The H.E.E.D.S. was the Helicopter Emergency Evacuation Device, which was a mini-scuba tank with a two-stage regulator.
"Crew chief"s H.E.E.D.S. is on and pressure is good."
Sam answered as well. "Rescue supervisor"s H.E.E.D.S. is turned on and pressure is good."
"Carabineers."
Ty gripped the edge of the seat. This was it. They were going up and he hadn"t done a short haul over water other than in training in two years. He"d kept up the training and was confident he wouldn"t let the others down, but the rescuer was determined by rotation and today he had the short straw. He was going out on the rope.
Sean responded to the pilot. "Unlocked." Over water they always flew with the carabineers unlocked as it would take too long to unlock them in the event the helicopter went down.
"Airborne," Brannigan announced calmly to command center as he took the Huey into the air.
The adrenaline poured into Ty"s veins, a rush unlike any other. Nothing compared to it, not even the time when he unlocked the key to cellular regeneration and won a n.o.bel Prize in medicine. Nothing felt like this, soaring into the air inside a helicopter, surrounded by the other men as determined as he was to do whatever needed to be done.
Command responded with lat.i.tude and longitude, distance and asmith, the compa.s.s bearing. Brannigan loaded the information into the GPS and plotted a route directly to the victim.
Ty listened to the fire captain on scene giving details. There was a short conversation about the victim and whether the on-scene firefighters believed they"d have to do a short-haul rescue. A high-angle cliff rescue had already failed. Ty"s heart jumped in his chest. Short-haul rescue was one of the most dangerous of maneuvers and they only performed the rescue if every single member of the team agreed it was necessary to save a life and they could perform it safely. He knew the flight crew would decide for themselves whether or not to perform the rescue, but Ty was already gearing up for it.
They could fly in the rain and even steady winds of up to sixty miles an hour, but not in gusts over twenty. It was raining on the coast, but the wind was steady with no sign of fog. This was exactly why he chose to join every year. It was why he went skydiving and parasailing. He needed something that required his full attention. The adrenaline rush was the only thing he found that cleared his mind of biochemistry and DNA strands and allowed his thoughts to be consumed completely by whatever was at hand.
He felt Sam"s gaze and smiled at him in rea.s.surance. With Aunt Ida gone, Sam was the only person he had left that gave a d.a.m.n. He didn"t want his cousin worrying he wasn"t up to this. His nerves were already settling down and his hands were steady. Even his heart had resumed a rhythmic beat. Yeah. He was ready. The rigorous training had been well worth it to get him back in shape.
It was surprisingly fast flying over the mountains to the coast and Brannigan brought the helicopter in to hover over the victim to a.s.sess the chances of a safe rescue. As always they went over their short-haul a.n.a.lysis list to determine if the rescue was needed and justified the danger to the crew. They had the trained personnel available. Flight conditions were favorable. The load calculations were within limits. The firefighters had tried an alternative rescue plan and it had proved hazardous. The flight crew agreed trying a high-angle cliff rescue might jeopardize the safety of the victim.
Brannigan set the helicopter down after they had studied the victim"s position from every angle. As always, they conserved fuel while they discussed the possibilities and came up with a viable plan to retrieve the victim.
Ty could feel his body humming now. Every cell alive, alert. Ready. They asked each member of the rescue team to confirm go or no-go. It was now or never. One dissenting vote and it was off. They would all go home and stay alive. No one was going to dissent, least of all, Ty. He gave the thumbs-up and Sean radioed his affirmation to the pilot. It was a go.
The coastal geography always determined which side of the helicopter the rescue was done out of. The coast ran southeast to northwest so typically they performed the rescues out of the right side, unless they had an unusual southern wind, which, thankfully, there wasn"t. Helicopters liked to fly into the wind and they didn"t like wind in the left door. The craft wasn"t aerodynamically stable with wind through the left door.
Brannigan confirmed the medical helicopter was on its way and instructed them to set down in the clearing above the old mill on the far side away from the cliff. He took to the air again, wanting to do a power check. They needed to be able to hover with enough power margin to execute the rescue safely. They had the charts, but helicopter crews were notoriously skeptical and preferred to check everything for themselves.
"Power check complete, our power is good," Brannigan said.
Colors glittered with amazing vivid brightness. Ty watched the clouds and water sparkle, the rain looking like diamonds. He inhaled the scent of the coast, of the ocean. Beside him, Sam smelled of spicy aftershave and garlic. Doug needed a new deodorant and Sean was wearing cologne. Ty caught the faint whiff of chloroform and shook his head with a smile to clear his mind of his other life once and for all. He concentrated on the pilot"s skill as he entered his flight pattern.
"Turning downwind. I"m abeam of the target. I"ll let you know when I lose sight."
Ty had a great deal of respect for Brannigan. The man had been flying helicopters for over twenty years and he worked a kind of magic with them. He "felt" them. The closer he got to the cliffs, the more it brought out his skill. The Huey slowed significantly. Ty"s gut knotted.
"Speed is back, you"re cleared to the skid."
Sean unhooked his secondary securing strap as he replied, "Crew chief moving to skid." He stepped out onto the tank and then onto the skid, securing himself with careful precision. "O.K. crew chief is all secured and on the skid."
The traffic pattern was downwind, leg, base leg and final leg. Brannigan turned into base leg and cleared first rescuer to the skid.
Ty"s heart leapt in his chest. He was hooked up to the rescue rope and the crew chief, with hand signals, told Ty to disconnect the seat belt.
"Rescuer one is moving to the skid." There would be a significant weight shift as Ty moved to the right side and the pilot had to compensate. Sam, as rescue supervisor, took a position where he could observe and double-check everything. Ty waited as the two men inspected everything a third time, from the ropes to his safety harness.
"Crew chief is performing a final rigging and safety inspection. Does the rescue supervisor concur?"
Sam"s voice was hoa.r.s.e. "Rescue supervisor concurs."
"Does the pilot concur with the mission?"
"Pilot concurs. Pilot has lost contact."
"Crew chief has the target, continue to move forward fifty, forty, thirty, twenty. Tail and main rotor are clear, you can come down ten." Move was horizontal and come was vertical. Sean directed the pilot as close to the target as possible while keeping them all safe.
Ty waited, his heart pounding in his ears nearly as loud as the helicopter. It was moments now. The helicopter went stationary, hovering above the target.
"Rescuer will now be lowered out the door."
Sam began to feed the rope through to the breaker bar to lower Ty. Ty swung beneath the skid in a smooth, practiced move, the bottom of his boots snug against it to prevent oscillation.
"Rescuer one is going inverted," Sean reported to the pilot as Ty went upside down.
From that point the ball was in Ty"s court. He signaled with exaggerated arm movements to the crew chief who relayed instructions to the pilot. Everything would depend on what he found when he reached the victim. Blood rushed through his body and his heart pounded almost as loudly as the violent waves below. Time seemed to slow, to tunnel, as he narrowed his focus to the waiting victim.
As he descended, he could see the waves breaking over the more jagged rocks farther below where the victim-a teenage boy-appeared to be conscious, but was writhing in pain. As Ty drew near, he could hear the boy screaming.
"Rescuer is four feet, three, two, one. Rescuer is on the ground. Come down five for slack."
Ty disconnected the moment he was stable on the huge rock formation.
"Rescuer is D.C.ing. Rescuer is moving left-front."
The rope began to retract as Ty made his way to the victim. The rocks were slippery and he had to use extreme caution.
"Rope is coming back into cabin. Rescue supervisor is into cabin. Crew chief coming into cabin. Crew chief in cabin. You are cleared for forward flight."
Ty took a deep breath as Brannigan took the helicopter back to the clearing and shut down to give him time to a.s.sess the patient without distraction. The boy"s face was twisted with pain, but he tracked his rescuer with his gaze as Ty eased his way over the outcropping and around loose rock. To his astonishment, he recognized the kid.
Drew Madison was a leukemia patient. What in the world would he be doing climbing the cliffs of Sea Lion Cove?
"Drew. You"ve got yourself in a bit of a mess, but I"m here now. We"ll get you out of this." He kept his voice soothing and calm. "Work with me. I know it hurts, but we"re giving you a ride in the helicopter. How many people can say that?" As he talked, he quickly checked vitals and looked for places the blood was coming from. "Do you know where you are?"
Drew nodded, his eyes a little wild. "On the rocks."
"Good, good. And your name?"
"Drew Madison."
Ty grinned at him. "You appear to have fallen off the cliff, Drew, and you have a couple of broken bones. I want you to lie quietly and be very still for me. It"s slippery up here."
Drew had a b.u.mp on his forehead. His legs had taken the brunt of the fall. He"d landed on his feet, gone to his knees and had fallen forward, facedown, which wasn"t consistent with most falls. Most victims of a fall had ma.s.sive head trauma from landing on their heads.
Drew had multiple fractures for certain on the left leg, and at least one clean break on the right. He had numerous sc.r.a.pes and a couple of deep cuts, a possible broken rib where his elbow drove into his side on impact, but most importantly, his head had escaped with no more than a few b.u.mps and bruises. He had signs of shock, his skin was cold and clammy, his pulse rapid.
"Copter one hundred and one, this is rescuer one hundred and one."
"Rescuer one hundred and one, this is copter one hundred and one, go ahead." Brannigan"s voice came back very clear.
"I need second rescuer and stokes."
"Okay. We"re about two minutes out, see you in two."
Drew grabbed at Ty"s arm. "Don"t leave me here. I shouldn"t have done it. I"m sorry. I"m sorry. It hurts. It hurts so bad."
"I"m not leaving you, kid. We"re taking a ride together." Ty"s brain worked at rapid speed, a.s.similating data, and nothing about this fall was adding up. Drew Madison was a seventeen-year-old boy who had battled leukemia most of his life. He had no business climbing a cliff on any day, let alone one when it was pouring down rain and certainly not alone. Had there been some kind of dare? The boy that called it in, had he been a part of a stupid prank gone wrong?
Ty worked on Drew"s wounds, stabilizing his legs for traveling in the stokes. The kid was in terrible pain, yet he fought back his need to scream and tried to cooperate with Ty. Shock was setting in and the boy shivered continually.
Ty kept talking to him. "It won"t be long. You"ll like the helicopter. And the medics are waiting and can give you something for pain right away."
"You won"t leave me?" Drew kept a death grip on his shirt.
"No, we"ll ride up together. Here"s the helicopter now. They"re sending down the stokes with another rescuer." The boy was shaking so hard Ty feared he might slide off the rock. He kept talking to distract him from the pain. "The stokes is a basket we put you in for the ride and then we"ll hook both you and the basket to the collection ring and up we go. We"ll be out of here in no time."
Doug Higgens was rescuer two and he dropped carefully to the rocks with the stokes in tow.
The pilot moved the helicopter. "Rescuer one, how long do you think?"
"About fifteen minutes," Ty answered.
"Okay, we"re going back to the meadow and shutting down."
Doug and Ty worked quickly to package Drew in the stokes, doing their best to keep from jarring him as they immobilized his legs and double-checked his safety lines. They had done this before and, other than the rock being extremely slippery and the ocean pounding around them, the process was smooth. Ty kept up a running dialogue with the boy, his tone soothing and calm, noticing when he quit speaking the teenager became more agitated.
"We"re ready," he announced to Brannigan.
"Okay, be there in five," Brannigan answered immediately.
"What if I fall out of the basket?" Drew asked.
Ty noted the boy"s voice was beginning to get thready. He frowned at Doug over the kid"s head. "You"re connected to a collection ring separate from the stokes, Drew. Even if the stokes should fall, if something fails, you"d still be connected. Not to worry, I"ll be riding with you all the way. It"s like taking a ride in the clouds."
The helicopter was overhead, Brannigan maneuvering beneath the rim of the cliff with his usual precision. The rope dropped almost in Ty"s lap. He connected his line to the collection ring first, then Drew"s line and finally the stokes. He signaled to the crew chief to come up.
"Come up ten for slack," Sean instructed Brannigan. "Rope is taut. Stokes is coming off the ground, hold for rescuer adjustment."
Ty adjusted the prussic knots so that the stokes was in position with his body for the ride. The rescuer always rode with the stokes waist level so he could rea.s.sure the victim and keep them calm. He signaled ready.
Sean"s voice in his ear relayed the signal to Brannigan and the helicopter began to continue to climb. Drew cried out, closing his eyes tightly.
"You"re fine," Ty said. "You might want to take a look around you..."
Abruptly Ty"s voice faded as terror gripped him. Utter shock. He was suddenly free-falling. No warning whatsoever, simply tumbling away from the stokes, away from Drew and down onto the jagged rocks below. Time slowed. He felt as if he were falling in slow motion. He heard the roar of the ocean and realized it was the sound of his own heart thundering in his ears. He saw the horror in Sean"s face and then his vision blurred as his body tumbled and the rocks grew larger.
"f.u.c.k! Oh, s.h.i.t. Hold! Hold! Hold! Rescuer just fell," Sean blurted. "d.a.m.n it, rescuer just fell."
There was a moment of stunned, horrified silence. Of comprehension.
Brannigan came back all business in an attempt to stay calm, to keep everyone focused. "What about the vie?"
Sean stared down to the rocks below. At the blood seeping everywhere. At the still body crumpled practically at the feet of the second rescuer who stared back at him with horror on his face.
"Say again. What about the vie?"
Sean swallowed the fear in his throat and forced his gaze-and his mind-away from the broken body below. "Victim is still there. Stokes is swinging. Move left."
"Hang on. I"m stopping the swing."
Automatically the rescue crew gripped whatever was closest as Brannigan maneuvered quickly over the victim in mid-swing.
"Stokes is stable," Sean reported.
"Do I put the victim down?"
Sean took a deep breath. "No, let"s just move him over to the clearing."
Doug broke radio silence. "Rescuer one is in bad shape. He"s bad."
"Do what you can, rescue two," Brannigan said. "We"ll be right back. Command, are you getting all this? We need a firefighter to disconnect our victim for us. We"ll need another stokes and another med helicopter. Ben, how far out are you?"
"Ten minutes."
"Ground crew standing by. Will D.C. vie in clearing."
No one looked at Sam. He sat in silence, his face grim, shock and horror in his eyes. No one spoke as they waited for the victim to be disconnected so they could get back to their fallen crew member.
Chapter Three.
"THAT"S my last patient, Evelyn," Libby told the nurse with a faint smile. "It"s home for me."
"Did you hear all the commotion in the ER, doctor?" Evelyn asked.
"I heard two helicopters arrive," Libby replied, "but I was too busy to check out what was going on." Two helicopters were unusual, so she"d guessed there was an accident on the highway.
"I"ve only managed to hear a word here and there, but it sounds like Drew Madison was climbing the cliffs out by Sea Lion Cove and fell. They called in the rescue helicopter and something went wrong."