a/n: Sorry it's been 84 years since I updated this story. This is a bit of a slow start, but it's just the calm before the storm. I promise to make up for it in the next chapter - coming soon!
Olivia felt Ed squeeze her hand. She could tell by the weight of his grip that he wasn't really worried. That calmed her slightly. She could also hear him soothing their daughter telling her everything was ok and that they'd be on the ground soon.
As the plane once again hit a fierce gust of air, she braced herself and prayed he was right.
The plane teetered this way and that the whole way in. There was a patch of water just before the reached the runway. At times it looked like the wing might tip too far and hit the water.
Olivia had to keep a calm facade so Noah wouldn't freak out. Inside, she was freaking out. She couldn't remember ever being this scared on a plane.
"Daddy, are we gonna hit the water?" Olivia heard Nicole's small voice ask.
"No, baby. The runway is just ahead. We'll be on the ground soon." Ed said softly but assuredly. He patted her knee and she grabbed his hand with both of hers and tried to scoot as close to him as the seatbelt would allow.
Seconds later the runway came into sight. They were coming in fast in an attempt to counteract the rough air.
Without warning the plane hit the ground hard causing it to bounce several times before it smoothed out. A strong gust of wind forced the plane to the right far enough that one of the back wheels went into the grass. It was loud and bumpy. It seemed to go on for an eternity, but eventually the plane came to a screeching halt.
The captain came on the speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the rough landing, but welcome to Reykjavik."
Some people clapped. Others tried to compose themselves. Then, just like nothing had happened, the flight attendant came on and reminded everyone to remain seated with their seatbelt fastened until they got to the gate.
Moments later, the family of four gathered their belongings and deplaned with the rest of the anxious passengers. Olivia took Nicole to the restroom while Ed and Noah waited at the baggage claim carousel.
After they washed their hands, Nicole asked Olivia to carry her. "Honey, you're getting too big for Mommy to carry." Her actions didn't support her words, and Olivia groaned as she hoisted the girl onto her hip. Nicole was pretty petite for her age, but it was still an effort to carry her, especially after the adrenaline rush of that landing.
Nicole just laid her head on her mom's shoulder. Olivia ran her hand over her daughter's hair and gave her a pat on the back before heading back to find the guys at baggage claim. She found Ed and Noah surrounded by their carry on luggage.
Ed gave Liv a look when he saw her holding Nicole. She responded with a tilt of the head and mouthed to him that it was okay.
"We'll get the bags and be right back," Ed told her and nodded to a man in tan pants and a heavy wool coat. Apparently he was their driver.
"Agnar, ma'am," the man said and gave her a broad smile.
"Olivia," she answered. "Nice to meet you." The man turned and followed Ed toward the baggage carousel.
Olivia thought it was too extravagant to splurge on a driver, but Ed insisted. With two kids and all their luggage, he didn't want to try to navigate European taxis and public transportation. Once they got settled at a hotel, they could manage. He just wanted the trips to and from the airport handled.
When Liv realized the cost wasn't much more than they'd pay for a taxi or two, she'd relented. Now after the intense landing, she was even more thankful that they didn't have to try to deal with finding transportation.
Noah ambled around Liv and their carry on luggage while playing some new game on Ed's phone. Normally, they didn't let the kids have their phones, but for now it was an easier distraction.
Nicole just sat on Olivia's hip. She rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and watched the travelers wonder through the airport.
With amazing fortune, their bags came out fairly quickly. Ed and Agnar appeared with the two checked bags in tow. Luckily, their driver had the foresight to get a luggage cart. They followed him through the airport to a specially designated parking area that was luckily quite close to the baggage claim exit.
It was cold, but not any colder than it had been when they left New York. It took several minutes to get all of their luggage into the van and get the kids situated and belted in. Ed opted to sit up front with the driver so he could get a sense of their location in respect to the airport.
In less than an hour they were checked into their hotel near the Marina. Olivia was getting the kids out of the travel clothes and into something suitable for dinner. Luckily, their hotel had a 24-hour restaurant, so they didn't have to venture far.
The kids were feeling the day of travel, and although it was only just after 6pm New York time, it was after 10pm in Iceland. They hoped to get the kids fed and in bed by midnight local time.
Ed almost suggested that he just pick up some food and bring it up to the room, but he thought the kids could use a little more wearing out before getting them to bed. Liv dragged herself out of the room to follow her family. Her barely five hours of sleep the night before was quickly catching up to her.
Later that night, they were fed and trying to figure out sleeping arrangements. Since they were only staying for two short nights, they'd opted for a simple room with two double beds and a couch.
The plan was for Nicole to sleep on the couch and Noah to take the second bed. But now that it was bed time, Nicole was unhappy because the couch was in a separate section of the room, and she wanted to be closer to Mommy.
Liv thought about putting Noah with Ed. She could share the other bed with her daughter, but Ed shook his head at her when he realized her thinking. Nicole was a bit of flopper, so anyone who was stuck in a bed with her risked being hit and kicked throughout the night. Liv needed sleep. They all did.
"Noah," Ed started. "Can you just sleep on the couch tonight? Tomorrow we'll get a rollaway or figure out something else."
Noah huffed. He was the oldest and the tallest. He should get the bed. He would fit on the couch, but just barely.
"It's just one night, bud."
"Alright, Dad." Noah was tired, too.
"Thank you," Olivia said with relief and kissed Noah on the top of his head.
"Yeah, yeah," Noah said and pulled out of her grasp. She gave him a playful nudge.
Finally, they were all situated. Nicole was out almost the second her head hit the pillow. Noah made a bit of a show of tossing around trying to get comfortable, but he didn't last long either.
Ed and Liv dropped into their bed and tried to adjust to the close quarters. The double bed was significantly smaller than their California King. Not that they minded the closeness.
Olivia groaned lightly as she thought of the next two nights sharing such a small space. They'd looked at suites, but it just didn't make sense to splurge for a less than 48-hour stay over.
"We've got a lot more space in Paris, don't worry," Ed whispered. He kissed her temple and let her snuggle up next to him.
To Liv's amazement, he'd managed to find an entire townhouse on Airbnb. They couldn't have gotten a single room suite for the same price, and this would give them each their own room and make it easier on the kids. The place was slightly off the beaten path, but it was metro accessible and in what the website assured was a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood.
The night passed much too quickly for Olivia's taste, but everyone slept through the night and woke on their own. Ed made coffee for him and Liv while she showered. When she emerged, the kids were dressed and munching on pastries and yogurt. She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"They were hungry, so I went downstairs and got some snacks." Ed said.
"Snacks?" She challenged. "That looks like breakfast to me."
"There's plenty more," he teased and held up a second bag with his and hers. She looked past him to the coffee pot. He handed her the bag and went to get her a cup. Olivia was never going to be a morning person.
Freshly caffeinated, they wrapped up their morning, bundled up and headed out to their first excursion, whale watching. Ed had really wanted to visit a glacier cave, but Olivia knew that Nicole wouldn't be able to manage it. She offered to take Nicole to see the whales and let the boys go ice caving, but Ed insisted they stick together for their familversary trip.
They weren't on the boat for twenty minutes before Noah started looking a little green. He'd never been on a boat in the ocean before, so they had no way of knowing he'd get sea sick.
Olivia left the kids with Ed and went inside the boat's cabin to find the snack bar. It was supposed to be a three hour trip, so she needed to get Noah's nausea under control quickly.
"Can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked. His name tag said "Greg."
"Do you have ginger ale?" Olivia asked as she scanned the row of cans and bottles lined up as a sort of menu.
"No, ma'am." He said with a shake of his head. "We have ginger beer?"
"I don't think that will go over," she said with a frown. "I'll just take a Sprite."
"Someone's feeling queasy?" He pulled a can from the cooler behind him and offered her a cup which she waved off.
"My son," she said and grabbed a straw and a napkin from the counter. "He's ten"
"Give me a minute," the guy said as he took her bills and fished some change from the cash register. "I've got just the thing."
Olivia didn't know what he meant, so she just took the can of soda and headed back out to her crew. She was concerned to see Noah hunched forward with his head in hands and his elbows resting on his knees.
Ed gave her a look of uncertainty as she sat down and tried to coax Noah into drinking a few sips. He just shook his head and leaned into his mom's side.
A few minutes later, Greg, the waiter appeared. He was eyeing the other passengers trying to find Olivia. When he spotted her, he quickly approached.
"Hey buddy," he said and dropped to his knees in front of Noah. "The waves got you feeling bad?"
Ed looked to Olivia for an explanation, but she didn't have one. Noah just nodded at the guy.
"Let me see your hand," Greg asked. Noah looked at his mom for direction.
"Go ahead, sweetheart." She encouraged. She had no idea what this Greg was up to, but he was part of the crew.
Noah gave the guy his hand. Greg pulled off Noah's glove and pushed up his coat sleeve just a bit. He pulled a sea sickness band from his own pocket. A few minutes later, he'd put the band around Noah's wrist and helped him put his glove back on. Then he pulled a package of crackers from his other pocket.
"Try to eat these." When he saw Noah's aversion to the idea of food, he continued. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but it'll help to have some food in your stomach."
"Thank you," Olivia said. "Do those really work?"
"My sister swears by them," he answered. "The crackers really work the best though. I gotta get back to the snack bar, but let me know if you need anything else or if he needs to lie down."
"Thanks," Olivia called as he hurried away. She put her arm around Noah's shoulders and encouraged him to try to eat the crackers and rest a bit. She hoped that this crazy wristband actually helped.
The guide came over the boat's speaker system and resumed giving a nature and history lesson about the area they were in. Nicole sat in Ed's lap and pepper him with questions about whales.
Whether it was the crackers or the soda or the band, Noah perked up slightly. He said he still didn't feel great, but he no longer felt like he was going to throw up.
The rest of the trip went quickly. They were lucky to see several whales, porpoises and dolphins. The kids were enthralled by how big the whales were. Noah didn't manage standing at the railing very well, but he could still see from the bench where he and Olivia sat.
It was time for lunch when they got back to the dock. Everyone was hungry except for Noah who still wasn't quite over the boat ride. The wait staff were quite accommodating and brought Noah some plain noodles and ginger candies.
Originally, they'd planned to explore the downtown wharf area in the few hours they had before their next excursion, but Noah didn't seem to have it in him. Nicole was bored with the shops anyway, so they decided to take a brief respite at their hotel.
Noah ended up taking a little nap while Nicole watched a movie. Ed and Olivia sat in the matching chairs near the window that overlooked the wharf.
By the time Nicole's movie ended, Noah was awake. And he was hungry. Ed got him a sandwich from the hotel cafe.
They only had about an hour before they had to be at their next rendezvous, so Liv got the kids dressed in sweats and then snow pants and heavy coats.
Olivia wore a pair of fleece leggings beneath her jeans. She tucked them both into some waterproof boots. On top of that she wore a long sleeved black tee, a grey wool sweater. On top of that she had her black down stuff coat that went to her knees.
Ed was a little less concerned about the cold, but he still put on the pair of fleece-lined khaki pants that Olivia insisted he bring. Then a simple t-shirt, sweater and coat on top. Convinced they were ready, the quartet waddled to the elevator to meet their guide.
Moments later they were in a rugged jeep bounding out of town. It was almost an hour drive that took them out to a more rural area where they could see the Aurora Borealis without the light pollution of the city.
Their drive was early, leaving at 7:30pm local time. They had to hope for a clear night with an early show. Ed promised the driver guide a generous tip if they got to stay late enough to see the northern lights.
An hour later the Benson-Tuckers were camped out on a remote ridge in a large open tent in front of a campfire. Their guide, Josef, sat just outside stoking a small fire to make some hot chocolate and s'mores for the kids. Noah sat in a chair outside of the tent near the fire, and Nicole was hanging on him watching with excitement as the marshmallows started to scorch.
Ed and Olivia were sitting next to each other in a couple of portable chairs, their hands joined and resting on the arm of her chair. They were lost to the beauty of the night sky free of New York City lights. It was so clear out here. It felt like they were the only people on the planet.
"It's so beautiful, so peaceful," Liv said.
"Yeah." Ed answered by pulling her hand to his lips. After the chaos of the previous year, it felt so good to just be in a quiet place with his happy, healthy family. Instead of returning their hands to their previous position, he pulled them to his chest.
Olivia looked at him. She knew he was feeling contemplative. They'd had a rough summer and fall. She'd only been back on full duty for a couple months before their vacation.
His head lolled toward her knowing she was curious about his thoughts. "I'm just glad we're all here. Safe."
"I know," she answered. "Me too."
He let go of her hand long enough to reach over and grab the arm of her chair and pull it until it was flush with his. He snaked his arm around her shoulders. It took a minute to find a position that wasn't awkward with the chair arms in the way, but she managed to get her head on his shoulder. She was turned almost sideways in her own chair, but it didn't matter. She just wanted to be touching him.
"I'm…," Ed began, but then he didn't know how to convey what he was feeling, at least not to the depth he was feeling it. "I'm just so…"
"Content?" Liv offered. Then she moved to place a feather light kiss on his neck. She let her hand slide down his chest and let it rest on his abdomen.
"Mmm," he hummed. He rubbed her arm encouraging her to stay put as he used his chin to nudge her attention from his neck to his lips.
They were sharing a gentle kiss when the silence was interrupted by a sudden shriek followed by Noah yelling. Olivia snapped her attention to the kids and was on her feet in seconds.
"Nicole!" Noah almost shouted. "Get off me."
Nicole was sitting on the cold ground crying. Josef immediately stopped turning the marshmallows and dropped them to the little metal stand he'd set up. He hadn't seen the altercation, but he saw and heard Nicole's distress, so he scooped her up and met Olivia halfway.
"What happened?" Olivia asked as she took Nicole from Josef. Ed was right behind her and brushed Nicole's bangs off her forehead and back under her snow hat.
"Noah pushed me," Nicole said with a sniffle that let them know she wasn't really hurt, just upset by her brother's actions. Hearing that, Ed pulled away and walked over to Noah.
"Did you push her?" He asked trying to be neutral until her heard both sides, but feeling incensed. Noah knew better.
"She wouldn't leave me alone." Noah answered.
"Excuse me?" Ed said not believing what he was hearing. Not only was it an admission, it was one without remorse.
"I told her over and over to just stop hanging on me," Noah said. "She wouldn't back off so I shoved her back a little."
"You know better than that," Ed started. "You're bigger and stronger…"
"I didn't mean to make her fall," Noah interrupted. "But just because I'm older doesn't mean I have to let her be annoying."
Ed really didn't want to ruin he moment by ripping into his son, but his attitude was so lax about the whole incident. It bothered him.
Overhearing the exchange, Olivia intervened. "Nicole, were you pestering Noah?"
"I just wanted to see what he was doing," she whined.
"Did he ask you to give him some space?"
Nicole hung her head. Ed and Olivia felt that the kids had reached the age where they should begin to start working some things out on their own. Noah was older, so he bore a little more responsibility, but Nicole wasn't treated as blameless. She knew how to push her brother's buttons and get him in trouble when he finally snapped.
"I think you both need to apologize," Olivia said as she put Nicole down.
The siblings reluctantly said their sorries.
"Say what you're sorry for," Ed prompted.
"I'm sorry I pushed you," Noah said quietly.
"I'm sorry I wouldn't leave you alone when you asked," Nicole said even quieter.
Satisfied, Ed and Olivia turned their attention to Josef and the s'mores.
"Mom," Noah said as he stood and went to stand by her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make her fall down. Really."
"I know," she answered with a sigh and put her arm around his shoulder.
"So you forgive me?"
"Of course your forgiven. Your sister's already moved on." She said with a smile as she nodded to Ed showing Nicole how to turn roast a marshmallow.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Noah, of course I'm not mad at you." She answered quickly. "I don't like it when you and your sister fight, but that's what brothers and sisters do." She said and put her hand on his head like she would if she were ruffling his hair. Only his head was protected by a beanie and the hood of his coat.
"Okay," he answered tentatively.
"Come on," she said and stood up. "Let's go roast some marshmallows." She hugged him to her as they walked over to the fire pit.
Once Noah got the hang of it, he and Nicole went about roasting their marshmallows. Olivia dropped back when she felt Ed's hand on her shoulder.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, he's just sensitive to my feelings. He thought I was mad at him." She let Ed pull her into his side.
"He's a good kid." He squeezed her shoulder encouraging her to relax.
"He is," she answered. They both looked to their kids who were going about their business like nothing had happened.
"This is what siblings do," he said softly. "They fight. They get over it."
"Hmm," was her response.
"It'll probably get worse when he's a teenager, when she is. But someday, they'll grow up and be thankful for having each other."
"I hope you're right."
"Aren't I always?" he teased.
"Uh, sure," she laughed. "You just keep telling yourself that."
Josef interrupted with an announcement that it was more building time. The kids had pulled off their gloves earlier, so they dove into the graham crackers and chocolate bars. Josef had made a few s'mores that were now sufficiently cooled off for the kids. Ed helped Nicole blow out her flaming marshmallow and make a fresh one for Liv. Noah managed on his own.
Ed laughed as Olivia tried to eat the campfire delicacy without making a mess. She gave him a small smile as he reached over and wiped the dribble of chocolate that had landed on her chin.
They spent the next half hour eating s'mores, drinking hot cocoa and laughing as Josef told them crazy tales of vikings and icebergs. Then after the sun had set, his stories turned more scientific. He started talking about the sun's rays and the earth's magnetism.
Olivia marveled at their guide's ability to basically give a science lesson in a way that was interesting to her 11 year old and almost six year old. Even she and Ed were clued in.
Then they waited. The first was just a green wavy streak across the sky. It was almost gone before they saw it. But it didn't take long for the lights to ramp up. They were mostly green this time of night, but occasionally there'd be a flare of blue and purple. It was incredible.
Olivia tried to discretely wipe a tear from her eye, but Ed caught her.
"I just," she whispered. "It's… this is just so beautiful and so unreal."
"I know," he answered her by pulling her to him. It was a show of nature. While science might be able to explain it, it didn't make it less magical.
They got back to their hotel at almost 11pm. It was good. The kids could sleep in a little and get closer to Paris time which was another couple hours ahead of them. They had an easy morning in Reykjavik, then they planned to see a famous lagoon on the way back to the airport.
Olivia groaned when Ed nudged her to wake up. It had been a rough night. Nicole had nightmares about planes crashing and seemed to be really upset at the prospect of getting on another plane the next day. Olivia had finally just let her daughter climb into bed and snuggle in between her and Ed.
Apparently, at some point in the night, Ed had been edged out. When Nicole woke from her second nightmare, it was Olivia who bore the brunt of the kicks and screams. Ed was asleep in what had been Nicole's bed.
Even Noah woke up that go round. Ed coaxed him back to sleep, and Olivia finally managed to get Nicole settled down.
Sharing a bed with a five year old didn't make for great sleep. Nicole was floppy in her sleep, so Olivia never knew when she'd be startled awake by an arm in the face or a foot in the stomach. She mused that it was probably a tiny bit the way pregnant women felt in their final trimester. She'd never know, but she thought that maybe it was as close as she'd come to understanding.
"Come on, Liv." Ed pressed. "I made coffee. I'll pour you a cup if you'll get up."
Olivia rolled onto her back and slowly opened one eye. He just chuckled and went to get her morning dose of caffeine. She dragged herself from the bed and went to quickly brush her teeth.
A couple minutes later she padded over to the little makeshift kitchenette in the corner of the room. It was just a mini fridge with a microwave on top and then a coffee pot on top of that, but it served it's purpose. Coffee.
Ed smiled at his wife as he handed her a steaming cup of coffee. Her hair was mussed, her eyes not quite focused and he could smell the fresh scent of toothpaste. She closed her eyes as she took a sip.
"It's amazing that no one knows how much of a non-morning person you are," he teased. "Your squad, Melanie, the school, none of them knows the transformation that's about to take place."
She rolled her eyes and took another sip of coffee. "They pay me to show up and be professional."
He kissed her temple and left her to finish her coffee. Noah was already awake, fed and now getting dressed. Nicole was a little slower to get going and was sitting at the coffee table eating one of the blueberry muffins they'd picked up the night before. Olivia was surprised that she'd slept through everyone else getting up and going, but she still felt exhausted.
Half an hour later, Liv was showered and dressed, and Ed had repacked the rest of their bags. They had about 10 minutes before their driver came to retrieve them and a few hours before they had to be at the airport.
They had originally planned to just spend a lazy morning at the hotel with a quick lunch in the city, but their driver from the first day convinced them that they should take a few hours to visit the Blue Lagoon. It was about halfway between downtown Reykjavik and the airport. Since they had an afternoon flight, they could easily fit it in if they went early enough.
The kids were in awe of the warm water and the snow on the rocks beside them. They splurged a little and got a private lounge. With the kids, it was just easier to have their own space. They had time to let the kids explore the lagoon for an hour or so. They they ate lunch, showered and headed to the airport.
It was a lazy way to spend the afternoon, and it wore the kids out. Nicole had been sufficiently distracted by the swimming, but now that they were headed to the airport, her anxiety was coming back. She clung to Olivia through security and insisted on sitting in her lap in the terminal.
Ed shot her a worried look when they started making announcements for the flight, reminding people to have their passports and tickets. Part of him thought it would be best to wait until last to board, but another part of him thought it might be better to get on board quickly giving Nicole time to accept things.
Olivia just shrugged at him. She had the same uncertainty. The flight attendant was calling for pre-boarding and offering families with small children the option. Nicole and Noah didn't exactly qualify as "small children", maybe scared children was more like it. Noah took his cues from Ed and let his dad calm his nerves. Nicole just couldn't seem to forget the crazy landing they had a couple days earlier.
"Is it going to be bumpy again?" She asked her mommy as she looked to the counter and saw that people were starting to get on the plane.
"I hope not sweetie," Olivia answered. She didn't want to tell her daughter that they wouldn't experience any turbulence, but she didn't want to scare her either.
"Promise?" Nicole asked. She wasn't fooled by her mom's lack of assurance.
"Baby, I can't promise that their won't be any bumps," Olivia said quietly. "But mommy and daddy have flown on lots and lots of airplanes, and it's usually not so bumpy."
Nicole didn't look satisfied, but she didn't protest. Olivia nodded to Ed that he should see if they could board early. He nodded to Noah to stay put before making his way to the counter.
Olivia watched as Ed spoke to the attendant. When he gestured in their direction, Olivia tried to look hopeful as she rubbed Nicole's cheek. The woman at the counter gave a sympathetic look and nodded her agreement.
"Okay, guys," Olivia said scooting out of her seat. "Time to get on the plane."
Nicole just gripped her mommy's neck tighter. It made it a little difficult for Olivia to maneuver, but Ed was soon by her side. Noah seemed to get that he needed to help out, so he grabbed Nicole's bag and his own. Ed picked up his and Liv's and pulled their carryon roller board behind him.
"Are you okay with all that?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, let's just get on board," he answered. "You have the tickets and our passports, right?"
She nodded and reached into the outside pocket of the small bag hanging on her shoulder. She'd spent their time at the gate organizing them so that each person's ticket was in their passport on the page with their photo. When they got to the gate she just handed the stack of passports to the attendant and said a quiet thank you for the accommodation.
Nicole was almost choking Olivia she was holding on so tightly. When they got to their row, Ed motioned for Liv to sit as he stowed their luggage.
"Looks like you're with me, bud," he told Noah and ushered his son into his seat. This plane was smaller than the first, so it was just two seats on either side of one aisle. They had one whole row, so Ed and Noah sat on the right, and Liv sat with Nicole on the left. Ed and Liv were both on the aisle.
"Nicole, you can stay on mommy's lap until they finish boarding, but then you're going to have to sit in your own seat, okay?"
Olivia shot Ed a look when Nicole just buried her face in her mom's neck. She relaxed a little when she felt her daughter give a tiny nod. Noah still seemed somewhat unfazed by their earlier bad experience. He was watching out the window as the various crew loaded food, luggage and fuel onto the plane.
Ed dug around in his carry on and found one of their tablets. He tapped Liv's forearm with it. Maybe she could distract Nicole with a video. She didn't think it would work, but it might be worth a shot when she had to get Nicole into her own seat.
The flight attendant must have been informed that she had a nervous flyer on board because she came right over and offered a little gift bag to Nicole. It had crayons and a little coloring book about flying and a wings pin. Not wanting to leave Noah out but guessing he was too old for the whole kit, the attendant gave him a wink and handed him his own pair of wings. He thanked her and showed the wings to his dad.
The flight attendant had kneeled down next to them and ducked her head so she could see Nicole's face. "Can I pin the wings on your shirt?"
Nicole nodded and sat back a little. "My name is Adriana, what's yours?" The woman asked trying to distract the girl.
"Nicole," she answered with a small voice and she watched the woman pin the wings on her.
"What do you say?" Olivia prompted her daughter who still had her head on her shoulder.
"It's not going to be bumpy up there is it?" Nicole blurted out. Olivia started to scold her for not saying thank you, but the attendant shook her head.
Adriana laughed a little. "I hope not, but you know what?"
"What?"
"I fly on lots of planes every day and usually it's not bumpy."
Nicole seemed to consider the possibility that it would be okay.
Just then, the other passengers started boarding, so Adriana had to leave them. Nicole fingered the wings on her shirt, and Olivia said a silent prayer that it would be a smooth flight.