“Thank God for small mercies.” Harry stepped into the bus. “There’s a lady back there who said she won’t stop praying until we bring you back safely, Mr. Butt.”
A shaky chuckle emitted from a blanket-covered form on the seat behind the driver’s seat. “That’s Carrie, bless her. She’s always been like the kid sister I never had.”
“Yeah, she told me,” Harry said. “How are you doing?”
“Getting cold. Fair bit of pain in my ankle. But I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“First things first, we need to figure out the best way to get you out of here.”
Suddenly, Crowley pushed his way through the crowd and thrust a thermos into Butt’s hands. “Hot chocolate, Cook said it’s just right for drinking.” Then he turned to Harry. “Ambulance ran into trouble, currently undergoing emergency repairs, should be here in about an hour.”
“We can’t keep Mr. Butt out here that long,” Bertie said. “He’s been here too long already.”
Harry nodded. “We need to carry him inside… but we have to do it safely.”
“We have a stretcher,” Crowley offered.
Harry shook his head. “No good. It’s too slippery out there to try carrying someone on a stretcher.”
“I have an idea,” Butt said, through chattering teeth. “Mr. Crowley, is that old wood sled still out in the garden shed?”
“Fetch it quickly,” Harry said, as Crowley nodded. “And make sure there’s a rope attached for pulling it.”
As Crowley hurried off, Price was pushing his way forward with an armful of heavy quilts, which he passed up to Bertie. “Perfect.” She smiled at him. “We’ll put one under him on the sled and wrap it up around his legs. We’ll wrap the other around his body.”
Crowley returned then, bringing the sled into the garage with him. Bertie hurried out and fixed the quilt in place.
“Okay, the rest of you can return to the residence now,” Harry said. “We’ll soon have him back inside. Crowley and Price, you’ll pull the sled, slowly and carefully. I’ll come behind to support Mr. Butt in case the sled starts to slip.” He turned around. “Bertie, help him get to the doorway of the bus. I’ll take him from there.”
A few minutes later they were making their way across the ground towards the main entrance. From what Bertie could see, it looked like everyone inside was crowded into the foyer. She quietly spoke to Harry and then walked ahead of the sled. When she entered the building, she told them they would have to move inside and make room.
Crowley and Price were standing by with the Staff Nurse and a stretcher and she let them remain in the foyer to meet the sled at the door. However, just as they reached the door, the ambulance pulled up. Two paramedics jumped out and took over from there. Within minutes Mr. Butt was on his way to the hospital where they kept him overnight.
The following afternoon, Harry and Bertie drove out to see Mr. Butt and find out exactly what had happened.
