Is It A Dream?

Surprise!

"So.... how, uh, how're we gonna surprise the family?" Linda wondered once Danny had come back from church.
"We'll surprise 'em at dinner time. It'll work, great. Trust me."
"It's not that I don't trust you. I do. 100 percent. It's just... I'm nervous." Linda sighed. "What will they say? Or do? What do I say or do? What if I don't fit in anymore?" What—"
Danny cut her off with a kiss, "everything will be fine. I promise."
**********
"Where's your Dad?" Erin wondered as she sat down to the dinner table.
"He said he was coming. Somethin' 'bout tying up a lose end," Jack waved his hand, dismissing the idea as normal.
"Is he doing any better?" Frank wondered, unfolding his napkin.
"Not really," Sean shrugged, eyeing the food.
Meanwhile, in Danny's car, he was reassuring Linda that everything would be fine. "I promise. Listen, have I ever steered you wrong?"
"Halloween '98, Christmas '02, September 2012.."
"Okay. Fine. Just trust me on this, okay?"
Linda held her breath and nodded. "I feel like I'm being introduced to your family for the first time."
"Well, guess what?"
"What?"
"They already love you." He kissed the tip of her nose, "Come on."
"Okay."
"Stay in the hallway next to the dinning room, then when I'm ready, I'll hold my hand out to you. Alright?"
"Yeah."
Danny walked inside with Linda, and headed to the dining room while his wife lingered a bit. "Hey!" He called, "Sorry I'm late."
"Where were you?" Nicky wondered, looking back at her uncle.
"Um, tying up some lose ends." Danny lied. "Jack, can you set an extra place?"
"Okay...." He got up, "where do you want it? Next to you?"
"Yeah."
"Are we having a guest?" Henry wondered, looking as confused as everyone else.
"Something like that." He placed the vacant chair in the corner between his and Jack's.
Jack sat down after plating a place, "What's this all about?"
"You'll see."
Linda chewed her lip, awaiting her signal. She was so nervous, not understanding why. She saw Danny's hand, so she slowly emerged. "Hi..." she tried meekly, holding Danny's hand.
"What? How? Who? Why? How?" Chorused around the table, everyone wearing the same look of surprise.
Jack and Sean were the first to get up and hug their Mom, followed by everyone else. She sat down after receiving all the hugs, happy tears in her eyes.
Silence hung in the air until Jamie broke it. "I have one... very important question..... how?"
Linda sighed, "there was no crash. I was kidnapped. I didn't even go on the helicopter. They put my wallet, phone, purse and whatever else I had in the helicopter, so it looked like I died."
"How'd you find Aunt Linda, Uncle Danny?" Nicky wanted to know.
"I had a gut feeling." He shrugged. "My gut said 'go to Jersey. You'll be happy that you did'. So I did. And there was a warehouse. And Linda was in there."
"Oh my word. Are you okay?" Erin wondered, still reeling from the surprise.
Linda shrugged, "I'm better now..... can we eat? I'm starving!"
"Yes." Frank said, uncertainty in his voice. The question on everybody's mind was still 'how?'.