The student experiencing breathing difficulties received medical evaluation.
No one had suffered a serious injury.
When the message came through the radio, Russell repeated it carefully.
Then he lowered the microphone.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
I looked toward Aunt June.
She was smiling.
Her eyes were wet.
I swallowed.
“They're okay?”
She nodded.
“That's what the report says.”
I pressed Grandpa's notebook against my chest.
Something inside me loosened.
For nearly an hour, I'd imagined a bus full of frightened children sitting beside a dangerous road while everyone who could help struggled to reach them.
Now they were safe.
Russell leaned back in the chair.
He let out a breath.
Then he looked toward me.
“Your grandfather built one remarkable backup system.”
I shook my head.
“He didn't build all of it alone.”
Russell smiled.
I continued.
“He worked with other people. The county. Volunteers. Electricians.”
Russell nodded.
“Sounds like you listened when he taught you.”
I looked toward the wall.
Grandpa's handwriting covered the maintenance chart beside the desk.
For a moment, I imagined him standing there.
Smiling beneath his white beard.
Telling me to stop staring at the equipment and write down the latest readings.
Then the radio crackled again.
Another message.
A regional operator wanted confirmation that the Laurel Ridge relay could remain available while the primary network was being restored.
Russell answered.
He checked the station's battery status and the posted operating limits, then said that the equipment was functioning within its indicated range.
Aunt June called the licensed electrical contractor who maintained the hydro installation.
The contractor had an independent communication route through another volunteer station and confirmed that a qualified technician could check the system as soon as road conditions allowed.
I felt a little disappointed.
Part of me wanted to fix everything myself.
Then I remembered what Grandpa told me.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
So I helped organize the station log.
I copied the non-sensitive operational notes under Aunt June's supervision.
And when the technician arrived later that afternoon, I showed him where Grandpa kept the maintenance records.
He thanked me.
Then he and the authorized operator inspected the relevant equipment using their normal safety procedures.
The hydro installation remained stable.
No dangerous adjustments were necessary.
The technician confirmed that the radio could continue operating within its limited power budget.
By late afternoon, parts of the county's normal communication network began returning.
The water treatment plant's equipment gradually came back online under its own operating procedures.
Cellular service returned in some areas.