It wasn’t too much longer before they were back in the air. This would be a longer flight, but at the end of it, they’d be home.
Though she’d mentioned to Ryan that her tiredness was something that frustrated her, Hannah was actually kind of grateful for it. Being tired meant that she wasn’t inclined to lay there too long thinking about everything that was going on. The opposite couldn’t be said. When she woke up—after orientating herself—she found it harder to keep the worry at bay.
Worry about things like if she still had a bank account with money in it and if she still had anything to call her own. She should have had some money, but who knew where all her things had gone that she’d had with her in Afghanistan. Hopefully, someone had packed them up and shipped them back to Canada. Also, she should probably have some mail at the aid organization’s headquarters as that was what she’d given as her mailing address before moving overseas.
She’d need new clothes for herself and the baby. Even if she did get her old clothes back, none of them would fit at the moment. Those were just a few items on a very long list of things she’d need to figure out.
Not wanting to think about them just yet, Hannah rolled off the super comfortable bed and went into the small bathroom before leaving the bedroom of the jet. It was a crazy luxurious way to travel, and she was enjoying it since it was highly unlikely she’d ever travel like that again.
Out in the main part of the cabin, she found that the blinds were pulled on the windows, and the lights were low. She moved quietly to where she’d been seated earlier and saw that Ryan was sound asleep in his seat. A footrest had been popped out, and the seat was reclined. He looked fairly comfortable, which made her feel a bit better about having taken the bed.
Instead of sitting down in her original seat and possibly waking Ryan, Hannah went to a set of seats near the door to the bedroom. Once she’d sat down, she realized she felt a bit hungry, but she didn’t want to bother anyone. As it turned out, the crew were obviously there to anticipate their every need because she’d no sooner settled into her seat, when a young woman approached her.
She gave her a smile as she bent down and said, “Is there anything I can get for you?”
The woman spoke in a low voice, which Hannah was grateful for. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for interrupting anyone’s sleep.
“Do you have yogurt or fruit?”
“Yes, we have yogurt. Both plain and flavored. I would recommend the honey Greek one. It’s my favorite.”
“I’d like that and maybe some fruit.”
“Anything to drink?”
“Apple juice, please.”
“Certainly. I’ll be right back.” Before she left, she helped Hannah pull out her tray.
Hannah leaned back in her seat, watching as the woman moved toward the front of the jet. The weird juxtapose of her life just twenty-four hours ago to then was hard for her to grasp. She still wasn’t completely convinced this wasn’t a dream.
When the woman returned, she set the yogurt and fruit on the tray along with the juice. She also handed her a large iPad. “I’m not sure if this would be of interest to you, but it’s all set up with wi-fi access to the internet.”
Hannah hesitated then took it from her. So far, she’d avoided thinking too much about all the things that had transpired while she’d been in captivity. She hadn’t asked anything of the doctors either. However, she did want to know.
“Thank you,” Hannah said.
She tapped the screen and watched as it came to life. The apps were the same as the ones she’d had on her own tablet, so she found one that would let her read the headlines for the day, just to see what they were before delving into the past.
Propping the iPad on the edge of the tray, she picked up the yogurt and spoon and began to read as she took small bites. A few times, she just stopped eating altogether as she read a few of the headlines. The world had definitely gone on while her life had ground to a halt. It was a feeling she was familiar with.
The last time she’d felt that way had been when her mom had died. Even though they hadn’t been close, it was as if the passing of her mom had unplugged her from the world. Her only connection to another person had been gone. She’d mourned that lost connection almost more than the absence of her mom in her life because she was used to that.
As long as she could claim that she was someone’s daughter, she had a place in the world. Without her mom or any other relative, who was she? Not a daughter. Not a sister. Not a wife.
Her reaction to that lost connection had caught her off-guard. In fact, while her mom had been alive, she had rarely thought about their relationship except for how it made her feel like a yo-yo. Into foster care. Back with her mom. Into foster care. Back with her mom. To have had the loss of that connection hit her so hard hadn’t made much sense.
It wasn’t like she’d put a lot of effort into making connections with people. No one at her job had even been aware that she’d lost her mom, so the chatter in the breakroom and even on the job had been about happy, frivolous things that made Hannah feel her disconnect even more acutely. It shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it had.
But here she was feeling that same sense of disconnect. Her kidnapping hadn’t left a hole in anyone’s life. No one had worried about her or grieved her loss in their life. Things had gone on as if she’d never even existed.
Until Ryan McFadden had shown up.
She looked over to where he was stretched out. Though she’d wondered about the man sharing her cell, nothing had prepared her for seeing the man. And it wasn’t just because he was strikingly handsome. For her, the most remarkable thing had been his eyes. When he’d looked at her for the first time, the compassion and concern in his gaze had almost reduced her to tears. It was like she’d mattered. She, a virtual stranger to him, mattered.
When Ryan stirred, Hannah dropped her gaze to the tablet, pushing aside all the thoughts that had been plaguing her.
Though she had had social media accounts, she hadn’t been very active on them, and right then, she had no interest in logging onto Instagram or Facebook. It was challenging enough to read the news about people she didn’t know. She felt like maybe it was a little too soon to read about the lives of people she did know—even if it had only been on the surface.
After she’d read through the latest news stories, Hannah found she’d finished all her yogurt without even thinking about it. The fruit looked tempting, but she wasn’t going to push her stomach, so she left it alone for the time being.
After a brief hesitation, she brought up the website to check her email. She had no idea if news of her release had made it to the aid organization, but if it had, she might have an email from them. She would have hoped she would anyway. At the very least, they needed to let her know where her belongings were.
It didn’t take her long to spot the email that let her know the organization was aware of her release. She debated reading it. Looking away from the iPad screen, she stared at the blind covering the window. While she did want to know what had happened to her stuff, Hannah wasn’t sure she could take the platitudes she was certain the email contained.
We’ve been praying for your release.
We praise God that you have been freed.
Though she was sure all of it was true, she had a hard time not feeling as if they’d abandoned her. There had been no family to pressure them to do more to gain her freedom. Had the aid organization pressured the government on her behalf? Or had their “help” been limited to prayers and no actions?
Hannah didn’t want to feel bitter. Especially not right then when she was still so grateful to be free. So instead of reading the email, she logged out and set the iPad aside.
When the flight attendant returned a few minutes later, Hannah thanked her for the use of the iPad. Then as she cleared away the remnants of her food, Hannah asked her how much longer the flight would be. On hearing it was still several hours, she decided to g
o lay down again since the baby was still sleeping anyway.
As she lay under the covers of the bed a few minutes later, Hannah found herself humming some of the hymns she’d sung in the cell over the past year. She wasn’t sure how she’d been able to cling to her faith while still feeling so abandoned by people. After all, if she believed God was always in control, then He was certainly in control of her captivity. So why hadn’t she felt abandoned by God when she had felt abandoned by man?
She was grateful that she’d had the strength to cling to her faith because if she hadn’t, she truly would have had nothing left. Her faith was all that had gotten her through the difficult days, especially the ones right after she’d realized she was pregnant.
But it was all in the past now. At least she hoped that was the case. She needed a chance to breathe and to figure out what lay ahead instead of focusing on what was behind her.
CHAPTER TEN
When Hannah woke next, it was to find Jason gurgling next to her on the bed. Emma was bent over him, changing his diaper.
“How’s he doing?” Hannah asked as she shifted to prop herself on her elbow. She bent to press a kiss to his soft curls.
“Better than we thought he might,” Emma said with a smile. “He’s eating well, and he’s having a good number of wet and dirty diapers. It looks as if, aside from being underweight, he’s healthy.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Now we just need to get Mama back up to healthy.” Emma flashed her a quick smile then finished fastening the sleeper before sliding the baby closer to Hannah. “Have you been eating?”
Hannah sat up, crossing her legs, then lifted Jason into her arms. “Yes. I was up a few hours ago and had a container of yogurt and a little bit of fruit and some juice. I still find that I’m full quickly, which, to be honest, was never an issue prior to the kidnapping. Food was kind of my thing before.” She shifted a bit, turning her gaze to Jason. “I’ve lost a lot of weight.”
Emma sat down on the bed beside her. “Once we’re back in Winnipeg, we’ll do a bunch of tests and figure out a plan to get you back to good health. I figure at the very least, we’ll find that your iron levels are low. The pregnancy and delivery probably did a number on your iron to start with, and then if your diet wasn’t rich enough in iron, your levels never had a chance to come back up.” She gave Hannah a quick smile. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget that you’re a nurse, so you have a better understanding of this than your average person.”
“That’s okay,” Hannah said with a rueful smile. “I kinda forget I’m a nurse sometimes too. Though I did help with medical things when my captors needed me to, most often I was just focused on getting through each day.”
“Well, for now, your only patient is yourself, so why don’t you try and eat a little bit more. Are you a chicken fan? I had a fried chicken meal a little bit ago, and it was super delicious.”
Hannah was surprised that it actually sounded good. Even though she and Ryan had talked about the food they missed, she hadn’t had any real cravings in months.
“Why don’t I take Jason back out while you freshen up. We’re actually going to be landing in an hour and a half or so.”
Hannah tried to tell herself that she didn’t really care how she looked, but there was no denying she hoped they wouldn’t be met by any media before she had a chance to get her hair cut and some makeup applied to help cover the scar and dark circles beneath her eyes.
She still hadn’t spent much time looking at herself in the mirror. When she did catch a glimpse of herself, it was like looking at a stranger. Her once full cheeks were now gaunt, making her appear older than she was. She didn’t know if she’d ever get back to how she’d been before the kidnapping, but hopefully, she’d get to the point where she at least looked healthy again.
Back out in the main area of the jet, the blinds were up, and everyone was awake. Ryan smiled at her as she settled into her seat. Jason was already in his seat, chewing on a stuffed animal that was attached to a small blanket. Hannah was thankful to whoever had picked up all the stuff for him. The clothes, the bottles and formula, the blankets. She wouldn’t have had any idea of what to buy on her own.
“Sleep well?” Ryan asked, looking more rested than he had so far. The circles under his eyes were losing their darkness.
“Yep. I was awake for a bit earlier and came out for a bite to eat. The attendant also gave me an iPad to read up on the news, and I checked my email as well.”
“Did you have any emails from the organization you were with? Are with?” Ryan gave a shake of his head. “Sorry. I’m not sure what your status with them is.”
“To be honest, I don’t know either, but I don’t really see a future with them for me.”
“That’s understandable,” Ryan said.
“There was an email from them, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed for a moment then he nodded. “Well, I’m going to assume that part of what they told you in the email was that we had them forward all your belongings to my folks’ place in Winnipeg. They will be waiting for you when we get there.”
“Everything?” Hannah asked, almost too afraid to hope.
“Everett said that they told Max that they’d had your stuff shipped back from Afghanistan and put into storage when you were kidnapped.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. I know they’re just belongings, but there were a few things I would have hated to lose.”
“I figured you might like to have some familiar things after being without them for so long.”
“Excuse me.” At the interruption, Hannah looked over to see the woman from earlier standing by their seats. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”
Hannah decided on the chicken Emma had mentioned earlier and a glass of milk. Though she wasn’t a huge fan of the beverage, she figured her body needed the extra nutrients found in it.
Ryan ordered the same thing—minus the milk—and when the food arrived, Hannah found the aroma of it to be enticing. Slowly but surely, her appetite was returning. She still couldn't eat a lot at one sitting, but she figured that would come with time. So much would, hopefully, come with time.
“Once we’re on the ground, someone will meet us and drive us to my folks’ place.”
“We’re not meeting with the media or any government officials?”
“No. Apparently Max and BlackThorpe have tried to keep the release on the down-low for now. We’ll deal with the media later. We’ll have to meet with a government official or two at some point to get the paperwork you need for Jason.”
We’ll… Hannah latched onto the word, hoping it meant that Ryan planned to be by her side during the days ahead. She shouldn’t need him to be with her as she dealt with things. Especially since none of it was actually his responsibility. Still…that word filled her with warmth.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before she asked, “Is your family all going to be at the airport?”
“No. I guess they figured it was better to have our reunion in the privacy of the family home. Thankfully.”
Hannah was thankful for that as well. She didn’t really want to be meeting a bunch of new people out in public. “Are you going back to Minneapolis?”
“Not right away. I need to spend some time with my family, and I want to make sure that everything is okay with you and Jason.” He frowned as he chewed a bit of chicken. “In actuality, I’m not really ready to go back to work just yet. I’ll talk with Alex and Marcus, of course, but I doubt they’ll be rushing me back to the office.”
Although she wasn’t even halfway through her meal, Hannah found she was too full to finish. It seemed a shame to waste it, but forcing herself to eat what was on her plate wouldn’t give Armeena’s family any more food. Hopefully, once they were in Ryan’s family home, she could just make sure she took small enough portions so that she didn’t waste any food.
When the captain came on the intercom to let th
em know they were going to begin their descent into Winnipeg, Hannah felt a knot of anxiety form in her stomach. Meeting new people had always been a challenge for her, and from the sound of things, she was soon going to be meeting quite a few.
Emma came with another small bottle of formula for Jason then sat down next to Ryan. “So in the next couple of days, I’d like for you to have some blood drawn and then we’ll meet again to go over the results. That’s assuming you’d like me to continue to be your doctor.”
“Definitely,” Hannah said without hesitation. She’d been comfortable with the woman, and she didn’t really want to have to explain her circumstances to a new doctor. “And is your husband willing to continue to see Jason?”
“Yes. He is more than happy to continue to care for him. I’ve put both our business cards in Jason’s diaper bag, so you can contact us directly if you’re concerned about something, or if you want to call our offices to set up an appointment.” She looked over at Ryan. “And I think Dr. Graham would be willing to continue to see you, if you want a doctor while you’re in Winnipeg.”
“Since he comes so highly recommended,” Ryan said with a grin, “I think I’ll stick with him. I really appreciate how you three flew halfway around the world to help us out. Knowing we were being helped by people we could trust was a huge relief for me.”
“And me too,” Hannah said, though her trust in them came from seeing how Ryan trusted them. In their time together, she’d come to realize that the man was someone she could trust.
“It was our privilege. It isn’t often that Max asks a favor of us, so when he came with a secretive request, we agreed to help without even knowing the details. Once we found out what those were, we were even more happy to help.”
Hannah felt the plane begin to descend and watched to see how Jason would handle it. She didn’t want to give him the bottle too soon. He was fine for a bit, but then began to fuss. Thankfully, as soon as she gave him the bottle, he settled.
A Little Ray of Sunshine: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 7) Page 9