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Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 42
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 42 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 42
Holly pulled back on the throttle, the lever shaking in her hand as the aircraft descended fast.
Too fast.
"We're doing this wrong," she yelled, watching the earth rise up underneath them. "Eddie, we're gonna crash!"
He wrestled with the yoke, struggling to keep the nose in the air and she wondered if he could hold it. He was strong, but the plane was huge. She was sure the controls would be ripped out of his hands at any second.
The aircraft swayed from side to side, fighting to shake off the gravitational pull. Then they touched down, and the shock was jarring, throwing Holly against her restraints toward the dash as she felt the tail end of the plane bouce once, twice, three times. Each time the nose went down, she was certain the plane would go end-over-end, and they'd be crushed in the process.
One of the wings dipped on the fhird bounce, and stuck, spinning the craft in a wide semi-circle before it finally came to a stop. The engine revved, and Holly reached out to pull the throttle back all the way, until the beast shuddered and died.
Holly looked at Eddie, now several feet lower than she was with the plane nearly on it's side. Relieved when he looked back at her, she shook her head.
"I never want to do that again. Actually, I don't think I ever want to fly again. That was rough."
Eddie inhaled, then let his breath out in a long sigh. "Can't say I disagree with you right at this moment. We did it though. And you have to admit, it was a hellofva ride."
"Yeah, well, let's not plan on a repeat, okay?" Holly squirmed in the safety harness, feeling the bruises that would certainly be showing up on her shoulders. "Now how do we get out of this thing?"
Eddie looked to his right, then swung his feet over and braced them against the wall. "Hang on a sec." Releasing his harness, he held onto his seat for support, then climbed up on the side of it, using one foot against the instrument panel to keep the seat from swiveling.
"Turn your chair so your back is to me. Then you can unfasten your belts without falling."
It took a few seconds to find hand-holds, but Holly managed to pull herself around like he'd instructed, so she was basically lying on her back. She unhooked the harness, careful to keep one foot tight against the window above her so she wouldn't spin out of her seat.
"Okay, now what?" She carefully turned her head toward the cockpit door in time to see Eddie with his back on one side of the wall and his feet on the other, trying to reach the door handle. He shimmied up a few more inches, and finally got it, pushing the door up to open it while trying to maintain his precarious position.
"Let me get into the hall," he said, grasping the doorframe with both hands. "I should be able to pull you up then." He took a deep breath, then pushed with his feet as he pulled his shoulders through the doorway. A few more twists and turns, and his feet disappeared. Holly pictured what the short hall would look like now that it was half on it's side. The steep angle was not going to be fun to negotiate.
"Okay." Eddie's head and hands appeared in the opening again. "If you can just turn around in your seat so you're kneeling on the back, you should be able to reach for my hands. Then I'll pull you up. Just be careful the seat doesn't swivel, or you'll fall."
"Sure," Holly said, looking for something to grab. "Piece of cake, right?" She slowly started to turn in the seat, her pulse tripping when it rocked under her movements. She was nearly on her side when her top leg caught the yoke. A jolt of pain ripped through her healing leg, and she closed her eyes, counting to five as she waited for the pain to subside.
"You can do it," Eddie said quietly when she finally looked up at him. "Take your time."
She nodded, took a deep breath, and then repositioned her legs to bring the bottom one under first, and then the top. Finally kneeling on the back of the seat, she took a minute to breathe.
"Maybe you should just leave me here, go get help. I'm not sure how I'll be able to climb out with this stupid leg. How are we even going to get to the ground once we find a door?"
Eddie grinned. "The wing of the plane is on the ground. That's why we're stuck scaling metal, remember? I figure if the emergency slide doesn't work, we'll slide down the wing." He shifted, propping his chest against the threshold and looking back toward his feet for a moment before holding out his hand.
"Come on, Holly. I'm not leaving you. Buck up and start climbing. Consider it research for your next book."
She laughed, a pathetic, whiny sound. "I write romance novels, you dolt. Not action/adventure flicks."
He shrugged. "What? You don't think this is romantic? This is my chance to be the hero, and rescue a damsel in distress. Don't blow it for me, dammit."
She rolled her eyes, but dutifully reached for his hand. "Fine. But you should know I could never write about this." She placed her other hand on the wall, and then steeled herself for the pain as she put her foot on what looked like the side of a coat hook under normal circumstances. Holding her breath, she stood up on the chair supported by her good leg and then reached up to grab the doorframe next to Eddie's shoulder.
"Why not?" Eddie waited until she jumped toward him and then pulled, rolling to his side as she landed half-way thorugh the door.
Holly finished pulling herself up and propped her toes on the edge of the door while she tried to catch her breath. Thankfully, her leg had gone numb once her hips hit the edge of the opening, so the pain was surprisingly managable. For now. She chuckled.
"Do you seriously think anyone would believe all this?"
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 42 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 42
Holly pulled back on the throttle, the lever shaking in her hand as the aircraft descended fast.
Too fast.
"We're doing this wrong," she yelled, watching the earth rise up underneath them. "Eddie, we're gonna crash!"
He wrestled with the yoke, struggling to keep the nose in the air and she wondered if he could hold it. He was strong, but the plane was huge. She was sure the controls would be ripped out of his hands at any second.
The aircraft swayed from side to side, fighting to shake off the gravitational pull. Then they touched down, and the shock was jarring, throwing Holly against her restraints toward the dash as she felt the tail end of the plane bouce once, twice, three times. Each time the nose went down, she was certain the plane would go end-over-end, and they'd be crushed in the process.
One of the wings dipped on the fhird bounce, and stuck, spinning the craft in a wide semi-circle before it finally came to a stop. The engine revved, and Holly reached out to pull the throttle back all the way, until the beast shuddered and died.
Holly looked at Eddie, now several feet lower than she was with the plane nearly on it's side. Relieved when he looked back at her, she shook her head.
"I never want to do that again. Actually, I don't think I ever want to fly again. That was rough."
Eddie inhaled, then let his breath out in a long sigh. "Can't say I disagree with you right at this moment. We did it though. And you have to admit, it was a hellofva ride."
"Yeah, well, let's not plan on a repeat, okay?" Holly squirmed in the safety harness, feeling the bruises that would certainly be showing up on her shoulders. "Now how do we get out of this thing?"
Eddie looked to his right, then swung his feet over and braced them against the wall. "Hang on a sec." Releasing his harness, he held onto his seat for support, then climbed up on the side of it, using one foot against the instrument panel to keep the seat from swiveling.
"Turn your chair so your back is to me. Then you can unfasten your belts without falling."
It took a few seconds to find hand-holds, but Holly managed to pull herself around like he'd instructed, so she was basically lying on her back. She unhooked the harness, careful to keep one foot tight against the window above her so she wouldn't spin out of her seat.
"Okay, now what?" She carefully turned her head toward the cockpit door in time to see Eddie with his back on one side of the wall and his feet on the other, trying to reach the door handle. He shimmied up a few more inches, and finally got it, pushing the door up to open it while trying to maintain his precarious position.
"Let me get into the hall," he said, grasping the doorframe with both hands. "I should be able to pull you up then." He took a deep breath, then pushed with his feet as he pulled his shoulders through the doorway. A few more twists and turns, and his feet disappeared. Holly pictured what the short hall would look like now that it was half on it's side. The steep angle was not going to be fun to negotiate.
"Okay." Eddie's head and hands appeared in the opening again. "If you can just turn around in your seat so you're kneeling on the back, you should be able to reach for my hands. Then I'll pull you up. Just be careful the seat doesn't swivel, or you'll fall."
"Sure," Holly said, looking for something to grab. "Piece of cake, right?" She slowly started to turn in the seat, her pulse tripping when it rocked under her movements. She was nearly on her side when her top leg caught the yoke. A jolt of pain ripped through her healing leg, and she closed her eyes, counting to five as she waited for the pain to subside.
"You can do it," Eddie said quietly when she finally looked up at him. "Take your time."
She nodded, took a deep breath, and then repositioned her legs to bring the bottom one under first, and then the top. Finally kneeling on the back of the seat, she took a minute to breathe.
"Maybe you should just leave me here, go get help. I'm not sure how I'll be able to climb out with this stupid leg. How are we even going to get to the ground once we find a door?"
Eddie grinned. "The wing of the plane is on the ground. That's why we're stuck scaling metal, remember? I figure if the emergency slide doesn't work, we'll slide down the wing." He shifted, propping his chest against the threshold and looking back toward his feet for a moment before holding out his hand.
"Come on, Holly. I'm not leaving you. Buck up and start climbing. Consider it research for your next book."
She laughed, a pathetic, whiny sound. "I write romance novels, you dolt. Not action/adventure flicks."
He shrugged. "What? You don't think this is romantic? This is my chance to be the hero, and rescue a damsel in distress. Don't blow it for me, dammit."
She rolled her eyes, but dutifully reached for his hand. "Fine. But you should know I could never write about this." She placed her other hand on the wall, and then steeled herself for the pain as she put her foot on what looked like the side of a coat hook under normal circumstances. Holding her breath, she stood up on the chair supported by her good leg and then reached up to grab the doorframe next to Eddie's shoulder.
"Why not?" Eddie waited until she jumped toward him and then pulled, rolling to his side as she landed half-way thorugh the door.
Holly finished pulling herself up and propped her toes on the edge of the door while she tried to catch her breath. Thankfully, her leg had gone numb once her hips hit the edge of the opening, so the pain was surprisingly managable. For now. She chuckled.
"Do you seriously think anyone would believe all this?"
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