When the World Stopped Turning- Crosspost

Chapter 8- Family Reunion

Chapter 8- Family Reunion

(September 12, 2001, Pittsburgh International Airport)

Rommel takes a bite out of the MRE he was issued for lunch. It's been almost 24 hours since he and the rest of the surviving passengers and crew left the plane and were brought to a hangar at the airport. Since then, they've been kept there for security to ensure that United 93 poses no further threat, and then for the interviews to begin. Military officers have been interviewing each and every one of the people who came off the plane, trying to get every detail of what happened on board the aircraft from the moment it took off until the moment Rommel and Tom Burnett left the aircraft.

Now, the interviews have been completed, and all the passengers and crew are waiting anxiously to get out of the hangar and find out what awaits them now. Rommel has been making his rounds among all the passengers and crew, getting to know them and reassuring them that everything will be fine. However, he's finally starting to get bored himself.

Hearing footsteps, he turns and sees Jeremy Glick walking up to sit down beside him. Looking down briefly at his own MRE, Jeremy looks at Rommel and asks, "How do you military guys eat these all the time in the field?"

"You learn to deal with it. Sometimes we bring spices and stuff to give it a little more flavor. And trust me, there are much better rations available. Guess we just got bad luck in the draw," Rommel replies, drawing a grin from Jeremy.

"Tell me about your family, Jeremy," Rommel says as he takes another bite.

At that question, Jeremy's face lights up. "My wife's name is Lyzbeth. She's the love of my life. She's absolutely perfect in every way. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the one I was going to marry. It took a little while to convince her of that, but eventually I did. Then, a few months ago, we had our daughter, Emerson. She was born a little premature, but she's been growing nicely, and she is just a little angel," Jeremy says with great happiness in his voice.

Rommel smiles. Then, Jeremy asks, "What about your family, General?"

Rommel smiles at the thought of his family. "I met my wife, Erika, when I was stationed in Augustdorf with my first assignment, with the 21st Panzer Brigade. She worked at a restaurant me and some of my fellow officers would frequent. At first, she was just a waitress who was really friendly to me and the boys. But, after a few weeks, I started to realize how attractive she was, and what a great personality she had. After a few months, I asked her out, and after our first date, I knew she was the one for me. We just celebrated our 24th anniversary in May. We have two children, our son Everett who is 12, and our daughter, Ada, who is 8. Everyone we know says that Everett is like a little clone of me, while Ada can be a little bit of a drama queen," Rommel says fondly. He then looks at Jeremy and says, "I must warn you, Jeremy. This stage of your daughter's life is the easiest. If she ever is hard these days, it's nothing compared to what she will be soon. Infants are sweethearts. Toddlers are savages. The "terrible twos" are real."

The two men can't help each themselves, and start to laugh.

Right then, a US Army officer walks into the hangar. "Attention, everyone!" he calls out to get everyone's attention.

Everyone in the hangar turns towards the officer. He looks around at all of them and says, "I've received orders from President Bush. You are all are being released, and will be flown to Washington DC later today for a meeting with President Bush. However, before then, the government has brought your families here to see you."

"What?" a number of people say. Then, the door the officer came through opens, and a stream of people begin walking through it.

There are cries of recognition and relief, and the passengers all run to meet and embrace their family. In seconds, there are several dozen little family reunions taking place all across the hangar.

Rommel watches with a smile on his face as all of these people he's gotten close to are able to reunite with their families. Then, three more people walk through the door, and his whole face brightens.

"Erika!" he cries at the sight of his wife, accompanied by their two children.

Erika beams as she sees her husband. Then, Ada cries out, "Daddy!" She starts sprinting across the hangar. Rommel grins and drops into a crouch. When Ada reaches him, she throws her arms around him.

"Oh, sweetie! I'm so happy to see you," Rommel says happily.

"Me too, daddy!" she cries.

Then, Rommel is almost tackled as his son jumps on him. "Dad!" Everett yells.

"Buddy!" Rommel says with laugh, hugging his son as well.

After a few more moments, Rommel stands up and faces his wife. Immediately, she throws her arms around him and kisses him. Rommel smiles against her lips and kisses her back. After a few seconds, they separate.

Erika smiles at him. "I knew you could do it," she says.

Rommel smiles. "Glad to know my wife has such faith in me," he says.

"Always," she says before giving him another kiss.

Rommel hears footsteps, then turns and sees Tom Burnett approaching him, followed by his wife and three daughters. As they approach, Tom turns to his wife and says, "Deena, I want to introduce you to Brigadier General Dennis Rommel."

"General. It's an honor to meet you. I've heard all the stories, and it's incredible I'm getting to meet you. Thank you so much for saving my husband and everybody else," Deena says.

"It's my duty. And it's a pleasure to meet you too, Deena," Rommel says.

"Can I hold your lightsaber?" Tom's oldest daughter, Halley, asks.

Rommel laughs. He takes his lightsaber off his belt and carefully holds it out. "Okay, but be very careful, and do not turn it on," he says.

"Yay!" she says as she grabs the lightsaber, holding it in awe.

"Be careful with it," Deena says.

Right then, Jeremy walks up with his wife and daughter. "General, I wanted to introduce you to my wife, Lyzbeth, and my little Emerson," Jeremy says.

"It's so nice to meet you, General. Thank you so much for saving my husband," Lyzbeth says, a tear in her eye. She then smiles a bit brighter and asks, "Can I hug you?"

"Of course. I will always take a hug," Rommel says with a smile. Lyzbeth smiles and gives him a hug.

The small group keeps talking before the Army officer calls out, "Alright, everyone. The plane is ready to go. Everybody follow me."

Rommel puts his arm around his wife, then grabs Ada's hand as Erika grabs Everett's, and the family follows everyone out of the hangar and onto the flightline, where a 747 chartered from Delta Air Lines is waiting for them.

Army troops and employees from Delta Air Lines help them board the plane and get their baggage on board. Once all the passengers from United 93 and their families are on board and in their seats, the pilots, two of Delta's best pilots, fire up the engines and taxi to the runway across the deserted flightline. Once reaching the runway, they are immediately cleared for takeoff. Within moments, the 747 roars down the runway and into the air, climbing towards its cruising altitude.

As it climbs into the sky, a pair of F-15s form up on the jumbo jet to escort it south to DC. As the 747 begins its turn towards DC, Rommel, sitting on the upper deck, looks out the window and gives a satisfied sigh.