* * *
Johnson briefly confers with some of the other staff in his office, then relays the sad news about the Michaels’ family over the school intercom. He invites the entire school to the chapel and asks the teachers to handle their classes as they see fit until then.
Chapter 5
Hand of Fate
A ribbon runs along the bottom of the TV stating: “Breaking News: Quarryville, PA Jet Crash.”
"Natalee Spalding reporting on the Hemispheres jet crash. One of our reporters in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, has an exclusive interview with a rescuer."
The frazzled looking rescue worker, wearing a hardhat and his yellow and gray firefighter uniform is on camera. The graphic below the image says, "Dale Peterson – Quarryville Fire-Rescue."
Peterson: My team was checking for pulses on people near the center part of the plane but we weren’t finding anything. And then we're placing a young female into a body bag and I noticed her arm was twitching. So I reached down and felt a very faint pulse on her and hollered over to some of the guys. We got an oxygen mask on her and the doc took over. I can only say that this female passenger was alive.
Reporter: Was there any type of identification? Can you describe the female any further?
Peterson: "She was covered with soot and blood, laying kind of face down in the aisle under portions of luggage and debris and stray parts of – that uhh, I can’t really talk about – it was just so bad. But I, I would say she was probably somewhere between 16 and maybe 25 years old, brown shoulder-length hair. We did find…she had a necklace on with a hand-like charm thing that…uhh…the doc has it now. I'm not sure what they're called, but it’s got a hand-shaped thing on it.
Reporter: Was she awake? Was she able to communicate with rescue personnel or the doctor?
Peterson: No sir. She’s being transported by rescue copter to a trauma center.
Reporter to camera: I can tell you that an air rescue helicopter was seen inside the perimeter, where we have not been given access. Reporting from Quarryville, this is Roger Summers for CNT.
Rules are meant to be broken, but violating the no-cell-phone policy in class at MA can mean suspension. Today that doesn’t matter. Several of the students secretly check their cell phones for texts or tweets, including Iris Bailey. Right now she doesn’t care. This is an emergency. Let them kick me out, she thinks, they will have to throw out half of the upper-class today.
She looks down at her phone and sees a news alert: "Quarryville rescue personnel report female survivor."
She continues to scroll on her phone and sees another report that says: "Survivor-No ID, Wearing Hand Charm Necklace."
Iris literally leaps up from her chair wildly waving her hand, like a third grader.
"Mr. James, Amanda might be alive and uh, please, uh, can I be excused? I would like to go tell Headmaster Johnson about what is going on."
Everyone in the class, as they see the updates on their own phones, joins in her request. "They found one female survivor.” “I think it may be her.” “Can I go down to the front office?"
"Class, please…please! Everyone be quiet. Iris, you, and you alone, can go."
Iris immediately hugs Charlyne Bennington, and then squeezes the hand of Amber Fields, both soccer teammates, and she races toward the headmaster's office. Bolting in, she blurts out, "CNT just reported that they found a female survivor. It’s Amanda! She wears that necklace. I swear it’s her!"
“Iris, slow down, slow down. Wears what?”
“CNT just said that a crash survivor has a necklace with a hand charm on it. It’s Amanda, it has to be. She wears a hand necklace.”
Headmaster Johnson asks, "What kind of hand?"
"You know, it's like a little hand on a necklace, it’s a charm. Amanda was the only person I know who wore one. She’s Jewish and she told me what it was. It's supposed to ward off the evil eye or something. Can you call the CNT reporter? Please?"
"I…I’ll have to locate her phone number." Johnson says, while thinking what to do.
"I know," Iris says, "we should call Amanda's Aunt Barbara, or her dad's brother, Andy. I am sure they know she wears a hand necklace so they can confirm it's her."
"That’s a good idea," Johnson agrees. He asks his office secretary to look up the next-of-kin contact information. “Iris, I need you to set a good example. Please go back to class. Trust me, I will make an announcement when I have all the information.”
Swiveling his chair around, Andy stares at the pictures on the credenza. The D.C. triathlon. Himself, Ron, and Alex, one of their closest buddies. His cell phone rings, and he sees “Perry Carson” on the screen. Carson wrote a series of stories on Andy’s handling of the 9/11 cases, which ultimately landed Andy on the front of Capitol Law. Can’t burn a bridge, Andy grudgingly concludes.
“Andy Michaels here.”
“Andy, this is Perry.”
“I know Perry, what’s up?”
“First, I want to express my deepest condolences about the news involving your brother and sister-in-law. But, did you see the news on CNT just now that there is one female survivor? There is speculation it’s your niece.”
Andy feels his heartbeat spike.
“No, I just stepped away from the TV a few minutes ago.”
“They just interviewed a rescue worker. There is definitely a female survivor, but she isn’t conscious. She’s young and was wearing a necklace with a hand charm. Do you think that it could be her?”
Andy thinks for a moment. Yeah, a hamsa. “Where are they taking her?”
“All they said is that a rescue chopper was taking her to a trauma center.”
“Amazing, thanks! Talk with you later.” Andy replies.
“Wait Andy, I know now is not the time, but I hope you’ll talk with me when the time is right. It’s obvious you’re going to be representing your family members in the cases.”
Andy goes catatonic. Sure, he is eager to get the big injury cases---but he had never contemplated the thought of marching into court representing his own brother or any family member. He runs through the massive number of legal permutations.
“Are you still there?” Carson asks.
“Look, totally off the record, of course I will talk to you first. But there’s a lot I need to do now. Thanks for the call.”
“Great. I wish you the best with your family.” Perry says. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Andy, Alex Erickson is here to see you.” Myra announces on his speakerphone.
“Send him back.”
Alex Erickson is one of Andy's best friends, but was even tighter with Ron. Ron and Alex were tennis, skiing and triathlon mates, and Andy often joined them. For five consecutive years, Alex, Ron and Andy proudly finished the Ironman triathlon of Georgetown, running and biking through Rock Creek Park and swimming the Potomac. It had been grueling, but their sense of accomplishment was immense. They had survived a number of boys-only ski trips together. Once Alex and his wife had kids, Amanda had been Alex and Denise’s favorite babysitter.
“I left work as soon as I heard,” Alex says as he enters Andy’s office. Andy begins to get up from his seat, awkwardly trying to decide whether to come around toward Alex.
“Don’t get up. I’m so sorry Andy. Has there been any further news?”
“Yeah, actually we just heard some great news from CNT. There is one survivor and it may be Amanda.”
“Fantastic, amazing! What’s her condition?”
“No one knows, the rescue guy at the scene said the survivor wasn’t conscious. But she was wearing a hand necklace, which fits Amanda’s description.”
“That’s awesome. Are they sure there is only one survivor?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
Alex just shakes his head back and forth. “Can I do anything for you? Have you called Barbara or Becca?”
“Barb, yes. I haven’t called Becca yet, and right now I’m hoping to find out where they are taking
Amanda. I’m going to call Hemispheres back right now.”
“Of course.”
After Andy’s call, the Hemispheres Emergency Response Center communicates with the chopper pilot. The patient will be carried to the major trauma center at Loudoun Memorial Hospital near Reston, Virginia. Hemispheres tells Andy to appear at the hospital to provide a possible ID. Possible, not positive. Alex tells Andy to text or call him if he needs him.
En route to the hospital, Andy fields a cell phone call on his Bluetooth from Angie.
“Sorry to call, but do you have Amanda’s medical history with you? I have the file from your office in front of me.”
“Good call. I forgot all about that. I’m driving and can’t write, so can you text me the stuff?” Andy asks.
“Will do.”
Andy speeds down the road toward the hospital, and possibly Amanda.
Chapter 6
High-level Meeting
One of the three men gazes out the tinted windows, admiring the neatly manicured grounds surrounding the building. He had never really noticed how nicely the grounds were maintained before. This may be my last day, maybe my next to last day, he thinks. He decides he will miss the place. The other two men wear nondescript dark blue business suits. Sitting at the conference room table, they flip through the papers before them, not really reading because they have already read the material. Nervous tension fills the air. Since the most basic pleasantries were exchanged, nothing has been said. The loud second hand on a clock incessantly reminds them of each second and minute that passes.
The door opens. A fourth man enters the room. His hair is gray, close cropped to his head, and he is neatly dressed in a dark suit. The three men in the room promptly give him their full attention as he sits at the head of the table. They have come to respect him as a thoughtful, hard-working man.
He briefly flips through his copy of the report. He takes his glasses off and places them on the report while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Finally he speaks.
"No use in mincing words. We all know this was a colossal failure. Colossal! When we do our jobs properly, we cover all the details, none escape our attention." He then looks into the eyes of each of the three men.
The man who had been gazing out the window earlier speaks up.
"Here’s my letter of resignation. I accept full responsibility as the team leader." He respectfully slides the typed letter toward the head of the table.
The senior man glances down at the letter disdainfully, but doesn’t read it.
"Not now. However, I’ll hold on to it pending what develops in the next several weeks. It is imperative that none of this leaks. Not one word. Do you realize what will occur if any part of this gets out? All the good we’ve done, all the good we’re trying to do, won't matter. It will be irreparable. We will be blamed, bashed, bludgeoned. Won’t matter that we aren’t responsible. Heads will roll." The end of the last word echoes off the conference room walls.
One of the other men in the room asks the inevitable question.
"Sir, are we staying the course?"
"I’ve given that a great deal of thought.” He pushes back from the table and stands up straight. He walks toward the window and stares out at nothing apparent except the slight movement of oak tree leaves.
“Yes, the goal remains the same,” he says, turning back toward the conference room table. “This is important. We need answers. Not one more mistake. Not one. Understood?"
He looks now to his right at his general counsel, the only man yet to utter a word.
“Bob, have you calculated the potential cost of the crash, assuming we discreetly pay the lion’s share?”
“Yes sir. I did significant cost analysis on the crash and on the Phoenix’s technology. On the losses, I can safely say the gross valuation is between 160-200 million dollars. I recommend we cover three-fourths of that, which is still a huge number.”
“Hell yes, that’s a huge damn number! One we never anticipated. Let me ask you this: what’s the value of the Phoenix technology?”
“It wouldn’t be less than five billion dollars in the first five years, assuming we can replicate the Phoenix’s initial research and results.”
“So the Phoenix numbers mean this: yes, it’s worth it. That’s all, gentlemen,” he abruptly says, sweeping up his papers and exiting the room.
Chapter 7
Positive ID
"My name is Andy Michaels and I’m trying to find out if the survivor is my niece, Amanda Michaels. I saw the chopper outside. Is she already here?"
The meek receptionist looks up at him with sympathetic eyes.
"She’s in triage right now. Please hold on a moment." She places a call, shields the handset partly with her hand and talks in a low whisper Andy can’t quite hear. A supervisor walks through a set of swinging doors less than a minute later. The receptionist nods in his direction.
"Hello, my name is Barbara Smithson, and you are…?" Smithson extends her right hand.
"My name is Andy Michaels. The rescue worker’s comments about the hand charm necklace make me think the survivor is Amanda Michaels, my niece. Can I identify her?"
"The young lady is in surgery now and I don't know exactly what her status is. However, the rescue personnel gave me the necklace to help with identification and we have photos of her. If you can describe your niece to me I will double check immediately."
"Brown hair to her shoulder, 5-foot 5-inches maybe. Petite. She wore a hamsa necklace her mother gave her for her bat-mitzvah. Do you have the necklace that you can show me?"
"Can I see your ID first, please?" After checking his license, Smithson has Andy follow her into a small conference room. She tells him she will be right back and soon returns with a baggie holding a necklace inside.
"Do you think this is your niece’s?" she asks holding the baggie at eye level.
"Yes, this looks like what I remember. I just can't be 100 percent sure."
"The surgical team took a picture of her before the surgery started because we did not have identification." She flips open the folder and an 8-by-10 black-and-white photo shows a young girl laying on a hospital gurney surrounded by medical equipment with a swollen face, cuts, and bruises.
"Oh my God, that’s her! What can you tell me?"
"I can tell you that she's in surgery,” the nurse administrator says calmly. “She wasn't conscious when she was rolled in here but she is breathing with assistance. I don't know any more except that we've assembled a team of top trauma specialists and they’re working on her right now," She presses her speakerphone button and calls for the triage nurse that assisted with transporting Amanda to surgery.
“Sir, do you have any medical history on your relative?”
“Yeah, it’s on my phone,” Andy says as he begins scrolling for the text from Angie. “She had a lower back spinal condition called a pars defect and, uh, she had something called vWD, a minor blood disorder.”
“Oh, vWD could affect the outcome of her surgery, which is happening right now. What do you know about her case?” the triage nurse says, appearing concerned.
“I never heard her parents say it was a big deal, just that she had it.” Andy says.
The triage nurse leaves to convey the information to the surgeons.
"Follow me back to my office and we’ll fill out some paperwork."
Andy sees his sister as he follows the administrator back to her office. They rush together.
"Barb, it’s Amanda! She's alive and they have her in surgery right now. They showed me a picture!" he says excitedly.
"Oh my God!” They engage in a long hug. Finally, Barbara asks, "Is she doing okay?"
"All I know is she's in surgery and I'm following this nice lady who works here.”
“My name is Barbara, Barbara Smithson."
“That’s easy, I’m Barbara Simon.”
They fill out appropriate papers in Barbara’s office, and she shows them to a family waiting area near the emergency
room, where they can wait for news from the surgeons. They decide to review a list of family and friends to call. But first, Andy finds Iris outside the emergency room entrance and relays the news. They exchange a hug and he tells her he needs to get back inside to await news from the surgeons. She already has her phone out and is texting.
"What about her condition?" Iris shouts after Andy is almost out of earshot.
"Nothing besides the fact that she wasn't conscious before they wheeled her into surgery."
As Andy approaches the waiting room Barbara asks, "Andy, how are we going to get through this?"
"We don't have any choice. We'll get through it."
A nurse finally enters the family room. “Who is the next of kin of the crash survivor?”
Chapter 8
Doctors Explain
Each of the doctors in the conference room wears a poker face.
"My name is Dr. Wrightson, I'm a neurosurgeon here at the hospital. This is my colleague Dr. Bill Burge, a general surgeon. This is Dr. Peter Lucent, a neurologist-psychiatrist, and we have been consulting with several other doctors. But first I wanted you to know that we've completed a six-hour surgery on Amanda who I understand is your niece, correct?"
Taming the Telomeres, a Thriller Page 3
