Desolate The Complete Trilogy

26



Liz stared out the window of the Bell 412 and looked at the endless water a thousand feet below. She felt a tug at her shirt sleeve and was surprised to see Lisa sitting next to her.

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Lisa’s voice crackled in the headset Liz was wearing.

“I’m feeling pretty lousy actually,” Liz responded. “I must be coming down with something.”

“That’s all you need now is to get a cold.” Lisa patted Liz on the knee and gave her a sympathetic look.

“It doesn’t seem right, leaving him back there. He’s just lying there on the floor.”

“I know, but let’s face it. The entire station is one big crime scene. We had to leave everything the way it was. Don’t worry about Phillip. He’ll get a proper funeral when all this mess it sorted out.”

“You believe me about the alien, don’t you?” asked Liz. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“Right now, all I care about is getting you to a hospital. We need to make sure you’re okay.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just a little under the weather.”

“If you’re so fine, then why are you leaking?” Lisa pointed at Liz’s nose. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and it came away bloody.

“Sure, bloody nose,” Liz said. “What else can go wrong?”

“Face it kiddo, this ain’t your day.” Lisa handed her a handkerchief.

“Thirty minutes ladies,” Ron announced over their headsets. “I radioed ahead and they’ve got two ambulances waiting at the airport.”

“An ambulance for me too Ron?” Liz asked. “A little overkill don’t you think? I’m fine.”

“Have you ever been in a cab in Rio Grande? Trust me, you’re banged up enough as it is. Worst drivers in Argentina.”

Liz looked over at Howard. He was strapped to a stretcher on the helicopter floor. Before Ron and Lisa returned, she was able to stop the bleeding and clean the wound the best she could, but he hadn’t regained full consciousness. She gave him as much pain meds as she dared without crashing his blood pressure and kept a steady stream of plasma flowing through an IV. If he could get to the hospital within the hour he might make it.

“I’m going to head back up front,” said Lisa. “He’s on no sleep and is bound to crash and kill us all if I don’t keep an eye on him.”

Liz smiled and looked back out the window. She dabbed her nose again and sat back. She really did feel terrible and was a little glad she was taking an ambulance to the hospital. At least it would feel good to get back to civilization again.