Long Journey Back

Chapter 2 - The Longest Day of My Life

TYLER’S PERSPECTIVE

 

“Now arriving to Terminal 1, Kingsford-Smith International Airport, Sydney, Australia. Current local time is 6:10 AM. Current temperature is 12 degrees centigrade and the sun is shining. Thank you for choosing Qantas and enjoy your stay in Australia.”

I looked out the window at the approaching ground and took a deep breath. The plane touched down and taxied to the gate. Once we stopped, I stood as quick as I was able and grabbed my backpack, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone as I went. By the time I made it to the baggage carousel, I had 7 new messages, all of them from Laurelle.

#1 – “They said the surgery should only take a few hours, unless they discover something new while they’re working.” 14 ½ hours ago.

#2 – “They’ve just come in to speak to us. The surgery is going to take longer than planned.” 12 hours ago.

#3 – “The doctor came out to talk to us now. They’re calling in another specialist. What they thought was a blood clot was actually a tumor. They’ll remove it and biopsy when the Oncologist gets here.” 10 ½ hours ago.

#4 – “They removed the tumor. It was very tiny. It was lucky to catch it so early. They’re going to stitch him back together and take the tumor to be biopsied. We should have more answers soon.” 8 hours ago.

#5 – “He’s back in the ICU, recovering. He’s still unconscious. They said it could be hours, days, or even weeks before he wakes up. The trauma from the fall and the surgery could take a while to repair itself.” 7 ½ hours ago.

#6 – “I’m staying with him tonight. Shaun, Sage, and Tyde are heading to the hotel. Shaun will get you in the morning.” 7 hours ago.

#7 – “Still unconscious. I’m going to try to get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.” 5 ½ hours ago.

I pulled my bag from the carousel and extended the handle to pull it behind me as I headed towards the customs counter. I tried to blink the tears back and managed it just long enough to make it through customs before I collapsed onto a bench and pulled my phone back out. I took a deep breath and called Laurelle.

“Hello?” she said groggily.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“You’re fine, dear. I’ve been half-awake all night,” she answered, sounding a bit more alive.

“Anything?”

“No. You’re in Sydney?”

“Yeah. I have another hour and a half before my other flight, but it’s from a different terminal, so I have to head over there soon.”

“We’ll see you soon, dear. Shaun will be there to get you at 11:20.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. See you soon,” and the line clicked dead.