Chapter 7 - The Off-Grid Medic
I slammed my finger against the screen and ended the video call immediately.
The hospital was a fatal trap designed to lure me directly back to Daniel.
I threw the stolen cell phone out the window, watching it shatter into pieces on the dark highway.
I was completely out of options, out of time, and hunted by the entire state police force.
Then, I remembered an old friend of my late father.
He was a retired military medic named Elias who lived completely off the grid in the rural farmlands.
I took the next exit and drove recklessly down miles of unpaved, muddy country roads.
Noah's lips were now a terrifying shade of dark blue, and his chest was barely moving.
I finally saw the dim yellow porch light of Elias's secluded wooden cabin.
I carried my dying son up the wooden steps and kicked the heavy front door open.
Elias was sitting in a rocking chair, cleaning a hunting rifle.
He dropped his cleaning rag and rushed over the moment he saw Noah's pale face.
"Put him on the kitchen table, right now," Elias commanded, his military training taking over instantly.
He did not ask any questions about the stolen car or my bloody clothes.
He grabbed a black medical bag, started a rapid IV drip, and pushed a massive dose of activated charcoal into Noah's system.
I collapsed onto a wooden dining chair, completely unable to stop my violent shivering.
"He is going to make it, Rachel," Elias said after ten agonizing minutes.
I looked at Noah and saw the natural pink color slowly returning to his small cheeks.
I buried my face in my hands and wept tears of profound, overwhelming gratitude.
Elias walked over to the corner of the room and turned on an old, boxy television set.
He pointed a trembling, calloused finger at the glowing screen.
"I think you need to see this, kid," Elias whispered softly.
The late-night news channel was broadcasting a live helicopter video feed.
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The camera was zoomed in perfectly on Elias's isolated cabin.
The bold red text at the bottom of the screen read: "Armed Fugitive Rachel Carter Cornered in Rural Standoff."
