Chapter Forty-three

Leuters skillfully lifted off the runway, thanking his lucky stars that Toby had an acquaintance with a private passenger plane. One of the ground crew had received a radio call moments before their liftoff, threatening to delay their departure. Leuters held his breath, hoping that it wasn’t the authorities on the other end of the line. He let out a sigh of relief when the technician nodded his head and waved his arm, indicating that they were cleared for liftoff. It seemed that the fates were finally in their favor.

“How long until we get there?” Noah asked. They were traveling to the small airport located at the Grand Canyon.

“Hour and half,” Leuters replied, navigating through the sky.

“K’ete-t will pick us up when we land,” Suna said. K’ete-t, her mentor, had raised her from the time she was a young girl, teaching her everything she knew. It was a very special relationship. The best part was that he lived off the grid, so tracking them would be next to impossible.

“Despite everything, I’m glad to have the chance to see where you grew up,” Angeline offered.

“It’s a very special place,” Suna said.

“It must be.” Angeline couldn’t imagine the type of environment that had created this liberated human being. Suna was wise beyond her years and glowed with goodness and compassion. She didn’t have a selfish bone in her body.

“K’ete-t can help us figure out what we should do next,” she said.

“I don’t even know which way is up anymore,” Angeline breathed.

They flew in silence. Each person was lulled into a state of reflection. Angeline had been so drawn into thought, trying to work out their varied predicaments, that she wasn’t sure how long they had been traveling when she heard the loud metal clank at the tail of the plane. The engine whined.

“What’s wrong?” Angeline asked with alarm. The plane bounced, causing Angeline to fall back into

her seat.

“Put your lap belt on!” Noah ordered.

Angeline clicked the belt on with shaking fingers. The plane jumped again, and Leuters swore in Spanish, fighting to keep the craft steady in spite of the turbulence.

Leuters yelled, “Hold on!”

The plane rolled sideways. Angeline held tightly onto her seat and tried to control her nausea.

Leuters struggled to keep the plane airborne. The best he could do was guide the nose down for a water landing. The craft hovered above the river running through the floor of the Grand Canyon. He tried to set it down softly.

“Brace yourself!” Noah barked.

Another loud bang as one of the wings caught the branch of a tree and flipped, tearing it in two. The cabin was propelled forward and landed in the water, upside down. The impact was instant and jarring.

***

Noah took a breath before the cabin filled with water. He struggled to find his seatbelt and unbuckle it. His years as a surgeon had trained him to focus, keying into the moment to act without thought or emotion. His head broke the surface of the water. The deafening whir of the engine and screams filled his ears.

He saw Toby, treading water.

“Angeline!” Toby yelled. He dove into the water, returning a moment later.

“Where is she?” Noah yelled.

Toby shook his head.

“Leuters?” Noah called. “Suna?”

Toby looked around, dazed.

Noah dove underwater and swam back to the cabin. Suna’s limp body was tethered to her chair by the safety harness. Noah quickly unbuckled it and swam with her to the shore. He checked her pulse. There was none.

He administered CPR, pumping her chest and breathing into her mouth several times. She coughed, vomiting water. She opened her eyes and blinked.

“Can you speak?” Noah asked urgently. “Suna, say something!”

“What happened?”

“We were in a plane crash.”

“What?” Her voice rose with panic.

“Our plane crashed,” Noah repeated.

Tears streamed down her temples. “Angeline?”

“Toby’s looking for her,” Noah said. “Can you move?”

“Maybe.” She pushed herself weakly to her elbows.

Noah breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re going to be fine. I have to find the others.”

She nodded her head, pushing herself up further to try and help.

“Give yourself a minute,” he said. “Reorient yourself, then come.” He patted her shoulder and jumped

to his feet.

Toby walked the shore, disoriented. He looked for Leuters and Angeline. He could hear Leuters scream, but couldn’t find him.

“Where are they?” Noah hollered.

“I don’t know!” Toby searched the tree line.

Another scream.

“Over here!” Toby yelled.

Noah jogged down the shore.

“Here!” Toby waved.

Leuters was trapped under a pile of debris. He screamed again.

“Hold on.” Toby tried to be reassuring, “We’ve

got you.”

“You’re going to be okay.” Noah said.

“Are you hurt?” Toby asked.

Leuters took a second to assess his condition. “Shoulder pinned. And leg, prosthetic.”

“Can you move your other leg?” Noah asked.

Leuters was quiet for a moment. “Toes wiggle.”

“Good,” Noah said. “Just give us a second.”

Toby and Noah examined the wreckage. Sheets of metal were stacked in a multilayered and complex web.

“You lift that.” Noah motioned to the metal pinning his shoulder. “And I’ll free his leg.” He turned to Leuters. “Buddy, on the count of three, I’m going to need you to scoot yourself out from under this.”

Leuters nodded. Noah braced his shoulder under the steel and met Toby’s eyes.

“One, two . . . three,” he grunted, lifting the steel. Leuters’s shoulder was released but the metal structure shifted and fell on top of Leuters’s legs.

“Argh!” Leuters screamed.

Noah dropped the pole that he had shouldered.

“My leg!” Leuters howled.

Noah dove to the ground to look under the wreckage. Leuters’s remaining leg was sliced straight through the bone. It hung by a network of arteries and nerves. Noah struggled to catch his breath. Leuters was losing blood fast.

“You are going to be okay,” he said, trying to remain calm.

Leuters’s face paled, and his lips turned blue. His body shivered.

“Leuters, stay with me.” Noah tapped his cheek.

Leuters turned his head, looked through fluttering lids. “Tell father, love him.”

“You are going to be fine,” Noah said. “Stay with me.”

“Tell him . . . thank you,” Leuters breathed.

“I’m going to fix this,” Noah promised. He turned to Toby. “Come to this side. I’m gonna need you to lift while I pull him out.”

Toby ran to the side of the wreckage where Noah stood. He braced the steel over his shoulders.

“Now!” Noah called.

Toby grunted as he stood, raising the metal.

“Hold it!” Noah called, weaving his wrists under Leuters’s arm and pulling his body free of the wreckage. The few veins that connected his leg snapped.

“Argh!” Leuters yelled, grimacing. He passed out.

“Hold it!” Noah barked, crawling under the wreckage to retrieve Leuters’s severed leg.

“I can’t,” Toby strained, grunting through gritted

teeth.

“You’re done,” Noah said, once he had cleared the wreckage. The metal crashed to the ground, clanging like thunder. “Get Suna and find Angeline!” he ordered. He swept his belt off his waist and tightened it around Leuters’s thigh to stop the blood from flowing. “When you find her . . . get help!”

***

Suna stumbled up the shore as Toby desperately searched for Angeline.

“Where is she?” he asked.

Suna shook her head. They ran, weaving through the tree line, looking for her.

“Angeline!” Toby called.

“Angeline!” Suna yelled.

Toby found her first. She lay on the ground, dazed. Her eyes were open, slightly.

“I found her!” he called to Suna. “Over here!”

He wiped her hair from her brow. Her skin

was clammy.

“Angeline.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Angeline, you have to get up.”

Her eyes shifted to meet his, but they didn’t focus.

“Get up,” he said more firmly. “You’re okay. Get up.”

Her breath was shallow.

“Toby?” she breathed.

“It’s me,” he cried.

She smiled and winced.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“What happened?” she asked, confused.

“We were in an accident. You’re going to be okay,” he said.

Suna slid toward them from a run to a full stop. “How is she?” She knelt by Angeline’s side.

“I don’t know,” Toby cried.

“Angeline?” Suna said. “Honey, I need you to try and get up.”

“Suna?” Angeline smiled.

“Yes, sweetheart,” Suna said. “Please, try and get up.”

“I always thought you were so pretty,” Angeline

whispered.

“I need you to get up now. You are very important to this world.”

“I’m tired,” Angeline coughed. She closed her eyes and exhaled. She did not draw another breath in.

It took Toby a second to comprehend. He looked at Suna, then back to Angeline.

“Angeline!” Toby shook her roughly. “Angeline!

Get up.”

“Check her pulse,” Suna ordered.

Toby released her shoulders. Suna pressed her fingers to her throat. She tilted her head and breathed into her mouth. “Pump her chest ten times.”

Toby pumped. Suna checked her pulse. Once again, she tilted her chin, and breathed into her mouth. “Pump!”

Toby pumped her chest with his palms, crying. They administered CPR for over twenty minutes.

Suna checked her pulse. “She’s gone.”

“No!” Toby protested. “Do it again!”

Suna placed her hand on Toby’s shoulder and shook her head. She dropped her head into her hands and wept, her body racked with every sob.

“No,” Toby cried. “Angeline.” He slapped her cheeks. “Please, please,” he begged. “I need you,” he pleaded. “We need you. Please, don’t be gone.” He shook her again. “Angeline . . . Mago . . . No.” The pain in his heart was just as deep as the pain he’d experienced as a young boy when his mother died, and again as a teenager when his Nana died. “Please don’t leave me!” he begged.