"Crash Landing"
Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!
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Chapter 10:
*Last day on the island*
~~Tris POV~~
The next hour is a complete blur. The cargo ship spotted our smoke, followed it and ultimately saved us from this deserted island.
As it had approached, we gathered our belongings in a frenzy and as it neared the closest it could to the shore, it sent out a smaller boat, almost looking like a life boat. Which then picked up a few people at a time from our group.
Until now, where Tobias, Zeke and I are the last three to be hauled into this gigantic cargo ship.
My heart continues to pound like crazy during all of this, it almost being too much for me to take in all at once. I'm elated, but also anxious.
Tobias holds my hand as if it's permanently attached, while we watch various crew members scurrying about doing various things. Some are tending to first aid needs, others are gathering blankets and water.
It all seems a bit unorganized as this is not the actual purpose of this ship, it's merely to haul goods from one place to the next. But when they saw the smoke, they weren't about to turn away, much to our appreciation.
Once we're all gathered around and things are slightly less frantic, a tall dark haired man with a beard and a gray beanie, approaches and begins to speak.
"Can I please have everyone's attention?" he hollers, causing everyone to look in his direction.
"I am Steve Hewitt, First Mate. Welcome aboard the SS Pacifica. I have spoken with Amar and got a head count with all your names. We understand you were on flight 421 to New Zealand. Our ship's Captain has contacted the authorities and the nearest coast guard vessel is on its way to our location. In the meantime, we'll help you stay warm and hydrated." he speaks.
We all sigh again in relief and as I simultaneously close my eyes to just take a deep breath, I feel Tobias' arms wrap around me once again. He pulls me against his firm chest, his sturdy form and comforting embrace help to calm my nerves and just enjoy the feeling of worry escape my thoughts completely.
He sits down somewhere nearby and pulls me onto his lap sideways. I feel a wool blanket draped around me and Tobias tucks it in tighter, holding me close. I pull my face away slightly and look at him with a smile. "Thank you." I say simply, but with so much emotion and feeling in it, I almost feel tears prickle at my eyes again, but I don't allow them to spill over.
He gives me a questioning look and a small smile, obviously wondering what I'm thankful for specifically.
"Thank you for everything. You're incredible. You helped me keep it together back there, you helped us survive, you gave me hope, and you just...make me feel safe." I say.
He smiles a little more but looks down at our entwined hands a bit bashfully.
He's about to say something in return, but we're interrupted by a woman handing us bottles of water. We thank her and she moves along.
I glance around and my eyes connect with Christina where she sits across the deck, huddled up with Will. It's the closest I've seen them together and she obviously sees that I notice this. We share a small knowing smile and I wink at her. For the first time, I get her to blush.
As the coast guard ship approaches a while later, we share hugs and handshakes with our rescuers, thanking them profusely for spotting us and coming to help. They saved our lives, and we'll be eternally grateful.
It's a bit of work transferring from one vessel to another, but we do it. And then before I know it, we're heading for land. We're told we're heading for New Zealand. Even though we apparently made our way very off course, it's still the closest populated land destination.
After quite a lengthy trip, we finally arrive and I almost don't know what feelings are coursing through my head.
When we pull up to port, there are emergency vehicles waiting our arrival. We're told they're going to take us to the nearest hospital. Not only the ones with injuries, but the rest of us as well. They insist on getting us all checked out, whether we say we're fine or not.
The whole process seems to go so fast, yet it also seems to go in slow motion.
We get admitted to the hospital and per Tobias' insistence with the nurses, he thankfully gets us in a double-room together. They check us both out for injuries, as well as making sure we're not dehydrated or malnourished and so on. Thankfully were both pretty good. Although when Tobias points out the cut on his hand he got from a sharp part of the plane when he was helping to remove the tires for the fire, he's glad he had it looked at. They gave him a tetanus shot and end up giving him 12 stitches. I turn out to be okay, but they both encourage us to stay, lying down to rest. Plus, they say there will be some people who will come by soon to do some brief interviews about the crash and our experience.
But until then, Tobias and I are left alone to get some sleep.
"How's your hand feeling?" I ask, knowing all they gave him was some extra strength Tylenol for the pain.
"It's fine, barely felt it." he says and I chuckle at him.
"How are you doing? You feel okay?" he asks.
"Yeah, I just want to get out of here. This bed feels pretty good compared to the ground, and I want the rest, but I want a big comfy bed and a private room to rest in."
"With me?" he asks.
"Yeah, I guess you could join me." I tease and he smiles from his little hospital bed a couple feet away from me. It's so small compared to him, his feet hang off the edge.
"How are you two doing? I know Leanne said you were resting, but I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food." the new nurse says as she comes in with two trays. She places them in front of us and removes the lids, revealing a meal consisting go a chicken breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, roasted carrots, a salad and a dinner roll. It's nothing too fancy, definitely a hospital meal. But right now, it seems to be one of the most appetizing things I've ever seen.
"Thank you." I say. "And we're doing well. But any chance there is a phone we could use though? I'd like to call my family."
"I think I better have Dr. Marx come back in here to talk to you about that." The nurse says. "I'll send her back in."
"Okay, thanks." I say, digging into my food before the doctor comes back.
"That's odd, huh?" Tobias says to me and I nod, thinking just the same thing. Why would the doctor have to talk to us further before we make phone calls?
Once Dr. Marx comes back in, she gives us an apologetic smile.
"Sorry you two, I had to chat with a few people before I spoke to you about this." she says and we look at her, willing her to explain further.
"The phone is right over here. But I must tell you, it isn't recommend you call anyone but your immediate family."
"Why is that?" Tobias asks her.
"Well, the media has been all over the story of your missing jet and it's been assumed that it crashed, with no survivors." she explains gently, waiting a moment for us to take that in before continuing.
"Unfortunately 11 days without any indication of where you were, the media pushed the idea. I'm not saying that's what all your friends and family believed. Nor the search and rescue teams, who were indeed still looking. But it's been quite a story all over the news. And it's possible that anyone you call, may spread the word. It's best that any information of what happened, is addressed to the public by you guys personally, and maybe even that you find a lawyer or PR person. Everyone is going to be on this. Heck, they'll probably want you on talk shows and everything. It's just something you should think about and consider before proceeding."
"Wow." is all I can manage to say. I look to Tobias and he's just got his arms crossed, looking down at his now empty plate, obviously in deep thought about all this.
"The Coast Guard notified the person in charge of your search crew. He then notified your parents Beatrice. They are already on a flight here. Tobias, your mother has been notified as well and is also on her way."
"Here to New Zealand?" I ask, surprised.
"Yes dear, so that's why it might be best to lay low until they get here. I wouldn't even leave the hospital until then, news crews are already outside waiting." she says, peeking through the blinds of the window.
"Okay, thank you." I say, trying to process all this overwhelming information.
After giving us a tight smile and a nod, she exits the room and closes the door behind her.
"Didn't think it'd be that big of a deal." I say to Tobias after a few minutes of silence.
"Me either. I mean, I guess it is a big deal. But I don't like that the news is all over it. We still have a personal life." he says and I nod in agreement as I look over at him. He offers me a small smile and scoots over in his hospital bed slightly, patting the empty space, encouraging me to join him.
I get up and lay beside him on the tiny bed, snuggling up to his chest and his arm goes around me.
"I don't like public speaking, I hope I won't have to do very many interviews. I don't personally want to be on TV or anything." I say.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. And if any talking is needed, I'll do it if you'd like."
I smile at his sweetness. I feel him kiss my forehead and take a deep breath.
"I'm just happy we're back, we made it to New Zealand after all. We're okay." he says and my smile remains as the steady beat of his heart eases me into a peaceful sleep.
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I awake to harsh sunlight streaming through the short vertical blinds. My eyes reluctantly open and they almost immediately land on the big clock on the wall that reminds me of the ones in school. It reads 8:50am and when I begin to awaken more, I realize I'm alone.
I lean up and stretch, before throwing my legs over the side of the hospital bed and standing up. I open the door and peek my head into the hallway. The first thing I see is a man in uniform at the end of the hall, he's asking Tobias a bunch of questions and jotting down notes. But it seems they're at the tail end of their conversation, because the man closes his notepad, shakes Tobias' hand and walks away. But just as Tobias was turning to head in my direction, he did a double-take towards what appears to be the front desk area.
"Jenna?" he asks with surprise and excitement. My curiosity is immediately peaked, but for some reason instead of walking over there to join him, I duck and hide behind the stretcher next to me here in the hallway. Why am I acting like a child? I'm literally ducking and hiding, and now eavesdropping.
"Tobias!" The girl shrieks back.
I peer over the hospital stretcher and take in the view of the girl, Jenna. The name rings a bell. I remember Tobias mentioning she is one of his close friends. She and their other two close guy friends, Micah and Ryan, always hung out together. They all lived in the same apartment building and have known each other for a few years. He didn't talk about her often, maybe even less than his other friends. But he always spoke very highly of her, saying now she was a tattoo artist and a painter. Somehow I also found out that she is a nude model for an art school.
She has pale milky skin, beautiful shiny shoulder length black hair and a bright smile, her bright red lipstick contrasting brightly to her shiny white teeth and bright blue eyes. For some reason even from here, I notice her perfectly wing tipped eyeliner, her black suede ankle boots that go perfect with her cute outfit. And then there are her several tattoos. She has both lower arms covered in beautiful floral work and there is a fairly large tattoo across her chest of a heart with keyhole and wings splaying from it. She has another one on her neck, but I can't tell what it is from here.
It also doesn't go unnoticed that she's really pretty. I for some reason think she's awesome, even in just the first 20 seconds of seeing her from 30 feet away. Although I've never even met her.
But, the thing that catches my eye out of all of this...is how she's in my boyfriend's arms. Like not just in a big happy friendly hug, but she's up off the ground in Tobias' arms, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck.
Just moments ago, I had watched how she entered the area and when they caught each other's eye, she dropped her bag on the ground and leapt into his arms. He seemed to be reluctant, but he held her in place there so as not to fall, simply looking at her in surprise. Then almost immediately, it gets worse...now her lips are on his like she's been waiting ages to kiss him.
But my heart begins to pound as if it will erupt, but it calms a bit as I see that Tobias doesn't let the kiss last long. He pushes her away and gently sets her down on the ground. She looks sad, but she keeps are arms around his neck. Which he then gently removes as well. But I notice that he remains holding her hands, and even though I just see his profile, I can tell he's looking into her eyes. Those damn bright blue ones with the perfectly mascara covered long lashes.
"Jenna, what was that? Why'd you do that?" he almost says harshly, but he manages to keep it sounding calm. He sounds genuinely surprised by her actions.
"Toby, I'm-I'm so glad you're okay. When we heard you didn't make your arrival time, and that the plane was missing, so many things were running though our heads." she says.
"I know, it's crazy, right?" he says, shaking his head in disbelief of it all.
"I thought I'd lost you, forever." she says and a few tears fall. "I love you Tobias, I don't know why I never realized it before. But, once I thought you were gone, I realized what I was missing." she says.
"I don't understand, what do you mean?" he asks, surprised further at her admission and seemingly confused.
"I'm saying, I know you left on this new adventure, and we as your friends, we wished you well and told you to keep in touch. But then when we got the news, I felt heartbroken. So when I heard from your mom that you were okay, I got on the next flight to New Zealand to welcome you home. And well, to tell you my feelings for you. Maybe we can even stay here, live here in New Zealand after all. Make a life together here. A family. I'm sure you realize now how silly it is to travel around the world like you always said you wanted to. It's dangerous. So we could just find an awesome place here, live abroad.
My throat constricts and my eyes sting, but I blink back the tears. This girl sounds stupid saying it's dangerous to travel. I guess to an extent it is. But isn't it worth it? And it's got to be just as dangerous living in LA or Chicago for that matter. But still, she seems wonderful and beautiful and perfect for him. And they're so similar, I bet they get along great. If they were friends before, I don't see why he wouldn't want to take it to the next level. I always thought he deserved better than me anyway, maybe this is a sign. I sign that we had our time together, and now he's meant to move on.
"Wow. I uh, I don't know what to say." he says, pulling his hands from hers and looking down while he tucks his hands in his pockets.
"Be truthful. Be honest with yourself Toby. Do you want me?" she says, tugging on the bottom of his shirt.
He takes a step back, therefore removing her hand from the material.
"Jenna," he says and takes a deep breath. He pulls a hand out of his pocket to rub his face with it. "I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way. I love you, but only as a friend. Nothing more." he pauses and looks up at her for her reaction. "I'm really glad you came here, it's good to see you. And I'm glad to have a familiar friendly face to greet me and welcome me back. It was quite an interesting past couple weeks." he says. "But I don't want you to get your hopes up that there could be something between us."
She seems sad and furrows her brow as she looks at the ground. But she stays there and continues talking to him.
"I understand. You've never really given me any signs anyway. I guess a girl can hope though, right?" she says.
"Well, like I said, you're awesome. But you're like having another sister, you know that. You have to admit, we used to get on each other's nerves pretty often. Our personalities are too alike." he says, and I can tell he doesn't like the confrontation and wants to let her off easy.
"You're right." she says with a smile and punches his arm playfully. He sits down in a chair there in the waiting area and she takes a seat next to him.
I sigh inwardly and quietly shift my legs so they don't fall asleep. A nurse walks by and gives me an odd look, but I just shoo her away with my hand and she seems to understand what I'm doing. She gives me a sympathetic look and continues on her way.
"Was it awful? I don't know many details. But they said that a cargo ship spotted you guys on a deserted island?" Jenna asks him.
"Yeah, we had a crash landing on an island. I guess it was fairly small, but felt big when you traversed it on foot. But the whole experience actually wasn't as awful as you'd think." he says.
"Are you serious?" she asks, genuinely surprised. "That sounds so terrible though."
"Yeah, I mean, it was rough. It was hard work, and at times, emotionally a bit draining. But in the grand scheme of things, none of us got seriously injured. We learned to fish and find food, so we didn't go too entirely hungry, we found fresh water, and it was actually really beautiful there." he says and he smiles before adding, "And...I met a girl."
"Oh?" she asks, somewhat surprised, somewhat amused. "A girl?"
"Not just any girl. The girl." he says biting his lip from grinning.
Even though my heart swells with happiness at those words, a part of me doesn't understand his logic. Me? Over her? She's perfect for him. She would be a good wife to him one day. They'd have adorable kids. Fuck, what am I thinking? Is there something wrong with me? No, I tell myself. I just want Tobias to be happy. It's for the greater good.
I let out a squeak when I feel something brush up against my arm and jerk to look to see what it is, only to find Christina crouched down beside me. She giggles and leans into my ear, whispering loudly. "What are you doing Tris?"
I scowl and shush her as I tilt my head in Tobias and Jenna's direction, indicating my predicament and hoping she keeps her mouth shut.
She seems to get the hint and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise as what she's witnessing.
But when I peek back over at them, they're looking in this direction. I guess the squeak I let out when she startled me, caught their attention.
"Tris?" Tobias asks.
But I don't reply and then my body works of its own accord. I stand and start for the other direction, running away like an immature young girl.
It's for the greater good. I try reiterating in my head as my heart pounds in my ears. I faintly hear footsteps of someone, or possibly multiple people following me. But I can't get myself to stop or look back. I just keep running the confusing hallways until I see a door leading outside.
I go to push the door open with all my might, but much to my surprise, it's an automatic door. So it opens on its own as I approach. But since I wasn't expecting that, I stumble slightly and almost trip flat on my face. I somehow catch myself, but I'm not sure which direction to go next. I seem to be in some sort of courtyard with picnic tables covered by umbrellas, and no obvious exit in sight. My only options are the way I came, or two other doors that appear to lead to the cafeteria. I spin, trying to come up with a quick direction to head, but I'm met with strong arms encircling me, and my nose is met with that distinct masculine wonderful smell that is uniquely him.
I didn't even realize I was crying until he turns me in his arms to face him and holds me close with one arm, while his other hand reaches up to my face and his fingers wipe away my tears.
"Tris, what's this about? Why are you crying? Why'd you run from me?"
I swallow hard and try to pull away, but he doesn't let me budge. He's not hurting me, but he's definitely not letting me go anywhere.
"Tris." he pleads. "Please. You're scaring me."
I reluctantly look up at him and the look in his eyes makes me stifle a sob. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation with Jenna. I didn't plan on it, but I hid and listened, and then I couldn't stop."
"It's okay, I don't care if you heard any of that. I have nothing to hide from you."
"But she's amazing Tobias. You deserve a girl like that. You deserve to be happy." I say. I reach up and cradle his jaw with my hand and rub his cheek with my thumb. "I..." I start, but have to take a deep calming breath before I continue. "I think you would make a wonderful couple. If you want to be with her, I give you my blessing. I don't want you to feel obligated to be with me, just because we said some things on a deserted island during a traumatic experience."
He looks both sad and mad at the same time. "Excuse me?" he says through his teeth.
"I don't want you to feel like you owe it to me. We can just appreciate what we had and move on." I say quietly.
Now it's his turn to take a deep breath before he speaks.
"You better be joking." he says and reaches to hold my face in both his hands.
I try to look down to avoid his stare, but he just tilts my face back up. He still looks angry, but he also looks hurt. And it breaks my heart to know it's because of me.
"Tris, this is it. Right here, right now, I need you to flush away all those doubts and insecurities, okay? Just let it all out. No more of this nonsense from here on out. I'm in love with you. I fell in love with you on that island, and I'm still in love with you here. I will always be in love with you. For the rest of my days." he says sternly but sincerely.
"But-" I start to say, but be cuts me off.
"No. There are no buts about it. I'm not in love with Jenna. I'm not in love with anyone else. Just you, Tris Prior. So whether you like it or not, you need to accept that information and decide truthfully what your heart wants. Because I know what I want. I want you, all for myself. I want to date you. I want to travel the world with you like we've talked about. One day, I want to propose to you. I want to make you my wife. I want to talk about having children with you." he says, looking between my eyes with love and hope. "Please let me have that with you." he says, while still looking at me intently. He is so sincere that my lip trembles the whole time. The tears begin to fall again, but I can't help the smile that comes with it this time. But for some reason, I still need to be clear with him.
"I just don't want you regret it." I say quietly, biting my lip. "I can't get any more attached to you, just to have to lose you. I won't be able to handle that."
"You won't have to deal with losing me unless you keep pushing me away like this. Because I don't take those words lightly Tris. I don't just throw them around. I was confident in those feelings when I first told you that I loved you. And the feeling only gets stronger. I most definitely won't regret making my future with you. You're it for me." he says. He leans closer and gently brushes his lips with mine.
I press my forehead to his and whisper, "I'm in love you with too Tobias. I meant it when I said it before, and I still do."
He smiles at me.
"I'm sorry I doubted us, I just wanted what's best for you. But if you really think that person is me, and if you'll have me despite my emotional outbreaks," I say with a tearful chuckle, "I want all that stuff you mentioned. I want it all. I want it with you."
The grin over takes his face before he presses his lips to mine again, this time much more forcefully.
I try to pour all my love and devotion into the kiss. Showing how much I truly do care for him and that I want nothing more than to be the best that I can be for him.
After a good couple minutes wrapped in each other's arms and kissing passionately, we pull apart and close our eyes as I press my forehead to his upper chest, giving his sexy collar bone a chaste kiss and he kisses the top of my head.
"I just realized we have an audience." he mumbles against my ear. I cautiously look over my shoulder and not only see Christina and Jenna, but my mom and dad standing there. The four of them are next to another woman around my mom's age, with grayish blonde shoulder length hair.
I'd normally be completely embarrassed by such PDA, but right now I just don't care. My parents are here!
"It's my mom and dad." I tell him and I immediately turn and head in that direction. But I don't hear Tobias' footsteps behind me. So I stop and turn to see him walking slowly, almost reluctantly.
"I figured I'd give you some time alone with them." he says with a gentle smile.
"Don't be a doofus. We're in this for the long haul, right?" I ask and he nods with a smile.
"Alright, c'mon then, you're meeting my parents." I say with a smile and take his hand.
"Okay." he says and squeezes my hand. "And did you call me a doofus?" he teases and I nod with a small laugh.
Once Tobias and I get closer, he explains who the other woman is that I didn't recognize.
"It's seems you're meeting my mother too." he says as his smile grows.
As we approach, I notice that Christina whispers something to Jenna, and now they're heading in the direction of the cafeteria. Whereas our family realizes they can move and no longer have to wait patiently for us to work out what I'm sure appeared to be an emotional discussion.
The sliding doors open and they bound through as we approach them. My mom engulfs me in a bone crushing hug and my dad wraps his arms around both of us. It feels so good to be near them again, for them to know that I'm okay. That I actually have been this whole time. I've missed them so much.
We stay like that for a long time, my mom crying and my dad telling me how wonderful it is to see me. When we pull away, they look at me like they haven't seen me in years. Although it does kind of feel that way.
I glance to my right and see Tobias still embraced with his mother and I smile at the sight. He smiles at me over his moms shoulder.
"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet someone." I say. At that, they pull away from our group hug and Tobias turns towards me as I take his left hand.
"This is Tobias Eaton." I say and Tobias reaches and shakes my dad's hand. "Mr. Prior." he says with a nod, then looks to my mom. "Mrs. Prior."
"Please, call us Natalie and Andrew. And it's very nice to meet you Tobias." My mom tells him.
"Well, Andrew, Natalie, Tris- this is my mother, Evelyn Johnson." Tobias tells her and I shake her hand as well. "Very nice to meet you all." she says with a warm smile, similar to Tobias'.
Evelyn and my parents greet one another and once the introductions are over, we sit at one of the tables and Tobias and I proceed to tell them about everything that happened.
I'm thankful that we're able to tell the story together, it's easier with him by my side. We begin with how we met on the plane, then onto the actual crash landing, to the few injuries people had, to surviving and living in the wild jungle and beach for 10 nights and 11 days.
Both of our moms are crying softly throughout the story, and even my dad seems emotional. We of course leave out the parts of our sexual adventures. But we do summarize how we bonded and got to know each other, how it was easy to become close to one another quickly, and how we realized we had fallen in love. I try emphasizing how wonderful Tobias was with everything, and how he took care of me and kept me calm the whole time. Although he smiles at me from the compliments, he just turns the conversation into how wonderful I did too. How awesome I had been with him and the others, how skilled I had become at catching shellfish and with finding plant life to eat.
"Mom, I have you to thank for that. For teaching me a bit about your love for horticulture and edible plants. It really helped us out a lot. I didn't even know I stored all that information in the back of my brain somewhere." I say with a chuckle. "And dad, I had to tie off a makeshift sling for Nita's arm like you taught me."
We're all silent for a few moments, they seem to be taking in all the information we just shared. They had been patient and quiet as they listened, hanging on every word.
As I think about it, I'm slightly surprised at their reaction to the part about Tobias and me. None of them seem surprised or unsure about this particular bit of news. I thought for sure my parents, or at least my dad, would be unconvinced, because of the short time frame. Not that it would have altered my decision to be with Tobias, but I thought maybe I'd have to deal with their unsure comments or parental advice to take things slower.
But instead, they just say how happy they are for us, and how they see how much we love each other.
We all turn when we hear the doors slide open and see a receptionist bringing out a phone.
"Is there a Mr. Tobias Eaton out here?" she asks and in response, he stands to acknowledge her. She hands him the phone and tells him he has a call from our employer and hotel owner, Jim.
He takes the phone and thanks her, but as he takes the call, he begins pacing next to us where we remain sitting at the table waiting patiently.
He seems to be mostly listening to the other end, but offers short answers in reply to whatever Jim is saying. But then he suddenly stops in his tracks and stops to look at me in awe as he listens further. Now I'm completely anxious to know what he's saying.
"Yeah, Tris is right here with me, I'll fill her in on everything." he says after the 15 minute conversation.
When he hangs up, he takes his seat again between me and his mother.
He looks to his left at me and offers me a baffled smile.
"Well?" I say, encouraging him to indeed fill me in.
"Jim basically wanted to tell us that he's glad we're all okay. Apparently he's already spoken to the others, but they had a hard time finding us since we weren't in our room. Anyway, he wanted us all to know that he's proud of our hard work and ability to overcome all this. And that if/when we decide we want to return to work, our jobs are still available to us whenever we want. Preferably here in New Zealand since he still wants to open the hotel in about 9 months. But if we wish to work at a different location, he'll squeeze us in somewhere else. But in the meantime, we can have as much time off as we want. He said even a couple years is fine." Tobias explains and my jaw drops.
"Seriously? I thought they would have moved on and found replacements for us. Or of anything, we could have our jobs, but we'd have to start right away. I'm sure they're already behind on everything now." I say.
"Yeah, he just said how this has just proven even more what hardworking awesome people we are, so wouldn't want to give up having staff like us if we'll consider it. But said he's really understanding that we may need time off for ourselves as it was a traumatic experience."
"That's very kind of him, I'm glad he's being understanding." My mother says.
"There's more." Tobias says and we all look at him waiting for him to continue.
"He says the media is all over this and indeed will want interviews, etc. if we're willing to comply. He's sending a PR rep for his company, out here to New Zealand to speak with us all and work things out. He said that we don't have to do a lot, if we don't want to. But that if we're willing to have the PR person help us come up with some good TV segments and have our summarized stories ready, it will be easier to get it over with and them off our backs sooner. Otherwise, everyone will be begging to talk to us, wanting the scoop and dirty details." he says and I sigh. I guess he's right, we could just do a few and get them over with.
"In addition, to help us through all this, he is awarding each passenger some money to help ease back into a normal life. Or to use to help pay for expenses if we wish to take some time off."
"Really?" I ask.
I had thought that they might offer to pay medical expenses, but an additional stipend?
"Yeah, he'll pay for any and all related medical charges. Plus...a bonus allotment of $100,000 each." he says and my jaw drops.
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A/N-
Thank you for all the great reviews, it's so great to get such positive feedback!
Also, thank you Ractre1127 for all your help!
This chapters picture collage will be on Tumblr tomorrow evening.(madisonr1129)