A family spiralling out of control.
A child forced to grow up too fast.
Is there any room left for a young girl to find herself?


Book Three ‘Womanhood’
Chapter 16 – SAR

 

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Author's Note: Another early post. Cassie finds herself at the tip of the spear. As ever please be tolerant of my failings, and forthright with your criticism. ~Persephone

Current Score: US (and Irish) Readers 17 – 2 UK Author

Photo by  Christopher Campbell on Unsplash
© Persephone 2019

~o~O~o~

As they hadn’t yet been able to sort out a place on the school bus service, Cassandra had driven Kath to school herself on Monday morning. She was so proud as she watched her little sister jump down from the SUV in her new uniform and wave happily to another girl, who Cassie assumed was Kath’s friend Beth. She watched until the two of them went inside, then pulled away, trying hard not to become too teary and emotional.

Cassie knew that she should be thinking about her own future, but as she watched Kath disappear she couldn’t help but feel that she ought to be always nearby; ready to keep her little sister safe. Even as she thought it, Mrs. Thomas’ words came back to her. Was she truly trying to become Kath’s surrogate mother, rather than making her own life? She chewed that thought over on the drive home.

It was only fifteen minutes before she was back at their new apartment, to find her aunt already busy with the vacuum, with Hoover sprawled across one of the sofas and watching his namesake with interest.

“Aunt Megan! I was going to do that.” Cassie chided.

“I’m not that old and worn out yet missy. Haven’t you got college work to do?”

“I was going to take Hoover and hike up to Mount Yale first. I’ll be back by ten. Then I’ve got my appointment with Dr. Carterton at eleven thirty. The only thing I have left to do for my college applications is my essay.”

Aunt Megan laughed. “Go on then. My days of hiking up the hills are well past. I’m meeting up with a couple of friends later this morning, so I’ll see you at lunchtime. One o’clock okay?”

“One o’clock.” Cassie agreed, as she grabbed her pack and Hoover’s harness. “Love you. Come on boy!” She called over her shoulder as she bounded back out the door.

The trail up into the hills wasn’t hard, but it was a continuous climb. By the time she reached the lookout at Mount Yale she was breathing heavily and glad for the rest. After a moment to fill a water bowl for Hoover and grab a drink herself Cassie turned around to admire the view.

Immediately around her the arid rolling terrain reminded her of Oregon; largely dirt, sand and scrubby bushes. It wasn’t until Cassie looked west that a sense of unreality struck her. Laid out like a panorama, all she could see was the urban sprawl of Los Angeles County. It was interspersed by patches of green and the twinkling of many tiny spots of azure blue. ‘Swimming pools’ Cassie realized.

She could see the freeways, packed fender to fender with vehicles, crawling slowly like caterpillars in the late morning rush hour, while in the sky the little dots of aircraft towed fluffy streamers behind them. The sheer scale and busyness of the picture disquieted Cassie. Although she’d been born in the middle of this, it no longer felt natural to her. Cassie gave Hoover a quick hug, as much to reassure herself as anything.

“Ready to go back down into the world Hoover?” She asked him. He just stood up and gave her a doggy grin.

When she got back Cassie grabbed a quick shower and changed into a sundress. Despite it being October, it was still a sultry 75 degrees. She glanced at her watch, something else she hadn’t used much in Oregon. ‘Yes, just enough time.’ Cassie decided and headed into her closet to the small safe bolted into the corner. Sure enough, inside was her Smith and Wesson, a fresh box of 9mm ammunition and her cleaning kit. She quickly relocked the safe and washed her hands before shifting a couple of her dresses to make the metal box less obvious. Then she and Hoover were on the road again.

After their initial appointment Dr. Carterton had steadily thawed to Cassie, once she realized the girl genuinely wanted her help, and actually listened and thought about what they discussed. Their sessions now took place on a quiet terrace in the courtyard of her office so that Hoover could join them.

Today Dr. Carterton was leading Cassie through her feelings and experiences during those fateful few days four years ago. They were talking about Cassie’s introduction to the team up in Oregon when Cassie suddenly burst out laughing.

“Well that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.” Catherine Carterton smiled.

“I told you about one of the guys, Eric? Trying to razz me that day?”

“I remember. And you turned the tables on him.”

“I hadn’t really thought about it before. But him coming up with ’Snow White’? It’s almost exactly what I went through.” Cassie looked at Dr. Carterton to see if she got it. “Escaping the evil castle and running into the wilderness? Being taken in by a bunch of miners and keeping house for them.” Cassie grinned. “I’m just glad I’m smart enough not to accept shiny red apples from anyone! Although a handsome prince coming along would be nice.” She sighed.

“It does sound something like a fairytale.” Dr. Carterton encouraged. “How do you feel about that?”

“I guess we all forget that fairytales have nasty bits in them, as well as their happy endings. Even Snow White must have felt terribly alone and desperate when she was fleeing the huntsman. Knowing she was being hunted and in fear for her life, and not knowing who to trust.”

“But you found safety.”

Cassie snickered. “Oh yes. I’ll take nine Marines and a Navy Corpsman over seven dwarves any day.”

“Have you thought that your time in Oregon was also a kind of fairytale? A ‘time out’ from the real world, allowing you the chance to grow up as a girl? And now you’re back in reality with all its decisions and pressures?”

Cassie nodded. “It’s scary. It feels… alien somehow.”

“It’s part of growing up Cassie. But it’s also a normal reaction, and not just to your transition. For four years house twenty-two was a safe haven under your control, with ten big brothers protecting you. Now you’re back and an adult, having to look after yourself, and the world looks very different than from a mining camp in Oregon, or as a child in Harbor City.”

Dr. Carterton paused to allow Cassie to reflect on that for a moment. “The good news is that we all go through it. And you have the friends and support to weather this and come out the other side stronger than ever.”

That afternoon Cassie sat down at her desk and started to draft her application essay.

Most of us don’t believe in fairytales. I didn’t, until I found myself living in one. One that had not been rewritten to avoid giving children nightmares.
 
My life truly started at fourteen, when I witnessed my father and older brothers plan, and then commit, an horrific homophobic attack that left their victim in a coma. Before then I had merely existed. Hiding my reality behind a mask…

~o~O~o~

With Kath now safely established at school, and her college applications sent off in good time for an ‘early action’ decision, Cassie soon found that she and Aunt Megan were getting under each other’s feet.

“Cassandra, have you heard the story about the Chinese ideogram for discord?”

“Uh, no?”

“Oh, it’s not true of course. But the story goes that the ideogram is made up of pictures of two women under one roof. Honestly Cassie, there’s not enough work looking after the apartment and Kath to keep us both busy is there?”

“But I want to look after you too Aunty. You should be resting.”

“Child. You are making excuses. I’m at stage one, maybe two, of the disease. Right now I’m perfectly able to look after myself and Kath. And didn’t you say that there was funding available for help if we needed it?”

“Well yes but…”

“So, you are making excuses.” Aunt Megan reached over and clasped both of Cassie’s hands. “I love you dearly and will do anything to protect you. But I what I won’t do is allow you to hide away using Kath and I as reasons to not get out there and start living.”

“I’m not! I go out. You know I do.”

“To walk or train with Hoover.” Aunt Megan calmly answered. “Tell me, since you got back, who have you spent time with that you didn’t already know four years ago? And therapists, lawyers or car salesmen don’t count.”

Cassie tried to argue and say she did, but when she tried to think of anyone else, she came up blank. As she was forced to recognize the truth of Aunt Megan’s gentle accusation she scrunched her eyes tight.

Cassie took a shaky breath. “It’s… I’m scared.” She finally admitted.

Aunt Megan tightened her grip on Cassie’s hands. “We know dear. And no one is going to force you to do anything. We just want you to start living and enjoying life. Having fun. Being the happy, vibrant young woman we all know you are, as well as the smart ruthless negotiator with a quicksilver fast mathematical brain who terrifies car salesmen. We just want you to spread your wings a little bit and meet new people.”

~o~O~o~

The following week Cassie plucked up the courage to arrange a visit to the Pasadena Volunteer Search and Rescue team’s headquarters.

“I know your website said volunteers had to be twenty five, but I wondered if you’d be interested in having a tracker dog team available?” Cassie was sitting in the office of the team co-ordinator, with Hoover alert at her side, as she made her pitch. “I mean, Hoover and I wouldn’t be any use on a cliff face recovery, but we know how to track kids and such who get lost.”

Sam Herbert nodded along. “Miss McCarrick, you’re right that we don’t recruit under twenty five for full team members, but your proposal is interesting. I can certainly see the advantages of having a dedicated tracking capability on call. I’m also impressed by your reference. I can’t think of many people who would have a recommendation from a former Texas Ranger at your age; or a proven track record.”

“However we do expect our team members to be multi skilled.” He went on. “As a minimum we are all EMT qualified and have a fair amount of experience in mountain craft.” He paused and thought for a moment. “How would you feel if I asked you to get your EMT certificate between now and Christmas, then come along to our interview board in January? Oh, and perhaps a wilderness first responder course as well? As you said, we don’t recruit under twenty five for full members of the squad, but I think we could swing it for an associate.”

“I can do that sir.” Cassie agreed. She could see her time between now and January filling up with courses. It would definitely stop her from getting under Aunt Megan’s feet!

A month later Cassie wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew. The EMT course at Pasadena City College was pretty straight forward, until you figured in all the extra study needed at home. Then there was her training with her new Sifu. Like Josh, he insisted on an hour a day of practice on top of her session with him. Finally she’d signed Hoover and herself up for the ‘nose training’ and canine first aid courses with the Pasadena Humane Society to try and get formal certifications for all the training the two of them had done in Oregon.

Then, just before the holiday, Cassie received an email from Caltech that sent her skipping round their new kitchen.

“Congratulations on getting accepted Cassandra! You must be really happy with the news.” A big smile lit up Dr. Carterton’s face as she showed Cassie out to the terrace for their last session of the year. “I was worried when you first started coming to see me, that you’d struggle to get out and meet people. I know you had been living full time as a girl in Oregon, but that was a very controlled environment.” Cassie had to bite her lip at that. Stanton Hardcastle definitely hadn’t been ‘controlled’, well, not until she and the guys introduced him to pink lingerie and waxing. She tuned back in when Dr. Carterton was wrapping up her speech. “A key aspect of the year of ‘real life experience’ is about how you handle new situations and relationships. I think I can safely say you’re now on track to pass that hurdle with flying colors!”

“So you’ll approve me for surgery?” Cassie’s eyes lit up.

Dr. Carterton smiled. “You don’t let the grass grow under your feet do you Cassandra? You have to complete the RLE year under my supervision first to fully comply with the WPATH standards of care. But yes, when it comes time, I will write you a referral letter.”

~o~O~o~

Christmas that year was both a joy and a sadness for Cassie. She adored being able to spend time with Kath and Aunt Megan, and visiting all her friends over the holiday, but at the same time there was a sense of something missing from her time in Oregon. The closeness of house twenty-two and the little community in the hills had given Cassie a sense of belonging, that outside of her immediate family she struggled to find in the bustle of Pasadena. ‘Perhaps this was what Dr. Carterton had meant about leaving the fairytale’ Cassie thought to herself, as she drove home from Paris and Cheryl’s after Christmas party; full of new faces and loud, showbiz voices.

Then it was time for her interview with the Search and Rescue volunteers. She found herself sitting with two older guys in the organization’s reception area, waiting to be called. Cassie took a moment to furtively look over the other applicants. The younger looked about the same age as Michael, but seemed half asleep as he sprawled untidily across a couple of seats. The older was clearly former military and had given both Cassie and the young man a searching inspection, before seeming to write them off and fixing his gaze on a map of the local mountains on the far wall.

A face appeared at the door of the conference room where the interviews were being held. “Peter Donovan?” Without a word or a backwards glance the older man slipped to his feet and followed.

As soon as the door closed behind him Cassie heard a chuckle from across the room.

“I think ten minutes of being glared at by GI Joe there, was about as much as I could handle.” The young man straightened up, tidying his clothes as he grinned over at Cassie, suddenly losing the sleepy look in his eyes. “I’m Joel Cox.” He shoved out his hand.

Cassie took it with a matching grin. “Cassie McCarrick. Is that why you deliberately sprawled out?”

“Hah!” Joel snorted. “Caught out already. Yep, if he wanted to look down at us I figured I may as well give him ammunition. I just spent the last two years with a volunteer SAR team up in Oregon, but had to relocate here for work. What about you?” Cassie could see that he was obviously confused by her youth but was too polite to say anything directly.

“I’m not here for a full team position. My dog Hoover and I are a K9 tracking team, so I asked if I could help out as I’m going to start at CalTech in the Fall.”

At that Joel’s eyes sparked wide. “CalTech? What major?”

“Uh, Mathematics?”

At that Joel burst out laughing. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you in class. I’m the new, lowly assistant professor in the Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Department!”

After that Cassie and Joel chattered happily about everything from living in Pasadena to their experiences with a SAR team. Joel had been doing his doctorate in Portland so hadn’t known any of the local teams in Eastern Oregon, but he had the usual share of funny stories of the dumb things hikers did. Then ‘GI Grumpy’, as they had now named him, came out of the conference room and headed directly out of the office.

“Joel Cox?”

He stood up and grinned at Cassie. “I probably won’t be long. See you in a few.” Then he was gone before Cassie could even wish him good luck.

She settled back in the comfy arm chair and tried to read one of the mountaineering magazines left out on the table; only to become confused by all the technical jargon. What was an ‘E1’? Or a ‘Parisienne Baudrier’ for that matter? Cassie wondered if she’d made a mistake by even thinking she could join the team. Just as she was deciding whether to slip out before she was called, Joel bounced back into the reception area, his infectious grin still in place.

“Told you I wouldn’t be long. They’re waiting for you, so go on in. Good luck Cassie.”

Cassie flashed him an uncertain smile and pulled herself to her feet.

Joel spotted the magazine she’d been looking at. “Hey, you’ll be fine. They’re not looking for a bunch of idiot climbing thugs.” He reassured her.

Cassie nodded, took a deep breath and headed for the conference room door.

Inside Cassie saw four more comfy chairs with three of them occupied.

“Come on in Cassie.” Sam Herbert stood up. “This is Claire Theakston who runs recruiting, and Frank Quain who manages our training program.” Cassie shook hands with everyone before they all retook their seats.

“So how did you get on with the EMT course?” Sam asked.

Cassie pulled out the letters and certificates she’d got over the last four months, plus her acceptance letter from CalTech, from her pack and handed them over. “I managed to pass it sir.”

He glanced down and flicked through the documents before handing them over to Claire. “You did a bit more than just pass; and the wilderness first responder course was only a suggestion.”

Cassie had to stop herself from shrugging. “I just thought it would be helpful. I really want to join the team.”

By now Frank Quain had had a chance to look through the certificates. “Do you think you will be able to make the time to train over the next four months? Even with the EMT certification completed it’s still a serious commitment.”

“I think so sir. I haven’t got anything planned until starting college next fall.” Cassie paused as she debated how much to tell the people in front of her. “But I will be busy for about eight weeks from June. I’ve got some surgery.” She admitted.

Claire sharpened her gaze at that. “Your application didn’t mention any medical condition.”

Cassie bit her lip. “I haven’t,” she insisted, “it’s kinda embarrassing.”

At that Claire Theakston gave a quick glance to her colleagues. “Guys, why don’t you grab a coffee and a comfort break?” She waited until they had left the room. “I figured it’s a female problem. Go on Cassie,” she encouraged.

Cassie struggled for a moment. She didn’t want to say anything, but knew that she had to be honest with people who would be depending on her. “Um, ma’am? It’s for gender correction surgery. I’m trans.” She finally admitted and looked up to catch the woman’s expression.

Claire Theakston managed to close her mouth. “Well! I never saw that one coming!” She shook her head ruefully for a moment. “And does the eight weeks include recovery time?”

“Uh yes ma’am.”

“And is there any other surgery needed?”

“No ma’am.”

“Okay. We can call the guys back in.”

“Does that mean I’ve failed ma’am?”

“What? Oh, no. You’ve been honest and up front about it. It doesn’t get in the way of the training program and doesn’t have any long term effect on your health. Also we’d be setting ourselves up for a lawsuit if we were dumb enough to reject you for being transgendered. So let’s get the guys back.”

The rest of the interview passed in a bit of a blur as Cassie tried to take in how matter of factly Claire Theakston had treated the whole issue.

“…so Miss McCarrick, can you and your dog start training a week next Friday?”

“You mean I’m in?”

Sam Herbert just grinned. “As long as you want to be. Did you really think we’d turn down a trained K9 tracking team and qualified EMT?”

~o~O~o~

For the next four months Cassie discovered that Frank Quain hadn’t been kidding about the level of commitment needed on his course, as she and Joel Cox were put through their paces. Apparently ‘GI Grumpy’ had expected the team to operate like a military CSAR, or Combat Search and Rescue, unit and hadn’t appreciated that they were all civilians. They had all quickly agreed he wouldn’t be a ‘suitable cultural fit’.

Pretty much every weekend was spent somewhere in the hills and mountains north of LA, learning everything from wilderness survival and navigation, to communication protocols and cliff face casualty extraction exercises. Cassie thought she would be spared those, but the team were delighted to have a live body that didn’t weigh two hundred pounds to practice with. So Cassie regularly found herself being strapped to a back board and hauled up or down a mountain.

“Joel, if you drop me one more time I’ll give your cookies to Hoover!”

“It wasn’t my fault that time Cookie. The chock hadn’t been properly set.”

“And the previous two times?” Cassie grumped.

“Hush now or I’ll start reviewing L’Hospital’s Rule and Taylor’s Theorem for you so you’re ready for next semester.”

The rest of the team chortled at the antics of their newest recruits. To begin with many of the more experienced climbers had been uncertain about Cassie and Hoover, but the girl’s natural good humor, and willingness to listen and help out, steadily won them round. As did Hoover’s ability to pick up a scent trail even in difficult terrain, thus saving them a laborious and time consuming search pattern. And of course the freshly baked cookies didn’t hurt either, so Cassie’s nickname had soon followed her.

Of all the training they did, Cassie’s absolute favorite was working with helicopters. To her and the instructor’s surprise Hoover was also completely unfazed by them, although Cassie could tell he wasn’t particularly impressed when the two of them were strapped together for winch operations. Throughout the training Cassie found herself getting more confident and fitter, especially when Frank started insisting she carry a full pack rather than the pared down gear that Wayne had allowed her to get away with.

Joel also had some ideas for her gear that she was only too happy to follow.

“First, the team radios are pretty good, but it’s a real sensible idea to have your own back up.”

“I’ve got a cellphone, but lots of places we go don’t have cell towers.”

“That’s why I spent over a thousand bucks on an Iridium handset.” When he saw Cassie looking puzzled he explained. “They are satellite ‘phones. As long as you can see a fair chunk of sky you can get a signal.”

“Aren’t they really big and heavy?”

He reached into his pack and pulled out something that looked like one of the big old Nokia phones Cassie remembered her father throwing out when she was seven or eight. “You pull up the antenna here and you’re good to go,” he showed her, then delved into his pack again. “Next up an iPad mini in a ruggedized case and loaded up with as much USGS mapping as you can squeeze into it, a solar charger you can clip to the outside of your pack, and a small camping axe. Knives are fine but, if you’re not strong, an axe is a damn sight more effective.” Joel grinned and rummaged around in his pack again before pulling out what looked like a battered and blackened billy can set and spirit stove. “Finally, my old friend. MREs may be fine, but sometimes you just want a hot drink, or to cook something that doesn’t start out in a plastic bag.”

Cassie suddenly had a shopping list. Then two weeks later she and Hoover were sent out on their final exercise.

Frank Quinn and Sam Herbert were sitting on camping chairs by the fire pit when Cassie and Hoover staggered back into camp at dusk. She gave them both a blank look without saying a word, before carefully dropping her back pack and freeing Hoover from his working harness and booties. That done Cassie sank exhaustedly to the ground and started checking Hoover’s paws as she reached for her tub of paw balm.

Sam and Frank just grinned at each other. They remembered when they had been put through the wringer of the final assessment. Sam pulled a cold soda from the chiller box and wandered over to the young girl.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Cassie accepted the drink and returned to carefully spreading the balm over Hoover’s paws before ever so gently massaging it into his pads.

“Oh and here’s your on call schedule. Welcome to the team Cookie.”

She looked up at that. “You mean we passed?”

“You just tracked someone for nearly eighteen miles over rough terrain, quickly stabilized their injuries and arranged a medevac on your own, all in under ten hours. Yep, you most certainly passed girl.”

“Oh… good.”

~o~O~o~

The first time Cassie got a live call out she ran around the apartment grabbing her gear and sprinting out to her SUV. Then she came back inside with an embarrassed look to Aunt Megan and Kath to collect Hoover, while they tried not to grin over their breakfast. The team quickly assembled and headed out… to sit around at the designated search co-ordination center before being stood down. An eight year old boy had left a note for his parents saying he was going up into the hills for an adventure. He turned up that afternoon at a friend’s house in Sierra Madre.

The second call out Cassie remembered to get everything first time. An elderly man with dementia had wandered out of his daughter’s isolated vacation cabin in the middle of the night. This time the team actually deployed onto the ground and were conducting a standard search pattern when a local PD officer found the gentleman, still in his slippers, walking on the side of the freeway.

“Is it always like this?” Cassie grumped as they made their way back to their transport.

Frank just grinned at her. “Nine times out of ten, yes,“ then turned serious. “It’s the tenth time when someone’s life is on the line that what we do counts. Just think of these as bonus training exercises.”

It wasn’t until her third call out that Cassie and Hoover got a chance to show what they could do. It was almost a case of deja vu for Cassie when they were briefed on a missing family leaving their car at the base of a hiking trail. This time a local deputy was able to gain access to their car without smashing a window, then Hoover was off, with Cassie and two of the team chasing to keep up.

Two hours later Frank, Joel and Cassie were desperately fighting to save the mother’s life after Hoover found the family a mile off the trail. She had slipped and impaled her leg on a shattered branch.

“Cookie, call it in, call in for an air medevac and find us an LZ. Joel, see if you can get a saw onto the branch to free Mrs. Harrington.”

Cassie wiped the blood from her hands and took a deep breath. ‘Steady girl, you can do this.’ She grabbed her radio. “Hello Pasadena SAR this is Pasadena K9 over.”

“Pasadena SAR, send over.” Cassie breathed a sigh of relief when Patti, their communications tech and Sam’s wife, replied. She quickly noted their co-ordinates on her GPS.

“Pasadena K9, Harrington family found at grid Sierra Whiskey four seven nine, two eight eight. Confirm location, over.”

“Pasadena SAR, I read back Sierra Whiskey four seven nine, two eight eight, over.”

“Pasadena K9, that is correct. We have one serious injury requiring air medevac. Adult female patient with major trauma and blood loss to lower right leg, over.”

“Pasadena SAR, acknowledge one requiring immediate medevac. Stand by.”

Cassie clutched the radio to her, willing a reply for an uncounted eternity.

“Pasadena K9, this is Pasadena SAR, medevac in bound, ETA one fife minutes, callsign Pedro Two Four MEDEVAC over.”

“Pasadena K9, acknowledge ETA one fife minutes, callsign Pedro Two Four MEDEVAC. Out.”

Cassie ran back over to Frank. “Fifteen minutes Frank. I’m just heading out to find an LZ.” Then she pulled out her map and turned to Mr. Harrington. “Sir, when you were exploring did you see any flat, open areas round here?”

He dragged his attention from his wife. “Huh?”

His daughter was a bit more switched on. “I did. Down past that weird looking tree.” She pointed.

“How big is it?”

“‘Bout the size of a soccer field I guess.”

“Come and show me.” She grinned at the young girl.

Cassie was back on the radio as the first beat of helicopter blades could just be heard. “Pedro Two Four MEDEVAC this is Pasadena K9, over.”

“Pasadena K9 this is Pedro Two Four MEDEVAC, send over.”

“Pasadena K9. LZ is at grid Sierra Whiskey four seven eight, two eight six. Casualty is three hundred yards north west. I am stood by to pop orange smoke on your call, over.”

“Roger Pasadena K9, pop smoke now, out.”

Moments later the dark shape of a military Blackhawk dropped into the clearing and four soldiers jumped out with a basket stretcher and trauma packs. Cassie waved her arms. “Guys over here!” Then she was off and running, leading them back to Mrs. Harrington.

It was growing dark by the time the team was back in the truck and heading down towards Pasadena. Cassie had rolled up her sleeves to stop Hoover licking at the blood they were liberally spattered with.

“Frank?”

“What’s up Cookie?”

“If I ever grumble about the false call outs again, just remind me of today okay?”

He let out a long sigh. “Cookie, that was a bad one.” He stared out the window for a bit. “Normally we just find people who have gotten into dumb situations and get them out. It’s rare we get something like today. I spoke to Sam earlier. He’s setting up counseling sessions for us when we get back. Oh, and Cookie? You and the hound did real good today. Mrs. Harrington would very probably have died if we hadn’t got there as fast as we did, or got her out as fast as we did.”

~o~O~o~

There were two more call outs Cassie went out on. In a way she was relieved that neither required her to do anything more than turn up, and both had another team find the missing or injured hikers. She still occasionally woke up at night shivering at the thought of how much had depended on Hoover and her that day. Dr. Carterton now spent as much time working with Cassie on her feelings after the rescue, as on her transition and upcoming surgery.

It was now less than a month until she was flying out to Philadelphia and her surgery. As directed, Cassie had stopped taking her estrogen and was already beginning to get the occasional hot flush; which was why she was in the shower at quarter to five in the morning when the next call out came.

“Cookie, we’ve got a private aircraft down and missing about three hours drive north. Get in as soon as you can.” Sam rang off without another word, leaving Cassie scrambling to get dressed.

Given all her recent practice, Cassie and Hoover were out and on the road within ten minutes, and pulling up outside the headquarters in twenty.

“Okay, load up team. I’ll brief you on the drive. We’ve got a real doozy.” Sam advised as he hustled everyone on board the team bus before jumping in beside Joel up front.

As they pulled out of the garage Sam turned round to continue his briefing. “A single engined Cessna, registration N-275AC, dropped off air traffic control’s radar at seven o’clock last night, en route from Reno to Los Angeles. It came down somewhere in the Sequoia National Forest northwest of Johnsondale.”

The team groaned. They’d done more than one exercise in that area.

“It gets better. There was one pilot and one passenger. The passenger is thirty eight weeks pregnant. Oh, and the cherry on the cake? The pilot is the Hollywood actor Matt Lloyd and the passenger is his wife, Chloe.” Sam let the next round of groans die down before he continued. “So we’re going to be swamped by the media and doing our thing live on TV, with a guaranteed casualty evacuation at the end for the lucky folks who find them. I’ll do my best to keep them off your backs. If they start hassling you just send them to me and try not to be too rude. We’ll be setting up in Johnsondale same as last time. The Park Rangers are co-ordinating the search efforts and last I heard both the Highway Patrol and the Air National Guard were providing some aircraft. If I find out more I’ll update you, but I suggest you grab some sleep on the way up.”

Cassie used the time to quickly text Kath and Aunt Megan and check she had the right map sheets loaded on her iPad mini, before snuggling back down with Hoover. She had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

When the team got to Johnsondale the normally sleepy little vacation site was already awash with other search teams, paramedics, cops, reporters and camera crews. Fortunately, someone had been smart enough to cordon off an area north of the RV park to keep the media at bay, but Cassie still pulled on a floppy bush hat and sunglasses before climbing down.

“Team, grab a comfort break, check your gear and hang loose here while I check in.” Sam advised as he headed over to the Park Ranger office.

“God, I love this job.” Joel muttered as he tried to stretch out the kinks from over three hours driving.

Cassie raised an eyebrow at that as she started to fit Hoover’s harness and booties. “Really?”

“Not on mornings like this.” He admitted with a grin. “But if I tell myself enough times I might just start to believe it.”

In the end Cassie only had time to make a quick trip to the facilities before Sam rejoined the team.

“Right guys. One of the helicopters picked up what they think is debris on a steep scree slope east of the Kern river, about twelve miles north of here. From the imagery the face looks like the usual dirty rock so we’ll have to rappel down. Our search area is one klick by two hundred. The good news is we are getting a lift to the top of the ridge. Cookie, we won’t know for sure what the ground looks like until we have eyes on, so you and Hoover come along. However if it’s anything like I think, you stay on board and return here to join Patti as our liaison okay?”

Cassie nodded and pulled out the doggy earmuffs and goggles for Hoover.

“‘Boots and Saddles’ guys. Our ride will be here in ten minutes. The LZ is at the turning place so let’s move.” With that he grabbed his pack and led off.

As always, the ride in the helicopter was fun and Cassie shared a grin with Joel as they lifted off. It was only minutes before they had arrived at the search area, and even Cassie could see it wasn’t suitable for Hoover. A forty degree plus scree slope covered in scrub that hid the treacherous footing was no place for a tracking dog. She glanced at Sam who just shook his head at her. ‘Oh well, at least I got a ride in a helicopter.’ She sat back and pulled Hoover close to let the rest of the team scramble out.

Once everyone was clear the aircraft lifted off and banked hard right. Cassie caught the grin on the crew chief’s lips and realized the flight crew wanted to mess with the newbie. She sighed and grabbed a spare headset. Once she’d settled it on her head, Cassie toggled the talk button.

“Which of you guys will be cleaning up the dog vomit after the flight?” She asked. She didn’t get an answer, but within moments the aircraft was once again flying straight and level as it climbed to a more reasonable altitude, while Cassie blessed Joel for that little gem on how to handle pilots, as she settled back down for the return flight.

A minute later the helicopter banked over even as her headset came to life.

“We’ve just spotted a gleam off something, so we’re going around to take a closer look Miss. By the way what do we call you?” Cassie could see the crew chief’s lips moving as he looked over at her.

Cassie grinned. “Pasadena K9 on the air, or Cookie if we’re being friendly.”

“Okay Cookie, hang on a minute.”

Cassie tried to look out the door as the helicopter swung round once again, but couldn’t see anything other than scrub and small stunted trees on the barren slope. Again the headset came to life.

“Cookie, we’re pretty sure there’s something there but it’s well inside the tree line. Any chance you can go and take a look see?”

“Sure, as long as you guys promise to hang around and pick me up. How far away is it?”

“About four hundred yards south west. Hang on…. Okay, we can drop you off here and hang around for ten minutes. That work?” Even as the crew chief was speaking the helicopter started to flare in preparation for landing. Cassie hung up the headset and watched until the crew chief gave her a thumbs up.

She unfastened her safety belt and jumped down to collect Hoover from the crew chief, before running, crouched over, to get clear of the rotor blades. A quick glance behind showed the crew chief pointing a direction, so she returned a quick thumbs up before slipping the muffs and goggles off Hoover.

“Let’s go boy.” Cassie started jogging in the direction indicated and soon ducked out of the hot sun under the tree line. Within moments she began to smell aviation fuel and angled more to her right. Another hundred yards and she came across the first wreckage; a wing torn off at the root. Cassie’s heart leapt into her mouth as she pushed on, following the now obvious trail of debris and splintered trees branches. Another fifty yards and the aircraft fuselage appeared. Cassie started sprinting. Moments later she was able to stare into the cockpit, and let out an explosive breath. It was empty.

“Anyone here?” She yelled as loud as she could. “Hello? Mr. Lloyd?”

Cassie pulled out her emergency whistle and blew hard three times, then stopped and listened. Nothing. She turned her attention back to the battered fuselage and looked inside. Open luggage was strewn around inside but there was no sign of blood or a body. Cassie looked over the outside and quickly snapped a picture of the registration, N-275AC, with her iPad, ’yep, this is it’.

“Come on Hoover, let’s get help.”

By the time Cassie got back to the helicopter she was completely out of breath so she just pulled out her iPad and showed the crew chief the image of the registration without even clambering back on board. After a moment of frantic talking to the flight crew he snagged a headset and handed it down.

“It’s there guys. Four hundred yards in. But no one’s on board and there’s no blood. The whole area stinks of aviation fuel so I guess they got out and tried to get a safe distance away. I tried shouting and using a whistle but there was no reply.” Cassie finally managed to gasp out.

Again the crew chief was looking towards the cockpit, talking to the flight crew on a different channel, before turning back to her. “Jump in. We need to get another team out here.”

Cassie rapidly shook her head. “No. They can’t be that far away. Hoover and I will try and track them while you get help. Remember, there’s a heavily pregnant woman out there.” When she saw he was about to argue Cassie pressed on. “I’ve got a satellite ‘phone, GPS, flares, trauma gear, water and food. At the worst I’ll just make my way back to the crash site.”

The crew chief gave her a reluctant look, then gestured for the headset. Cassie slipped it off and quickly made her way well clear of the rotors before crouching down and hugging Hoover close as the helicopter took off.

When the noise died away Cassie pulled out her floppy hat and Iridium handset even as she jogged back to the crash site.

“Patti, It’s Cookie… We’ve found it…”. Cassie glanced at her GPS, “grid Mike Charlie four four seven, two nine three… No, no one on board, no blood trails… No, I’m alone with Hoover, Sam’s somewhere North West… It looks like they got out and tried to find shelter… I’m going to try and find where they rested up last night… No, if I wait for more teams they’ll mess up any scent trails… Yeah, I know Sam won’t like it, but have you a better idea?… Yeah, I’ll keep my ‘phone on… thanks Patti.”

Cassie took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment. Regardless of any celebrity, two, no, three lives were at risk, and it was now down to Hoover and her.

~o~O~o~

This time Cassie properly checked out the interior of the smashed up fuselage, distastefully snagging a couple of bits of clothing that would be useful for a scent trail as she did so. Then she looked around for footprints. Although Frank had given her a basic introduction to ground sign, it hadn’t been Cassie’s best subject. Eventually she spotted what could have been tracks.

“What do you think Hoover? Shall we go look?” With an embarrassed grimace Cassie offered some worn lingerie for Hoover to sniff. “Hoover, find it!”

He took off in the same direction as the footprints appeared to point, with Cassie hot on his heels.

Ten minutes later the stink of aviation fuel had gone and Cassie looked at a small depression where Hoover was snuffling around. In the middle a small bundle of twigs had been gathered but there were no signs of a fire. She pulled out her ‘phone again. “Patti? I think I’ve found where they stopped last night… About eight hundred yards south of the crash site... Oh, grid Mike Charlie four four six, two eight five. It looks like Hoover has picked up a scent trail… No, they have only had about four hours of daylight. I’d guess no more than seven or eight miles… Yeah, I’ll be careful… Bye.”

They hadn’t made it eight miles. It was more like three. When Cassie caught up with Hoover it was obvious why.

“Thank god you’ve found us! Chloe’s waters broke.” The man in front of Cassie looked nothing like the suave debonair movie actor of so many romcoms as he babbled at her. He turned to his wife even as Cassie approached. “Chloe, you’re going to be okay honey. It’s going to be okay.”

Cassie was already pulling out her ‘phone as she approached. “Patti, I’ve found both of them, grid Mike Charlie four two one, one seven three. Yep, grid Mike Charlie four two one, one seven three. Both alive, but I need immediate medevac for Mrs. Lloyd. Her waters have broken and she’s in labor… Got it… Call me when you have an ETA… Bye.“

Cassie dropped to her knees beside the ashen faced Chloe Lloyd as she pulled off her pack. “There’s a helicopter coming for you ma’am. Can you tell me how close the contractions are?” Cassie tried to remember the basic midwifery instruction they’d been given on the wilderness first responder course.

“Arghh!”

Even as Cassie finished her question it was obvious they were coming far too close together. ’Shit!’

Cassie started pulling gear out of her pack with feverish haste. Her entire focus now on the young woman and her baby in front of her. First her space blanket was spread out to get Chloe off the dirt.

“Matt, get behind your wife and support her. You’re her birthing chair, got it?” Cassie ordered.

Next she pulled on a pair of disposable gloves and grabbed a handful of sanitizing wipes. “Chloe, I need to clean you up down there to reduce the risk of infection okay? It’s going to feel a bit cold and maybe smart a little.” Before starting Cassie pushed her pack over to Chloe’s husband. “Matt that tube is for water. I need both of you to drink as much as you can. Encourage Chloe first, but don’t forget yourself.”

Five minutes and seven contractions later Cassie’s ‘phone rang again.

“Patti, I’ve got my hands full here! … Okay, fifteen minutes ETA. Revise the pax. It will be for two adults and one new born. Push Chloe! … I’ll call later Patti…. Well done Chloe, nearly there…”

When the helicopter touched down at the temporary LZ at Johnsondale it was swarmed by paramedics pulling both Chloe and Matt Lloyd, and their precious bundle, out and into the waiting ambulances. Cassie just sat there, her eyes closed and her hand resting on Hoover’s ruff.

“Miss?” A hand nudged her shoulder. “End of the line.”

The crew chief grinned at her and offered a hand as Cassie’s eyes cracked open. She pushed herself up unwillingly, allowing herself to be dragged from her seat.

“Come on Hoover. Time to find the guys.”