Jonathan had closed the shutter over their pod, which blocked out the light and the noise around them. He turned the fans on and wrapped his arms around Jennifer.
They slept for about 4 hours, and then he woke up feeling like something was wrong.
He opened the shutter enough to be able to look out and hear what was happening.
"We've lost power to one of the engines. Everyone needs to sit up and put their seatbelts on".
He laid back down and tried to wake Jennifer.
"Jennifer….wake up… we have to sit up".
She stirred and then opened her eyes.
"We have to sit up, the plane is hitting some turbulence or something".
They put the shutter up and sat up and buckled. They kept their pods linked together.
She leaned down and grabbed her purse from under the seat in front of her and put it in her lap.
"Ma'am, you can't hold that in your lap. It has to go under the seat in front of you".
She put it back under the seat and sat back.
They took another sharp dip, and Jennifer's stomach dropped.
Jonathan reached over and held her hand.
"It's going to be ok, whatever happens".
The lights flickered and oxygen masks dropped from overhead.
They put their masks on and huddled together.
"Jonathan? I'm scared".
"It's ok".
They heard the unmistakable sound of the other engine cutting out.
Before either of them could really process it, the plane started going down fast.
They held on tight to each other and braced for impact.
***Jonathan***
Jonathan woke up and looked around. He and Jennifer were floating in the ocean, inside the remnants of what was their pod.
She was laying almost on top of him, and she wasn't awake.
She had a gash on her forehead, up in her hair line.
The plane was in pieces, and from what he could surmise, most of it had sunk.
He had absolutely no idea what time it was, or how long they had been floating in the water.
"Hello? Anyone out here?"
Silence.
He paddled with his hands until they were close enough to another piece of wreckage that he could grab it.
He used that as a paddle and got them to a bigger piece of wreckage.
He picked up the bigger one and slid it under Jennifer, so that she would be more supported.
He took stock of what injuries he had. He didn't see any visible cuts or scrapes on himself.
His left ankle hurt like hell, but he couldn't think about that now.
He paddled them towards a large box, that had some rope hanging off it. He tied the rope to the pod and paddled them towards another large piece of wreckage. He flipped it over and realized it was another pod. He lifted it and balanced it perpendicular to the pod he was in and started paddling again.
He leaned over and checked her pulse. Still beating. He felt around her head. No visible bumps or bruises. So, now he just had to wait for her to wake up.
He paddled for what seemed like hours. His arms and shoulders were on fire.
Finally, he reached the shore of an island.
He figured out how to get out of the pod without dumping her into the surf and scooped her up as soon as he could.
He found a shady spot to lay her down and did so.
He limped back to the shore and started gathering pieces of the wreckage.
He made a pile of wreckage pieces and then began to examine the box.
He quickly realized it was the food contents for the plane.
A few suitcases had washed ashore as well, and he went and grabbed those, hoping they could find some dry clothes.
Jennifer started coughing, and he quickly went to her.
"It's ok. Here, sit up some".
She wrapped her arms around him and coughed over his shoulder.
After her coughing fit ended, he gently laid her back down.
"Where….are we?"
"Our plane crashed. I paddled us to an island. I have no idea where the island is, but we will figure it out together".
She nodded.
"How are you feeling?"
"Head….hurts".
"You have a cut and a nice lump forming on the top of your forehead. Lie still, it should stop hurting soon".
She fell back asleep before he even finished the sentence. He made her as comfortable as he could, and then got up and explored the island a little.
There was hardly any vegetation. Not surprising, since it was so far north. There was evidence that someone had been there before, but it was clear they weren't there now. He found a hut that had 1 wall missing and didn't appear to be that sturdy. He found a few bushes with berries, but he couldn't identify them enough to know if they were poisonous or not.
He found several wide rocks that he knew he could use to make a campfire ring, if he found some wood and a way to light it.
He gathered as much of the wreckage as he could and then went and sat by Jennifer.
He started looking through the wreckage pieces, and found the black box that the airlines put on every plane. He found a tool kit in one person's suitcase, and a sewing kit in another person's. He managed to string up a makeshift clothesline, and hung some clothes over it, so they could dry out.
Finally, he limped back to Jennifer and laid down next to her and fell asleep.
***Some time later***
Jennifer woke up and decided to sit up. She saw Jonathan sleeping next to her.
She looked around and felt an instant sadness. They were stranded on an island god knows where, without any way to reach anyone and let them know where they were. They didn't have food, or dry clothes, or any medical supplies. They didn't even have a clean bathroom. She tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she could clearly recall was sharing the cab to the airport with Jonathan. The memories of that conversation started flooding back. She couldn't remember ever feeling so helpless in all her life.
She walked around the island a bit. It wasn't that big of a place. One could walk around the whole thing in about 30 minutes.
She found the same hut that Jonathan found, and then right next to it, she found a few large bushes with large plantain leaves. She pulled a bunch of the leaves off and made herself a nice big pile of them.
She carried the pile back to where Jonathan was, and started tearing them into strips. She made a nice pile of the strips and then braided them together into long ropes.
After she was done, she went and broke some branches off the tree by the hut, and used the braided ropes and the branches to reinforce the hut.
She had just finished when she heard him.
"Jennifer? Jennifer, where are you?"
"In the hut".
He limped and found her in the hut, admiring her handiwork.
"What are you doing?"
"Making myself useful".
He limped towards her.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. How are you feeling?"
"My ankle hurts a little, but I'll be ok".
He showed her to the pile of wreckage he had made, and the food cart he had found.
More wreckage was floating up, so they collected it and added the pieces to the pile.
Several more suitcases washed up, and she dragged those up to where she had been laying and opened them. Lots of wet clothes and shoes. She did manage to find some hygiene kits.
"I found us some shampoo and conditioner, and some travel bars of soap".
"Wonderful. Now all we need is a bath".
They hung a few things on the clothes line, and then Jonathan set about trying to start a fire.
She sat down next to him.
"So, the way I figure it, we are screwed. We have no idea where we are, and we have no way of alerting anyone that we are here. We barely have the basic necessities, and we have no way to get anything or go anywhere".
"Well, that's not entirely true. If I can get a fire started, we can start 2 more, and then hopefully someone will fly over and see that we are here. And it's possible that a boat may go by and we can get their attention too".
"That's a lot of maybes and if's".
"Well, it's the best that we can do, for now".
"Jonathan, it's the end of September. If we are as far north as I think we are, it's going to get very cold in the coming weeks. We don't have the means to survive that!"
"We don't exactly have a choice, either, do we?"
She walked over to the food box and started to rummage through it.
Everything was soaked, and basically ruined, except for the bottles of water.
She grabbed one and drank it.
"We can reuse that bottle".
"Reuse it? For what?"
"Well, if it rains, we can use it to collect rain water."
"And what if it snows? You want to use it to make snow cream? This is our lives we are dealing with Jonathan, not a science project".
"Look, I don't like this anymore than you do. In fact, I downright hate it. But I can't very well change it so I'm just trying to make the best of it. I suggest you do the same".
"How dare you lecture me! You have no right to tell me to make the best of something! I am entitled to my feelings, regardless of whether or not they match up with yours, thank you very much".
"Suit yourself".
She headed in one direction, and he headed in another.
After a couple hours, they made their way back to each other. She had found some berries and a bush that had some fruit hanging on it. He had managed to find some more goodies in some of the suitcases.
He placed some heavy rocks around the fire, and laid some of the clothes on top so they could dry.
She sat down by the fire and warmed her hands.
He sat down across from her.
There was an awkward silence that hung in the air between them.
He looked up at her and realized she was crying.
He got up and walked over to the food box and then came back to her with 2 small bottles of water.
He sat down next to her and offered her one.
"Thank you".
She turned away from him and wiped her eyes.
"Look, this isn't the best situation, but it could be a lot worse. We are alive, so that's something to be thankful for. And we don't have the best chances of being rescued, but we do have a chance. We just have to stay positive and think smart".
"I know. I just can't help thinking about my father. I'm all he has. And once the airlines notify him that I was on the plane and it crashed, he's going to be absolutely devastated".
She started to cry harder.
"Jennifer, just think about the moment when you surprise him and he finds out you are alive".
She calmed down some and drank her water.
"I picked some berries and this other fruit off the other side of the island. Want some?"
"No, and you aren't having any either".
She turned to look at him incredulously.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We don't know if the berries are poisonous. Do you even know what that fruit is?"
"Yes. Well, I think so".
She peeled the skin off and took a bite, and then spit it out.
"So much for that". It was extremely bitter.
They sat there by the fire and when the clothes were dry, they took turns going into the hut to change.
It was starting to get dark, so she helped him start two more fires, and then he made them a pallet in the hut so they could at least lay down.
Jennifer was so exhausted she practically fell asleep as soon as she laid down.
Jonathan waited till she was asleep to let himself feel the fear that he had been ignoring all day. Deep down, he was just as scared as she was.