was one floor up from the women’s charity.
He and Izzie finished with the patient and moved them along toward the Red Cross post. It was all they could do. He took another moment to try to get another call out to Shelby. She didn’t answer.
He tried again before someone yelled for his attention.
Rafe came into their tent. He tossed a candy bar at Allen. He handed more to Izzie and Jillian, who’d joined them again. He looked at Allen. “Houghton’s opening up the Barratt Hotel. Anyone needing a room for the night, send there. He has four hundred and thirty open for now. Mel has her people keeping a running tally and a list of names. She’s getting her staff organized to help.”
The Barratt Finley Creek boasted over a thousand rooms. It was a weekday. It was in their favor. Allen nodded. “Numbers?”
“We’ve lost Ray, our security guard. Whatever hit him, it was over quickly, at least. One of our nurses in ICU lost his leg. He was caught out in the parking garage, and there was no time to save it. A few severe lacerations amongst support staff, six concussions amongst our nurses, three crushing injuries. No one else. You and Izzie, Fin and Virat, were in the most danger, followed by the PICU unit. Glad to see you in one piece. We got so damned lucky tonight.”
Rafe was a good chief of medicine. Better than Allen would have been. The man was calm and steady, and people looked to him to lead. Rafe did it well.
“So what’s the plan for staffing?” Allen asked.
“Whoever we can get, twelve-hour shifts. County is slammed, as are Barrattville Med Center and Barratt County. Wichita Falls is open for minor injuries, with their own transportation. They’ve had a mass of injuries from straight-line wind damage up there as well.”
“How hard was Barratt County hit?”
“Not as hard as we were. The sheriff and one of his deputies are still missing.”
Jillian and Izzie both gasped at that.
Rafe nodded, rubbing a hand up Jillian’s back soothingly. “I’m sorry; I know she’s a friend. It’s Bailey that’s missing. I have contacts who will let me know if—when—she and Sheriff Addy are found.”
“Anything from the TSP?” Shelby had been on her way there to pick up her closest friend. He’d yet to hear from her.
She’d be trying to get to him if she could. Send him a message. Allen knew that.
Rafe shook his head. “Another direct hit. They lost two officers and a detective who were caught outside during the storm that I know of right now. There will be more coming from their building; rescue teams are continuing to get them out. No word yet on everyone who was out on patrol. The chief took a knock to the head, but he’s going to be fine. They pulled him out fifteen minutes ago and are bringing him in now.”
Allen fought the urge to be sick. Everything in him was torn now. His sister was his world. He battled back the urge to run out into the night and find her with everything he had.
“What the hell are we facing tonight?”
Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know, but I think it’s just beginning.”
6
Still nothing from Shelby. Allen battled back the fear. He couldn’t abandon the hospital—lives could very well be lost if he did. He kept trying to get a call out to his sister over the next few hours—when he could.
Shelby was the center of his world, now.
She was all he had left. The only family he had anywhere in the world.
He disconnected after leaving his tenth message.
He tunneled all the fear and concern he felt for Shelby on the nurse in front of him. He’d come up behind her in the hall time to hear her coughing and wheezing, and he’d known.
“Dr. Jacobson.” She said his name after another round of wheezing. He took the supplies out of her arms and handed them to an orderly who was passing by with apparently nothing to do.
They’d been through a damned tornado—there was plenty for everyone to do.
He looked at Izzie. “Where are these going?”
“Tent one. Dr. Henedy and Cherise. I told them I’d grab these on my way back from taking a patient to Virat.”
They still had most of the tents functional—the fifth had taken damage when someone had driven a truck too near it in a panicked rush for help.
It would take time to get it back operational.
“Brandon will take them there. You’re coming with me.”