AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Flynn pulled his SUV to the front of the hospital to drop her off just as her phone signaled again.
“Ally? It’s Carla again, from dispatch. We’ve received word that the helicopter can’t fly through the storm. It’s too dangerous. We’ve got an airplane pilot ready to try. Are you still willing to go under these conditions?” It was the weekend, and Ally knew that most of the paramedics and the nurses trained in air transport were probably still at Tag’s rally. Along with Tag.
“Yes! I’ll go. I’m ready.” She’d agree to fly to Mars right now if it meant getting out of here for a while.
“How soon can you get to the hangar out at Copper Crossing airfield?”
She relayed the information to Flynn, who was nodding that he could take her. He pulled away from the curb before she even had a chance to respond.
“I’m at the hospital, already in a vehicle, so as long as that takes.”
Ally knew that small planes could more easily fly through inclement weather. Under the circumstances, it didn’t surprise her to learn that Tag was allowing another pilot to use one of his planes. She’d met his friend Cricket Blackburn and hoped it was him.
Flynn turned the vehicle onto the drive leading to the hangar where the plane was waiting. Ally recognized Milt, one of Tag’s employees, when she hopped out.
“Oh, Ally, hi. I wasn’t sure who was coming. Carla didn’t say. The plane is ready, and Tag is already onboard.”
Tag? Ally’s stomach did a flip. A part of her wanted to back out, send Flynn in her place. But she knew he was needed here. And she had experience with bad weather. She thanked Milt, hugged Flynn and ran toward the plane.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IN THE ARMY, Ally had once flown through the ruins of a Syrian village in the immediate aftermath of a bombing, the smoke like a mass of viscous liquid creeping around the plane in a cloud so thick she couldn’t tell which way was up. This fog reminded her of that day. The bone-jarring turbulence assured her that it was Alaska.
Tag was calm, completely confident at the controls as he maneuvered through one of the worst storms Ally had ever encountered. He would have made an excellent combat pilot.
Despite their meaning, Ally was relieved when Tag’s words came through her headset. “This is going to be a rough landing. Hang on, okay?”
Ally knew he didn’t really expect her to answer, so she just braced herself. The plane touched down and bumped hard along the runway. She was grateful for her restraints when they finally slowed, then skidded and lurched to a stop.
Tag muttered under his breath before looking her way. “You okay?”
Trying not to let the concern in his expression get to her, she mumbled a “Fine” and scrambled to unbuckle her seat belt.
They exited the aircraft. Tag walked around the plane as an SUV pulled close. Ally and Tag gathered their gear and climbed in, and the men introduced themselves to Tag. Ally already knew the local law enforcement officers, Dale Sandy and Max Courtright. Dale was medium height, heavily muscled with black curls fringing the edges of his knit cap. Max had close-cropped red hair and was nearly as tall as Tag but looked to be a good twenty pounds lighter.
Dale drove while Max updated them on the status of the patients injured in an ATV accident. Emergency responders had moved them to the pastor’s home nearby, which served as a makeshift emergency medical clinic for the area.
“Thankfully, we were able to get to them fairly easily. For the life of me, I can’t understand what they were thinking going out riding in this storm. If the girl hadn’t been conscious, we never would have found them…”
Max went on to tell them that the young woman had used her cell phone to call for help and was able to guide them to the scene.
“It was probably a blessing that the kid was unconscious. That compound fracture to his leg is real bad. We’re awful grateful you guys could fly in. This storm isn’t supposed to let up any time soon, and the reports say there’s another one following on its heels. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP.”
That’s when Tag spoke up. “Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to fly out of here today, not in my plane.”
