My Home From Home (ManxMan)

Chapter 37

"You have to help us, Constable! Help them please! They're in the mines!" Thomas managed to pick those words out of the cacophony of frantic voices in the mob of at least a dozen women and men all on the blink of hysterics, and soon they'd learn warrantably so. "We told them not to play in the mines, but they didn't listen!"

"Alright, Everyone! Everyone! Silence!" Thomas raised his voice over the muddled up voices, prompting everyone to silence their chatter. "Now one at a time, tell me exactly what's going on." he asked with a calm tone.

"Our boys went playing in the mines, and Andy came back to tell us they're trapped inside." One of the mothers fought back tears as Thomas felt his heart sink within his chest. Andy was the Gilbert family's young son, only about ten or eleven years of age; his friends were all around his age and known all too well for being mischievous and getting themselves  into heaps of trouble. They'd prank people in town and do things that were often dangerous or ill advised; they were an utter headache for their parents, but most in town were good sports about them. They were children after all.

How many boys are still in the mine?" Asked Thomas, getting a general assessment of the situation.

"Five, Constable" George Gilbert, Andy's father, chimed in. "Andy went with the other boys to the mines and he was afraid to go deeper so he was standing a ways away form the rest of the group when suddenly a beam fell between along with some boulders that separated them. He came running all the way here to tell us and now we're here."

"Alright, everyone, listen very carefully." Thomas spoke authoritatively this time addressing the group as he put on a brave face in event of an emergency; precisely as he'd been trained to do. "We need to act fast to rescue those boys out of there. I'll need a few strong men who know the mine to help with the rescue and to help clear the rubble. Gather outside the entrance tunnel to the mines and I'll be there right behind you all to give further instructions. We're going to get them out of there and safe and sound, but I'll need help." He said turning towards Henry as the people assembled at the door dispersed away with haste at Thomas' direction. "Henry." Henry's eyes shot up to meet Thomas', his heart clenching deep within his chest as he heard Thomas call him 'Henry' rather than 'Harry' for the first time in months. "I don't know what this rescue operation will look like, but you'll need to prepare to treat the boys should there be casualties."

"Alright, I'll see to that." Henry pursed his lips as he watched Thomas turn around to take his leave. "Tom I-I just want to s-" Henry began, only to be cut off by Thomas raising his palm to stop him.

"Henry... Now... really isn't the time to talk." Thomas said softly over his shoulder, perhaps the mot gut wrenching bit being that he didn't even look Henry in the eyes. "I should really be off, I'll see you in a bit." he gave Henry a curt nod and with that he set off, leaving Henry standing there feeling more alone than ever, both physically and emotionally.

Thomas made haste towards the stables, strapping on the leather saddle over Trooper and mounting him to ride off towards the outskirts of town to the mines, all the while Henry rushed back towards the clinic to gather a house-call bag together, packed full with anything he felt he might need; wound dressing material such as gauze, bandages, plasters, emergency surgical kits, iodine tinctures, and morphine for pain.

Henry felt his lip quivering as he gathered supplies, his breath growing more frequent and hitching in the back of his throat as he fumbled bottle after bottle trying to hide how he felt inside. He slammed one of the gauzes onto the table and simply took a minute to himself, taking a deep breath in and letting it out to keep himself from crying; for only hours ago he felt his life was perfect with the person he loves. But now the image burnt into his mind is the way Thomas' eyes looked at him; pained, hurt, injured, teeming with emotion yet at the same time eerily and inexplicably empty. Empty of the love and adoration they once carried.