Part 3 (1/2)
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 s.h.i.+ft 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.”