Chapter 18

The last trip through I bought an Airbus AJC319, medium sized jet, for the family. It cost a little over fifty million when you add in all the other costs of buying, beyond just the jet itself. A brand new Boeing 737 runs between fifty-one million and seventy-eight million, depending on length and accessories. A dealer had the Airbus all ready to go, and it had very few hours on the engines, which made it a good buy for me. The advantage in a 737 comes with buying the most common commercial airliner in the world, and finding mechanics all over that can keep us maintained, safe, and operating at full capacity.

The other advantage, as I see it, of owning a 737 instead of an Airbus is in the hydraulics. Airbus is all electronic. If the electronics fail, and the computers lock up, you are in a world of hurt, as far as flight controls. The hydraulic systems in the Boeings give you a better chance of making it to the ground alive, instead of as little piles of hamburger.

It was something to seriously consider, but I was buying a medium sized, commercial jet liner, and soon.

We were going to enjoy life from here on out. Having died one too many times, I knew a lot about the value of life, and intended to make the most of it until the last day. My family was almost completely back together, and if I could get Jim to a heart specialist, right away, he had an excellent chance of living through the coronary failure he suffered the last time. To accomplish that, I had to prove to him that my 'knowledge' was to be taken seriously, and that he should indulge me when I say he needs a heart specialist.

As August turned into September, and September became October, Jennifer made a trip to New York, saw Doctor Abrams and began her medical odyssey. She would be going to Sweden in November. Beginning her regimen there, much earlier, would give her an even better chance at survival. I paid Doctor Abrams an additional eighty-one thousand dollars for his full attention in New York, and quickly added another seven-hundred and sixty thousand to cover all the costs of the months she would be spending in Sweden.

Tabitha received her new liver in October, but her little body rejected it. She died on November first. I don't think I spoke to anyone for two days, after getting the news.

Tammy and her girls ran away from Cray Weldon and into the arms of a couple my Indiana attorneys hired to shepherd them through the crisis. They were relocated to a safe house in Kentucky, where the girls were enrolled in school without missing more than a few days. Then Tammy's beater of a car was replaced with a Toyota mini-van, along with her and the girls' entire wardrobes, electronics, and all the accessories of modern life for teenage girls and grown up women.

I stayed away from Jennifer, Tabitha, and Tammy, to avoid confusing anyone about my intentions, this time.

It was on a wintry Tuesday night when the sky fell on us.

We'd been away for two weeks, enjoying the new 737, and warm weather destinations. We were in bed when the tornado bearing one hundred and thirty mile per hour winds hit Branson. It wasn't anywhere near the devastating power of the ones that hit Joplin a year earlier, but it hit our town, and we needed to respond.

Jim and I headed into town to see if we could help with the recovery and rescue operation. Colleen got on the phone and ordered first aid supplies, bottled water, and emergency food, clothes, and basic necessities for the injured and homeless. Rebecca went straight to the hospital, and we didn't see her for the rest of the day. Millie and Beth Ann took Brian to a temporary base camp, where they cooked for the first responders, and assisted with the recovery center set up.

Brian learned a lot about being a man that day.

When the sun came up, and the damage was assessed, Jim and I agreed to quietly help replace homes and businesses for our displaced neighbors. Jim knew of a homebuilder we could 'hire' to get to work immediately.

Colleen's organizational skills and determination, moved tons of food and water to Branson in time for lunch, and she called until she scrounged up twenty people to unload the trucks and start handing out staples. Millie and Beth Ann came to Colleen's response center and got people cooking, baking, serving, and delivering food to workers, victims, and those with nowhere to go.

Hank and Coulter met Jim and me back at the marina, and Jim offered his fleet of houseboats to house those who lost everything. Local hotels and resorts, that were undamaged, matched Jim's quick thinking and asked guests to leave to make room for victims. It was our town and our neighbors who needed us. We did what had to be done and used it as a teachable moment for Brian. He came through like a thoroughbred, working right beside anyone, and everyone, to help those in need.

We spent less than ten million dollars, including replacement homes for people who weren't sufficiently covered by insurance, and who found FEMA had turned their backs on. It was a good effort and well worth our time and energy.

It was during the response that Jim received his first warning from his heart, and I exploited it to force him onto my jet and into the cardiac unit at Johns Hopkins. The heart specialists quickly diagnosed and treated his faulty heart valve, heading off a later, major crisis. Millie wouldn't become a fifty-six year old widow, as long as Jim used his head and followed doctor's orders.

Things were turning out so much differently than the last time, and other than the aches and pains that come with being forty-four, life was good. God and the universe were less outraged at me this time, and I found my way without the fear, pain, and heartache of the other two tries.

The day came to go find Benjamin, and I flew off alone to find my buddy. He was right where we found him the last time, but I was two days early, saving him from the severe hunger and dehydration trauma. I found him waiting patiently alongside the road, where I picked him up the last time. He clearly expected his owner to return for him. It kind of broke my heart, and I spent a long time loving on him before trying to convince him to come with me.

His eyes were wary but accepting when I coaxed him into the rented SUV. Inside he found his favorite foods, fresh water, vitamins, and supplements, and our trip to the vet at PetSmart was a success. My little buddy liked the jet ride home, and our place in Branson seemed to agree with him.

Colleen gave me the strangest look when I walked into the house with him. "Is that what you went to Florida to pick up?