Page 12 of Max's Mission

“Exactly. This guy had locked his hands around my harness like some sort of pneumatic device and the hydraulics were broken. My options were to knock him out, or somehow get him off before the devices blew.”

“You couldn’t just pull your main chute? That’s on your back, right?”

“Yes, but our canopies operated with a pilot chute, not a ripcord. It’s basically a small parachute you pull from a pouch and release into the airstream. It inflates and the drag then releases the main canopy. I couldn’t get to mine or his.”

“Geez.” She stared at him with wide eyes. “So, how did you get free?”

“I grabbed his goggles and yanked them off his face. It startled him enough that he let go. We were at the point of no return by then. I had seconds before my auto-deploy device would go off, so I arched my back to stop my tumble. The moment I had a modicum of stability, I deployed my main canopy.”

“You landed in the water, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. And hard enough to stun me momentarily. I didn’t react with enough speed to avoid getting tangled in the canopy and its lines.”

“Oh, God, Max. That’s terrifying.”

“It wasn’t pleasant. But that’s why I like tight spaces less now than ever. That parachute wrapped around me, and I couldn’t battle my way out of it. If the patrol boat hadn’t been watching the action and wasn’t right there when I landed, I’d have been at the bottom of the lake.”

“Did the other guy make it?”

Max rolled his lips in and looked away briefly. “No. The guys on the ground said after we broke apart, he continued to cartwheel. When his safety canopy auto-deployed, the bundle hit him in the face. Ironically, he landed on the shore, but he hit the ground, unconscious, at about forty miles an hour.”

Margot shook her head. “That’s terrible. Why is it the dark and tight spaces bother you, though, and not the water?”

“Probably just the claustrophobic nature of things. I’ve always been a good swimmer, and I was a certified scuba diver, so I knew not to panic, and I could hold my breath for a coupleof minutes. It was enough for the team to raise me above the surface so I could breathe while they cut me loose. I was trapped in the canopy fabric a lot longer than I was underwater.”

“I cannot imagine what that was like. I’m sorry you went through that. Were you okay, physically, afterward?”

“I broke a few ribs and my left leg just below my knee. And I had a concussion. Nothing that didn’t heal.”

“Still, the psychological impact—you’re still dealing with that.”

“To a degree, sure. I don’t turn into a crazy man in an elevator or in a dark room, though. It just makes me uncomfortable. More so than I ever was as a child.”

She tipped her head. “That’s why you don’t like my house, isn’t it? It’s too cramped.”

He grimaced. “It’s not my favorite place, no. You’ve done a great job making it yours, and it looks nice, but yeah. I prefer my house.”

Margot chuckled. “I prefer your house, too, but not because it’s more open. It’s just nicer. If I ever decide to quit medicine, I’m going to beg you to let me open a catering business from your kitchen.”

The sadness left his eyes as he smiled at her. “You can come cook there anytime you want. I only ask you leave a plate for me in the fridge. Especially if you make that seafood linguine you made that one night when Edie’s family was down.” He rolled his eyes back and moaned. “You could serve it on a plate made of bark and I would lick it clean.”

She patted his shoulder, laughing, as she turned and sat back in her seat. “My Neanderthal man.”

“Hey, sometimes caveman tactics are the only way to go,” he said, chuckling along with her.

Their light conversation continued as the plane descended into the Minot airport. Margot had found a second wind thatwas enough to get her through disembarking and finding their luggage at the baggage claim.

“Let’s get our car and get the heck out of here.” Max raised the handle on his suitcase and glanced overhead at the signs pointing the way to the car rental counters.

“Yes, please. Although, I’m not sure I want to go outside. Did you hear the captain’s announcement on the local weather when we landed? We need to dig out our coats before we leave the terminal.” She’d nearly swallowed her tongue when she heard the current temperature.

Three degrees.

Three.

It was barely past Thanksgiving. It should not be allowed to be that cold yet. But there was a silver lining. It wasn’t snowing. That was already on the ground in giant piles. She’d seen it when they’d taxied in.

“You can do that while I get the car.”

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