Young Again
Copyright© 2018 by Edward Douglass Patterson
Chapter 3: Rescue
When they got off the plane, Sarah saw there were reporters waiting for them. Guess the press can also pull strings with TSA. I’ll follow Mark’s lead.
Mark waved the reporters to the side to allow the other passengers to get off. When they were out of the way, he raised his hands to stop the questions. When one of the reporters continued to call out questions, he looked at her, then shook his head and started to turn away. After the other reporters quickly quieted her, he turned back. “We are here to see my granddaughter Ashley and to take her home when she is ready. Sarah Pierce, Ashley’s best friend, was visiting MSI when she received a call from Ashley. We contacted the Coast Guard, who took over coordinating Ashley’s rescue. How Ashley survived and information about her rescue will be the subject for after she is ready to face the press. I thank God who helped one of my family survive that tragic air crash. Today, we will allow ten minutes for up to four questions from individuals who I will select.” He looked directly at the reporter who had shouted the questions. “We will have time for more questions later after we have seen Ashley.” He pointed to one of the reporters who had helped end the shouted questions.
“Billy Lee with ABC. Mr. Sawyer, how will the loss of your family affect MSI?”
“Loss of life is always much harder at the personal level than it is for a company. I, Ashley, Sarah, other personal friends, and friends at work will be affected more than MSI. I will return to MSI as chairman, taking an active part in the running of the company when requested. Sarah’s father, Jim, has been hired as Vice President of Quality. This allowed Len Smith to move up to the position of CEO. Len and other members of upper management will be responsible for determining what other changes will be made.”
He pointed to another reporter.
“Sarah, what do you feel about finding out Ashley is alive?”
“Ashley had been my best friend since kindergarten. Grandpa Mark and I are here to help Ashley deal with what has happened over the past eleven days.”
Mark pointed to a third reporter.
“Does Ashley know if anyone else survived?”
Mark looked to Sarah and nodded.
“She said the man next to her was unconscious. She opened the escape hatch and barely managed to get out before the plane sank. I know of nothing which would give others hope for their loved ones except that we had no hope this morning. I have been saying prayers for Ashley and her family. I will continue to say prayers for all the passengers and everyone else who has suffered from the North Korean attack.”
Mark held up a single finger and then pointed to a fourth reporter for a last question.
“It is rumored you have Alzheimer’s Disease. Would you care to comment on that?”
“I wasn’t on the flight with my family because I was feeling sorry for myself after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Before I left the hospital, I had them check me for Alzheimer’s Disease. They found no signs of it. Once things settle down, I will look into that. Now, I have my granddaughter to take care of.”
Mark and Sarah turned and headed away.
Sarah had been busy with her iPhone since they had gotten off the plane. “Commander Fred Kolneski is at the airport security office to take us to Ashley. She is at the Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children. Mrs. Pearlman has us booked at the Royal Hawaiian. We have the Queen Ka’ahumanu Suite. After Ashley is checked out, she and I have a room with two queen-size beds. You have a room with a king-size bed. The hotel is less than two miles from the hospital. Turn left here and the third door on the right.”
Mark held back his smile. He was enjoying working with Sarah. What would it be like with the two of them?
They had just left the parking lot when Mark turned to Commander Kolneski. “Commander, what did you want to talk about privately to us?”
Fred glanced into the rearview mirror at Sarah.
“You can speak in front of Sarah.”
When the Commander still didn’t speak, Mark asked Sarah. “What have you found?”
“Everyone is blaming someone else for not locating Sarah before she called.”
Mark sighed. “Fred, did you read or hear about how Sarah saved my life on Saturday?”
He glanced at Sarah again. “No, I just heard you hadn’t been on the plane as we were told.”
“I decided not to go at the last minute. I had my wife drive me up to our cabin in a very remote area near Tahoe the morning before the flight. I had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I was thinking about myself. I got very sick with some type of virus. I would have died if Sarah and her dad hadn’t come looking for me. Ashley had phoned from the airport and told Sarah I was at the cabin and wouldn’t be going to Hawaii. Sarah knew I didn’t know about the crash and I didn’t have a car.” Mark paused. When he spoke again, his voice showed the grief he felt. “I keep thinking that if I had been on the plane, it wouldn’t have been hit and then my family would be alive. If I had been on the plane, would it have meant the difference of mere feet, which would have allowed the debris to miss the plane? I know better than to think that, but I keep thinking about it. I know it isn’t the way to go forward. Everyone involved in the search has to give up the idea of blaming what happened on themselves or someone else. They need to look at what happened and figure out how to do it better next time.”
“I plan to see any investigation into this second Korean War looks at the facts and works to make changes to assure the disasters which occurred will be much less likely to happen in the future. We won’t be able to prevent them, but we can cut down on the chances of something like this happening again.”
“So, if you have something to tell me, it needs to be something which will help in the future.”
Fred had a hard time believing what he had just heard. When he had glanced back at Sarah, he could tell what Mark Sawyer had said in some way had surprised her, but she was in full agreement with what he had said. Maybe Mr. Sawyer could help them end the infighting which had started up at news of the rescue and get them looking at what had gone wrong. “Sarah is right.” How did she find that out with her phone? “The Coast Guard and everyone else involved in the search are blaming each other for not finding Ashley. We have been getting calls from the families of the other victims, asking what we are doing to find their loved ones. If you can help stop everyone from throwing the blame around, we need everyone working together to mount a better search of the area.”
“I’m not sure what we can do to help, but if there is anything we can do, we will after we check up on Ashley.”
“The way Ashley described her escape, I don’t think anyone else got out of the plane. They hit hard and went down fast. She was sitting next to the escape hatch and barely got out. The man next to her was unconscious, and she didn’t see anyone moving. She stayed calm, or she wouldn’t have gotten out. She thought that someone from her family might have been able to get out through the hole in the front of the plane, but she did not see anyone.”
“She was lucky, plus she was uninjured, and she is also a good swimmer. Someone else could have had another combination, which allowed him to escape. It has been a long time since the crash, and it is getting late, just like after the crash. You need to get the search organized and get out there. If there is a television crew at the hospital, I will talk with them.”
“Sarah, are you sure?”
“Mark, go and see Ashley. Tell her what I am doing. I will be up as soon as I can.”
Fred was confused. Did Mark trust Sarah to talk to the media alone? He expected her to help get things straightened out. He glanced at each of them. He saw no indication of doubt. Sarah was doing something with her phone.
“Kaylani Mitchell, this is Sarah Pierce. I need a live air interview at the hospital. I saw you get into the Fox News van. Can you meet me at the hospital? It is about searching for other possible survivors. Yes, I heard about that. That is what I need to stop. Yes, the main entrance sounds good. No, Mr. Sawyer is going directly up to see Ashley. Coast Guard Commander Fred Kolneski will be with me. Yes, I will grant you a private interview after I see Ashley. No, I cannot speak for them. I think it would be better for them to wait before talking to the press again. They have been through a lot. I need to talk with the Commander.” She hung up the phone.
“How did you know about Kaylani? She is a shark when she is going after a story. Where did you get her number?”
“I might have asked you for it if I had known you and she were friends. She was one of the reporters when we got off the plane. From her mike, I knew she was from Fox. When we were getting in your car, I saw her get into the Fox television van. They were following us, but they got stuck at the second light where we made the left turn. I got her cell phone number from the local Fox website. I checked out her phone as I was talking to her and found the list of questions she wants to ask. All of them are pretty good.” She saw both Fred and Mark smiling. “Mark, I think Fred and Kaylani are more than friends. I’m thinking about your second project. They may be able to help. Would you invite them up to our suite for a late dinner? I will do the interview then. Fred, don’t tell her I read her questions. I want to surprise her.”
Fred almost missed the turn into the hospital’s parking garage. She hacked Kay’s phone and was suggesting. No, she was telling Mark Sawyer to have them come to dinner in their suite. Oh, I bet she is going to answer Kay’s questions in order without Kay asking them. He wouldn’t miss that for the world. “No, I won’t tell Kay. I assume you have my phone number. I may have to go back to Sand Island and help see that the search goes right, but I expect you won’t be in your room until late. Where are you staying?”
“One of the suites at the Royal Hawaiian.” Mark didn’t try to pronounce the Queen’s name.
“Queen Ka’ahumanu Suite. They haven’t found anything wrong with Ashley. I love these new hospital medical record systems, but they need better security. Do you have anyone working on cybersecurity? Ashley and I should check out your system, but we will tell you first so you can make sure it is OK. Mark, you could probably get them to release her tonight. She will sleep better with us close by, and you don’t need to be sleeping in a chair; you just got well yourself.”
Mark looked back at Sarah and saw her smiling. She was happy about Ashley, but she was also teasing him. She was worried about him. What he said about feeling guilty had her worried. “Yes, all three of us need to be together and able to relax. What is this with you doing the recruiting? I thought that I was the expert.”
“You are, but I had the information. You will be able to see for yourself tonight. You were planning something on the way out, and you don’t have enough background for the first project yet. I think it will help Ashley to be involved when we talk with Fred and Kay.”
“Yes, it would. Talking to the right people is often helpful.” He patted his phone in his shirt pocket.
Fred pulled into a parking space. “What did they want Kay and me for? It sounded like they hadn’t even talked over whatever it was. And how would it help Ashley? What was he getting Kay and himself into?
Mark took the elevator up to Ashley’s room as Sarah and Fred went to meet Kay for the interview.
Fred had stepped aside to call Captain Spaid. The Coast Guard and everyone else had realized they needed to conduct another search in case there was anyone else who had somehow survived the crash. They had found all three services, the guard, and local first responders less than eager to join in another joint search. Each wanted to do it on their own so they wouldn’t be held partially responsible if no one was found or if someone was found dead who could have been saved if they had been found earlier. The Captain hadn’t believed Fred when he said that a teenage girl was going to straighten everything out. When he said Mark Sawyer had also agreed with Sarah’s plan, he had been told Mark was said to have Alzheimer’s disease. He talked to the Captain until he realized Kay was about to start the interview. He told the Captain it was too late to stop it and that he should turn on Fox News and watch.
As he hung up, he saw Kay ask the first question. Sarah started to talk as she beckoned Fred over to stand beside her.
“On the way over to the hospital, Coast Guard Commander Fred Kolneski told us about all the calls they were getting asking if they could do another search to see if they could find a mother, brother, daughter, or just a friend who had been on the flight with Ashley. He said they hadn’t determined what had gone wrong with the first search, but they were determined to do better this time.”
“I told the Commander that Ashley had been lucky in having abilities which helped her to survive, but also that Mark Sawyer and I both felt God had helped her. Ashley didn’t see anyone else after she got off the plane, but swimming in the ocean with a life vest in rough seas doesn’t give you a good view of things which aren’t nearby. Ashley had seen the island just before the crash, so she swam against the current to reach it. Someone else may have gone with the current. For someone to be alive after this much time who hadn’t seen the island, they would most likely be in a raft going with the current. After all this time, the area, which needs to be searched, has grown and continues to grow. The military and anyone else who can help need to work with the Coast Guard. We need to have a united effort to organize a search to see if someone else survived the crash.”
“Sarah, have you heard there are reports about problems organizing a search?”
“We talked with some of the reporters at the airport and rode over to the hospital with the Commander. He didn’t tell us there were problems. I am distressed that in a time of need, not everyone would be working together. Those who need help must be thought of first.” She turned to Fred and took his hand. “Commander Kolneski, will you go and see what you can do to help with the search?”
Fred looked at Sarah and saw tears in her eyes. “Sarah, I will go and see that we search for anyone else’s loved ones who may be out there.”
“I will be talking with Miss Mitchel at our hotel this evening. Would you come by and let us know how things are going?”
Fred had a hard time not reacting to what Sarah had done. “Yes, I will come by to talk with you.”
“Thank you! And thanks to all the men and women who will help us find anyone else who may have survived the crash. I know they won’t do less than their best. There are so many of us who count on them when things go wrong.” She wiped her eyes. “Miss Mitchel, I need to go. I have to see Ashley. I will talk with you this evening. The Commander may even have good news.”
Sarah turned and hurried into the hospital, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.
Fred started towards the garage.
Kaylani hurriedly ended her broadcast and told the cameraman she would be back in a few minutes. She hurried after Fred.
When she realized she would have to run to catch him, she called to him. “Fred, wait up. We need to talk.”
He turned and waited for her at the elevator. When she got there, he motioned her into the elevator. He was working hard not to smile. When the doors closed, he hit a floor button and after the elevator started, he hit the stop button. Now, he wasn’t trying to hide the smile.
“What’s so funny?”
“Many things. I can’t believe what she did with a short little interview.”
“That wasn’t an interview. I asked one question and she took over. I don’t think I am going to talk to her tonight.”
“She won’t be playing a role tonight. What she did just now was all to get the search going. She played on everyone wanting there to be someone to save and them counting on the searchers. Then she set it up for me to report how things were going with you there. You have to be there in case we don’t get the search organized as we have to.”
“She is playing me.”
“A fifteen-year-old girl?” He was grinning.
She smacked his shoulder but she was grinning also. “Yes, a fifteen-year-old girl.”
“Well, she had Mark Sawyer invite us to a late dinner in their suite at the Royal Hawaiian. They expect Ashley to be there also. I suggest you bring a pen and pad and not anything electronic to record the conversation.”
“Why?”
“Sarah is one extremely smart girl. Everyone had heard about Mark Sawyer. Well, she was the one telling him what they needed to do. She hacked the hospital medical system and found out there is nothing really wrong with Ashley. She told Mark he should talk the doctor into releasing her.”
“So, she can hack computer systems. Which is probably how she got my cell number. Unless you gave it to her?”
“How would she know to ask me? No, the important thing about the medical system is that she was reading medical data which is set up for people who have medical educations. She was doing it from her iPhone as we were driving here, while she was participating in the conversation. How many fifteen-year-olds can do that?”
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