Chapter 49: The Celebration of a Miracle

Within seconds the whole scene around that house burst into one of frenzied activity as axes and grappling hooks were brought into play along with chainsaws and all sorts of other rescue equipment. As Jared watched he saw one fireman jump down into a hole of sorts and call out, “It’s some sort of wine cellar. There’s two people lying down here in the wine cellar. I don’t know how they survived but they have. They are unconscious and badly burned but they are still breathing! Get them paramedics over here at once!”

Max was standing by Jared’s side watching all this as was Gloria. Both girls had their hands over their faces and both were praying like mad that the two survivors were the two they were hoping it would be.

The paramedics were soon swarming all over the place as two stretchers were lowered into that wine cellar and the two unconscious, but still alive, people were lifted out. A rescue chopper soon arrived on the scene to whisk these two very sick individuals off to the University Medical Centre in Las Vegas which specializes in burn victim treatment. But before those two stretchers could be bundled away Gloria Reznik was bursting through the police cordon and racing towards the two barely alive individuals lying on them.

A police woman tried to restrain her but Gloria Reznik wasn’t in the mood for any of that and just kept charging on through. Eventually she got to the first stretcher and despite the condition of the face recognized it immediately as her daughter.

“My baby! My baby! My baby!” she said as she wept and cried over her child.

Just then one of the pilots came over to Gloria and said, “Excuse me ma’am but are you this girl’s mother?”

Gloria just nodded in the affirmative as Jared came up behind her and said, “Yes, this is the girl’s mother. I am her step-father and that other young man there is her partner as is this other young girl here. That girl there is Vanessa Benson and that young man is Tracey Manning if that helps you at all.”

The chopper pilot nodded and said, “Thankyou, sir. We do have room for one passenger so if the girl’s mother would like to come along we can accommodate that but only one person. The rest of you will have to make your way to UMC in Las Vegas as best you can. Now excuse me but we need to get going. Please stand back now.”

Gloria Reznik was then helped up into the helicopter and strapped in next to the two stretchers that held Vanessa and Tracey. When everything else was secured and everyone was standing back the rescue chopper lifted up into the darkness and headed off to Las Vegas through the night sky.

Once that chopper had vanished from view Jared Reznik turned and held Max Landers very closely just like she was his own daughter. As they both held each other for comfort Jared just quietly said, “I think it is going to be all right, Max. I think Vanessa will pull through this and so will that wonderful man that is the father of your child. I think everything is going to be OK. Just you wait and see.”

Just as Jared was saying this some huge flashes of light lit up the horizon. Soon after those flashes came the solid booms of all the exploding fireworks over the heads of the people in the new Pahrump sports arena some ten miles away. Professor Jared Reznik and Max Landers watched silently as the distant light and sound spectacle unfolded. Every now and then one of those flashes of light was slightly higher than the others. This allowed these two naked people watching it all to see the exploding rosette in its proper glory as it lit up the night sky.

When the fireworks finally ceased and all was quiet again Max Landers just pulled in even harder to Jared’s side and said with tears streaming down her face, “I think they must be celebrating tonight’s miracle with us too!”

Jared just whispered back as he kissed the top of Max’s head, “I think you are right and what a miracle it has been.”

Somewhere nearby a lone cricket gave one solitary chirp in agreement with this. Then it was all silent again as those two naked figures stood holding each other very tightly long into the night.