apparent. Then another sound, a louder one, and Kerry just barely kept herself from total panic by realizing the sound was the landing gear extending. That meant—her frazzled mind clung to the rationale—that meant the noise before that was the air spoilers, slowing the plane for landing.
Right? She never remembered them being that loud, though.
The plane yawed and wobbled, the nose dipping, then the speed cutting back drastically. Outside, she could still only see clouds. She stared at them, willing them to part and show her something other than muddy darkness around the plane. “C’mon...c’mon...”
Lower and lower, until Kerry was sure they were going to crash.
She closed her eyes and thought of Dar and fiercely told herself that when she got to heaven—because God damn it, that’s where she was going—she’d be so careful to watch over Dar, and make sure she was never alone.
She bowed her head.
Then the darkness on the other side of the window dissolved—into rain, and lashing wind, and the lights of a big city, flashing by quickly as the big plane stumbled and rocked its way onto the runway, landing to one side, bouncing, then landing again, this time solidly on all of its wheels.
The engines reversed, and the blur of the lights turned into the solid outlines of a terminal, then exploded into color as a cadre of 30 Melissa Good emergency vehicles whizzed around them, circling the plane as it limped its way toward the buildings.
Kerry felt all the tension rush out of her, leaving her limp in her seat and completely exhausted. Not even the rattle of sleet against the window stirred her as she simply closed her eyes and gave a quiet, heartfelt thanks.
The plane rocked to a halt. Kerry reached for her cell phone.
IT WAS HYPNOTIC. Dar stayed crouched over her laptop, continually hitting the refresh button and attempting to change the indicator on the page by sheer force of will. “Change, damn you,” she whispered under her breath, slamming the button on the mouse for the thousandth time.
And it did. The page redrew, and the Delayed status morphed before her startled eyes to Arrived—Newark.
“Newark.” Dar blinked. She clicked on it again and watched the same results occur. Again. Same thing. Her shoulder muscles relaxed and she slumped over the desk. Then she sucked in a breath and closed her hand around the cell phone and started to lift it. It rang as she did so, causing her whole body to jerk in shocked surprise. The cell phone went flying and Dar dove after it, tripping over the laptop’s cable and sprawling across the carpet in an undignified tumble.
Her head struck the bedside table and she yelped, but her fingers found the buzzing phone and she managed to get it open and to her ear without further injury. “Yeah?”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea what I’ve just been through.”
Dar rolled onto her back and sucked the voice in, every muscle going completely slack in utter relief. “Uh?”
Kerry sighed into the phone. “We just landed. We hit this huge storm, and the plane was rocking all over the place, and we lost an engine, and I think my stomach’s going to resign and find a better job somewhere else after that ride down.”
Dar placed a hand over her own belly and blinked. “Yeah. I know what you mean,” she murmured softly into the phone. “Glad you’re okay.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Kerry’s voice was shaking.
“I bet,” Dar murmured. “I bet it felt like your heart was coming out your ears.” She rubbed one of hers, then let the hand fall to the carpet limply.
“Yeah,” Kerry sighed. “I’m still shaking.”
Dar lifted the errant paw again and watched it tremble. “Hmm.”
She let it drop with a thump. “Ow.”
“What’s wrong?” Kerry asked. “We’re stuck in here for a few minutes. They’re trying to get the jetway working. It’s all iced, I think.”
“I bumped my head,” Dar told her. “So, you’re in New
Right? She never remembered them being that loud, though.
The plane yawed and wobbled, the nose dipping, then the speed cutting back drastically. Outside, she could still only see clouds. She stared at them, willing them to part and show her something other than muddy darkness around the plane. “C’mon...c’mon...”
Lower and lower, until Kerry was sure they were going to crash.
She closed her eyes and thought of Dar and fiercely told herself that when she got to heaven—because God damn it, that’s where she was going—she’d be so careful to watch over Dar, and make sure she was never alone.
She bowed her head.
Then the darkness on the other side of the window dissolved—into rain, and lashing wind, and the lights of a big city, flashing by quickly as the big plane stumbled and rocked its way onto the runway, landing to one side, bouncing, then landing again, this time solidly on all of its wheels.
The engines reversed, and the blur of the lights turned into the solid outlines of a terminal, then exploded into color as a cadre of 30 Melissa Good emergency vehicles whizzed around them, circling the plane as it limped its way toward the buildings.
Kerry felt all the tension rush out of her, leaving her limp in her seat and completely exhausted. Not even the rattle of sleet against the window stirred her as she simply closed her eyes and gave a quiet, heartfelt thanks.
The plane rocked to a halt. Kerry reached for her cell phone.
IT WAS HYPNOTIC. Dar stayed crouched over her laptop, continually hitting the refresh button and attempting to change the indicator on the page by sheer force of will. “Change, damn you,” she whispered under her breath, slamming the button on the mouse for the thousandth time.
And it did. The page redrew, and the Delayed status morphed before her startled eyes to Arrived—Newark.
“Newark.” Dar blinked. She clicked on it again and watched the same results occur. Again. Same thing. Her shoulder muscles relaxed and she slumped over the desk. Then she sucked in a breath and closed her hand around the cell phone and started to lift it. It rang as she did so, causing her whole body to jerk in shocked surprise. The cell phone went flying and Dar dove after it, tripping over the laptop’s cable and sprawling across the carpet in an undignified tumble.
Her head struck the bedside table and she yelped, but her fingers found the buzzing phone and she managed to get it open and to her ear without further injury. “Yeah?”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea what I’ve just been through.”
Dar rolled onto her back and sucked the voice in, every muscle going completely slack in utter relief. “Uh?”
Kerry sighed into the phone. “We just landed. We hit this huge storm, and the plane was rocking all over the place, and we lost an engine, and I think my stomach’s going to resign and find a better job somewhere else after that ride down.”
Dar placed a hand over her own belly and blinked. “Yeah. I know what you mean,” she murmured softly into the phone. “Glad you’re okay.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Kerry’s voice was shaking.
“I bet,” Dar murmured. “I bet it felt like your heart was coming out your ears.” She rubbed one of hers, then let the hand fall to the carpet limply.
“Yeah,” Kerry sighed. “I’m still shaking.”
Dar lifted the errant paw again and watched it tremble. “Hmm.”
She let it drop with a thump. “Ow.”
“What’s wrong?” Kerry asked. “We’re stuck in here for a few minutes. They’re trying to get the jetway working. It’s all iced, I think.”
“I bumped my head,” Dar told her. “So, you’re in New
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