She climbed back into her sliding-board seat. “I got through to Alaska Eagle Med Central. They have our GPS coordinates and they’re going to send help as soon as they can.”
Relieved smiles beamed back, and a soft, “Thank you, Lord,” from Sera.
“It may take a while—there may be other people worse off than we are. But we’ve got food and water and we’ve got each other. We’ll be all right for a night, won’t we?”
“Sure,” Sera said quickly.
The light was dwindling as ash obscured the windows. Annie was quiet—too quiet, except for her quick, raspy breaths. Hyperventilating? Or her leaky heart valve not getting enough blood to her brain?
“Annie, are you all right?”
“Yes, dear. I was just thanking the Lord for our delivery. In truth, I’m a little relieved. Is that too selfish of me?”
“Relieved?” That wasn’t the reaction Estelle expected.
“You see, I was wondering if the plane crash was somehow because of me. You know, the good Lord being displeased about my decision to leave Rainbow before Rufus’s funeral. But a volcano?” She shook her head. “I’m just not that important, am I? So it couldn’t be my fault.”
Estelle laughed and took her hand. “You’re important enough that the good Lord saved all our lives in the middle of a volcano eruption. A prayer of thanks is an excellent idea.”
For supper, Estelle broke a power bar into thirds, passed around a bottle of water, and made sure Annie took her pills. After, they all exited the plane for a toilet break and to put on the extra sweaters and socks. More socks went on their hands for gloves. They eased Annie into the back seat where she could find a more comfortable position and covered her with one of the reflective blankets. Estelle and Sera wedged themselves into the front seats with the seat belts to keep them from slipping together into a heap.
For a while, they entertained themselves singing hymns and rounds. When that petered out, Estelle tried to sleep.
Just before eleven, the buzz of her satphone woke her.
“Estelle? How are you holding up?” It was Robin from Alaska Eagle Med dispatch.
“We’re hanging on.” The cockpit was dark, the ash having covered the windshield. Estelle was cramped and cold. Even with Sera practically on top of her and sharing the blanket, she had to bite down to keep her teeth from chattering. “Is someone coming soon?”
“Um, not yet. I just wanted to give you an update. Listen—they say the eruption might go on for days. What’s your situation?”
Days? Estelle’s heart sank. “We’ve got food for a couple of days. Right now, we’re trying to stay warm. I’m worried about Annie—she’s not in any shape for roughing it.”
“Fiddlesticks,” Annie mumbled from the back seat.
“We’ve notified your location to the state police,” Robin said. “Also to the FAA, Alaska Emergency Management, even FEMA. They promised to get to you. I’ll call them all again—but we have to be realistic. You seem to be right in the path of the ash—they can’t get a helicopter to you until the eruption stops.”
Translation: you’re on your own.
Sera squirmed and drew her feet up under the blanket. Estelle could feel her shivering. Now that all the residual heat had dissipated from the plane’s cabin, cold crept in from the tons of compacted ice below them.
The cold was bad enough for two young, healthy women, but for Annie, it could be deadly.
“Uh, Robin, where exactly are we? How far to the Dalton Highway? Is there a village or a road I could hike to, to get some help?”
“Hold on, let me pull up a map.” Half a minute of silence ticked by. “Sorry, but hiking probably isn’t an option. The Dalton’s the only road—and that’s at least fifty miles to your west, with pretty rough terrain in between.”
Crap. “What about if I follow the valley down? That will lead to a river, and maybe a village.”
“I don’t suppose you packed a kayak in your luggage? Seriously, don’t try it. That area drains into the Dirty Dog River. It flows past Cody and Mankeeta eventually, but you know how the rivers wind. As the crow flies, it looks like you’re forty or fifty miles southeast of Cody. Trust me, you’re better off staying with the plane. We’ll get someone to you, I promise.”
Estelle ended the call feeling abandoned and desperate.
Think positive. After all, headquarters knew where they were, knew that Annie’s condition was precarious. Help would come soon.
And if it didn’t?
Suppose the eruption went on for days? She might have brought two people she cared about to an early death. What would that do to her parents, losing their last living child and only grandchild so soon after Marie’s suicide? They’d be left with no one.
Why hadn’t she ever settled down, got married, had a family?
Sleep was impossible, her mind turning in useless circles. I should have let Sera stay in Fairbanks. I shouldn’t have pushed Annie into the surgery. If only I’d left Rainbow on time.
And what about Annie? Her biggest fear had been that she’d die away from home and be laid to rest away from everything and everyone she knew. Estelle had promised to bring her back to Rainbow, whether alive or dead—a promise she might not be able to keep.
Maybe we shouldn’t fight so hard. Everyone faced death eventually, and hypothermia wasn’t a bad way
