Eric Flint - Grantville Gazette.Volume XVI

"I don't know, but it looks like it's in the casting area."

They got their first good view of the situation when they turned the corner between the open tool racks. Gustave Arndt was on the floor in the pour area with a small group gathered around his still body. It took Thad only a glance to tell that, if Gus wasn't already dead, he soon would be. He'd been burned severely over the top half of his body and his leather protective gear was covered with slowly cooling steel that still popped and sizzled. Susan did a quick pulse check, shook her head and they headed over to the other two burn victims.

"Susan, take these keys and go back to my office. I'll need the full emergency kit and what morphine that's there. You know the drill. Anything else you might find that could help, bring it along." Knowing that there would be questions later about what had happened, Thad decided to ask while the events were still fresh in everyone's minds. "Anybody see what happened here?"

"I did, Mr. Zakrewicz. They were all set up to try the test casting for the new turntable support ring. Gus was supervising the work and Michael and Friedrich were making sure the mold was secure. The crane operator called out to ask if they were set. It sounded like Gus said, 'Go,' gave a hand signal to start, and then he was lying across the mold. Michael and Friedrich tried to pull him back but all they got for their efforts were burns. Gus didn't make a sound at all."

"Anybody else?"

"Just like he said. I saw Gus wave his hand like Jaimie should start pouring. Gus had an odd expression on his face, took two steps forward, and seemed to be reaching for something in the pattern area. Then the pour started and Michael and Friedrich were trying to help him."

There were other nods of agreement but no more comments. Thad was starting to get a suspicion about what had happened. The lack of response to the initial burn and the collapse were key indicators. "It sounds like Gus may have had a stroke or a heart attack."

He was interrupted by the sound of someone getting violently sick across the room. The crane operator, Jaimie, was down on his hands and knees, trying to stop what were now dry heaves.

"Jaimie, are you all right?" Thad asked. He knew he would probably need to send Jaimie to see a counselor after this was all over. Thankfully, someone had found a blanket to cover Gus.

"It was my fault, Thad. I thought Gus signaled to start."

"He probably did, Jaimie. It looks like he may have had a stroke and was gone before he even started to reach for the pattern box." The dazed look in his eyes lifted a bit. Jaimie was young and, with help, should recover. Thad turned back to his two surviving burn patients as Susan and Gunther returned with the needed supplies.

"Michael, Friedrich, we're going to get you to a hospital as fast as this weather permits. Right now, you're not feeling much pain because you're in shock. I'm going to have to get your leather gear off so that I can assess the extent of your injuries. Before I do that, I'm going to give you some morphine and you'll be out like a light in a few minutes. You won't feel the pain when I start to work. Your families have been called." He looked at the crowd and got an affirmative nod from Jim Pierce, who had just arrived. "And they'll be here shortly," he continued. "Anything you want me to tell them when they arrive?"

Michael whispered, "Tell my wife, I love her and to take care of herself. The safe box is…"

Susan interrupted. "You can tell her that yourself tomorrow at the hospital. This looks bad and will hurt like hell for a while, but you definitely aren't going to die."

An hour later, after the two men had been freed of their protective gear and the wounds cleaned as well as conditions allowed, Thad turned to Mr. Pierce, and asked, "What's the word on transportation? Can we get them to Grantville okay?"

"I talked to Dr. Adams. He wants us to send the two burn cases to Jena if we can. The trauma folks with burn training are in Jena for a meeting on the new trauma center and he's worried that all the flu cases they've got right now could hurt their long term survival chances."

Susan turned white and looked like she might faint. Jim Pierce hurried to add, "It's not as bad as it sounds, the railroad's been contacted and is sending a special train that will take them directly to Jena and should be here anytime. Grantville's sending their two EMT's with burn experience and a fresh supply of morphine. They think they can get everyone to Jena before nightfall. Can we move them to the station now?"

Thad considered the situation for a moment. "We're set here. They're both stabilized and the morphine has them out. I'll need eight strong, steady carriers to get them transferred to stretchers and carried to the station. If we cover them with enough blankets, the five minute trek shouldn't be too hard on them."

Mr. Pierce called out, "I need eight volunteers to move the injured!" Twenty hands shot up and in two minutes the two injured had been gently placed on stretchers and the carriers were ready for the trip to the station. Just then, a strange noise startled everyone. In the ensuing quiet, Mr. Pierce said softly, "I think your ride's here now!"

On the outskirts of Saalfeld, Mike hit the button on the electric horn Arlen had installed. The loud blasts of " aahhOOOOOgah " startled the crew in back and announced their arrival to the whole town. As soon as Mike slowed down for the red approach signal, one of the track crew jumped off and slogged through the snow and tried to get throw the switch for the depot's turnaround wye. It wouldn't budge.

"Damn blue ice's frozen the switch!" Somebody else jumped out with a sledgehammer and broom and between the two of them, they had the switch cleared in less than a minute. Mike brought the Goose up and they reboarded on the fly. They repeated the process at the next leg of the wye and then backed down the track to the depot. They were greeted by a procession from the foundry. A figure broke out of the crowd and stumbled through the snow to the Goose. When she got closer, Walt and Frieda both recognized Susan Swisher. Even with all her winter gear on, nobody else in Saalfeld was that short with long red hair.

"Walt, Frieda, you have superb timing. We were just bringing the two patients to the depot to wait for you. Are you ready to board them now?" Susan asked.

'We're all set," answered Walt, "We've got four sets of seats set up to be temporary berths. We can just set the stretchers across and not have to transfer them at all. Are there just the two?"

Susan nodded. "Yeah, we lost Gus before the accident. Thad says it looks like he may have had a stroke and was dead before Michael and Friedrich tried to save him."

The next minutes were spent in organized chaos trying to get the stretchers in without jarring the patients. Once in, they secured them to the improvised berths with rope.

Mr. Pierce approached the railbus. "I don't know what this thing is but it's the prettiest thing I've seen since my wife had our last kid. Who's in charge?" Arlen pointed at Mike, Mike at Arlen, and then they both looked at Martin.

After a short, pregnant pause, Arlen said, "I designed it, Mike's running it, and Martin built it."

"Well, thank you. All of you. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you, but please, get these guys safely to Jena. They've both got families that are depending on them. Will you have room to carry five other passengers? Susan promised them she'd try to have the families there at the hospital when they woke up. I'd also like to send Thad and Susan along to help care for the injured. Can the-what did you call it-the Goose handle that big a load?"

"No problem. I know Walt was a little concerned that he and Frieda might be hard pressed to handle two serious burn cases by themselves."