Chapter 113

"You're cutting it pretty close, Captain," Jerald said as they entered the cockpit.

He saw Richard place Maine on the spare chair that Richard usually uses to rest in, placing a blanket on her and strapping her in. He could barely hear Maine mumbling a familiar tune but was too low for him to hear properly. Martin strapped himself on the seat usually for the reserve pilot. It would only mean that Sam had to go out to strap himself in for landing. Jerald was configuring the controls once more as one final glimpse let him see his Captain bent down to kiss his beloved on the temple and a soft whisper of "keep singing" before he turned towards him.

Sam already vacated the seat Richard would be occupying and headed outside to get strapped in.

"I've already made the necessary announcements and will now turn back full control over to you, Captain," Jerald reported while Richard strapped himself in.

"Belay that," replied Richard as he configured the controls once more. "You're still landing this plane. I'm just assisting."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course he's kidding," Martin chirped in from behind. "You are kidding. Right, Jase?"

"No. I'm not. Jerald's landing this plane."

"You're seriously giving me landing lessons right now?!?"

"It's the best time to give you landing lessons," Richard explained. "You're stressed and pressured. Your body's pumping adrenalin. Lives are at stake here. It's the perfect scenario."

"And how exactly is that a perfect scenario?" Jerald inquired as panic seeped into his voice. His knuckles were white from holding the yoke too tightly.

"If you can land the plane in these extreme conditions," replied Richard. "You'll be able to land anytime."

"Damn it, Jase!" Jerald said. "If this is you pulling a prank - "

"Do you really think I'd pull a stunt like that?" Richard interjected, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Knowing far too well that Maine's life is on the line. Do you really think I'd risk Maine's life for a joke?"

Jerald shot a quick glance at Maine who was still murmuring a song as she struggled to stay awake. He looked back at Richard who was looking at him seriously, as if daring him to make a retort.

"Oh you are so lucky I love Maine like a little sister!" Jerald exclaimed as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and shaking himself to release tension in his body. "Alright. Let's do this!"

-oo-

Ten minutes later, Jerald sat unmoving while Richard did the post flight protocols. Once he was done, he turned to Jerald and placed a hand on his bestfriend's shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Congratulations, First Officer Usman," Richard said with a smile. "That was a perfect landing."

"I actually landed the plane unsupervised," muttered Jerald as it finally sunk in.

Richard just kept silent throughout the whole ordeal as he did all the checks and pre-landing protocols. He was distracted. Every so often Jerald would see him turn to check up on Maine and Martin, especially whenever the older man coaxed Maine to keep singing. Instinct finally took hold as years of lessons and training started flooding back to him, allowing him to land the plane without problems.

He was brought back from his momentary triumph when he heard Martin shout, "Maine! Wake up!"

Richard bolted off his chair and rushed over to Maine's side. Martin was shaking Maine but she was not responding.

"Come on, Maine," Martin cried. "Open your eyes. You were doing so well awhile ago. I've almost memorized the whole song. Come on, Maine. Don't do this."

Jerald immediately radioed tower to request for them to hurry, reporting on Maine's condition and adding that it was critical. Richard checked up on her and cursed once more when he felt her fever spiked. She was so pale and her breath was shallow.

A few seconds later, Sam came into the room telling them that the door was already open. A pair of Medics followed him in. Jerald had to pull Richard away from Maine so that they could check on her. A few agonizing seconds more and they said that they would be carrying Maine down, the stretcher couldn't be brought in because of its bulk. Richard insisted on carrying her, and after a few more debate, was allowed to bring her down and accompany them in the ambulance.

"Don't worry about everything here," Martin reassured him as he carried Maine outside. "We'll handle things. Just make sure everything is fine with Maine. We'll follow afterwards."

Inside the ambulance, Richard did his best to keep clear off the Medic that was taking Maine's vitals. He sat beside her on a stool near her head and he could only reach out to caress her cheek. He said a silent prayer, begging God not to take her away. A lone tear escaped his eye, but he tried his best to hold everything back for her sake.

-oo-

When they arrived at the hospital, he was asked to wait while they checked up on her. Doc Burnz was already waiting for them when they arrived. After assuring Richard that he would do everything he can to help Maine, he rushed off, leaving Richard in the waiting area.

It was a nerve wracking waiting game for any news from the doctor. Richard started pacing after making the necessary calls to both Maine's and his parents, and fixed the necessary paperwork. He tried to recall if there was anything that Maine had done or ate that would make her body react negatively. But he couldn't think of any. "What if" scenarios started forming in his head, making him more agitated than necessary.

Finally, Doctor Vega emerged from the doors and approached him.

"Jason," he greeted, but there was a serious look on his face that Richard rarely saw from the good doctor. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm barely keeping it together to tell you honestly, Doc," Richard replied. "How's Maine? Did she regain consciousness?"

Doc Burnz shook his head and replied, "we've run some series of tests to determine the cause. It might take about 24-48 hours to get the results."

"Is Maine's body rejecting my brother's heart?" Richard asked blatantly, but was afraid of the answer.

"Honestly," he replied. "It's too early to tell. But basing on the symptoms, it is a possibility. We would really need to wait for the results of the tests that we took. But then again, it could just be an infection."

Richard could only nod. Doctor Vega reached out and held him by the shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I promise, Jason," Doc Burnz said. "I'll do everything I can for Maine. You guys still have a wedding to prepare for. Don't lose hope. She'll get through this."

"Thanks, Doc," he replied.

At that moment, Maine was being wheeled to the room that was ready for her. Richard walked with Doctor Vega while the older man explained to him what they would do with Maine.

The nurses got her settled and the doctor checked out the heart monitor that they've attached to Maine.

"We'll do everything we can, Jason," Dr. Vega reiterated. "Trust in that."

"Thank you, Doc," he repeated.

"I'll leave you two then," Dr. Vega said. "I'll check back in about 4 hours."

When the doctor left the room, Richard sat on the chair located beside her bed. He just sat there in silence for a few moments. His eyes focused on his fiancée's face. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You're so unfair," he suddenly said. "Didn't we agreed months ago that we will be proving all the tragic, cliché, conflict driven love stories wrong? Well, this is so cliché, Maine! I mean, seriously. One pair in a hospital bed fighting for her life while the other pair is right beside the bedside doing a monologue. How much more cliché could we get with this?

"I actually saw a movie with this type of scene last year. The couple met in Italy. The guy was a jerk to her at the start but he eventually softened up and fell in love. But seriously, the girl doesn't know how to cross the street. It's Italy for crying out loud! Cars go only about 40 kph and she still got hit! And it was a serious car accident too. So they ended up in the hospital. And the guy was at the girl's bedside doing his monologue. So, cliché. And I thought we'd be better than that."

Richard reached out and held her hand, his thumb tracing circles in the back of her palm.

"All joking aside, this is also taking me back to that moment before I left for New York," he continued. "You just got out of surgery and Doc Burnz allowed me to see you before I leave. That was the time I promised I'll come back for you. And I did. So here we are again. But this time I'm here, begging you to come back to me."

A lone tear fell down his eye, but he let it be. He brought Maine's hand to his lips and kissed it, the back of her palm pressed to his mouth and stayed there longer than necessary. Tears started pouring then as he was unable to hold his pain any longer.

"Maine please," he pleaded, clutching her hand tightly like a lifeline. "Please wake up. I can't do this without you. I just can't! I'm not strong enough. I'm not strong like you. Remember what I told you? You're my heart, Maine. You're my heart. No one can live without a heart. I need you, Maine. I need my Heart. So please, wake up. Come back to me, please."