Carry On

"Are you okay?" Val asked. She noticed my hands beginning to shake as the plane began to descend. I nodded and she looked sadly at me.

I was anxious and nervous. I was happy, but I wasn't. I wasn't sure what to think. I knew that within the next twenty minutes, I'd be reunited with my mother. I hardly remembered what she was like. Would she hug me? Would she pull me close like Dad does?

When the plane stopped Val ushered me to get up so we can start making our way off the plane. We grabbed our carry on bags before walking the long tunnel into the airport terminal, "Do you see her?" Val asked, a wide smile on her face.

My eyes scanned the crowd. I looked for a replica of Val. My mother. I looked for her eyes, which were probably shaded by sunglasses anyways. I searched for her light brown hair with a touch of golden high lights, just as I remembered.

"No," I muttered.

"She must be by baggage, then," She assured and we made our way to the baggage claim. There were fewer people, and I could see some family and friends reuniting with each other. I saw a few soldiers being welcomed by their families.

Val recognized our luggage right away and I could tell she was getting impatient, "Why don't I call her. She might be at the wrong terminal," She said, still keeping her smile on her face. Val pulled out her phone, turning it on since she had it off during the flight. She was quick to dial and put the phone to her ear, "Michelle? Where are you?" There was a paused, "At the airport," Val stated and I could see her smile start to fade, "Oh, that's wonderful. Thanks for telling us last minute," She snapped and I knew what happened. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mom got busy and forgot to come by and pick us up from the airport.

Val shoved her phone in her pocket and turned to me, her anger bleeding through the smile she was trying to force for me, "We had a little mix up. She's going to meet us at the hotel," Val assured and I nodded.

I was acting like it didn't matter, but it did. Seven years and I thought she would be running for me. I thought she would want to greet me with open arms, since it had been so long. I wanted to act like I wasn't bothered, or I wasn't surprised. I was boiling inside. I was hurt. I felt like I had done all this work for nothing. And here she wasn't.

Val, being the beautiful woman she was, convinced a security guard to help carry our bags to the front gate so we could wave down a taxi. We loaded out bags inside before hopping in the backseat. When we pulled out of the airport and I looked out the window.

It was then that I realized I was in a city I had always wanted to go to, but never could. I was in awe by the large buildings and colorful signs. The city was a huge difference from the wide and open shores of Huntington, "I thought we could all go sight-seeing after dinner," Val smiled, "Just to get a glimpse. And you and your Mom can explore more tomorrow."

If she shows up.
"Yeah," I smiled.

It took us twenty minutes to pull up to the hotel. The staff greeted us right away, taking our bags to the front desk and opening the doors for us. Val paid for the taxi and we walked inside. The ceilings were high and the marble tile glistened underneath the glowing lights of the chandeliers. Val didn't say anything as we walked up to the front desk.

"We have a reservation for Haner," Val smiled.

"Oh yes. Elizabeth, correct?" She asked.

"She's Elizabeth, but I'm her aunt," Val mentioned and she nodded.

"Of course," She smiled and handed Val papers to sign before handing her two keys, "Also, a Brian Haner called earlier. He was asking if you had checked in yet. I informed him that you would be notified of his call as soon as you arrived. He seemed quite worried."

"Sounds like him," Val laughed, "Thank you."

Val smiled at me, wrapping an arm around me comfortingly and leading me to the elevators. She pressed the button to the third to last floor, taking us up all the way to the very top of the building. Even the elevators were nice.

We came to a door and Val pulled out her key, opening the door of broth of us. We stepped inside and my eyes widened.

"These are the kind of rooms the guys stay in when they're on tour?" I asked, completely in shock of how luxurious the room was.

She laughed, "Of course not. They get the average rooms," She said and I turned to her, "But your father only wants the best for his favorite girl," She grinned.

The ceilings were high and sunlight poured in, illuminating the expensive linens hanging on the windows. Our bags were already in our rooms. Val and I had separate doors leading to our rooms, and the room was equipped with a fire place and television.

I was used to luxury, but not this. I was used to fast cars and expensive clothes. Our house was nice, but I had never stayed in a hotel before. I certainly wasn't expecting this.

"Why don't you go freshen up," She smiled at me and I nodded, hopping excitedly over to my room to see what else I could find to amaze me.

-

Brian sat on the couch, his legs kicked up and his head resting on his head. The television was on, but he was hardly paying attention. His eyes wandered back to the clock, and he sighed in frustration. Suddenly, his phone was ringing and he immediately picked it up.

"Do you know how worried I was?!" He exclaimed and he heard Val sigh. "Oh my God, what's wrong?" He asked frantically, "Is she okay?" He asked, standing up, ready to head to his office to book another flight to New York for himself.

"Well, I don't know yet. Michelle failed to pick us up from the airport," She growled, obviously upset with her sister.

"What?" Brian snapped, "She didn't meet you guys there?"

"No. We took a taxi to the hotel. The woman at the front desk said you called. I didn't want to call you when Liza was around. She's in her room. I told her to freshen up."

Brian sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Does she like it so far?" He asked.

"Yeah," She smiled, "She's quite impressed with what's around her. I don't think she was expecting the room you paid for."

Brian shrugged, "She deserves the best."

"I know," She sighed.

"So what's going on, then? Have you gotten a hold of Michelle?"

"Yeah. She's going to meet us here. I think Liza's a little shocked, but she's doing a great job at hiding it."

"It's the medication. It tones down her reactions to things. It's supposed to help her remain calm. She hasn't been zoning out has she?" Brian asked.

"No, not that I know of. Why?" Val questioned.

"When she zones out she's hearing herself talk. She's hearing the other part of her mind," Brian explained and Val understood. Before he had booked the flight to New York, he sat down with her to explain everything. He explained everything from Liza's diagnosis, to how many pills she needed to take a day. He didn't leave out anything.

"I'm keeping an eye on her, Brian. Don't worry," Val said, but she knew he wouldn't listen. He would always worry.

"Can I talk to her?" He asked.

"Of course, hang on."

Brian heard shuffling, a light knock, and a soft voice before he finally heard Liza's voice drift through his ears. He relaxed finally. He couldn't be calm until he heard her voice, knowing she was okay.

"Hey, Sweetie, how are you?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Dad," She said softly and he frowned.

"Liza, your mother is busy, and sometimes she forgets where her priorities are. I don't want you to think it's anything personal okay? Your mother loves you," He explained. He didn't particularly like the fact that he was defending Michelle, but he had no choice. With the new knowledge of how Liza's mind worked, he couldn't afford to let her think otherwise. Her life depended on it.

"Okay," She muttered.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, Dad," She said and he sighed, "I love you too."

"Call me tonight if you aren't too tired, okay? I miss you."

"I miss you too, and I will."

"Okay," He said softly and he sighed. He didn't want to hang up, but he knew he had to. His daughter had an entire undiscovered city ahead of her, and he didn't want to hold her back, "Have fun, okay? Listen to Val."

"I will. And," She paused, "Thanks for everything, Dad," And he felt the corners of his lips tug up into a smile, "Really. It's a lot more than I expected."

"Anything for you, Sweetie. I'm glad you like it. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

The line went dead and he sighed. He tossed his phone aside, staring up at the ceiling. He had the urge to jump on the plane and head straight to the hotel Liza was at. He just wanted her to be safe, and he had a horrible feeling in his gut. He just hoped Michelle could realize what's going on, and fix things. He couldn't handle anything happening to Liza.

She was too precious to him.