I won't stand alone
Everyone was asleep except Jackson. They had been flown off Hotel Tango in helicopters, then transferred to the plane they were in. Jackson had volunteered to sit next to Ian and help him if he needed to during the flight, but so far nothing had gone wrong. They had been flying for quite a while now. Eric had dropped off to sleep about an hour ago, followed by Taylor, and everyone else followed not long after. Except Jackson. He couldn't sleep. He was way too worried. He looked out the window of the plane and sighed.
"What am I gonna do?" he whispered to himself. "Without these guys, will I just go back to who I was? Will they completely forget about me?"
"What?"
Jackson jumped and looked over at Ian.
"How long have you been awake?" Jackson asked quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone else up.
"Like, two seconds," Ian said drowsily from where he was laying down. They had to put Ian on a sort of stretcher next to the seats because of his leg. "What were you saying?" Ian asked, yawning.
"Nothing," Jackson said quickly. "Absolutely nothing."
Ian propped himself up on his elbow. "Riiiight."
"Really!"
Ian shook his head. He grimaced and laid down again.
"You ok?" Jackson asked.
Ian nodded his head. "Yeah, for now. I always hated hospitals, but I'm not so sure I do any more!"
Jackson smiled. "You should probably get some more rest."
Ian yawned and closed his eyes. Jackson looked down at Ian's leg. It didn't look good. He hoped they got back soon, but personally he was dreading it. With a sigh Ian propped himself on his elbow again, even though Jackson could tell he was in pain doing it.
"Do you seriously think those guys are going to forget you?"
Jackson looked down at the ground, then back at Ian. "You could tell what I was saying."
Ian shook his head. "Only that one thing. But seriously, man, do you?"
Jackson looked back at the sleeping forms of his companions. He shrugged. "I don't know."
"How could you not?"
Letting out a sigh Jackson just shook his head.
"Look at them, dude," Ian said softly. "They're your family. I know you guys went through a lot together, and from what I've heard you played a big part in helping everyone get through."
"Everyone helped," Jackson countered.
Ian nodded his head. "Exactly. And you're part of everyone. You all helped each other out. Do you think it would even be possible for them to forget you?"
"Look, I've been through a lot of things with a lot of people I counted as friends, and every time it ends up by them forgetting I ever existed."
"You think these guys are like that?"
"No. But, they all have families, rich families, and then there's me. I don't necessarily think they will, I'm just scared they might."
Ian sat straight up. "They won't, dude. It's like I said, those guys are your family. They care about you, Jackson. And they're not gonna forget you."
"Ok, ok, just lay back down," Jackson said. "You shouldn't be sitting up if it hurts. Just try to get some more sleep, ok?"
Ian nodded and dropped off in less than five minutes.
"I just hope you're right, Ian," Jackson said under his breath. Looking out the window he began to sing softly the same song he had sung for "Chilloween".
It's just another Morning glory
One more twisted side of this wild ride
Another chapter in the story
But I can't hide the way I feel inside
Cause I'm a stranger in a strange land
And I'm a million miles from my home
If I gotta take my last stand
I won't stand alone
I won't stand alone...
His voice faded. He had written the song while they were on the island, but only then did he realize that it wasn't just a song, it was really how he felt. And he knew he really didn't want to stand alone...
Jackson woke up with a jerk. He looked out the window and caught his breath. The plane's wheels had touched the ground. Suddenly the Captain's voice crackled over the intercom.
"Wake up everyone, and look outside!"
"Guys, guys wake up!" Jackson said, reaching behind him and shaking Eric.
"I didn't do it!" Eric exclaimed. Jackson rolled his eyes and pointed out the window.
"We're here!"
Eric's eyes grew wide, then he laughed. "Yes, yes, yes!" He pumped his fist in the air.
Everyone was slowly opening their eyes and all reacting in their own way. The plane turned around a corner and a line of cars came into sight. That's when everyone started crying.
The second they could everyone ran off the plane, hurriedly thanking the captain and ran toward their parents who scrambled out of their cars. Taylor and Jackson stayed behind a little bit longer.
"I don't see my dad's car," Taylor said, her eyes brimming over.
"Who's that?" Jackson asked, pointing to a silver Porsche that had just pulled up.
"Daddy!" Taylor screamed, and ran faster than Jackson had ever seen her run before.
Jackson slowly descended the steps, thanking the captain of the plane again, and stood, watching everyone as they all cried and greeted their parents. Melissa and her parents were just holding each other and not saying anything. Eric's dad and mom hugged him and Eric's dad cracked some corny joke Jackson didn't quite hear. Taylor had ran straight into her dad's arms, who spun her around in the air then quietly comforted her. Daley and Lex hugged their parents and then their mom started fussing over them, asking all sorts of questions. Had they put on sun screen? They hadn't been bitten by any bugs, had they? Jackson actually laughed out loud when Ian's mom scolded him for getting a sun burn even though he was laying on a stretcher with a broken leg. Nathan's mom and dad hugged him tight and his dad started asking all about what he had done for food, how he had made fire, and so on. Abby's parents were there, and so were Jory's, and there were tears and laughs all around.
Jackson strained his neck to see the end of the line of cars, but Taylor's dad's Porsche was the last car there. He sighed. He had been hoping to see his mom's little beat up red car, but it wasn't there. He looked at his friends again, all of them talking hurriedly to their parents, and suddenly he felt like someone had hit him in the stomach. He, Jackson, had been completely forgotten.
He felt the tears pricking his eyes. He didn't blame them, he really didn't, but it was hard to feel that the second they all put foot on solid land that wasn't completely surrounded by water they became the spoiled rich kids again and he went back to the mysterious new guy that no one really wanted to know. Nathan and Daley, even Lex, who Jackson had really gotten to like. Taylor, who Jackson had become close friends with and confided in. Eric, who Jackson had felt like he had just gotten to know. Even Melissa, who had promised to be there for him, had completely forgotten.
A tear rolled down his cheek. Abby had said it, on the island they weren't the same people who had crashed there at first. And Jackson didn't want them to go back to the people they were before. On the island, for the first time in his life, he had felt like he could really let them all see who he really was. He didn't want that to go away. But as he stood there he felt it was gone forever.
His heart sunk even further when he saw a cop car pull up at the end of the row of cars. He wiped away his tears and made his face completely void of all emotion, as he had learned to do long ago. But then a tenderness seldom seen in his face crept back in as he looked toward his friends.
"See ya," he whispered. Then the tenderness was gone and his face was as hard as stone as he strode toward the police car.
A man in a suit stepped out.
"Cody Jackson?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you come with me, son."
"Who are you?" Jackson had never seen the man before.
"I'm your new social worker. We got a lot of things to go over."
"Where's my mom?" Jackson asked as calmly as he could.
A look of compassion came into the man's face which startled Jackson, but he didn't let the man see it.
"She couldn't come. Why don't you go say goodbye to your friends then come with me."
Jackson didn't look back at them. He couldn't, or he would knew he would turn around, run to them, and probably start crying again. He wouldn't let the social worker see that.
"Nah, it's fine. Let's just go."
"You sure, son?"
"Yes."
Eric was talking to his parents, pointing out who everyone was.
"That's Taylor, and Nathan, and Daley and her brother Lex, who's like, some sort of genius kid, and then there's Jackson..."
His voice faded as he quickly looked around for Jackson.
"Hey guys, where's Jackson?" he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Everyone looked around them.
"Yeah, where'd he go?" Nathan asked.
"Is he still on the plane?" from Daley.
"I don't think so," Taylor said.
"There he is!" Melissa said, pointing. A little ways away from them Jackson was talking to some guy in a suit. "Where's he going?"
"Guys, he's leaving!" Lex exclaimed.
"No way!" Taylor said. "How could he just leave!?"
"Guys we gotta stop him!" Ian exclaimed so suddenly and with such urgency it surprised everyone. "Huddle up! C'mon!"
Everyone huddled together around Ian's stretcher and started talking quickly.
Jackson opened the door to the cop car. Before he got in he softly sang. "I won't stand alone..."
"You getting in, kid?" the cop driving said in a slightly annoyed voice.
"Yeah." He began to get into the cop car when he was stopped by a loud shout.
"Jackson!"
All nine of the other teens had yelled at once. He turned towards the sound and there they were, all of them looking at him. He looked toward the social worker and the man nodded.
Jackson stepped out of the car.
"Where you going, dude?" Eric asked with a smile.
"You can't just leave like that, Jackson," Daley added.
"C'mon you guys, you should just get back to your parents, they haven't been able to see you for almost a month," Jackson said, walking toward the group.
"Jackson, why were you just leaving?" Lex asked softly.
Jackson shook his head. "I don't know, I just thought..."
"Didn't you hear a thing I said to you on the plane?" Ian asked kindly. "These guys are your family, man. They wouldn't forget you. Ever."
Everyone nodded.
"How could we forget you?" Melissa asked. "We wouldn't have survived on that island without you. And no matter what happens you will never not have friends. Because you'll always have us. That is, if you will have us."
Jackson bowed his head and there was silence. After a few moments he looked up. Tears shown in his eyes but on his face there was a smile.
"Now what kind of question is that for a family to ask?"
That was enough for everyone. They all ran and threw their arms around Jackson, who hugged them all back. Jory and Abby hung back though, unsure of what to do. Jackson looked up and saw them.
"What you guys doing? You're part of our family too!" he said, opening one of his arms to the two girls. With a smile they joined the group while Ian watched with a smile on his face as well. Jackson nodded at him and mouthed the words "thank you".
"Well, Jackson, if we're all a family," Lex said when everyone had stopped hugging everyone else, "that means that our families are your family too, doesn't it?"
"I don't know, guys..."
"Oh c'mon Jackson, come meet our families!" Nathan said. Everyone quickly agreed that he should.
So everyone was introduced to everyone else and there really was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were all family.
The time came when everyone was ready to go back to their own house, but not without more hugs and tearful goodbyes, but everyone knew they would see each other again and that they would always be close. And even though he rode away in a police car while everyone else rode away with their parents, there was no longer any doubt in Jackson's mind that he would be forgotten. He knew life wouldn't ever be the same, and he took joy in knowing it. He knew that no matter what happened he would always have a family with the other survivors of Flight 29 Down, and he would never have to stand alone.