A Second Chance, Part V - Chapter 3
By: Tickie
(Copyright 2008 by the author and creator)
Editor: Gerry Young and Radio Rancher
"... DOWN! I CAN'T HOLD THE NOSE UP!" Mark was pulling hard on the yoke, but it was all the way back with nowhere to go.
Colt pulled himself up behind the two seats. "STOP IT NOW!... you're doing just fine; feel for the air... it's there, you just have to find it." Hoping all would be ok, he looked over at Matt and nodded to him, saying, "YOU FEEL IT!... GOD, THERE IT IS!... YOU FEEL IT, GUYS!... THERE IT IS!... Thank God, there it is."
Luke screamed, "FUCKING WAVE!... WE'RE GONNA HIT IT!... HOLD ON DAAAAAAD!"
With that scream came an impact, as Cowboy hit the wave and bounced off it. The squall line that they had just flown through was over, but it was too late for Cowboy to catch the lift from the air it needed; they had dropped thousands of feet in a very short time. As it went over the wave, Cowboy continued to bounce on the rough surface of the Pacific. The right engine was ripped off in a burst of flames at the first impact. Thankfully, the flames didn’t last long as the sea spray whipped over the wings.
Back in the cabin, John and Larry fortunately had gotten buckled up before the impact, but were dodging flying objects that had not been fastened down. Even James' picture was ripped from the bulkhead and tossed onto the floor.
Cowboy continued to slide and bounce over the rough seas. Each time the plane bounced, it caused Colt to scream in pain from his left arm which I knew was broken; Matt, on the other hand, I knew was alive but how bad he was I couldn't feel, neither could James, JC, or Richard.
'Those boys did all they could have, and I sure hope their dads understand that,' Richard told us.
I already knew it. That storm came up so fast, I honestly thought, 'Even Richard, in his time, couldn't have done any better.' I forgot our thoughts here can also be heard by all of us.
'You're right, Charlie, as always; I couldn't have stopped what happened, even if I had been flying,' Richard said with a very worried look.
Cowboy continued to bounce and slide, the sea water spraying into the air, past the cabin windows, as John and Larry, looking worried, were planning on getting the life raft ready as soon as the plane stopped it's forward motion.
"MATT!... are you ok?... MATT! HEY MATT!... are you ok? ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!... are you ok?" Colt screamed. Even with the pain in his arm, he was trying to get to Matt.
But there was no answer to his screams; he was unconscious and bleeding bad. Matt had been thrown into the back of the right pilot's seat, causing a nasty gash on the left side of his head. Colt was hurting but trying to get to Matt.
Luke was trying to hold onto his dad, and said, "Wait until we stop, DAD!"
Mark was holding onto Colt as well, trying to keep him from moving as Cowboy was still sliding and slowing down. Strange, the cockpit windows were still in place and the sea water was still spraying over them each time the plane dipped it's nose.
Luke screamed, "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!... FUCK!... IT'S MY FAULT!" He was screaming and beating his forehead with his fist, over and over again.
Colt yelled back, "STOP IT!... STOP IT RIGHT NOW! It's not your fault, Luke, or yours, either, Mark. You guys did all you could have." Cowboy was slowing down more and more as things seemed to happen in slow motion, even though it all happened rather quickly after the impact.
******
Back on Buckaroo, Jack and Earl were worried and kept trying to contact Cowboy on the company radio frequencies, and on the satellite phones as well.
"Think we should call the Coast Guard, Jack?" Earl asked, with a tone that said he was going to anyway.
"Yes! But let's wait a few more minutes; remember it could take a while for them to get through that storm," Jack responded, as he was trying to chart on his flight charts of the area around Hawaii. The location of Cowboy based on the last satellite contact. He continued, "Last contact was at 22º20'19" N - 154º24'50" W. That should help if we need it. God! That's only about 150 miles from the islands. They could be there by now. Maybe we need to call the air traffic control on the islands?"
Good idea, hon," Earl stated as he placed the call on the satellite phone. Making the connection, he asked if they had heard from Cowboy. They had not, so he told them of their last contact and all the specifics of the last communication, including the location that Jack had plotted. Air Traffic Control immediately turned the information over to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard then called Earl, getting more information about the type of plane, and how many people on board, and the approximate location again. They told him that they would send out a fixed wing to look for them within the next hour if they did not make contact by the time they should arrive in Hawaii, on their original flight plan. This would be within the next hour or so. Earl thanked them and asked, "If and when you find out anything, would you please call us back and let us know?"
The officer in charge assured them they would notify them.
******
Back on Cowboy, or what was left of the plane - yes, it was still afloat, but for how long? No one really knew. They had finally come to a stop moving forward, but the plane was rocking in the heavy seas. John and Larry were busy getting the life raft ready to push out through the door, once they opened it.
Mark and Luke were getting out of their seats, and helping Colt who was trying to get Matt to wake up without much luck. Colt tried to drag Matt back out of the flight deck with his right hand, but his own left arm was throbbing with pain every time he pulled on Matt.
"Dad, get out of the way, and let me get him. Mark, you take Dad," he said, pointing at Colt. "And I'll try to get our other Dad," Luke told his brother, as he bent down to take a closer look at Matt. Pressing three fingers against the side of Matt's neck, he said, "He has a good pulse!" then he checked as best he could for other obvious injuries; finding none, he began to move him in such a way as not to cause more harm than good. But he also knew he didn't have a lot of time before Cowboy would began to sink.
As Mark and Colt entered the lounge area of the plane, they saw Larry and John opening the door with the life raft ready to deploy. Mark helped them while Colt looked around the cabin. He spotted the satellite phone on the floor, already with a couple inches of water on it. He also saw James' portrait; he picked up the phone first, pocketed it, then reached out, picked up James' picture, and handed it to Mark.
"JOHN ... YOU ... LARRY, COME HERE, QUICK!" Luke yelled, as he was struggling with Matt. "We need to get him into the life raft first. He's alive, but bleeding bad; we need the first aid kit; is it on the raft?" Looking toward the open door, he could see the raft was inflated and tied to the doorway.
"Yes, even the big kit from the galley's in the raft!" John said rather loudly to Luke.
They had just helped Colt into the raft; even James' picture was already there. They both returned to Luke, helping him with Matt. It was a struggle, but the three of them were able to get Matt onto the raft. Luke motioned for them to get in, too.
"I'm going back for a last-minute look; I'll be right back!" Luke yelled out the open door.
"NO DON'T ... GO BACK IN THERE... SON!" Colt screamed. But it was too late. Luke had disappeared back into Cowboy. Colt got up and was heading back toward Cowboy's open door....
Mark reached up and grabbed his dad, "You stay here, he'll be fine! Besides you're hurt, too! And we need to take care of Matt!"
John and Larry had placed Matt on his back, stretched out so that his head was elevated some. They got out the first aid kit to work on him. They really needed to get that blood stopped, and fast. It had all seemed like hours, but it had only been a few minutes from impact until the present. Looking at poor Matt lying there in his own blood, you would have thought he'd been laying there for a long time.
Being a good chauffeur and body guard, Larry knew his first aid well. He was well trained and this was something the company made everyone take - advanced first aid training almost to the EMT level. He first examined the wound, making sure there was nothing imbedded in the laceration, then poured a liberal amount of antiseptic over the area; pulling out the largest gauze pad he could find, he placed it over the wound and then applied pressure to stop the bleeding. "It's a long cut! I don't know about a possible concussion, but we need to keep a close watch on him." Then he sat beside Matt while everyone else stared at the door, anxious for Luke to return.
Inside, Luke had picked up a sack full of extra water bottles, oranges, and a bottle of brandy, remembering something his dad had once told him about it being the only good thing in emergencies. He didn't forget the other first aid kit and flight logs from the flight deck. Then he headed back to the door when he felt Cowboy began to roll more and more toward the door; he needed to move fast before the doorway was underwater. In one fluid motion, he moved to the doorway, untied the raft, and jumped in. "LET'S GET AWAY, GUYS ... COWBOY... IS SINKING."
They all looked at the once beautiful Cowboy, with it's two thin golden stripes, trailing off at the rear of the fuselage, into flames of black and gold; bucking broncos on the tail as he slipped beneath the sea; never to be seen again.
Mark and Luke began to cry, remembering the fun they'd had when learning to fly that once beautiful plane, as they, too, watched the plane slowly submerge and vanish forever into the depths of Davy Jones' Locker; they sobbed aloud, unashamedly.
Mark was the first to speak; "It's gone!... It's all my fault, too!... I'm never gonna fly again ... ever ... again!
Luke echoed, "It's not your fault as much as it's mine! You'll never ... ever ... see me flying any plane again!" he sobbed, looking at his dad, as Larry was splinting Colt's arm.
Colt, too, had tears in his eyes, not from the pain of his arm, but from seeing Matt lying there, not moving, and not knowing how badly he was hurt. And for his two sons who were taking the crash so badly, as though they had done it on purpose. Last, but not the least, was losing Cowboy. Colt really felt all alone right then, but he had to stop the boys' reaction before it set in.
He yelled, "Both of you! Now listen up... yes, I mean both of you... you hear me?!?! You did everything right, up there, I don't think Matt or I could have done anything different. I think if we'd been at the controls, we'd have flown into that storm thinking we would have been ok. Sometimes there just isn't a right way to do things, that's why we call them accidents. Now stop that talk of quitting; you're no quitters, you're my sons, and I love you no matter what happens. And if Matt were awake, he'd tell you the same thing. You hit a squall line and there isn't much you could have done; it popped up and you handled it the best you could." He then smiled at his two sons, trying to set a little mood.
"There's a name for it; it's called a Squall, (Line Echo Wave Pattern on the radar, 'LEWP') most of them are easy to handle, and others like the one we hit, are not; the one we hit was terrible and it came too fast; we were too low, and even if you'd seen it, it would have been too late. So stop this talk of quitting. You two are not quitters," Colt continued telling the twins.
Colt was gentle but firm with his sons. "Right now, we need help, so if you want to worry... worry about getting rescued and getting some help for Matt; he needs our help right now, and a doctor, soon." Colt was gently brushing Matt's hair out of his eyes with his right hand, as his left was, by then, splinted and in a sling that Larry had used from one of the first aid kits. Colt then moved away from Matt to give Larry more room to work.
Through tears, Mark crawled over and sat next to Matt, "Pop, don't you dare die on us; we need you... more than ever!" He really began to cry, once the adrenaline had slowed down from the crash.
Larry had just finished wrapping Matt's head with bandages to hold pressure on the gauze pad. Then he looked at Luke and asked, "Would you like to take my place here by your dad?"
"I sure would," Luke replied as he moved into place next to Matt. Then, looking at Colt, he asked, "Dad, what can we do? Did anyone get one of the ‘sat phones’?"
"I got one," Colt stated, "but it was on the floor and soaked... we'll need to get it dried out before it'll work." Suddenly, the thought hit him, 'Where is the rain?' Then, shaking his head, he continued, "Funny, we hit that big storm, and now there's no rain, not that I'm complaining, mind you, I'm just glad it's dry, for sure. It'll make it easier for rescue to find us."
"Guys, I brought the sandwiches and potato salad from the galley that I'd made, there in that chest," John said, trying to hold a smile... but not succeeding very well.
"Thanks, John, we'll need food soon, but remember, the raft has some dehydrated survival food as well. So we'll eat the sandwiches and salad first. By then, maybe we’ll be rescued." Colt looked at the twins who were both close to Matt, trying to keep him warm with their own bodies and some blankets that had been stored on the raft. "Did you guys notice how far we were from the islands when we went down?"
With a sniffle, Mark said, "I think we were about one hundred and sixty miles or so, Dad." He placed his head on Matt's chest, listening to his heartbeat, and knowing that it meant his dad was still alive. Holding his right hand, rubbing it with his other hand, he tried to keep it warm.
"Did anyone turn on the emergency radio beacon?" John ask with a questioning look.
"That was set off automatically when the life raft was opened, and there are spare batteries in the side pockets of the raft," Mark answered still resting his head on Matt's chest, his eyes half-closed.
Larry asked, "When will they start the search? Did anyone get off a MAYDAY?" He was worried; you could see it in his eyes and the strange expression on his face.
"I did," Luke stated, "and I also turned on the floating radio beacon. It should be somewhere close to us - it was automatically released from Cowboy when we stopped moving."
"Great, son! I didn't think you had the time with all that was happening up there," Colt chuckled trying to keep the atmosphere on the brighter side. He pulled the 'sat phone' out and began to take it apart. "Hand me some of that cotton." He continued to work on the phone, trying to get it dry enough to work. All the time, he was thinking of Earl and Jack’s last call. ‘Knowing those guys, they might have called in for us; God, I hope so.’ Then he spoke his thoughts out loud. "I was just thinking of Earl and Jack. I think they might have called our location in, if I know those two. They’re probably worried sick, not knowing what happened."
"Hope you're right!" John said, still looking worried. "Anyone hungry?" he asked as he reached for the chest.
"Luke, can I take another look at Matt? If you’ll just move a little," Larry asked, as he moved in for another look at Matt’s head and bandage. The bandage was becoming really soaked with blood; he didn't want to put more pressure on the wound until he was more sure of a possible fractured skull. He lifted each of Matt's eyelids holding his hand so that the sun was blocked, then moved it quickly to see if there was a reaction to the light. "Good, I don’t think he’s got a concussion, but he's gonna have one helluva head ache when he wakes up." He then checked the other eye, and added more gauze to the packing on his head. "If this don’t stop soon," Larry mumbled, just talking out loud to himself, "I'm gonna have to try and stitch it up."
"I can help, Larry!" Luke offered, but with a deep worried expression. "Will you have to shave the hair away? I can do..." he began to cry again..
"Let’s wait a while, I would like to see that blood stop first. And maybe we’ll be rescued soon," Larry told Luke, remembering what Colt had just told them. "How is your arm, Colt? You look like you're in pain."
"It hurts like HELL! But I'll survive!" Colt grimaced a smile, "Give me one of those pain pills." Larry took the bottle, and handed it to him.
The crew of Cowboy were drifting with the current, now, just waiting for rescue or the satellite phone to dry out enough to make a call for help. One nice thing about those phones - they had the GPS information, and the ability to display it, so you could always give the right location to whoever you were calling. That is, if the window wasn't full of water. The sun was starting to dip into the western sky as the survivors looked on, hoping for rescue soon. All but Matt had eaten their sandwiches, and some of the oranges. They still had some of the water bottles that Luke had brought from the plane. Mark even tried to get some water into Matt as he lay there, still unconscious.
******
In Denver, Mike and the bunch were just sitting down to a wonderful dinner at the Cattleman's restaurant. Johnny and Grace had some news they were excited to share with the family.
Holding up her left hand so everyone could see, Grace announced, "LOOK what sweet'ums got me, today!" She was showing a beautiful diamond engagement ring with a rock that would have knocked your eyes out.
Mike reached over and took her hand in his, "Now, that's a rock for ya!" He smiled an all-approving warm smile. "When's the big day?" he asked.
"Congratulations!" could be heard from all around the table.
Andrew smiled and winked at Johnny, "You mean she can put up with your shenanigans!" Then he reached over and took Grace's hand and kissed the back of it. "You'll make a great addition to the family, hon!"
Julie and Jo, both in unison, said, "You'll make a handsome pair, and yes, when is the big day?"
"We haven't set a date yet; we were thinking sometime this coming summer," Johnny cutely replied, with his own sheepish grin.
Everyone seemed to be very excited and happy for them, and the meal continued without further ado. By the time dinner had ended and before everyone headed off in their different directions for the night, Andrew asked a pointed question, "Has anyone heard anything from our gallivantin' boys?"
"Reminds me, I need to call them, tomorrow, and see when they're coming back. Christmas is just around the corner, and we need to start making some plans," Mike stated, happily smiling as he got up from the table, leaving a nice tip.
******
Earl, Jack, and now Carrie, were all worried about the family, not hearing from them was frightening for the crew on Buckaroo.
"You think we should call Mike or Andrew and let them know they are missing?" Jack asked, looking over his shoulder at Carrie with a very worried expression.
Carrie replied, "Let me call Greg and see what he thinks. He might have heard something already." She turned and walked off the flight deck, pulled out the satellite phone, and placed the call.
"Hi, hon," Greg answered.
"We have a bad situation here; Jack and Earl were talking to the twins in Cowboy, and they apparently hit some kind of storm on their way to Hawaii. Have you heard from them? We haven't," Carrie inquired; worry, evident in her voice.
"GOD, NO! I didn't know anything about it. Has anyone notified the Coast Guard about it?" Greg asked.
"Yes, Earl or Jack did; they haven't heard back from them, yet. I wonder if we should let Mike and Andrew know what's going on?"
"Hon, it seems you know more than I do. Why don't you try and contact them? I know if we know something they don't ... there will be hell to pay! If we don't tell them." Greg said, quite adamant about it.
"Ok, I'll take care of that. I sure hope everything's ok, I'd hate to see another tragedy in the family. I don't think they could take another."
"Me either, hon! Let me know everything you find out. OK?"
"I will, hon; talk to you soon," Carrie said as she turned off the phone.
Checking the time in Denver, she decided on calling Mike right away. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but it had to be done, and she knew it.
All of us sent our strength to her, as well as to those who were adrift, waiting for rescue.
"Hi Carrie!" Andrew answered.
"Andrew, I have some bad news; is Mike there? I'd like for you both to hear this together," she asked him.
"Just a minute, he's in the boy's room but should be out soon; we were about to hit the sack. How bad is the news?" Andrew asked.
Then Mike came out of the bathroom drying his hands and mouthing, 'Who is on the phone?'
"Here he is now, Carrie! Let me put you on speaker." Andrew switched the phone into speaker mode.
"Hi Carrie!" Mike yelled from across the room, heading toward the bed where Andrew was sitting.
"Ok, guys, what's up is this; as far as we know, Cowboy was about 150 miles out of Hawaii when they apparently hit some kind of bad storm. They were talking to Earl and Jack at the time. The last words they heard from them were, 'Speaking of clouds, these are getting pretty dark up here!' Those were Mark's words. After that they've not been able to get in touch with them," Carrie told them, and waited for their reactions.
"OH ... NO ... NOT AGAIN!!" Mike shouted, so loud that, Johnny and Grace in the next room heard him. Both jumped out of bed and threw on some hotel-furnished robes, and headed for their room.
Andrew pulled Mike close and hugged him saying, "Let's not jump to conclusions, hon. They might be just fine, and maybe they've only lost their communication ability."
"You're right, Andrew, it could be that's all. But let me tell you what else our guys did," Carrie stated hoping it would set their minds a little easier.
"What's been done so far, Carrie?" Mike asked, quite worried.
*Knock Knock*
From the hall, Johnny asked, "Can we come in, please?"
"Come on in; the door's not locked," Andrew yelled out.
Johnny and Grace entered the room and noticed both Mike and Andrew were naked except for the towels they had wrapped around them. Grace said, "Excuse me, I'll leave and come back when you're dressed."
She turned to leave, but Andrew yelled, "No, stay here, Grace; this is important."
"But you guys aren't dressed," she said, blushing.
"Hon, we don't have anything you haven't already seen, I'm sure!" Andrew said, smiling at her. Then he added, "Listen up, and we'll fill you in, soon as Mike finishes."
Then Carrie jumped back in with, "Earl or Jack called the Coast Guard and they're gonna look for them and contact our pilots as soon as they know something. And I'll have them contact you as soon as they hear anything."
"Ok, Carrie," Mike stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "you let me know just as soon as you hear anything, I don't care what time it is, you hear me...!?!?"
"I sure will, Mike, I just hope all is ok with them. OH! And one other thing - I'm already making plans if we need to head for Hawaii. I'll call this trip off in a second. But I know you already know that." Carrie told all who were listening at the other end.
"Thank you, hon, I appreciate the call, and don't ever worry about calling me anytime." Mike told her, closing the connection.
Mike then turned to face Johnny and Grace telling them all that happened in the last few minutes. And that they should get back to the ranch in the morning so as to be home if they needed to be there.
******
Back on the raft, night had set in, and everyone was asleep; with the gentle rocking of the waves and slapping sounds on the raft, it had the effect of putting them all into dreamland. They had all cuddled together under what few blankets were available. Matt was still unconscious, but he was in the middle of the pack of survivors. The guardian angels were all praying for them.
"Is that you Charlie?" Matt asked as he saw a bright white tunnel of light way off in the distance...
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