Thanks for all of the reviews. I will try to make the chapters longer.
Now on with the show…
Now Or Never
Maureen's POV
My hands were still shaking, I could not believe what I had just seen happen. After I had come to my senses and the shock had worn off a little, I decided to go pick up the girls from school. I figured that the school was going to close any way and I wanted to get the girls home before the situation would get worse. So Kate and I headed to the school. Apparently we were not the only parents with the same idea because I could see a lot of other children leaving as well. I was not sure that the girls could handle seeing the world trade center the way it was so we walked fast and I managed to distract them and keep them from looking back at the buildings. That worked until Rachel saw her friend from school and turned around to say hi. I could see her jaw drop and her lip start quivering at the sight of the burning building and I immediately ran to comfort her. Obviously, this had caused Katie and Megan to look back so now I had three very frightened little girls on my hands. Suddenly I heard someone call my name. It was Rich, Joanne's co-worker and our family friend. Joanne had helped Rich a lot after he decided to come out and he and his boyfriend had become friends with Joanne and me.
"Do you need a hand" he asked, seeing me try to comfort the girls.
"I'm good" I responded
"Have you heard from Joanne by the way, she told me she had a meeting today but she didn't say where" I said
"Listen, can I answer that question after we get to your place" he responded
I wondered why he would not say anything now but I decided that I could wait until I got home. Rich told me that the subway had been shut down because of the accident and that he was going to help me get a cab. In the cab, I tried calling Joanne's cell phone to see if she was alright but all I got was her voice mail. I left a message telling her to call me as soon as she got this message. When we got home, I told the girls to go to their rooms and play and then I sat down on the couch next to Rich.
"Do you want to tell me now where Joanne is?" I asked him impatiently
"She had a meeting today in the north tower of the world trade center" he responded
For once in my life I was speechless and more terrified then ever. JOANNE!
Joanne's POV
By now almost a half hour had passed from the time I agreed to stay behind. The floor that I was on was almost deserted but there were still some people left that needed help. Bill, the other lawyer who had agreed to help people escape, had been trying to convince me to leave the building. I had been stubborn at first but now that the situation had become graver and we knew that what had happened wasn't an accident, I was beginning to see his point.
"Go now before it's too late, I'll be fine on my own" he told me
"I know what I'm doing and I'm aware that it's dangerous" I responded
"Damm it Joanne be reasonable, all those people above us are trapped, they have no choice. You do. Take it before it is too late. Leave now" he said
He was right, it was now or never, I had to make my escape.
I pulled off my coat and grabbed my briefcase and then shook Bill's hand.
"Good Luck to you" I said
"And to you" he replied
There were 56 floors between me and safety and there wasn't much time. I took a deep breath and started walking down the stairs hoping and praying that I would get to safety and soon.