THE UNKNOWN SON
"Emergency Calls Series
Book Two
Chapter One
Scott Hartford, his older brother Cal, the helicopter pilot Ben and co-pilot Mark had just witnessed their team member, Jake release himself from his safety line while dangling in the sky and fall into the river below to save Maggie O’Donnell.
In Scotty’s mind, the move was straight out of a “Die Hard” movie scene where the lead guy risked his own life to save the woman he loved from drowning in the river below. Except, it wasn’t a movie and Jake wasn’t in love. In fact, he didn’t even know the woman who he was risking his life for. But that was Jake to a “T”. Scotty realized early on that his team member had both a hard edge and a soft edge to him that made him one confusing son of bitch to read at times. Regardless, there was something wickedly cool about what he’d just done.
Scotty looked over at his brother, who was giving him a warning look. Scotty got the message loud and clear. No heroics!
“You’re up next, Scotty.” Ben’s voice sounded in Scott’s helmet and Scotty rechecked his harness and extra harness attached to him.
“Roger that.” Scott spoke into his mic and caught Cal giving his harness a very thorough once over to make sure it was safe. Once a big brother, always a big brother, Scotty thought.
Scotty’s orders were similar to what Jake’s job had been. Two people were stuck in a tree. Scotty had to rappel down and get them out. Under normal circumstances, piece of cake but the weather was angry. There would be nothing easy about this one.
“Same thing I told Jake goes for you too Scott. Make it fast,” the pilot instructed.
“Got it.” Scotty responded.
Cal clicked off his mic and Scott did the same when they both stood a foot apart. “I mean it, Scotty. No heroics on this one.”
“Really? You still feel the need to tell me this bro?”
“Yeah.” Cal didn’t apologize. “I saw the look in your eye when Jake cut himself lose and in case you hadn’t realized there’s no water to cushion your fall where we’re going.”
“Give me a break, Cal. As cool as that looked, I’m not suicidal.”
Cal glanced out of the doorway before answering, “I know. But like Jake, you’ve been known to do whatever it takes to save someone and I just can’t lose someone important to me again. So, I repeat. No heroics.”
Scotty’s eyes rounded at his brother. “I’ve got too much left to do in this life time, Bro. You can plan on me sticking around.”
“We’ve got a visual.” Mark’s voice appeared over the mic and both brothers clicked their mics back on. “Young boy wearing dark blue jacket and a woman in a red coat.” Mark continued.
“I see them,” Scotty confirmed.
“Let me make a quick pass in front of them first.” Ben’s voice came through.
While Scotty checked out the tree position and searched out any wires that he might get tangled in, he heard Cal begin the wench process.
“The tree looks steady enough. I’ll hover over the tallest tree but I can’t go any lower than that. I don’t want a gust of wind pushing us into the other trees if I do.” Ben instructed in his trademark calm voice.
“Roger that.” Scotty and Cal said simultaneously.
Scott positioned his stance at the back opening with his butt hanging low and out. He gripped the line with his left hand and secured the tandem harness to his right hip.” Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself out and down.
The driving rain and wind was first line of assault to his helmet and face. The biting wind that seemed to slice across his back was the second. “Damn.” The words were out of Scotty mouth before he could check them. Cal eased him down fast as he swung a bit side to side.
Scotty gave voice by command in his mic to slow the wench as he approached the kid first.
He worked the self manned levers easing him closer and trying to adjust to the wind velocity. The kid looked up at him, while holding on tight to the tree trunk. Scott did a quick visual over the kid’s body. He didn’t appear injured but he did look battered with scrapes to his forehead and hands.
Easing closer to the kid, he smiled at the little face for reassurance. The kid was small, maybe eight, maybe nine. “Hiya there buddy. I’m gonna get you out of this tree okay?”
The kid nodded and looked about 50 feet across the tree. “My mom is over there. I think she’s hurt.”
Without looking back at the woman, Scott focused on securing the child into his second harness. Experience taught him that if she was in fact hurt, she would want her child taken to safety before helping her. “I’ll come back for your mom, I promise. Okay?” Scotty looked the kid in the eye wanting him to trust him.
“O-Okay.” The kid’s lips were a pale blue and he was soaked to the bone. He had to be freezing due to the heavy pelt of rain and the high winds.
“Ready, buddy?” Scott grabbed the kid and held him close while using the thumbs up signal to begin hoisting them up. Scotty held on tight to the young boy who did everything he was asked but he didn’t want to take a chance that the kid might freak out once they got higher toward the helicopter and start to thrash around. The kid never did. He just looked down toward his mother and then back up at the approaching helicopter. When they reached the opening Cal and Mark worked quickly to pull the boy inside and remove him from the harness.
Scotty knew the kid would get the immediate medical attention he needed from Cal who would start work on warming his body temperature. Procedure would have Mark taking over the mechanical wench.
“Can you get me closer to the outer edge? The boy says that his mother could be hurt. I’m taking the cart down incase that’s true.” Scotty asked Ben.
“I’ll do my best. Watch the updraft.”
“Got it.”
As quickly as safe to do so, Scotty was being lowered again, but this time holding onto the rappelling cart as the wind threatened to blow him right out of the thing. While the cart was tethered to his harness, it wouldn’t fly away if the wind did whip it out of his hands but it would slow down the rescue if he had to rein it back to him.
When he was approached the woman, he could hear her yelling over the rushing sound of winds. “Is Tommy alright? Is he hurt?” Her voice was anxious.
“He’s fine ma’am. We’re going to work on getting you out of this fine mess next.” He flicked one of the levers which halted him and the cage. Securing the contraption on a sturdy branch, he turned to face the woman and froze in mid motion.
“Aly?”
“Scotty.”
Chapter Two
In his ear piece, he could hear his brother’s voice. “Scotty? Problem?”
“Uh…no.”
Scott began loosening the second harness from around his body and held it out to her. “Can you put this around you and belt it inside the loop?”
“I don’t think so. I think I broke my wrist when we slammed into the other tree.”
“You think it’s broken?”
“I can’t move it. I was up higher but when we hit the other tree, I fell a few feet before I could grab on to this branch. I heard it snap.”
“Okay. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I don’t know. Right now I can’t feel anything.”
“Okay, stay put….I’m coming for you. I’ll latch you on to me and we’ll both get on the cart.”
“Tommy….”
“He’s fine Aly. You’ll see him soon. I promise.”
Scotty worked on securing her to his body and even though the outside temperature felt like iced slices in the skin, he felt warmed where ever their bodies touched. He had enough gear on to feel absolutely nothing. Yet, he did. Once he got them both strapped on and snuggled closely, he gave the thumbs up signal and they began to rise. He placed his arm across her body and secured her even more.
He forced his mind to stay on task but it kept wandering back 12 years into the past which was the last time he’d seen Aly; the love of his life. As they neared the opening to the helicopter, Mark and Cal pulled the cart inside and slid the back door closed. It didn’t eliminate the howling wind noise but it prevented more rain from pouring inside.
Once they’d been secured on board, Aly sat across from her son while Cal quickly checked her vitals and then gently examined her wrist. While Scotty tried to remove his harness, he found himself staring at Aly. His eyes raked over her face and body all the way down to her feet. Even though she had some bumps and bruises, she still looked good. Really good. Some of his past emotions swept into his mind and nudged other memories to the forefront. Back in high school, he thought that he was in love with her which was quickly rectified when she went away to college and never came back home. When she winced in pain from the splint being applied to her arm, he looked away and refocused on his immediate task of hanging the harness back in its proper place. As soon as she was able to, Scotty watched as Aly scooted to sit next to her son holding him with her right arm as if she’d never let him go. Cal sat opposite Aly and the boy and looked like he’d seen a ghost. When Scotty sat next to him on the bench, he followed Cal’s direction and found the kid stripped of his jacket and shirt and draped in a thermo heated blanket. His lips no longer looked blue but his hair was still plastered to his face. Every other second the kid would look at his mother with worry while she was tried to project false strength.
“What’s the matter Cal?” Scott said quietly. “The kids going to be okay, isn’t he?”
Cal didn’t answer or look away for a few seconds.
“Hmmm…uh, he’s fine. Are you?”
“Me? Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Scotty watched his brother’s head make the slow turn his way with a slight look of confusion before he looked back at the boy.
“Cute kid.” Cal said.
“Yes, he is. Brave too. Not once did he whimper or fidget as we dangled hundreds of feet off the ground.”
Cal nodded his head slowly and then turned back towards Scotty. “So, how do you know his mother? I don’t remember seeing her around town.”
“What?”
“You called her by name when you got to her. I heard it over your head set.”
“She moved here with her mother her junior year. You were finishing up your third year of college by then.”
“I never saw her when I was home for the summer?”
“We didn’t actually run in the same circles back then.”
“Oh really?” Cal looked back at the boy and let his gaze linger briefly before turning away.
“How’s Aly doing?”
“She’s right. I think that wrist is broken. Must be painful as hell too. I gave her some meds to take the edge off.”
“The kid?”
“Nothing serious. Just a few scrapes and bruises. He’ll get check out at the hospital. He’s a little shocky but he’ll be fine.”
“ Good.” Scotty said under his breath and made a mental vow to stay at the hospital to see if he could get some answers he’s been waiting 12 years for.
Aly sat holding her son as the helicopter dipped and weaved and watched Scotty talk with the man who was clearly his brother. The resemblance was strong and the man kept staring at Tommy. She strained to hear to their conversation but it was no use. It was too loud inside the helicopter. He knew, she realized. But so far it didn’t seem that Scotty had a clue. She knew that she would have to tell him soon before his brother did. As her mind raced through scenarios of what to say and when to say them, his brother looked at her as if studying her facial features while sizing her up. Fortunately, he looked away just as quickly. She’d hate for him to be able to read everything she was feeling and he looked the type who could probably do it too. She then studied Scotty’s profile. Even after twelve years he was still as handsome as she remembered. His hazel eyes with flecks of gold still had a twinkle in them when he smiled. Not that he’d been smiling much since he rescued her but he did at something the other paramedic was saying. She watched the one deep dimple on the left side of his cheek when he did and remembered the first time she’d seen it. The helicopter dipped again and instinct made her pull Tommy closer to her side for protection.
“You okay, Aly? Scotty said from across the craft when he noticed her gripping the boy.
“Uh huh.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes so she looked at the floor.
“We’ll be at the hospital in ten minutes.”
“I’m okay now. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“That’s because Cal gave you something for the pain. When it wears off, you’ll feel it.”
“Uh huh.”
Tommy looked at the two men in front of him and then at the pilot and co-pilot.
“We’re not going to crash are we?” Tommy asked.
“No. No way. Ben can handle a helicopter in the worse of conditions.”
“This is pretty bad conditions, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes but nothing to worry about.” Scotty looked the kid in the eye when he made the understood promise. The boy reminded him of his nephew, Cal’s son, who he’d always treated with respect and he wouldn’t stop with any other young boy at that point.
"Emergency Calls Series
Book Two
Chapter One
Scott Hartford, his older brother Cal, the helicopter pilot Ben and co-pilot Mark had just witnessed their team member, Jake release himself from his safety line while dangling in the sky and fall into the river below to save Maggie O’Donnell.
In Scotty’s mind, the move was straight out of a “Die Hard” movie scene where the lead guy risked his own life to save the woman he loved from drowning in the river below. Except, it wasn’t a movie and Jake wasn’t in love. In fact, he didn’t even know the woman who he was risking his life for. But that was Jake to a “T”. Scotty realized early on that his team member had both a hard edge and a soft edge to him that made him one confusing son of bitch to read at times. Regardless, there was something wickedly cool about what he’d just done.
Scotty looked over at his brother, who was giving him a warning look. Scotty got the message loud and clear. No heroics!
“You’re up next, Scotty.” Ben’s voice sounded in Scott’s helmet and Scotty rechecked his harness and extra harness attached to him.
“Roger that.” Scott spoke into his mic and caught Cal giving his harness a very thorough once over to make sure it was safe. Once a big brother, always a big brother, Scotty thought.
Scotty’s orders were similar to what Jake’s job had been. Two people were stuck in a tree. Scotty had to rappel down and get them out. Under normal circumstances, piece of cake but the weather was angry. There would be nothing easy about this one.
“Same thing I told Jake goes for you too Scott. Make it fast,” the pilot instructed.
“Got it.” Scotty responded.
Cal clicked off his mic and Scott did the same when they both stood a foot apart. “I mean it, Scotty. No heroics on this one.”
“Really? You still feel the need to tell me this bro?”
“Yeah.” Cal didn’t apologize. “I saw the look in your eye when Jake cut himself lose and in case you hadn’t realized there’s no water to cushion your fall where we’re going.”
“Give me a break, Cal. As cool as that looked, I’m not suicidal.”
Cal glanced out of the doorway before answering, “I know. But like Jake, you’ve been known to do whatever it takes to save someone and I just can’t lose someone important to me again. So, I repeat. No heroics.”
Scotty’s eyes rounded at his brother. “I’ve got too much left to do in this life time, Bro. You can plan on me sticking around.”
“We’ve got a visual.” Mark’s voice appeared over the mic and both brothers clicked their mics back on. “Young boy wearing dark blue jacket and a woman in a red coat.” Mark continued.
“I see them,” Scotty confirmed.
“Let me make a quick pass in front of them first.” Ben’s voice came through.
While Scotty checked out the tree position and searched out any wires that he might get tangled in, he heard Cal begin the wench process.
“The tree looks steady enough. I’ll hover over the tallest tree but I can’t go any lower than that. I don’t want a gust of wind pushing us into the other trees if I do.” Ben instructed in his trademark calm voice.
“Roger that.” Scotty and Cal said simultaneously.
Scott positioned his stance at the back opening with his butt hanging low and out. He gripped the line with his left hand and secured the tandem harness to his right hip.” Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself out and down.
The driving rain and wind was first line of assault to his helmet and face. The biting wind that seemed to slice across his back was the second. “Damn.” The words were out of Scotty mouth before he could check them. Cal eased him down fast as he swung a bit side to side.
Scotty gave voice by command in his mic to slow the wench as he approached the kid first.
He worked the self manned levers easing him closer and trying to adjust to the wind velocity. The kid looked up at him, while holding on tight to the tree trunk. Scott did a quick visual over the kid’s body. He didn’t appear injured but he did look battered with scrapes to his forehead and hands.
Easing closer to the kid, he smiled at the little face for reassurance. The kid was small, maybe eight, maybe nine. “Hiya there buddy. I’m gonna get you out of this tree okay?”
The kid nodded and looked about 50 feet across the tree. “My mom is over there. I think she’s hurt.”
Without looking back at the woman, Scott focused on securing the child into his second harness. Experience taught him that if she was in fact hurt, she would want her child taken to safety before helping her. “I’ll come back for your mom, I promise. Okay?” Scotty looked the kid in the eye wanting him to trust him.
“O-Okay.” The kid’s lips were a pale blue and he was soaked to the bone. He had to be freezing due to the heavy pelt of rain and the high winds.
“Ready, buddy?” Scott grabbed the kid and held him close while using the thumbs up signal to begin hoisting them up. Scotty held on tight to the young boy who did everything he was asked but he didn’t want to take a chance that the kid might freak out once they got higher toward the helicopter and start to thrash around. The kid never did. He just looked down toward his mother and then back up at the approaching helicopter. When they reached the opening Cal and Mark worked quickly to pull the boy inside and remove him from the harness.
Scotty knew the kid would get the immediate medical attention he needed from Cal who would start work on warming his body temperature. Procedure would have Mark taking over the mechanical wench.
“Can you get me closer to the outer edge? The boy says that his mother could be hurt. I’m taking the cart down incase that’s true.” Scotty asked Ben.
“I’ll do my best. Watch the updraft.”
“Got it.”
As quickly as safe to do so, Scotty was being lowered again, but this time holding onto the rappelling cart as the wind threatened to blow him right out of the thing. While the cart was tethered to his harness, it wouldn’t fly away if the wind did whip it out of his hands but it would slow down the rescue if he had to rein it back to him.
When he was approached the woman, he could hear her yelling over the rushing sound of winds. “Is Tommy alright? Is he hurt?” Her voice was anxious.
“He’s fine ma’am. We’re going to work on getting you out of this fine mess next.” He flicked one of the levers which halted him and the cage. Securing the contraption on a sturdy branch, he turned to face the woman and froze in mid motion.
“Aly?”
“Scotty.”
Chapter Two
In his ear piece, he could hear his brother’s voice. “Scotty? Problem?”
“Uh…no.”
Scott began loosening the second harness from around his body and held it out to her. “Can you put this around you and belt it inside the loop?”
“I don’t think so. I think I broke my wrist when we slammed into the other tree.”
“You think it’s broken?”
“I can’t move it. I was up higher but when we hit the other tree, I fell a few feet before I could grab on to this branch. I heard it snap.”
“Okay. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I don’t know. Right now I can’t feel anything.”
“Okay, stay put….I’m coming for you. I’ll latch you on to me and we’ll both get on the cart.”
“Tommy….”
“He’s fine Aly. You’ll see him soon. I promise.”
Scotty worked on securing her to his body and even though the outside temperature felt like iced slices in the skin, he felt warmed where ever their bodies touched. He had enough gear on to feel absolutely nothing. Yet, he did. Once he got them both strapped on and snuggled closely, he gave the thumbs up signal and they began to rise. He placed his arm across her body and secured her even more.
He forced his mind to stay on task but it kept wandering back 12 years into the past which was the last time he’d seen Aly; the love of his life. As they neared the opening to the helicopter, Mark and Cal pulled the cart inside and slid the back door closed. It didn’t eliminate the howling wind noise but it prevented more rain from pouring inside.
Once they’d been secured on board, Aly sat across from her son while Cal quickly checked her vitals and then gently examined her wrist. While Scotty tried to remove his harness, he found himself staring at Aly. His eyes raked over her face and body all the way down to her feet. Even though she had some bumps and bruises, she still looked good. Really good. Some of his past emotions swept into his mind and nudged other memories to the forefront. Back in high school, he thought that he was in love with her which was quickly rectified when she went away to college and never came back home. When she winced in pain from the splint being applied to her arm, he looked away and refocused on his immediate task of hanging the harness back in its proper place. As soon as she was able to, Scotty watched as Aly scooted to sit next to her son holding him with her right arm as if she’d never let him go. Cal sat opposite Aly and the boy and looked like he’d seen a ghost. When Scotty sat next to him on the bench, he followed Cal’s direction and found the kid stripped of his jacket and shirt and draped in a thermo heated blanket. His lips no longer looked blue but his hair was still plastered to his face. Every other second the kid would look at his mother with worry while she was tried to project false strength.
“What’s the matter Cal?” Scott said quietly. “The kids going to be okay, isn’t he?”
Cal didn’t answer or look away for a few seconds.
“Hmmm…uh, he’s fine. Are you?”
“Me? Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Scotty watched his brother’s head make the slow turn his way with a slight look of confusion before he looked back at the boy.
“Cute kid.” Cal said.
“Yes, he is. Brave too. Not once did he whimper or fidget as we dangled hundreds of feet off the ground.”
Cal nodded his head slowly and then turned back towards Scotty. “So, how do you know his mother? I don’t remember seeing her around town.”
“What?”
“You called her by name when you got to her. I heard it over your head set.”
“She moved here with her mother her junior year. You were finishing up your third year of college by then.”
“I never saw her when I was home for the summer?”
“We didn’t actually run in the same circles back then.”
“Oh really?” Cal looked back at the boy and let his gaze linger briefly before turning away.
“How’s Aly doing?”
“She’s right. I think that wrist is broken. Must be painful as hell too. I gave her some meds to take the edge off.”
“The kid?”
“Nothing serious. Just a few scrapes and bruises. He’ll get check out at the hospital. He’s a little shocky but he’ll be fine.”
“ Good.” Scotty said under his breath and made a mental vow to stay at the hospital to see if he could get some answers he’s been waiting 12 years for.
Aly sat holding her son as the helicopter dipped and weaved and watched Scotty talk with the man who was clearly his brother. The resemblance was strong and the man kept staring at Tommy. She strained to hear to their conversation but it was no use. It was too loud inside the helicopter. He knew, she realized. But so far it didn’t seem that Scotty had a clue. She knew that she would have to tell him soon before his brother did. As her mind raced through scenarios of what to say and when to say them, his brother looked at her as if studying her facial features while sizing her up. Fortunately, he looked away just as quickly. She’d hate for him to be able to read everything she was feeling and he looked the type who could probably do it too. She then studied Scotty’s profile. Even after twelve years he was still as handsome as she remembered. His hazel eyes with flecks of gold still had a twinkle in them when he smiled. Not that he’d been smiling much since he rescued her but he did at something the other paramedic was saying. She watched the one deep dimple on the left side of his cheek when he did and remembered the first time she’d seen it. The helicopter dipped again and instinct made her pull Tommy closer to her side for protection.
“You okay, Aly? Scotty said from across the craft when he noticed her gripping the boy.
“Uh huh.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes so she looked at the floor.
“We’ll be at the hospital in ten minutes.”
“I’m okay now. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“That’s because Cal gave you something for the pain. When it wears off, you’ll feel it.”
“Uh huh.”
Tommy looked at the two men in front of him and then at the pilot and co-pilot.
“We’re not going to crash are we?” Tommy asked.
“No. No way. Ben can handle a helicopter in the worse of conditions.”
“This is pretty bad conditions, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes but nothing to worry about.” Scotty looked the kid in the eye when he made the understood promise. The boy reminded him of his nephew, Cal’s son, who he’d always treated with respect and he wouldn’t stop with any other young boy at that point.