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racing to catch up, and if their footsteps were any indication, they were gaining.
From here it was a straight shot to the phone, and Aidan sprinted, reaching it and pressing the
button.
"Dispatch," came a voice. "What's your emergency?"
"Someone. Chasing," began Aidan, heaving the words and going down with an "oof" as he was
tackled. He rolled and squirmed, kneeing hard upward into soft flesh, prompting a scream from the
man on top of him. He crunched a bare fist in a quick jab against the man's face and managed to shout,
"Fucking hurry!"
The dispatcher was saying something. Aidan couldn't hear; his ears were filled with ringing and the
pulse of his blood through his skull and the pounding of his heart. He rolled and stood up, only to be
seized by strong hands around his neck. Aidan was lifted. He felt the crack in his ribs as fists began to
pound into him. He flailed his legs forward hard. He dropped backward as his assailant let him go, and
he fell. The other man cursed. It was a lucky shot, but he'd take it. He twisted and kicked up, catching
the other man in the face as the man leaned down over him. The kick foiled the attempt to grab Aidan
and gave him a moment to get back to his feet.
Caroline was keeping her distance, shouting something. Aidan's head was ringing too much, and his
heart pounded, his eyes frantically glancing at the plumes of smoke. Caroline screamed frantically and
then turned and ran. The young men advanced on him; then, with a wide-eyed look over his shoulder,
they turned and fled. Someone was saying something to him, seizing his arm. He turned, ready to
punch, but managed somehow to stop himself.
"You all right, son?"
A public safety officer. Thank God! "Fire. Someone in the building," Aidan managed to pant out.
The officer's eyes got wide at that, and he stepped back, saying something into the radio at his
shoulder.
"How'd you know that, son?" asked the officer.
Aidan stumbled as the world started to spin.
Arms reached out to steady him, and the officer's head twisted again to say something into the
radio.
"You hold on, son. Are you injured?" The officer was looking him over.
Aidan's legs gave out. "Sammy!"
"Are you injured?" asked the officer again, this time lightly patting him down until Aidan screamed
when the officer brushed his rib cage. The officer pulled the hand away, leaving one on Aidan's arm to
help keep him steady, and spoke into the radio again. Aidan was led from the light to a bench to sit
down.
"I want you to stay right there," the officer said firmly. "Help is coming, all right?"
Aidan just stared, his eyes on the plume of black smoke. "Did they get Sammy out?"
"I don't have an answer for you."
"I have to--"
"You're not in any shape to move, son," said the officer. "You stay right here."
"But--"
"You need to stay here," said the officer. "There are emergency vehicles on the scene. If there's
someone there, they'll be taken care of."
"I... I can't..." Aidan tried to stand and screamed.
"Son, the adrenaline was keeping you up before. I need you to just stay right there, okay?
Paramedics are coming."
"Caroline," said Aidan. "Caroline Ainsworth. She& " Aidan gulped. Talking hurt!
"What is it, son?"
"She..." Aidan hissed the words, wincing in pain, "she was the one that attacked me. Two large men.
Football team, I think. She said he was in the stables. Said it was on fire." Aidan heaved out the
breaths.
The officer's eyes grew intent. "I need you to sit down, and stay, all right?"
Pounding footsteps came toward him, and Aidan was seized and wrapped in blankets. Dimly, he
was aware of a man in a dark blue cap staring intently into his eyes and pointing a light into each
pupil. Then he was lifted and laid flat and something hard was wrapped around his neck while
someone spoke at him. He struggled and found himself strapped in and staring at the ceiling of the
ambulance.
"Sammy," he whispered; talking hurting too much. "Sammy!" He struggled against the straps again.
"Need to get to Sammy!"
"Calm down, sir," said the young man in the cap. "We're taking you to the hospital."
"Sammy..." tears began to flow, running down the side of his face. "Need--"
"We've got to get you to the hospital, sir," said the man, and there was a harsh thump, a hand hitting
metal.
Aidan could feel the soft rumble that meant they were moving. The adrenaline was wearing off, and
he hurt, his sides and chest aching. He was struggling to breathe, and when he could, there was pain,
sharp pain, like his chest was tearing open. He tried to talk again and felt... he was woozy, so... His
eyelids struggled to stay open.
"Mr. Flemming," said a voice, harsh and focused. "I need you to focus on my voice. I need you to
stay with me, all right? We're almost to the hospital."
Aidan tried to shake his head awkwardly in the device constraining him. "Need to know. Have to
know. Sammy--"
"I know. We'll see what we can find out once we're there. But I need you to focus on my voice, sir."
Hands clasped his arms. "I need you to stay conscious for me, all right?"
"Sammy..." Aidan fought the heavy lids that drew over his eyes. "Sam..."
There were two hard thumps and then the sound of sirens.
"Keep focusing on my voice," said the man, looking down into his eyes. "I want you to squeeze my
hand if you can hear me okay? Sir?" Aidan managed to squeeze. The man nodded. "That's good. Keep
focused on my voice."
"Fire."
"What about the fire, sir?"
"Sammy!"
"Sir, I know you're concerned, but you're suffering from a collapsed lung, probably from a rib
fracture, and it's caused you to go into shock."
Aidan tried to sit up and felt himself held down.
"If you sit up, sir, you're likely to faint. I need you to stay down for me, okay? We're almost to the
hospital, but I'm going to get some of these clothes loose to help you breathe, and we're going to
elevate your feet. Do you understand?"
"Sammy!"
"I know, you're worried about Sammy, but you can't do him any good, sir, until we have you
stable."
"Fire..."
Hands were unbuttoning his waistcoat. Some of the tightness in his chest faded. "Is that better...
No! Don't try to talk, sir, just squeeze my hand. Yes, like that. Now, if it's better, I want you to squeeze
twice."
Aidan tried to focus. He managed to squeeze the hand in his twice.
"That's good, sir. We'll be at the hospital in a few minutes. Is there someone we can call?"
"Becca," managed Aidan.
There was the sound of paper rubbing against paper. "Becca Schmidt? Is she a relative?"
"No relatives. J-just Becca. P-power of a-attorney."
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