8 The Himalayans
Dash
“How long have you been not feeling well?” Jane, a nurse practitioner from my primary care doctor’s office, asked later that day. She stood beside the bed, with a disposable mask covering the majority of her face, and gloves on.
“About a week,” I answered. “I put it off to sinuses. I struggle this time of year.” I paused to take a few labored breaths before I could continue. “Now I think it’s the flu.”
As I closed my eyes, I struggled to open them again, but it was a lost cause. Instead, I lifted the lid of one eye with my fingers. Jane perched on the side of the bed and began to examine me. Maybe the mask seemed suspicious but the fog inside my head made it hard to think. I closed my one eye.
“Take another breath for me,” Jane instructed, pressing her stethoscope against my chest. My lungs felt ravaged. Maybe I had pneumonia. I couldn’t figure it out. Overthinking made my head spin. When had that happened before?
“We need to get you to the ER to see what’s going on. I’ll call an ambulance,” Jane said.
“I just need time,” I murmured.
“Dasham, she’s not talking to you,” Amelia said from somewhere around my bedroom door. “The decision’s out of your hands. You’ve made a mess of things.”
“His oxygen saturation levels are lower than I’d like,” Jane said. She took something off my finger as the bed bobbled. Another round of spiking pain shot through my brain. Jeez, it hurt.
“Will he be admitted?” Amelia asked.
“Most likely,” she said. “I don’t know what this is, maybe pneumonia. We’re well beyond a simple bronchitis brought on by a sinus issue. Wear a mask and gloves when cleaning the room. Disinfect well. If you or any of the children show symptoms, call us immediately. Don’t wait.”
“Okay,” Amelia said, her tone wasn’t as forceful as moments ago. “I’ll call Beau.”
“No, don’t,” I said. Another round of coughs racked my chest. It was frustrating and painful. I couldn’t draw anything up. My throat was on fire. “Let him have his vacation.”
Amelia tsked . “He deserves to know what’s happening to you. He’d never forgive me if I didn’t.”
“No reception anyway,” I whispered. “Call Beau’s mom. She’ll help.” Sleep lulled me into its waiting arms.
I had no idea how much time passed, but when I woke up, medical professionals were talking nearby. I tried to find my bearings, but nothing looked familiar. The oxygen mask attached to my mouth made it impossible to speak. It didn’t matter. I fell asleep again.
One Day Later
Methodist Hospital
Sea Springs, Texas
“Pneumonia? His condition seems far too dire to only be pneumonia. When will you know something more definitive? His family’s on pins and needles to know anything.” Linda’s voice cut through the haze that shrouded my mind as I surfaced from sleep. A beacon calling to me even if her voice was filled with concern.
She spoke in deeper tones—low and mumbly, hard to hear. When I tried to do a self-internal diagnostic, I realized I was much weaker and likely sicker than before. Why couldn’t I kick this cold? As I moved my body slightly, the weight of the medical equipment and tubes attached to me added gravity to my situation. I hadn’t realized I’d even been moved. My mind struggled mightily to grasp Linda’s side of the conversation, but it was futile. I couldn’t do it. Another voice and shadowy figure much closer to me spoke in low ominous tones, but any words became something akin to Charlie Brown’s teacher’s voice, a nonsensical sound meant to convey some meaning I couldn’t grasp.
“Why Houston Methodist?” she asked.
They planned to move me to Houston? Why?
My chest hurt like a son of a bitch.
“My husband wants to know why he needs a ventilator?” she asked. Now I understood why the conversation felt loopy. Carter was involved on the other end of the phone. Good, I trusted him. “Wesley, please let them explain. They appear to be as apprehensive as you are... Good… Get in your plane and fly here, but land in Houston. He’s going there as soon as it can be arranged. Plan to stay. Someone needs to advocate for Dash, and Amelia needs help. Two of the girls and West are acting out. I need to be there… No, I’ll handle Kailey. Don’t worry.”
The following silence concerned me until a cold hand touched mine, which offered a small, much needed comfort. I tried to open my eyes, but my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. I couldn’t manage it.
“Rest, Dash. Wesley’s coming to be with you. I haven’t reached Beau, but I’ll continue trying. Amelia and the girls miss you. I know West does too. Stay strong for us.” Her gentle words and reassuring tone enveloped me like a soothing blanket. “We love you, Dash. I know Beau does too.”
“Beau… Love,” I said into my oxygen mask and managed to squeeze her hand. The strain of listening drained me, and I slipped back to sleep.
Beau
November, Ten Days Later
The Himalayans
Base camp was a welcome sight. As I had done countless times today, I swiveled my head and rolled my shoulders. A small smile may have touched my chapped lips as I passed my team, who were loudly celebrating the end to another successful climb. I agreed with them. We did great, but I needed Aleve and promised myself to make more time to exercise in the future. Maybe. Or perhaps this was in fact my farewell climb. I missed my family something awful, and for the first time, I saw the dangers of such a hobby. One wrong move and I was toast, leaving behind everything I cherished.
I was also freezing. Despite having lived in Chicago for years and knowing how to handle the cold wind and snow, I had spent a majority of the time freezing my ass off, even in all these supposed warm clothes. They had cost a small fortune to upgrade my wardrobe. Money that could have funded one of my kids’ first years of college. Dash would be disappointed that I spent my vacation missing him and our children.
“Brooks, catch.” A can of beer came hurtling my way. Peer pressure had led me to remove my protective face gear when we started walking to camp, but I stubbornly refused to remove my gloves. I caught the can and made my way to the tent to layer up with dry clothes before joining the final night of festivities. Tomorrow started the long trip home.
I ducked into the tent where the wind couldn’t reach me and dropped my backpack to the floor. I still had a couple of hand warmers and needed both right now.
Clearly, I’d turned into a giant wimp.
“Beau Richmond-Brooks.” I paused my search through the bag and listened. I couldn’t have heard that correctly. “Is there a Beau Brooks?”
“Yeah, he’s in the red tent.”
I continued sifting through the pockets of my backpack, indifferent to whatever they needed until I could feel some warmth returning to my fingers. I had enough warmers leftover to add to my boots when the flat of my tent flap suddenly lifted. “You have a call.”
A hand thrust a Sonim tactical smartphone toward me, used in remote places like this, only for emergencies. From the time I lifted to take the phone until I tumbled back on my ass, bringing the phone to my ear, my heart raced and my chin hit my chest. A gloved finger stuck into my other ear to block the noises coming from every direction. “Hello?”
“Beau?” My mom asked, relief in her tone.
“It’s me, Mom. What’s goin’ on?” Dread and fear closed my eyes. My entire body tensed and heated, I felt a flush crawling up my neck.
“Son, I’ve been trying to reach you. We need you to come home early.” The tremble in her voice told me she was holding back tears, but she powered through, making me have to play her words through my head again to understand. “Dash is very sick. They flew him to Houston Methodist over a week ago. Wesley’s with him. I’m helping Amelia at home with the kids. We’ve arranged a flight to take you home. The camp staff has the information.”
“What do you mean Dash is sick?” I asked.
“They haven’t been able to find the cause, but they’re saying it’s a severe respiratory infection. What’s happening isn’t making sense to them. They’ve got him on a ventilator and multiple antibiotics that don’t really appear to be helping. They contacted the CDC to help identify what he has, to get him the right medications.”
“A ventilator?” I questioned incredulously and began pushing my shit back in the pack.
The camp attendant poked their head through the tent’s opening. “That’s costing you about sixty-five dollars a minute. We’ve called for the helicopter. They’re on the way. There’s a private plane waiting. It’s been there for several days.”
“Son, get going. Call me on the plane. Thank the camp staff. They’ve been incredibly supportive. Hurry, Beau. Don’t wait.”
The call ended without a response from me. Within seconds, I grabbed my gear and pushed out of the tent.
“What’s goin’ on?” Jesse asked. My team gathered around me as the whump-whump-whump of a helicopter neared. I caught sight of it as it lifted over the edge of the mountain and drowned out my ability to reply.
I grabbed Jesse’s bicep, drawing him close to yell at his ear. “Dash is sick, I’ve got to go. It’s bad.” A numbness embraced me like protective insulation, keeping the shock and disbelief at a distance.
“How’re the kids?” Ben asked. He had small children, and we regularly shared stories.
“Don’t know.” What had my mom said about my children?
The unknown answer had me hustling faster toward the helicopter, following the guy who handed me the phone. My unlaced boots loosened with each step I took. The whooshing of the rotor blades overpowered any other noise as I hunched and ran toward my ride home.
“Put on the headphones.” The camp staff yelled as I climbed inside. The pilot, wearing mirrored aviators, reached around and tossed the headphones in my lap. The door shut me in. The headphones instantly quieted the roar of the engine and blades.
“We’re flying you to a private airport in Bhadrapur,” the pilot said through his microphone with a thick Napoli accent. He gave a thumbs-up through the split in the front seats. I mimicked his gesture. It appeased him, and the helicopter rose into the air. The campground shrunk below us. We ascended swiftly, swinging around to head away from the ominous looking snowcapped peaks. On the other side was dense forestry as far as the eye could see.
I had picked up a few words while I was here, hoping I hadn’t been misled. “ Samaya ?” I crossed my fingers that I was asking about the time to our destination.
“Twenty-five minutes.”
I nodded, adding. “ Dhan'yavāda .”
Who knew if I used the word properly before factoring in my thick Southern accent. I had to tamp down the worry as I leaned over and tied my boots. The warmers went back into my backpack, and my fingers unzipped my heavy jacket. Anxiety made the body warm. What could be so alarming that brought both Carter and my mom to Sea Springs?
Had Dash died and they were protecting me until I arrived home? Instant panic surged over my being, rejecting the idea. My mom would be truthful with me. Besides, why say he was on a ventilator if he wasn’t. With Carter’s influence, I’d have been dragged off the mountain if the worst had happened. There were so many flaws in my reasoning abilities that even I couldn’t keep up. Yet, I would cling to the small glimmer of hope until I was on the plane home and had my mom back on the phone to ask these questions.
The ride was far from smooth. The chopper swayed and jolted as it maneuvered through the turbulent mountain air. I clutched the seat. A blend of adrenaline and fear kept me on edge. The scenery shifted from rugged mountainous terrain to a sprawling urban landscape. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.
Finally, the helicopter began its descent, landing as smoothly as the takeoff. The ground crew stationed nearby sprang into action, ready to usher me to the plane.