The Sorcerer's Apprentice {Stephen Strange}

Five

Last Train to London by Electric Light Orchestra

If Emerson Moore wasn't so desperate for help, she would not have accepted this spontaneous trip to New York. She would've laughed at the suggestion, especially since the one-way ticket cost her five hundred dollars. Emerson has never been one for unplanned adventures—they never turn out well. She didn't want to buy a round-trip ticket as she wasn't sure what day she'd be coming back. She was afraid to ask the doctor any questions in case he decided to change his mind. Aside from how odd this trip is, it truly does feel unreal to her. The fact that she's finally getting help feels like a dream, and she's afraid she will wake up if she questions anything.

After a three-hour drive to the nearest airport at two in the morning, her father parks the truck in the parking lot. He opens his door to get out of his seat before grabbing her wheelchair from the truck bed. He wheels it beside the passenger door and waits for her to start getting out. She opens the door and grabs a hold of her legs, moving them over the side of the car seat. Once she's sitting on the edge, her dad comes over and scoops her into his arms. She uses her hands to push off of the car handle so she doesn't make her father do all of the hard work. He sets her in her chair and she adjusts how her legs are resting, not wanting to be uncomfortable.

"I grabbed something for you," he informs his daughter as he reaches into his back pocket. He takes out a white envelope that was previously folded in half and places it in her hand before pushing her into the airport. She flips it in between her two hands, glancing at both sides. Her name is written on the back with her dad's poor handwriting. His penmanship has always been quite terrible and she likes to think it runs in our genes as her handwriting isn't the best either.

"What is this?" Emerson asks as she starts to open it. The envelope is over an inch thick however she didn't expect it to be full of cash. She flips through the wad before she quickly puts the envelope in her bag, not wanting to count how much he gave her. "How'd you get this?"

"I've put some money away for you when I pass and this is just a little from it. Hopefully, that will be enough to get you through your trip," her father discloses. The sergeant doesn't argue only because she can use any amount of money she can get her hands on. She is not sure what all she will need to pay for on this trip. She assumes she will need to provide myself with food and necessities and even possibly her own place to stay. The doctor never discussed any further details with her so she has no idea what the plan is. Her father holds the handles of the wheelchair and pushes the young woman through the airport. They drop her suitcase off on the conveyor belt and, albeit it took a while, they finally made their way through the airport. After they made her dad hold her up steady while they searched through her chair, we eventually made our way to the waiting area.

"I'm nervous," the ex-soldier confesses as she picks at her cuticles. This is the first time Emerson has left for something other than work. The military had her traveling all over so she never got to have leisure time. She never had to figure out where she was going to stay, what she was going to eat, how she was going to pay for things. They organized all of that for the platoon in order to keep the soldiers' job as easy as possible. On top of that, she feels absolutely terrible for leaving her father behind. He shouldn't be left home by himself, especially in his condition. Something could go wrong with his medication, or he could have a reaction to his treatment and she wouldn't be there to bring him to the hospital. He did, however, reassure her that he would be spending time with his new girlfriend and she'd be staying at the house while she's gone. Knowing that someone will be looking after him makes her feel much better about leaving... She watches people take their seats in the waiting area beside them. Her dad looks over at her, his eyes lighting up.