Departure Lounge (Completed)

A Changed Life

**Unedited**

I could feel myself slowly waking up, my body felt stiff and ached all over; my left arm asleep and a slight cotton taste in my mouth. There was a slight tapping on my right arm, felt like tiny fingers-my eyes opened to see Emily's smiling face-she was trying to wake me up.

"Hey sweetie." My voice was so hoarse.

"Finally, you're awake. Good job sweetie." Michelle came up behind Emily rubbing her head gently-Amy in her other arm. I must have been dreaming-the last thing I remember was getting shot and I was lying in Nate's arms and I was dying. I looked around I was back in the departure lounge where I met Michelle and the girls. It all looked the same but it still felt like I was in a daze.

"What's going on?" I asked

"It's time to go." That was her reply before she turned to walk towards the gate. Emily was standing in front of me holding out her arms to be carried-picking her up I caught up to Michelle and Amy.

"But go where?"

"Home." We were waiting in line to hand over our boarding passes. Then it all just clicked maybe this was a second chance-maybe I dreamt the whole plane crash and Michelle's death-a premonition who knows but I had the chance to stop this from happening.

"Michelle wait," I pulled her back to the end of line, "We shouldn't get on this plane, in fact no one should, something terrible is going to happen."

"Everything will be fine Claire-I promise, come." She pushed me up into the line, somehow the line had no one left in it but us.

"We can't Michelle I've seen this ends and it's not good-trust me on this, please."

"I know."

"You know, how..." The rest of the departure lounge seem to fade away-all I could see was the attendant waiting to collect our passes and the doors that led to the plane. "This is a dream, isn't it? Is this heaven?"

"No it's not but it's not where you should be either-we need to go now."

"Wait." She stopped and turned back to face me. "I'm sorry, I failed. I promised that I would take of the girls and this is how I do it. I made so many mistakes." She looked at Amy and then Emily in my arms-her face tucked into my neck.

"You did not fail me Claire-my girls were happy and healthy with you and you reunited them with their father. I couldn't have asked for more." First, she set Amy down on the ground then took Emily from my arms and soon as Emily feet touched the ground both girls ran off in the directions of the doors,

"No! Michelle get them back here." But they were already gone. "Are you insane I just told you that there is something wrong with the plane.

"We're going too. We are not leaving you behind." I looked between her and the doors and I felt at peace-whatever was beyond those doors, I did not know but I knew I wasn't going to be alone. I nodded my head once and fell in step beside her.

"Safe journey." The attendant smiled at us as we stepped by her; with careful steps, we approached the doors.

"I'll be right here next to you." Michelle said and with those last words of comfort I stepped through the threshold.

"She is still the same. No signs of activity yet." I heard a familiar voice speak. From the sound of their voice I could tell that they standing somewhere off to my left. But it was just the voice that felt familiar. "I'm gonna stay through the night-I will call if they're any changes." I was back in the hospital that day I woke up and found my brother in my room.