Now they were about to head home to an empty house for six more days. No warm dinner waiting for him. No sexy smile greeting him when he came through the door. No kisses that got carried away. Just a cold empty bed that would smell like the woman he loved without holding her body in its sheets. He’d fall asleep tonight clutching a pillow that smelled like her instead of spooned up against that perfectly curvy pinup body, he already was in love with. On top of all that he felt like he might be getting sick. There was this lead pit sitting in his stomach and the closer to the bungalow, he got the worse he felt. He’d just pulled into his parking spot and was sure he was going to puke his guts out when his phone rang. It was the office phone at Disaster City, which meant either Sarge or one of the instructors was calling him. They’d only call if it was important, so he took a deep breath to try to calm his stomach and hit the answer button putting the phone on speak. “This is Cornilus.”
“Jackson, this is Master Sargent Young. I need you to return to the center son.”
“I’m sorry sir can this wait until morning? I’m feeling a little off tonight.”
“Listen to me Jackson it’s Roxy, something’s happened, and I need you to return here.”
The lead weight had just settled not on his gut but over his heart. “What are you talking about sir? Roxy’s on her way home to Anchorage.”
“As of an hour ago her plane is considered lost and possibly crashed. The last radio contact was a mayday that they’d been struck by lightening and their instruments and electronics were scrambled. The pilot said they were losing altitude he thought, and they were going to do an emergency wilderness landing. Then the radio went out, and they dropped below radar range. Last known position was between Vancover and Anchorage, over the Yukon wilderness. A team of search and rescue people are being assembled as we speak.”
And the lead was gone. “No sir, I’ll take my own team.”
“Son you know that isn’t how it works. There're teams closer than us.”
“It’s my wife sir! I don’t care who’s closer. It’s my wife, and I’m going after her.”
“I can’t authorize that Jackson.”
Jackson sat up and restarted his jeep. “I don’t care if you can authorize it you radio whoever is organizing that team that I’ll be there, and they had better have all the information for me when I get there.”
“Jackson…”
Jackson's foot hit the accelerator pushing it to the floor. “Sarge I made her a promise. I told her I’d always be there for her. I promised her if she was lost, I’d find her. I’m going after her. I’ll hire a team, but I’m going get me all the information you can because I’m leaving as soon as I get a rescue chopper that can make the trip. If it was your wife Sarge what would you do.”
“I’ll see who's willing to go with ya. Better start looking for a chopper son. I’ll have all the latest Intel when you arrive.”
“I’m ten minutes out.”
“Copy that.”
Jackson hung up and the phone instantly rang again. He glanced at the screen and was completely shocked at who was calling him. “Sam Ryder, why are you calling me out of the blue?”
“I don’t know Jackson, want to tell me why I’m in my biggest helo headed to Texas with my uncle David and little brother Bart?”
“You guys get one of those famous Ryder callings to come visit me suddenly did ya?”
“You might say that. David showed up and said we need to find some people that were lost up north, but we needed to pick you up first. Then Bart came tearing up the lane with his detailed medic's kit saying we needed to fly. Funny thing I had just landed at the ranch in big helo for no reason.”
“I’ll give ya a reason; my wife of three weeks was flying home to Anchorage today, her plan reported a lightning strike and indicated they were attempting a wilderness dead stick landing when radio and radar contact was lost. How’s that for a reason?"
“Sounds like I’m about to pay back my little debt for that little assist you gave me in Siberia a few years ago.”
“I believe you may be right. I’m pulling into Disaster City as we speak how long until you guys arrive?”
“Look west you can probably see us so ten minutes max. How many on board the plane?”
“Flight crew of two, my wife and a flight attendant. She has a ton of survival gear too so if they survived the landing chances are good we can rescue them all.”
“We’ll have room for you and one more. That will put us at max occupancy with the survivors if they all made it.”
“I’ll have a starting point and my gear and dog that’s all. See ya in ten.”
Jackson jumped out and ran to the office. “Info now.I need the last location and what we know. My team lands in five minutes.”
Sarge handed him a map with a single dot on it. “That’s the point when they dropped off the radar. Who’s your team and how’d they get here so fast?’
“They were already on the way. Called me right after you hung up. Sam Ryder and company from Ryder security contractors.”
“Ah the family with that strange danger sensor. You know them do ya?”
“We’ve had a few run ins, and they owed me one. Guess this time they were sent to help me keep my promise.”
The older man slapped him on the back “I’ll have the tower authorize them to land and top off their fuel. You and Pinga go get our girl home. If you do it well consider that your certifications. God’s speed to you Jackson.”
“Thank you sir.”
Jackson and Pinga took off running jumped in the jeep and raced to where the Helo was just sitting down. As they stopped the jeep and climbed out Jackson watched as the fuel truck locked on and topped off the fuel tank. Jackson pointed at the open door to the large back helo. “Load up Ping” The dog jumped inside and Jackson followed his gear pack hanging off one shoulder. “Welcome aboard Corny. Hear you done got yourself a wife. Is she blind or just crazy?
Jackson slapped first Bart and then Sam on the shoulder and turned Roxy’s profile picture to show David Ryder. “Neither sir, just crazy about me. Now what say we head north and pull her beautiful curvy backside out of the ice and snow.”
Samuel Ryder nodded and started spinning up the rotor. Within five minutes they were lifting into the sky headed north west toward Vancover and the last known location of Roxanna’s plane.
Nine
Roxy
Roxanna had wedged herself between the recliner in front of her and the one she was sitting in and held on for dear life praying for a miracle all the way down. God must have been listening today as the plane hit some trees that seemed to slow them some and then bounced a couple of times off the ground before one wing hitting a stand of cedar trees and spinning to the left where it then slid for a bit finally burying the nose into a snow bank stopping the plane. Roxanne waited until a minute or two passed to be sure they were really stopped and then she took off her belt and stood. She walked around the main cabin noticing that there didn’t seem to be any tears in the fuselage, and they seemed to still have battery power. She could see Susan laying on the ground up by the door to the flight deck. She hurried over to check on her friend. Just as she got there the woman sat up with a groan and put her hand on her head. “You alright Susan?”
“Feel a little dizzy and have a headache not bad for surviving a plane crash.”
“Sounds like you might have a concussion. Let’s move you slow and easy to one of the seats okay. I need you to take it slow and easy, and once you're seated don’t fall asleep.”
“I’m so tired Roxy. What happened anyway?”
“We got struck by lightning and then crashed in the Yukon Wilderness.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, I’d say that isn’t good. Let me check on the guys okay?”
“Sure, but they won’t open while we're in the air.”
“We aren’t in the air right now.”
Susan scrunched up her face. “We aren’t,
what happened?”
Well, that confirmed it; she definitely had a concussion. “The plane crashed.”
“Oh! That’s not good are Joe and Phil okay?”
“I’m just going to check on them.”
Roxy walked up to the door and knocked on it. “Hey Joe, Phil you guys okay in there?”
She could hear a muffled scream, and then some moans, and shuffling. Then the door opened, and the pilot stood in front of her with a badly broken left arm. She could she the bone end pressed up against his skin stretching it. Thankfully, I hadn’t broken through the skin that was worse. “Sorry I don’t know are you Joe or Phil?”
“I’m Phil, Mrs. Cornilus. That’s Joe in the seat. He dislocated his knee.”
“Yep okay and you obviously broke your arm. Come out here where I can get to some of my rescue gear, and I’ll set it for you. It will still hurt like all things unholy, but at least it will be more stable. All I can give you for the pain is alcohol and Ibuprofen.”
“We need to help Joe out of the seat.”
Roxy shook her head. “Hey Joe you alright to sit there a little longer?”
“Yeah it doesn't hurt too much If I don’t try to move around.”
“Just sit tight then I’m gonna go set Phil’s arm then I’ll be back to help you alright.”
“Sure how’s Susan?”
“She’s alive has a concussion I think, but she’ll heal. Miracle of Miracles none of us died.”
“Yeah that’s a good thing. Think we parked it a little crooked though.”
“Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing right?”
"It is today ma’am.”
“It’s just Roxy, Joe, we survive a plan crash together you get to call me by my first name.”
“Yeah well we aren’t out of the frozen woods yet.”
“We will be we just have to survive. My husband is the head of Anchorage Search and Rescue, and I can tell you right now he’s on his way to get us out of here safe and sound.”
Okay what's your pain medicine of choice Phil? Looks like your choices are tequila, vodka, scotch or bourbon."
“Well if I’m gonna medicate the liquid way I always wanted to try the whiskey there in the blue bottle that stuffs like a month's salary a bottle for me.”
Roxy laughed as she pulled it off the shelf and handed it to him with a tumbler of ice. “Knock a few back my friend while you administer your pain medication. I’ll figure out how to get into the cargo hold and get to my packs.”
“There’s an emergency hatch up by the galley in front of the microwave.”
“Great I’ll be back shortly. Besides drinking pain level down try and keep Susan awake will ya?”
“You got it Roxy.”
“Roxy quickly got down in the hold and found her ultimate gear bag and dragged it over to the emergency hatch. She opened it and found an air splint and pocket pump she could use on Phil's arm once she got the bone realigned. That was going to be the hard part but thanks to watching all of Rudy’s videos and shows she knew the basics. She came back into the main cabin and spoke to Susan keeping her awake and answered the same questions again for the woman. Then she went to Phil with her splint and co2 air pump. “Okay Phil this is gonna hurt, and I won’t hold anything you say against you or take it personal just try not to hit me with your good hand okay?”
“Maybe you should use Susan's belt to tie that hand to the seat just to be safe.”
“Great idea.” So she grabbed the belt and strapped his good hand to the armrest and then slid the air cast over his broken one before grabbing the wrist and pulling until her other hand could slide the jagged it of the bone back across the other end. Phil cussed and screamed until he passed out. When the bone was a close to in place as Roxy could get it, she pushed the button on the pump inflating the cast holding the bone where she’d put it. Then she slipped the splint into a sling and secured it to his body. Then she went by Susan spoke to her and answered her questions again and agreed that crashing wasn’t good. Before returning to the flight deck to help Joe. His knee was so swollen that she couldn’t slip the joint back into place, mainly because she was a small woman without enough weight or strength. "Let's get you back on one of the couches, and I’ll go fill a couple of trash bags with snow, so we can get the swelling down. If I get it down enough I can slip the joint in place and wrap it tightly with an Ace wrap keeping it where it should be until we can get you a medic.”
“Then I need to gather enough wood to start a signal fire and take stock of our food supplies.”
Joe looked at her like she was an alien. “Roxy how do you know how to do all this? I mean don’t you work for a luxury resort?”
“No I live at a luxury resort, and my office is on one of the Islands but my boss is Rudy Holliday do you know who that is?”
“Sure Surviving with Rudy, guy.”
“Exactly and I help him run Alaskan Wilderness Survival Gear. Which is what is in the cargo hold. Eight different survival packs for every condition. So even if it takes a few days I have everything we need to survive this wilderness.”
“That’s amazing. We crash with our own personal Survival Amazon.”
“Nah I’m an amateur, but I have the gear and know how. First time I’ve had to use most of it.”
“Well you’ve already helped us more than we could have done alone.”
Roxy leaned close “I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m freaking out on the inside, but my husband is one of the best Search and Rescue leaders on the planet, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that he is on his way to rescue us.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he promised me if I was ever lost, he’d find me, and Jackson keeps his promises. We just have to stay alive until he gets here.”
With that she ran outside and started gathering wood and kindling. Then she started a huge bonfire and came inside to figure out what they could do about food.
When all was said and done, she had food for dinner for them all and breakfast tomorrow. Without counting the alcohol, they had enough water for a week, but she’d have to get the slingshot and steel balls out of the forest back and hunt after breakfast tomorrow. She just hoped it would take that long for Jackson to find her.
Sam Ryder flew straight to where the last known position of the airplane had been and then Jackson showed David and Bart, Roxy’s picture without a moment’s hesitation they both pointed in the same direction, and They flew that way until the sun started to set. Sam looked back at Jackson for a moment and handed him a handheld satellite radio. “This is my frequency. I need to turn back but why don’t you, Bart and the dog. Take the harness down and keep following the calling. Uncle Dave and I will be back in the air as soon as its safe, and I bet we will find them tomorrow. You all might find them tonight.”
Everyone agreed, and they clipped Pinga’s harness to Jackson's rescue harness and lowered them and then Bart and then both Jackson’s and Bart’s packs. They walked for four hours and then took a two-hour nap then walked for four more hours, and just as they were getting ready to take another rest Bart pointed up the side of the hill they were on in a clearing surrounded by fir trees.
Jackson looked and then looked again. Sitting on a rock, looking right at them was a large Rhode Island Red Rooster. What the heck? How did a rooster get out in the middle of the Yukon? Jackson asked.
Bart laughed. “I bet you your millions against mine that there rooster is a buddy of mine named Bob. He has a habit of showing up from time to time to help out.”
“Are you joking with me right now Ryder because until my wife is in my arms I gotta tell ya I ain’t gonna find ya funny.”
Bart put his hand on Jackson’s arm. “I promise you buddy, I’m not joking that bird has saved my bacon and several other peoples a time or two. Watch I’ll prove it.” He turned back to the rooster and waved at it. “Hey Bob, you wouldn’t happen to know where Jackson’s wife, and a crashed jet are do you?”
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The bird raised up and stretched his wings and puffed out his breast. “Cock-a doodle-doo. Brawk!” Then it turned and started running north west in the general direction they’d been walking. Bart started following the bird and sure enough about an hour later, the bird hopped on a fallen log and looked a bit to the east and crowed three times. When Jackson climbed on the stump, he looked toward the east and could just make out the tail of a small jet sitting with its nose in a snowbank. He looked back at Bart, who laughed and when he turned back around the rooster was gone like he’d just vanished into thin air.
Jackson pulled out his binoculars and sure enough the tail number was the jet that Roxie had been on. He had no way of knowing if she was alive or injured, and it looked like another hour-long hike to reach her. Bart was on the radio giving his brother their current location and telling him to bring a basket, he hadn’t assessed anyone yet but got the feeling, they’d need it. Then as if God himself was reassuring Jackson that today was a great Tuesday. He caught a glimpse of bright blue jacket and golden wavy hair. Jackson brought the binoculars up and focused and sure enough arranging wood on smoking embers was the one who held Jackson's heart. Tears of relief and joy ran down his face, and he knelt beside Pinga. He pointed at the flash of blue. “PInga, Rescue”
The dog with all that excess energy took off barking as she ran, and the woman God had given him turned at the sound of the dog’s bark and started waving. Jackson and Bart knowing they still had work to do started walking the way the dog had run. It may take him another hour to hold his wife in his arms, but his dog would be with her soon and that was enough to keep his steps as light as his heart.
The Reject Rescue Page 7