Teresa's Christmas Miracle Ch. 02

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

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This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

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Part 7 - Prophecy

3:00am, Wednesday, December 22nd. As I put on my gunbelt, I looked up to see Carole standing at the door. She was wearing her white sweatshirt with the Clan Crowbar icon, white denim jeans, and white sneakers. It was what she was going to wear to the Christmas Concert. But what got my attention was her little face: her look was not one of seeking permission, but that it was a fait accompli that she was going with me.

I didn't say anything, but walked to the door and opened it. Carole stepped outside ahead of me. Just then I heard something behind me, and looked back.

"What happened?" asked Laura as she came down the stairs.

"Teresa's plane disappeared off radar." I said. "Over the Rocky Mountains. I'm going to the Airport."

"Oh my God." Laura said. Then she realized that Carole was just outside the open door. "You... you're taking Carole with you?" Her voice connoted disapproval.

"Yes. Yes I am." I said simply, and walked on out the door, closing it behind me.

I opened the shotgun-side door of my Police SUV and put Carole in the seat and helped her strap in. Then I got behind the wheel. As we drove down the driveway, I saw Todd's SUV pull out of his driveway and onto the road. A second later, my phone rang.

"You got a call too, Uncle Don?" Todd asked as he drove ahead of me.

"Yes." I said. "Let me pass you and lead you into the airport parking lot." By that I meant the 'Authorized Vehicles Only' area.

We drove through the nearly empty streets of Town, the Christmas lights giving the wee hours of the morning a bit more festive feel than just the streetlights would have. Carole was watching out the window with great interest, and seemingly unconcerned about anything. Me, my thoughts were too cluttered at the moment to enjoy the scenery.

At the Airport gate, I stopped and exhibited my credentials to the guards there, two Sheriff's Deputies. "The SUV behind me is with me, let him through, too." I said.

"Yes sir, Commander." said the Deputy. "What about that Sheriff Department SUV behind his?" I saw in the external rear-view mirror that it was Cindy's SUV.

"That's between you and her." I said...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We settled down to wait for news. We were sitting on crates, boxes, and chairs just outside the door to the Airport Terminal that led to the tarmac and runway, and we were all as jumpy as cats in a room full of rocking chairs.

Cindy had brought Sheriff Griswold with her. Minutes later, Chaplain Alberto Romano and Chief Sean Moynahan came up, having been called by the Sheriff. An hour later, two ambulances had arrived. EMS Lieutenant Ellen Brooks and Paramedic Kevin Randolph, both Medal of Valor recipients, were there, as was EMS Chief Leonard R. Cordell. His face looked haggard; we all knew he considered his Captain's daughter Teresa to be his almost-parental responsibility.

Jack and Tanya Muscone had shown up. Jack had gone up into the ATC Tower (as only he could) and gotten a report from them. Teresa's plane had simply disappeared from both Grand Junction and Denver's radars when it attempted to go over a line of heavy clouds over the Rocky Mountains. She'd been right over Ouray, Colorado when contact was lost.

Jack called Federal Agents in Colorado, who told him that there had been no reports of a plane crashing, nor any wreckage, nor any sightings of a plane in trouble or going down. We took some comfort in this. But Jack's checks with various airports as well as the Military gave us no clue to her possible whereabouts, either. It was as if Teresa had simply disappeared off the face of the earth.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teresa blinked hard and looked around. She looked at the instruments. Everything was the same; the heading and the altitude had not changed. She saw that the autopilot had re-engaged. The purple clouds still completely enveloped the aircraft, but it seemed that they were faintly lighter ahead of her.

Did I fall asleep? she wondered to herself. I sure don't feel like I did. She looked at her wristwatch. It said 6:40am, which would be Town & County time. Then she saw the fuel gauge. It was very low, almost empty. She knew they'd have to get out of this cloud cover, and very soon.

But she didn't know where she was. If she descended, she might smash into one of the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, if they were still beneath her. And this plane was not made to ascend too much further than they were already, and she had no idea how high the cloud cover ascended above her.

The fear that had gripped her still remained, but had lessened somewhat. What would Don do here? she asked herself. He wouldn't be afraid of this, for damn sure. That thought cut through the fear, and she began to retake control of her mind.

She heard a voice in the cabin behind her. The nurse was talking to young Diane Davenport, and Teresa heard the nurse say "...and you're going to have a wonderful life. You're going to be a doctor. And you're going to meet a wonderful man, a really great man, and he's going to marry you. And you are going to be the the mother of the Iron Crowbar."

That jolted Teresa even wider awake. She looked out the front windows. The light ahead of her was even brighter; it must be the dawn in the east, she thought to herself.

The fuel gauge was getting lower. And she knew she'd have to risk descending and finding a way out of these clouds... and then she saw it. It looked like a hole was opening up in the cloud floor ahead of her, and she could see a bright patch of green and brown of the earth below.

"Buckle up! We're going down!" she called out. Then she took the plane off autopilot, gripped the wheel, and aimed for the hole, dropping down through it...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Carole had behaved herself pretty well. She asked Ellen Brooks if she could look inside the ambulance, and with my permission and encouragement, Ellen gave Carole a full tour... meaning every drawer, every Tupperware container, every piece of equipment was examined and discussed. And Carole would not forget one word of it.

At 5:00am Laura arrived with my mother Phyllis and Teresa's Aunt Clarissa. They had brought McDonald's paper sacks full of Egg McMuffins (sorry, Tennessee recruits; no money in the sacks), and those 'boxes' of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. The food did not last long. Neither did the coffee.

Laura talked to the paramedics. My mother Phyllis talked to Todd. The Sheriff took the opportunity to distract me and Chief Cordell by discussing the structure of the Town & County Public Safety Department. Clarissa and Carole had a good conversation about school and about Louisiana, and Clarissa invited Carole to come down to Clarissa's home next summer.

"That young lady actually listens to what she is being told." Clarissa said to Phyllis with amazement, and within my and Laura's hearing.

"I wish that young lady would actually listen to me." Laura whispered in my direction.

"She does, she does." I replied. Now was not the time to get into this, I thought to myself.

The sun was hinting at rising in the east, but had a ways to go to get over the ridgeline upon which the Observatory, Cindy's home, Todd and Teresa's home, and my home The Cabin were built. It was still light enough to see, but to the west all we could see was a wall of gray clouds threatening to bring in bad weather.

I was sitting on a large, rectangular crate. Carole was sitting beside me. I had my Police radio tuned to the Air Traffic Control frequency, hearing the sporadic communications with other aircraft. I kept refreshing my aircraft app, as if that would make Teresa's plane suddenly appear. I'd have done better just paying attention to Carole.

About 6:40am, my daughter was looking westward at the clouds when she suddenly stood up on the crate, facing the runway, which was to the building's north. She extended her left arm and pointed at the clouds westward, and in an excellent imitation of the late, great Hervé Villechaize's portrayal of 'Tattoo' on Fantasy Island, she pronounced:

"Boss! Da plane! Da plane!"

We all looked west. At first, we could see nothing but the bank of gray clouds. Then a small cleft appeared in the clouds, then grew bigger. And then a tiny white speck dropped out of the cleft...

Part 8 - Miracle

"Unidentified aircraft, this is Town & County Airport Control. Identify yourself."

Teresa's voice exultantly replied: "TCA Control, this is BOW Enterprises Two-Niner Life Flight! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I have no fuel and two children in critical condition! Request emergency landing clearance."

"Roger, BOW Two-Niner Life Flight." said the Tower. "The runway is clear. Approach and land at your discretion."

"TCA Control, this is BOW 29er Life Flight. I am coming in hot to Runway Niner. Request ambos to transport my critical passengers."

"Roger, Two-Niner, we're ready for them." said the Tower.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The white speck in the west grew into an airplane. We all watched, forgetting to breathe, as it came down almost too fast, almost out of control. But Teresa put the plane down perfectly, and rolled it to a stop near the end of the runway.

Carole began clapping her little hands, causing everyone to clap and cheer. But just as the plane turned to taxi in, the engines suddenly shut off.

"Why did she stop out there?" I heard someone say.

"It doesn't matter." I said, then yelled "Ambos! Get out there! Get those kids to the Hospital, stat!" The Paramedics rushed into action. The ambulances revved up and drove onto the tarmac to the runway, with Laura and the Paramedics aboard.

"Mom, would you keep an eye on Carole?" I asked. She said she would, and I told Carole to stay with her grandmother, then began running to the aircraft. But I was way behind Todd, who was younger and faster than me. I realized I needed to get into better shape...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teresa brought the plane down as smoothly as she could, and there was almost no jarring as the wheels touched down. As she braked the aircraft, it seemed to begin acting sluggishly. She stopped at the end of the runway, but as she turned to taxi over to the terminal, the engines coughed and died out, leaving the plane sitting right there.

"What the heck?" she muttered as she looked at the fuel gauge, whose needle was hovering just over the 'E' for empty. She tapped the gauge, and was horrified to see the needle descend to well below the empty mark. Her brain almost exploded as she realized it: we're out of fuel!. She realized that the plane had felt light when she took off because the tanks had not been refilled.

As she sat there, stunned, she heard a voice say into her ear: "Well done, Teresa. You have fulfilled your Destiny on this earth." It was the nurse's voice, sounding so eerily familiar, and like it was coming from inside her head and not into her ear. She turned her head, and saw that the nurse's back was to her as she walked back into the cabin.

And then reality exploded around her. The cabin was suddenly full of paramedics, including Ellen Brooks and Kevin Randolph. They hustled the children out of the plane and to the ambulances that had driven up. The nurse had slipped out of the aircraft as well, and was walking towards the terminal, her back to the plane. As Teresa got into the cabin, her husband Todd appeared in the exit door, the shock and worry on his handsome face turning to relief and love when he saw her...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The ambulances rolled up to the plane, and it could not have been more than thirty seconds elapsed from the time the Paramedics got the door open, went inside, retrieved the sick kids, brought them out, put them in the ambulances, and drove out towards the Hospital with red and white lightbars blazing and sirens wailing. Laura was on the ambulance with the sick little boy.

A young, pretty woman in a nurse's uniform came out of the plane and began walking towards the terminal. I am usually very observant of anyone I encounter, but for some reason I simply failed to get a good look at the girl's face. Maybe I was watching the door for Teresa. Yeah, that's a good excuse.

But I did not fail to hear Carole's voice behind me. "Hi Amy." my daughter said. "Thank you for helping us."

"Hi Carole." the nurse said, leaning over with her hands on her knees. "You're very welcome. They're all yours now. Take care of them."

"I will." Carole said. As I turned around, I saw the nurse straightening up and walking to the terminal, her back to me. My mother was behind Carole, and had a look of utter shock on her own face as the nurse passed by her. The nurse went to the door to the terminal building and went inside.

As I came to the steps to the plane, I saw Teresa and Todd inside the door, hugging each other very tightly. Then they came out the door, and sighs of relief turned into applause when everyone saw Teresa. I was at the bottom of the steps, and when Teresa go to the step just above it, she pitched forward and wrapped her arms around my neck in a tight hug, and would not let go. I hugged her back.

"So much for putting you on Desk Duty, huh?" I said as I picked her up off the step then lowered her to the asphalt of the runway.

"Er, yeah." was all she replied. She hugged Carole next, then my mom, then Cindy, Tanya, Jack, the Sheriff, and Chief Cordell. As we all were walking to the terminal door, two men in the ubiquitous suits and ties of Federal Agents came out of that door. They were Darryl Green of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Gary Weller of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

We all knew they had investigated the plane incident involving Clarissa and Phyllis... an incident we would learn was eerily similar to the one Teresa had just endured. (Author's note: 'Who Watches The Watchers', Ch. 01-02.) Agent Weller had also investigated the train explosion a few months before, and had whined to the Press about me not being at the scene. (Author's note: 'Scavenger Hunt', Ch. 05.)

"We meet again, Agent Green, Agent Weller." my mother Phyllis said witheringly. "How did you get here so quickly?"

Green said "Hello, Mrs. Troy. Hello, everyone. When the BOW Enterprises plane dropped off radar, I was contacted immediately. I contacted Agent Weller, who was already in the area, continuing to investigate the train car explosion."

Weller added: "The situation was very similar to the earlier incident with you and Mrs. Esterson, so we came over quickly. We are hoping to find further information about that earlier incident as well as this one."

Green said "Commander Croyle, we'd like to interview you now. We'd also like to interview the nurse that flew here with you. And we'll need to talk to Todd Burke and whoever does maintenance on that BOW Enterprises plane. And the two children you Life-Flighted here, as well."

Chief Cordell spoke up. "Those kids are undergoing critical lifesaving treatment right now. You'll have to wait until the doctors say you can speak with them."

"It's urgent we speak with them now." said Weller. That got my hackles up.

"You heard the Admiral!" I thundered, having moved to the front of the group facing the Federal Agents. "Your interrogation of those children is not their priority, nor their doctors's. Their survival is. And I guarantee you that if you try to get past Dr. Laura Fredricson to get to them, she'll twist your caps around." Green and Weller knew who Laura was, and their faces registered the kind of shock born of fear.

Teresa said "I'm not sure where the nurse went after she got off the plane. And I'll talk to you just as soon as I get my lawyer up here to sit in on the interview."

"You don't need a lawyer for this." said Darryl Green. "It's not a criminal proceeding."

Agent Weller was more hostile as he said "Is there a problem here? Why can't you answer our questions now?"

Teresa said "Are the two of you Federal Agents?"

"Yes." said Weller. "So what?"

"I want legal representation during any questioning of me by any Federal Agents." Teresa said with alacrity.

"And she has that right." I said strongly, backing Teresa up. "Is there a problem here?" I said witheringly, throwing Weller's words back in his face. He did a stupid and potentially fatal thing: he squared up to me.

"She does have that right." said Jack Muscone, coming up and standing next to me. "In case you don't know, I'm Jack Muscone, FBI Special Agent In Charge for this Region. Commander Croyle has asked for legal representation, and you will allow her to have it."

The two Federal Agents looked at each other, Darryl Green very surprised, and Gary Weller beginning to turn angrier. Weller said "Call your lawyer then. Where did the nurse go? To the hospital with the kids?"

"No." said my mother Phyllis. "She went into the Terminal Building."

"Daddy!" Carole said, the sound of her voice surprising everyone. "You need to get the videotapes of the doorway from out-side and in-side."

"Okay, I will." I said. "But why?"

"Because it's the only way they're going to believe what really happened." Carole said cryptically.

"She's right, son." my mother said quietly.

"Okay, then, I'll go do that. You stay with your grandmother." I said.

"I'll go with you, Crowbar." said Sheriff Griswold...

Part 9 - Strangenesses

7:30am, Wednesday, December 22d. The runway was north of the Terminal Building, as the crow flies. The central part of the Terminal Building was the Tower, which was the standard design of airport towers across the nation, and it was under the control of the US Federal Aviation Administration. The east wing of the building was the passenger terminal, and the west wing was Airport Administration and Maintenance, and they were owned and controlled by the Town & County Airport Authority.

Inside a small conference room in the Tower portion of the building, Teresa Croyle and her attorney, the formidable legal eagle Agnes T. Spires, were sitting one one side of the table. On the other side were FAA Agent Darryl Green and NTSB Agent Gary Weller. FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone was sitting to one side, observing.

FAA Agent Darryl Green read the case number, date and time, and the persons present for the camera they'd set up to record. Then he said "Commander Croyle, you have your lawyer present, and you have every right to have one present... but I'm simply wondering why you insisted upon having one here."

Teresa said "For two reasons. First, in several previous incidents involving both the TCPD and Federal Agents, some Federal Agents have attempted to use interviews like this to go (air quotes) 'outside the scope' of the current investigation and ask questions about other issues with the intent of entrapping us, mostly my boss Commander Troy but also me and others. And after the way you, Agent Weller, cried to the Press about Commander Troy not being exactly where you wanted him to be during the recent train derailment, I don't trust you. At all."