Chapter 34 #2
The inflatable boat appeared between the trees seconds later. Its outboard engine roared low as the pilot fought the current. Two island patrol officers stood inside the boat holding guide ropes while another crew member steered. The craft rose and dropped with the surge.
Ford grabbed the radio again. “You can’t come straight in. You’ll need to come up the east wall.”
“Copy.”
The boat circled once, fighting the current before pushing closer to the stone wall beneath the admin building terrace. Ropes flew upward.
Rourke grabbed one immediately. “Got it!”
Another patrol officer jumped from the inflatable and climbed halfway up the wet stone using a ladder the crew threw over the side. “Let’s move!” he shouted.
Ford turned back into the hallway. “Twins first, then babies!”
Davis appeared beside Ford carrying one of the very premature twins. The tiny infant was wrapped in layers of blankets, the small mask still sealed over its face. Davis kept the BVM moving with steady, practiced squeezes, his eyes fixed on the baby’s chest.
Ford glanced at him. “You ready?”
Davis nodded once. “Let’s move.”
They stepped out into the wind.
The patrol officer halfway down the ladder looked up. “I’ll take the baby.”
Ford shook his head immediately. “No. He bags.”
The officer understood. “Then he’s coming with us.”
Davis continued the fast rhythm of breaths. The inflatable surged once against the wall before the crew steadied it.
“Twin 1 aboard!” one of the patrol officers called.
The baby was secured against the center seat while Davis climbed down after it, still working the bag.
Ford turned back toward the doorway. “Second twin!”
Garcia appeared seconds later carrying the other infant, bundled tightly in blankets and hot packs. He descended the ladder carefully while another patrol officer climbed higher to guide him. Halfway down, the boat lurched in the current.
Everyone froze. The pilot managed to correct the position, and the ladder steadied again.
“Easy… easy…” Garcia stepped into the inflatable and immediately knelt beside Davis. “Second twin aboard!”
“Babies!” Ford called.
Two nurses lifted the first lined bin holding three newborns bundled in blankets. They moved carefully toward the doorway.
Outside, the inflatable slammed once against the stone wall before the pilot corrected. “Steady!” Rourke yelled.
The patrol officer on the ladder reached up. “Send them down!”
Garcia lowered the first bin slowly with two ropes tied through the handles. Everyone held their breath. The boat surged once in the current, then steadied.
“Got it!” The patrol crew pulled the bin aboard and secured it against the center seat. “Next!”
Inside the building, another nurse brought forward another newborn carrier. Ford counted automatically as Garcia helped the next bin descend. The inflatable rocked violently as a wave hit the wall.
“Easy!” Ford cried.
The crew held the rope tight until the boat settled again. “Nine!”
Ford gave a short nod. “Move.”
Garcia shimmied up to the high water. The ropes were released. The inflatable swung out from the wall and powered into the dark water toward the waiting patrol boats offshore. It disappeared into the darkness beyond the trees, engine fading into the wind.
Ford watched the stern light until it vanished then turned back inside the building. “Next load!”
Nurses were already moving the next bins forward. Outside, the second inflatable was already coming in.
When Ford called for the next load, two more bins lined with plastic and padded with blankets were brought forward. The second inflatable burst through the flooded lower campus and surged toward the wall beneath the admin building. Its bow lifted high on a wave before slapping back into the water.
“Boat coming in!” someone shouted from it.
Ford stepped back onto the landing. The inflatable slid against the stone wall, and the crew threw their lines.
Garcia grabbed the first rope and wrapped it twice around the railing. “Hold her steady!”
The pilot fought the current with short bursts of throttle while the boat rose and dropped against the wall. Without hesitation, two of Rourke’s team jumped out of the inflatable into the waist-deep surge and grabbed the ladder.
Water slammed against them as they climbed the wet stone. The woman reached the top first and swung herself onto the landing beside Ford. “Where do you need us?”
Ford pointed. “Babies.”
The second rescuer pulled himself over the railing a moment later. It was Williams.
Rourke nodded toward them. “Good timing.”
Inside the building, the nurses were already waiting with the next group. Three newborn bins. Ford pointed toward the ladder. “Move!”
The first bin was lowered carefully with rope handles while the patrol officer below braced himself against the ladder. The boat slammed against the wall once before the pilot corrected.
“Got it!” the crew shouted from below. The second bin followed.
The woman knelt beside one of the nurses. “How many left?”
“Seventeen out. Eighteen still inside,” the nurse answered breathlessly.
“We’re moving fast,” the rescuer said.
Outside, the third bin reached the inflatable. Another nurse appeared with six more newborns inside two padded storage bins. “Coming through!”
Williams helped guide the container to the doorway. Ford and Rourke lowered it carefully down the ladder. The boat dipped sharply as a wave rolled through the flooded courtyard.
Everyone held their breath. The pilot corrected the position again.
The patrol officer looked up from the boat. “That’s more than our load!”
Ford nodded. “Send them!”
The ropes were released, and the inflatable powered away from the wall, its engine roaring as it disappeared through the trees toward the waiting ships offshore. Inside, the hallway was already moving again with nurses organizing the next bins.
Rourke looked at Ford. “Third boat’s already coming.”
Ford nodded. “Good. We still have a lot of people left to move.