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Post by FOTH on Apr 21, 2013 16:34:31 GMT -6
No chapter today, back with another tomorrow, and will answer everyone's comments then. Thank you all for reading! In the meantime, here are some pictures from last week's big storm: Lot of snow!  Morning after the storm....  Wild turkeys...  |
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Post by FOTH on Apr 22, 2013 16:55:23 GMT -6
Having personally experienced delirium (brought on originally by fever from the flu) from dehydration, I am amazed he is able to concentrate long enough to understand Liz and Susan. I lost four days, with only snap shot fuzzy memories, and those all jumbled up, lol But I understand about not being able to eat-I couldn't either 
Thank you, for providing another riveting chapter ;) Thanks for reading.  Einar has definitely had times like the one you described, most recently after Bud stuck him with that bear dart! But through a lifetime of various experiences, he had learned to focus his concentration when necessary to a degree that with less experience he might not have been able, even when in that state. Let's see now, Einar is dehydrated, so he has a low blood pressure. Any activity would cause his muscle cells to "re-inflate" which would lower his blood pressure even more. His stomach has shrunk to a very small size, so he does not have the ability to take in large amounts of water or food. He must consume small amounts and often, even though he may not feel hunger or thirst. To do that he must have on going motivation. Is the safety of Liz and Will enough or must Einar find it within himself? Can he transfer saving Andy to saving himself,,,or his family? I don't know if he would be able to associate the two. That would be very difficult for him. But he does want to be there for his family, and is making the effort now to try and do that. His main problem with the food and water is not a small stomach, but difficulty with the act of swallowing, due to weakened muscles, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. If he can somehow get past that, and stay on the right path, things should start to improve. |
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Post by FOTH on Apr 22, 2013 16:56:06 GMT -6
Wasting no time, not wanting to allow the trail to go cold—or get covered with snow, considering the unpredictable nature of spring weather in the high country—the feds wasted no time getting Bud Kilgore and a team of twelve agents from three different agencies up to the spot where he had found Juni after the avalanche. Setting a chopper down as near as they could come to the slide site itself, they unloaded the tents, duffels and crates of supplies needed to set up a base camp from which they would conduct their investigation and, they hoped, finally gain some useful new clues as to the whereabouts of their fugitive. And perhaps even track him down. Should that time come they fully intended to call in reinforcements, air support, round-the clock monitoring by satellite and drone, and any other resources they might find available but for the moment, twelve men on the ground were deemed to be enough. The following few days would, Kilgore knew, prove critical to the sort of future Einar and his family might be able to have in the area, probability of those agents finding some sign of the trio fairly high, even with all the knowledge, trickery and persuasion he might be able to employ in the prevention of such progress. It was to be quite a challenge * * * *
True to his word Einar did drink, going at that mug of tea with a determination usually reserved for scaling nearly impossible slopes and pursuing enemies through the timber, keeping at it despite the fact that with nearly every try he would choke, splutter and end up inhaling enough of the stuff that he was thrown into a desperate, barely productive and rather exhausting fit of coughing so that before long Liz and Susan were begging him to stop, give it a break. He did not stop, determined to down an amount sufficient to convince them to quit pestering him about other, less acceptable alternatives, but the coughing and choking just got worse until eventually he lost the entire contents of his stomach, apologizing to Susan as he dropped down to the tile floor and did his best to clean up. Susan let him finish before lifting, helping him back into the chair where he stared into the mug for a long minute as if weighing his options before pushing it aside, eyes half closed. Barely had the energy to hold up his head, let alone make another go at the tea. Enough. Enough of that. Not doing any good. You had enough of it. Trouble was he’d hardly got anything down, lost what he had and was no better off than he’d been at the beginning. Though really wanting to press the issue, neither Liz nor Susan wanted to be responsible for causing him to end up with a lung full of tea and drown, which seemed the likely outcome should he accidentally aspirate some of the stuff and not be able to cough strongly enough to get it back out. Watching, wishing she could help but not knowing how Liz found herself angry with him, with the entire situation, but more than anything with the fact that he’d done this, allowed himself to get into such a state that his muscles were failing him and he could barely swallow anymore without choking and nearly dying. It was ridiculous, and while she knew he now seemed to agree that things had gone too far and to want to do something about it, the reality was that it might well be too late for those efforts to save him. Will, tiring of the fun of exploring the couch and studying the varying colors and patterns of one of Susan’s patchwork quilts, had squirmed and wriggled his way to the floor, and she went to him, scooped him up and sat beside Einar. She wanted him to hold his son, but he was cold, shaking pretty hard once again, and she didn’t think it would be safe so she just sat there, allowing the little one to hoist his front half up onto the table, balance on legs nearly strong enough to begin carrying him as he took steps, and babble on until finally Einar noticed him and looked up, gave him a tired grin. “What... What are you talking about? You trying to…get up and go explore, or what?” To which Will answered with a bevy of garbled but very enthusiastic sounds which seemed to Einar to make perfect sense as he nodded once more, wishing he could stay awake long enough to answer, but feeling the cold hand of unconsciousness—or something; wasn’t quite like anything he remembered feeling before—closing its iron grip around his middle, numbing face, hands and taking the color from the world. He held his breath, eyes closed, straining against it. Had to stay awake, because he had to tell them something. Tell Liz something. Only he couldn’t remember what it was. She was there, and he reached for her, found her hand, staring, and no words would come. Figured his mouth must be too dry, fumbled with the mug but only succeeded in tipping it, spilling most of the liquid before Liz righted it, held it for him so he could take a sip. Better. For some reason, it went down this time. Probably because he wasn’t trying so hard. Had forgotten to try, and the stuff had simply slid down his throat. Could probably talk now if he was to try, only he still couldn’t remember the thing he’d been meaning to say. Something about the ridge, and the feds, and… Yeah. Got to let them know it’s safe here. Safer. That guy around, watching… Would give them some warning. Better listen to him if he gives them warning. Said he knew Susan, had met Liz that time... Which all seemed an awful lot to communicate to them. Awfully complicated. But he had to try, before he got lost again. Liz was watching him, so it seemed a good time to try. “Bill…” “Bill? The man you met last night? That Bill?” He nodded. “Watching. Safe. Be careful here but…don’t worry. He’ll warn you if..” Darkness again, and then he was snapping back awake, shaking his head against a hollow roaring sound which seemed to be drowning out Will’s little chatterings and whatever Liz was trying so hard to say to him. Didn’t work, but at least they knew. Liz repeated it, even though he didn’t seem to be hearing. “ You’ll warn us, too. I want you to warn us, to be here with us. We need you…” |
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Post by FOTH on Apr 24, 2013 15:44:38 GMT -6
Meant to have a chapter for tonight, but between yesterday and today didn't get a chance to properly finish it. So, tomorrow. Thank you all for your patience. |
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ebb
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Post by ebb on Apr 24, 2013 18:17:49 GMT -6
Einars in a bad way, you cant be leaving him hanging like this.
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Post by FOTH on Apr 25, 2013 14:59:27 GMT -6
Somewhat reassured by the knowledge of Bill’s guard on the place—not many he would even remotely trust with such a thing, but this man seemed fit to be one of them—Einar might not under other circumstances have felt the need to fight so hard against the soft, enfolding heaviness which seemed to be creeping through his body, leaving limbs to feel like alien things and quite effectively dulling, as it advanced, the rather significant pain which had been left him from the night’s ordeal. But something told him he must fight. Maybe it was Will—busy little guy, so intent on discovering the world—or the look in Liz’s eyes when they met his own—not ready to let him go, and that was, after all, what was hanging in the balance, wasn’t it?—or perhaps simply the innate, senseless stubbornness which had carried him through so many of life’s trials, but fight he did, somehow getting himself to his feet and stumbling over to the window on his knees before it, staring up at spruces which rose straight, supple and wind-dancing into a sky of purple-blue; looked like home. He wanted to go home, lead his family up those soaring, timbered slopes and take refuge once more in the vast solitude which had for so long shielded them, but he knew he could not. Not with the search on, weather not cooperating.
And not, he told himself, like this. You’d only slow them down, get them caught, killed, wouldn’t be likely to make a thousand feet of elevation yourself, even if no one was immediately pursuing you, before you collapsed and didn’t wake again. Which is likely as not to happen right here in Bud and Susan’s kitchen, for that matter. For no good reason at all, no heroic struggle, no giving your life in striving to save your family or defeat a pursuer, no last battle, not even the satisfaction of that one final climb, like your friend Willis had. Not the way this ought to end. Only, he wasn’t entirely sure how to prevent it ending that way. Figured he’d better try again with that tea, hydration seeming a pretty critical element just then.
Results were the same as before. Maybe a little worse. Just couldn’t get the stuff to go down, choked when he insisted on pressing the matter but couldn’t seem to cough strongly enough to get the stuff back out, sat there for a full thirty seconds gagging and struggling and starting to turn blue before Susan gave him a hard thump on the back and he could breathe again. Not good. Not what he’d been aiming for. Thought maybe if he had plain honey instead of the tea, just got some under his tongue so he could absorb a bit of it and then tried to swallow, he might have more success because of the thicker texture, but when he rose to go get himself some from the kitchen—seemed a lot simpler than asking, seeing as he appeared incapable of meaningful communication just then—everything went black around him, legs cramped up then turned to jelly and he fell hard. Liz was there, rolled him onto a foam pad that Susan had quickly brought upon seeing the need. He was awake, trying to rise but Liz held his shoulders.
“Einar. Let Susan help you get some hydration. Let us help you. I can see that you’re trying so hard right now to live, but you can’t keep going on like this. You know the physiology of it, what’s happening with you right now, and why. There’s nothing wrong with a little help. It’s no different, in principle, than the things you did for me after Will was born, making all that chlorophyll drink and being sure I drank it to help after I lost so much blood…please let us do this.”
Shook his head, stared at the floor. It was different. Was a thing he could not do. Could not allow. Wished he could explain it, but words weren’t coming together very well for him. Weren’t wanting to come out. She seemed to understand, anyway.
“I know. You see it as some sort of a compromise, a surrender. And you don’t want to surrender, even in this little way, do you? It probably seems worse to you than going on like you are, no matter the ultimate consequences…”
A nod. That was the bulk of it.
“Einar, I know. I understand, at least somewhat. But think. We’ve willingly given our hearts and to some extent minds and bodies to one another, I’ve done it, you have too, so how about looking at this as an extension of that gift? As an act of love. You’ve been willing to give up your life for me and for Will on more than one occasion and without a second thought, put yourself in harm’s way, risked everything, so how about giving up a little control right now, just for a short while, so you can go on living for us? Doesn’t that seem like a reasonable exchange, really?”
He guessed it did, when put that way. Difficult to argue with that, to withhold from her this gift of himself that she was apparently so badly wanting. She, who had lived and fought and strived beside him through so many difficulties, seldom even complaining. Who had carried his son. But Lizzie, you don’t know what you’re asking. Asking me to give up just about the last thing I’ve got left. Though every fiber of his being rebelled at the thought, he looked up at her, nodded. If that was what she wanted, alright, he would give it. She deserved that much. “Ok.”
“Ok? You’ll let Susan do the IV?”
“Yeah, but…not here. Got to be…” Struggled to rise, and she helped him. “Got to be up there where I can…kinda keep an eye on things while…”
“Yes, Ok, how about here at the table?” He nodded and Susan, when Liz met her eye, nodded as well, yes, that would work. She wished they could get him to lie down as it would have made everything easier and more immediately effective, but she had no intention of pressing the matter and perhaps spoiling everything, now that he’d agreed to let her help. So he sat, arms stretched out before him on the table in a sign of surrender, head sagging.
Liz sat with him as Susan set things up, bringing all the gear out from her bedroom where she’d been storing it since the three of them had come to the house, seeing a need and hoping to be allowed to use it. Einar had to inspect all the components several times before he would allow her to proceed, had to make absolutely certain she wasn’t giving him anything other than the solution he had agreed upon, and when he was done he had Liz inspect things for him too, not entirely trusting his own reading comprehension. Even after completing the inspection and nodding his final consent he was clearly terrified, shaking, put on a stolid, stoic face but Liz could see his consternation, eyes big and white and staring like those of a trapped animal, and she sat with him, offering silent reassurance while Susan hung the IV bag from a kitchen cabinet, took his blood pressure as a reference so she’d be able to chart his progress. Frighteningly low; good thing, she could not help but think, that he’d agreed to the assistance when he had done, or it might well have proven too late. Might be, regardless, for his blood pressure was so low and he was so severely dehydrated by that point that she has a lot of trouble finding a vein that would work, finding one at all, and had to go back to the basement to get her children’s kit in the hopes that it might make some difference… Einar breathed a sigh of relief at the temporary reprieve, decided he’d better make one more attempt at drinking.
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Post by icefire on Apr 25, 2013 16:12:57 GMT -6
At LAST! EA is FINALLY letting SUsan help him, at least with the hydration (and I'm betting some electrolytes as well, because he REALLY needs them at this point!) Maybe once he gets some proper hydration into him, he'll be able to get some food down, as well. And, hopefully all of this is not too late!
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grizz
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Post by grizz on Apr 25, 2013 19:08:03 GMT -6
Let's hope that Einar has reached the bottom of his valley and is ready to continue to use a little help to climb up the otherside
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ebb
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Post by ebb on Apr 26, 2013 5:00:20 GMT -6
I know he's the hero in this story but I am not that sure he's going to make it.
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Post by paradox on Apr 26, 2013 20:20:47 GMT -6
Heh.. btw, part of the reason I was thinking IV was that they can do glucose in with the fluids which will give him some fuel to work with while hydrating as well. In terms of veins, usually you can get the jugular, even if the others aren't easy to find.  |
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Post by FOTH on Apr 27, 2013 15:51:24 GMT -6
At LAST! EA is FINALLY letting SUsan help him, at least with the hydration (and I'm betting some electrolytes as well, because he REALLY needs them at this point!) Maybe once he gets some proper hydration into him, he'll be able to get some food down, as well. And, hopefully all of this is not too late! Hopefully not. Let's hope that Einar has reached the bottom of his valley and is ready to continue to use a little help to climb up the otherside Does seem about time... I know he's the hero in this story but I am not that sure he's going to make it. Neither is he, at this point. But will keep trying, because it just doesn't do to give up, not while a fellow is still breathing! Heh.. btw, part of the reason I was thinking IV was that they can do glucose in with the fluids which will give him some fuel to work with while hydrating as well. In terms of veins, usually you can get the jugular, even if the others aren't easy to find. Right, but wouldn't that require his lying flat on his back with head lower than feet for the entire time, to prevent ending up with a potentially deadly air embolism? Even if they could talk him into lying down, it seems perhaps unwise to count on his staying that way... Someone would have to sit on him. As for the glucose, probably not happening, as he's unlikely to agree to it and is intent on inspecting anything Susan might use on him. He'll be doing well just to get some hydration. Stubborn critter Thank you all for reading. |
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Post by FOTH on Apr 27, 2013 15:52:17 GMT -6
The scene was a mess, masses of solidified, cement-like snow jumbled with smashed rock and ruined trees, none of it making a tremendous amount of sense to the agents as they began their investigation, but their greatest interest was not in the path of the avalanche, itself, but in the untouched slopes around it. There, they hoped to find evidence that the young reporter had not been alone at the time of her death, that she had been accompanied, perhaps, by their fugitive. What they did find interested them even more than the tracks they had sought, and was to prove a turning point in their investigation. * * *
Liz did not think it was a particularly good idea, Einar’s trying another drink when the last one had so nearly ended in disaster, hated the idea of his inhaling the stuff and ending up in an emergency situation when it seemed help, and the potential for improvement, was really was so near, but she could not refuse him. Knew he was making a tremendous sacrifice in consenting to allow Susan to help him with hydration, going against all of his instincts, so if he wanted to try again to have a drink before undergoing what in his mind must be a greater ordeal than she could imagine, the least she could do was to pour him some more tea, which she did. Animated by the knowledge that this was his last chance, last hope, only way to avoid the thing which was surely coming, otherwise, Einar went at that tea with a sincerity and determination which Liz could not help but admire, this time managing to get a little trickle down his throat before gagging and choking again, needing to cough but able only to put out a feeble effort which barely did the job. Liz watched him with tears in her eyes, wished she could help but did not know how. Determination could only go so far, could not always overcome stark physical realities, even for a fellow long accustomed to doing exactly that, and with fair success. He wanted to try again, but she gently pushed the mug aside, laid her hand over his own. “Wait a little while. Let yourself rest, give Susan a chance. She’ll be back soon.” Shook his head, glanced around with wild eyes—little Will asleep on the couch, door cracked where Susan had gone down to the basement, and the windows…especially the windows. But he made himself keep still. “Know I agreed to…but if I let her…it’s all over. Done.” “What’s all over?” An expansive gesture. Everything. Everything would apparently be over, or so he thought. “No, it’s not so bad as that. It’s just Ringer’s Lactate, water with a little sodium, calcium, potassium, you know that. You read the label. Nothing will be over. Really. Just try to see it for what it is, just the mechanics of it, cells needing hydration, and this is the most efficient way to do it right now. We can talk about the other stuff later. I know there’s other stuff, reasons why you don’t want to do this, but that all has to come later.” “Got to do it myself. Drink.” “Oh, you’ll have plenty to do yourself. Lots of hard work. This is just the start. You’ve got to be able to swallow if you’re going to do it yourself. Let Susan try this. It will help.” He said nothing more, eyes closed, head sagging, lips drawn back in a pained grimace and Liz, though not sure whether this was due to acceptance or to his simply having run out of the energy to speak, was glad. He could be very convincing most times, and she did not want him talking her out of this, convincing her to release him from his word. He would, she knew, otherwise abide by his agreement, allow the procedure, and that was the way it had to be. She could see that. He simply didn’t have anything left with which to fight. No energy, no strength; she hated to see him like that, prayed everything might go smoothly so he could soon be himself again. Susan was back then, Einar sitting with head bowed, resigned, as she sought again to find a vein she could use with the smaller cannula, used every trick she knew, tried for a long time but failed. Einar, having allowed himself to let go and drift a bit—not at all difficult, under present circumstances—in the hopes that this might help prevent his reacting to Susan’s ministrations as an attack, as he had nearly done the first time around, was not immediately aware of the results. Of the fact it was all now a moot point, all of his back and forth with Liz, with himself, the deciding. Leaving him where he sat, nearly asleep with head resting on the table, Susan led Liz into the pantry. Both were silent for a moment, knowing the implications. Liz wouldn’t give up. “How can we make it work? Should I give it a try?” “Have you ever done it before?” “No… What else can we try, then?” “We can get someone who is more experienced. Liz, I’ve taken classes, done this on Bud and on others in a classroom setting down at the firehouse, but never on someone in Einar’s situation. This would be difficult even for a seasoned nurse, and it’s beyond my level of experience.” “There is no one else.” “I know. I wish Bud were here, or that we could bring in my friend who works down at the hospital, but neither of those are options. We’ve just got to get some water into him, warm him up a little more—he’s really cold still, and that’s part of the problem, the way everything slows down, blood gets drawn into the core—get his blood pressure up, and then I think we’d have a better chance.” “I’ll work on it.” “Even though he was willing, in the end, to let me do this, he’ll be happy that it didn’t work, won’t he? I saw his eyes when I was getting things ready, and I don’t think what I saw there had anything to do with a fear of needles, did it? Nothing like that. Seemed he was really dreading it, for reasons of his own…” “Yes, he has his reasons. I don’t know when he’ll be happy. Maybe when he’s dead, he’ll be happy.” “Liz, don’t talk like that. He’s going to get through this, we all are. Now let’s get back out there and start trying again with the tea. We haven’t tried a straw. Maybe that will make a difference. If not, I’ll try something thicker that might be easier to swallow without so much risk of inhaling it. And we’ll get a blanket, and some more hot water bottles. This isn’t over. " Only perhaps it was, for when they got back, Einar was gone… |
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