A/N: Anyone know how to do breaks so the scenes don't flow together into one big scene!
Somewhere over Wyoming, a block of ice landed in my stomach. Maybe it was the fact I was in the U.S., or that my mother's eyesight (though failing) wouldn't miss my ring.
She would kill me.
And suddenly, I knew what I had to do.
oOoOoOoOoOoO
"We're now landing at the Wilkton airport," announced the pilot. "There's a fresh coat of snow on the ground, but nothing to be too concerned about."
As I stepped off the plane and grabbed my bags, I started straight for the ticket line, but a familiar voice stopped me.
"Jaclyn!"
I turned to see my brother.
"Elliot!" I ran to him. "How did you get here?"
"Your company clerk called," he said.
"Oh."
We got in the car, and Elliot drove out into the traffic.
"El, I have something to tell you," I said.
"Go ahead."
"You know how I asked you to send the wedding dress?" I began.
"Yeah--for that friend of yours, right?"
"Wrong," I answered and took in a long breath. "It was for me."
"What?" Elliot asked in disbelief.
"I said, it was for me," I repeated.
Elliot almost ran the car into a lamppost. He pulled over to the side of the road. "I think you'd better tell me the whole story."
I launched into the saga.
"Okay, okay, okay," said Elliot when I'd finished. "So fell in love with this guy named Hawkeye who's back at the 4077th, married him, and you didn't get to say goodbye."
"Why does it take YOU five seconds to tell this, and it takes ME twenty minutes?" I demanded. "Argh, it doesn't matter."
"I don't think Mom will like this." Elliot started the car and we were on our way.
"Neither do I," I said.
I spent the ride to Stockton chewing my fingernails nervously.
When we pulled in the driveway, Dad was out shoveling the driveway.
"Dad!" Elliot shouted. "I've got a surprise for you."
He looked up, and I stepped out of the car.
I honestly thought my father was going to faint. "Jaclyn!" He ran over and hugged me. "I--you're---I don't believe it!"
"I can't either," I said honestly.
And then out came Mother.