Thanks Everyone for the messages of support-I certainly appreciate it, I have finally returned to work and am on the improve every week.
Fisher Hospital, the Wards.
Tess sat in a chair and Claire lay motionless in the bed, she had been there all night. Claire hadn't any internal injuries, all she needed was rest. Was the Doctors diagnosis. They had kept her sedated as a way of minimising the trauma, but were expecting her to wake soon. Tess had sent everyone else home. She would wait at the hospital. Still no word from Heath, she figured he wouldn't be far away now.
"You look terrible." Claire murmured quietly from the bed, her eyes open slightly as she looked at her sister in the faint light. Tess gasped, choking back tears as she wiped them away from her eyes.
"He, don't ever do that again." She replied, her smile broad.
Claire winced slightly as she smiled back.
"Where's Heath?" She asked.
"On his way back from Queensland, Alex organised him a plane and Dave found him. So he shouldn't be far away." Tess said thinking.
"Mmmmm" Was all that escaped Claire's lips before she passed out again, still drowsy from the medications and sedatives. Tess smiled as she looked down at her sister, her dark hair soft and shiny on the pillow, a slight smile on her lips. Tess grinned back at her just as she stood to go to the chairs in the waiting room and get some sleep.
Meanwhile, in the air, over Southern Queensland
"How long flight time?" Heath yelled to the pilot over the noise.
"Dunno mate, with what I'm seeing here I am gonna have to put her down! We're losing altitude, and fast."
"Shit!" Heath swore, looking out the window as the pilot began to make his emergency call.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is delta bravo whiskey alpha two six niner, requesting emergency landing at Tibooburra, Over." The air traffic controller's voice came back, calm and steady, the calmness of both seemed to help Heath.
"Roger that, delta bravo whiskey alpha two six niner, can you confirm the issue? Over"
"Loosing altitude, won't maintain, Over."
"Do you still have power? Over."
"At this stage, Over."
"Roger that, delta bravo whiskey alpha two six niner, you are now cleared for an emergency landing at Tibooburra, emergency services will be standing by, can you confirm numbers and health status please? Over."
"Pilot plus one, all okay, no illness, repeat no illness, over."
"Roger that delta bravo whiskey alpha two six niner, clear to land, winds are nil, no wind shear temperature is 32 degrees, Over."
"Roger that Control, delta bravo whiskey alpha two six niner over and out."
Heath saw the strip in the distance.
The plane began to descend, it began to shake and shudder, the pilot gritted his teeth as the nose began to dip.
"Hold on!" He yelled. "Brace! Brace! Brace!" as the plane dipped sharply began to plummet towards the strip. Heath braced as the pilot had shown him before taking off, as he closed his eyes, he thought of Claire, praying she was still alive, her face came into his minds eye, she seemed to be moving in slow motion, she was walking towards the yards, a smile broke onto her face. He was suddenly jolted back to the present as the plane slammed into the ground, sliding along on its hull. The pilots head hit the side of the fuselage and he lost consciousness. Heath braced himself as he was thrown about like a rag doll, his head as the plane came to a standstill in a cloud of dust and smoke. He could hear the sirens and see the lights coming down the strip. He staggered out of the plane,
"He's still in there." He gasped as the firefighters rushed past, their masks in place. He took another step, his vision swam, his legs buckled and he collapsed face down in the dust.