Crash Landing

Story Starter - Writing Prompt:

When Simon woke up, his hospital room was dark, and he smelled…

CRASH LANDING

When Simon woke up, his hospital room was dark, and he smelled the metallic scent of blood. He fumbled around his bed, searching for the button to turn on the light so that he could see.

Suddenly the room lit up as if the sun was shining brightly inside of the room. He scanned the hospital room, searching for where the smell was coming from. But nothing looked unusual.

He tried to stand up and realized that he couldn’t move his legs. He pushed the covers aside and discovered that the blood was coming from him.

Panicking, he fumbled for the call bell, pressed it, and a nurse came running into his room.

“Hi! I’m Gina, your nurse for this shift. What can I do for you, sir?” asked the tiny brunette with large, beautiful, blue eyes.

Simon told her that his legs were bleeding, and he couldn’t stand up.

“Sir, your legs were broken in the fall, and you are scheduled for surgery later today.” replied Gina. “Let me check on the bleeding.” She lifted the covers and examined his broken legs.

Simon looked down at the bloody mess and saw bones poking out of his skin. He was horrified!

Gina grabbed some gauze and tried to stop the bleeding. She applied pressure to his wounds and held it there for what felt like hours.

Simon asked her what happened to him. He couldn’t remember a fall.

Gina replied, “You have been through a lot. Your body is trying to heal itself by shutting down the memory of your accident. It’s okay if you don’t remember what happened right now. Your memory will come back soon.”

Her voice was soft, sweet, and very comforting. He realized that he didn’t know anymore than he did before he asked, but he did feel a little calmer.

Gina pressed the call button and another nurse, named Sherry, came into the room. Gina told her that she is trying to stop the bleeding and needed Sherry to page Dr. Addison to this room STAT.

Sherrt went back to the desk and paged the doctor.

Dr. Addison showed up fifteen minutes later. He told Gina that he was finishing up a surgery and apologized for taking so long to respond.

Gina said, “I thought I could control the bleeding, but it doesn’t seem to be clotting.“

Dr. Addison told Sherry to call and have the OR prepped immediately. He walked over to Simon and said, “I see that the bleeding started again. We are going to move up your surgery and take care of your legs right now. Are you in any pain?”

Simon was relieved that the doctor was taking care of him. He answered, “I’m not in much pain. My legs are kind of numb. Could that be from the bleeding?”

Dr. Addison told him “The bleeding is an issue, but the numbness is from your nerves being crushed from your fall. You should regain feeling again after we repair your bones. Hang in there and we will see you again in OR, okay?”

The doctor headed straight to the operating room to prepare for surgery. Simon was confused. Everyone is talking about “a fall,” but he can’t remember what happened. As they wheeled him to the preop room, Simon saw his family sitting in the waiting room. He waved as his mother ran to hug him. The orderly, a tall, burly man, with a military style haircut, stopped pushing the gurney and allowed the family to wish him well and to pray over him before he continued the long trek to the preop room.

Simon wasn’t in preop very long. Before he knew what was happening, he was whisked into a cold room that smelled like antiseptic. Someone put medication into his IV and oxygen onto his nose. The anesthesiologist asked him how he broke his legs.

Simon replied, “I don’t have any…” and he was out.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in the recovery room. A male nurse was standing over him checking his vitals.

Simon asked, “Is that you, Carl ?“

Carl smiled and said, “Yes, Simon. It’s me. I am your nurse today, and I will be taking care of you until you go back to your room.” He leaned in close and whispered, “I will come visit when my shift is over.” He squeezed Simon‘s hand and asked him how he was feeling.

Simon said, “I don’t feel anything. Seriously, nothing! Should I be worried?”

Carl smiled and replied, “That’s normal. Just rest now. You need to remain here for at least another half an hour.”

Simon closed his eyes again and fell back to sleep. He dreamed he was flying an airplane, and the engines blew. As the passengers sitting in the cabin heard the noise, they began to panic. He couldn’t blame them, but he also knew that he needed them to calm down so that he could get this plane landed safely.

Suddenly the plane started losing altitude, rolling, and plummeting towards the ground below. Just before the plane hit the ground, Simon heard Carl’s voice trying to wake him up.

Simon slowly opened his eyes. His pulse was racing, and he was breathing heavily.

Carl asked him if he was okay.

Simon told him that he had a nightmare.

Carl grabbed his hand and said, “With everything you’ve been through, it’s no wonder you’re having nightmares. As soon as we get your vitals under control, we can send you back to your room. Your mom is so worried and will be relieved to know that you are all right.”

The journey to his room took longer than he thought it should have. The lights in the hallway were too bright, and even with blankets, he was so cold.

Once Simon was settled into his bed, nurse Gina walked his mother into the room.

His mom hugged him gently and planted a kiss on his cheek. She said, “Thank goodness you’re alright, my sweet Simon. I was so worried that I was going to lose you, too!” She started crying.

Sherry coughed and gently reminded Simon‘s mom that, they weren’t supposed to talk to him about what happened.

If Simon wasn’t so tired, he would’ve been annoyed at Sherry’s interruption.

He tried so hard to keep his eyes open but drifted off into a deep sleep.

Again, he dreamed he was flying an airplane whose engine blew. He struggled to keep the plane under control. As it plummeted towards the ground, he pulled up on the yolk with all his strength. The nose of the plane quickly lifted, and the plane stopped rolling. Unfortunately, though, it was still dropping out of the sky. Simon tried to ignore the screams coming from behind him so that he he could think straight.

The plane glided towards the field, but Simon struggled to keep it steady.

He heard his father‘s voice calling out to him. He turned to look at his dad, but the plane hit some turbulence, and a beverage cart went flying towards his father.

Simon woke up screaming. His memory came back, and he wished it would go away again. He didn’t want to relive the moment his father died. It was awful!

Gina came in with a sedative and shot it into his IV to calm him down. He didn’t want to sleep. Sleeping brought the nightmares, and he didn’t want to remember. However, sleep came quickly.

When Simon woke up, Carl was sitting beside his bed, watching him sleep. He said, “I told you I would visit, and I find you a sleep again. Gee, you are one lazy boy, aren’t you?” And he giggled.

Simon laughed. Carl had always been his favorite cousin. He always seemed to know what to say to make Simon feel better.

“I’m glad you’re here, man. I’ve been having nightmares about the accident. I’m afraid that if I don’t get them under control, they’re going to have me committed to the psych ward!”

Carl asked, “How would that be any different from where you are right now?”

The boys laughed. It was nice to have a normal conversation. Everyone around him seemed to be talking around the accident. They were afraid to allow his memory to come back because they were afraid that the memory of the accident would cause him to slip into depression and hinder his recovery.

“Carl,” Simon said, “I remembered the accident. I saw my dad die. I remember trying to keep the plane steady and landing in a field. But I can’t remember what happened to my legs.”

Carl told him, “You will in time. Let it come to you naturally. It will be easier for you if you don’t have to keep reliving it over and over.”

The hospital’s chief of psychiatry came into the room and asked a few questions about Simon‘s dreams and what he remembered from the accident.

Simon told him all that he remembered about the accident. He talked about his father‘s death. He discussed the fear he felt as the plane plummeted from the sky. Then he said, “I have no idea how I broke my legs. Can you help me with that?”

The doctor told him it would come in time. He explained that he could give him some medication to help stop the nightmares so that he can rest and heal.

Three days later, Simon was visited by his brother, Jacques, who carried a duffel bag full of Simon’s belongings. Since Simon was going to be here for a while, Jacques decided that he needed to feel more at home.

Among his belongings, Simon found his electronic tablet, a deck of cards, a few books, clothing, toiletries, and some personal items like photos and a throw blanket to make him feel more at home.

Simon thanked his brother for taking the time to gather his belongings and bring them to him.

Jacques was listed as Simon’s power of attorney, so he had access to Simon’s bills, his bank account, and his medical information. He asked, “Did you hear anything from the airline or the insurance agency about the accident?”

Simon explained that he had a call from the union representative, and they worked on all the paperwork. They said they will be in touch in a few weeks.

While Jacques was catching up with his brother, their uncle Joe, a prominent lawyer walked into the room. They exchanged pleasantries and visited for a while. Uncle Joe, concerned, asked, “Have you checked into getting legal counsel? You know I can’t represent you because I’m working with your mother and representing your father. But Aunt Gloria’s firm called me to see if you needed represented. If you’d like, I can shoot her an email and ask her to come for a visit so you can discuss your options.”

His head nodded in the affirmative. Simon was so glad that his family was stepping up to help. His focus right now should be on his recovery. So having them take care of the details will give him more time to work on his healing process.

Simon spent the next few months in the hospital with his legs elevated. He started having more memories about the accident, but the combination of medication and talking to his psychiatrist helped him to manage the nightmares.

Simon decided to keep a journal. He had been journaling his experience, carefully keeping track of any details, he could remember – even the ones he didn’t think we’re important. You never know when you are going to need certain details and it’s important to make sure you remember them.

He also kept track of his recovery and the feelings he had about the entire situation. One day, while he was undergoing a grueling physical therapy session, Simon remembered the details that had been missing from his history. He sat down on the therapy mat and allowed the memories to flood through his mind.

He remembered the plane falling. He remembered his father screaming. But these were memories he had right after the accident. He closed his eyes again and focused on breathing, slowly trying to clear his mind of anything but the accident.

He started remembering. The plane had fallen from the sky into a field. He looked out the window, feeling helpless as the plane near the field. People and animals scattered out of the way, running to safety. Simon was relieved that they hadn’t landed on anyone.

Then he saw them – the group of about six trees in the middle of the huge field. It was his luck that even with an entire open field to land in, the plane would be heading towards the few trees in the field.

As the front end of the plane struck the trees, Simon felt instant pain in both of his legs. He looked down and saw that the control panel was smashed like an accordion and lying on top of his legs. He tried to see what was happening behind him, but lost consciousness before he could see anything.

His psychiatrist filled him in on the rest of the details. He was grateful that Simon finally remembered what happened. Now they could work on helping him cope with the feelings that came with remembering the accident that took his father’s life.

Simon spent the next six months in a rehabilitation center strengthening his muscles and learning how to manage life with his injuries. It was a long, hard couple of months. But he was finally able to walk short distances, using forearm crutches, and had finally been discharged from the rehabilitation center.

Simon‘s mother and sister took turns spending the night with him so that he could get accustomed to living in his apartment during his recovery. A nurse came in to help care for him and his insurance company paid for the home nursing agency to send a companion to keep him company during the day. This person did his laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. She drove him to his appointment and picked up his medication for him. Therapy helped him regain the ability to do some of these tasks on his own.

Simon was determined to rush the process so he could live his life again and instead of just “existing” in this new reality.

Two weeks later, Simon, dressed in his pilot uniform, walked across a stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was awarded the Carnegie Metal, which is considered the highest award for heroism awarded to a civilian in North America.

The Carnegie Hero fund selected him to receive this award because he risked his own life and save 395 people – passengers and crew – when their airplane lost its engines.

He stood on stage and told the story of his accident. This is what he said, “ I was seated in the jump seat inside the cockpit. The pilot and copilot were showing me the difference in the control panel and explaining the differences and how the plane handles. Suddenly the first engine blew, and the plane shook violently causing a large piece of metal to dislodge and render them both unconscious. I unbuckled quickly and sat in the pilot’s seat. I immediately radioed control to let them know what happened when the other engine also blew. I tried to get control of the plane, but we started to roll. I called for help, but nobody seemed to hear me because the passengers were screaming. I heard my own father‘s voice calling my name, but I couldn’t leave my post. I looked at the screens and watched in horror as a beverage cart impaled my father, killing him instantly. I knew I had to get control of this plane. Most of what happened next was instinctive, fueled by the intensive trainings we receive about how to handle emergencies.

“I saw a field in the distance and radioed that I was going to land there. I saw people having some sort of event and saw them running. Animals were also scattering, and I guided the plane to the right so that I didn’t land on any of them. We ended up falling about 6,000 feet from the sky. When the plane fell to the ground, the cockpit landed in the trees, and crumpled like an accordion. The control panel landed on my legs. Luckily, they were only broken, and I can walk again.”

“I was told that the passengers were treated for minor, bumps and bruises, but most had survived, including the pilot and copilot. In fact, the only loss of life was my father, who died on impact when he was hit by the beverage cart.”

Tears stream down his face now as he said, “Thank you for recognizing me today. I am honored to accept the award. It will serve as a reminder of how fragile life can be, and why it’s important to pay attention to details, trust your instincts, and spend time with the people you love. I am honored to accept this award as a tribute to my father, Lucas de Blume.”

“Thank you all for giving me this honor. I accept this award, but want you all to know that I, like all the other passengers and crew aboard the flight, am a survivor of a plane crash. I am not the hero. I just did what my training trained me to do. Thank you for the opportunity to remember my dad in such an amazing way. I am truly honored! Have a safe and beautiful day!”

Simon walked off that stage, he felt the stress of the accident away. It was replaced by the love and memories he built with his father, which is something he will treasure for the rest of his life.