“It’s a strobe; get it someplace high!” he mumbled.
“Okay,” Jacob said and nodded. Turning back, he stumbled ahead to a long strand of rope tied to a barrier. Jacob cut the rope free and knotted one end to the strobe. He moved to a burnt, leafless tree and grabbed a branch. Pulling himself up, he climbed until he was as high as he could get, then secured the strobe to a branch. Jacob dropped back to the ground and staggered to the bunker. He could see the things were moving again—not focused on his location, but milling about.
Helicopters flew far off over the city and he could hear the sound of boats in the harbor. Jacob moved back to Murphy’s side and dropped in beside him. As the things moved in closer, he readied his rifle for a final fight.
“Don’t… it’ll make it worse… leave me; get to the water,” Murphy said in slurred words, bloody foam gathering at the corners of his lips.
Feeling strangely calm, ready to accept his fate, Jacob shook his head and pulled Murphy to his lap. He watched a flashing light high in the skyline make an abrupt turn; it moved around before it angled toward them, coming swiftly in their direction. Jacob pulled Murphy’s vest with the reflective tape on the back over to face them and set it on his friend’s lap. He cupped Murphy’s head with his left hand, feeling his friend’s labored breathing. Jacob was tired; he just wanted to rest. He watched the slow-moving flashing light draw closer.
“Hold on, Murphy; they’re coming,” Jacob said.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Daddy!” a young girl yelled, waking him. He saw her running, her feet slapping the polished tile floor.
Katy easily scaled the hospital bed and thumped onto Jacob’s chest to embrace him. Jacob winced and smiled at the same time, hugging her with both arms while a tear formed in his eye. Laura came next, reaching down and locking them both in tight hugs. Jacob grunted and struggled to sit. A nurse in camouflage scrubs scrambled around the bed.
“No, you don’t, Mr. Anderson. We worked too hard to keep that lung from collapsing; I’ll let the hugs slide, but that’s it,” she barked.
“Lung?” Jacob said, finding his breath.
“You had significant internal injuries; you need to rest,” she said while scribbling on his chart. “Not too long, okay, hun?” the nurse said to Laura as she left the room.
Jacob looked around, confused by the surroundings. “Where are we, is this Chicago?”
“No, Jacob. We’re in Canada,” Laura said. “In a military hospital.”
“Canada… how? I don’t understand… how did I get here?”
“They found you unconscious and they brought you here. Your friend, the soldier, helped to find us in the camps and had us brought here while you were still in surgery.”
Jacob’s eyes widened with recognition. “Sergeant Murphy? He’s here?”
“No, his name wasn’t Murphy. It was Corporal Stephens,” she said. “The Canadians took us in, Jacob. The camps were horrible; they had nothing—no water, no food, and there were so many people there. I thought we would never—”
“Why were you in Canada?”
“The Canadian Army is holding them off and trying to keep them at the borders.”
Jacob grew frustrated with so many thoughts filling his head at once. “Where is the man I was with?”
“I don’t know; you were alone when I got here.” Laura shook her head. “Jacob, we’re lucky to be here.”
He tried to speak and began coughing; he felt the pain in his ribs as he concentrated on breathing.
Laura frowned and poured a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. She passed it to Jacob who took it and drank thirstily. “The doctor says you need to rest,” she said, helping him sip from the glass.
A knock at the open door turned their heads. A tall black man in a green hospital robe and pushing an IV cart looked in, grinning.
“Damn man, still on your ass… oops, sorry. Pardon my language, ma’am,” Stephens said, catching himself. “I didn’t see the little one all cuddled up with her daddy there.”
Laura smiled at him.
Jacob laughed painfully. “Good to see you… Is Murphy here too?” he asked.
“Jacob… Murphy didn’t make it,” Stephens said, walking to a chair in the corner of the room and sitting heavily.
Jacob’s jaw dropped as he lay back in the bed, feeling his body become numb with shock. Katy crawled higher on him and laid her head against his chest. He lifted his hand and stroked her hair, fighting back tears while not knowing why he was so upset over a man he barely knew.
Laura grabbed his hand and whispered, “Who was he?”
“He was my friend,” Jacob said with shock in his voice.
Stephens looked at him sympathetically. “Man… I’m sorry, Jacob; I thought you knew.” Stephens turned to Laura. “Ma’am, I hate to ask this right now, but could we have a moment? I promise I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“I can appreciate that, Corporal Stephens, but we—”
Jacob put up a hand. “It’s okay, Laura; it’ll just be a minute,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Laura shot Stephens an exaggerated cold stare before she leaned over to kiss Jacob. “Come on, Katy. Let’s see if they are serving lunch yet.” She retrieved Katy and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Jacob pressed a button, raising the back of the bed so that he was nearly upright. He grunted trying to adjust his pillow.
