“Kai?” Rachel said, the fear in her voice clear from that single word. “There’s a lot of creaking and movement going on. It’s like standing on the world’s largest piece of Jell-O.” He admired her for trying to make a joke even in this situation.
“We’re on our way, Rachel. We’ll be there in less than a minute.”
“I don’t think you’ll make it.” Even over the noise of the helicopter, Kai could hear the screech of distressed metal. He leaned into the cockpit and saw the Grand Hawaiian dead ahead less than a mile away. They would be there in seconds. But she was right: they were too late. Puffs of dust were erupting from all over the building, the telltale signs of imminent collapse he’d seen in the other buildings that had already gone down. Nevertheless, Kai clung to any shred of hope that they’d make it.
“Don’t say that, sweetheart.”
“Tell Teresa that I understand her job now.”
“You can tell her yourself. I can see you.”
“I know. Kai, I love you. I’ll miss you.”
“Rachel, no. We’re coming.”
“Take good care of Lani for me. I wish I could have seen her grow up. I’ll miss her so much.” He could hear the ache in her voice.
“Rachel.”
“Honey. My honey.”
Tears streamed down Kai’s cheeks, but he kept his eyes riveted on the Grand Hawaiian.
“Oh, Rachel, I love you. Don’t leave us.”
“I don’t want to. I love you. I love you. I—”
Her voice was abruptly cut off. It was followed by a colossal rumble.
“Rachel!” Kai screamed. “Rachel!” But there was no answer.
The Grand Hawaiian tower finally succumbed to the power of the water pounding at its frame. The south side buckled, sending the top pitching over toward the beach. Windows blew apart. Pieces of the hotel flew out in every direction. The pilot swung the helicopter around to avoid getting struck with debris.
With all of the dust billowing up, Kai lost sight of Rachel. But she didn’t have a chance. The bulk of the structure splashed into the water with an enormous roar. For a moment it surged to a stop, halted by the impact with the water. And then, surrounded by white foam, it sank. The entire hotel slid below the surface. It was gone.
All Kai could do was slump in his seat and moan, only vaguely aware of Lani’s screams. In shock, he sat there, mute, looking out the front of the cockpit as the chopper raced back in the direction they had come.
And that’s when he saw the boat building, the tower they had been rescued from, tumble into the sea.
FIFTY-TWO
M
Kai had never felt more miserable than at that moment, and he never cried harder. He howled from the pain in his chest, from the unfairness of it all. They had been so close to saving her. So close. Kai didn’t know how he could endure the heartache.
But then he felt Lani burrow into the crook of his shoulder, still wailing. He tugged her close to him and along with the despair, felt a glimmer of pride. Rachel must have had a good reason for giving up her spot when the helicopter left the Grand Hawaiian. She would only have done it for someone else’s family.
As for her own family, Rachel had know the risk she was taking sending the AStar to them first. And, deep down, Kai understood her need to make that sacrifice. If the situation had been reversed, he would have done the same without hesitation.
Kai was holding the living, breathing embodiment of everything Rachel wanted in life. There was nothing more important to either of them. Lani’s fragile little body shuddering against his arm reminded Kai that there was still good in the world and that he still had responsibilities. He had to get Lani to safety. With a fourth wave set to hit Honolulu in the next fifteen minutes, they were still in danger.
But he couldn’t give up on Rachel yet, no matter how impossible the odds of her survival were. Once the danger of airborne projectiles had passed, Kai convinced Stan to fly back to where the Grand Hawaiian had been just a minute before and circle. The water was awash with debris and bodies, and Kai simultaneously hoped and feared he’d see Rachel’s. He wanted to find her no matter what, but the idea of seeing her limp, lifeless form was too much to bear. He looked for any unusual movement at all, anything to indicate someone was alive in that brew.
They found no sign of her.
“I’m sorry, Kai,” Brad said from his prone position. “She’s gone.”
“I know,” Kai said, wiping his eyes. “I was just hoping—”
“Mr. Tanaka?” Stan interrupted. “We should get back. I just let your friend Reggie know that you were safe.”
“Reggie sent you?”
“Yes, sir. He was the one who told us about your wi—about the Grand Hawaiian. We’ll be back at Wheeler in seven minutes.”
As they passed the downtown area and flew over Sand Island, Kai couldn’t help but stare at the water as it receded into the ocean that was now his wife’s graveyard. His mind replayed the last few minutes over and over, like a sick videotape that he couldn’t turn off. He tried to distract himself by looking out the window, but it was almost worse seeing the terrible vista below.
In the distance, Pearl Harbor, the Navy base already synonymous with disaster, was once again dotted with smoke trails, this time from explosions kicked off by oil and other chemicals dispersed by the tsunami. The vast flat expanse of Honolulu International and Hickam Air Force Base was only recognizable because of the control tower jutting out of the water and the battered hulks of airliners crushed against the remains of the terminal.
They were crossing one of the airport’s seaplane channels when a high-pitched whine spooled up from behind Kai’s head. As it grew louder, the helicopter wobbled back and forth as if balancing on a slowly spinning top that was about to fall over.
“Dammit!” Stan shouted. “Not yet!”
“What’s happening?” Kai said. The helicopter was quickly losing altitude.
Stan’s finger’s stabbed at a few switches on the control panel. The cyclic stick wagged to and fro as if trying to wrest itself from Stan’s grip.
“The tail rotor’s giving out!” Stan said, barely able to grunt the words. “If I don’t get us down in the next thirty seconds, we’re going to crash!”
FIFTY-THREE
