ARRIVAL
LUKE
The attendant held the door as I pushed Josh’s wheelchair through the narrow aisle. It wasn’t a long walk to the terminal, but every step felt like we were marching toward something bigger than the three of us could handle.
Sarah walked a few paces ahead, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her head down like she was bracing against some invisible storm.
“I don’t know why I’m nervous, man,” Josh muttered, twisting slightly in his chair to glance back at me. “Why am I so fucking nervous?”
I didn’t answer right away because hell if I knew. My hands tightened on the grips of the wheelchair, my palms slick with sweat. “Maybe because it’s not every day you walk–or roll–out of a crash and straight into a family reunion.”
Josh gave a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah. That’s probably it.”
We fell into silence again as we approached the sliding glass doors leading into the arrivals terminal. The hum of the airport grew louder, blending with the occasional static–filled announcements overhead.
I kept my focus on the path ahead, on the small trail Sarah’s footsteps carved into the gleaming floor. Anything to stop my mind from spiraling.
I didn’t want to think about what was waiting for us on the other side of those doors.
Maybe I didn’t want to picture their faces–Jess and Laura, sitting there, staring at us, waiting to see if we’d come back whole.
Because we weren’t whole.
Not even close.
Fuck, I don’t even know how to just ease back into civilization…
“Damn,” Josh said under his breath, pulling me out of my thoughts. “No bags. No shit to carry. Just me and this chair. Guess it’s a perk of having your stuff at the bottom of the
ocean.”
I barked a short laugh, more out of surprise than humor. “Yeah,
- real silver lining there, Josh.”
Sarah turned her head slightly, her lips twitching into what might’ve been a smile before she looked away again.
The sliding doors hissed open, and the noise hit me like a wall. Voices, footsteps, the whir of suitcases rolling across tile–it all felt too loud, too much. But then I saw them sitting in those hard plastic chairs just outside the baggage claim.
–
People were passing them, and the view was hazy, but fuck – I saw Jess, I saw her face, and this time, it wasn’t a dream. She was on the phone and had her face all scrunched up like she was thinking, and I thought.
They hadn’t seen us yet.
Josh tensed in the chair, his hands gripping the armrests tightly. “They’re right there,” he said, his voice low, almost reverent. “Man, they’re really right there.”
“Yeah, I murmured, my throat dry. “They are…”
Sarah paused in front of us, glancing back. Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes softened as they darted between me and Josh. “You ready?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the rush of people.
Josh exhaled sharply through his nose, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I wasn’t sure if I could say the same. My chest felt tight, and my Stomach twisted in knots I couldn’t unravel. But I pushed forward anyway, gripping the wheelchair so tightly my knuckles turned white…
As we rolled closer, Jess’s head snapped up, her eyes locking on us like a laser. For a moment, she didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t breathe. Laura turned a second later, her hand flying to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
“Holy shit,” Josh muttered, his voice cracking.
It was Jess–it was really Jess, right here, within reach. I was stuck on her face–her beautiful face that haunted me every single night on that forsaken island.
Laura jumped up, but Jess stayed until Luara turned around and helped her up. Now Laura was staring at Josh, her lips moving silently like she was saying a prayer. I scanned Jess from head to toe to look for injuries. Why did Laura have to help her up?
Laura reached us first, stopping a few feet away. Her gaze landed on Josh, her hands trembling at her sides “You’re here” she whispered, her voice cracking ‘You’re really here.”
Josh nodded, his jaw tight as he tried to keep his composure. “Yeah, Laura. I’m here.”
She laughed then, a sound so full of relief it made my chest ache. She dropped to her knees in front of the wheelchair, her hands gripping his. “I thought–1 thought-”
“I know,” Josh said softly, cutting her off. “I know.”
