Reunion

Reunion

Sarah felt herself floating, looking down on her sleeping form. This seems so real, she thought but knew it must be a dream. She had always been sensitive to movement and often got car-sick and never, she reminded herself, flew. That thought brought a chuckle as she noted the sleeper’s tousled hair and saw a teddy-bear tucked beside the slumbering form, its nose peeking out from under the covers. The sight of “Albert,” threadbare and patched, brought a smile to her face. “Hi, Albert.” The bear didn’t answer but she could sense its welcoming smile.

A distant ringing pulled her back from the dream and pried open her eyes. Disoriented, she fumbled with the phone, finally mumbling what she hoped passed for “Yes?”

“Sarah?” Tom Dougherty’s gravely voice was unmistakable. There were many things she loved about Tom but his voice was at the top of her list.

“Hi, Tom.” She glanced at the clock and saw it was 3:30 a.m. “I take it this is an official call.”

“I know it’s early but duty calls. There was a crash at the airport. We’ve been tapped for the investigation. The team is assembling at United Hangar 2B.”

At the word “crash,” Sarah was already rolling out of bed. “Oh God. How serious …”

Tom cut her off. “Sarah, it doesn’t get any more serious than this.”

“I’m on my way.” She quickly dressed, grabbed her go-bag and was running for the door with Tom’s “see you soon” still ringing in her ears.

She had worked as a member of the National Transportation Board’s Aviation Accident Investigation Team for over four years. After graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering, she had started at Boeing in Research and Development, designing the next generation of fly-by-wire control systems. She had an uncanny ability to understand complex electrical systems and had come to the attention of Tom while working as a liaison during an investigation of a crash of a Boeing prototype.

That time, there were no fatalities but from the pilot’s description of what happened, confirmed by the black-box flight details, Sarah was certain the cause lay in a remote relay failure. “Impossible,” was the head engineer’s reaction.

Tom, however, didn’t dismiss her. He sat down and simply asked, “Why?” She laid out the schematics, walked through each possible scenario by tracing the electrical flows and finally pointed to one place where all the possibilities coincided. And, when they found it in the wreckage and tested it, she was proven right. It didn’t take long for him to recruit her as a part of his team.

As she sped through the deserted streets, Sarah tried not to think of what was coming. She had, in the past years, been on investigations that had left her sick. Better not go there, she thought. Letting her mind drift, she recalled the dream she had. Whatever happened to Albert? She had gotten the bear after her mother had passed away. It was her only solace but as time had passed, the wounds of the loss had healed and Albert had … what? I must have put him in the closet. Funny, I haven’t thought of him in years.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was hitting all the lights green. “Someone’s angels must be looking out for me,” she murmured. “Thank you.” She was sure that whatever was facing her was going to be unpleasant and she was grateful for the lack of delays.

Her train of thought was broken as she pulled up to the west gate and saw the guard waving her through. That startled her and she would have stopped but for the sense of urgency she felt. I need to tell Tom and have him contact Security. We don’t want reporters – or worse, curiosity seekers - swarming all over and destroying evidence. Arriving at United 2B, she grabbed her bag and went to the small recessed door in the larger hangar door.

Inside, she was again surprised, this time by the lack of bedlam. Usually, everyone was rushing around trying to get organized. The recovery group should have had a table laid out with a map of the crash site. Instead, large groups of people stood about, seemingly without purpose. As she entered, their voices seemed to mute, as though she had put on ear protectors. Those closest turned toward her expectantly.

Spotting Tom, she pushed her way over to him. “What’s going on Tom? Where’s the team? Who are all these people?”

Tom smiled. “Hi, Sarah. It’s good to see you too,” he chuckled.

Sarah felt a warm flush creep up her cheeks. She loved Tom but had never told him. It had been a while since she last saw him. Sarah remembered how much she’d loved his laugh, the deep baritone held such warmth, and had always made her feel confident and safe ... before … before he’d died!

Sudden realization swept over her. “Tom – Tom? What … you’re … “ She couldn’t find the right words.

“It’s all right, Sarah. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“What … about the crash?” she finished lamely.

“You were on that flight, Sarah,” he said, a look of regret in his eyes.

“No,” she blurted but was interrupted as he handed her a newspaper.

Scanning the page, she read about the accident. She suddenly stopped as she saw her name. “No! I’m not dead. I’m standing right here!” Fear and shock made her knees buckle but Tom reached out, supporting her with his strong arms.

After a moment, she pushed him away. She wanted the comfort but she couldn’t think clearly. “I don’t understand,” she said, feeling tears well up in her eyes. “This isn’t possible.”

Tom smiled, a gentle look on his face. “I know it’s hard to comprehend but … “ He paused, as if listening. Suddenly, a big grin spread across his face. “Open your bag, Sarah.”

“Tom?” She stared at him, not understanding what he was saying.

“Please Sarah,” he repeated, “open your bag.”

Unzipping the go-bag, Sarah saw the familiar face of Albert … and understood that everything would be all right.


Notes:
An entry for the December round of "Invalid Item" 
Prompt: Confabulation - False memory. A characteristic of confabulations is the fact that people genuinely believe their false memory, despite evidence contradicting its truthfulness.
Word Limit: Minimum – 1000, Maximum: 2500
Word Count: 1,028

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please, as long as you’re here, leave a comment. Criticisms, thoughts, reactions, yes – even words of encouragement or praise – are all equally welcome

Ken