"There's Just No 'Getting Away From It All'"
Chapter Thirty-Seven
John was just about to drain the last of his now cold coffee from his Styrofoam cup, when their pretty chauffeur's form appeared outside the entrance's glass doors.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Miss Norland apologized as she pushed her way into the lobby. "But the 'authorities' insisted that I take them up to the crash site. I told them to just follow your trail. But, no-o-o. For some stupid reason, they wanted me to 'guide' them up there. I gave those State Troopers back their radio," she added, as an afterthought. "How are those two men doing?"
"An Air Force helicopter flew them to Marquette. I imagine they must be in surgery, right about now. Major Devon promised the Resort's borrowed rescue gear would either be returned—or replaced—just as soon as possible," the paramedic relayed. John then took Nikki aside.
The two of them talked for a bit.
Then Gage gave the girl another kiss on the forehead and headed off down the hall to use the pay phone again.
The trio left the hospital, crossed the parking lot and climbed into Nikki's nice, warm car.
John pulled their shopping list from the right pocket of his parka. "Think we could hit a grocery store on the way back?"
The pretty miss took the two California firemen shopping.
The grateful guys then took the girl to lunch at Mertin's Café—their treat.
Miss Norland pulled her car into the Ski Resort's packed parking lot. "When I left, there was a group reporters, and a TV 6 news crew, waiting for you guys in the lobby," she warned her passengers. "Just thought I'd mention it. In case you two wanted to make a quick get-a-way."
"Thanks," the paramedic replied. "We do."
Nikki parked beside their rented snowmachines and then got out to open up her trunk.
The firemen's freshly purchased provisions were quickly transferred from her car…to their Stokes-on-skis sleds.
Nikki announced that her and Chet's snowmobile tour was rescheduled for the following morning.
The weary rescuers thanked the young woman for the lift back, and quickly climbed onto their snowmobiles. They got both machines going and headed back up the mountainside.
The vacationing firemen were really looking forward to getting back to their nice, quiet, private quarters, where they would be able to just kick back and relax.
The pair reached the place were the snowmobile trail intersected with one of the ski resort's maintenance roads, and were amazed to discover that the County plow truck had cleared a path all the way to the top of the mountain—all the way to the wreck site, no doubt.
The pair followed the plowed road clear over to their cabin.
The two men killed their noisy, two-cycle engines and stared out their helmets' clear plastic visors at the three 'official' looking vehicles that were parked in their yard.
The 'authorities' were waiting there, in their idling autos, to interview the two of them.
'The two of them' traded a couple of 'We may as well get this over with' glances, and reluctantly climbed off their machines.
The groceries, and their visitors, were taken inside.
Kelly stowed their provisions away and then put a fresh pot of coffee on the gas stove, to brew.
The two firemen wanted to talk to the all of the 'authorities' all at once.
But, for some stupid reason, each branch of government insisted that they had to interview the two eyewitnesses—turned rescuers—separately.
The State Troopers went first.
John removed their other hand-held radio from his jacket pocket and returned it to them—none the worse for wear.
The Iron County Sheriff, and several of his deputies, interviewed them next.
They asked the same exact questions, and were given the same exact answers.
Finally, it was time for the pair to face the Federal Aviation Commission people, who had driven down from Marquette. Their questions were a little different, since they were investigating the cause of the crash.
The rescuers assured the FAC folks that there was no need for them to investigate the cause of the crash, because they already knew what had caused the crash.
They had both heard the plane's engines cut out a few moments before it went down.
Plus, the paramedic repeated what the plane's pilot had told him, just prior to losing consciousness. Jack had said that, after flying around in circles all night, they'd finally run out of fuel. The pilot had also told him that, shortly after take-off, the plane had lost all of its electrical instruments. John then suggested that, if the FAC wanted to investigate something, they should probably try to find out why the plane's entire electrical system just suddenly went capoot!
As the FAC guys were heading out the door to return to the crash site, and do just that, Gage, whose frozen fingers had finally defrosted—again, mentioned that he'd left his gloves on the plane, and asked if they wouldn't mind retrieving them for him.
The government guys gladly agreed to do so.
At last, after three-and-a-half hours of grueling interrogation, the cabin's weary occupants were left alone.
Speaking of crash sites…
Gage got a birch log blaze going in their fireplace and then headed for the sofa, where he proceeded to 'crash and burn'. The pooped paramedic's still-mending ribcage was still bothering him, and he was all talked out. He didn't wanna hafta to move—or speak to another living soul—for the entire rest of the day. "If any reporters or TV news crews show up, please tell them that I am unavailable for comment, will yah?" he wearily requested.
Kelly couldn't help but grin. "Yeah. Sure. No problem."
Later that same afternoon…
Following a restful and relaxing half-hour nap, John was once again up and about. In fact, he was currently in the process of replenishing the burnt out logs in their fireplace.
Chet was seated on their comfy, leather sofa, staring wistfully down at the couch's vacant middle seat cushion—once again.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of a motorized vehicle approaching the cabin.
A few seconds later, a car door slammed.
"Wonder who that could be?" Chet grumbled, getting stiffly—and rather reluctantly—to his wool stockinged feet.
The government guys had already dropped off Gage's gloves and then gone for the day.
Gage glanced up from the fire he was tending. The paramedic pursed his lips, to keep from smiling, and replied with a one-shouldered shrug.
Kelly could now hear someone coming up the porch steps. So he—even more reluctantly—began making his way over to the door.
Kelly pulled the heavy wooden portal open, just as their visitor was about to knock. Chet's heart instantly leapt in his chest. "Vickie!" he joyously exclaimed, to the beautiful brunette he found standing there with a suitcase at her feet—and her knuckles still raised in the air.
The young lady appeared to be equally overjoyed to see him. "Hi, Chet!" she exclaimed right back, and beamed the fireman a joyously radiant smile. "Did you miss me?"
Chet's vision blurred and he pulled their pretty visitor up into a warm embrace. "More than you'll ever know," he shakily whispered into the woman's ear. He'd missed her all right. More than he could have ever thought possible!
The car that had deposited their guest began to take its leave.
Vickie broke the embrace, so she could turn and wave goodbye.
Chet saw the Ski Patrol patch on the waving sleeve of its driver's bright red parka, and made a mental note to be sure to thank Miss Norland for allowing her guests to have a guest of their own. Kelly picked Miss Taylor's suitcase up and then escorted her into the cabin. He was just about to ask how their guest had managed to get there, when he suddenly recalled his associate's mysterious conversation with Nikki at the hospital earlier, and then the paramedic's brief disappearance. He turned in his devious buddy's direction and found his foxy friend grinning, broadly, back at him.
"Like my surprise?" Gage calmly inquired.
"Beats a kiss on the forehead, any day!"
"Yeah. That's sort a' what I figured, too."
"Thanks, man."
"Hey, no problem," his helpful pal assured him. "Besides, somebody had to save your sorry ass from pining away," he teased.
Vickie's beautiful brown eyes widened with surprise and immediately re-riveted upon her suddenly bashful fireman's handsome, and now blushing, face.
Chet promptly picked the pretty woman's suitcase back up. "Uhhh…Where do you want this?"
Ever the gentleman, Gage offered to give up his room and sleep on the couch.
But their beautiful guest, whose dreamy gaze hadn't left Kelly for a moment, assured him that that wouldn't be necessary.
John caught the look on his friend's face and tried his damnedest not to grin.
Vickie would obviously be bunking with Chet.
Kelly took the lovely young lady's hint, along with her left elbow, and began escorting their—er, his gorgeous guest toward the stairs. "Allow me to show you the view from the loft…before it gets too dark."
The reunited couple quickly disappeared up the steps.
The remaining fireman finally released the grin he'd been struggling so hard to suppress. The paramedic quickly shut 'the loft' completely out of his mind and returned his full attention to the 'blaze' that was raging in their fireplace.
TBC