LOVE, LOSS, LEYSIN LOOKING

DARKEST HOURS BEFORE DAWN Chapter 7

It was a scene of utter devastation and disaster. The various passenger compartments were in various states of disrepair, the worst affected being the first class compartment where the four ABBA members had been seated, along with Linda and Christian. As Benny pointed out to Frida exactly where their friends had landed she visibly paled. They were still in their seats, balancing precariously on the head rest, upside down and motionless. Snow was pouring in through the roof and broken windows, making a bad situation even worse, Frida like Benny was panicking but tried to hide it from the children. She turned to Benny, deliberately whispering in spite of the howling wind "They're not moving. Are they...you know, dead?" Benny was having similar thoughts and was anxious to find out what was happening "Not sure, wait here. I'll go and see if I can find out" Frida distracted Linda and Christian who both wanted to see their Parents "Darlings, just wait here and let Uncle Benny go and see what's happened. We don't want to get in the way, besides we mustn't move too much in case there are holes in the floor we might fall through" Meanwhile Benny approached carefully, full of trepidation about what he may discover, he picked his way trough various wreckage and scrambled over the mounting snow to reach his friends, kneeling down he placed an ear next to them both and listened hard. In spite of the noise he knew his musicians ear would help his cause and for a few moments he held his breath and suddenly let out a breath, a smile crossing his face, they were breathing, but seemingly unconscious. The adrenalin that had sustained both himself and Frida began to wear off and now both felt aches and pains and returned to sit down, waiting for rescue and the return of their best friends. Across the floor, there was darkness and silence for Bjorn and Agnetha, both began to waken, slowly but were in no way conscious. In Bjorn's mind he began to wonder "Why is it so dark? I can't see. Surely I'm not blind am I? I'd never see Agnetha's beautiful face again! Or the kids! No, I can't be blind, I can't be!" Agnetha subconscious mind was working overtime too, she was now convinced they were dead! "I knew an aeroplane would kill me! I always knew. I hated them, hated them! I wonder if my Bjorn is alive. He can't be dead can he? He must be alive, must be. To take care of the kids..If they survived! I somehow doubt anyone will miss me. I hope Heaven is warmer than this and has some lights" Finally after what seemed like days but was only in truth minutes sirens came blaring through the air as fire engines and ambulances raced across the tarmac. As they clambered into the wrecked aeroplane Bjorn blinked his eyes and returned to consciousness, his head thumped with a headache, he was sore and his eye sight was blurred, he could see nothing clearly. Instantly his mind turned to Agnetha "Agnetha. Agnetha re you here, you okay darling?" he blinked over and over and his sight began to clear and he realised how they were situated. he turned to his left and there she was lying limp, motionless beside him "Oh no! No! Please no. Darling, wake up, wake up for me. Come on, you can do it, blink those beautiful eyes for me" he was pleading, almost begging and began to wrestle with his seat belt only for a firm hand to stop him "Not yet sir, we need to check you out" it was a paramedic who wanted to examine him before permitting him to move "But my wife, she's there, not moving, she might be dead!" he was emotional yet rational and the paramedic smiled "My colleague will check her. Don't jump to conclusions yet" Bjorn nodded and regretted doing so "Ohhh! That damn hurt! Agnetha, come on baby, come back for me" as the paramedic began to check Bjorn over, Agnetha began to blink furiously, somehow she had heard his pleas, heard him express pain and as always was the case responded to him. Her eyes opened, she blinked a number of times to clear her vision and panicked when she realised they were upside down "Oh my God! Let me out of here, let me out of here!" a second paramedic calmed her "Ma'am, just stay still. we need to be sure both you an your husband didn't sustain any serious injuries before we let you move" she turned to her right and there he was wide awake, breathing and for a moment she relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief "Thank God! I thought you were a goner, me too actually!" Bjorn laughed, he wasn't permitted to move yet "I'm too stubborn to go this way!" both smiled and heard some familiar voices approaching, Benny, Frida and the children who had heard them speak. They were anxious to see them but were requested to stay clear for now. Snow was piling up in the compartment making things worse for them all. Finally the fireman came and four of them gently, slowly pushed the seats upright, being careful to avoid sudden movements. Benny, Frida, Linda and Christian had been checked by paramedics previously and had escaped any injuries, save for some bruises following the heavy landing, now they watched anxiously as their best friends were brought back the right way up. Agnetha as ever began to think of her children "Where are my children? Are they here? I need to see them. Are they alive? Please don't tell me their dead!" she was panic stricken and felt Bjorn's hand grip hers tightly "I think they would have told us if anything had happened" she breathed deeply, accepting his logic "Can I see them? Please, just for a moment. They must be so scared" after a brief pause for a quick discussion it was decided to allow a brief visit "Sir, Ma'am, you have some visitors, four in fact! Only for a little while. We must check you both" the paramedic briefly stood aside and in rushed Linda, followed by Christian, Linda jumped towards her Parents but was gently stopped by the watching paramedic "Little lady, you need to be careful with Mamma and Pappa okay. Just kiss them gently" Linda nodded and did just that, Christian would also do so, but he had other things on his mind. With a smile on his face he proceeded to wee down his trouser leg, leaving a puddle on the floor, before kissing his Parents. He looked at them both with glee "I just did pee pee all down my leg and on the floor!" he was proud of his effort and didn't mind who knew! Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Frida suppressed giggles, amused by his sheer delight at toilet antics. Frida and Benny briefly knelt beside their friends, concern all over their faces, Frida was fighting her emotions, trying to be strong "You scared us both half to death! When we saw where you'd landed, I really feared that..Well you can imagine!" Benny was trying to be cheerful, he knew his closest friends were not out of danger quite yet "I'll never forget seeing you both, where you ended up. Or how happy I was when I found you breathing" it was now time for them to move away and allow the paramedics to prepare for the move of Bjorn and Agnetha. They fitted each of them with a medical collar before releasing the seatbelts holding them in place "Damn this thing hurts like hell! But I guess we need to be careful" Bjorn spoke to distract Agnetha who was visibly pale, she tried to nod but was too restricted by the collar "Yeah, they have to be ultra careful with us right now" Gently they were moved from their seats and laid on two stretchers, fastened and secured "Okay, we're now going to wheel you outside to the ambulance. It might get a little bumpy, but don't worry, we have it under control" The Fire brigade had cut a huge hole in the side of the aircraft allowing for an easy exit. The ambulance reversed as close as they dared and a ramp was moved up to the opening, Benny, Frida and the kids ere ushered into the waiting ambulance, they too needed extra checks. Finally two stretchers emerged into the windy, cold air, led by paramedics who took things gently but could not avoid the rubble strewn everywhere "Oh it's sore, so sore" Agnetha felt every judder, it reminded her of the flight they had just endured, Bjorn likewise was feeling every bruise he had gained and every bump they hit, he tried to reach over to her , but was strapped in, unable to move. Finally after a dangerous, slippery descent, with several scary moments they entered the ambulance, feeling the warmth and watching the doors closed, sealing them off from the wreckage they'd just departed. As one paramedic monitored their conditions, the other hit the switch for lights and sirens and set off at breakneck speed towards the Hospital. Bjorn, as ever tried to see the light side of things "We don't travel this quickly when we arrive anywhere. Perhaps he needs a wee like Christian did!" everyone laughed, they needed to lift the tension and to raise their spirits. Arriving at A+E in very quick time, they were rushed in and instantly each one was taken to a cubicle and examined thoroughly. It was a long process, each was x rayed, checked thoroughly for concussion, any potential head injuries and internal bleeding. After a long three hours, finally the results came in..They were all clear! Fortune had smiled on them, they had bruise, scrapes, abrasions, but nothing else, nothing serious, causing much relief and many group hugs between them. Bjorn's smile faded as he realised what lay ahead "We have to tell Stig. He'll be having tantrums by now, we should have been there an hour ago" they knew he was right, Stig had a vile temper and was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. Bjorn asked for a telephone and one was wheeled into him on a trolley. He looked at his friends "Look I think we should cancel, at the least delay this show. But I somehow doubt Stig will agree to that. What should we do? Anyone got an ideas?" Benny shook his head "I think we all know you're right. We should be going home, not to Switzerland. But he'll insist, we all know that" Frida was nodding in agreement "I can't see any way to avoid going. Stig won't care what we've just been through. He'll be seeing money signs" Agnetha had listened closely, her fear of flying had now increased hugely and she shook her head lightly "No one wants this trip now, none of us for sure. But Stig will react differently, he'll mention money, it's all he cares about. I'd rather go home and settle down for a few days, but he won't allow it, we all know it" Bjorn listened to them all and reluctantly picked up the telephone and dialled Leysin, to the Hotel they were staying at. He was put through to Stig's room and predictably was met with an angry reaction "Where the fuck are you? You should be here talking to press people. I bet you're moping around with that soppy girl. Get your fucking asses here, you ungrateful shit bags!" Bjorn was furious at his ignorance and interrupted his tirade "Listen for once, you horrid excuse for a human! We've just been in a plane crash, the plane had to return to Arlanda, engines shutting off and we thumped into a snow bank. We've been checked in hospital and are about to leave, preferably for home!" Stig snorted rudely "When are you coming? Go and jump on a plane and get here ASAP. And before you ask, NO! You're not cancelling the show. We've been paid good money for this, serious good money and I'm not fucking giving it back! I'll get Gorel to find a flight, she'll call you, stay where you are. It's a big deal this, so don't fuck it up!" Bjorn was shaking his head in astonishment, he looked to his friends who could hear Stig ranting, he smirked briefly "We're all clear, thanks for asking! And just so you know, the four of us, who let's face it are the ones being paid, have decided to donate the money to The Year Of The Child. UNICEF will be so pleased!" Stig was incandescent with fury "You fucking assholes! Giving away all that money! Over my dead fucking body you will! Fuck UNICEF! They got royalties for Chiquitita, which pissed me off. NOT FUCKING LIKELY! THAT MONEY IS STAYING WHERE IT IS!" Bjorn smiled "No it's not. We're about to call UNICEF! I thought you'd be pleased. Tell Gorel to phone the Hospital when she's ready. 'Bye Stig. Go lie in the snow and cool off!" quickly he slammed the receiver down and smiled to his friends, his children and his beloved "Oh he's thrilled!" laughter filled the room, but each knew they had to face his fury and to also board another flight. They didn't look forward to either....