Chapter 8: Hell on Earth

After high school ended Tara and I were on summer break. It was June 22nd when the event happened. Dad was working as usual at the Feather River Nuclear Power Plant). There was a sudden and unprecedented series of failures inside the reactor. The nuclear pile was running wild, headed for a meltdown. Dad had only minutes to act. Risking his life, he ran into the reactor room. A simple stuck mechanical latch was preventing the reactor shutdown mechanism (a rack of neutron-absorbing control rods) from deploying.

The only way to release the latch was brute force. But that latch was directly in line with a lethal stream of intense radiation from inside the reactor vessel. Dad picked up a heavy wrench. At the last moment, he switched hands, and swung the wrench against the latch over and over with his non-dominant (left) hand. Each swing unavoidably brought his hand right through the intense radiation flow. On the tenth bang, the latch released, and the rack of control rods rattled down into the reactor, stopping the immediate crisis from progressing farther.

Back in the control room, Dad was able to text us, reporting there was a problem at the plant, and he would be hours delayed coming home. During those next five or six hours, he sat monitoring at his workstation while his hand blistered and bled. According to the dosimeter on his lapel, he had received a level two (of five) exposure. Enough to potentially shorten his lifespan, but not enough radiation to cause immediate sickness.

He was waiting for the experts from the US Navy to come and take control of the reactor and remediate the compromised fuel. Once the Navy arrived and quickly debriefed Dad, one of their doctors examined him and bandaged up his left hand and arm. At last, he was free to go home. He was able to call us to say he was on his way.

At our first sight of him, arm in a sling, gray-faced and weary, we all burst into tears. He briefly explained what had happened and Mom took him to bed before he just keeled over from exhaustion and stress.

The next day, Dad was able to explain to us all the details of the event. When Mom unwrapped his left arm to change his bandages, Tara fainted. I learned a new term, suppurating. His hand was a mess of blood and pus. He was reluctant to move his fingers for fear of cracking open his skin. I realized, “He might lose his hand!”

Mom was crying again. Hell, I was crying, too. Tara was curled up in a ball, just sobbing.

Just then the telephone rang. Dad took the call.

“Yes, this is Martin Vinke. Yes, sir. No, not well at all. I think my burned hand has been permanently damaged by the radiation. There’s blood, and pus, and —”

“Sorry. OK, thank you. That would be great. I’m afraid my family is very upset about all this. Wife and two daughters. You will? Well thank you. It was good of you to call, we will speak again. Goodbye.”

Dad hung up the phone. “That was Bob Archuleta, President of the Sacramento Power and Light Company, owners of the power plant. He’s sending us a Lyft XL (which is a large SUV). They are taking us down to the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento for burn treatment. You all will have a suite at the Hyatt Regency while they are working on me. It’s all fully paid for. Lainie, let’s just re-wrap my hand, and then all three of you need to quickly pack for three nights.”

He continued, “Also, they have direct-deposited five months’ advance salary to our account. The only conditions are that we don’t reveal these events publicly, and I make myself available for debriefings with SPL and Whelby-Enfield, the British company that built the reactor. Otherwise, I’m on paid leave for at least the next five months. Tara, honey, did you hear me?”

“Yes, Dad, Sacramento, treatment, three days. You’re not going to die, are you?”

“No, Tara, I’m not going to die. Lainie already told me not to. And I would never dare disappoint her. Now, please, go pack a bag. Bring a swimsuit, I’m sure they have a pool. It’s a fancy hotel, too. Wear some modest clothes for a change, please.”

Tara rolled her eyes and disappeared. “Nora, I know, but please bring a swimsuit also. Tara will be with you, and Lainie, most likely. There won’t be anybody hassling you.”

“OK, Dad. And, please, get better. I can’t imagine being without you.” I left the two of them.