Something About Vegas

Turbulence

They silently got in line for boarding and as they made their way down the aisle, Tim gave the almost full cabin a quick once over, pleased to see no infants or small children who might start screaming during the flight. He hoped for quiet so he could shut his eyes; Calleigh wasn't the only one who didn't get sleep last night.

Once at their row, he let her in first, so that he could have the aisle seat. An elderly gentleman with hearing aids in both ears was sitting by the window in their row. He smiled politely, but didn't speak. Tim nodded, but Calleigh greeted him with all of the southern charm she could muster. She must reserve that for the men that don't marry her in Vegas and then take her to bed, he thought to himself with a wry chuckle, causing her to glare at him. He ignored her, put the bags in the overhead compartment, got himself buckled and prayed the flight attendants would soon be by with coffee. Ironic really, that he he craved both coffee and sleep at the same time. He supposed both were better than anything else he might crave. Calleigh leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, so much for pleasant conversation.

This flight was nothing like the flight to Vegas had been. During that one they had chatted amiably, made plans to see their Vegas PD counterparts and teased each other about who's lecture would be the most informative, since they were both speakers at the conference they were attending. It was true, sex changed everything in a relationship, he thought to himself while he sipped his hot brew, courtesy of the pretty flight attendant who served him with a smile. It had certainly changed theirs.

They hadn't gone to Vegas with the intention of sleeping with each other, it was the farthest thing from his mind, yet they did, and the sex had been truly amazing. It was somehow different with Calleigh, who he now noticed had fallen asleep and was resting her head on his shoulder. With Calleigh, it wasn't like one night stand sex, or drunken sex and it wasn't like sleeping with any girlfriend he'd ever had. It was somehow different, just another aspect of the past twenty four hours he didn't understand. Then there was the whole getting married part, what was that about? he wondered, his brain still not providing any answers on that front.

He finished his coffee, put his tray table up, looked at his watch, three hours to go he noted and decided it was time to let sleep claim him for a little while. He was careful not to move around much, so he wouldn't disturb her and finally, he closed his eyes.

The bumps and jolts he felt roused him from sleep, but it took him a moment to fully waken. His neck was cramped and his back was stiff from sleeping in an awkward sitting position with little space to move around. The next round of bumpiness was more jarring and had Calleigh, also awake, clutching at his arm, looking at him wide eyed. There was a brief lull before the bumps and jolts started up again and she quickly told him she had woken just as it began when the pilot was ordering everyone to buckle up. They'd hit turbulence and the jolts were getting worse. Tim glanced out the window. The skies were clear. They weren't flying into a storm, so it was probably clear air turbulence (not always foreseen). He had a friend who had flown in the military and he learned quite a bit from him about flying. He knew this could be unpleasant and uncomfortable, but if they stayed buckled in their seats, they were probably in no danger.

The pilot was heard over the speaker repeating his earlier command for passengers and flight crew to stay seated with seat belts securely fastened. They were in moderate chop turbulence, they were told, and it could become severe without warning. It was difficult to hear due to all the commotion in the cabin: some people were talking excitedly, a few were even crying. Tim looked around, there were a couple things sliding down the aisle, but it looked as if all the passengers were safely seated. The older gentleman in their row appeared to be praying, his head down, eyes closed and hands gripping the armrest. Tim hoped he wouldn't have a heart attack or anything.

It went from bad to worse rapidly. The plane felt as though it were dropping from the sky at a rapid rate of speed. Some people were now screaming and a few unsecured small items went airborne. He knew that the plane usually only lost about 10 to 20 feet of altitude, but at such a rapid rate, it felt like much more. His body was being violently forced against the seat belt. It could almost be compared to one of those amusement park extreme thrill rides, but this one, you were on unwillingly.

The jolting bumps and abrupt changes in altitude continued with little relief. He'd experienced air turbulence before, but never this bad and looking around at the slightly panicked faces of his fellow passengers, he suspected they hadn't either. He eyed Calleigh with concern, she continued to grip his arm and look alarmed. Her eyes sought his and he put a comforting hand on her knee, feeling immediately how tense she was.

"Cal, it's gonna be OK, trust me. We'll be fine. The pilots know what they're doing, they have experience with this. Don't worry, I'm right here with you," he reassured her over the bouncing commotion. She nodded and continued to clutch his arm tightly, leaning closer and he kept his hand on her leg.

The plane finally steadied after about twenty minutes, but for everyone involved it felt much longer. Some people had gotten sick, which made the rest of the flight that much more unpleasant. He looked down his row. The older gentleman seemed OK, though considerably paler, as did Calleigh. There were a few bumps and bruises amongst the passengers, but fortunately no serious injuries that he could see. They would soon begin their approach to the Denver airport and the pilot reassured everyone that the worst was over and they were safe. Calleigh had let go of his arm, but now held onto the hand that had been on her knee.

"Are you OK?" he asked her, squeezing her hand. She nodded. "You sure?" he asked again, still concerned, not believing her.

"I'm fine Tim, really. I'm just ready to get off this plane along with everyone else." She let go of his hand, but leaned against him and closed her eyes. This time he knew she wasn't asleep.

The plane landed safely, without incident, most of the passengers still stunned. He was quite happy to be on solid ground again, but that would be short lived; they had a connection to catch in little more than an hour. He took their bags out of the overhead compartment and this time she didn't object when he carried the larger of her bags for her.

"C'mon, we should check to see if our next flight is on time," he suggested, motioning with his head in the direction they needed to go.

"I've had enough of flying for today. I've decided to drive the rest of the way. You can catch that flight if you want. I'm going to rent a car," she declared in an firm, no arguments tone. He was incredulous, she might as well have told him she was going to fly the plane herself to Miami. She couldn't possibly be serious.

tbc