Water under the bridge

Part 13: The fear

Part 13: The fear

Finally we are ready for take off, being delayed almost 2 hours because of bad weather. It's 12.25am and I could have been home by now, in bed with my wife. I fiddle impatiently with my phone, looking at the pictures of her. After our phone sex we both needed 10 minutes to calm down before we were able to have a normal conversation. She told me about her check up and what she had been doing since I left. I just listened to her and smiled to myself over her enthusiasm. Sometimes in situations like this I wish I could tell her about this case. She has always had a terrific view on cases. She has helped the Salem PD plenty of times, given her profession as a psychologist.
The plane starts running down the runway, increasing its speed faster and faster. I never liked the feeling of takeoff, so I close my eyes and picture her angelic face.

I have been tossing and turning all night, only sleeping for 30 minutes and then waking up. Normally I sleep like a baby after sex but not tonight. That unsettling feeling is very much present and I can't seem to shake it off this time. I could call John. He has the ability to calm me down even though we are miles apart. Just the sound of his voice has such a soothing effect on me. I pick up my phone, it's 12.55am, but I call him anyway. It goes immediately to voicemail, which means it has either run out of battery or it's turned off. That fact alone makes the hair in my neck stand and a chill runs through my body. He never turns off his phone especially when we are not together. Something is very wrong....

"Mr Black please put on your seatbelt...we have some turbulence ahead". I do as my pilot asks.
I look out the window but the fog is so thick I can't see anything, only faint glimpses of lightning close by. I never liked flying in bad weather. It's the fear of not having control over the situation and putting my life in someone else's hands that troubles me the most.
My mind travels back to another time where my plane was delayed due to heavy and a thunderstorm. It was the night where Marlena came to me, the night when everything felt right again even though some of the consequences were irreparable. We had been trying to be just friends, but it was too difficult for me to be around her and not be able to kiss her, to touch her...to make love to her. So I thought it would be best if I left Salem. I had lost everything when Roman came back and then I lost Isabella. I was lost...I was free falling and the only person who could fix me was Marlena and her heart, but that wasn't mine to have anymore. Then when I was at my darkest hour ready to leave everything behind, there she was..like a vision. We made love for hours in the plane, rain, thunder and lightning surrounding us. Almost like an omen of what was to come.
The plane shakes violently and snaps me out of the memory. Suddenly all the lights go out and I hear beeping sounds coming from the cockpit.

I have given up trying to get some sleep so I turn on the tv. News reports about a thunderstorm storm around the Washington area are breaking. All flights are canceled and they advise people to stay home. Something tells me that I need to call Abe or the ISA. I know John is not supposed to fly until tomorrow but something tells me that he is in fact on his plane right now, on his way home to surprise me. I feel it in my gut...something is terribly wrong. I call Abe but he doesn't answer. I'm starting to feel panic, pacing back and forth in the living room. I need to do something but what...it's in the middle of the night.
"Marlena..what are you doing up this late". It's Brady, I didn't even hear him coming down the stairs. I turn to look at him and he immediately knows something is wrong. I don't want to worry him but I can't hide the fact that I'm panicking so I tell him. "Oh Brady, I think something is wrong, I can't get a hold of John and there are reports of thunderstorms. I have a bad feeling that he is on his way home and that something bad might have happened!!" I wrap my arms around myself, to try and comfort myself, as I can't hold back my tears any longer. Brady is quickly by my side, wrapping his arms around me. "It's going to be okay mom, he is probably landing as we speak. You know dad, he is not letting some bad weather get in his way from coming home to you..to us. So let's just wait and he will call as soon as he lands". I know he is trying to comfort me and he could be right but something tells me otherwise. "Oh Brady I hope you're right".