Lauren felt the plane slow and come to a halt. Looking out the window, she saw nothing but rolling desert hills covered with low lying trees and shrubs. If there were people and a village, it must not be close.
Brent unbuckled his seat belt and stood up. "I'll be right back," he pronounced before disappearing into the cockpit.
Lauren unbuckled her own belt and went to her daughters. Megan and her grandmother were already unfastened and collecting their meager belongings, a couple of backpacks. "Thanks, you two," she accused. "I don't have any of my stuff."
Megan winked at her great-grandmother and passed a dark green duffle bag that looked like it had seen much better days to her mother. "You're welcome. It is mostly your favorite things. Dad said not to worry that he had everything else we would need here."
Lauren chuckled, "I bet he does."
Her grandmother laughed out loud, "That boy always did have everything your mother needed, Megan."
"Grandmam," Lauren chastised.
"What, child? Am I wrong?"
Lauren was glad that the object of their conversation stepped forward just then. It gave her the excuse she needed to ignore her grandmother's all too accurate assessment.
Brent looked from one smiling woman to another, "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing at all," Lauren denied too quickly. "Is everything all right? Can we get off the plane now?"
"Yes, of course. I was just getting some updates from Jason," Lauren nodded as she recognized the name of a trusted friend and pilot who had often flown them and other scientists into some of the world's most remote locations.
His skills had always seemed almost magical; managing to get them into locations isolated by natural disasters, sometimes even before the government or aid agencies had arrived. She should have known that Jason was piloting the plane, Brent trusted few people and Jason was one of them.
"How is he?" she asked.
"Things have been kinda rough this past couple of years," Brent explained. "You knew that Mildred died? Breast cancer." He paused until Lauren nodded her head. "The old coot tried to retire on me, but when I begged him for this one last favor, he could not deny me."
"He was always more of a father to you than your own dad," she added.
Brent smiled at her words. "Yeah well, then he is off to find his other son now. Travis is surfing the waves somewhere in Baja California. We haven't been able to reach him on his cell, but he knows where the extraction point is for that area. There have been a series of small quakes in Southern California. So I am hoping the idiot is smart enough to realize what is up and gets his butt to it."
Lauren noted the dark shadows and deep worry lines on his face once more. "I know how protective you are of Travis, but he is smarter than you give him credit for," she defended his younger brother.
"Smart never was the issue with that one. He could think circles around me. If he tried. His problem is that Dad and I babied him too damned long. He is the most irresponsible little brat there ever was," his face turned redder with each word.
"Come on; I think that is a bit harsh. I'm sure it wasn't easy growing up the younger brother of the great Brent Jacobs, boy genius, Rhodes Scholar, and esteemed scientist."
"Yeah well, he used it as an excuse not even to try. He has spent almost thirty years playing. Surfing, mountain climbing, sky diving. Anything and everything to avoid getting an education or a job or any other kind of responsibility."
Lauren smiled 'But you can't rest until he is here with the rest of us.' Instead of saying it, she changed the subject. "You want to help me get Elise going."
Brent's face lit up at the mention of their child. He strode past her to the back of the small jet where Katie was collecting the child's assortment of comfort things; chewy sticks, squishy balls, ankle weights, and the weighted blanket that she had been wrapped in throughout the flight. The child clutched her favorite doll, an old Raggedy Anne with bright orange yarn hair and a striped red and white cotton dress.
He bent down and scooped the child into his arms. Lauren's heart skipped a beat as Elise wrapped her tiny arms about her father's neck. "How's Daddy's bestest little girl today?" He crooned in that baritone, which always sent Lauren's blood flowing like molten lava, burning everything in its path, especially her sanity.
Brent strode past her as Katie finished packing the last of the child's things into a large tot. She fumbled with it for a moment then fell in step behind the man. Drawing a deep breath, Lauren resigned herself to the week that lay ahead. A week in the company of a man, who still held her body, mind, and heart in the palm of his hands. 'This is going to be interesting,' she thought.
As if reading her mind, her grandmother came up behind her. "You did the right thing, child. That man loves his children - and you. The thought of not being able to care for you would have driven him insane."
"Are you sure he isn't already, Grandmam? Have you actually listened to his theories?"
"I might not understand the science of things the way you do, child, but no one needs to tell me that something is happening. I have been on this earth for seven decades, and I have never seen as much happening as I have lately. It might not make sense to your logical mind, but my heart tells me that boy is on to something."
