Just as he finished, the reporter came back on. “It looks as if that’s foam they’re applying to the runway, to reduce the risk of fire when the plane makes its final attempt.”
“Could you not say final in that tone?” Darren directed his words to the television.
“We’ve just confirmed there are seventy-three passengers onboard the Eastway flight, including one infant and one wheelchair-bound passenger.” The reporter went off on a tangent about the various passengers, but Darren barely heard a word. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, including the reporter’s voice.
“Darren, God is in control.” Jason’s voice again. Calm. Controlled. “We can trust Him.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Darren, do you know someone on that plane?” His father’s concerned voice brought him back to reality.
“I do.”
The camera flashed to the aircraft, which had made a wide circle and now pointed itself at the runway once again.
“C’mon, Candy. You can do this.”
“Candy?” His father whispered the word. “Your Candy?”
He nodded.
“It looks as if the pilot is going to make another attempt.” The reporter’s voice rose with anticipation as the plane began to descend.
Darren began to pray, silently at first, and then aloud as he watched. “You can do it, Candy,” he whispered, when he’d finished praying. “You’ve been trained. You know what to do. Just listen to your gut. Do what you’ve been taught.”
“You can do it, girl,” his father joined in.
Then, as if she’d planned for this moment her entire life, Candy brought the aircraft down to the ground. It skidded off to the left of the runway, wreaking havoc with the foam. Darren wanted to scream. To jump for joy. Instead, he looked at his father with tears in his eyes, overcome with relief.
The reporter’s voice kicked in. “Folks, she’s done it. That’s some first officer. She pulled off a textbook landing.”
Darren’s hands began to tremble. He heard Jason’s voice on the other end of the phone. “Thank You, Jesus,” and added a tearful, “Amen.”
He watched in awe as the aircraft came to a complete stop. After a moment’s pause, the reporter jumped back in with his comments. “Looks like they’ll be implementing an emergency evacuation.”
“Wow. I’ve only seen this in the movies.” Darren’s father stood close to the television, watching in rapt awe.
“Yes, they’ve just deployed the chutes,” the reporter continued. He went on to describe in detail the layout of a 747, honing in on where the emergency exits were located.
“I don’t believe this.” Darren shook his head. His father was right. It really was like watching a movie. . .only, the woman he loved was playing the lead role.
The reporter’s inflection changed. “Folks, we’ve just been joined by Marcus Blackwell, a spokesman with the Newark Airport Authority. Mr. Blackwell, what can you tell us about what we’ve just seen? And when will we know the condition of the passengers and crew?”
Another voice, this one a bit calmer, took over. “The pilot of Eastway flight 4582 reported the faulty landing gear at 2:52 p.m. Newark time.”
“And when something like this happens, the pilot has been trained to respond accordingly?” the reporter asked.
“Every pilot is taught to prepare for the worst, and is trained accordingly. The pilots aboard the Eastway flight today worked with the tower to bring the aircraft down in the safest possible manner.”
Darren continued to watch as people began to descend the emergency ramps. He’d had nightmares about flights like this. Likely every pilot had.
“As you can see, we’ve got fire and rescue personnel on the ground to receive any people who might need to be evaluated or transported to hospitals,” Mr. Blackwell continued. “At this time we have no word as to the condition of the passengers or crew, but we are very relieved, as you might imagine.”
Relieved? Relieved hardly described the feeling that swept over Darren as he watched the passengers exit the plane. Why am I in California instead of Newark? I need to be there for her. I’ve got to leave. Got to—
His heart nearly leaped into his throat as a weak voice interrupted the moment. “D–darren? Darren, is that you?”
He turned toward the bed to face his mother, whose eyes were half-opened.
“I’m here, Mama.” He rushed to her side and gripped her hand. “You rest easy now. Rest easy. Everything’s going to be all right.”
“Thank you for coming,” she whispered, then squeezed his hand. “We need you right now.”
“I–I’m here.” Yes, he was here. Oh, but how he wished he could be in two places at once.
❧
Candy sat in the cockpit, shaking like a leaf. For a moment she felt dizzy, then a wave of nausea swept over her. “I’m going to be sick.” The captain reached for a bag and pressed it into her hand. Candy sat, breathing deeply, until the feeling passed. Even so, she still felt woozy.
Adam—the captain who’d kept his cool throughout the ordeal—reached out to touch her arm. “Candy, you did an amazing job. Thanks to you, our passengers and crew are safely home.”
“No, not thanks to me.” She shook her head, unable to take the credit. “I had nothing to do with it, trust me. Only the Lord could have accomplished that.”
“Well, He apparently used you to help.” Adam nodded. “And I couldn’t have taken on the job of troubleshooter without you actually flying the plane. But just prepare yourself. I’d say there’s going to be an outpouring from the community. And you’re about to get swarmed by the media. Are you up for it?”
“The media?”
Man. After weeks of trying to stay out of the limelight at Eastway, suddenly I’m thrust into the spotlight in front of the entire nation?
“That landing was textbook. I can’t imagine doing a better job myself. And I don’t think you’d be giving yourself too much credit if you admitted you did a fine job.”
“T–thank you.”
Adam rose to his feet and looked her way. “Ready to get off of this bird?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “Am I ever.”
“Well, just be prepared. I have a feeling we’re about to be inundated.”
One look outside convinced her he was right. With so many ambulances and fire trucks about, they were sure to be swamped with people. And where there was a story, there were sure to be journalists.
A shiver went down her spine as she thought about that. Journalists. News. Man. Talk about throwing a kink in her plans to keep a low profile.
She and Adam reached the door where the emergency chutes were in place. With all of their passengers safely on the ground, they could take their final ride toward freedom.
Funny. All she could think of as she slid down the chute was what she’d told Darren that day on the Cessna 400. “I’ve never jumped out of a plane before.”
And though this probably wasn’t the kind of jump he had in mind, she had to admit. . .it looked like there was a first time for everything.
When she reached the ground, people swarmed her. Medics, police. . .she could scarcely breathe for all of the people. And they all talked on top of one another. “Are you hurt?”
“Great job!” “You should win an Emmy for that performance.” “We’re so proud of you.” She and Adam were taken by patrol car to the Eastway offices, where she was met with the craziest mob of media folks she’d ever seen.
I didn’t even know we had this many newspapers and television stations in Newark.
Turned out folks from the New York media had already arrived and were ready for a story. A national story.
More than an hour of craziness slipped by before she was finally able to reach for her cell phone to call Darren. She stared transfixed at the phone, noticing for the first time how many times he’d called her. She’d missed every one, thanks to the chaos.
“Better put his mind at ease.”
She punched in his number, tears welling. Only one thing could make her feel better. Scratch that. Only one person could make her feel better. And he was on the other side of the country, handling a crisis of his own.
TWENTY-ONE
Darren paced the halls of the hospital, nearly frantic. He finally managed to reach Brooke. “Have you heard from her?”
“She’s up at the Eastway offices, Darren. They’ve got her secluded. I’m sure she’s going to call you.”
“Who was on that flight with her?”
“Adam Landers. And Lilly.”
“Lilly. Really?” His heart twisted.
“And Adam.”
Both friends.
And both very much alive, thanks to the Lord’s intervention and Candy’s skillful landing.
“I’m still trying to reach Candy, but if you hear from her—”
“I’ll have her call you, I promise.” After a moment’s pause, Brooke asked, “How’s your mom, Darren?”
“Awake. Ornery. The doctors are going to perform some sort of procedure on her in a couple of days to see about clearing up the blockage. And then she’s going to have a major change in lifestyle. Just pray she’ll go along with it, and pray for my dad, too, okay? He’s going to have to step up to the plate and. . . well, he’s got his work cut out for him.”
“Of course. Would you like me to pray right now?”
A wave of peace washed over him. Darren slumped in a chair. “W–would you? I feel like the biggest wimp on planet Earth. It’ll be good to have someone agree with me in prayer.”
“Of course. And hey, I head up the prayer chain for the singles group, so I’m used to praying over the phone.” She began to pray, starting with a joyous praise for God’s hand of protection, which He’d placed on both Darren’s mother and on Candy and the crew aboard flight 4582. Then she shifted gears, praying for healing for his mom and provision for his father. By the time she ended, Darren had tears in his eyes.
“Thanks, Brooke.”
“You’re welcome.”
She’d no sooner said the words than a beep interrupted their call. He looked at the number and practically dropped the phone. “Gotta go. It’s Candy.”
Without so much as a good-bye, he clicked over, speaking her name undergirded by emotion.
“Darren?” Her trembling voice showed her feelings immediately.
“Candy, I’m here,” he managed. “I’m so glad to hear your voice. I’ve been worried sick.”
“I knew you would be. I wanted to call right away, but they wouldn’t let me. You should have seen it. There were so many people, and they had so many questions. I felt like I was on trial.”
“I’ll bet. But you’re okay?”
“Physically. My insides are mush. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get back in the cockpit again. I. . .” She began to cry.
“You will. I know you. You’re great at this, Candy. And you’re called to it. You can’t give up. You’ve got to get right back in there and get to work.”
“Well, not today. I think I’m going to go home and take a hot bath. Maybe eat some Chinese food. Then I’m going to pull the covers up over my head and pretend none of this ever happened.”
“I’d probably do exactly the same thing. Only I’d eat a cheeseburger, not Chinese.”
She offered up a nervous laugh, then added, “I wish you were here.”
“Me, too.” He paused, and tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. She needed him to be strong. “Do you want to talk about what happened, or wait till after you’ve had some food?”
“I can talk about it, I guess. But first tell me about your mom. I’ve been so concerned about her. And when I saw that you’d called so many times, I was afraid. . .”
“She’s better.” Darren quickly filled her in on his mother’s condition, honing in on the part of the story where his mother had asked him to pray.
“She was barely awake, but she knew who I was. And she had tears in her eyes. I think God is working on her, Candy. Just like you predicted.”
“She’s a captive audience. Kind of like I was in that cockpit today.”
“So, you want to talk about it?”
“Yeah.” She paused a moment, then began to tell her story, her voice shaking every step of the way. “We’d had the smoothest flight ever. Nothing suspicious. And I had no reason to think the landing gear would stick. Our landing in Minneapolis was great. No indications of any problems.” She paused a moment. “A lot of things went through my mind in that cockpit once I realized we were in trouble. Of course, I thought about all the things I would miss if I. . .”
“Don’t even say it.” A shiver ran down his spine just thinking of the what-ifs.
“Well, I know where I’m going when the time comes,” she reminded him, “so it wasn’t really a fear about that part. It was more about the responsibility I had to protect the passengers. And Lilly. And Adam. The pressure was overwhelming, really.”
“I have to admit, my faith just flew right out the window when I got the call.” He pursed his lips. “And I went into a panic when I watched the news footage. I told Brooke, I’m a spiritual wimp in a crisis. I never knew that till now.”
“No you’re not.” The tenderness in her voice brought him comfort.
“Well, just the thought of losing you. . .” His eyes filled with tears. “I couldn’t stand it.”
“That’s what I was about to say. I am ready to go, if the Lord calls me home. I’m confident of that because I’ve put my trust in Jesus. But on the other hand, the idea of all the things you and I would miss. . .” She paused. “I don’t want to miss a day with you.”
“Me, either.”
“And I want you to be happy, Darren.”
“Happy?” He could hardly stand the joy that flooded over him at her words. “I am happy. You make me the happiest man on earth.”
“I’m talking about something other than our relationship. You’re content working for Eastway, but I don’t think you’re really happy. It doesn’t put a sparkle in your eye.”
“Ah.”
“You tried to tell me last night, and I was too tired to listen. Or maybe I didn’t want to listen because I don’t handle change well. But God really dealt with me in the night. Reminded me of what a dreamer I’ve always been. It only makes sense that I’d fall in love with a dreamer, too.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “I’ve got my head in the clouds. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“Something like that.” She laughed, but grew serious very quickly afterward. “Remember that day on the Cessna 400? You flew me over the English countryside. And a castle. And Big Ben.”
“Right.”
“You were free to dream that day. To see the impossibilities as possibilities. That’s one of the things I love most about flying. It’s something that, when we’re children, seems impossible. And yet, we’re doing it. We’re spreading our wings and flying. So, go ahead and dream. I’ll dream right alongside you. You tried to share your heart last night. . .to talk about your plans for the future, but I was too tired to listen. And it haunted me today in that cockpit. I should have taken the time to really hear everything you wanted to say.”
“Wait. Are you saying you’re okay with the idea of the charter service?”
“I’m okay with it.”
“Candy, I’ve really been praying about this.”
“I know. Me, too. Well, today mostly. But you know what? I totally think you should do it.”
“You do? What changed your mind?”
“Well, my near-death experience, for one thing.”
He grimaced.
“I had a thousand things flash through my mind when I was circling the airport that second time. And, strange as it may sound, one of those things was your charter plane service.” She laughed. “I was thinking, actually, how much easier it would be to attempt a landing with a smaller plane with the landing gear up.”
“Hope I never ha
ve to find out personally.”
“I hope you don’t, either. It was scary.” She paused a moment. “But when I thought about you running your own company, one thing stood out. You’re so good with people. You are funny and sweet and—”
“Wait.” He grinned. “Not that I don’t appreciate the endorsement. Flattery will get you everywhere, after all. But what does this have to do with flying small planes?”
“Oh, everything.” Her words were filled with encouragement. “When you’re flying for Eastway, you really don’t have much opportunity to connect with the passengers. Your whole job— well, except for the part where you greet them as they come onboard or when they’re leaving—is in that cockpit.”
“Right.”
“Well, that works well for me. I’m fine with that. But you”—her voice grew more animated—“you’ve got an evangelist’s heart. I can see you really interacting with your passengers if you have your own service.”
“Yes. Me, too.” He nodded. “And these days so many executives in the corporate world are chartering private planes. I really think this could be a profitable business. And you’re right. . .it’s a great way to get to know people. Establish relationships, not just with individuals, but with the kinds of people who hire private planes. . .political people who need the added security, and even sports teams.” His excitement grew as he continued. “And I really meant what I said the other night. I’ll start with a couple of smaller planes, and maybe—say in a year or so—add a Boeing Business Jet. Or two.”
“Or three.” She giggled. “Sounds like you’re talking about adding children to our brood.”
Both of them stopped talking at once. Darren grinned as he pondered her words. They gave him such hope.
Candy finally interrupted the awkward silence. “I, um, I have no idea why I just said that. I wasn’t implying—”
He laughed, mostly out of relief. “Well, I do. I plan to add children to our brood.” He grinned. “Not that we’ll use the word brood on a regular basis, but you know what I mean.”
Boardwalk Brides Page 30
