Chapter One
Bethany Stillman zipped the top closed on her carryon bag. She could hardly wait to board the plane that would take her to her grandparent’s Ski Lodge. She had thoroughly enjoyed the week she had spent in Lake Tahoe for their anniversary and she was looking forward to working there with her three best friends for the winter.
Just thinking of the ski trip she and her friends had planned for, after graduation, had kept her focused for the four years of college and throughout the long hours of studying. She couldn’t believe it was finally time to go. She took one last glance around the living room of her small apartment above the garage at her parent’s home, to make sure she had everything she’d need, suitcases, purse, and coat.
“Oh no!Where are my airline tickets?”Racking her brain, she couldn’t remember where she’d put them. She dumped her purse upside down, checked in her coat pockets, the kitchen drawers, and everywhere else she could think of, but they were nowhere to be found. In a panic she cried, “ Oh Lord! Please, help me to find them. I’ve looked forward to this trip for so long.”
She started opening suitcases one by one. Finally at the bottom of the very last one she found her tickets. “Thank you Lord,” she hugged them against her breathing a sigh of relief. It was a good thing the Lord knew where she put things. How in the world could she have done something so scatter brained. She picked up the phone and called for a taxi. Stacking her bags she strapped them on the wheels with a bungee cord. Slipping her backpack over her shoulders she pulled the others behind her as she headed out the door. She walked down the stairs to wait on the front steps for the cab that would take her to the airport.
Taking a taxi turned out to be a wise decision. After misplacing her tickets, she didn’t have time to park her car and walk inside. Plus her parents wouldn’t have to worry about coming to the airport to pick it up. The driver would drop her right at the door and she could go directly to the check in counter.
Once the plane leveled out in the air, the flight attendants served them a snack. When Bethany was through eating, she opened the new Christian romance novel she’d bought and started to read. She’d just finished the first page when a loud crash behind her caused her to nearly jump out of her seat. The flight attendant ran by her just as Bethany leaned over to look down the aisle. An older gentleman lay unconscious in the floor. Bethany jumped up and headed that way, just as she got there a man stooped down beside him.
“I’m an RN, Bethany Stillman. Can I do something to help?” She knelt down in the narrow aisle.
The man looked up at her and frowned for a moment then proceeded to unbutton the older man’s shirt and placed his ear next to his chest. She thought his reaction was rather odd but she didn’t have time to think about it for long.
“Colton Beckman, and you can assist me in CPR. “ He pulled a mouthpiece from the duffel bag he had on the floor next to him, positioning it over the older man’s mouth. Bethany placed her hands on the man’s chest in the correct location. She began CPR compressions following each time after Cole breathed air into the older man’s mouth.”
“Do you have a defibrillator on the plane?” Cole asked the flight attendant between breaths.
“Yes, Mr. Beckman we have a portable unit, I’ll get it.” She rushed off toward the front of the plane and returned within minutes with the unit.
Cole opened the box and correctly placed the paddles on their patient. “Clear.” He yelled as he hit the switch and the man’s body jumped from the impact. They both watched the machine but there was no change.
He yelled “Clear.” Again and hit the switch a second time. This time as they watched, the man’s heart beat leveled out and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Cole removed the mouthpiece and placed an oxygen mask
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