“Our granddaughter. Please, you have to help her,” the woman said.
“Okay. Bishop, I’ll take Nunes and go find the girl,” Redmond began. “You see what this man needs. Then, I’ll bring around the boat and we’ll take them from the second-story roof. You got it?”
Bishop nodded. “Got it.”
Redmond patted him on the back as he started toward the firefighter. “Nunes, there’s a girl here. We need to find her. Bishop’s taking care of them.”
They disappeared while Bishop unzipped the medical bag. “What does your husband take, ma’am?”
“It’s his kidneys. He’s got high blood pressure because of it and needs his pills.” She peered at her husband. “Gerald? Gerald, this man’s going to help you. Now, you just hang on, okay?”
“Let me get you to the roof first, ma’am,” Bishop said.
“No. No, you need to help my husband. Please.”
“I don’t know what I have in here and it’s going to take me a minute to assess. We don’t have much time and I need you out there for when my team is ready with the boat.” Bishop helped the old woman off the floor.
Her clothes were torn and dirty and she stumbled to her feet. “Just help my Gerry, please.”
“I will. I promise you, ma’am. I will. Now, come on.” Bishop led her to the nearby window and peered out. “Okay, this looks all right. The shingles are in good shape on this overhang and it’s mostly level.” He took her hand and helped her through the window after stepping out on his own to test the surface. “It’ll only be for a minute so I can help Gerry. I promise you. But I’m going to need you to hang on to this window frame, okay? You’ll be seeing the boat any minute now.”
“What about my granddaughter?” the woman asked.
“They’ll get her. Don’t you worry about that.” Bishop made sure her footing was steady. “I’m going back inside now, and I need you to be very, very still, okay? When the boat comes, I’ll be ready to get you loaded up. You and your husband.” Bishop crawled back inside as he made his way back to Gerald. He placed his fingers on the man’s wrist. “Okay, Gerry, can you tell me what it is you’re taking?” After he checked the man’s pulse, he began to rummage through the medical bag. “Are you taking beta-blockers?”
He nodded.
“Okay. That’s good. Let me see in here.” He scrounged through the bag and found a vial. “This should do the trick, Gerry.”
Outside, the old woman squinted from the approaching spotlight. Redmond directed the boat toward the home and spotted the woman. “There she is.” He smiled and turned back. “Your grandmother’s right there and I’m sure your grandpa will be coming out soon.”
The girl had been rescued and was now wrapped in a blanket. “Please help her.” She was in her twenties and had tried to convince her grandparents to leave the house with her, but they refused, so she stayed with them.
“We’re coming, ma’am. Just hang tight.” Redmond slowed the boat and turned to Nunes. “I’ll go get her.”
“Where the hell is Bishop?” Nunes asked.
“Must be inside with the husband. After we get her loaded, I’ll go in and see what’s happening.” Redmond climbed onto the roof with a harness at the ready. “Ma’am, as you can see, your granddaughter is waiting for you, so I’m going to need you to let me wrap this around your waist just so we don’t get separated, okay?”
“My Gerry. I can’t go without my Gerry.” She looked back inside the house.
“I’m sure Dr. Bishop is doing everything he can for your husband. Right now, though, I need to stay focused on you. I need your help here, okay?”
She stepped forward and nodded.
“Okay, then.” Redmond clipped the harness around her waist. “Just stay close to me, ma’am. You’ll be just fine.” He approached the rising floodwaters again as he reached the edge of the roof. “Wrap your arms around my neck and I’ll do the work.” He shimmied down a front porch column and dropped into the water, nearly going under before paddling like hell to stay afloat. “Just a little more before we reach the boat.”
Redmond paddled a few more feet when he felt Nunes’ hand grasp his shoulder.
“I got you, man. I got you.”
Redmond and the woman were pulled aboard, and Redmond quickly unlatched the woman’s harness.
“Grandma!”
“Oh, my sweet girl.” The woman fell into an embrace and was enveloped in her granddaughter’s blanket. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Grandma. They’ll make sure Grandpa makes it out.” She looked at Redmond. “Where is he?”
“I’m about to find out right now.” Redmond turned to Nunes. “I’m going back in.”
“You sure, boss? It’s my turn.”
“No, I got this.” Redmond plunged back into the water and reached the roofline of the second floor. “Bishop? Bishop, you all right?” He stepped onto the shingles and headed toward the window. “Bishop? What’s going on?”
Bishop stood. “I tried. I tried to save him.”
“No.” Redmond’s shoulders sank as he turned to the boat. The light shone in his eyes and he couldn’t see the granddaughter or grandmother, but they could see him—and the look on his face.
“Help me get him out of here,” Bishop said. “We gotta at least do that.”
The high school gym was half empty while many still searched for victims. Children had fallen asleep on the cots and mothers and fathers prayed.
“What the hell happened out there?” The sheriff placed his hands on his hips and studied the team.
“I thought I could save him,” Bishop began. “I tried. I just didn’t have what I needed to treat him.”
Officer Redmond placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You did everything you could, man. It was rough out there. I’m just grateful we managed to save a few. It’s better than nothing.”
“Once all the dust settles, the family will be able to bury their kin,” the sheriff added. “Regardless, y’all did a
