Tuesday, September 11th, 2001

08

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After the stop in Louisiana, we had made a similar one in Nebraska. And while on the way headed back to New York where at least half of us lived, and then to DC, where the rest would find a way home after supervising the president's speech this afternoon. I was anxious to get there. I was ready to be home and in Jasper's arms.

And as we watched the newsfeed around an hour away from JFK airport, we saw video footage of firemen raising an American flag on ground zero, now that the dust had settled. And it was touching to see these men act in a way to show that we stood above everything even after the dust settles, we were broken and battered, but at the end of the day, we were still standing strong.

Even if it felt like we weren't.

And I could see the pride in the president's eyes as he stared at the screen, and the anger that radiated off of all of us, as Americans, we felt angered for our country that had been threatened and attacked. And the hundreds and thousands of people that were killed because of this.

It was something that never had to happen, never should've happened. And that thought is what angered us all most. That's when I stood, having an idea to get my mind off of everything for a few minutes.

I went over to one of the phones in a more secluded part of the plane. They had said which hospitals had taken in the evacuation victims and the people that escaped. I grabbed a New York phone book, and looked for the numbers, underlining them with a pen.

And I dialed the first number.

"Yes, how can I help you today?" a woman answered, sounding very stressed out.

"Hi, ma'am, my fiancé worked in the south tower, and I'm out of state, and haven't heard a word from him, do you happen to have any people there by the names of Jasper Sterling, Micheal Evanston, or Maria Haddison?" I asked, a tad frantic.

"I'm sorry ma'am, we do not have anybody here by that name but one of the other hospitals that have the victims may have them," she answered after a moment of typing. I swallowed thickly, getting nervous before thanking her and bidding her goodbye.

I called two others and similar conversations played out. I finally called the last one.

"Hi, how can I be of your service today, my name is Shane," a man answers the phone, sounding just as stressed as the other three.

"Hi sir, my fiancé and a few of our close friends worked in the World Trade Center, and I'm out of state, and worried, haven't heard from any of them and have no idea of there whereabouts, so do you happen to have someone there by the name of Jasper Sterling? Or Maria Haddison or Micheal Evanston?" I ask again. He stays silent for a moment as I hear him typing and checking paper charts.

"I believe we do ma'am, would you like to speak with one of them?" he asks.

"Yes sir, uh, if I could speak to Jasper Sterling that would be extremely helpful of you," I quickly respond, anxious. I hear him stand up after saying one moment. After about five minutes he comes back to the phone. "Here he is ma'am," he says before handing the phone over. My hand clenches the plastic of the phone held to my ear tightly.

"Baby?" I ask hurriedly as I hear breathing on the other side again.

"Robby?" he asks. Tears start streaming down my face.

"Oh my god, baby! You're okay!" I exclaim, tears falling like a waterfall. "I thought you were dead!" I say with a sob.

"I'm okay baby, everything's okay we don't know where Kyle is, but we're all okay other than that, I was so scared baby," he says, seeming to crumble against a wall, and I can hear him sniffling and hiccuping.

"We were in the thick of it, we just barely got out of the dust in time, people were choking to death all around us, but we made it out with minor damage, " he says, sounding like he's holding back a sob.

"Let it out baby," I whisper, clutching the phone to my ear with both hands as I hear him start sobbing. I release a few myself. "It's okay, we're both okay, everyone's okay," I whisper over and over again, repeating it like a mantra to both him and myself in reassurance.

He starts to calm down, as do I, sobs reducing to hiccups, heavy breathing going back to normal, and tears turning into welled-up tear-ducts. "It's okay baby, I'll be home in an hour or two, and I'll see you soon," I say quietly in comfort. I hear his nod. "Everything'll be okay," I tell him.

"It'll be okay," I whisper. I see Austin in the doorway out of the corner of my eye, motioning with. sad smile that it's time to go. I nod back at him. "I have to go baby, we're about to land," I tell him. "Okay," he whispers. "Okay," I whisper back.

I hang up the phone, before turning back to Austin who is holding a couple of tissues towards me. I take them with a nod of thanks and wipe my face dry. I get to go home.