Chapter 7
Once the Medivac plane arrived, the three patients were placed on board. It was not on the ground more than thirty minutes.
The President was still intubated and sedated. He had been secured so that he could not move any part of his body, even if he had been awake. The broken pelvis would be fixed in Germany, as well as his ankle.
One of the military doctors, Dr. Holmes from the triage center, accompanied the President on the flight. His personal physician, who accompanied him on the foreign trips, was being flown to Germany, with the rest of the Presidential group that had been waiting in Israel.
CJ had been given pain medicine for her leg, which was splinted for the trip. The extensive surgery she needed would be performed in Germany.
Toby had regained consciousness shortly after being found at the crash site, and was sitting by a groggy CJ, trying to comprehend the significance of the history happening right under his nose.
In the back of the plane, was a bag carrying the body of Ron Butterfield. His injuries were just simply too severe and he'd died shortly after arrival at the triage center. Only the agents and Ron's family had been told of his death. Once they arrived in Germany, then a public announcement would be made by the Department of Homeland Security.
The pilots took off in a steep climb. If a random missile could bring down the President's helicopter, it could certainly bring down an Air Force C-130 medical transport.
Just as the plane cleared the airspace around the airport, the pilots received word that another missile had been launched.
The plane was too heavy for evasive action. However, several jets that were flying coverage launched a counterattack. The planes launched a missile to destroy the one aiming directly for the medical transport.
Both missiles denoted within fifty feet of the medical transport and the blast wave shook the plane.
There was no time for warning the passengers in the back. The two nurses flew across the fuselage. The stretcher holding the President rocked back and forth. The doctor accompanying the sedated and intubated President tried to grab hold of the stretcher before it slipped out of its locked position. He was unsuccessful.
The ventilator tubing disconnected as the stretcher lurched backward. The doctor made a desperate grab for the stretcher just as the rocking stopped. But the tubing had already come disconnected.
As the plane stabilized, both nurses and the doctor quickly grabbed the tubing and reconnected it. All settings were readjusted. Doctor Holmes looked at the oxygen saturation monitor and saw it start to rise. He didn't know how low it had dropped so he was unable to know if the President was without oxygen for any length of time. He could only hope that there had been no damage.
When the President was checked, his pupils were reactive. This was the normal reaction so the doctor didn't think any damage had been done. However, further tests would have to be done in Germany.
In the meantime, Abbey had left for Germany aboard an Air Force jet. She hoped to arrive shortly after the President's plane. During the flight, she would be kept informed of any changes.
Her trip was quiet as she considered what had just occurred and more importantly, what the future might bring.