Free Heartland by Davis Bunn

other arm supporting a coughing, stumbling man. The farther they moved down the trail, the more condensed became the crowd and the clearer the claxon. Finally they stumbled into the clearing. The smoke was marginally less dense back here, but only as a matter of degree.
    JayJay heard the paramedics shout, “Only those needing serious care. Everybody else stay back!” But he couldn’t for the life of him tell where the sound was coming from. The noise from the claxon masked all directions.
    Then a chopper flew over. For the very first time, the bellowing machine was a friend. The downdraft blasted away the smoke. The chopper hovered not over the clearing, but rather farther along the trail. It was soon joined by a second, and then a third. People poured in a constant filthy stream into the clearing. JayJay dropped the coughing man. To his amazement, JayJay recognized him as the guy from the studio. But JayJay didn’t have time to worry about that just then. The young woman on his shoulder was not moving.
    He humped his load over to the ambulance. The machine was surrounded by coughing, singed, supine forms. JayJay grabbed a passing medic, who wordlessly spun JayJay around. Ten seconds was all she gave him. Then she slapped a minibottle of oxygen into his hand and shouted in his ear, “Three mouth-to-mouths, then feed the oxygen and count to ten. Then repeat. Got that?”
    â€œYou bet.”
    â€œI’ll be back.”
    JayJay lowered Minh to the ground, then had to push Ahn back before he could pinch Minh’s nose closed and do the three breaths. He fitted the nozzle over Minh’s face and twisted the handle. Counted to ten. The chopper noise was awful, but at least the smoke was reduced. Ahn was crouched on his sister’s other side. JayJay removed the mouthpiece and gave her another three breaths. Then back on the oxygen.
    Minh coughed. Her body convulsed. She opened her eyes.
    Ahn dropped back into the mud, covered his face, and sobbed.
    Robbie pounded JayJay’s shoulder and shouted something JayJay could not understand. JayJay looked over and mouthed one word. Water.
    Robbie vanished.
    Minh’s eyes teared up and streaked her face. She watched JayJay with gradually returning focus. Ahn recovered enough to take his sister’s hand. Beyond them, the guy JayJay had helped down the trail was turning in a slow circle, coughing and shouting a name that might have been Derek.
    Robbie returned with an armload of water bottles. JayJay took a swallow, removed the oxygen breather, lifted Minh’s head, and helped her drink. He turned back to Robbie and gave him another one-word order. Towel. The kid left and returned in an instant. The cloth he held looked impossibly clean. JayJay accepted the cloth, then nodded toward the guy from the studio, who was searching the returning faces. Robbie understood. He walked over and handed the guy a water bottle. The guy looked dumbly at it, too shocked to understand at first. Then he was trembling and struggling to get the thing open. Robbie took the bottle back and unscrewed the top. The guy drank too fast and choked. Robbie patted his arm. Slow.
    JayJay used his teeth to strip off the glove not holding Minh’s head. He poured a little water onto the towel and used it to clean her face. Minh captured his hand. She didn’t try to speak. She just stared at him.
    The medic returned. She was a cute brunette with the lithe compactness of a serious athlete. She fitted the stethoscope to her ears, listened to Minh’s breathing, checked her eyes, kneaded her neck. She nodded and gave JayJay a thumbs-up. JayJay grinned his thanks.
    The medic’s head cocked to one side. She pointed at JayJay. The words were lost to the downdraft. But JayJay understood just the same. You’re really him.
    This moment was good enough for him to keep hold of his smile just the same.
    Peter finally spotted Derek when the exodus began. His legs went so weak