Page 17 of The Choices I've Made
“Are you crazy?” my mom said. “Go take care of this. We can watch over things for a day.”
“But—” I tried to argue.
“You don’t have to take care of everything all the time,” she reminded me.
“Okay,” I finally answered.
I hated caving, but I knew she was right. I’d never missed a single morning since I took over the inn but Dean needed me and as hard as it was for me to admit—I needed help.
I quickly thanked them before grabbing a light jacket and keys to my pickup. I drove as tears streaked my face, the reality of the situation finally kicking in as I willed myself to pay attention to navigating the dark roads.
Finally, I arrived at the local airport. Like most things in Ocracoke, it was ridiculously small. After stepping out of the car, I was greeted by a man Taylor had mentioned. I recognized him instantly from countless encounters on the island. I often recommended his scenic tours to my guests. While we had many adventures to partake in across the island, nothing was as beautiful as seeing it from the air.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t elicit the same feelings at night, especially under these circumstances.
“Good to see you Molly,” the pilot said, slightly yelling over the engine noise.
I simply nodded.
“I’m going to take us to Norfolk, and someone should be picking you up from there, correct?”
I confirmed the details before we boarded the small prop plane. My nerves got the best of me as I took one of the few passenger seats. A woman I didn’t recognize was sitting nearby.
“My name is Marin,” she said, holding out her hand.
I took it, giving it a light squeeze. “Molly.”
“Are you—I mean, do you…know someone on the ferry?”
“Yes. My fiancé,” I managed to say.
She looked down, a single tear falling from her cheek. “My husband,” she replied. “He travels a lot for work. This was supposed to be our anniversary weekend, but he got stuck at the airport and missed his flight. I was so mad,” she said, shaking her head. “I yelled at him on the phone. Can you believe that? I yelled.”
I didn’t bother to respond. I could tell by her demeanor that she wasn’t talking for my benefit.
In her mind, she was confessing her sins.
“He left the airport and rented a car, drove all evening just to catch the last ferry. For me.”
I unbuckled my seat belt, taking the spot next to her. Grabbing her hand, I said nothing. Just simply held it as we sat in silence, sending up prayers to the heavens.
The flight itself didn’t take long, although it felt like a lifetime. Marin and I held on to each other for support, and I offered her a ride to the hospital when we landed, knowing Taylor wouldn’t mind in the least.
“Thank you,” she replied.
Taylor managed to arrive just as we deplaned, giving me a big bear hug the moment we reached each other.
“How is he?” I asked, seeing the pain in his eyes over his older brother.
“We don’t know yet. He was still in surgery when I left to pick you up.”
Arm in arm, we walked to the car as I introduced Taylor to my new friend. His eyes lingered on her as understanding blossomed. We were all in this together.
Local, tourist, brother, friend—none of it mattered when lives were on the line.
The ride to the hospital was quiet. None of us felt much like speaking.
Honestly, I thought we all felt a little numb.
