Enduring the Crisis

by Kinney, K. D.

  He nodded barely. “I really thought we were going to get to Homer. We can’t be stuck here.”

  “What’s in Homer? I hear there’s threat of invasion all along the coast. You’re better off here near the bases.” He pushed his chair over to Ben so he could sit down.

  “Looks as if it’s not me that needs to be here.” Nate gave him a sympathetic smile.

  “It’s been a lot.” He shook his head. “We’ve been through a lot and I’m just trying to get home to my family. We have really struggled to get through each leg of our trip and now it’s getting to Homer. It’s starting to look like getting to Anchorage and Idaho are becoming the impossible.” He rubbed his face. “I think I just need sleep after all we’ve been through today.”

  The nurse tugged Ben’s arm and smiled. “I know someone. He’s going to Homer for supplies. He’s taking the hospital’s helicopter. It will be empty on the way there. Let’s see if he can take you. He’s leaving in a few hours.”

  Ben’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe their luck as he grabbed Nate’s arm and looked back at the nurse. “You aren’t joking with me, are you?”

  “No. Of course not.” He asked another nurse to watch Anderson’s vitals as they went to find his friend.

  The nurse took them to the roof of the hospital to meet their helicopter pilot friend.

  “Hey, Wilson.” The nurse opened the door to the office connected to the stairs on the roof.

  “What’s up, Fin?” The burly guy with sunglasses resting on top of his bald head looked up from his computer when the three walked in.

  “These men are stranded here on the island. They need to get to Homer right away.”

  “Yeah? Why’s that? Things aren’t exactly friendly out there on the water. Sounds like they’re considering evacuating anyone living on the coastline.”

  “Seriously?” Nate asked.

  “I don’t know. Rumors are flying like crazy so I don’t know what to believe.” He shook his head as if that didn’t matter to him. “Why you in a hurry? Got wives you’re missing?”

  “Well, yeah. They’re in the lower forty-eight fending for themselves right now.”

  “You didn’t tell me that part,” Nurse Fin said.

  “No? I also have five daughters in the city with my wife. So I’m a little desperate to get back.”

  “I understand why you’re a mess now.” The nurse shook his head. “And you?” He pointed at Nate.

  “My sons are grown and live near my wife and farm in Montana. However, I do need to get home. It’s a lot on my boys to manage their own farms during something like this and try to protect my place too.”

  For the first time, Ben was seeing the strain on Nate’s face when they talked about his family. When it came to getting home, he had been playing it down, as if his problems weren’t as bad as Ben’s and he was just following along. It really was taking more of a toll on Nate than Ben thought.

  Wilson nodded as he thought things through. “They’re shorthanded at the hospital in Homer. If I take you there, you need to help me load up the helicopter. It’s not that bad. Only so much I can fit in here as it is. But I have a really tight window to get there and back. There’s a break in the weather. I never count on those to last long. That is if you can handle flying in a chopper. Not everyone thinks it is much fun especially with the cross winds we get out here.”

  “Oh, I’m up to it.” Ben was actually excited, better than a boat by a long shot and he loved anything that could fly. He looked at Nate.

  Nate was whiter than the paint on the wall. He looked at Ben. “Most days I’d be all for it. Right now, everything has been so dangerous. You know, we’re lucky to be alive.”

  “We’ve been through a lot to get this far. We can’t quit now.” Ben was determined to go even if he had to leave his friend behind. He was sure it wasn’t going to come to that.

  “I’d like to say that there’s nothing to worry about but I can’t say that. There’s always a risk when flying and out here is no party. However, I’ve got a great helicopter, carries lots of cargo and can hold eleven passengers. It’s a sturdy beast.”

  “I’m sure my boss would be willing to pay you for transport,” Ben said.

  “Nah, can’t put that in the books. Not going to explain taking money from civilians to get off the island right now.”

  “Aren’t all civilian flights grounded?” Of course Nate had to ask that.

  “I’m considered Coast Guard and I’m servicing the hospital as well which has to be supplied. I’m going whether you come or not. I happen to be empty on the ride there. Not a big deal. Company is nice to have on the flight over. You coming?”

  Ben waited for the expression on Nate’s face to change and he wasn’t budging. “We can’t wait for another opportunity. It might not come.”

  “You said that on our last trip.” Nate glared at Ben.

  “We wouldn’t be here now if we didn’t take that chance.”

  “One thing. I can’t leave for a few hours but if something comes up between now and then and I’m called out on an emergency, our plans to head out this afternoon are scrapped. I’ll still need to go but I am at the mercy of the reckless souls that roam this island.”

  Nate looked out at the sky. “Where is Homer from here?”

  “That way.” Wilson pointed to the northeast.

  “There’s nothing there,” Nate said.

  “It takes a few hours to get there. If we run into trouble, the Coast Guard is always out there and I have emergency flotation for this thing if we can’t stay in the air. Honestly, I’ve been doing this for about sixteen years now and have never had to use it.”

  “If we go with you, with our luck, today might be the day.” Nate rubbed his head and the worry and the stress was evident all over his body.

  “With our luck, we’ll get there in one piece right when the next opportunity for us to get to Anchorage shows up. Come on, Nate.” Ben rolled his hat in his hands and didn’t realize he was practically wringing it out as he waited for him to give the go ahead. “I’m ready to go. Just give the word. We got this, buddy.” He touched him on the shoulder gently and pleaded with his eyes.

  Nate finally nodded.

  “All right. Be back here in two hours and if it is an uneventful afternoon on the island, we’ll head out.”

  “Oh, I was wondering, do you have access to a HAM radio?” Ben asked.

  “Yes.” Wilson rocked back in his chair. “And if I don’t get any emergency calls, I’ve got some time to kill.”

  “I’ve got a friend in Unalaska trying to reach our families back home. He might have a message for us.”

  Wilson rummaged through the drawer in his desk. “Give me the handle. Be happy to have a chat with him for you.” He handed Ben a sticky note.

  Ben wrote down the call signs and what they wanted Wilson to ask Chuck.

  He couldn’t believe his luck. He was downright giddy as they headed back to the Coast Guard office for their gear and some lunch. Hopefully in a few hours he would be calling his boss to let him know they made it to Homer, he’d have some news from Chuck, and they’d be arranging the next leg of their journey on solid ground.

  Thank You

  Thank you for reading Enduring the Crisis. Many times readers and fans are who keep me writing and motivated to write even more.

  Honest reviews help an author so much. They help others discover their books on Amazon. I’m also able to promote in more places when there are more reviews.

  Would you please leave a review? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

  If you want to know when Book Two Enduring the Journey will be released, you might want to Sign up for my mailing list to be informed first about my latest releases, sales, and exclusive content for subscribers.

  Or you can follow me on Amazon so you can be informed when I release something new.

  My Amazon Author Page

  Also, if you enjoy Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic fictio
n, you won’t want to miss the High Pressure System saga while you wait for Book Two in this trilogy to be released.

  High Pressure System Part One or

  High Pressure System: First Season Underground Parts 1-4 Boxed Set

  Other Books by K.D. Kinney

  Available now:

  If you liked Enduring the Crisis then you might like:

  High Pressure System Part One or

  High Pressure System: First Season Underground Parts 1-4 Boxed Set

  An apocalyptic serial. Rachel is a shy wallflower and typical college student when she is evacuated with a bunch of people she doesn’t know to an underground bunker in the desert. Her family is far away and the only comfort she brings with her are her dogs. When they finally learn what they are hiding from, it might be more information than they can handle. They’ll need to stay underground if they are to survive.

  Don’t miss Part Five, also out now.

  Other Books by me:

  The Legend of Little Sharpshooter Historical Young Adult with Romance. The story of 16 year old Miranda Carter as she travels with her horse, her guns, a reformed horse thief that saves her life, and an old family friend that exploits her sharpshooting skills while outlaws chase them across the West in the 1880’s.

  The Children of Dragons: Awakening The beginning of an epic Young Adult fantasy tale about Robin and Raven, the human and dragon children of Draden, the dragon exiled from Dragon Rule by his power hungry brother Lithdore. It’s a tale of family love as the siblings try to find their place in a world where neither of them fit in and yet they might be the ones that can bring their dragon father to power and save mankind.

  Dedication

  There is a very good author friend of mine that has guided me as I pulled the concepts of this story together and if he reads this far, he knows who he is. And if this book does well, I owe a lot to him for that success.

  The concept of this book was put together a little differently than my others. It was like: What if an E.M.P happened to me? What would I do? I’m not nearly as prepared as Tammy so I’d be up a creek if it really happened. Then I thought about: What if my family was in this situation and my husband was still working up in Alaska? It all snowballed from there creating this story.

  My husband is a huge inspiration for Ben. He’s worked in a couple of small villages in Alaska building roads. Not the one in this story but in other small villages. We’ve actually “adopted” a few of the villages up there and have sent clothes, coats, and other kid things up there to help the children that don’t have access to the things we have here. He’s been a huge support for me as I have pursued writing so this story is dedicated to him and his dedication for not only providing for my family, but making sure others that have less than we do are taken care of.

  My daughters are also my joy and my aggravation some days. They are great inspiration for the family dynamic with the Powell sisters. This book is also dedicated to them. They are also supportive when I have to shut myself away for hours to make sure my books are as good as they can be.

  About the Author

  K.D. Kinney is a mother of five daughters. Surrounded by far too much estrogen, shoes, and ponytail holders, they are the inspiration for many of her characters when writing for Young Adults. K.D. Kinney lives in the heart of Boise, Idaho and spends her days writing with her Chiweenies, Dobby and Yoda, sleeping at her feet. That is when they aren’t chasing squirrels or barking at every thump in the house.

  You can get the latest info on when the next season of High Pressure System is going to start and other books that are published by K.D. Kinney at:

  You can Sign up for my mailing list

  Follow my Amazon Author Page

  My Blog

  I’m on Goodreads

  K.D. Kinney on Facebook