Home » The Archives » Chapter 9 » Regrouping and Recouperation
| Re: Regrouping and Recouperation [message #136 is a reply to message #135] |
Sun, 22 July 2012 19:10   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
Switzerland |
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Brandon sat by his father's bedside, looking at his sleeping form. Holding his father's hand, he thought back to the flight from the island.
Flashback
He stared out the window of the plane, seeing nothing, thoughts in turmoil. He was making an emergency flight home to San Diego and, after a few hours flight time, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw John standing beside him.
Hey, mind if I join you?" John asked.
"Be my guest." Brandon turned back to continue looking out the window.
Sitting across from Brandon, John laid back and closed his eyes, trying to relax, his features tense and drawn. Working two rescues and knowing his mom was injured had taken its toll. Opening his eyes, he looked at his friend, noticing the distant look on his face. "Hey, buddy, how are you holding up?" he asked, concern in his voice.
"Okay, I guess," Brandon replied, shaking his head. "I can't believe this is happening." He struggled with his emotions, trying to keep them in check. "Both my parents are in the hospital and there's a strong possibility that Dad may not walk again; all because some damn fool decided to drink and drive!" He pounded the arm of the seat angrily, causing Emily to jump in alarm.
Brandon, calm down," she said. "You're not doing yourself or your family any good when you're angry. They need you to be strong for them." "She's right," John replied. "When I was up at TB5, trying to coordinate the two rescues, it was hard to keep calm. For the sake of the victims, though, I had to."
Brandon didn't say anything. Instead, the others watched as he closed his eyes, taking slow deep breaths. Finally his body relaxed and he opened his eyes.
"What was that all about?" John asked, noticing the change in Brandon's demeanor.
"I remembered a relaxation exercise I learned in tai-chi a couple of years ago," Brandon replied with a smile. "It's come in handy a lot. Maybe I can teach it to you when I get back.
Arriving in Los Angeles, Brandon turned to John and Virgil, shaking their hands. "Thanks for everything, you guys. Take care and I wish Dianne a full recovery."
"We'll pass it along," Virgil replied.
"Don't you worry about us," Emily said. "You just focus on helping your family."
"We'll keep you in our prayers," John added.
Standing up, Brandon worked the kinks out of his shoulders. He'd been at the hospital since 10:30in the morning, and, looking at the time, he realized it was almost 4:00. Knowing there was nothing more he could do, he got ready to leave. Brushing his hand against his father's cheek he said softly, "I'll be back later, I promise."
Some time later
He had arrived home tired and hungry. Going into the kitchen he looked for something to eat, ending up with a double decker sandwich and a cold beer.
Walking into the living room, he sat down on the couch and reached for the remote. "I wonder if there's anything good on," he said, surfing through the channels and commenting on what he saw. Something caught his attention and he stopped, listening as Ned Cook introduced the next segment of the retrospective. "This should be interesting," he remarked, taking a sip of his beer.
Post by MagicMaster8 on 11/7/2006
  
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