"Sweetheart, would you stop pacing, it's making me nervous."
"This whole freaking month makes me nervous. One of these times I'm going to ask to be put in a medical coma from the 29th of October to November 1st so I don't have to worry so much."
Andi padded across the living room over to her brooding partner and took her hand.
"Honey, look at me."
Jess kept her eyes trained on the ground, tears threatening to spill from them.
"Honey . . . " Andi cupped Jess' face and urged it upward. "Honey, I know you are worried and even a little scared, but it'll be ok."
Jess wanted to believe it would be ok, truly she did.
"We're going to go to visit your mom. You told me that is where you feel the most protected, right?"
Jess nodded, her blue eyes pleading with Andi to convince her nothing would happen.
"Because you had that dream, we changed from flying to the train, right?"
Jess nodded again, still a bit pouty.
"Have you had the dream again?"
Jess scrunched her eyebrows, thinking hard. She swallowed and tried to clear her throat, finding her voice. "You know," she said quietly, "I don't think I have had it in two nights. Not since we changed to Amtrak." She pondered another moment and continued more sure of herself "maybe you think I'm silly but that dream showing us dead in the wreck just freaked me out. Maybe now everything will be ok."
"Everything will be ok," Andi parroted, pulling her love closer.
Jess nuzzled the blonde's hair, taking in a deep whiff of the fragrant strands. Mmm . . . Head and Shoulders . . .
Andi sighed with contentment - her body melting into her spouse as Jess' nuzzling quickly turned to nips and licks.
"Hey good looking" Jess whispered in the shorter woman's ear, "wanna fool around?"
Without another word, Andi grabbed Jess' hand and led her to their bedroom.
Three days later . . .
"Everything's packed, let's get out of here. Who knows what traffic will be like downtown . . . honey?"
Jess' vacillation settled and took a seat in the room while Jess remained silent.
"You know, we don't have to go don't you?"
"But what if we stay home and something happens?"
"What if we stay home and nothing happens?"
"But..but.."
"Jess, come on, we have to stop being afraid. YOU have to stop being afraid. Let's just go. Anyway, you dreamed of an airplane crash right? We're going by train."
"You're right, I know you're right. In the dream I just saw a lot of debris. I saw us lying there bloody and burnt. I don't really remember much more..well other than a twisted piece of metal. You know if I close my eyes I can still see it." Jess as if by command closed her eyes. "Starlight . . . that's what it says, Starlight 11."
"Sweetheart, you don't have to worry. Everything will be fine. You'll see. Come on, we have just enough time to make it."
Jess allowed herself to be pulled to their car which Andi had filled with luggage. Andi nudged Jess toward the passenger's side since she knew they only way they would get anywhere was for her to drive.
Andi went around the other side of the vehicle and reached for her keys. The keys. "Honey, do you have the keys?" Andi said as she jumped up and down hoping that they would miraculously jump out of her jeans pocket. Jess did the same, much to the amusement of the elderly couple walking across the street from them. The dreaded reality hit Andi - she left the keys in the door. On the inside of the door. And much to Andi's chagrin, she'd given the spare hidden key to her cousin, Louie, who was going to check on the place while they were gone.
Shit. Shit shit shit.
Andi kept jumping around because as everyone knows that helps you come up with a solution to a really big problem sooner.
Jess walked up to Andi who was scrambling for her cell phone to call . . . someone.
"Andi, would you think I'm just a dork if I said I thought this was a sign and we stay home? I'm just so drained and I think if anything does happen, I really do want to be where I feel the most protected."
"How can we get there? I know you feel that way at your mom's house."
"No, Mom's isn't where I feel the safest." Jess took Andi's hands in her own. "here..or there..or anywhere. As long as you are with me, I'm safe."
Andi sighed deeply. "You know you big lug, no matter what we go through, I'll be here. With you. Safe."
Jess zeroed in on the inviting lips before her when some caught her eye. A small piece of drapery was fluttering out the front window. That meant a window was open. And now there was a way into the house to get the keys! Andi in anticipation of the kiss was still puckered and waiting for her reward. When she finally opened her eyes, she followed Jess' line of sight. She started to jump at the chance to make it to the train station but was able to swallow her words before they escaped. Jess is right . . . home is where we should be. Andi crawled in the window and opened the front door to let Jess in.
"Welcome home, honey," the blonde reached out and pulled her partner over the threshold. "Welcome home."
10 minutes later in another part of town
This is Lisa Allen with a horrible late breaking report of a train - wreck just outside of our city. The Starlight 11 line to Southern California has derailed. This is a passenger train. At this time we don't have a count on injuries or casualties but initial reports suggest there will be a large number of critical patients. Again, the Starlight 11 passenger train has crashed possibly with a large number of dead. Stay tuned for further updates as we get them.
The end
