Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold #12.5)(60)

She understood what he meant. “I’ll do what I can from here.”

He handed her his kitten, then kissed her on the mouth and was out the door before she could catch her breath. She stared out the window, watching him drive away.

She didn’t know much about snow or avalanches, but she had a feeling the outcome could be devastating. She picked up her cell phone and started making calls.

Chapter 13

The sky above the Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort was an impossible shade of blue. The roads were plowed, the temperature in the high twenties. It was the perfect day for skiing or snowboarding. But with the recent storm, feet of new snow had fallen on layers of older snow. Gabriel would guess some of those layers had been more powdery, with a few inches of wet snow sandwiched in between. Then the recent dump had added weight and an avalanche was born.

He followed several police cars and two ambulances into the parking lot. People were milling about, most dressed in heavy parkas and ski pants. He pulled off to the side and parked, then sprinted toward what was obviously the command center.

“Dr. Gabriel Boylan,” he said, identifying himself to a tall female firefighter who was directing people. “Trauma specialist.”

“Good,” she said and pointed to the large hotel. “The ballroom is in the back. They’re turning it into a trauma center. You’re going to be in charge of triage.”

“How many people are missing?”

The woman—her badge said C. Dixon—grimaced. “We don’t know. The police are running license plates from the parking lots to get names right now. We have locals, people who drive up for the day and those staying in town. A lot of schools broke early for the holidays. There could be two or three hundred people on the mountain near the avalanche. They could all be fine....” She swallowed. “Or not.”

He nodded and took off in the direction she’d pointed. He had to identify himself a couple more times before being let into the hotel. From there it was an easy jog to the giant ballroom.

Emergency supplies were already being put in place. Trucks had backed up to the ballroom and were unloading supplies. As he watched, gurneys and IV stands were being put along one wall.

“Gabriel!”

He turned and saw Felicia hurrying toward him. She flung herself at him and hung on.

“Gideon and Carter were out snowboarding,” she said. Her body trembled as she spoke. “Your parents were skiing, but I’ve already talked to them and they’re fine. It was suggested I go with them, but I’m not good with those kinds of sports.” She raised her head and looked at him, tears filling her green eyes. “A ridiculous thing to say. It’s the shock and worry, but still. Who cares if I can’t ski?”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her. “Breathe,” he told her. “Breathe. You need to focus. Whatever has happened, you can’t change it. But you can make a difference by helping with the logistics. Not just for Gideon and Carter, but for everyone else. We need you to stay strong.”

Not the tack he would have taken with anyone else, he thought. But Felicia tended to live in her head.

For a second he thought she might burst into tears, but instead she seemed to pull herself together. “You’re right. I have excellent organizational skills. Those will help everyone. Me falling apart will not.”

“They’ve found people,” someone yelled.

The huge ballroom went still for a heartbeat, then all the volunteers started moving. Gabriel hesitated for a second, but Felicia pushed him away.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Go. You’re needed.”

He headed for the medical team by the equipment and identified himself. He pulled on a spare white coat and opened one of the large medical travel kits. Less than five minutes later, two people were carried in. They were both in their twenties, and he didn’t recognize them. The woman was unconscious, while the man insisted he was fine.

“Broken leg on that one,” one of the people helping the man said. “We don’t know about her.”

Gabriel was already moving toward her. Everything around him faded as he began his examination.

* * *

Gabriel was conscious of the passage of time, but only in the sense that it was moving forward. He had no idea if he’d been working ten minutes or ten hours. The injured came in clusters. Two here, five there. Most of the injuries were minor, although a few people had been buried in snow for some time. He diagnosed broken bones, hypothermia and shock. One woman came in screaming for her son, who had suffered little more than a few cuts and bruises.

As she fell across her teenager and babbled about how grateful she was, Gabriel told himself to be patient. That she couldn’t understand how compared to a rocket-propelled grenade or an IED, this was nothing. That any loss of life would be minimal and most of the injuries minor.

Still, the work was gratifying. More medical personnel joined him. A tall, scarred man introduced himself as Dr. Simon Bradley. Gabriel remembered him being mentioned and knew he was a plastic surgeon who specialized in burns. Gabriel directed him to where those with cuts were being patched up.

Mayor Marsha arrived, accompanied by three big guys in what looked like survival gear.

“They’re from CDS,” one of the nurses said. “The bodyguard school. They’ll be helping with the search.”

“We need avalanche dogs,” another nurse said. “The town is getting so big. Things like that are important.”