Love and Only Love

Chapter 2

Don had drifted off for a minute, and when he came back to he saw his wife holding his hand, staring at him. "You're staring, Mary Louise." He croaked opening one eye.

The tears hadn't really stopped, but they started again when he spoke to her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. I was so scared, Don. I thought you had died. I was trying to keep it together for the kids, but I was dying on the inside."

Don didn't mean to upset her again. He was trying to add some humor to the situation so he didn't think about how scared he was, and so he didn't have to think about the hours he laid under the debris. Everything was dark, the only thing that kept him going was picturing his family. "Come here, baby." He croaked opening his arms to her, as she carefully laid her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you went through, I would have gone mad."

"Do you remember anything else?" She choked. As hard as it would be to hear, she wanted to hear everything he went through. "I want to know what you went through; it has to be better than what I have pictured in my mind all day."

Don didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want her to have that kind of pain. "Babe, I don't want to think about it."

Meryl knew that was coming, but she knew her husband, she also knew that if he didn't talk about it then it would eat him up in other ways. She sat up next to him on the bed and cupped his cheek. "Please Don, let it out, tell me. I've seen it all on the news, but I NEED to know what happened to you."

"Okay." He choked as he stared into her beautiful eyes; he could only imagine what thoughts were plaguing her throughout the day. "As I said I was walking to the studio when I saw the first plane hit the tower. Debris immediately started flying everywhere. I had seen a plane circling but had no idea what was happening. I kept walking towards the studio when a second plane hit and I saw a fire ball, it was at that moment I knew it wasn't a freak accident. I knew I had to get home to you, get to the kids. When I rounded the corner to turn home I felt a blast of heat and heard an explosion then everything went black."

Meryl had heard all of this on the news, but it was something else to hear her husband's first hand account. "Keep going, sweetheart."

"I don't know how long I was out. I remember waking up and not being able to move. It was complete darkness. I would try to take deep breaths but it just made me cough, must have been fumes. It felt like I laid under that pile of rubble for days, I'm guessing hours. All I could think of was you and the family. Where you and the kids were. If you all were okay. Wanting to get to you. Then I was afraid I would never see you again. All I wanted to do was hold you and the kids one last time. See your faces. Hear your voices." He choked as he broke down crying. "I was so scared."

Meryl couldn't take anymore, she went to sit up by his head and took him in her arms; she didn't give a shit that he was covered in soot. "I know, baby." She cried right along with him. "It absolutely tears me apart you went through that. I wish I had been with you. Holding your hand, showing you everything was okay. I wanted to lift every damn piece of metal until I found you."

Don held her tighter. "I'm glad you weren't with me. You were right where you needed to be. Where I needed you to be; safe and with the girls. I knew that you were taking care of our babies, and they were taking care of you."

"What then, babe?" Meryl asked as she kissed his head.

"I could hear people calling out, and I screamed as loud as I could, which wasn't very loud at all. Luckily a fireman stepped on my arm and I was able to grab his leg, he called some other men over and they dug me out. I begged them to call you, but the phones were down. By the time I got here I was in and out of consciousness. I was relieved when I woke up and they told me you were on your way. You and the kids were all I thought about, all day. I love you so much, baby, so fucking much." Don began to cry again.