Chapter 211: Preparation
After getting the lowdown, Daniel was all chill and said this was a big deal. He figured we needed to loop in Hugh and Emma. Said the fam had to chat about it and asked me to hang tight for a bit.
I said cool, gave it ten minutes, and then hung up.
Mia and Yancy were staring at me, all wide-eyed. They probably thought I was usually clueless and didn't get how tough life could be. I mean, just a bit ago, I was a hot mess, bawling my eyes out. But now, I was talking straight and even cut Daniel off twice. Must've blown their minds.
I just shrugged. "When it comes to Brad, I can't be all confused and weak."
Then I hit up Larry to see if he knew what was up with Brad.
Larry said he was just about to call me. He'd seen the news about Silverbrook City and heard Brad was missing. He'd already told the school bigwigs, and they had an emergency meeting. They decided to send a special team tomorrow to help with the search and rescue.
The latest scoop was that Brad was at the school with some staff from the group running the remote mountain school aid project, including some women. No word on casualties yet. The collapse wasn't huge, and the disaster wasn't too bad, so chances of survival were decent.
With every word Larry said, my heart sank a bit more.
Tears started blurring my vision again.
I knew Larry was trying to make me feel better.
But nature's a beast. Against natural disasters, we're pretty much ants.
I couldn't even think about what I'd do if something happened to Brad. So I just prayed he'd make it.
I didn't care about anything else, just that Brad would live. Even if he ended up blind or crippled, it didn't matter as long as he was alive. I'd take care of him forever.
I just wanted Brad to live.
While we waited, Yancy brought out some food.
But I was too freaked out to eat. Mia was crying with me and didn't want to eat either. Eventually, Yancy said we needed to stay calm and keep our strength up. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to do anything, and the school wouldn't let a sick person go and cause more trouble.
I knew he was right, but the stress was crushing me. My chest, stomach, and mind were all tangled up with worries about Brad, leaving no room for food.
Mia dragged me up and made me eat something, saying if I collapsed before even getting to Silverbrook City, I'd regret not knowing Brad's situation.
So, I forced myself to eat. The food I usually loved tasted like cardboard.
Daniel called back twenty-three minutes later. He said the fam had talked it over, and he and Hugh would come to Regalia, while Emma stayed home. There was a midnight flight, getting to Regalia around five in the morning. They'd join the school's team and head to the accident site together.
He told me to stay at the school 'cause it was dangerous out there. The heavy rain was still coming down, and there was a high risk of more accidents. It was too risky for girls. They'd all be busy with the rescue and wouldn't have time to look after me.
But I was dying to know the latest news and be by Brad's side during such a scary time. I wanted Brad to see me first when he was safe.
I wanted to rush over right then, hold him tight, and feel his warmth and breath. Only then would I be at ease.
Waiting at the school felt like slow torture; I just couldn't do it. I wanted to go and rescue Brad myself.
It hit me then how deep my feelings for Brad had grown without me even realizing it. I was ready to walk through life with him.
I shot down Daniel's suggestion and told him that even if no one took me, I'd find a way to get there myself.
For Brad, I wasn't scared of death, let alone a mudslide.
Honestly, if something really happened to Brad, getting caught in a secondary accident wouldn't be the worst thing. If we couldn't live together, at least we could die together.
Brad's phone was still off, and I sat on the couch, mindlessly dialing his number over and over.
Seeing how freaked out I was, Yancy decided to stay because he didn't think Mia could handle me alone.
It was late, but I wasn't sleepy at all. Mia tried to talk me into resting a few times, but I couldn't close my eyes. Every time I did, I saw a massive mudslide tearing through the valley, swallowing everything.
Yancy tried again, saying that not sleeping would mess up my mental state the next day, and that a worn-out person wouldn't be allowed to join the rescue. He said if I wanted to find Brad myself, I had to eat and sleep well, or I'd end up needing someone to take care of me.
He was right. I closed my eyes and forced myself not to think about anything, trying to sleep.
Mia gently patted my shoulder from behind, and eventually, I drifted off.
Soon, I had a nightmare.
I saw Brad standing in the middle of the ruins, reaching out to me, saying, "Jane, come here."
My heart leaped with joy. Brad was okay! I started running towards him, but no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't close the distance between us. Exhausted, I fell to my knees, and Brad looked at me with disappointment and sadness, his figure slowly fading until it disappeared.
"Brad, come back."
I jolted awake, the familiar window decorations coming into view. I let out a long sigh, pressing my wildly beating heart, relieved it was just a dream.
"Why'd you wake up so soon?"
"Mia, I dreamed that Brad disappeared into the air. Do you think he's in danger?"
Mia comforted me softly, "Dreams are always the opposite. This means Brad is fine and waiting for you to find him and bring him back."
"Tomorrow, I'll go find him and bring him back. You're right, Brad must be waiting for me."
With Mia's soothing words, I fell asleep again. When I opened my eyes, it was already six in the morning.
The flight was at nine, and I hadn't packed anything. I quickly got up, grabbed my travel bag, and started throwing in my stuff.
When I walked out of the bedroom, I saw various items neatly arranged on the coffee table, and Yancy was checking them off with his phone.
Seeing me, he reached out and said, "Give me the bag. I'll pack it. You get a few changes of clothes and then go wash up. Daniel should be here soon."
Before he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
I opened the door to find Hugh and Daniel, looking exhausted and anxious.
"How's the prep going, Jane? When are we leaving?"
"Don't worry, I made breakfast. It's still early, so let's eat something. The flight is at nine, and we need to be at the school by 7:40. We have time," Yancy calmed us down.
Mia helped me pack my clothes, while I sat down to eat with Hugh and Daniel.
At that moment, I couldn't help but see Yancy in a new light.
Since the incident, he had been as steady as a rock, with clear thinking and calm actions. He not only proposed solid action plans but also took care of everyone, greatly calming my anxious heart.
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