CHAPTER 63
David turned in horror as the building collapsed, engulfing him in concrete, dust, and iron. He felt the rubble press in around him, crushing him, grinding into his wounds. He breathed dust and soot, listening to the screams, some close, some distant. And he waited. For how long he didn’t know. Then they were there, pulling him out.
“We got you. Don’t try to move, buddy.”
FDNY. They pulled and dug out around him. They called for a stretcher, strapped him to it, and carried him over the uneven ground. Sunlight bathed his face.
A female doctor pulled his eyelids back and shined a light over him, then tied something around his leg.
“Can you hear me?” She worked at his leg some more, then returned to his face. “Your leg was crushed and there’s a large laceration in your back, but you are going to be ok. Do you understand?”
Kate tied off the wounds to David’s leg and shoulder, but it wouldn’t matter — there wasn’t much blood flow to stop. He already felt cold.
She told herself it was just the cold wind blowing in through the door to the car. The train was moving fast now, much faster than the one coming in. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping. She stood and struggled with the metal sliding door. She couldn’t close it at this speed.
She collapsed back to the floor, took David by the arm and dragged him to the corner, as far away from the door as she could get. She’d given him a shot of antibiotics and cleaned the wounds as best she could. There was nothing left to do. She leaned back against the wall, pulled him into her lap, and put her legs around his to try to keep him warm. His listless head came to rest on her stomach and she ran a hand through his short hair. He was getting colder.