Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

  They checked the Departure board and saw that the next flight to Myrtle Beach was in two hours. They raced to the Ticketing agent.

  "We need two seats on the six am flight to Myrtle."

  The agent stared at them slowly, as if they'd woken her from a nap and she needed to reorient herself. She tapped into her keyboard, her eyes blinking in slow motion. Blake restrained his desire to reach out and wrap his hands around her neck and shake her. Anything to make her work faster.

  "No, that flight is full." The ticket agent lifted eyes to his and popped her gum.

  "When does the next one go?"

  She returned her gaze to her monitor. "One o'clock this afternoon."

  His heart wrenched. "That's too late. I have to get on that six am."

  The big uniformed lady shrugged. "You and two hundred other passengers, who booked their flights way before now."

  He let loose an anguished cry. "You don't understand. My girlfriend was injured tonight, and she's lying in a hospital, unconscious. We'd had a disagreement before she left and I now know she was right, and I was dead wrong. I need the chance to tell her. I need to get there and tell her that I love her, and ask her to forgive me for being such an idiot. I don't deserve her, but I need the chance. Please. Is there anything you can do to get us to Myrtle Beach?"

  Her expression had transformed from bored and sleepy, to empathetic during the course of his speech. Now, he rested his hopeful eyes on her, praying that she would help.

  "Well, boy, now why didn't you say so?" She patted his hand, put a big smile on her face, and went back to the computer. Tap tap tap. "Hmmm, no," she murmured. "Let's try this." Tap tap tap. She used her index finger to run down the monitor screen, then back to the keyboard. Tap tap tap. "Well, how about that?"

  Her smile grew and Blake held his breath, hoping she'd found a way for the two of them to get on that six am plane. Brent wrapped his hand around Blake's forearm and Blake turned his head to meet his gaze. "If there's only room for one, then take it, bro."

  "What? No! What about you? I wouldn't just desert you here."

  Brent gave him an ironic eyes-wide-open expression. "If you have the chance to go, and there's no room for me, go. I'll find my way home."

  Blake's mind ran with the implications. Frontier Fire was bussing to Philadelphia today and Brent was flying out from there tomorrow. How would he ever make it ...?

  A calming force came over him. Time for a new approach, starting now. "Okay," he said to Brent. "My higher priority is being with Haley. You'll be fine on your own." Even if it killed him.

  A happy smile formed on Brent's face. He held out a palm and Blake slapped it. "He is teachable," Brent said with a chuckle. Blake wanted to smack his brother’s shoulder, but the ticket agent drew his attention back. She was printing some forms out of her printer. She ripped them off at the perforated edges and handed them to Blake.

  "What's this?" Blake said breathlessly.

  "It's two seats to Myrtle Beach at six o'clock, that's what that is."

  Blake jumped into the air and whooped. He reached over the counter and pulled the ticket agent in for a kiss on her cheek. She looked pleasantly surprised, then she got back to business. "Okay, these are special tickets only available to family members of airline employees."

  "But ..." Blake said.

  "But, it was the only way to get you on that plane. You have priority over the other Stand By passengers, and I can see that there are most likely going to be stand bys pulled."

  "Do we need to show ID?" Blake asked, terrified that they'd get this close, then be turned away for not having the proper identification. Since they really weren't family members after all.

  "No. They will ask you if you are a family member of an airline employee, and you say yes." She shrugged. "It's the best I could do."

  Blake shook off his nerves. Telling one little white lie if it meant getting to Haley's side was a decent payoff. "Thank you. I can't thank you enough."

  She smiled warmly. "Now, don't you waste this chance. You get to your lady's side and you tell her you love her. For all you're worth!"

  "I'll do that."

  They turned and raced to the security checkpoint. On their way, Blake said a silent prayer. Be with us, God.

  BUZZING FILLED HER ears, as if a swarm of bumblebees were crammed into her skull, all fighting for a way to get out.

  Pounding at both her temples, as if a jackhammer was splitting into the bone.

  At the slight turn of her head, a torturous ache attacked her neck where it connected with her spine.

  Awareness continued to dawn, and with eyes still closed and moments ticking by, Haley came to one conclusion: she was alive!

  She remembered reciting Psalm 23 as her entire world was exploding around her. She was bound and tied and unable to escape as a crazy woman who hated her blew the building up all around her. Haley had offered herself to God to rescue her and take her to his kingdom.

  But here she was! Her body was wracked with pain. But bodily pain meant that she was still here.

  The thought launched her out of the dark grip that had pulled her under and she opened her eyes with a gasp. She looked around the room. She was lying in a hospital bed and her hands and feet were no longer bound. She lifted her hands up and placed them on her head. It was wrapped in bandages.

  "Hey," a male voice said, then another, "Haley!" Into her line of vision came two faces, both with happy smiles, Jake and Robbie.

  "Hi," she tried to say, but her throat was dry and she coughed and tried again. "Hi, you guys."

  They both laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever said. "Wow. Welcome back."

  She cleared her aching throat again. "How long was I out?"

  "Oh man, about seven hours?"

  "Was I in a coma?"

  Robbie shrugged. "We'll let the doctor give you the details but it sure seemed like it. We're just so glad you're safe." He leaned over her in the bed and covered her body gently with his own, attempting to embrace her.

  "Do you remember what happened?" Jake ventured cautiously.

  She nodded. "I remember everything. It was Lindsay."

  They both stood looking down at her, their faces pained. "Yep."

  "Did they get her? Is she in custody?"

  "Yes. They got her, Haley."

  Haley rested her eyes, exhausted after that little bit of interaction. Then the next question, the most important one, came to mind and she forced it out. "Was anyone hurt? Did everyone get out?"

  "No one died," Robbie rushed to say.

  "Thank God."

  "But a lot of them are here. We made the doctors and nurses earn their keep last night."

  "Lots of injuries?"

  "Yeah."

  Tears flooded her eyes and her voice cracked. "But nobody died."

  "Right."

  The knowledge of that good news made her body want to sink under its restful blanket again, and she said, whether out loud or silently, she didn't know, "Thank you, Lord."

  BLAKE JUMPED OUT OF the taxi cab on the curb in front of the hospital. The cabbie popped the trunk and he pulled Brent's chair out and set it up near the car door so Brent could settle into it. All set, they raced into the hospital. Stopping at the Information Desk, they got Haley's room number and headed there.

  The room was bathed in sunlight. The blinds were pulled and the early morning sun flowed through the windows. So appropriate for Haley, who was a source of light for all those around her.

  He first noticed his two best friends. They were sitting in the corners of the tiny hospital room and they both came to their feet to join in a quiet group hug. No words were necessary between them, but they shared them anyway, "So sorry."

  "Love you guys."

  "Thank God."

  Blake turned around to stare at Haley. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and he struggled to push them back. Her entire skull was wrapped in white gauze bandages, like a mummy wrap. A crimson drip had soaked throu
gh over her right temple. The precious skin of her face, where not bandaged, was bruised and discolored. Purple and yellow and brown covered the beautiful features he loved so much, that gorgeous face that belonged to the woman he loved. Her right shoulder was held in a stabilizer device and both her hands were wrapped in ice packs.

  But she was alive.

  He turned to look at his friends. "Has she woken up?"

  Robbie and Jake walked over. "Yes. She woke up about seven o'clock. She spoke to us and she said she remembered everything. That's good, because the police will want to question her. They're going to throw the book at Lindsay."

  They all stood along the side of the bed and gazed down at her. Brent wheeled as close as he could. Robbie and Jake smiled when they saw him. "Hey, Brent. Just another dull weekend visit with your brother, huh?"

  They all laughed, glad they could joke. Things were bad, but they were also so good. So much to be thankful for.

  Haley's nurse walked into the room, took her vitals and entered all the figures into an electronic portable device. Waiting till she was done, so as not to interrupt her, Blake asked, "How's she doing?"

  "Pretty well. We'll know more when she wakes up. The fact that she woke up once and spoke to her friends lucidly is promising."

  The nurse left and the four men continued to watch Haley for any sign of movement. "So, what happened?" Blake asked resignedly.

  Robbie and Jake answered his question by shifting the explanation back and forth between the two of them, both combining to the full story.

  "Haley had an inkling that Lindsay was becoming unraveled because of the negative internet comments she was publishing constantly."

  "When Lindsay showed up in the crowd at The Bowery on the first of our two-night gig, I let Haley know."

  "She moved heaven and earth to get here in time for the second show. She met with the bouncers and the Bowery security team and had a good plan in place, what to do in case Lindsay showed up."

  "But despite all that, Lindsay got into the back room undetected. She snuck up on Haley and bound her feet and hands together, then set off two majorly big firecrackers in the green room."

  "What?" Blake exclaimed. "Fireworks? Like, the explosive kind you set off for Fourth of July?"

  "Exactly. Lindsay must've swiped them somehow over the holiday and saved them for the attack. She must've been planning this for a while."

  "When she set them off, they blew the roof clear off The Bowery. A fire started in the green room. The fire alarms sounded, the sprinklers started, everyone raced for the door. Since Haley was stuck in the back room right beneath one of the holes in the roof, debris rained down on her hard and knocked her out."

  "Lindsay got injured too. We have no idea how bad. Policemen are guarding her hospital room door."

  "And The Bowery?" Blake asked.

  Robbie shrugged. "They'll have some rebuilding to do. They'll have to close down for a while, but they're insured. They'll be fine."

  Blake staggered on his feet and left Haley's bedside. He stumbled to a chair in the corner and flung himself into it. "I can't believe I missed all this. I should've been here with you guys."

  Again. It was like déjà vu. One more time in his life, the people he loved and cared about were placed in life-threatening danger, and he was safely tucked away, oblivious to the pain and destruction. He could've helped get people out. He could've made sure Haley was safe, and not captured by a lunatic intent on killing her.

  He should've listened to her. She'd shared her concerns about Lindsay, and he'd dismissed her, time and time again. What right did he have to dismiss her fears so quickly?

  A hand covered his and squeezed. He looked into his brother's face. Brent was shaking his head. "Don't go down that path again, bro. History repeating itself."

  "What?"

  "Blaming yourself for not being in the thick of the danger. You had no idea. It's not your fault."

  Blake swallowed. Old habits die hard. For a dozen years, he'd held himself personally responsible for not being there when his family was torn apart by a house fire. But Brent was right. This was exactly the same thing. And he would not make the same mistake again. Last night, he had been exactly where he was supposed to be: in Pittsburgh, with Frontier Fire, singing a concert. This wasn't his fault. He couldn't have prevented this.

  He had no way of preventing what was out of his control.

  But he sure could address mistakes that were in his control.

  He rose to his feet and returned to Haley's bed. He reached for her ice-packed hands and held them in his own. He leaned close to her face. "Haley, I love you," he whispered.

  To his amazement, her eyes flickered back and forth beneath her eyelids, and then, she opened them. At the sight of her amazing emerald green eyes, he smiled. "Hi, beautiful. Welcome home."

  "Blake," she said and his heart jumped into his throat.

  "Thank God you're okay."

  She nodded. "God was with me through the whole thing. I felt his presence. I thought it was my time to go. But God had different plans."

  He leaned closer. "And I'm thankful for that. Because there's so much I want to tell you." He cleared his mind by staring at her damaged but beautiful face. "I'm sorry, Haley. I was wrong, and you were right. I never should've doubted you, and I'll remind myself of that for the rest of my life."

  She stared at him, her brain almost visibly churning over his words. "But I let you down. I left Brent at the airport without anyone to help him. And I know how important he is to you."

  Blake shook his head ferociously. "It doesn't matter. Brent's a big boy and I've been treating him like he needs my protection. He doesn't. He's a capable adult. He's fine." Tears welled in his eyes as he struggled to put the immensity of his emotions into words. He'd learned so much over the last two days. "I love you, and I'm sorry I treated you that way. I was wrong." He sniffed and used the back of his hand, still holding hers, to wipe his eyes. "Can you ever forgive me, Haley?"

  She watched him, and from her hesitation, he knew he wasn't out of hole yet. She had every right to hesitate after everything he'd put her through. His words rushed on. "I will never doubt you again, Haley. And if you let me, I promise I will put my priorities in the right order. You will be first, Haley. That's right. We're a team, and I want to be a part of that team forever. I'm sorry I screwed up. Please, don't give up on me. On us. What do you say, Haley?"

  Her silence was killing him, tearing him apart. As much as he needed to hear her words of forgiveness, her decision to forget his thoughtlessness, he knew in his heart that he didn't deserve it. If she told him he'd blown it, and she'd never be able to get over it, it would destroy him. But it would be nothing less than he deserved.

  She held the cards, and they both knew it.

  "Maybe you need some time to think. Of course, you do. I don't mean to press you for an answer now. You heal and rest and think, and let me know when you're ready."

  She opened her mouth and struggled with voicing her thoughts. She started with what could've been a chuckle, and it morphed into a cough, then a choke. He held tight to her hands, wondering what he could do to help. He shot a look of alarm to Brent, who pressed the red Call Nurse button.

  Haley recovered and went silent for a moment.

  "Don't talk. It's just enough right now that you're awake."

  "No, listen, I ..."

  The nurse swept into the room and looked at Haley's face. "Well, well, well, welcome to the world of the living!" she announced in a booming voice.

  "I feel better," Haley said. "More awake. More with it, you know?"

  "Great," said the nurse and launched into her vitals check all over again and Blake stepped away from the bed, giving her room. She tapped all the appropriate numbers into her device and smiled at Haley. "Doctor will be by later this morning. I think he's going to like what he sees."

  The nurse bustled out, leaving a void in the room. The remaining occupants soon filled it, all gathered ar
ound Haley's bed.

  Robbie was the first to speak. "Well, I guess I can leave now," he joked. "Looks like you've got this all under control, Haley." He winked at her. "Take your time to get completely healed. We've got work for you to do when Blake comes back."

  He leaned over the bed railing and found a spot on her bruised cheek to drop a kiss.

  "Thanks Robbie. Thanks for everything."

  After he left, Jake took his spot. "I can't tell you how sorry I am that Lindsay turned into such a lunatic. I never thought in a million years that she was capable of hurting people like this. I was with her for almost two years and never saw this side of her."

  "Oh Jake, it's not your fault. Not in the least."

  "You're kind for saying that, but ..."

  "No buts. She needs psychiatric therapy to deal with what she's done. But if I have my guess, she'll be doing it from behind bars."

  Jake leaned over the bed just as Robbie had, and placed a kiss. "You take care. I'm so glad you're okay."

  He left, leaving Blake and Brent in the room. Brent wheeled his chair to the door with an amused grin. "I'm suddenly hungry. Mind if I leave you two kids alone for a while? Don't miss me too much."

  Blake stood quietly, staring into the eyes of the love of his life. It was enough right now that she had a solid health check with the nurse. She was awake. She had all her memories. That was a bountiful gift from God. Even if he was going to lose her.

  "Blake," she said softly.

  He came closer. "Yes?"

  "My voice works better if I whisper. So listen closely, buster, because I'm only going to say this once."

  He held his breath, her playful words causing a hopeful grin on his face.

  "I love you. I forgive you. I never blamed you for being mad at me for dropping the ball with Brent because I know just how important he is to you. I find it a very attractive trait that your family is your first priority."

  "But, ..."

  She held up a hand. "Let me finish. You can tell me later about your epiphany about your brother and your family and your guilt. Let's just suffice it to say right now: I love you, Blake."