Chapter 9 - The Flight to Tomorrow
Monday morning arrived crisp, clear, and blindingly bright. The snowplows had carved a clean, dark path through the pristine white driveway, and Adrian’s private helicopter sat idling on the back lawn, its heavy rotor blades kicking up glittering clouds of powdered snow into the crisp morning air.
Packing my canvas bag felt completely different this time. It wasn't the desperate, frantic packing of a frightened woman running toward her last resort; it was the organized, purposeful packing of someone who knew she had a home waiting for her when she returned.
Downstairs in the grand foyer, all four boys stood lined up in a row like a tiny, impeccably dressed military unit, though their expressions were uncharacteristically solemn.
"You're coming back, right?" six-year-old Luke asked, tugging frantically at the hem of my coat, his bottom lip trembling slightly despite his best efforts to look brave.
I knelt down to his eye level, taking his small hands in mine. "I am going to drop my little sister off at the hospital, hold her hand through her surgery, make sure she's eating hospital Jell-O, and then I am getting right back on that plane and coming straight back here. You guys are stuck with me, remember?"
Noah and Caleb let out collective sighs of relief, while Evan stepped forward and awkwardly held out a small, clumsily wrapped package tied with a piece of red yarn.
"Open it on the plane," Evan muttered, looking away with a slight flush on his cheeks. "It's... insurance. So you don't forget us."
I took the package carefully, my heart swelling. "I could never forget you guys."
Adrian stepped up behind them, holding my travel coat. He helped me slip my arms into the sleeves, his hands lingering on my shoulders for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.
"The jet is ready, and my pilot has strict instructions to bring you back the moment Maya is stable," Adrian said, his slate-gray eyes softening as he looked down at me. "Take all the time you need, Nia. But know that this house isn't a home without you anymore."
I looked up into his eyes, feeling the quiet, unshakable foundation of something entirely new and beautiful building between us.
May you like
"I'll be back before you even miss me," I promised.
With a final wave to the four boys jumping excitedly on the porch steps, I turned and walked out across the sparkling snow toward the waiting helicopter, my heart lighter than it had been in years.
