The Sweetest Gift

“I’ll do my best, Doc. Hold on tight, Kirby. We’re good to go.” Sam sounded confident, unshakable as the chopper’s blades whipped harder. “NASA, we have liftoff.”

They rose in a swinging bump that felt as if the earth had fallen out beneath them and they were rising straight up in a breathless sweep.

Jeremiah covered the mouthpiece. “We’ll miss Chet, but Sam’s good.”

She was better off not thinking about Sam right now. She was thinking about staying alive. Once she had a patient to care for, she’d be all right. But until then, she had entirely too much time on her hands to imagine the engine exploding. A blade breaking. Pieces of steel peeling off the side of the helicopter.