Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your wonderful reviews. I quickly learned I have a lot to live up to with this chapter, so I hope it meets your expectations and then some. I'm trying to focus a little on each character, so for those of you wondering why I haven't focused on Jordan's POV too much, it's coming, don't worry!
And to those of you with medical backgrounds, I apologize if I'm off with some stuff. It's been a while since high school biology! Most of it is what I remember from first aid classes and my own experiences with surgeries and hospitals.
Disclaimer – as always I don't own 'em (though sometimes I wish I did!) It's just for fun! Please R&R! Thanks for reading!
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Chapter Two – Fear of Flying
Jordan stayed where she was, willing herself not to lose what little control she had left and to stay strong for Garret.
She'd never seen him cry before. She'd watched him shed a few tears when he discovered she had the meningioma, but she'd never seen him completely break down and cling to her like a child. The realization that he could be so vulnerable scared the hell out of her, and she could hardly wait for the helicopter to land and get them out of this god forsaken place.
She could hear the choppers coming closer, and held her breath, knowing it was going to be difficult for the pilots to find somewhere safe to land.
After what seemed like a lifetime, she felt the vibrations of the chopper under her feet and then Woody yelling her name. She gently laid Garret back down and started gathering his belongings, knowing he would be the first one on the chopper due to the extent of his injuries.
"Jordan!" Woody came racing in, nearly out of breath. He crouched down next to her, speaking softly so only she could hear. "They found a place to land, but only one chopper at a time. We've got to get Dr. M. on that bird so the other one can stop circling and touch down, too." He knew if Dr. Macy realized the others might not get rescued right away, there was no way he'd agree to get on the first helicopter.
She nodded. "Stay with him. I'm going out to talk to the rescue crew and give them his stats." She laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly at him, but still not willing to completely let herself believe everything would be okay. There were too many obstacles still to overcome, before she would let herself fully come to terms with the events of the last several days.
She stepped out of the plane, squinting into the bright sunshine. She vaguely noticed some darker clouds slowly making their way towards the rescue operation. She scanned the chopper, picking out an attendant who was gathering first aid supplies from the cockpit.
"You got a stretcher in there? Because we're gonna need it."
The attendant turned to her and nodded. "There's one on board. We figured someone would make use of it." She scrutinized Jordan, taking in the sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks of someone who was on the verge of becoming severely dehydrated.
"I'm Kelly." She stuck out her hand. "What's the status of our patient?"
"Jordan." She shook Kelly's hand, immediately liking the woman's no nonsense attitude. "He's got internal bleeding, likely from a lacerated spleen caused by a broken rib. His injuries were sustained during the crash, but he didn't let us know the severity of them until yesterday. We've done everything we can to keep him immobile and comfortable. The cold seems to be helping to slow the bleed." Jordan led Kelly inside the plane, to the makeshift triage. "His name's Garret Macy. Mid-fifties, good health, no drug allergies that I'm aware of."
"Okay." Kelly knelt next to Garret, taking his blood pressure and other vitals. She nodded at him. "Looks like you're okay to travel, Garret. I'm going to get a stretcher for you and we'll get you on board. Once we do that, we'll get your IV's hooked up. When's the last time you ate?"
"Uh, about 9 o'clock last night. I had a granola bar and a piece of beef jerky."
"Good. That's good. They won't have to pump your stomach before taking you in for surgery once we get to Boston General." Kelly completed her check of Garret's vitals and stood up. She motioned to Jordan to follow her outside.
"He's doing well, considering the extent of his injuries, but I want him out of here asap. I'll need your help to get him loaded since the rest of my crew can't land right now." She gestured to the circling helicopter and Jordan nodded. It felt good to be doing something proactive.
"We've also got another team member with a possible fractured radius and a laceration that needs suturing. He hasn't lost much blood, but I know he's in a lot more pain than he's letting on. I'd like to send him with Garret, if we can." Jordan gestured towards Nigel and his bandaged arm. "I can also get Woody and Bug to give you a hand loading Garret."
"Sounds good. Let's get Garret loaded up and then I'll take a look at your friends arm real quick. We're kinda under a time constraint. The other chopper can't circle for much longer, or it'll be running low on fuel. There's another storm forecasted to move in later this afternoon, and we don't want you folks spending another night out here."
Jordan nodded. "Let's do it."
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Woody squeezed her hand, watching her jog out to the choppers. He caught the look in her eyes and wondered when the events of the last few days would all come crashing down on her. He prayed she'd let him be there to help her through it.
He looked down at Dr. Macy, a little unnerved by Garret's obvious emotions. Woody had never dealt well with men's emotions, including his own. He was raised by a cop, for crying out loud. Showing any emotion other than anger was a sign of weakness in his father's eyes. He knew it was stupid and childish, but that was the reason he'd never really told Jordan how he felt about her. The first time she'd admitted her feelings for him, he'd chased her away because he didn't want her to see how vulnerable he really was. Then this morning . . . sure she'd caught him off guard, but he'd also allowed her to interrupt him even though he wanted to tell her he loved her, too. He knew he loved her with every part of his heart and soul, but he couldn't make his mouth form the words.
As if Garret could read his thoughts, he said "Stop analyzing it and just go with your heart. Don't think about the perfect place, or the perfect time; just do it, the first second you have the chance."
Woody looked down at the man who was like a father to Jordan. Dr. Macy probably knew Jordan better than anyone, a fact that made Woody more than a little envious of the older man. Dr. Macy always seemed to know when to push Jordan and when to back off. But the craziest part was that Jordan always responded to him. The only time Woody had ever pushed Jordan, it had ended up in disaster.
"Looks like you'll be getting out of here soon." Woody said, ignoring Garret's words. "Guess you'll have to have surgery, huh?"
He could feel the frankness of the look Dr. Macy gave him and it made him nervous. Dr. Macy just smiled slightly, and Woody knew the older man could see right through him. He was also thankful Dr. Macy wasn't choosing that moment to call him on it.
He was more than a little relieved when Jordan came back in with the flight nurse. He sat silently, watching the nurse take Dr. Macy's stats and watching Jordan do what she did best – work. He knew she needed to keep busy right now, or risk losing the little control she had left, but damn, he wished she'd just sit for a minute let him take care of her.
Relax, Hoyt. He told himself. You have the rest of your life to take care of her. He willed the flight nurse to hurry so they could all get back to Boston and start recovering from this nightmare. He felt a slight chill go down his spine and had a lingering sense that everything wasn't going to go as smoothly as it should.
He stood as the flight nurse finished examining Dr. Macy. "I can help you load him" He said and she nodded.
"Thanks. I appreciated it. We need to move fast, get out of here so the rest of my crew can land and get your friends home safely before this storm sets in."
Woody looked at her sharply. He'd been so engrossed in his thoughts of Jordan he hadn't realized the change in the air. As he looked around now, he could see the darker clouds slowly moving in. He shivered then, and he was sure his reaction wasn't just from the sun slipping behind the clouds.
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Bug watched the helicopter land, and the flight nurse climb out. He watched Jordan confer with the nurse then disappear into the plane. He watched as they prepared to load Dr. Macy's stretcher into the helicopter. He moved forward to help, but Woody had all ready grabbed the other end. He watched Jordan gesture towards Nigel's injured arm, and Nigel shake his head and hug her. He watched Woody step forward, wrap Jordan in his arms and gently kiss her forehead. Bug stood still, feeling strangely out of place, not really knowing what to do. He had a feeling of nagging doubt, and he couldn't pinpoint the reason for it. Nigel came up beside him and laid his good hand on Bug's shoulder.
"It's almost over, Mate. They just need to get Dr. M. out of here and land that second bird, and we are home free."
Bug nodded. He wished he could let his heart feel the confidence Nigel had.
"You're going to go with Dr. Macy?" He asked Nigel, gesturing towards his injured arm.
"Nah. I can wait for the second one. Dr. M. will want Jordan with him, anyway." He flushed slightly at Bug's raised eyebrows. "And I kind of promised Kate I'd stay with her. She doesn't like flying, and . . ." he let his voice trail off, watching Bug's expression change from one of controlled indifference to one of deepening concern. "Bug? What is it Mate?"
"Get Kate. Tell her to have whatever she's taking with her ready to go. Photographs, paperwork, laptops, etc. When the second helicopter lands, we're going to have to move fast." At Nigel's questioning look, he nodded his head towards the darkening sky. "I overheard the flight nurse tell Jordan there's another storm brewing. If that second helicopter can't land in the next few minutes, it's going to have to turn around and go home - empty." He watched alarm dance across Nigel's face and knew his friend had realized what Bug had not spoken – that there was a very real possibility Nigel, Woody, Kate and Bug would be spending at least one more night on the mountain.
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Nigel took off running as the horror of Bug's unspoken words sunk into his brain. They couldn't stay here another night, wondering when the storm would pass, wondering if they could survive long enough for a second rescue could be attempted. If they were left here for longer than one more night, he knew there was a very real possibility one of them wouldn't make it home. There were not enough food and water rations to last them more than 24 hours.
He also Kate was going to have a hard enough time getting on that helicopter; she didn't need to know they were being chased by a storm.
"Kate!" He yelled into the broken plane. "Kate!"
"What? I'm over here." She said calmly, stepping out of the trees behind the plane.
"Get your things. Evidence, laptops, whatever you need on the deceased to take back to Boston. And get it now." He was nearly out of breath, from running and from fear.
She watched his face, alarm bells ringing in her mind. "Nigel? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, luv. Nothing. We're just about ready to go, that's all, and we need to get back to Boston to check on Dr. M. He'll be going into surgery immediately and you'll need to file the paperwork for the demort findings so Walcott can launch her investigation into the terrorist theory." The words tumbled from his mouth in a rush. He didn't dare tell Kate the real reason for his near panic. One of them needed to stay calm, and he knew once they were on that chopper, it wasn't going to be she. If she was scared of flying before the crash, she'd be damn near terrified of it now.
"Okay, okay. I'll get my stuff. Can you help me with a couple things?" He nodded at her and he quickly helped her pack her things, all the while keeping her totally oblivious to the storm quietly brewing outside.
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Kate quickly and efficiently packed her things, still managing to keep the papers in some sort of haphazard filing system. She watched Nigel out of the corner of her eye, and her concern about his arm injury re-surfaced. His odd behaviour was consistent with shock, although it was highly unlikely after all this time. If he was going to go into shock, he'd most likely have done it by now. No. There had to be another explanation.
"How's Dr. Macy?" She asked quietly, thinking maybe he'd taken a turn for the worse and that was the reason for Nigel's sudden change in behaviour.
"He's fine. As fine as he can be. His vitals are good. He'll need emergency surgery, of course, but the bleeding has slowed for now. They just finished loading him. Jordan's going with him."
She nodded. His voice seemed to have calmed some. "You're not going with Dr. Macy?" She wasn't surprised Nigel had let Jordan go with her boss, but she felt she needed to keep Nigel talking to keep him calm. "You should go and have that arm looked at."
"It's not that bad. Besides, Jordan's listed as Dr. M.'s next of kin, so she'll be able to get the all information we need about his surgery. And she'll need to make phone calls to his ex-wife and daughter. They know Jordan, and will be comfortable hearing the news from her." He watched as she zipped up a third duffle bag and stood up. "Ready?"
She nodded. She hesitated a moment before hoisting a duffle bag onto each shoulder. He caught her hesitation and cocked his head at her. "What's wrong, luv?" He asked, although he was sure he all ready knew the answer.
She took a deep breath. "I'm just not crazy about the idea of getting into another flying vehicle." She shrugged, trying to appear indifferent to the fear that was curling itself around her gut.
He smiled at her. "I know. I'm sorry it has to be this way. But rescue choppers are known for their abilities in all types of weather and are generally able to withstand harsher conditions than planes."
"Nigel. I know the stats on planes vs. helicopters vs. storms. But facts in a book don't make it any easier to actually climb aboard. So let's just get it over with." She waited for him to grab the third duffle bag and adjust it in his good hand before she stepped out of the plane. She stopped so suddenly, he nearly ran into her. "Oh, God," she whispered.
"What?" He stepped out behind her and looked incredulously around them. In a matter of minutes, the storm clouds had swept over the mountain, bruising the sky. The wind was picking up and light snow was swirling around them. "Oh, sweet Nancy."
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Garret breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the helicopter lift off the mountain. He knew members of his team were being left behind, but Jordan had assured him they would be on the second chopper, and would land in Boston shortly after he and Jordan did.
He looked around him taking in the tubes and IV bags strung everywhere. The doctor in him knew why the supplies were there. The patient in him hated every second of it. The boss in him felt helpless for not being able to stay for the second helicopter and see his staff out of a dangerous situation.
As if Jordan could read his mind, she reached over and squeezed his hand. "Everything's fine, Gar. The second chopper landed with no problems. They shouldn't be too far behind us." She didn't give him any indication of the potential disaster awaiting her friends and their rescue vehicle. Nor did she let on how scared she really was to be leaving Woody and the others behind. They'd endured too much to not be safely rescued now.
"Jordan." Garret licked his dry lips. "I need you to do something for me."
She nodded. "Anything Garret. You want me to call Maggie when we get back? Or Renee? Or. . ." She trailed off when he shook his head.
"No. Yeah. You can do that, but that's not what I need you to do. I need you to take this." He pushed a crumpled piece of yellow notepaper into her hand. "Don't look at it now. Only if something goes wrong."
"Garret, I. . ."
"No. I promised you. Now you promise me. Please."
She looked at him, tears clouding her vision. "Okay." She whispered. "I promise."
"Thank you." He let out the breath he'd been holding, letting the stress, pain and exhaustion finally take its toll.
She saw the emotions flicker across his face and squeezed his hand again. "It's okay. Just rest now, Garret."
He nodded and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him, peacefully oblivious to the ominous clouds and swirling snow outside.
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I apologize for the wait for this chapter. My family has been sick for the last week. But now I'm on a roll with the creative juices (it's amazing what advil and coldFX will do for creativity, especially after midnight!) So chapter three shouldn't be as long a wait.