Page 89 of Fire and Rain
“Yeah. Well, at first. I thought it would stop.”
“But it hasn’t, has it?”
James ran a hand through his hair. “Not really.”
The SAR alarm sounded.
“Now put the ready helo online. Now put the ready helo online.”
Shit.
“Maybe you should sit this one out, get some rest.”
“Nah, I’m good. I just had some coffee. Once we get in the air, I’ll be fine.”
Sean clapped his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
This case took them to the southern end of the island off Akhiok where two Alutiiq teens had reported their skiff taking on water. It was daylight, and conditions weren’t bad.
“Cabin door open.” Sean spotted them easily. “There they are, low two o’clock. Their skiff is listing hard to port. It looks like it could sink at any minute. They’re both wearing life jackets, but not survival suits.”
“Let’s get them out of there.”
James contacted them via radio. “Skiff taking on water, this is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Oh-Two-Three. Do you copy?”
While he worked to calm the two distressed teens, Sean went through the safety checklist with Trey, who would be lowered into the water off their starboard side. Trey would board the skiff and send them up one at a time in the strap. Then Sean would recover Trey.
“Swimmer’s going out the door.” Sean gave him a nudge, lowered him into the water, and watched for the thumbs-up. “Swimmer is okay. Swimmer is boarding the vessel.”
Sean watched as Trey slipped the first survivor into the strap. “The first survivor is on his way up. What the…? The second survivor has taken off in the skiff. He’s headed toward shore, I think, but he’ll never make it.”
He kept his gaze on Trey, who now treaded water in the skiff’s wake.
“Skiff taking on water, this is Coast Guard Rescue Six-Oh-Two-Three. Your vessel is in imminent danger of sinking. You won’t make it back to shore. Please throttle down, abandon ship, and let us bring you on board, over.”
“Coast Guard, this is my uncle’s boat, and he’s gonna kick my ass if I don’t bring it back like I promised.”
Then a voice cut in. “Joel, this is your grandpa. Get off the boat. Your mother is standing here. You wanna break her heart?”
“I’m sorry,” the boy said.
“It’s gonna be okay, grandson. Just come home.”
Sean’s gaze was still on Trey, but he couldn’t help but grin. Lots of people on the island followed the Coast Guard on their VHF radios at home, and this time one of them had become part of the rescue. “I’m lowering the strap to pick up the swimmer.”
He raised Trey into the cabin as James and Zeke brought the helo alongside the skiff once again. Then he lowered Trey into the water to rescue the second survivor. By the time poor Joel and Trey were both back in the cabin, the skiff had sunk.
As Sean helped Trey make the survivors comfortable, he met Trey’s gaze. “Only in Alaska.”
* * *
July 2
Sean poppedhis head out of Maverick’s bedroom. “It’s done.”
Eden finished washing the peanut butter and jelly off Maverick’s face and hands and lifted him out of his highchair and onto her hip. “Let’s go see your new bed, Mavie.”
“A big-boy bed?”
