Training finally came in handy {OPEN}

A dull ache formed and attached itself to the back of Reina's head and it seemed forever until she was able to place her hand on said location. "Aye," she muttered with a wince. When she pulled her hand away and looked at it, she saw spots of blood. Her eyes widened but she didn't feel any pain other than the aching. Was the blood someone else's? She looked around. No, the other flight attendants were in their own jump seats still. Suddenly a rush of noise filled her ears and all she could hear was screaming. Smoke filled her nostrils and she coughed as she tried to get out of her seat. She shouted at the seatbelt in angry Spanish before finally getting herself free. She had to remind herself to speak English out loud so others could know what she was saying, but it would have been so easy to slip into her native tongue at the moment. "Robert! Rob!" She called one of the flight attendant's names but heard nothing. Suddenly she saw him slumped over in his seat and she rushed over to him. She tried waking him up by shaking him, but he didn't respond. A check of his pulse let Reina know that Robert wasn't waking up; he was dead. She sent up a quick prayer for his soul before going to help others. Of course she mourned the loss, but right now she needed to focus. It felt like she was moving automatically as all of her training over the years came back to her mind. Right now she didn't feel panic, but she could feel it in the air.

The door near the front of the plane wouldn't open and Reina had to get someone else to help her kick it. Finally it popped out and fell, followed by a giant orange slide inflating. "Anyone who can hear me please come to the front of the plane and slide down," Reina shouted over the noise. Eventually people had enough clarity to understand and they began to slide down. Soon the plane wasn't so crowded anymore that Reina couldn't see anything. She was able to look around for anyone else who needed help. "If anyone can hear me and needs help, call out!"

This was supposed to be nothing more than a silly little vacation, one that she didn't even want to go on, but her parents insisted. The day she received those plane tickets, she had a bad feeling about going. For one, Abigail detested flying. Too many terrible scenarios played out in her head before she ever had a fly. This time was no different. Her heart was beating rapidly as she packed her bags. She did not need a giant suitcase of stuff. She packed clothing, her phone, her tablet, and of course basic medical equipment. The kind that would get past customs. Her sister told her it was silly to bring medical stuff while she was on vacation, but Abigail always travelled with at least some stuff just in case. If an injury happened, she did not want to be caught unprepared. After this little vacation. She had no idea why her parents thought she'd enjoy a little vacation to the Bahamas. Julia, yes, but she was definitely not the beachy type. Nor did she want to be away from England any longer. She kissed her mom and dad goodbye and loaded her car up with her spare bag. Julia had so much more stuff than her, but that was expected. Julia was always more interested in the materialistic things in life, not that that was a bad thing. When the car was loaded up, they were off to the airport. As she drove and boarded the plane, she still had a very, very bad feeling about this trip. Nothing bad happened when the plane took off. She took out a book to read while Julia fell asleep. Soon, her sister's head was on her shoulder. Abigail didn't bother to move her sister, for she didn't want to risk waking her up. Better to let sleeping dogs lie, she thought to herself. About an hour into the flight, she head alarms go off. Something was obviously very wrong. She narrowed her eyes and reached across her sister to look out the window. The plane was going down. They were going to crash. The woman felt her life flash before her eyes. When the flight attendant gave directions regarding the gas mask, she followed. She also proceeded to place the mask on her sleeping sister. How that woman managed to sleep through this, she did not know. Abigail did not wake Julia because she knew people who remained calm during situations like these tended to have a better chance for survival. Thirty minutes later, it was obvious there was no hope to stop this thing from going down. People were screaming, there were sparks flying. The plane was bursting into flames. She was certain it would break in half and they would all die from the air pressure. All she could do was pray she'd get out of this alive. Her ears caught the flight attendant's words. Gently, she woke her sister up, telling her to remain calm and follow her. They walked up to the front of the plane and obeyed the woman's orders. Her feet hit the ground. She looked around and took in her surroundings. The plane was definition toast. "Oh golly, an island, how cliché," she said to herself. Julia was still out of it. Abigail knew it was better that way. She had her sister sit down a distance away from the plane. Abi had a feeling her services would be required soon. She looked around, and saw a hoard of people standing over something. She moved over to the area and saw a man who was clearly unconscious. "Move out of the way," she said, as she cut through the crowd of people. "I'm a doctor, I need you guys to back up," she said. Usually she was not this aggressive, but if a man's life was at stake, she had to do her job. She brought her body to the ground. She tapped his shoulders a few times to check for a response. There was none. She then lifted his palm to try and find a pulse. He was still alive. Without proper medical equipment, Abigail knew there was only one thing she could do. She began to perform CPR and prayed it would be enough. tag: @open notes: yay!

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

It was just another work day for Aaron. His name was on the list for an upgrade to the captain position so it was only a matter of time before he got the promotion. As a captain, he'd be able to call the shots; basically the plane couldn't leave without him. It wasn't so much that power, though, as it was about making his father proud. And the increase in pay wouldn't be so bad, either. That was enough motivation to get Aaron out of bed despite the slightly nauseous feeling he had. He hated calling in sick so he just ignored it and took an antacid with breakfast. After a shower and shave, it was time to go to work. He always packed his suitcase the night before with a few extra outfits than needed. One never knows when a flight will be delayed for however long. He once was holed up in a hotel room for four days during a bad snowstorm. He also grabbed his kitbag and then drove off to the airport.

The antacids hardly worked and Aaron realized he was experiencing some anxiety. He wasn't sure why, though, but he didn't like it. This was the last thing he needed to be going on with him. He chalked it up to anxiety about wanting the promotion and put it out of his mind before walking around the plane to make sure everything checked out. Then he got back onto the jetway. He nodded to the flight attendants already on the plane and soon the captain came into the cockpit. They said their good mornings before getting down to business. After checking all the instruments, all that there was left to do was wait. Finally all the passengers had boarded (he and the captain he greeted some and let some kids have a peek in the cockpit) and it was time to take off. Once the flight attendant made the announcement he started to put the plane in reverse. Right before they took off he made the announcement and then off they went.

The ride was going smoothly until an hour and a half in. The alert light came on and Aaron knew something was wrong. It seemed only mere seconds after that when the plane began shaking. He began doing everything he knew to do in a situation like this but he was never able to tell what exactly had happened. The captain made an announcement for passengers to get into their safety positions and brace for landing. The plane went in a slow, agonizing decent and Aaron could feel the sweat on his brow. Eventually the plane hit the ground and everything lurched forward. Something behind Aaron came loose and hit his head, knocking him out. When he came to there was sand dust everywhere. He coughed and looked around for the captain but he couldn't see anything. He opened the cockpit door and waited until the slide was clear before sliding down. The blow to his head made him disoriented. He knew he had to do something, he just wasn't sure what it was. After walking around aimlessly for a minute, he collapsed onto the ground.

Then next thing he knew he was having air forced into him. His eyes snapped open and he saw a woman leaning over him but nothing had registered yet. He coughed and -regrettably- threw up a bit. Away from the woman, of course. His head was pounding and his lungs felt like they were on fire. "CPR," he said when it finally registered what the woman had been doing. All he could think of was the little mermaid. "You're not going to start singing, are you?" He asked absent-mindedly as he tried to stand up. But he fell backwards with a groan. He needed to do something. He needed to help the others. But he also wanted to sleep.

It had been exactly forty eight hours since they had said "I do." Their ceremony had been simple, yet more elaborate than the one she had with Gabriel. Ellen figured after ten years of pining, loss, and guilt, they deserved something nice for a change. This marriage was a long time coming, and she was so relieved and happy to finally seal the deal. It took one divorce and years of waiting, but she was finally married to the man she knew she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Now they were headed off on their honeymoon. Of course, they had some disagreements about where they wanted to go. Ellen wanted to go to Rome, Italy, mostly for the historical value. Lawson wanted to book a cruise. Ellen had a thing against cruises. She got seasick very easily and did not want to spend their first week as a married couple throwing up. So the two of them met in the middle and agreed to go to the Bahamas. She knew Lawson was apprehensive about flying, so she let him have the destination. Once they were all packed and ready to go, they headed for the airport. She hugged her children goodbye and promised to pick them all up something while they were gone. The lines were not too terribly long. Soon they were boarding the plane. She put her carry on in the overhead along with Lawson's. She then took the window seat, knowing full fell Lawson didn't like look out the window while they were in flight. When they were all settled, she grabbed Lawson's hand, and offered him an encouraging smile. "It's not that long of a flight, we'll be off the plane and on solid ground in no time at all," Ellen said. "Plus, imagine the fun we'll have once we get there," she said with a wink. She listened as the flight attendant went over her mandatory checklist. Soon they were off. She leaned back in her seat and took out a book to read, her hand still on top of Lawson's. Midway through the flight, she began to feel some turbulence. She narrowed her eyes and looked around. "Uh, is that supposed to be sparking?" she asked Lawson, her finger pointing to a spot on the plane. Almost immediately after she said that, the area burst into flames. She let out a hysterical laugh only because she knew what this meant, and she was afraid. "This isn't happening," she said, now beginning to panic. People were screaming. The only reason she wasn't was because she simply wasn't the screaming type. Internally, she was though. Forty. Eight. Hours. She had been married forty eight hours after ten years of waiting and now she was probably going to die in a plane crash. She didn't even have time to move, let alone get up to the front when a piece of debris came crashing down on her. She finally screamed from the initial pain and shock. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt too badly, but her legs were trapped. There was no way she was getting out of her seat. Another piece of debris came crashing down, this time it blocked off their section. Now the two of them were trapped until they were either rescued or killed. "We're going to die," she said, panic in her voice.   tag:@open notes:YAY!

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

Lawson was on cloud nine at the moment. He'd finally married the love of his life and now they were going on their honeymoon. It was an amazing feeling and he wouldn't trade his situation for the world- even though he had to get on a plane. But he had to admit he was feeling better with Ellen traveling with him. Thankfully she'd let him pick where they were going. Ellen would love the Bahamas, Lawson was sure of it. He'd have preferred a cruise, but Ellen told him she got seasick. Honestly Law had never been on a cruise before so he wasn't sure if he'd get sick or not, but he didn't want to put Ellen through that. The time packing was spent with Bahamian music and Lawson dancing around like the goofball he was. But Ellen had laughed, and that was all he needed. He waved goodbye to Ellen's kids and then took a deep breath as he and Ellen drove to the airport.

Security actually moved quickly and Lawson chalked it up to the fact that it wasn't a holiday so most people were at home and not traveling yet. When they got on the plane Lawson waited for Ellen to sit before he sat next to her. He sat in the middle for now but he'd ask Ellen if she minded him sitting in the aisle later. If someone was going to be sitting in the aisle, he'd have to switch or fall asleep because he was kind of claustrophobic whenever he was already anxious about something. Lawson felt Ellen grab his hand and he felt more peaceful. He smiled at her words and then chuckled at her suggestion. "Why do you think I'm so anxious to get there already?" He asked with a smirk.
Before long, Lawson had fallen asleep; unaware that someone was sitting in the aisle seat. A shake woke him up just in time to see Ellen pointing at something. His eyes widened and he shook his head. "That's not right," he said, beginning to panic. Ellen's laughter caused Lawson to look at her; he didn't know she laughed when she was scared. Great, Lawson finally is able to marry Ellen and now they might die? 'I knew I hated flying for a reason.' Lawson thought to himself.

He did as the flight attendants said and helped Ellen with her safety equipment. Then he held onto her hands and looked her in the eyes. "I love you. As if I don't say that enough, I know." But he always meant it. He pulled her into his arms as they went down and he closed his eyes and prayed. When the plane hit the ground Lawson was thrown away from Ellen but he heard her scream. "Ellen!" He called, trying to see through the cloud of dust in front of him. He hurried over to her and shook his head. "We aren't going to die. I didn't marry you just to have us die forty eight hours later! Yeah, I kept track of the hours." It was a struggle but soon he lifted the debris off of Ellen and helped her out of her seat. He tried to find a way past the debris in front of them and found that part of the plane wall was coming down. "This way!" He yelled over the noise. He grabbed Ellen's hand and led her over to the wall. He kicked it down, surprised when it fell over. Okay, that was pretty awesome. He jumped all the way down despite his fear of heights and then held his arms out. "Jump, Ellen! I'll catch you."

When the man finally responded, Abigail sat back and watched as he vomited. She was not surprised at his reaction. She had seen this before tons of times. She let out a breath. Performing CPR always left her exhausted. Usually, the paramedics or other CPR certified people handled that. Abigail was used to examining the patient after they came to consciousness. Abigail laughed when the man asked if she was going to start singing. "I'm afraid not," she said. Abigail was certain the man wouldn't want to hear her sing so shortly after being unconscious to begin with. Her voice was not something she was proud of at all. She sounded like a dying cat, she was sure of it. Then again, she knew one's perception of oneself was usually wrong. But she was almost certain she was bad at singing. Abigail's eyes widened when the man tried to stand up. Was he being serious? "Sir, I'm afraid I can't advise you to do that," she said. "You really should rest. I need to monitor you as well to make sure you don't have a concussion," Abigail said. Although, if he did happen to have one, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd do about it. She did not have the proper medical equipment to care for a concussion patient. She knew it would be good for her to help other people who were injured. There probably weren't too many other doctors on this plane. "Is it alright if I see if anyone else needs help? Or do I need to stay here and make sure you don't try and get up?" Abigail asked with a raised brow. She definitely didn't want this man to hurt himself anymore. tag:@open notes: ugh this is short!

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

Aaron gave an incredulous look to the woman when she told him not to stand up. Although she "advised" him, in his current state he took it as an order. He tried to stand again in defiance but he fell backwards again with another groan. The fog began to lift from his mind and clarity slowly began to sink in. Okay, so he possibly had a concussion. "But I need to help the others. I need to check the radio and send out a distress signal, I need to get our coordinates-" A crashing sound from the plane told him that was probably going to be unlikely now. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with the heels of his hands. When he opened his eyes he blinked again and allowed vision to once again return to him.

Now that he got a good look at the woman, he was struck by her beauty. He'd never admit it, of course. Being monitored by her wouldn't be protested by him, but right now he didn't like being helpless to the others. He nodded at her question. "Yes, go. They need you more than I do." He waved his hand dismissively. There was no reason for him to keep the woman here, especially if she was a doctor. She sure sounded like one, but she could just be experienced in first aid for all Aaron knew. But other survivors needed medical attention and he was okay so far. "I won't try to get up, I promise." His eyes met hers. As much as he wanted to be able to help, he now knew that there was a chance he could do more harm to himself, and that would take away from the more injured people.

Ellen was excited to finally be able to start their life together. Their relationship no longer had to be something they were ashamed of because they were officially man and wife. Tell her she'd be remarried five years ago, and she would never have believed it. After she divorced her first husband, she never thought she'd put herself through marriage ever again. Gabriel had left her jaded. She was terrified if she married again, she'd only end up hurt and miserable like the first time. She pulled away from relationships the moment they grew too serious. She didn't want that sort of closeness. Anything to keep from getting hurt again. But then Lawson walked into her life. After ten years of not talking. She was very adamant about not falling for him. She had fallen for him once before; she was afraid what falling for him again would mean. Ten years ago, she had been willing to run away with him. She had her bags all packed and ready to go. But then her mother found out and convinced her it was a bad idea. She never told him that. She figured it was better that way. Maybe someday she would. After their honeymoon. Her mind was full of such happy thoughts. After all, a woman on the way to her honeymoon only had a mind full of happiness. That was before she saw the plane burst into flames. "I love you too," she whispered. Gently, she placed her forehead on his. She needed to be close to him right now. Especially if there was a chance that they wouldn't make it. "Please, you can say it as many times as you wish. I love hearing you say those words, even if I tell you I don't. I love you so much," she said, clearly beginning to freak the hell out. But then they were separated on the descent down. Without him next to her, she could feel her chest begin to tighten. She couldn't breathe knowing he wasn't next to her. She realized in these moments how lost she would be without him. She needed him. She needed him more than he probably needed her. "Lawson?!" she cried out, hoping he was still alive. She teared up at the sound of his voice. It was truly the most beautiful sounding thing right now. Amidst all of the screaming, it was the only thing she wanted to hear. She could not speak as she watched him lift the debris off of her and clear the way for them. He seemed like such a superhero right now. It was really making her love him even more...if that was even possible. She struggled out of her seat and followed him behind. She was limping and probably in a lot of pain, but she was running on adrenaline right now, so she couldn't feel it. She was in a daze as he led her through the destroyed plane. Her eyes widened when he asked her to jump. Something inside of her was prohibiting her from doing it. She was freaking out. She shook her head. "C-c-can't," she stammered out. "I can't," she said. She realized this was the first time in a long while she had truly felt afraid. She also realized this was the first time Lawson actually saw the scared little girl inside of her rear its head. She bit her lip, knowing full well she'd only die if she stayed here much longer. She inched closer to the edge and closed her eyes before jumping. She halfway expected to hit the ground and die. But she didn't. She could smell his cologne and feel his strong arms around her. She felt safe at the familiarity. She opened her eyes. "Oh my God," she said before planting a kiss on his lips. "I don't even care if anyone saw that. I love you. I love you. I love you," she said, clamping her arms around him. tag:@open notes:YAY!

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP

Lawson couldn't help but laugh at Ellen's words. He remembered one of the biggest arguments they'd had where Ellen told him she didn't want to hear him tell her he loved her. But he didn't stop then and he wasn't going to stop now.
When Ellen said she couldn't jump, Lawson's heart beat seemed to start jumping around. "Yes, you can!" He called to her. He knew Ellen was scared, and he was surprised at seeing her this frightened, but he needed her to do the one thing he couldn't do for her, and that was to jump. Part of the right wing fell off and he instinctively ducked but continued to hold out his arms. "Come on!" He said, his voice in a slight growl. She didn't need to inch, she needed to leap!
'Strength please don't fail me now,' he thought to himself as he saw Ellen jump. He caught her and stumbled back a few inches, but they were both safely out of the wreckage. He looked down at her, his face showing complete disbelief that he'd just caught her and managed to still stand up. When she kissed him, it was the sweetest thing. Minutes ago he'd been afraid he would never have that again.
"I kind of care," he said, half-jokingly. He shrugged slightly before smiling and kissing her forehead. "I love you, too. Now come on, we need to find some place away from here."

He found a spot where it seemed other people were gathering and he set Ellen gently down on her feet. "I'm going to go see who else needs my help. But you stay here, alright? See if you can find someone to look at you and make sure you're okay." His eyes searched hers for confirmation.

Only when the shock of this day was over would Lawson remember the little girl he saw in Ellen. That would make his protective instincts go into overdrive.