In honor of 9/11, I decided to write a short one shot focused on the inner thoughts of Santana finally seeing ground zero thirteen years or so later.
102 Minutes
Standing at the edge of ground zero Santana wonders how something that now looks so beautiful could have once been a place of such pain. She guesses that that's just what people do to remember all those who died that day. She's lived in New York for six months now and this is the first time she's been here. People pass her heading in all directions, but she just can't move the weight of everything that happened here causes her to freeze. That day is a blur to her as she had only been six and hadn't understood anything that was happening. In fact she didn't even know anything about that day until Brittany made her watch some documentary that aired during the Vancouver Olympics. After that she did all sorts of research and watched every documentary that aired every year on 9/11.
One documentary she watched on the ten year anniversary has stayed with her until this day. She had seen it on TLC and it's called Heroes of the 88th floor. The fact that two men decided to risk their own lives to rescue others by going up to see if they could help the people from floors above them made her believe that even in the greatest tragedy, great acts of kindness and heroism still exist. The two men saved everyone from the floor they worked on the 88th floor and then processed to save everyone they could find on the 89th, 90th and 91st floors for a total of over 70 people still amazes her to this day. They died in the North Tower when it collapsed 102 minutes after the plane hit it. She can't fathom going up instead of going down what kind of men they must have been to do that.
That day there were was so much pain and sadness and yet a few glimmers of extraordinary acts of bravery and kindness. So many stories of people just plain out surviving when survival looked nearly impossible. So many extraordinary things happened that day that could have made things even worse like landing every aircraft (except the military) in American air space without any problems. A small place called Gander in Canada landing some 200 jumbo jets in and around Newfoundland including 36 in their own airport. Just so many people helping complete strangers. It brings a tear to her eye and yet it makes her heart swell for all those who helped when they didn't have to. Her heart goes out to all the fireman, police officers and paramedics who rushed into the disaster zone not knowing what would happen 102 minutes later that would take so many lives including some of their own.
"San are you coming?" Brittany asks wrapping her arm around Santana's shoulders.
"Do you ever wonder what it was like to actually be here on that day?" Santana asks moving over to a bench with her girlfriend.
Brittany frowns as she tries to come up with what she wants to say.
"I can't imagine what it was like to be in New York on that day let alone in the building. I don't think anyone can unless you were there. We were six and didn't understand the severity of what had happened." Brittany says giving Santana a soft smile. "But can you imagine what it would have been like to actually survive. How hard it must have been to come to terms with the fact that you survived and others didn't."
They both sit in silence after Brittany said that. Both sending silent prays to all the survives and victims of that day.
"I feel horrible for the families of everyone who died." Santana softly says laying her head on Brittany's shoulder.
"That day was horrible there's no other way to describe it and no way to understand why it happened." Brittany softly whispers in Santana's ear.
With that Brittany helps Santana up and walks them over to the memorial. Santana looks at the names wondering what kind of life they would have had if not for that day. 102 minutes. That's all it took to change so much. To take away so much. She can't fathom how anyone could do this, could think that that was what needed to be done. All these lives lost all the lives that have been changed. She doesn't get why this event, this one event out of everything has stuck in her brain, but it has maybe because she lives in New York now or maybe just because it's the single worst thing to happen in her lifetime in her country.
"102 minutes." Santana whispers.
"What?" Brittany asks looping her arm through Santana's.
"102 minutes is how long it took from the first planes impact on the North Tower till both towers collapsed." Santana softly says feeling like she needs to speak quietly here.
"102 minutes," Brittany whispers back.
"102 minutes."