The news announcer was solemn: “No details yet on the crash that’s been reported. All we know at this moment is that a flight called in a distress signal, and then the tower lost them. We’re sending our crews out to Sea-Tac as we speak to get you more information.”
“Let’s go. We don’t have time to sit around here,” Nick commanded.
His crew jumped up, and he hated them all in that moment for the looks they were shooting his way.
“Stop now. It’s not my brother,” he snapped.
The men said nothing. They worked hard every time they were together, risking their lives for complete strangers in the stormiest and deadliest of seas. No one was going to say a word to Nick. In order to work most efficiently, he had to ignore his fears.
The men fell out, the boat crew already gone, the helicopter crew falling in. Nick made one small detour before he jumped into the captain’s seat of the helicopter.
Stopping in the bathroom, he let go of the dinner he’d had two hours prior. When he was finished, he rinsed his mouth, then ran to the chopper.
If his brother was out there, he wasn’t coming home without him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The night air was brisk, the wind blowing ever so slightly. Stormy stood on the back patio of Lindsey’s place, her face raised upward as she watched the stars begin to appear in the darkening sky.
Through the opened door, she could hear the local news in the background, but she didn’t care what was happening in the world. All she cared about right now was trying to figure out what she was going to do next.
Suddenly, her peaceful evening was interrupted when the local news began a special report: “Breaking news out of Sea-Tac Airport. Tragedy strikes in the skies again, this time with Trans Pacific Airlines. We’ve just received word that a mayday was called in.”
Stormy’s heart instantly accelerated, and she rushed into the house and stood before the television as she watched the brunette on the screen look down at her notes.
“The Trans Pacific Airlines flight was heading for Honolulu and apparently suffered engine trouble. We’re hearing reports that it lost contact with the tower exactly five minutes ago. It’s not confirmed yet, but they are saying the plane crashed into the Pacific about two hundred miles out. No other details, including flight number, are being disclosed at this time . . .”
Stormy knew that when planes crashed, the airport set up a central place for family members and friends to go for information. It took her exactly one hour to get from her friend’s place to the airport, thanks to Lindsey rushing in and out of traffic.
If Cooper had been the captain of that flight and she’d lost him forever, she wasn’t sure how she would deal with that. Her fingers glided across her stomach as it cramped.
In a full sprint, Stormy came whirling through the rotating doors into the TPA lobby, where news crews were busy setting up their cameras and giving live reports on the crash.
As she approached the ticket counter, she was desperate to talk to anyone who knew who had captained the flight, but to her horror, all of the Trans Pacific ticket counters were vacant, as if the airline had shut down and abandoned anyone seeking answers.
Panic was taking over, though she tried to fight it. A mewling cry escaped her throat as she collapsed to the ground, her vision going in and out of focus.
She immediately caught the attention of camera crews and reporters, as they zoomed in on her, putting a human face on the late-breaking news of an air disaster at sea.
In the midst of her panic attack, a door opened from behind the ticket counter and an agent rushed to assist Stormy.
The lobby went wild with the sound of camera shutters and electronic flash units firing in frenzy, as newspaper reporters and TV crews sought to capture the image of an airline employee helping the next of kin of the ill-fated flight.
As the airline customer service agent bent over to console Stormy, she put her arm around her, rubbing her back in a circular motion. It was Meredith.
Seeing it was Stormy, Meredith’s eyes, already bloodshot with emotion, began to well up as she gave Stormy a mournful glance of pity. As tears came rolling down Meredith’s face, Stormy knew, without her saying a word, that it was indeed Cooper who’d been flying.
“I’m so sorry, Stormy,” she said. Stormy went limp in Meredith’s arms, losing consciousness.
“I need help over here!” Meredith called out.
Within seconds, two airport police officers were on the scene, one officer lifting Stormy into his arms and taking her into the airline office behind the ticket counter.
Stormy awoke in a large room to the sound of several voices, some shouting while others were quietly sobbing. She was lying on her back on a cot when she opened her eyes and saw Sherman looking down at her. He’d been sitting by her side.
“There you go, sweetie. Time to wake up,” he said with a concerned expression.
The sight of Sherman peering down at her was a comforting sight to wake up to, but as if a thousand nightmares came to mind all at once, she was reminded all too soon of what had happened and whom she’d lost.
Stormy clutched her stomach, cradling Cooper’s unborn child. The agony of loss still overwhelming, she could only sob and shake her head from side to side, as if by saying no she could change the situation. Stormy clung to Sherman.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she finally said.
“I’m glad you’re here, too, sweetie,” he assured her.
“I don’t know if I can get through this alone,” she told him, her eyes spilling all over again.