The Rowen (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 7)

by JC Ryan

  The agent stepped away looking relieved when the doctor nodded.

  “We need to address the bullet lodged above her heart … it’s injured the right pulmonary artery and it could fail at any moment,” the doc said even as he began the process.

  “Looks like half her liver is gone,” Stan commented appalled.

  “More than half — must have been hit by a hollow-point. We’ll be lucky if there’s enough left to keep her alive.”

  “Can she live without a liver?” Daniel asked.

  “Without one? No. But if we can save at least twenty-five percent she can … it is one of the few organs in the body that can regenerate over time.”

  “Excuse me gentlemen,” Ken said and started his report on Daniel’s shoulder for Stan. “The blood has started to dry, and some of the bandages are sticking to the wound; I’m going to soak them off with some saline solution.” It took him a few minutes and then he continued.

  “Hmmm. There’s no exit wound, so the bullet is still in there. The wound is red and angry but isn’t actively bleeding. I’ll clean it up a bit and re-bandage it until the doc can take a look at it.”

  “Thank you, Ken,” Daniel smiled.

  Chapter 30- I can, but you won’t like it

  Half an hour later, Daniel left the press-section-turned-medical-bay area of the plane with Jack, who was limping from the bullet wound in his lower leg, sporting a shiner on his right eye, and had one hell of a headache. The doctor, Stan, and Max were still busy with the President, and the two men went in search of Peter for a status update.

  Moving forward along the left side of the plane, they spotted him coming out of the Main Galley with a cup of coffee.

  He saw them as they approached and grinned. “You two are a site for sore eyes!” Then he grew somber, “How’s the President?”

  “Not good,” Daniel answered. “The doctor and Max are doing everything they can. What’s happening here?”

  Peter frowned, “Come on, let’s go talk to the pilot—he can answer that better than I can.”

  They followed him up the stairs to the upper deck and took a seat in the Communication Center. “Daniel, why don’t you call Sam and the guys while I fetch the pilot,” Peter suggested.

  “Good idea” Daniel replied pulling out his mirror phone to get the Rabbit Hole on the line.

  A few minutes later the pilot joined them, introducing himself as ‘Chuck,’ shaking hands with Daniel and Jack as he sat down.

  “Well gentlemen, that was certainly the most exciting take-off Air Force One has ever had, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

  “It felt like we lost an engine just after take-off,” Jack said.

  “Yes, we lost the number one engine just after we got airborne—damage from bullets is my guess. The problem is that the number two engine was also damaged and is showing signs of impending failure as well.”

  Daniel paled. “Can a plane this big stay in the air with only two engines?”

  “Yes, Mr. Vice President; this plane can fly with one engine,” Chuck replied, “but I won’t have much fun—especially when it comes time to land.”

  “Mhh, well, if you say so but…”

  Chuck smiled. “Mr. Vice President, this plane has armored windows, a shell that can withstand the Electromagnetic Pulse from a nuclear blast, countermeasures to hide it from radar, and flares to confuse heat-seeking missiles. She’s a tough bird, and she even has a glide ratio of fifteen to one—at this altitude, we could glide for over one hundred miles if necessary.

  Daniel looked impressed, “What’s the plan then?”

  “I had them set course for Dallas as planned and the decoys are supposed to arrive soon, then we’ll be able to change our heading to Denver—Owen is there waiting for us,” Peter said referring to their writer friend and pilot who owned the ranch, known as Mount Ararat, which they used as a base to the nearby Rabbit Hole.

  “We’re going to need another plane, to transport everyone from there,” Daniel said.

  “Okay, we’ll see what we can do—maybe we can commandeer a jet,” Sam replied. “

  “The problem is, Owen and I aren’t trained to fly jets,” Peter said.

  “I can fly pretty much anything that has manmade wings,” Chuck grinned. “I’ll get you where you’re going.”

  “Alright, we’ll see what we can have ready for you when you land,” Sam replied.

  Just then the noise of the engines grew slightly quieter, and the plane dipped softly forward and to the left, correcting almost immediately.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen, I believe that was engine number two,” Chuck stood and headed quickly for the cockpit.

  Sam and the others were on speaker from the Rabbit Hole, listening to the discussions.

  “So, let me see if I understand your situation correctly.” Sam started. “The President is shot up pretty bad, along with a young Marine; Daniel took a bullet to the shoulder; you copped a bullet through the left calf muscle, and there are quite a few others with less severe injuries and wounds.

  “In addition, gunfire damaged two engines which have now failed, plus the cargo bay is full of holes, so you had to seal the lower decks completely in order to pressurize the rest of the plane.

  “In other words—things aren’t going very smoothly—but at least you have a spare engine because the plane can still fly with one engine.”

  “Sam, you’ll definitely have to see a professional person about that sudden life-threatening streak of optimism that overtook you,” Jack replied.

  Daniel and Peter started laughing, but Daniel’s laughing was short-lived as a blinding pain shot through his shoulder.

  In the background, the laughter coming from the Rabbit Hole could be heard.

  “So, I take it that’s the size of it, Jack?” Sam asked.

  “Yep, you’ve got it,” Jack replied.

  “As I understand it, Sam, we’re about two-and-a-half hours out of Denver. We’re going to try to stabilize everyone so they are ready to be moved when we arrive,” Daniel said.

  “Okay, sounds good. Roy says his decoys are in position now Peter; you can let the pilots know.”

  “On my way,” Peter replied as he disappeared toward the cockpit. He still marveled at the ‘toys’ Roy created. In this case, a drone designed to look like an owl would fly up close to Air Force One, create an electromagnetic field that would make it look like a 747 to radar, and then fly off in a different direction. It would look like Air Force One was headed to South America, but four hours into the flight the drone would self-destruct in an explosion that would leave no trace—vaporized.

  ***

  Within minutes of the phone call from Daniel, Rebecca was hurriedly gathering the instruments and supplies she thought she would likely need, packing them into a bag in a semi-orderly fashion. Not really knowing what to expect, she planned for the worst.

  Her sister, Cyndi, helped her pack medical supplies. Cyndi was a Nurse Practitioner, and Rebecca welcomed her assistance in treating whatever was coming their way.

  “I can’t stuff anymore supplies into these bags,” Cyndi said. “But I can’t think of anything else we should take with us anyway.”

  Rebecca surveyed the room. “I can’t either, and even if we did, how in the world would we get it there? I can already hear Aaron and the others complaining about us using them as pack animals.”

  Aaron poked his head into the medical center and whistled at the sight of the supply bags. “We need to talk about getting some pack animals,” he said.

  Rebecca gave Cyndi an ‘I-told-you-so’ look—Cyndi just smiled.

  “So, are you two just about ready to leave?”

  “Yes, we’ve got everything we can think of.”

  “And then some, it seems. All right; I’ll get the guys, and we’ll be on our way.”

  Nigel, JR, Aaron, and the brothers Jack and Shane Walker, had volunteered to accompany Rebecca and Cyndi on the hike to the farm.

  Sarah was goi
ng to stay behind at the command center to wait for updates. “Luke and I will leave for Mt. Ararat as soon as they’re off the ground in Denver.”

  “We’ll see you there—hang in there Sarah, he’s going to be just fine,” Rebecca encouraged.

  Sarah’s eyes brimmed with tears, she swallowed hard and said tightly, “Thank you Rebecca; I hope and pray you’re right.”

  ***

  “That’s all we can do for now, Max. She’s stable, but…” The doctor swallowed the rest of his words.

  Daniel and Jack had returned a few minutes before and heard the glum report.

  “How bad is she?” Daniel asked.

  Shaking his head the doctor answered sadly. “As you know, I removed her spleen. I was able to repair the damaged pulmonary artery and stop all the internal bleeding, but she lost most of her liver, her right kidney and left lung. She also lost a lot of blood and barely has the minimum volume left to stay alive. We used the supply of O-negative blood aboard just to get her through the surgery.”

  “But there’s other blood in storage.”

  “Yes, but it isn’t O-negative, which is the only type compatible with all other types. Without knowing her blood-type, I can’t risk using the other.”

  “Will she recover?”

  The doctor bit his lower lip momentarily. “Barring a miracle … no.”

  Daniel stood silently, swallowing several times with his jaw muscles clenched. “How’s the boy?” Daniel asked looking over at Rick’s unconscious form.

  “He’ll pull through.”

  “He’d better,” Jack said tightly. “That’s one of the bravest Marines I’ve ever seen. He shielded the President with his own body—twice—taking bullets both times. Every bullet in him was one less in the President.”

  Another quiet moment passed before the doctor spoke again. “I hear we’re about an hour out of Denver. How about I take that bullet out of you Daniel?”

  “Can you do it with me conscious?”

  “I can, but you won’t like it,” the doctor warned.

  “Then that’s how it will be. With the President unconscious, I need to stay alert.”

  “Have it your way—take a seat. I’ll use some local to help dull the pain.”

  Chapter 31- Get this bird ready to land

  Just as Daniel sat down on the chair so the doctor could look at his shoulder, a flash of lightening brightened the inside of the cabin and shortly after the pilot’s voice came over the intercom.

  “Everyone take a seat and strap yourselves in; we’ve got some nasty weather ahead.”

  “Must be pretty bad if he’s making that call,” the doctor commented. “Help me get these two secured,” he said, pointing to the President and Rick.

  Peter, arriving from the flight deck, helped them strap Rick and Laurie to the seats that had been adjusted as improvised beds. “The captain says we just passed over the Oklahoma City area, and there are fierce storms all across the state—high winds, tornados, flooding and such. He says it’s worse on the ground, but it will be a rough ride up here too since we’re flying at a lower altitude than normal.”

  “Can’t he move us to a higher altitude?”

  “Not with only two engines and being less than an hour from landing,” Peter replied

  “Isn’t it dangerous to be flying in a thunderstorm?”

  “Thunderstorms are the most hazardous weather there is when flying. With the high winds, turbulence, lightning, heavy rain, and wind shear, it’s not just dangerous; it’s more like suicidal. Sometimes, like now, it can’t be avoided and you either get through it, or it kills you.”

  Daniel looked at him in stunned disbelief. The plane hit a wind shear and dropped dramatically. Instinctively Daniel grabbed the armrest of his seat, followed by a grunt of pain escaping his mouth. “Swell,” he said through clenched teeth.

  For the next fifteen minutes, the plane bumped, rattled, dropped and rose as it rode the air turbulence like a rollercoaster. People’s bodies grew tenser with every passing minute. There was a flash of lightening; the plane lurched terribly, the lights dimmed and then went out completely.

  The captain’s voice came over the intercom almost immediately. “Peter, I could use your help up front.”

  Peter pulled out his smartphone, switched on the flashlight app and made his way over items scattered around the walkway.

  When he reached the flight deck, Peter saw that Chuck had his hand’s full. His white shirt was splattered with blood that dripped from the side of his head, and he had both hands firmly on the controls, his jaw clenched in concentration.

  One of the communication officers was checking the co-pilot who was unconscious in his seat. “What happened?”

  “He was getting up to secure some of the stuff in the back when we hit that air pocket, and he hit his head on the instrument panel above him.”

  Peter helped the officer disconnect the co-pilot’s harness and ease him to the floor then used the intercom to call the doctor to the flight deck.

  “You’ll have to take the co-pilot position, Peter,” Chuck ordered.

  “What!” Peter exclaimed. “I’ve never flown anything bigger than a twin-engine prop, let alone a 747.”

  “Don’t worry about that now,” Chuck said, “It’s exactly the same, only different.”

  Peter did a double-take, “huh?”

  “The principles of flight remain the same. Right now, I need a second set of hands on the controls. I’ll tell you what I need you to do.”

  “Okay,” Peter said. As he settled into the co-pilot seat, he couldn’t help but grin.

  “How is he doc?” Chuck asked shortly after the doctor arrived and checked to co-pilot

  “Concussion, I think he’ll be alright.”

  “See if you can secure him in a seat. We’re just about out of the weather, but we still have to land and it ain’t gonna be smooth.” Chuck said.

  The communication officer came forward again to assist the doctor.

  “Nick,” Chuck called to the officer. “Go with the doc, have everyone move back to the Guest Section. I want everyone behind the wings.

  “Will do,” Nick responded as he and the doctor descended the stairs.

  As they left the top deck, they heard Peter ask, “What’s the situation, Chuck?”

  “We’re down to one engine; number four was struck by that last lightning flash you saw.”

  Peter paled. Almost breathlessly he asked, “I know you can fly with one engine but can you land this thing on one engine?”

  “Sure!” Chuck replied.

  Peter was surprised by Chuck’s and calm demeanor.

  “Wow! How many times have you done it?”

  Chuck looked at him with a grin, “Four or five times—in a simulator.”

  Peter’s pleased amazement changed to a worried frown. “A simulator? You mean you’ve never actually done it for real?”

  “Think about it, how else can you learn to do it? You have to learn it in the simulator before you can do it. It’s the same with landing on water—you can’t go dumping planes into the water to get practical experience—can you?

  “Look at it this way. If I don’t try it we’ll all be dead, so what do we have to lose?”

  Peter dead-panned him. “I hate your logic.”

  Chuck laughed. “Help me get this bird ready to land; we’re all gonna be just fine.”

  Chapter 32- Into the early morning sky

  Emergency lighting came on while the doctor was gone and Daniel looked around. Everyone seemed to be secure in their seats or improvised beds.

  “What’s going on up there?” Daniel asked as the doctor returned and took his place.

  “It sounds like we lost another engine from a lightning strike.”

  “What?” Daniel released his seatbelt and headed for the flight deck.

  “They’re kinda busy right now,” the doctor said to Daniel’s retreating back.

  Stumbling in the dim light, Daniel made his way
forward and up the stairs, gritting his teeth in pain. As soon as he reached the communications center, he pulled out his mirror phone and called Sam.

  “Hi, Daniel! What’s happening?”

  “I’m about to find out. Sam, I’m putting you on speaker now. I’ve just joined Chuck and Peter in the cockpit.

  “Sam, we’ve had some trouble up here. Chuck, what’s our status?”

  “As you know, we lost two engines due to bullets. We also hit a severe thunderstorm over Oklahoma and our number four engine was shut down by a lightning strike.”

  “Dear God!” Sam exclaimed. “Can that thing be landed with only one engine?”

  Chuck and Peter looked at each other. Chuck shrugged, and Peter said, “It sure can—Chuck here is an expert at it. Done it four or five times before.”

  Daniel saw Chuck break into a grin and wondered what was up but decided not to ask.

  “Wow,” Sam said, “I had no idea!”

  Sarah’s voice came over the phone. “Peter, are you sure?”

  “Don’t worry Sarah, Chuck has done it quite a few times.” He just hoped no one would realize he was lying—sort of. Even if they did, there was nothing they could do—other than worry and panic. “We just started dumping fuel to get rid of unnecessary weight, and we’ll slow our air speed before touching down, so it won’t be a problem.”

  “Oh, ok. I didn’t realize it would be so easy,” Sarah responded with relief.

  Peter froze momentarily and glanced at Chuck from the corner of his eye and mouthed, “easy?”

  Chuck grinned again, shrugged slightly, and busied himself with the controls.

  The silent communication between the two did not escape Daniel, but before he could say anything, Sarah spoke again.

  “How’s the President and the young Marine?” she asked.

  “They’re holding their own for the moment, but we need Rebecca to meet us.”

  “She’s already on her way,” Sarah replied.

  “Alright, Daniel,” Chuck said, “we’re on final approach, time to get yourself strapped in.”

  “Everything is ready for you in Denver,” Sam said. “We’ll see you soon.”