Chapter 15 - The Flight to Columbus
The red-eye flight from Raleigh-Durham to Columbus, Ohio, was quiet, filled with the hum of jet engines and the quiet rustle of passengers sleeping under dim cabin lights. I stared out the small oval window into the starless void of the night sky, my mind racing with a mixture of anxiety and calculated resolve.
I had arranged for Noah and Lily to stay with my trusted next-door neighbor, Mrs. Gable, who treated my children like her own grandchildren. They were safe, cared for, and completely insulated from the sudden upheaval.
When my plane touched down at John Glenn Columbus International Airport just past midnight, I grabbed a rental car and drove straight through the quiet, familiar streets of suburban Ohio. The autumn night of our Thanksgiving departure felt like a lifetime ago. The world had turned many times since then, and the dynamic between my mother, my sister, and myself had fundamentally shifted.
I arrived at St. Jude’s Hospital by 1:30 a.m. The antiseptic scent of polished floors and sterile linens greeted me as I strode down the brightly lit corridor of the cardiac care unit.
When I pushed open the door to Room 412, my mother was resting propped up against a bank of crisp white pillows. Her face looked paler than it had in Asheville, and an IV line was taped securely to the back of her weathered hand. But when the door clicked shut behind me, her eyes flickered open, and a profound wave of relief washed over her features.
“Claire,” she whispered, her voice raspy and fragile. “You came.”
I walked over to the bedside, gently taking her frail hand in mine and squeezing it reassuringly.
“Of course I came, Mom,” I said softly, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside her. “How are you feeling?”
“Old,” she smiled weakly. “And foolish. The doctor said my blood pressure spiked because of stress and exhaustion. They’re keeping me for a few days of observation.”
May you like
Before I could ask for more details, the hospital room door swung open, and Amanda walked in, holding a paper cup of stale hospital coffee. When she saw me sitting beside the bed, she stopped dead in her tracks, her expression hardening instantly.
***
