the short distance to the plane. She climbed inside while he and the rest of the crew waited for her assessment.
A short time later the communication line crackled and her voice came through: “Three survivors. One is in good shape, the other two are injured and incapacitated. I’m sending up the survivor without injury first.”
A voice sounded in the background, loud and agitated. Jay was always amazed at both the bravery and cowardice that emerged from people in the midst of life-and-death situations. He’d seen the burliest, toughest-looking men cry like babies and demand to go first, while the most fragile of women refused to be taken until everyone else was gone. He’d seen men insist that their dogs be rescued before them, while he’d witnessed others charge forward ahead of their own children.
He wondered which case they were dealing with now.
* * *
MIA APPRECIATED THE rescue swimmer’s confidence and take-charge demeanor. After climbing into the plane, she introduced herself, assessed the condition of each of them, talking to both her and Captain Shear the entire time. “Once the water reaches a certain level, the plane is going to start sinking faster. I’m calling my crew now to let them know how we’re going to proceed.” She clicked on the radio and outlined her plan, which Mia was fine with until she heard her say she was sending Mia up first.
“No!” Mia shouted. “I can’t go first. Take my mom and Captain Shear. They need medical attention. My mom is unconscious and—”
“Mia!” Aubrey interrupted firmly. “I understand your opinion. I am aware of her condition. However, if the plane starts to sink then I’ll essentially have to do three difficult rescues. Right now I have one simple rescue and two that are more challenging. We will save you all, but please don’t make my job any more difficult.”
“Oh... Right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know you’re worried,” Aubrey assured her as she checked and tightened the straps on Mia’s life jacket. “Your mom will go up right after you.” She made her way to the door as Mia followed.
“The water is going to be really cold. Don’t worry about swimming. Relax and float. I’ll get us into position and then I’ll signal to the helicopter. They will lower a basket, I’ll help you get in and you’ll be up in the helo in a couple minutes.”
“Okay,” she said. She wasn’t worried about the water. Her dad had been an officer in the Navy and made sure she and her brother were strong swimmers. Aubrey jumped into the water and motioned for her to do the same. Mia followed, but despite her confidence and Aubrey’s warning, the cold hit her like an electric shock. Because of the life jacket, she surfaced quickly but found that she was unable to inhale a breath. She felt as if she’d been flash-frozen and her lungs shrink-wrapped in the process.
She could hear Aubrey but all she could think about was air. Gasping and croaking, it seemed an eternity before the tension in her chest finally loosened enough to inhale. Unfortunately, the feeling didn’t last; she sucked in a deep breath at the exact moment a wave rolled over her. Water invaded her lungs. Panic took hold as she thrashed around trying to figure out which way was up until finally, she realized she was floating. I’d be dead without this flotation device, she thought, coughing violently as she tried to calm down. This was so much more difficult than she’d anticipated. She thought about her brother, Kyle, who was a Navy SEAL. How did people do this? Why would they want to? But then suddenly, thankfully, Aubrey was right next to her.
“Lie back,” she instructed. She did as she was told while Aubrey took a hold of her and propelled them away from the plane.
A large metal basket hit the water in front of them.
“Let’s get you inside,” Aubrey shouted in order to be heard above the scream of the helicopter, which had moved closer and was now hovering much lower in the sky above them. The powerful force of the rotor wash took her breath away. Again.
As Aubrey helped her into the basket, she wondered how in the world this woman was going to manage to get her unconscious mother and a seriously injured Captain Shear into it? She didn’t have time to ask. Huddling into a ball as instructed, she closed her eyes as the basket lifted. Fear surged through her as cold air rushed in around her.
Next thing she knew, she was being pulled inside the helicopter. A man in an orange flight suit helped her out of the basket and told her his name was Jay. As he got her seated and dried her with a towel, he asked her name and how she was doing. He pointed at her head. Then warm fingers peeled away the bandage she’d applied.
His voice was calm and deep as he asked, “Any other injuries besides this one? That you’re aware of?”
She shook her head, trying to answer through the shivers racking her body, but was pretty sure she was incomprehensible.
He looked her over thoroughly. “This should do for now,” he said, smoothing a fresh dressing into place. He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Keeping one edge in each hand, he held it tight around her. “Hey,” he said, shaking it gently until she looked up. His face only inches away now, earnest hazel-green eyes locked onto hers. “We got this, okay?”
For a few seconds, she stared back, frozen with fear. The sob she’d been keeping at bay welled up, taking her by surprise. “My mom...” was all she could manage to mutter.
“Your mom is down there?”
She nodded, hot tears burning the cold flesh of her cheeks.
“Not for long. Aubrey is the best rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard. And I’m the best hoist operator. We’ve also got the best pilot and copilot working with us today. Which makes us the dream team of Coast Guard rescue.” He reached out and squeezed her cold fingers. “Mia, look at me.” She did. How could anyone refuse that gentle yet commanding voice? He seemed to ooze confidence. “I promise we will get your mom out of that airplane and we will do everything we can.” A warm feeling she recognized as hope bubbled inside her. He added an encouraging smile. She gave him another nod and he moved back toward the open door of the helicopter.
Oddly enough, his words helped. Mia noticed and appreciated that he didn’t promise that her mom would be fine. It was the same strategy she used with her patients’ families. You could never guarantee that a patient would be okay, but you could promise that you would do everything in your power to try to make it so.
He arranged the basket in the doorway, studying the scene below, his lips moving again. Even though she couldn’t hear what he was saying over the noise of the helicopter’s motor, both the concentration and competence he displayed managed to keep her calm.
After positioning the basket, he slid it out the open door. It disappeared, but within minutes it appeared again, her mom tucked safely inside. Please, please let her be alive. He easily lifted her mom’s petite form, arranging her on the litter he’d already prepared and covering her with a blanket. Looking up as Mia started to move forward, he gave her a quick thumbs-up before discouraging further movement from her with a palm up and out. Mia nodded, expelling a breath of relief as she sank back in her seat. She wanted to see for herself, but she also didn’t want to get in the way.
It wasn’t long before Captain Shear and the rescue swimmer Aubrey were on board as well. Aubrey examined the captain while Jay inserted an IV into her mom’s arm. He checked her vitals again and then Mia watched, transfixed as he sat beside her unconscious mom, holding her hand and smoothing the hair away from her face. Within minutes they were safely on the landing pad of
