Her hands were shaky, but she followed his instructions. When she heard the change, she coughed to let him know.
"You're doing beautifully, angel. I know you're scared out of your mind, and so am I. We're going to get you landed. I wish I could be there to hold you immediately, but I'm glad to be the one guiding you. I've called the police. You won't be alone long. When I know you're down on the ground and safe, I'll be on my way."
He was good in a crisis. So calm. If anyone else was on the other end, she may not have the strength.
Becca looked over at the man, still slumped over. She couldn't be completely sure, but she thought he was still breathing. She quickly put her focus back on the plane. Outside, the world below her came closer and closer. What a haunting sight. At least the plane wasn't plummeting full force.
I can do this. I have to do this.
"Just keep up with everything I say. If you have a problem cough like this." He made a different sound. "We're almost there. You were already at a low altitude, so getting you on the ground should be pretty simple."
Step by step, with a gentle ease, Hunter gave her instructions. She repeated steps in her mind that she needed to remember. As the plane neared the ground, she cringed, fearing a crash even though she was almost done. A sob erupted from her throat.
"Shh... It's okay. We're almost there, Becca. Stay calm and in control. We've got this," he soothed. "Remember, it's a storm and we get through them."
After she raised the nose to flare, it was time to put it in idle. Hunter instructed her on how to do so. The plane was going so fast! Did she really have the power to slow this thing down without killing herself in the process? She fought down another wave of nausea and listened for Hunter's voice.
"Time to hit the brakes, angel. You want to be gentle. We don't want you to skid. You want to press on top of the rudder pedals."
Becca wanted to close her eyes, but she concentrated. Her foot slipped once and she gasped, but she found the strength to push forward and did exactly what Hunter said.
Sure enough, the plane kept slowing. As the trees and land whizzed by a little slower, she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd done it. The plane was on the ground, coming to a stop.
"You can turn everything off now, angel. You did it." Hunter choked up. "You landed."
Becca lowered her head in her hands and sobbed. They were uncontrollable, painful sobs, and she couldn't stop.
A few minutes later, the sound of sirens couldn't have been any more of a great relief. Becca wanted to bolt out and meet them, but she stayed right where she was in her seat so that she could hear Hunter's voice. She didn't think her shaky legs would cooperate with her anyway.
"I'm coming to get you, Bec. I hear the sirens, so I know you're going to be in good hands. I promise I won't be long. I love you. I love you so damn much."
She continued to cry as Hunter's voice cracked. She wanted so badly to tell him that she loved him too. The police and paramedics climbed up on the plane and found her clutching the headset as she cried uncontrollably.
*****
Hunter already called Shara, Beverly and Todd to let them all know what was going on. They wanted to go with him, but he'd already been on the road, en route to Becca and the plane. He'd have to call her grandparents, Rissi and maybe even Vince. Right now, all he wanted was to gather Becca in his arms and keep her safe, to see that she was really okay.
Finally, he made it. The constant flashing of the blue and red lights etched a memory in his mind. Helicopters flew overhead. Damn it, why did the media have to be all over this right now? He parked the car in front of the police barricade. Just as he climbed out of the car, a tall officer stepped up to him.
"Sir, you can't be here."
"The hell I can't. That's my girlfriend and my plane. I need to get to her right now." Hunter glared, daring the man to stop him.
The officer sighed. "I'll just need to confirm your ID."
He could care less about waiting around, but Hunter fished his wallet out, showing the cop his information. As soon as he handed Hunter his ID back, he grabbed it and ran. He figured the cops would yell, but they let him through. Now to get through this maze of law enforcement and find Becca. It didn't take long. He spotted her, sitting between two officers, a plaid blanket draped around her shoulders. Even from a few yards away, Hunter noticed her visibly shaking. Her hair was a mess and she held a pen and pad in her hand, furiously writing on it. On his arrival, the officers glared at him. Hunter ignored them and sank to his knees on the ground at Becca's feet. "Becca! I was so scared! Oh thank God, you're okay. You're here."
Becca dropped the pen and pad and flew into Hunter's arms. She cried against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"You're okay," he whispered again. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry for everything. So damn sorry, Becca." He bear-hugged her, never wanting to let her go again. From behind him, Hunter heard a squabble.
"We just want a word with the victim-"
Fucking reporters, already here looking for a story.
He raised his head, glaring at the cops. "Please keep those damn reporters away from here."
One nodded and took off, the other gave Hunter a long, cold stare. "And who are you?"
"Hunter Beckman. Becca is my girlfriend, and that's my plane. I just got here. I was the one that instructed her how to land. Do you know much of what happened?"
The cop took his hat off and raked a hand over his buzzed head. "We're still trying to figure that out. Ms. Lange can't speak, so she's been writing everything down. It's a little hard reading her handwriting because her hands are so shaky. Most of the time she seems to go off into shock. The man on the plane with her isn't conscious and in very bad shape. He was shot." He seemed relieved that Hunter was here.
Hunter tipped Becca's face up so he could look at her. "I'll interpret while you sign." He kissed her cheek, which was soaked with tears.
Becca nodded. She was still visibly shaking. As Becca flew through the signs, Hunter watched carefully and explained everything to the police.
"Bec, take it easy. You're going so fast I'm having a hard time keeping up," he said softly, taking in the information. What Becca relayed about the woman on the plane didn't add up.
If only he'd stayed on the plane for a little longer. He could have caught that woman and the guy before any of this happened. Becca's eyes filled with tears as she explained the whole story time after time, Hunter repeating everything she signed.
She wasn't hurt, other than a bump on the back of the head from hitting one of the plane's seats.
The hot blazing summer sun beat down on them. Becca pushed the blanket off of her and let out a long deep sigh. Hunter slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"Is this going to be much longer? How many times does Becca have to go through the whole story before she gets a little bit of a break. Hasn't she been through enough today?" Hunter snapped. He understood they wanted to get down to the bottom of this. Hell, he did too, but beating the same story to death time after time wouldn't do any good. He just wanted to take her home and hold her all day. "Shouldn't you be out looking for the woman that jumped?" He hated that she was still at large. No questions would be answered as long as they had no idea of her whereabouts.
Another person from the press ran over their way, a microphone in hand and a camera man following. "Can we get-"
"Get out of here!" Hunter roared, jumping to his feet. "We don't need the news in our face. Damn it, we haven't even contacted her family to let them know what's going on yet. They sure as hell don't need to see this shit on the news!"
When the woman opened her mouth to protest, Hunter thrust his hand outward and pointed. "I mean it. Go." He sat down again. Becca moved closer to him and shivered. "Look, if we're going to keep this up, at least take us somewhere private so that Becca's not hounded by the spectators. I'm begging you," Hunter snapped at the two officers that had been sitting with them the entire time.
One cop suggested Becca go back on the plane and give them a run down of how things went. Hunter had to catch her as her legs wobbled. She kept shaking her head, the tears streaming down her face again.
"No way! Look, I know this damn story by heart already. I can take you through everything. Don't make her go back on that plane again. You don't know. She's- We lost our families in a crash twenty years ago. This was the first time Becca's been on a plane in the air since then. You can imagine why this isn't a good idea." Hunter held her tight, waiting for some kind of response. "I know you want answers, of course. So do I, but I don't think she can get back on that plane."
Becca clutched his shirt, burying her face against him.
"Okay," one of the officers finally replied. Hunter caught his sympathetic look.
"Almost done, angel. I'm going to check the plane. I'll be right back." Hunter cupped her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, with dark circles beneath them. Her lips quivered and she nodded, pulling away from him.
Hunter left Becca with another officer for a few minutes while he surveyed the plane. He had that whole story committed to memory, so standing in the middle of where it all happened, he watched the events unfold in his mind. Hunter pointed everything out to the cops before he couldn't take it anymore. He bolted toward the small bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Oh, Bec," he whispered, staring down at the trail of blood droplets from the man's blood. "We done up here?"
They were. He jumped to the ground, not looking back as he ran back to her.
She turned around and saw the state he was in. Her face crumpled.
"Angel." He wrapped his arms around her, taking in the fact that no matter what happened, he still had her. She was here. They both might have been in a fragile state of mind, but he hadn't lost her. It could have been so much worse. "I'm so damn sorry, sweetheart. Come on. I'm going to get you out of here."
Hunter led her out of the chaos, aiming for his car. She held her purse and leaned on him. Once they were out of the crowd, he stopped, cupped her face and kissed her jaw. "I was so scared when I heard you on the other end of that phone and realized you were in danger. I should have stayed right where I was-"
Becca covered his mouth and shook her head. "Don't start blaming yourself, Hunter. It's not going to do you any good. It happened. No matter how we wish last night turned out differently, this is what it is. It won't do either of us any good if we keep wishing we'd done this or that."
When she finished signing, he took her hands in his, kissing each fingertip. They had so much to talk about. "Should I- how do you want to handle letting your grandparents and everyone know what's going on?"
Becca frowned as she ducked her head to climb into the car. Hunter hurried to the driver's side, as he saw a few news vans pull up. He started the engine and looked to her for a response.
"That didn't even cross my mind! How terrible am I! They're going to want me to go home to Vermont." She buckled her seatbelt and heaved a sigh. "Would you be all right contacting them?"
"Of course. I just don't want them to find out over the news. As much as I tried to shoo them away, who knows what's going to be divulged during newscasts. Bec, what do you want to do now? I'll understand if you want to go home to Vermont."
Her lips parted and a little squeak came out. A tear slid down her cheek. "I don't want to give up. I want to stay here with you. I may have an apartment in Vermont, but home is where you are. We survive through storms, remember? I won't lie, I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you to the demons you carry. I do love you." The moment she pointed at him, Hunter leaned over to kiss her.
"I love you too. Forever. I promise you, I will do what it takes to get past this. I shouldn't have run out this morning. I just- the thought made me die inside when I realized I hurt you, especially after being so damn stubborn about not talking to someone. Never again!" He reached for her hand. "Do you think it's true, Bec? That she really is a third survivor?" The woman could have been blowing smoke.
"I don't know. I guess we can always look up my dad's information and see if any of her story checks out."
"I'm sure the police will be looking, too." He didn't want to leave it up to just them. Hunter wanted answers of his own, and knew Becca would, too.
This was one hell of a storm. Hunter hoped the end was in sight. He drove away from the scene, lucky to have Becca still here and willing to work things out.
He made a long list of phone calls that day, one of them including an appointment to deal with his nightmares. Becca held his hand as he spoke into the phone. He hung up, took her in his arms and held her close.
"I don't want anymore nightmares after the one we just lived through," he whispered. "First step down. Next week I have a referral."
Becca raised her head. "I'm proud of you."
"Not as proud as I am of you. Once again, your strength came through today. I was so afraid I'd lose you on more than one occasion."
"You won't lose me, Hunter. We've come too far to fall apart now." She slid her arms back around him.
Chapter Thirty
Two days later, a phone call from the hospital came in. The man who'd been flying the plane was awake and asking to see Hunter and Becca.
She didn't want to get her hopes up, but maybe he had answers. Becca spent the last couple of days trying to make sense of what the woman said. She'd known something, and the fact that she'd only given bits and pieces to Becca frustrated the hell out of her. She could easily chalk it up to the woman trying to toy with her, but without anything to go on at all, it haunted her. It ate at her.
Maybe the accomplice could shed some light. She could only hope.
Becca shivered, standing in the middle of the room surrounded by unfinished paintings. She hadn't been able to concentrate. Everywhere she went, every time she closed her eyes ... it didn't matter where or what. She kept seeing that woman's face, thinking she was there, coming back for her.
She hadn't been this scared in a long time.
Hunter finally hung up the phone and reached for her. "Maybe he'll have more information and we can put an end to this hunt."
Becca leaned against him. Normally she could take comfort in Hunter's arms. While his touch still provided a sense of relief, that complete feeling of him being her safety net was gone.
That scared her. Hunter had always been her safety net. Without it, she felt lost. She wanted it back.
Becca pulled out of his arms so she could communicate. She still couldn't find the words to speak. "When does he want to see us?"
"As soon as possible. The doctor suggested we come by now, if we're up for it."
"Then let's go."
No need to waste time. Stepping around Hunter's outstretched hands, she made a beeline for the door.
Her phone buzzed again. She sighed, wondering if it was from her grandparents or Vince. They'd been insistent she come back. Of course, Becca declined. While she didn't feel safe anywhere, going home to her apartment and then having to deal with them just didn't sound appealing. They'd hover. Who knows what they would say or do? It had been a long time since she'd lost her ability to speak in her adult life and dealing with that around them...
No. She was better off here.
"Bec."
Hunter's tone was pleading. She turned to face him. She'd begged and hoped he would let her in and now, she didn't know how to open up and tell him all her fears. He knew she had terrible dreams, and as much as he tried not to hover, she kind of felt like he was.
Instead of goi
ng forward, they were going backwards. They were in the same place, except it was her that held back this time.
"What do I do here, angel? I don't know how to help. Maybe it's that I can't. Do you know how bad it's killing me?" He closed the space between them, took her hands in his and kissed her fingers. Worried eyes studied her face. "I know you don't want me to blame myself, but I can't help it. That night ... if things had been any different, maybe you wouldn't have gone through that. Damn it, Bec, how do we get past this? I can't lose you."
If only she could tell him she didn't want to lose him either.
Never had she been so doubtful. Becca put on a brave face to try and hide it, but Hunter knew better. She knew he knew better, but it didn't stop her from holding it in anyway. Is that what he felt like? And she'd pushed him to try to deal with it?
Becca pulled her hands from his. "She would have found a way to get to us. It was her plan for years. If it wasn't a few nights ago, then it would have been a different time. I'm sorry for everything, Hunter. I know I'm pulling away. Just give me time."
"You know that I'll always give you time. I know I'm hovering. I don't mean to. I'm just so scared for you, for us right now. I guess I can say I get how you feel now."
Becca kissed his cheek. "I love you, Hunter. Just know that. Please, let's go see what he has to say."
He nodded, still watching her with a pained expression. "Of course."
Becca's stomach formed knots. This was killing her, too.
Time. It would just take time.
Was time on their side?
On the drive to the hospital, Becca stared out the window, clasping her hands tightly together. This was the first time she'd left the house after two days. It felt kind of weird. Normally she loved getting out, but right now, all she wanted was the peace and solace of comforting surroundings. That seemed to be the art room Hunter had set up.
Was she becoming a recluse?
I'm going to drive myself crazy with these thoughts! Geez! I'll be okay! everything will be okay!
A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) Page 29