Enduring the Crisis (19 page)

Ben was not a fan of the place he chose to hide when the Coast Guard boarded earlier. He needed to find somewhere else. Running for the bunk, he had a feeling that Nate was already there.

Sure enough, he lifted the bunk and there was Nate, a trembling mess as he clutched a prescription bottle close to his chest.

“I can’t believe you. You left me to drag Anderson in here on my own, I got shot at and at least he was too wounded to try and take my arm off by flicking me again. I should make you go hide in that closet so I can hide here.”

Nate shook his head and pulled on the strap dangling from the board above him.

Ben let him stay put. He rested his fists on his waist and stared at the bunk. Looking around, there was no place else he could think of and the boat wasn’t moving anymore.

Panic started to close off his throat as he went into Anderson’s room and tried to pull up the bunk with no luck. There were drawers underneath instead. He looked for loose carpet, maybe another secret compartment. He was wasting precious time.

There was no place to hide in Anderson’s room. No sooner had he stepped in the hall and he heard several men shouting as they entered the living quarters on the boat. He went into the bathroom grabbing a fire extinguisher on the way. Could be beneficial as a weapon. He would have rather have had a gun, though. That room was worse with fewer places to hide than the room he left. The closet was too small. Not even a shelf he could crawl onto. All that was in there was the shower. He was out of time. He stepped in, shut the curtain, and slid to the floor when he heard someone shouting as they came down the hall. It wasn’t English, perhaps Chinese or Korean. He had no idea what they were speaking, but it terrified him more than if they had been speaking English. The man went right into the bathroom and shut the door.

Ben dared not move a muscle. He could barely see the shadow of the man that lifted the seat of the toilet. The boat hijacker was vulnerable, not expecting an ambush. Perhaps he could get the best of him. He slowly pulled the pin from the extinguisher. He fumbled it as soon as it released from the hole and it fell. He stopped the chain from clanging on the metal and he slowly exhaled.

The curtain was yanked open and Ben wasn’t quite ready for that shocker. Somehow he managed to squeeze the handles together on the top and the white spray burst from the extinguisher and into the man’s face.

That’s when Ben saw the gun. At least he had surprised the hijacker so that it wasn’t pointed at him. He swung the canister at his hand and the gun flew against the wall and fell into the toilet. A fist flew at Ben’s face and he dodged it as he went for the toilet. The gun wasn’t going to flush so he slammed the lid shut. When he did, a boot got him in the ribs. It knocked him off balance and left him stuck on the floor of the shower as the hijacker jumped on top of him.

The only thing he had to protect himself was the canister. He was about to swing it at him again when he accidentally squeezed the handle. It shot in the man’s face once more and Ben was able to kick him in the gut, sending him against the wall. It didn’t stop him for long and a white cloud filled the room, their nostrils, and their lungs. Ben started to cough and so did his attacker.

When the guy went for the door handle, Ben swung the canister at his head, while in the middle of a coughing fit, and hit him much harder than he meant to. The hijacker fell on the floor and didn’t move.

He thought for sure he killed the man. Cracking the door open so he could breathe, he checked for a pulse. When Ben felt that he still had one, he slumped on the floor and rubbed his eyes.

There had to be other men onboard and someone would be looking for the one he knocked out before long.

There was a fight in the living area. Ben took advantage of the distraction and shoved the unconscious man in the hall and waited in the bathroom. He listened for a moment and ducked when shots were fired and there was screaming. One more shot went off before there was silence.

Ben held his breath and waited. Were he and Nate the only survivors? Or had Anderson taken care of business while he was still bleeding profusely on the floor? The last option seemed far-fetched and he slipped out of the bathroom, and crouched low against the wall. There was some mumbling coming from the front room. He couldn’t tell who it was at first.

“Come on, Andy. Stay with me.” Jackson pleaded.

Ben peered over the steps. Several men were sprawled out on the ground and Jackson was holding his brother in his arms.

“Don’t call me that, you jerk.” Anderson wheezed. “Blow up some more boats and get us out of here.”

The thumping of a helicopter vibrated the boats hull.

“Ben?” Jackson spotted him on the stairs. “Come help him. I did manage to get a call out to the Coast Guard. I think we’re safe now.”

“How could you? They’re going to find my weapons stash.” Anderson was thoroughly irritated even though he was so close to passing out.

“So I was supposed to sit here and let you fade away so I could keep that RPG a secret?” he shook his head. “Right now, they need to take you to the hospital.”

“We weren’t stopping in Kodiak, though,” he countered.

“You know, you can argue with them once you’re on the helicopter.” Jackson held Anderson’s head still and waved for Ben to take his place.

He had to step over two bodies before he could get to Anderson. His hands were trembling when he reached for him.

“What’s that smell?” Jackson asked.

“Fire extinguisher. One of their friends might still be alive in the hall.”

Jackson wasn’t sure which way to go for a minute.

“He might be out awhile. Go wave in the helicopter,” Ben said.

It didn’t take long before they had a couple of medics patching up Anderson before they placed him in the basket to haul him away.

“These two are deceased. Are there any more? A cutter is on the way to retrieve them and investigate.” The medic took a good look at the one closest to the door.

Jackson was very nervous when he asked, “Investigate?”

“See, I told you,” Anderson wheezed as they were carrying him out to the deck.

Ben froze when he saw movement in the hall and he slowly raised his hands in the air. The medics froze when the man that had been knocked out staggered into the room pointing at dripping handgun at Ben. When he saw his dead buddies on the ground, he shouted as he pointed it at Jackson, at Ben again, and then at the medics as they held Anderson. He looked as if he was going to shoot when he pointed it at Anderson.

“Hold on, we have a hostile situation,” the woman medic said into a radio on her shoulder.

He pointed the gun at her and was about to take another step when a fire extinguisher hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Nate stood in the doorway with his mouth wide open as if he was stunned by his own actions while the canister dangled from his hand. The gun slid across the floor, right to Jackson.

He was about to pick it up and changed his mind. He grabbed some rope from a drawer and proceeded to tie the stunned man’s hands behind his back.

“I hope the investigation will get to the bottom of why this guy and his friends have been lurking in the fjords.” Jackson glared at the medics.

“I’m sure there about to get the bottom of this whole mess. Right now we need to get this man to a hospital.” The medics headed out onto the deck.

“Take me to Homer. Not Kodiak.” Anderson started as they headed for the helicopter.

“You are in dire need of emergency care right now and Kodiak is much closer,” they countered.

“I’ll hang in there if you get me to Homer,” Anderson pleaded.

Tammy couldn’t walk at all. As the hours passed, the pain set in deeper and showed up in other places she didn’t expect to be sore. Moving her arms was pure misery.

At least most of the trailer was loaded. Good thing because all the girls except Mae was in pain. They all rested. Mae played nurse bringing everyone whatever they asked for.

Even though Tammy wanted to sleep, the pain was too awful. She felt as if she was close to delirious as she dozed only to be awakened by a sharp throbbing pain, or Mae asking if she needed anything. The second time her daughter woke her, she snapped.

“If you see my eyes are closed, don’t wake me. Only if it’s an emergency.”

Mae’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. I just want to help. And… I’m scared when you aren’t awake. I don’t want to be in charge. And someone was knocking upstairs. It wasn’t on the front door.” She wiped her face.

“Oh.” Tammy struggled to get up out of bed. She hobbled up the stairs.

“Mom?” Mae wrung her hands in her shirt.

“I think it’s a friend. So don’t worry. I’ll come back. You can come with if you want. He’s the one that watched us go home safely the other day.”

Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Yes, I’d like to come with you.”

Tammy leaned on Mae as she went to the back door.

Dale was looking at the fence as she opened the door. “I was about to leave. I thought maybe you chanced it and left this morning.”

“Are you okay?”

“Can I come in?” He ducked when the neighbor shot at a squirrel on the fence. “Seriously? He’s going to kill someone. But I’m sure those troops will be taking care of that in hurry.”

Sure enough, there was shouting coming from the street as Tammy motioned for him to come in.

“Hello, young lady.” He rested his hand on her head for a moment before he closed the door.

“Why are you so unsettled?”

“Those troops. Their searching for the militia. Someone ratted us out. Actually, my ex might have let something slip. Have they stopped here yet?’

“Yes.”

“Can I stay for a bit? Until it settles down? They already got Tom. I don’t know where they took him.” He went for the front window and peeked out the shutters. “I thought you were crazy for hanging these up inside but I can see that they are far betting than hanging outside.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to draw too much attention that we were shutting ourselves in.” Tammy glanced over to the stairs. None of the girls were lurking. Mae hovered near her side. “Umm. you stay on this floor. I can’t let you go downstairs though.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

Dale turned around and looked at the room he was standing in. “This is nice.” He shook his head as if to change his thoughts.

Tammy leaned over to whisper in Mae’s ear. “Can you go downstairs and tell your sisters that the man in the house is a friend. I don’t want them to attack him.”

She nodded and happily bounced over the stairs.

Tammy waited until Mae was out of earshot. “I have to tell you something.” She tried to take a step closer to Dale and stumbled. He caught her arm before she fell. It took her a moment to stand back up. “I hope I didn’t give you the wrong idea. I mean…” her cheeks burned as she struggled to find the right words. “I haven’t been trying to lead you on  or anything like that.”

He shook his head emphatically. “No. I haven’t had that notion at all.” Then he rubbed the top of his head as he looked around the room before his eyes met hers. “I’ve been told I give mixed signals. I’m sorry.”

“Now I just feel mortified.” Tammy moved her arm away from his hand so she could stand on her own. She groaned. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I have needed your help, though. I don’t like to admit that sort of thing. And I probably jumped to conclusions. When I’m not leaning on my husband, I’m doing it all on my own. I’m so independent that I don’t always accept help when it’s offered. I’ve felt vulnerable letting you know just a little bit of what I’ve been trying to do on my own here. And I’m tired so don’t mind my rambling and paranoia.” She couldn’t put any weight on her leg as she tried to go to the recliner. “Now I hurt so bad, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Dale stepped in and helped her. Any touch on her arms or shoulders gave her more agony.

She hung her head and held her face in her hands. “They are coming to do inventory. I have to leave before that happens. I don’t know that I can do it.”

Dale made her sit back in the chair as he reclined it. “You need to keep your leg propped up.”

He pulled  up a chair from the dining room table. “Rest it. I don’t think they’ll be here as soon as they think. If you’ll let me hide here until you go, I’ll help you load the trailer and I’ll ask my friend if he’ll help me escort you out of town. He has some old motorcycles he’s been working over. I don’t know what he has for gas, though.

Tammy struggled to sit up and smiled. “If you’ll do that, I can give you guys plenty of gas.”

The Coast Guard interrogated Ben and Nate for hours once they were docked in Kodiak. Ben’s main concern was Nate’s heart. He’d been having chest pains after the whole ordeal on Jackson’s boat. He was also nervous Nate would share too much, like how they slipped out of Dutch Harbor knowing they weren’t supposed to go.

Because their boss verified where they had been before they joined Jackson, and Ben and Nate assured them they knew nothing about the RPGs or any other military weapons that they claimed were found on Jackson’s boat, they were released.

They walked to the hospital to see how Anderson was doing.

“Do we really need to go see him? Can’t we just ask how he’s doing and send him some flowers?” Nate asked.

“He doesn’t strike me as the flower type.” Ben approached the front desk and asked where they could find Anderson.

“I’ll stay here.” Nate clutched his chest. “They said my blood pressure was really high at the base.”

“You aren’t leaving me on my own again.” Ben tugged Nate’s coat. “I’ve saved your butt too many times already, and this time, I’m not going in there alone. You are coming with me. You’re in the best place you could be if you decide to have a heart attack today.” He took Nate down the hall.

The ICU was rather small. Each room had big glass windows covered with curtains. The sterile smell made Ben shudder and the blips coming from the heart monitors in the patients’ rooms was constant.

“See, a good place to hang out today with your high B.P..” Ben smiled until they made it to Anderson’s room.

He was fussing at someone in his room so they waited outside the door until they were done.

The huge male nurse that walked out was flustered as he reached for the hand sanitizer on the wall. “You here to see him?” He nodded at Anderson’s door.

They both nodded, but not convincingly as he sat down at the computer in front of his room.

“He’s making sure I earn my paycheck today.” He rubbed his face. “He’s stable so you can go in. Even though he’s been shot four times, it hasn’t slowed him down much. Good luck.” The nurse frowned at his computer screen.

Ben didn’t let go of Nate’s coat as they reluctantly stepped inside the room.

“Well, they didn’t get me to Homer so it looks as though we’re all stuck here. I doubt you guys get back on the mainland at all now.” Anderson flipped channels on the TV with his good arm. “There’s nothing to watch either with everything out in the states. I’d toss the remote but it’s attached to this bed so no satisfaction in that.” He made the bed sit him upright. “Didn’t think I’d see you after all that we put you through.”

Ben shrugged. Nate just stood there and stared at the floor.

“The nurse said you were shot four times?” Ben asked.

“I guess. Two in this shoulder. Lucky they didn’t get both. Collapsed lung. Got my leg and my hip. That one is the worst. They’re giving me some great drugs, though.” A stoned smile spread across his face.

“Has Jackson come to see you?” Nate asked.

“Only long enough for him to see I was alive right after surgery. Sounds like they have him detained for a little longer.”

“Ahh.” Ben nodded and looked around the room full of monitors and devices hanging on the wall. “If you were going to get shot, at least you were here, where they can still mend you up instead of Seattle or something.”

“Small consolation I guess. Not sure if we really are going to be arrested or just feel like we’ve been sentenced once I am out of here. Doubt we can get off this island now.” He was about to fold his arms and thought better of it.

“Well, we wanted to make sure you still had your arms and legs, and you know, made it after all that.” Ben was ready to go.

“All right.” Anderson looked down at his hands. “You know, you did all right. You saved my life even after I was a jerk the whole time. Even if we are stuck here, at least we’re alive.”

He didn’t say another word as he reclined the bed and started to close his eyes.

“I think they gave him the good stuff,” Nate whispered.

“They sure did.” Anderson smiled with his eyes closed.

They were barely outside the door when Ben stopped and leaned against the wall. He was overcome with disappointment and exhaustion.

“Are you okay?” The nurse was right by his side.

He nodded barely. “I really thought we were going to get to Homer. We can’t be stuck here.”

“What’s in Homer? I hear there’s threat of invasion all along the coast. You’re better off here near the bases.” He pushed his chair over to Ben so he could sit down.

“Looks as if it’s not me that needs to be here.” Nate gave him a sympathetic smile.

“It’s been a lot.” He shook his head. “We’ve been through a lot and I’m just trying to get home to my family. We have really struggled to get through each leg of our trip and now it’s getting to Homer. It’s starting to look like getting to Anchorage and Idaho are becoming the impossible.” He rubbed his face. “I think I just need sleep after all we’ve been through today.”

The nurse tugged Ben’s arm and smiled. “I know someone. He’s going to Homer for supplies. He’s taking the hospital’s helicopter. It will be empty on the way there. Let’s see if he can take you. He’s leaving in a few hours.”

Ben’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe their luck as he grabbed Nate’s arm and looked back at the nurse. “You aren’t joking with me, are you?”

“No. Of course not.” He asked another nurse to watch Anderson’s vitals as they went to find his friend.

The nurse took them to the roof of the hospital to meet their helicopter pilot friend.

“Hey, Wilson.” The nurse opened the door to the office connected to the stairs on the roof.

“What’s up, Fin?” The burly guy with sunglasses resting on top of his bald head looked up from his computer when the three walked in.

“These men are stranded here on the island. They need to get to Homer right away.”

“Yeah? Why’s that? Things aren’t exactly friendly out there on the water. Sounds like they’re considering evacuating anyone living on the coastline.”

“Seriously?” Nate asked.

“I don’t know. Rumors are flying like crazy so I don’t know what to believe.” He shook his head as if that didn’t matter to him. “Why you in a hurry? Got wives you’re missing?”

“Well, yeah. They’re in the lower forty-eight fending for themselves right now.”

“You didn’t tell me that part,” Nurse Fin said.

“No? I also have five daughters in the city with my wife. So I’m a little desperate to get back.”

“I understand why you’re a mess now.” The nurse shook his head. “And you?” He pointed at Nate.

“My sons are grown and live near my wife and farm in Montana. However, I do need to get home. It’s a lot on my boys to manage their own farms during something like this and try to protect my place too.”

For the first time, Ben was seeing the strain on Nate’s face when they talked about his family. When it came to getting home, he had been playing it down, as if his problems weren’t as bad as Ben’s and he was just following along. It really was taking more of a toll on Nate than Ben thought.

Wilson nodded as he thought things through. “They’re shorthanded at the hospital in Homer. If I take you there, you need to help me load up the helicopter. It’s not that bad. Only so much I can fit in here as it is. But I have a really tight window to get there and back. There’s a break in the weather. I never count on those to last long. That is if you can handle flying in a chopper. Not everyone thinks it is much fun especially with the cross winds we get out here.”

“Oh, I’m up to it.” Ben was actually excited, better than a boat by a long shot and he loved anything that could fly. He looked at Nate.

Nate was whiter than the paint on the wall. He looked at Ben. “Most days I’d be all for it. Right now, everything has been so dangerous. You know, we’re lucky to be alive.”

“We’ve been through a lot to get this far. We can’t quit now.” Ben was determined to go even if he had to leave his friend behind. He was sure it wasn’t going to come to that.

“I’d like to say that there’s nothing to worry about but I can’t say that. There’s always a risk when flying and out here is no party. However, I’ve got a great helicopter, carries lots of cargo and can hold eleven passengers. It’s a sturdy beast.”

“I’m sure my boss would be willing to pay you for transport,” Ben said.

“Nah, can’t put that in the books. Not going to explain taking money from civilians to get off the island right now.”

“Aren’t all civilian flights grounded?” Of course Nate had to ask that.

“I’m considered Coast Guard and I’m servicing the hospital as well which has to be supplied. I’m going whether you come or not. I happen to be empty on the ride there. Not a big deal. Company is nice to have on the flight over. You coming?”

Ben waited for the expression on Nate’s face to change and he wasn’t budging. “We can’t wait for another opportunity. It might not come.”

“You said that on our last trip.” Nate glared at Ben.

“We wouldn’t be here now if we didn’t take that chance.”

“One thing. I can’t leave for a few hours but if something comes up between now and then and I’m called out on an emergency, our plans to head out this afternoon are scrapped. I’ll still need to go but I am at the mercy of the reckless souls that roam this island.”

Nate looked out at the sky. “Where is Homer from here?”

“That way.” Wilson pointed to the northeast.

“There’s nothing there,” Nate said.

“It takes a few hours to get there. If we run into trouble, the Coast Guard is always out there and I have emergency flotation for this thing if we can’t stay in the air. Honestly, I’ve been doing this for about sixteen years now and have never had to use it.”

“If we go with you, with our luck, today might be the day.” Nate rubbed his head and the worry and the stress was evident all over his body.

“With our luck, we’ll get there in one piece right when the next opportunity for us to get to Anchorage shows up. Come on, Nate.” Ben rolled his hat in his hands and didn’t realize he was practically wringing it out as he waited for him to give the go ahead. “I’m ready to go. Just give the word. We got this, buddy.” He touched him on the shoulder gently and pleaded with his eyes.

Nate finally nodded.

“All right. Be back here in two hours and if it is an uneventful afternoon on the island, we’ll head out.”

“Oh, I was wondering, do you have access to a HAM radio?” Ben asked.

“Yes.” Wilson rocked back in his chair. “And if I don’t get any emergency calls, I’ve got some time to kill.”

“I’ve got a friend in Unalaska trying to reach our families back home. He might have a message for us.”

Wilson rummaged through the drawer in his desk. “Give me the handle. Be happy to have a chat with him for you.” He handed Ben a sticky note.

Ben wrote down the call signs and what they wanted Wilson to ask Chuck.

He couldn’t believe his luck. He was downright giddy as they headed back to the Coast Guard office for their gear and some lunch. Hopefully in a few hours he would be calling his boss to let him know they made it to Homer, he’d have some news from Chuck, and they’d be arranging the next leg of their journey on solid ground.