“I would agree,” one of the other men said. “Why don’t we pack up and head out? I’ll call and let the pilot and crew know that we’ll be there within the hour. They’ll have food and drinks on the plane for everyone.”
With that, the people around Hannah began gathering up all the stuff they’d brought with them. When she offered to help, Emma told her to just relax and hold Jason. That was something Hannah could do. At that moment, it felt like that was about all she could do.
Soon, after donning jackets, they left the rooms. Two cars waited for them in front of the hotel, and Ryan helped her into one of them that had an infant car seat buckled in the middle of the back seat. Emma climbed in on the other side of Jason while one of the other drivers and Ryan got in the front. The two male doctors got in the second car with the other driver.
As they drove through Kabul, Hannah found she had a knot tightening in her stomach. She’d been part of a convoy heading to a remote village to render aid during a flu epidemic when they’d been attacked. It hadn’t happened in Kabul, but the feeling was still the same, even over a year later.
With one hand resting on Jason’s chest where the plastic part of the car seat straps went across, Hannah kept looking all around, trying to see if there was any danger lurking. She knew, statistically speaking, that the chance of her being kidnapped again was small, especially right in the middle of Kabul. But logic couldn’t dispel her fears.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Hannah squeezed her eyes shut and recited the verses over and over as they continued to make their way through the city. She felt a hand rest gently over hers on Jason’s chest and give hers a light squeeze. There was no sense opening her eyes. No doubt Emma was aware of what was giving her anxiety. If she knew anything at all about Hannah’s kidnapping.
When they finally came to a stop, Hannah opened her eyes to see a large plane parked in front of them. Well, it wasn’t the largest plane she’d ever flown on, but for a private plane, it looked to be a good size.
In a matter of minutes, they were out of the cars and up the ramp into the jet. Though no one was running, Hannah picked up on a sense of urgency. Or was it just her own sense of urgency that she was feeling? Regardless, she was glad when they were all on board.
“You can sit here and put Jason’s car seat in the seat beside you,” Ryan said, pointing to a chair that was a group of four, two facing forward and the other two facing back, with a low table in the middle of them.
“I’ll get one of the crew to warm up a bottle,” Emma told her as she opened a diaper bag that Hannah hadn’t seen earlier. “Then he’ll have something to suck on if he wakes up while we’re taking off. It will help ease the pressure on his ears.”
Hannah sank into the chair Ryan had motioned to, relishing the softness of the leather cushions. This was far and above any luxury she’d ever experienced before in her life, and it was in direct contrast to the way she’d been living for the past couple of years. Even before she’d been kidnapped, the life she’d lived with the other aid workers hadn’t been luxurious. It had been frugal and very basic.
Ryan set Jason’s seat beside her and together they worked to get it strapped in correctly. When that was done, he sat down in the seat across from her and belted himself in.
“Once we’re in the air, you can sleep in the bed at the back of the jet,” he said, pointing to the area behind her. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
“I am, but you must be as well. Where will you sleep?”
Ryan grinned. “Given how tired I am and what I’ve been sleeping on for the past few months, I think I’ll be just fine reclined in one of these seats.”
“What about Jason?”
“Emma and her husband can keep an eye on him. I just think it’s important for you to get as much rest on this flight as possible. They tell me that with the time change and the duration of the flights, we’ll probably be landing mid to late afternoon. This way, you’ll have some energy left to deal with the arrival and a bit of settling in before you fall asleep again.” He leaned forward, his elbows braced on the armrests of his seat. “We’re both still recovering from how we’ve had to live with little food, so no one is expecting you to immediately begin socializing or keeping to regular meals and sleep schedules. You sleep when you need to, and you eat when you’re hungry. Once we’ve gained back our energy and health, then we can fix the hours we sleep.”
“What about Jason?” Hannah asked. “It will be difficult to sleep if he’s awake.”
Ryan shook his head. “Don’t worry about that, okay? There will be plenty of people around to help with him. I have a teenage sister and her best friend who love to help with kids and babies. And that’s not to mention my other sisters and my folks. They’ll all pitch in to help, so you don’t have to be concerned.”
“I just don’t want to take advantage,” Hannah said, her gaze dropping to where Jason slept, his long lashes dark against his cheeks.
“You’re not. People are offering. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by being unwilling to accept help when you need it.”
She nodded, knowing that he was right, but she was used to being the one who helped people. It was harder for her to accept the help than it was to give it. For now, though, she’d accept it and then pay it forward once she was back on her feet.
“Here’s the bottle,” Emma said as she held it out to Hannah. “If he wakes up during takeoff and as we’re gaining altitude, see if he’ll take it. It’ll help with his ears. He’s due for another feeding anyway.”
Hannah peered at the small bottle, noting that it held two ounces of formula. “Thanks, Emma.”
“I’ll be sitting over there,” she said, pointing to another set of chairs closer to the front of the jet. “Let me know if you need anything.”
With a final smile, she took the seat beside her husband. Shortly afterward, one of the crew came into the cabin and asked them if they wanted something to drink. Hannah asked for a bottle of water and some apple juice while Ryan asked for a cup of coffee.
A short time after they’d gotten their drinks, the jet jerked as it began to move. This time, Hannah looked out the window beside her seat, watching the buildings at the airport slip past as they taxied toward the runway. Soon…
She sipped at her apple juice as the plane slowed to a stop to wait its turn. The knot in her stomach was slowly unraveling as it got closer and closer to her being free from this country. She’d come with such high hopes of helping the people who had needed aid, but those dreams had all been smashed by a selfish, violent group of men. Though she knew that there were a lot of people in the country who didn’t support the violence, there were just enough of them who were violent to make it a place she was unlikely to ever return to.
As if on cue, Jason’s eyes popped open as the plane began to gain speed on the runway. His fist went immediately to his mouth while his dark eyes regarded her as if to say, “Hey, lady! What’s the deal?”
Rather than wait for him to be upset by the change in altitude, Hannah gently tugged his hand from his mouth and slipped the nipple in. Immediately, he began to suck hard. Hannah was glad to see that he wasn’t having trouble adjusting to the formula. Still holding the bottle for Jason, she leaned her head back against the seat as the plane lifted off.
Once they broke free from Afghanistan soil, the last of the knot loosened and then disappeared. Moisture pricked at her eyes, and Hannah closed them to keep the tears from spilling over. She’d begun to wonder if this day would ever come, and finally, it was there. She was well and truly on her way home.
Not that home was repres
ented by anything more than a country at this point, but soon, it would hopefully mean more for her and Jason.
CHAPTER NINE
When Ryan woke up, he was disoriented by the movement. He sat up, looking around as he did, and his memory quickly returned. They were free and on their way home. The seats across from him were empty now. Once they had been in the air and able to move around, Hannah had finished her apple juice. Then, after handing Jason off to Emma, she’d headed to the bedroom at the back of the jet.
He hoped she’d been able to fall asleep quickly. Although he’d be surprised if she hadn’t. Falling asleep had always seemed to come easily to her in the cell. How much more so should that be the case now that she had a soft bed and didn’t have to worry about her life or the life of her son.
Ryan got to his feet, stretching his arms up to ease the cramping of his back. He looked over to where the guys who’d driven the SUV were seated and asked, “Whereabouts are we?”
“I think we’re about an hour outside London, so we’ll be descending soon. Would you like something to eat?”
“Yeah, actually, I would,” Ryan said as he realized he was starving. “Do we need to wake Hannah?”
The man nodded. “She’ll need to be buckled into a seat, and she should probably eat something as well.”
“She didn’t eat much for breakfast,” Emma said from where she sat nearby. “It would be good for her to have another small meal. I’ll go wake her if you want to let one of the cabin crew know what you’d like to eat.”
Ryan nodded, but before he could move, a uniformed man appeared with a smile on his face.
“Can I get you something?” he asked as he came to a stop beside Ryan’s seat.
“What do you have for food?” The man rattled off a surprisingly large selection of food, and Ryan was spoiled for choice. “Uh, I’ll have the steak, but I don’t know what Hannah might want. She’ll be up in a few minutes so she can let you know.”
The man nodded and then after asking the others what they’d like, he retreated to the galley.
Ryan went to the bathroom then returned to his seat. Shortly after, Emma reappeared with Hannah in tow. She looked a little rumpled and still half asleep as she took the seat she’d had earlier.
“Sleep okay?”
“Really well, but I still feel like I could sleep a lot more,” she said then covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her.
“We’re coming into London, so we need to be in our seats for landing. Plus, it will give you a chance to eat, then when we’re in the air again, you can go back to sleep.”
“Do we have to get off the plane?”
Ryan shook his head. “In fact, we’re not supposed to get out as we’re just stopping for fuel. Plus, we don’t have any papers, so deplaning wouldn’t be recommended. Although I’m sure something could be worked out, but there’s no need for us to leave the jet.”
When the man returned with his food, he presented Hannah with her options. As she listened her brows drew together, no doubt as overwhelmed by the choices as he’d been.
“Uh, I’ll just have a chicken salad sandwich and a bowl of fruit.”
“Anything to drink?”
“A glass of milk.”
After the man had left, Hannah turned to look where Emma sat with Jason in his seat beside her. “Is he sleeping?”
Emma nodded. “He’s taken a couple more ounces and has needed a diaper change, which was good. It appears that he’s adjusting well to the new formula.”
Ryan waited until the man brought Hannah’s food before he removed the covers from what he’d requested. He hoped that he wasn’t overdoing it with steak and a baked potato, but he hadn’t been able to resist the pull of a good steak. Or at least it had better be good since it was being served on Max’s private jet.
Hannah took her time with the sandwich, and Ryan did the same, happy to find the steak was as good as he’d hoped it would be. Even so, he got full quickly, but he didn’t force himself to eat more. There was no need to gorge himself at this point. There was plenty of food on the flight, and there would be even more when they got home.
They had just had their dishes cleared away when the pilot announced that they were beginning their descent into London. Jason woke up and started to fuss, but Emma had another bottle ready for him. Once they were on the ground, Hannah got up and went to take him out of his seat. As she walked with him around the jet, Ryan took the time to observe how she was with the baby.
Ryan understood why she hadn’t told him about Jason, but he still wished she had. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had the opportunity to. Any of the times when she’d been away for longer than him, she could have mentioned why. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to have a discussion over what had happened that had resulted in her being pregnant.
As he thought about it, Ryan felt a bit sick to his stomach. It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered it a possibility, but with the baby, there was no way for her or anyone to deny what had happened. He didn’t think for one minute that it had been consensual.
Everett Leonard came and took a seat across from him. “We should be back up in the air within the hour, depending on the wait to take off. There have been a few delays because of weather in the area.”
Ryan hated that they might be even later getting back, but he just had to remind himself that as long as he got home, that was really all that mattered. “Does the family know?”
Everett nodded. “They’re tracking the plane, so they’ll know when we leave. Did you want to call them again?”
He thought about it then shook his head. What he wanted to share with them was better said in person. And at some point, he needed to contact Alex and Marcus. It had been great seeing Than—even though it had been brief—but as he thought about his co-workers, particularly his bosses, he felt a bit of anger towards them.
Though he’d tried not to think about it too much while he’d been in captivity, now that he was free, Ryan couldn’t deny that he harbored a good deal of anger towards them and about the situation overall. He had told them that something didn’t feel right. But they hadn’t listened, and it sounded like several people—himself included—had paid the price for their decision to ignore his warning.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Everett said as he got to his feet. He rested his hand on Ryan’s shoulder as he moved past him toward the front of the jet.
Needing something else to focus on, Ryan stood up and walked to where Hannah paced with Jason in her arms. “How’s he doing?”
Hannah looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “Good. Probably better than me, actually. He’s taking the formula like a champ, which will help him gain the weight he needs.”
“How are you doing?”
Her head dipped, causing her hair to fall forward across her cheek. Ryan hoped she wasn’t doing that to hide her scar from him. It wasn’t something that would ever bother him or any of his family.
“I’m still so tired, and I really hate that. Plus, my stomach isn’t adjusting to the food as well as Jason’s seems to be.”
Ryan frowned as he watched her sway back and forth, Jason propped up on her shoulder. From the way he was holding his head up, it was clear he was awake and taking in the world. “You need to give yourself time. Of the three of us, you’ve been dealing with the health side of things the longest. The lack of food and medical care. Don’t push yourself. You’ll be back to normal soon enough.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “The distance between me and normal on all levels is pretty far. I really don’t think I will ever get back to what my normal was before the kidnapping.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having a new normal,” Ryan told her. “Especially when you have this little guy to consider. You’re a mom now. Pretty sure that alone qualifies you for a new normal. At least that’s what my sisters have said after they had their babies. So maybe skip trying to get back to your old normal, and just do what feels right now.”
“
I don’t think I have much choice,” Hannah said as she moved Jason to her other shoulder.
“Do you want me to take him for a bit? Your arms are probably getting tired.” Ryan held out his hands, waiting as she hesitated a moment before shifting the baby into his arms. Smiling, Ryan looked down into a pair of big brown eyes. “Hey there, little dude. How you diggin’ the luxury ride?”
Hannah laughed softly. “You seem comfortable around babies.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said as he glanced up at her. “I was around ten years old when my youngest siblings were born, so I used to help my mom with them sometimes. Plus, both my sisters and my brother have had babies in the past couple of years. In fact, my sisters’ girls both turned one while I was gone, and my brother’s daughter turned two.”
“Only girls so far?”
“So far. It’s kind of funny though since with us kids, there are seven boys and three girls. Now with the grandkids, it’s all girls so far.” He looked back down at Jason. “So you’re gonna have some girlfriends, right off the bat.”
That made Hannah laugh a little more. “Not quite four months old and already he’s hearing about girls.”
“Never too young to start learning how to treat the ladies right,” Ryan said with a grin.
Before Hannah could respond, a voice came over the speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We’ll be joining the queue for the runway shortly, so I’d ask that you all find your seats and buckle up.”
“Here’s another bottle,” Emma said as she approached them.
She’d moved Jason’s car seat back to the one next to Hannah. Once the baby was buckled in, Ryan sat back down and fastened his seatbelt as Hannah and the others did the same. He was surprised at how little the baby seemed to fuss or cry, but he was glad, for Hannah’s sake. Somehow he doubted that she’d be able to get any rest if her baby was crying. Since rest was important for her right now, the baby’s contented nature was truly a blessing.
A Little Ray of Sunshine_A Christian Romance Page 8