In the Blink of An Eye by Jerry Baggett (ebook reader for surface pro TXT) 📕

too late for the message but he would complete his mission. He felt another ball tear through the same leg. With difficulty, he dragged his father’s body into the stream.

Chapter 1

Shit. He hadn’t expected that. Extreme vibration. An explosion in the engine. He tried the circuit breakers, no radio. Twenty-five thousand feet. Too high, too fast to punch out. Rather loose speed, get down some! He’d been thinking about his plans for the future, his hopes and dreams. It could all be gone, now. In the blink of an eye.

Navy Lieutenant Commander, Dick McGowin, felt the plane spiral toward the sea. He fought to reach the ejection lever. Momentum slammed him against the cockpit. Hanging in his chute, at nine thousand feet, he oriented himself with the coastline. An island he knew to be Catalina; a favorite getaway for generations of Southern Californians.

Not much beach, no rental cottages, only diehard boaters and fishermen, this side of the island. He could see a sunbather burning fat on the deck of a small sailboat, taking advantage of the late afternoon sun.

The good Lord loves me, after all. Oh well, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. He could have punched out from an F-18 Super Hornet, at much higher speed, instead of the over-used, under-maintained jet trainer he’d checked out for his flight from NAS Miramar to a conference at Edwards. All electrical systems went dark with an engine shut down. Not his first episode after ten years of flying high-performance fighter aircraft.

He managed to drag himself into the small raft from the ejection package, his left arm in severe pain. He thought he might have a fracture near the shoulder. He shaded his eyes with his hand to stare at the rough terrain. Oh yeah, close to Cat Harbor, near the rugged and isolated west end of the island. He had dived and fished the area as a young man, with his father. He knew he’d be able to walk across the island to Isthmus Cove for assistance. He’d simply locate a telephone and call in his position.

A light prevailing wind had helped him avoid the rough water and jagged rocks of the shore line. He saw only a few boats moored in the small harbor. He managed to guide the boat into the calm water with one arm. Wind and tide carried him on in the right direction, against an occupied boat. His effort wasn’t unnoticed by the person lying on deck, holding a book. He’d been preoccupied with control of his own vessel, not seeing her reaching out over the gunnel to assist, until her call. “Hi, big guy. You look like you could use some help with your boat.”

Dick looked up into the most gorgeous green eyes he’d ever seen. “Thanks. This beast’s difficult to handle with one arm.”

“Pass the line to me. I’ll tie it off until we figure things out. I’ve been watching, with binoculars. I saw you drifting down. At first, I thought you were parasailing. Then I saw your parachute.” She smiled. “You’ve been fighting that thing for nearly an hour. Where the heck did you come from, an airplane? Perhaps, you intended to land at the airport and drifted away? I hope you’re not a military deserter or something.”

He laughed and wiped sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his good arm. “I’ll tie up long enough to catch my breath. A cool glass of water would be nice, if you don’t mind.” He looked around and pointed before turning back. “My plane went into the water just over the mountain there. I’m not surprised no one saw the splash, no smoke or fire. I thought I’d never make it around the point, into calmer water.”

“My name’s Samantha, call me Sam. What’s wrong with your arm?”

“Got careless on my bailout. Perhaps a fracture, up near the shoulder. Could you direct me to a telephone and medical assistance?”

She turned and nodded. “Let’s tie this thing off at the transom. You can come aboard. Use my phone while I check out that arm. I’m a nurse. I work with a doctor, at the other end of the island. That would be Avalon.”

Samantha moved his arm around carefully. “Big boys don’t cry, after all. It’s a large bruise. There could be some damage to the shoulder. Expect pain for a while.”

She arranged a sling to relieve some of the pain. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Most of my patients with this type of injury have been high school football players. They sometimes arrive with tears in their eyes.” She laughed. “So, you’re in the navy and probably fly off aircraft carriers. That’s why you handle a crash in the ocean like a walk in the park.”

Dick punched in a number and placed the phone on the table. “Hi, Amy. This is Lt. Commander McGowin. Is Captain Alder available?”

“Oh, hi, Dick. It’s the weekend, you know. He’s in the yard, practicing his putting. I’ll call him in.”

“What’s up Dick? I thought you’d be in the air by now.”

“Got a problem, Captain. I had to ditch in the pacific, near the isolated west end of Catalina Island. I thought it best to call you before reporting into the duty officer at San Diego. A flame out. All electrical systems shut down. I punched out at nine thousand and paddled ashore on the island. Any advice before I call it in?”

“I told you those planes were scheduled for recycling soon, you shoulda listened. What time did you go down?”

“Around 1640 hours, Daryl. That was the only plane available on short notice. I should have cancelled my seat at the conference.”

“Are you OK, no injuries, after the bailout?”

“A left shoulder problem of some kind. Nothing serious, maybe a bruise. I’m being treated by a private doctor’s assistant. Do you need