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Somehow, she became aware of the fact that the plane was no longer dropping. It was flying. It still felt like being in a car on a bumpy road but at least her stomach was no longer in her throat.

She heard a bing-bong tone and then a voice came over the PA system.

“This is the captain. We have been cleared for an emergency landing at John Wayne International Airport. Flight attendants, emergency protocols, please. Eight minutes.”

They were going to land!

Emergency land.

In eight minutes!

Eight minutes in a broken plane still high up in the sky!

Suddenly, the flight attendant in first-class was on his feet, holding onto the bulkhead to steady himself against the shaking aircraft. He looked just as pale and scared as Amy felt but she had to hand it to him, he also looked determined to do his job.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted. “Listen very carefully! Make sure your seatbelts are tight across your hips and that the belt is not twisted. After you’ve done that, you will tuck your chin into your chest, you will lean forward and place your head against the seat in front of you and then place your hands on top of your head!”

He demonstrated by pla

cing his hands on top of his head but almost lost his balance and fell.

“Oh my god!” Amy muttered, checking her seatbelt.

“We’re going to be fine,” Sally said, but Amy heard the utter fear in her voice. However, what else was Sally going to say?

In moments, Amy and Sally were ready, both of them bent forward with their heads pressed against the seats in front of them, hands in the proper position.

“I want to hold you,” Amy told Sally.

“I know, baby. I want that too. So much!”

Amy made a decision.

“Fuck this!” she stated. Sitting up, she pulled down her face mask, pulled Sally out of her crash position, yanked Sally’s mask down and then mashed her lips against Sally’s in a bruising kiss of desperation. Their tongues met instantly and dueled as their lips slid against each other hungrily. If this was going to be their last kiss, then Amy was going to get everything out of it that she could and she knew Sally felt the same way.

When they broke, they looked at each other.

“We’re going to be okay,” Sally said.

“We’re going to be okay,” Amy repeated and then they both bent forward again and waited.

Chapter 36

“Ma’am?”

Sally blinked. Was someone talking to her? She blinked again and slowly turned her head toward the direction she thought the voice had come from.

There was a man in a uniform standing off to her side.

What kind of uniform is that?

It took her a moment to realize it was a paramedic’s uniform. It took her another moment to recognize him as the paramedic who had briefly examined her after they had landed, making sure she wasn’t injured.

This rang a bell in her memory.

She was injured. Something had hit her head during the Incident, as she now called it. Whatever it was had apparently left a slight bruise high on her right cheek. This paramedic had put something on it. Something cold. Said it was nothing to worry about; it would disappear in a day or two. Also said it might be sore for a while. Don’t put pressure on it. Other than that she was fine.

So what does he want now?