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.
“You’d be amazed at what a person can survive,” he told her. “I was there when Coop took his first flight, and I’m here now, with you. You’re not alone, sweetheart.”
Sherman took Stormy’s hand and held it tightly as they both said a whole lot of silent prayers.
“I don’t know if I can take the silence anymore,” Stormy said after a while. She had no more tears left to cry.
Sherman looked at Stormy, his eyes bright and wide. “Stormy, he’s alive. That boy is alive. I know it. I can feel it in my bones, so don’t you lose heart, you’ll see.”
She looked at him with hope. “Do you really believe that?”
“I do, darling. I really do. And you know what?” he said with a smile.
“What?”
“I bet it will be his brother out there saving his ass,” he said with a chuckle.
“I hope so,” she said, finding that she did have some tears left after all.
CHAPTER FORTY
Water lapping against his legs, Cooper slowly opened his eyes as a groan rumbled from his throat. His eyesight was blurry and he blinked trying to get his bearings. As his thinking cleared, he reached his hand up to his throbbing head.
Feeling a warm sensation, he pulled his fingers away, blood dripping down his hand. He had a substantial gash on his forehead from hitting the side window upon impact, and boy could he feel it.
Cooper began to look around to assess his situation. The flight deck was a mess of broken glass and crumpled metal. Water flowed in through the windshield and streamed down the instrument panel with each pulse of the waves.
The sound of groaning and creaking metal filled his ears as the body of the plane shifted in the gentle sea. Cooper reached down and undid his five-point harness as thoughts moved away from his well-being to that of his passengers and fellow crew members. He glanced over at Wolf, who was still unconscious in his seat.
“Wolf, wake up.” Cooper shook Wolf’s shoulders, saying his name over and over.
At that moment, the creaking became louder as the plane’s nose pitched drastically downward. The damage she’d sustained was substantial and it was nothing short of a miracle that she was still floating at all. But the forward portion of the cargo bay was filled with water and accelerating her burial at sea. Water rushed in through the windshield, filling the flight deck at a faster rate.
With the water now chest level on Wolf and rising, Cooper’s attempt to wake him became more frantic. “Wolf! Come on, buddy, wake up.” Cooper was now shaking Wolf violently with both hands. Wolf’s eyes began to crack open as the water level rapidly approached his neck.