Highest Bidder

Part 28: Safe

I heard something...

My whole body is numb. It's dark. I don't know how I even survived the collapse of this floor.

Vijay is praying somewhere near me. I can barely breathe.

But I hear someone.

"Vijay!!!!!"

Helen!

She keeps calling out to Vijay. I try so hard to find my breath to call to her...but I can't. I'm in so much pain and the dust is too thick to even breathe through.

The rubble above my hand starts moving and a bit of light comes in. I reach my hand up and grab hers. She thinks I'm Vijay. She keeps trying to get him to say anything. Vijay has gone quite. I feel as though he has begun to breathe in too much dust as well. I squeeze her hand to reassure her I am here. More rubble is being moved and at the end near my feet. The there's a head lamp that pushes through some of the rubble and I hear people being taken out one by one. She keeps talking to Vijay and I just squeeze her hand. I try not to breath. I try not to look at the dust coming in from the small hole where her hand is. With every moves piece of debris, come more and more dust and drywall particles in the small space. Helen calls to Casey. Then Marina. Nottingham. Vijay. She goes quiet, but she holds on. They bring out Valentina and push more shit away from my body.

"Sir! We got you. Don't worry." A man who is just as dirty as I am calls over is walking talking. I feel Helen slowly let go of my hand. No. No don't let go. Don't. They get me on the board and slowly move me out. The light is too bright for me. When I'm all the way out- I turn to look and find her. She's in a hard hat and has a mask on her face. Her eyes are watery and I reach for her. "Sir stay still."

I go to sit up, but can barely move. She starts coming down from the rocks toward me and I fling myself from the stretcher. I land on the ground and the workers try to retrieve me, but I painfully make my way to Helen. I keep falling over onto all fours. She gets down from the rocks and races over to me and crashes into my body, crying. I'm so weak. I drop all the way into her body. She holds me close and kisses my face face all over- having ripped her mask off.

"Oh Max!" Thank God! I love you! I love you so much!" She's hysterical and I just hold her close. I can barely breathe and talking isn't an option.

"Dr. Sharpe, we need to get him treated right away. He's been breathing in this dust for hours. Please." The fireman asks and she holds me tight. "Ma'am."

I slowly pull away and look at her. She kisses me one last time and allows them to put me back on the stretcher. They get me to a truck with everyone else and I watch as they drive away from Helen and the scene. I close my eyes and Vijay holds my hand. Iggy grabs my other. I'm thankful to be alive. I'm thankful Helen is safe and okay. They take us to a helicopter that has just landed on the pad by the river. It's a military chopper and they load us up, one by one and strap up down to the floor on our boards. I never let go of Iggy and Vijay's hands. I never open my eyes. I want to keep the sight of her in my memory. They fly us quite a ways away. The rotors of the chopper are deafening and I feel like I'm fading. They have us on oxygen and it helps, but my chest feels scratchy and and I'm wheezing with every breath.

Pneumoconiosis. Possibly- though that takes years to set into the lungs. Usually it's seen in Miners.

The Dusty Lung.

Early onset Silicosis? Possibly as well. Several hours breathing in an immense volume of silica dust can affect the lungs later on down the road.

Asthma.

Fuck me.

I feel like I have to cough, but I distract myself from the feeling. We land on a pad somewhere and I open my opens to see where. I see buildings above my head and can hear traffic moving. They take Vijay first. I let go of his hand and our eyes never leave each other until he's completely out of the chopper. They take me next and I look at Iggy. I try to hold onto his hand as long as possible, until I'm taken as well. Two Army men carry me into the E.D of some hospital and two nurses and a doctor are immediately on me.