Hearts in Flight

by Patty Smith Hall

  The thought that came to her was so unlike anything she had ever done in the past, but for some reason, it felt like the right way to go in this situation. “Then it’s up to you, Captain. What do you want me to do?”

  His blue eyes darkened as if bruised by the struggle Maggie knew was going on inside him. He turned away from her. Her hand hung awkwardly in the air, robbed of his warmth beneath her fingertips. She watched him pace a short distance from her, noted the muscles of his shoulders coiled in frustration beneath his fitted shirt.

  “Is the girl going to fly or what?” A man on the civilian side of the fence called out, followed by others crying out for the two pilots to take their places.

  Driving a hand in his hair, Wesley spun around to face her. Though she could tell the battle was over, Wesley didn’t look happy with the outcome. “If I okay this, you’ll need another pilot who has visual reference at all times. Is that understood?”

  Thank you, Lord! She nodded, mashing her lips together. It wouldn’t do for Wesley to see her smile. He might think she’s not taking this exercise seriously. “Do you have someone in mind?”

  “Yes,” Wesley didn’t seem to have to think twice about it. “Me.”

  Impossible man! Maggie crossed her arms around her waist. “Webber will think you’re playing favorites.”

  “Let him.” Wesley’s soft voice held something of a dare. “You’re not the one going to the front.”

  But she was. Every day she, or every other WASP that reported for duty, fought a battle, to prove to men and women alike that anything was possible. Even a girl pilot, as long as God was in it. She eyed Wesley for a moment before her attention turned to the crowd continuing to grow at the fence. How could she expect to make anyone else comprehend what the WASP were doing when she couldn’t convince Wesley after all he had lost?

  “We don’t have any two-seat trainers on the ground,” Wesley continued. “And the closest one is either Warner Robbins or Augusta.”

  He was stalling for time when there was a very simple solution. “Then we’ll have to go back to our original plan.”

  “I don’t think. . .”

  But she refused to listen. Ignoring the stubborn set of his jaw, the uncompromising glint in his gaze, she started back toward her plane. She felt for him, really, she did. But his over-protectiveness wasn’t simply based on Beth’s death. No, something else was going on here, and until he decided to come clean with her, she had to stick with her plan.

  And that included no attachments.

  A vague sense of loss rippled through her. Well, she didn’t need anyone. All she’d ever wanted was a backdrop of blue beneath her, the scent of engine oil pungent in her nose. It was her only calling. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

  Maggie had cleared her plane’s wing when she heard the shout come from the direction of the tower. The pulsating excitement that had electrified the crowds had shifted into a somber confusion. Maggie searched for Wesley and found him amongst a crowd of officers lining the tarmac near the gate. He stood, listening, seeming to concentrate on the lieutenant in front of him. She couldn’t see most of Wesley’s face, but knew instinctively that news wasn’t good by the slight tightening of the sinew muscles across his back.

  He turned and she met his gaze. The corners of his eyes turned down in a bleak descent while his mouth carved a remorseful line across his face. He walked toward her in a slow serious pace that at any other time might have been confused for a funeral march. Something big had happened, something that, by the look on Wesley’s face, he didn’t want to tell her.

  Please, Lord! Whatever has happened, please help us get through it! She kept praying, whispering little bits and pieces of words deep from within her soul until Wesley finally stood before her.

  Locking her knees, Maggie lifted her head and looked him square in the eye. “What’s wrong?”

  “That’s been an accident.”

  Her world tilted slightly, and her heart knotted in her chest. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Maybe, just maybe.

  But his next words erased any possibility of a happy landing. “Donna crashed in a field outside of New Hope this morning.”

  16

  The smell of disinfectant stung the back of Maggie’s throat as Wesley held open the elevator door that lead to the hospital corridor. The bright lights and cold white walls of Crawford Long’s surgical floor caused the tears she’d been holding back for the last hour to gather once more in the corner of her eyes, and she blinked. Wesley’s hand came to rest at the curve of her back, gently nudging her forward.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Maggie glanced up at him and nodded. She wouldn’t have made it through the last few hours without Wesley. His calming presence had gotten her through the chaos at the air field, held her up during the agonizing train ride into the city and guided her through the crowded streets of Atlanta to the hospital’s front door.

  “Donna’s in Room 415,” she said.

  They walked down the corridor in silence, Maggie closely following the sequence of numbers pasted to each door. She’d had never been to a hospital. What with money tight as it was, a body either survived Dr. Miller’s superior ministrations or died at home. She didn’t know what to expect when she finally saw Donna.

  As she rounded the corner with Wesley, Maggie saw Bill, his face in his hands, slumped in his chair. She touched his shoulder as she came to him. “How is she?”

  His shoulders slumped, Bill looked up at her. “She’s banged up pretty bad and her right leg is a mess, but she’s alive.”

  “Thank God,” Wesley said.

  Maggie dropped down into the seat next to Bill. “Has she said anything about what happened?”

  Tom shook his head. “Not much. Only that she thought she had made it down safely when she clipped a tree.”

  A wave of guilt assailed Maggie. If she hadn’t been so pigheaded about showing Lieutenant Webber a thing or two, Donna would have been okay instead of being busted up and in the hospital.

  I would have been here instead.

  Wesley’s hand settled over her shoulder, the tender strength in his fingers as he gently stroked her tense muscles doing little to chase away the harsh realities of the situation. She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his, understanding lancing through her. He understood her guilt because he felt the same way.

  Maggie nodded her head toward the door. “Can I go in and see her?”

  “Sure,” Bill answered. “The nurse is in there now, giving her something for pain so I don’t know how long you’re going to have.”

  “That’s okay. I just want to see that she’s okay for myself.”

  Maggie pushed herself up from the chair. Wesley’s hand fell from her shoulder and for one long moment, she was filled with a unexplained sense of bereavement. She nibbled at her lower lip as she walked the couple of steps to the door. What if Donna didn’t want to talk to her? Her hand pressed against the door, she looked back at Wesley, for what, she wasn’t sure. His slight smile and encouraging nod helped her to push open the door and go inside.

  The room was oblong, with thick curtains hung from the ceiling dividing it into four separate sections. The first three beds were empty, but the fourth was closed off by a set of heavy white drapes.

  Maggie tiptoed softly across the room but before she could reach her destination, the curtains were thrown back. A cap circling her head like a halo, an older woman dressed in nursing whites hurried toward Maggie.

  “May I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Donna Lane.” Maggie tried to peek around the curtain, but the woman wouldn’t budge, guarding her territory like she was protecting the gates of heaven above.

  “She needs her rest,” the woman reprimanded, gathering a contraption that looked like a silver bell dangling from two rubber hoses from the nearby table and draping it around her neck.

  “I know, and I’m sorry to intrude.” Maggie swallowed hard against the knot
of guilt in her chest. “I won’t stay long, I promise. I just want to see that she’s okay.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed into a tight line, the woman stared at Maggie, as if assessing her request. Maggie thought for a second the woman was going to turn her away when she nodded. “Five minutes. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The woman pushed the curtain back. You’ve got a visitor, Miss Lane.”

  “Who?”

  “It’s me, Donna.” Maggie caught sight of her friend, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Donna’s rosy complexion was ghostly pale, the lines of her right jaw and eye marred by uneven blotches of purple and blue. Angry red marks scratched up her arm, and her right leg hung suspended from the mattress with ropes and slings like the pulley her dad used on the farm.

  “Five minutes, Lieutenant.” The nurse warned before pulling the curtain shut behind her.

  “The old battleaxe,” Donna mumbled quietly. “I swear, she’s worse than anything you and I saw in basic training.”

  Maggie smiled. Donna couldn’t be too bad off if she was already griping about the nurses. “That’s what you get for getting into a fight with a tree.”

  “If you think I look bad, you should get a load of that dogwood,” Donna yawned.

  Maggie sat down in a chair next to the bed. “You scared the daylights out of me today.”

  “You’re not the only one.”

  Maggie glanced toward where the nurse had stood and satisfied, plunged ahead. “Got any idea about what happened?”

  Donna shrugged, then grimaced. “Not really. The plane had checked out perfect and was running great. The only thing I did notice was that my fuel gauge dropped faster than I thought it should. By the time I figured it out I was in trouble, . . .” Donna’s voice drifted off.

  “You didn’t have enough gas to get back to the plant.”

  Donna’s hair fanned across the pillow as she shook her head. “One minute, it was full; the next, I was scouting out a field to land in.”

  This didn’t make sense. “Did you see any problems in your preflight check?”

  Donna’s eyelids hung low. “Your Wesley did it for me.”

  Your Wesley. A slight frisson of delight ran through Maggie. “He’s not mine, Donna.”

  A soft smile graced her friend’s sleepy features. “Not yet, but you want him to be.”

  Maggie grimaced. Leave it to her friend to spout romantic nonsense when she could have lost her life today. Resting her forearms on the edge of Donna’s bed, Maggie reach out and carefully took Donna’s hand. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.” She gave Maggie’s fingers a gentle squeeze.

  “If I hadn’t have been trying to put Charles in his place, I would have been on that flight, not you.”

  “Which only means you would have been laid up here instead of me.” She gave Maggie a weak smile. “Or are you saying you would have gotten it down in one piece?”

  “Are you kidding? No one could have landed that plane as good as you did.”

  “I wished I could have landed it a little bit better.” Donna dug her elbows into the mattress and pushed her body up in the bed. A low grunt escaped her lips as she landed. “Maybe then I wouldn’t be so busted up.”

  At least, you’re not dead. A sobering thought but true. Donna finally seemed settled, her eyelids fluttering close. Maggie leaned back and watched as her friend’s breathing slowed into a restful pattern.

  Was someone at the plant gunning for her or for the WASP in general? The memory of the note slammed through her. Had she been so determined to prove herself that she had ignored the possibility that she was putting people in harm’s way?

  “Maggie?”

  She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the mattress. “What is it, honey? Is there something you need?”

  Donna snuggled into her pillow, pulling the sheet up under her chin. “Would you be my maid of honor?”

  Maggie chuckled. What a question! “Of course, I will. But you need to get some rest. You’ve got to get better and back in the cockpit.”

  “I’m done. No more flying, at least now for a while. I just want to marry Bill before he ships out.” Donna closed her eyes. “If he’ll have me.”

  What an odd thing for her to say? Maggie patted her hand. “Of course, he’ll marry you, but what’s the rush? There’s be plenty of time for that.”

  “Is there? I’m not so sure anymore.”

  Maggie blanketed Donna’s cold hand between her own. Her friend had been spooked by the crash more than she had let on. “Daddy always says the Lord must still have a purpose for you if He hasn’t called you home. You’ve got to get your hours in so that the airlines will reconsider you for a piloting job.”

  “I want a family, Maggie. A home,” Donna whispered, her voice cracking. “Flying is just one part of who I am. What about all those other parts of our lives? What happens to us when we can’t fly planes anymore?”

  Maggie wasn’t sure what to say. She’s never thought about the day she’d have to give up flying, had truly never thought she would. But Donna had a point. She couldn’t expect to fly forever. What happen then? Loneliness curled inside her, rippling through her until it crashed through every part of her being. As much as she wanted, no, needed to fly, she didn’t want to reach her goal alone.

  Wesley. His name whispered through her heart. She shook her head. No, it wasn’t possible. Falling in love with Wesley Hicks wasn’t in her plans.

  And Wesley wouldn’t fall for a girl pilot, not after what he’d been through. He had his own demons to face. Maybe one day, he could let go of the past but she didn’t think it would be anything soon.

  Maggie shook her head again. No, loving Wesley just wasn’t possible.

  With God, all things are possible.

  “Thanks for coming today, Captain,” Bill said, motioning for Wesley to sit down in the chair next to him. “I know how busy you are right.”

  “I always make time for my pilots.” Wesley sunk down in the fold out chair, the sharp scrape of the metal legs an odd sound in such a anesthetic environment. Yes, he always made time for his men, but this situation was different. Donna was Maggie’s friend. Flying in a plane that Maggie was supposed to fly.

  And almost getting killed in the process. Thoughts nagged at him. What if Maggie had gone up in that plane? Would she fared as well as Donna or would it have been worse? How would he have made Merrilee understand her loss if he couldn’t understand it himself? Despite the chill in the hallway, a bead of perspiration popped out on his forehead.

  He swiped his hand across his brow. “You’ve got yourself a nice girl there, Bill.”

  “You’re got that right, sir.” The man broke into a smile. “A little too stubborn for her own good at times, but I guess that’s one of the reason’s I love her.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  Bill gave him a brief nod. “I’ve known she was the perfect girl for me since the day I met her. Last week, I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”

  “Congratulations,” Wesley replied, extending his hand.

  Bill grasp his hand and shook it. “Thank you, sir.”

  “When’s the big day?”

  “Not for a while yet.” Bill leaned back in his chair and stretched. “We both decided to wait until Donna gets her flying hours in so that she can pilot commercial aircraft.”

  “Sounds like a long wait.”

  If the man’s expression was anything to go by, he didn’t seem to mind. “Like I said, sir, Donna is a very stubborn woman. And trust me, she’s worth it.”

  So is Maggie. “When are you scheduled to ship out?”

  “Monday.” Bill took a deep breath. “Don’t know where I’m going to yet.”

  Wesley stared out over the deserted nursing station. Poor guy, having to leave his injured fiancé behind while he reported for duty.

  He frowned. When had his desire to get back in the war disappeared?
Sure, there were battles he had to fight here. Training the squad to take the helm of the Fort. Maggie and her occasional skirmishes with her Uncle James to save Merrilee’s home. He’d found a battle field that needed protecting just as much as his grandfather’s beloved England.

  I’ve made a life here.

  Wesley froze as the truth settled over him. The thought of settling in Marietta didn’t bother him at all. No, that’s not true. He could see making a life for himself here if Maggie was a part of it.

  He ground his back teeth together. No, including Maggie in his life wasn’t an option, not when the possibility of losing her always hung in the air.

  He’d train her to pilot the super fortress and that was it. If he got lucky, maybe Major Evans would transfer her to another base. Much as he’d hate it, he’d ask for a transfer to Kansas City or back to Buffalo before he found himself sitting in a hospital corridor wondering if Maggie was alive. His gut knotted up at the thought.

  Wesley cleared his throat. It’d been a while since either of the men had spoken. “Did Donna tell you what happened?”

  “I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to her,” Bill answered, his brows furrowed. “But the crew that brought her in said that most of the danger was done by a low laying tree limb.”

  “Were there any signs of a fire?”

  He shook his head. “No, the guys said she looked like she came in on fumes. Almost like she ran out of gas.”

  But that’s impossible. Wesley had checked the fuel levels himself. “Could Donna have dumped the gas when she realized she was going down?”

  “I doubt it. She didn’t had time to empty the entire load.”

  Wesley nodded. “No. And even if she only had a little fuel, the tank would have exploded once she hit the ground.”

  “Thank God, it didn’t.” Bill answered, his voice cracking.

  Yes, Lord, thank you! Wesley blew out a harsh breath. “I’m sorry, Bill. I have a habit of talking things out so that I can think them through better.”