stopped. âOh, not bad, considering.â
âYouâve been out for a while.â
âI feel like it. But I feel better. Maybe the nap did me some good.â
Dr. Cooper felt Brockâs joyous slap on his back as he replied, âThatâs great. Jay, youâre out over the Olympic Peninsula heading for the ocean. How about a left turn on that autopilot to get you headed back toward Seattle?â
âI think I can handle that.â
With jubilation, Brock and Dr. Cooper saw Eight Yankee Tango begin a gradual, steady left turn.
âAnd how about a touch of power,â Cooper radioed. âYouâve lost a bit of altitude and weâd like to get you back up again.â
âOkay. Adding some power.â
âHowâs Rex?â
âStill out,â came the answer.
A few cheers went up from the people gathered in the lounge as they saw Eight Yankee Tango turning back toward home, accompanied by Brockâs Skylane, the news helicopters, and the lumbering Coast Guard Two Zero Bravo. Theyâd heard Jayâs voice and were glad he was awake again, but they knew the danger wasnât over.
âWhat do you think theyâre going to do now?â
one reporter asked another.
âProbably ditch it in Puget Sound,â the other answered.
Lila didnât like the sound of that. âDitch it?â
Johnny Adair was on hand to explain, âJust have him land in the water, then they come down with the chopper and some divers and pluck them out.
Simple.â
Lila studied the television images. âWhy donât they just have Jay land it?â
Adair replied quietly, âThat would be impossible.
Your brother canât see.â
But the idea stuck in her head, as ideas in Lilaâs head were often prone to do. She confided to her aunt, âI think he could land it.â
A reporter wearing a headset addressed the camera from on-board chopper seven, the Olympic Mountains visible through the window behind her, the whine of the helicopter audible behind her voice. âFourteen-year-old Jay Cooper, who has been unconscious, is again conscious and coherent. Heâs turned the airplane around, and now the airplane is heading back toward Seattle. According to a Boeing Tower spokesman, it is very likely the boyâs father, acting as a seeing-eye pilot, will try to guide his son to an attempted water landing in Puget Sound.â
Dr. Cooper and Brock were on the radio with the tower chief and a representative from the Coast Guard.
Dr. Cooper was feeling grim. âOkay,â he said. âIâll see if heâs up to that.â
âHeâll have to be,â Ben Parker replied. âBut you donât have to tell him everything.â
âI understand.â Dr. Cooper switched to the other radio tuned to the Auburn frequency, the one theyâd been using to talk to Jay all this time. But he didnât call. He sat there, struggling within himself.
Brock offered, âYou donât have to tell him.â
âYes I do,â Dr. Cooper protested. âI know Jay. Heâs going to ask. Itâs going to matter to him, as well it should.â
âSo what are you going to tell him?â
âWhat Iâve always told him: the truth.â He pressed his talk button. âJay, as near as we can figure, you only have about forty to forty-five minutes of fuel left. Now, the Coast Guard tried to fly over and snag you with a cable, but that didnât work and wealmost lost you. So the plan now is to get you back to the Sound, set up a safe descent rate, and land you in the water. The Coast Guard chopper will follow you and drop divers and life rafts to pull you out.
Does that sound like a plan?â
Jay had plenty of questions, but for now said simply, âOkay.â
âNow son . . . ,â his father purposely spoke evenly, clearly. âYou need to take a careful inventory of your abilities. I wonât