The three little dots signaling his impending response appeared. My pulse raced as I watched the dots dancing around.
Landon: This is Landon’s friend, Ace. I have his phone. He was in an accident down at the skateboarding park. He fell unconscious after hitting his head. I’m at the waiting room at Los Angeles Memorial. The doctors are running some tests on him right now.
What?
My heart was beating out of control.
This couldn’t be happening.
The room was swaying, and it felt like some kind of out of body experience. I was panicking as what felt like a million thoughts ran through my mind.
What if he was severely injured?
What if he lost his memory?
What if I never had a chance to be with him?
The list went on and on.
What if I never had a chance to tell him how I feel about him?
What if he…died?
DIED.
What if he died?
I finally garnered the strength to type out one more message.
Rana: Is he going to be okay?
Landon: I just don’t know anything right now. I’m sorry.
No.
No.
No.
Tears blinded me as I ran back out to the dining room, heading toward the restaurant manager. The band thought I was about to dance and started playing again.
“Xenophon, I have a family emergency. I’m sorry. I have to go.”
Not bothering to wait for his response, I grabbed my coat and ran out of the restaurant.
My frantic breaths were visible in the cold night air. After running for about a mile, I finally tracked down a taxi.
“I need you to take me to the airport.”
Eyeing my uniform from the rearview mirror, he said, “A little late for Halloween, eh?”
I simply faked a smile before closing my eyes and praying that I got to Landon in time, that he was going to be okay.
Worrying about his impression of me had taken a major backseat to the more serious concerns now at the forefront of my mind. There was no time to fixate on myself anymore. This turn of events had put everything into perspective.
He needed to be okay.
It was all that mattered.
I gave the driver all of the dollar bills in my possession. He must’ve thought I was a stripper. My cash barely covered the fare.
With nothing but my phone and my wallet, I ran through the sliding doors to the Spirit Airlines ticket counter.
“When is the next flight you have to Los Angeles?”
“We’re all booked for the 8PM, but there’s one on Delta leaving in forty minutes. You’ll have to head to Terminal A, though. That’s on the other side in that direction.”
Running aimlessly in search of Terminal A, I weaved in and out of the crowds until I finally arrived at the Delta counter.
Unfortunately, there was a line. The old man behind me started ogling me and smiling. Creeper. I was too freaked out about getting to California in a hurry to care.
Finally, my turn came.
“I need a ticket for your next flight to Los Angeles.”
After presenting her with my identification and credit card, she punched some buttons before swiping my card then said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but your card was declined. Do you have another one?”
“I only have the one credit card. Can you try it again?”
“I tried it twice. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to take it up with the credit card company.”
It occurred to me that I’d hit my limit a while back when I’d purchased some new winter clothes. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting to have to buy a plane ticket. Devastated, I pleaded with the airline employee.
“Please. Is there anything you can do? Does the airline have a payment plan or something? I’m desperate. I’m not travelling for leisure.” I started rambling as tears poured down my face, “There’s this guy. I’m pretty sure he’s the love of my life. He just doesn’t know it yet. Anyway, he was in an accident. And I don’t even know how serious it is. I left work and raced straight here, and I’m so scared that if I don’t get on this flight, I may never see him again.” I was choking on my tears.
Just then, fingertips tapped my shoulder.
Whipping my head around, I snapped, “Please. I’m almost done.”
The old man then pushed in front of me.
I panicked. “What are you doing?”
He spoke to the woman at the counter. “I’d like to pay for her flight, please.”
What?
“Are you sure?” she asked. “It’s seven-hundred dollars plus tax, one way.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” His hand trembled a bit as he took his credit card out of his worn, brown leather wallet and handed it to her.
I stood in silence, shocked at the generosity that I was witnessing from a man I’d deemed a creeper just minutes ago. That old perv had become my guardian angel on Earth.
He looked at me. “If the love of my life was in danger, you’d better believe I’d need to be on that flight. Actually, the love of my life is dead, but she was an old romantic, and if she were here, she’d be telling me to pay for that gypsy girl’s flight.”
“Thank you, Mister…what is your name?”
“Ralph Issacson.”
“Mr. Issacson, I will forever be grateful for this. Please write down your information so I can pay you back.”
He held out his hand. “That’s really not necessary. It gives me great pleasure to do this for you. And I don’t need the money.”
There was no time to argue. I needed to thank this man before rushing onto the flight. The only thing I could think of that I knew he might want happened to be free.
Taking his face in my hands, I planted a firm kiss on his lips. He looked frazzled but extremely satisfied with my impulsive gesture. A permanent smile seemed to be glued onto his face. I definitely left him dazed and confused.
Running to the gate with only minutes to spare, I said five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys.
With no bags, I was able to whiz through security without any issues, except one small snafu when the metal embellishments on my belly dancer garb caused the detectors to go off. They cleared me, and I arrived at the boarding area just in the knick of time.
Did I mention I’d never been on a plane before?
TELL ME SOMETHING FUNNY
Every moment of the five-hour flight was spent shaking my knees up and down. I used to think I would be afraid to fly, but I found myself far more fearful of what awaited me on the ground.
Unable to concentrate on anything but Landon, I couldn’t even read or focus on the movie to get my mind off of things.
Once we landed, I asked a stranger for money to take public transportation, which let me off right in front of Los Angeles Memorial Hospital.
I looked ridiculous, with runny mascara and a coat thrown over my belly dancer outfit. Feeling like I was going to pass out from heat, I took the coat off, which meant everyone was staring at me in my beaded bra top. It didn’t matter to me; all that mattered was getting to Landon.
I stopped at the front desk. “I’m here to see Landon Roderick. Can you tell me where he is?”
My heart was in my mouth the entire time the receptionist was searching the system. I braced for her response.
“He’s in Room 410. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and follow the signs to the East Wing.”
I let out the breath I was holding as a rush of relief ran through me.
He was still here.
He was alive.
Thank you, God!
Having no clue what I was going to say or do, I ran into the empty elevator and pressed the number four button. My heart beat faster with each change of the digits.
Suddenly, my nerves were starting to get the best of me. Unable to fight the tears that were forming in my eyes, I wondered if I was really going to be able to handle seeing him. Or worse, what if he didn’t want me here under these circumstances?
The elevator dinged and opened to Landon’s floor.
I lingered for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping out.
Unable to remember where the receptionist had told me to go, I must have looked as frazzled as I felt because a nurse stopped to offer me help.
“Where are you headed?”
“Room 410?”
She pointed to a few doors down. “That’s right there, but it’s empty. The patient just checked out.”