Everything happened with such precision. Chloe was utterly fascinated. A man was lowered from the helicopter that hovered high above the wrecked boat. He dropped down on the deck, and the two young children reached for him, wrapping their arms around his legs. It looked to Chloe liked he smiled at them before kneeling and saying something she assumed was reassuring.
A small dog jumped up against the Coast Guard’s leg, and he reached down and scratched its head while he spoke to the parents. The boat shifted and the woman fell down. The Coast Guard quickly assisted her up before waving his hands at the chopper above him, giving them a signal.
A basket began lowering from the chopper, the wind tugging on it, but it made a smooth descent. The kids cowered behind their parents’ legs as Chloe watched the event continue to unfold.
One of the children and the family dog got in the basket, and it slowly ascended back into the helicopter. Chloe found herself holding her breath until it reached the safety of the chopper. Once they secured the child and dog, the basket lowered again and the smaller child and mother went up next.
They took the father last, and then the Coast Guard rescuer ascended. Chloe watched as the chopper flew away. She turned back in time to see a wave hit and the boat get shattered against the nearby rocks.
“That was too close,” she whispered to Nick.
“Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds whether a person lives or dies,” he told her somberly.
“How do you do this so calmly?” she asked.
“It’s my job. If I panic, it does no one any good,” he told her. He seemed even more tense as his gaze followed the chopper until it was out of sight.
“You really miss flying,” she said. She almost felt sad for him.
“Yeah, more than you know,” he said before turning his gaze away from the sky. “It just feels good to be out there, to save lives.”
“Why a helicopter and not a boat?” she asked.
The boat they were on turned and began heading back to the base. The training session was cancelled entirely as the sea was picking up turbulence. They wanted to get her and Nick back to the base.
“I went to flight school and knew from the first time I took a helicopter up in the air that that was all I wanted to do. There’s no way I would be happy sitting on my ass day after day. And though I love boating, the rush I get from flying is incomparable,” he told her.
“What made you choose the Coast Guard instead of something else like the Army or even a civilian job?” she asked.
“My oldest brother chose to fly for an airline, which didn’t last long,” he said. “He’s too much of a control freak, and though he loves to fly, he soon had to own his own company so he could have the best of both worlds. My other brother, Maverick, flies for the Marines, and I wanted to do something different. I wanted to help people instead of try to destroy them or cart them around,” he said with a shrug. “Flying is in our blood. My dad and uncle both flew. For my uncle, it was as much a passion as it is for my brothers and me. For my dad, it was more of a hobby.”
“Was the job hard to learn?” she asked. These weren’t the questions she should be asking him. She should be trying to delve into that night her brother had died, but this was what she wanted to know, even if she didn’t understand why.
“Yes and no. There is a lot you have to remember to protect your crew. Each flight has two pilots, and it takes us both. Weather is extreme. It might be beautiful one moment and low visibility the next. Washington gets a lot of fog and a lot of unpredictable storms. Most people don’t check a weather update before heading out to sea. It’s not that they’re stupid, it’s just that they’re inexperienced. I think there should be far stricter boating laws, but that’s just my opinion. My brother always tells me if I want to get into the politics of it, then I should run for office.”
“Have you thought about doing that?” she asked, surprised.
“Not a chance in hell,” he said. “Can you imagine me in a monkey suit?” He grinned at her.
“Yes, I can, actually,” she said, almost able to envision it. He would look mighty fine in a three-piece suit.
“What is your favorite thing about being a pilot?”
He hesitated as he looked out at the water. She liked that he was considering the question. “I suppose part of it is knowing I have a skill that most people don’t. I can fly a helicopter through the worst of weather and reach someone who is otherwise unreachable, and therefore save their life. I’m not doing it alone and we don’t always win, but when we do, it’s a euphoric feeling unlike anything else,” he admitted.
“I’ve heard pilots have God complexes,” she said with a laugh.
“You’ve heard right,” he told her with a wink. All of this should make her distance herself even further from him, but it was making her have respect instead. He seemed so honest with his answers. She was growing more and more confused.
“Is there anything you don’t like about being a Coast Guard pilot?” she asked.
“Nope. Nothing,” he told her.
“Will you ever do anything else?” What would it do to him if he weren’t able to do the job, she wanted to ask, but she feared that would lead to suspicion on his part.
“Definitely no. This is more than a job, it’s a calling. I’ll be here until I retire, and I won’t retire without kicking and screaming. The new kids will come in, and I’ll be an old crotchety man,” he said with a laugh.