Carol Ross - Summer At The Shore

“I know Captain Shear,” Jay said when he learned who was piloting the small fixed-wing aircraft. “Great guy. He was in the Air Force. Flew small planes and floatplanes for years in the Alaskan bush. He has skills. There’s a very strong chance he managed to land it in one piece. I think the plane could be floating down there.”

Lieutenant Commander Holmes was unsure. “There was so little time from the Mayday to the loss of communication. The chances of him managing a water landing are slim...”

On it went.

Jay glanced over at Aubrey, who was staring straight ahead. Her lips were moving, but no sound emerged, and he knew she was silently singing the words to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” over and over again. It was part of her ritual and hey, who was he to question the methods of the best rescue swimmer he’d ever had the pleasure of working beside? Jay felt confident that if there were survivors in the ocean, this crew would bring them safely on board.

As the flight mechanic, operating the hoist to lower the rescue swimmer into the water was part of his job. After locating the accident site, the RS would be attached to a cable whereupon he, along with the precision flying skills of the pilot, would lower the RS into the water or onto a ship as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sometimes the target could be as small as a few square feet. Barely enough room for a person meant there was no room for error. Jay knew he was good at his job, but that didn’t stop the rush of adrenaline before every rescue. Lives were on the line—literally.

The voice of the copilot, Reeves, broke into his thoughts. “There it is!”

His gaze locked onto the location. The plane was floating on the surface like he’d hoped. Jay smiled. If anyone was alive inside, and he felt the possibility was strong, this could make the rescue go much more smoothly.

“Jay, what do you think?” Aubrey asked. “As close as you can on the starboard side?”

“Yes.” They went over the maneuver while he prepared the cable. Aubrey removed her ICS, or onboard communications, while he slid open the door of the helo. At this point, they would rely on hand signals until she’d boarded the aircraft below. She positioned herself on the edge and within seconds he signaled to her with a tap on the chest.

Indicating she was good to go, he released the cable, hoisting her down into the ocean. He never took his eyes off her as she unhooked the cable from her harness and flashed the “swimmer away” signal. He retrieved the cable as she swam 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?”