Laura and Emma arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport three hours after they departed from Miami. Emma had to just about pry Laura's hands from the armrests as the seat belts sign went off. Laura, in a panic state, trembled as passengers exited the plane hurriedly. She was scared to death, but unsure why.
Emma and Laura remained in their seats to avoid a scene if she were to faint at any time during departure. "I can't figure out why I'm acting like this," Laura told Emma while they waited for the last passenger to leave the plane.
"It's okay dear, we're not in any hurry," Emma replied and then stood as she saw the last person stand and walk toward the back of the plane.
Laura also noticed the person leave and said, "Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," as she stood and followed Emma down the aisle and off the plane.
They walked slowly through the tunnel that led to the busy terminal. As Laura neared the terminal she began to feel faint and Emma suggested that they walk over to the chairs by the window and take a rest. "You look as though you've seen a ghost, dear," Emma said as she wiped Laura's brow with a tissue.
Laura was sweating profusely. Emma did everything in her power to keep Laura calm. "Just close your eyes and sit back." Emma instructed as she took her cell phone from her purse just in case she had to call Dr. Tate for help.
"Excuse me, is she all right?" a flight attendant from the plane they had just exited asked.
"Yes, she'll be just fine in a few minutes. I guess she just doesn't like to fly," Emma replied hoping she was right.
Emma watched the clock on the wall across from their seats. Laura's health seemed to improve as the minutes ticked away. Emma was still concerned about her, yet at the same time she was concerned about their luggage. Laura lifted her head slightly and turned to look at Emma and said, "we should go get our bags," and then put her head back against the rim of the chair.
"I'll get our luggage when I know you are feeling better Laura, don't you worry about that," Emma said as she stared at the clock.
It had been almost a half hour since they departed the plane. The flight attendant tapped Emma gently on her forearm and whispered," I'll stay with her if you'd like to go check on your luggage. If you have more than you can carry by yourself just ask one of the attendants down there and they will give you a cart."
"Well, if you don't mind," Emma said, not quite sure this was a good idea, but knew she had no other choice.
"Laura dear, I'll be right back. I'm going to go get our luggage. I'll be back just as soon as possible," she said and then turned to walk toward the escalator to the lower level baggage claim.
"No! Wait!" Laura pleaded, in a quiet voice. "Don't leave me," she added as she tried to stand, but was unable.
Emma turned around quickly and headed back to Laura. "Don't worry. The flight attendant is here with you now and she'll stay until I get back. I'll give her my cell phone number so if you need me she can call. Okay?" Emma said as she sat beside Laura.
Laura agreed, she remembered the attendant from the flight they were on and Emma once again turned toward the escalators. She walked quickly as she checked her cell phone to make sure it was on vibrate thinking she probably wouldn't hear the ring with all the other noises around her. She put the phone in her pocket as she put her foot on the first step of the escalator and headed to the lower level.
Shortly after Emma walked away Laura had another vision, someone hugging her before she got on a plane. Again she couldn't see the face, but she knew it was a man. She bolted upright in her chair, her face flushed. The flight attendant calmed her, "It's okay if you'd like to take a nap," the attendant said.
Laura yawned and slouched in her seat. She had become very tired suddenly. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep; she was exhausted.
It didn't take Laura long to fall into a deep sleep with all the excitement she'd had in the past few days. Her visions seem to take so much energy from her. The flight attendant stood from her chair and walked behind the ticket counter, pulled out a box and brought it back to where Laura was sleeping. She lifted Laura's feet and placed them on the box.
"Hey do you want this too?" A voice called out to her from behind the counter she was just at.
Another attendant tossed her a pillow and a blanket and she put the pillow in Laura's arms and the blanket over her. She saw Laura immediately clench the pillow.
Emma returned with a disgusted look on her face. "What's wrong, Emma?" the attendant asked.
"Well it seems they didn't have enough room in the plane we were on or something, but our luggage isn't down there. The man down there said it would be in on the next flight, but that flight had to stop in Chicago first." Emma told the attendant as she stood in front of Laura.
"I'm sure it'll be here shortly, Emma." The attendant said, as she tried to clam her.
"This is ridiculous." Emma said, frustrated and then continued. "I can't just sit around here waiting for that plane. It'll drive me crazy," she said as she fidgeted with her cell phone in her pocket.
"I'll be here if you'd like to go walk around for a while," the attendant stated as she looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm sure she'll be just fine," she added glancing at Laura and then back to Emma. "She's sleeping now and should probably sleep for a while longer because she looked very tired before she drifted off."
"Are you sure it'll be all right?" Emma asked quietly.
With the confirmation that Laura would be looked after, Emma decided to go for a walk to burn off the excess energy and avoid a case of boredom. Emma headed for the shops as she waved to the flight attendant. "I'll be back shortly," she said with a smile as she turned and walked away.
Emma had never had the opportunity to travel out of Florida and was easily entertained and distracted watching people hurry around her and browsing through the shops. The time passed more quickly than she thought and when she glanced at the clock on her cell phone she noticed that she had been gone over an hour and she missed a call. Emma opened her cell phone to listen to the message as she stood in line at the coffee shop.
"Hello Emma, this is Betty, the attendant looking after Laura. I'm sorry to cut your walk short but my flight arrived earlier than expected and I must report to work. Laura is still sleeping and I've asked the attendant at the desk to keep an eye on her until you return," was the message on her phone.
Emma panicked, dropped her coffee and rushed through the crowd to get back to Laura. Because of her state of mind, Emma had gotten confused and taken a wrong turn somewhere. She couldn't remember how to get back to Laura. She phoned the number the attendant gave her but all she heard was a message. "I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now. When the plane lands I'll return your call."
Now even more panicked, Emma ran up to the nearest guard for directions back to the gate where she left Laura. The guard directed her. She tried to remember what he said as she walked through the different concourses. After walking for almost an hour she finally arrived at the gate where she and Laura arrived. Laura wasn't in her chair; all their things were gone. Emma's heart was now in her stomach.
"Shit!" Emma said to herself. "Where could she have gone?" Emma wondered as her eyes thoroughly panned the room.
^^^
Hey Ben, Ben, wake up we're home," Max said excitedly as he shook Ben's shoulder. Both men were excited to get off that plane. The flight was too long and the layover in Chicago was a nightmare because they were unable to leave the plane due to a security threat in the airport. Ben was unfortunate enough to be stuck beside an elderly man who grumbled the entire time.
When the plane landed and the pilot turned off the seat belt sign, Ben was the first one to remove his. Both Ben and Max stood, stretched and grabbed the carry on bags from the overhead compartment before they departed the plane. "First thing we should do is get our luggage and then look for Laura," Max suggested as he pushed his way through the overcrowded aisle.
"No, I'd rather wait for the crowd to thin a bit before we do. I don't feel like tackling that crowd right now," Ben said as he pushed his way through the stuffy tunnel that connected the plane to the terminal. "Let's sit over there and wait for all these people to get out of the way, okay?" Ben suggested to Max as a group of tourists passed in front of them and then he continued. "Besides it sounds to me like someone needs a smoke. You go outside and I'll save you a seat over there."
Once the path was cleared, Ben started to walk toward the section of chairs near the window that looked out over the tarmac as Max headed for the exit.
"Shit! It's too long of a walk just to have a smoke," Max said to himself and turned around to go back to Ben. As he neared he saw Ben standing in the aisle. "Are you gonna sit or what?" Max asked as he walked over to Ben, stopping beside him.
Ben blinked his eyes and rubbed them as he stood ad stared. "Oh my God!" Ben exclaimed pushing Max, almost knocking him over as he turned, not knowing he was so close. "Max! Look over there in that chair facing the ticket counter!" Ben voiced breathless as a smile covered his face.
As he neared, he rubbed his eyes again, looked away then back almost instantly and rubbed his eyes once again. He couldn't believe it. Laura was sleeping in the chair that captured his attention. Ben dropped the bag he was carrying and ran toward the chair. He stopped abruptly, not wanting to run into her legs.
Tears filled his eyes and his extremities shook, as he stood there unsure of what to do. "What if I wake her and she doesn't know who I'm?" he whispered to Max who stood behind him.
"You'll never know unless you try man," Max said and then continued after wiping a tear from his own eye. "If you don't call her name I will."
