was a little part of me hoping one of them would have said to go visit, even if for a few minutes, but all I got was a nod from Daniel.
I left the hospital totally thankful that Miller had been found and was alive, and entirely exhausted. The past couple of days seemed to hit me like a truck. I slumped into the car seat and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. I let the tears drip to my thighs. After a minute or so, I turned the car on, put it into gear, and reversed from my parking spot. I drove home much slower than I had recently.
I pulled onto the drive and Dad was already at the front door, I guessed having heard the car.
“How is he?” Dad asked.
“I didn’t get to see him but he’s alive. They’re warming him up, doing something with this blood, bypassing it, or whatever.”
“Why didn’t you get to see him?”
“I think it’s family only and Daniel didn’t offer for me to.”
Dad raised his eyebrows. “After all you’ve done? If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t have known where to start.”
I couldn’t disagree, but I wasn’t family, so that was that. Obviously, had it been the other way around, I would have encouraged Daniel to stay and given him the opportunity to see whomever for a few minutes.
“I’m exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. I’ll give them this morning then call Daniel this afternoon to see if there are any developments,” I said.
Dad nodded and led the way to the kitchen. “I told Colette, she was thrilled with the news.”
“She’s very fond of him, I bet she was pleased.”
I sat at the kitchen table and let Dad wait on me. He had a cup of tea and a sandwich ready in minutes. I burnt my tongue on the tea but was grateful to have something warm inside me.
“I need to have a shower, and I think, a lie down,” I said, putting my mug and plate in the sink.
“Leave your mobile here. I’ll answer it if it rings. I’m sure I read somewhere that it wasn’t good to take your mobile device to bed with you, and I’m sure you’ll just keep looking at it.”
I smiled at him, not disbelieving him, and left my phone on the table.
My legs felt heavy as I slowly climbed each tread of the stairs. I stripped off my clothes and stepped under the shower. I stood for a few minutes, just letting the warm water flow over my head and down my body. The sting in my eyes was the only indication I was crying, my tears mingled with the shower water.
When my skin was wrinkled, and the water cooled, I wrapped a towel around my head and another around my body and walked to my bedroom. Still in the towels and slightly damp, I climbed under the duvet. I was asleep within seconds.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I slept through the day and night, waking before the sun had risen. I reached over to my bedside cabinet for my phone, feeling very disorientated. Of course, the phone wasn’t there. I was tangled in the towel and duvet; the one on my head had long since been discarded. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stretched out my back. I ached from sleeping so long. I caught sight of myself in the dressing table mirror as I crossed the room for my robe. I looked an absolute fright. My normally curly hair was frizzy and standing on end in places. I chuckled to myself.