XI
While waiting for the SUV to arrive, Blair hopped on her laptop and mapped out the best and fastest route for them to drive from Los Angeles to New York. When she had finished, including writing out her directions in a notebook she always carried for work, she went next door to talk to Jim and Karen, and laid out their trip.
"Okay, guys", she said, her demeanor completely business-like, "I want to get there as fast but as safely as possible. If that SUV is over here in a few minutes. I'd like us to be out of here by 4pm. I don't propose we drive straight through, but I'd like us to get a leg up on starting our journey."
Karen gave Blair a sideways glance. "Is this one of your brilliant ideas, Blair?" Karen was trying to lift her superior's spirits a little. It worked, as Blair gave her a small smile.
"Kind of." She moved her laptop to where both Karen and Jim could see what she was thinking. "I want to take the first shift in driving. I know", she said, holding up a hand as the other two started to object, "I've been a nervous wreck all day-we all have. But there's no way I could sleep to start the trip. I want us to do no more than eight hours at a time in driving. When we have to stop to get a bite to eat, we do that; if we need to use a restroom and get gas, we'll stop for that.
"But I want us to make it all the way to here..." She tapped her finger on a city on the route map, "By tomorrow evening before we stop for an overnight."
Jim whistled. "North Platte, Nebraska? That's a hike, Blair." He ran his finger on the laptop's touch pad, starting back at Los Angeles and stopping near North Platte. He looked a the time calculated to drive that distance. "Eighteen hours, forty minutes." He looked up at Blair and his wife. "With stops added in, that would mean arriving in to North Platte about 4pm tomorrow. Then we can rest, recharge, and get an early start Thursday morning."
Blair nodded. "After that, we will stop each night. I'm thinking near the Iowa-Illinois border on Thursday night, around Cleveland or Akron on Friday night, getting us home by Saturday afternoon."
"We're gonna be beat when we get home", Karen noted. "But we can do this. I think Steve's right-it's gonna be days before planes start flying again."
"So when we get out of here, I want you two to lay down in the back two rows, get as much sleep as you can. Who wants second shift?" Jim raised his hand. "Okay", Blair nodded, "once the SUV is here, we pack it finish a few things up here, get a good meal in our stomachs, and head for home."
_
Noon, New York City
Jo had been issued an industrial-grade N-95 mask and was near what was left of the towers-what the rescue and recovery workers would call "The Pile" in the coming days. It was very hot near where the structures once stood, but she and other First Responders went through piles of debris anyway, looking for any signs of life. So far they had found none. Not that anyone was surprised, but some sign of life would have lifted their spirits.
About forty-five minutes after the North Tower collapsed, another call came in on emergency radios.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday!"
"Go with the mayday, go ahead."
"Ladder 6, Tower One, Tower One, Stairwell B..."
"Rescue Three to Ladder 6, Captain Jay Jonas This is Cliff. I'm coming to get you. Where are you?"
Confusion reigned as the rescuers tried to locate the source of the Mayday in the rubble, but almost without exception, other rescuers from the remains of both towers were headed toward where the North Tower had stood.
"We're coming for you brother, we're coming for you."
It was a tense and nerve-wracking time for everyone working near the hot, mangled pile that used to be the Twin Towers, as FDNY firefighters and officers worked frantically to find the source of the Mayday. Finally, around 2:30pm, fourteen people emerged from the rubble-fourteen firefighters from Ladder 6 and Engine 10; one Port Authority Police Officer, and one civilian, a woman, who was a Bookkeeper for the Port Authority.
At least in this instance, fourteen people had miraculously survived the cataclysm of this day.
When it was announced they were safe, a great roar of joy was heard throughout the area. Jo had turned to an EMT that was next to her, and hugged the man, and gave him a high five, and she repeated that action with others in the area over and over, cheers, laughter and many tears overwhelming the workers who refused to quit.
Jo couldn't remember crying so hard in her life, but they were tears of happiness that at least something good had come out of this day of tragedy.
The very last survivor would be pulled from the rubble twenty-seven hours after the collapse of the towers.
Wednesday Evening, Nebraska
Blair, Karen, and Jim made it to a hotel near North Platte Nebraska by 6pm Central Time the next night. They had been a little more tired than they realized, drained from the unbearable drama taking place on the East Coast.
The first thing they did when they got to the hotel and reserved two rooms, was to go down to the bar inside the restaurant to see what the latest news was.
The place was packed.
Usually, even in a hotel, a bar is a lively area, but this night, in a scene repeated across bars, restaurants (what few remained open), and in homes, people watched the continuing coverage in absolute silence, only broken by an occasional "My God", or a more explicit curse at the still-unknown perpetrators.
After they had caught up enough with the news, Blair moved away from the area. She first tried calling Jo, but only heard Jo's recorded voice. By now, she was convinced Jo had left it in her police car. She dare not let her mind wander beyond that.
Then she called her father, who answered immediately.
"Hello, Blair", her father said in a relieved, tired voice. "It's good to hear your voice, honey."
Blair held back the tears. "It's good to hear your voice as well", she responded in almost a whisper. "Karen, Jim, and I have stopped for the night. We were getting caught up with the news in the hotel's bar."
"You didn't listen to any news while driving? And by the way, where are the three of you staying?"
"We decided to not listen to the news, it was just gonna make us more up-tight. We actually found a few stations playing music. And we're just east of North Platte, Nebraska."
David Warner whistled. "You guys drove straight through, all the way from L.A to Nebraska? I bet you guys are beat."
Blair gave him a small laugh. "An understatement, to say the least, Daddy. We're going to bed early, and will try to be back on the road by 8am."
"How far are you planning to go tomorrow?"
"We're hoping to get somewhere near Iowa City tomorrow night, then around Cleveland, hopefully getting us home Saturday afternoon."
"Remember, you don't need to set any speed records. I know you want to get home", he added, knowing what Blair was about to say, "but please, you three be safe."
"We will, Daddy, I promise." She paused for a long moment. "I tried to call Joey before I called her. I simply got the answering service."
"I tried earlier today myself, Princess", he assured her. "Don't read anything into not being able to reach her, honey."
"I'm trying not to, Daddy", she said, tears finally leaving her eyes, "but God, it's killing me not knowing if...if she's okay or not."
"Joanna Polniaczek, besides being a wonderful woman, is also one tough customer, remember." That made Blair genuinely laugh on the other end. "I believe she's alive and well. Just call it a father's intuition."
Blair again chuckled. "Why Daddy, are you saying that you now consider Jo your daughter-or maybe your pseudo step-daughter?"
Both Blair and her father laughed. Then he became serious. "I've thought that for a while, Princess. She's the best thing to ever happen to you, and if she is alright, I think it will be time to tell her. She's gonna need a lot of support, when I suspect what she's been going through."
"You don't know how much it means to me, hearing you say those words. More than you'll ever know."
They said their goodbyes, then Blair walked back to the bar, notifying Karen and Jim that she was going to bed. They immediately nodded their agreement. After taking one glass of wine with them to their rooms, all three were sound asleep by 9pm.