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Chapter 33: The Flight

It was spring break of 20X1 in Denver, Colorado. It was the last day of Winterses' vacation. Keanu had the clothes he was going to wear for the rest of the day, a navy blue and gray hoodie over a green t-shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes, while the rest was in his small blue and orange suitcase. The two conjoined rooms in the hotel were very busy as Jack and Crystal were having difficulty getting their stuff out and finding their toothbrushes in their suitcases and trying to find their preferable jackets. Keanu had it all taken care of while these two could not make up their minds.

Aunt Sophia stepped into the room and saw the mess they made. "What are you all doing!? I just had it all packed!"

"Mom, I hate that old green jacket, I wanted to wear the new red one!" Jack complained and excused.

"I haven't cleaned my teeth, but I cannot find my toothbrush!" Crystal cried.

"Why do you have to pack everything for us? We could have handled it!"

"Well, I doubt it when I saw it last night. And look at Keanu, he had it all prepared beforehand and he is ready to go."

Jack rolled his eyes at the example; it was always Keanu being the ideal model that Sophia had in mind. It was not his fault he was not perfect. He always ignored and rebelled against his mother's wishes and knew how Keanu felt when he was compared all the time by his aunt.

"Put everything back into the suitcases after changing your jacket," said Sophia, "and, Crystal, all of your sundries are in the front compartment of your suitcase."

Crystal immediately found the said compartment, finding the travel-sized toothbrush, and ran to the bathroom.

Keanu was sitting in a chair while watching television as it was broadcasting about the weather in every US state, including California. Apparently, it was getting cloudy there.

"Are you all kids done?" shouted Derrick.

Sophia came back to the other room. "Jack and Crystal dismantled their luggage again."

"Better get packing, our flight departs at eleven in the morning!" shouted Derrick.

"It's only now eight in the morning, Dad!" Jack shouted.

"You don't know how the airport works here, Jackie. They can be unpredictable sometimes."

"Don't call me that, Dad!" Jack shouted.

"Sorry, son, you know for a moment I thought I was going to have another girl in the family that I got stuck calling you Jackie."

"I'm not even a transgender, Dad! It's embarrassing!"

Keanu yawned, waiting for them to finish their packing. He picked up his phone and slid the screen to reveal a qwerty keyboard and opened a card game.

In the end, Jack and Crystal's luggage were hastily repacked which looked as if the small suitcases were about to explode. They went to the hotel's restaurant for breakfast and took a shuttle bus to Denver International Airport. It was one of the busiest airports in the US and they were soon about to meet its peak hours.

Once the airport was in sight, Jack saw a large, roaring 777 landing on the runway through his window. "Woah, awesome!"

The bus stopped at the nearest entrance to enter the terminal and the wolves picked up their luggage and walked inside the airport. Outside was quite loud, hearing the distance sounds of jets roaring when taking off and landing. Another jet took off from somewhere and let out its powerful blast into the sky.

Inside the airport, they went through the security check and their luggage checked. During the line, Keanu noticed his uncle checking the tickets with a sterned look on his face before putting them back in his black jacket.

After the security check, each arctic wolf carrying their own suitcases and backpacks walked through the busy crowd of people buzzing like a swarm of bees. Its modern architecture impressed Keanu like the first time he landed a week ago, there were works of art everywhere they go as they look for their gate.

It was now ten in the morning and according to the billboards displayed everywhere in the airport of every single flight in their reach, their return flight to Rexville Airport was still on time. Derrick was holding the boarding passes in his pockets. He would give it to them until they were about to board their plane.

Their terminal for their flight was Concourse C where they had to take the underground people mover train. Once again, Keanu glanced at his sterned looking uncle gazing at the tickets. It was unusual of him to be so sterned, was what his issue?

The train stopped at Concourse C Terminal, the doors slid open, and the wolves and other passengers stepped off the vehicle. Keanu, Sophia, Crystal, and Jack followed Derrick's lead as they look for the gate.

They were in the smallest terminal in the airport which had 29 gates. Through their walking, Keanu glimpsed at the giant bay windows, seeing a variety of passenger planes. Some had very colorful liveries, some planes were small, and some were very large.

Derrick stopped at gate 27. "This is it. And only thirty minutes to spare."

"That's our plane?" Jack said as he looked at the giant window. It was a small Airbus A320 painted in a blue and green livery with the white letters in bold capital POLARIS above the fuselage near the nose section. "I remembered flying a bigger one than this one."

"Well, we don't get to choose which type of plane we want to fly," said Derrick. "Here, don't lose it when we get on board." His father handed him the boarding pass and continued to give it to his wife and daughter, but then... "Keanu, there's something I need to tell you."

Keanu just took a seat and suddenly was woken up by his uncle and sat up. "Y-yeah, what is it?"

"Listen, I tried everything I could to take my seat with your aunt and cousins, but the airline doesn't allow me to switch planes. You're..." Derrick was embarrassed. "...uh, you're flying in a separate flight this afternoon..."

"Huh?" Jack cried, jumping out from his seat. "He's flying solo? Can I come, too?"

"No, you're not!" declared Derrick and turned back to his nephew. "Listen, Keanu, the airline has a policy about not switching tickets on different planes because of safety reasons and I tried to reason them, but because you're sixteen they consider you as an adult. When your father convinced me to take you on the trip, I had to buy another roundtrip ticket for you but what I didn't know was that the agent booked you on a different flight because ours is full."

Keanu was quiet at hearing this, so this was why he was so sterned earlier and dreading about.

"So, are you okay if you fly by yourself? I'm afraid there's no other choice."

"Okay, but where's my flight?"

"It's gate 26 and..."

"Derrick!" Sophia called.

Derrick saw Sophia at the check-in desk near the said gate, discussing with the clerk behind the desk.

"Excuse me." His uncle walked to the desk with his wife.

Keanu was concerned, he had no idea where this was going and sat down in the waiting seats.

"I'm jealous!" said Jack. "You get to fly by yourself and do whatever you want without Mom holding me on a leash."

"Jack," said Crystal, "this is serious. Dad had just made a miscalculation."

"So, what? We're gonna see him go off first, right?"

"No, didn't you hear what Dad said? Our flight comes first before Keanu's. They don't want him all by himself."

"He's sixteen!" Jack stated, gesturing with both shaking hands.

Keanu honestly said, "And I don't like this arrangement at all, Jack."

"Goddamn it, Keanu, LIVE A LITTLE!!!"

"Hey, quiet down!" said Sophia as she came back.

Keanu sat up and met with his uncles. "So, how was it? Can they change it?"

Derrick said, "No, they're very strict about it, but I talked to them if a crewmember would accompany you until we wait for you in Rexville."

"It's the best we could do, honey," said Sophia. "They told me she will come in a moment before our flight."

"I'm, again, sorry about this, Keanu. I should have known about it sooner and talked to the agent who set you up."

"It's okay, Uncle," Keanu said, "I guess this could work."

"Oh, come on!" cried Jack. "Now he's going to be babysat?"

"Jack, I will do the same thing to you if you fly solo," said his mother.

"Whatever," grumbled Jack and sat down on the waiting seats.

Time moved on as Keanu's uncles' and cousins' flight was ready for boarding. Keanu would sometimes curiously look at the ticket as there was nothing to do but wait. His full name was on one corner, the code names of DEN and RXV were printed next to their respective airports, his flight number 8085, and his seat number was on row 34C, an aisle seat in economy.

The fox-man behind the desk announced to the people gathered at the gate. "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please, flight 8080 for Rexville is now ready for boarding. Please check all your belongings before boarding. We're now starting with Group A; the elderly and the military passengers first..."

The passengers sat up from their waiting seats and made a line to scan their tickets.

Sophia was worried, where was the said crewmember who would take care of Keanu in their absence. "Where is she?"

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Keanu Winters!" A female human flight attendant shouted.

Keanu sat up and waved at her. "Here!"

The young blonde-haired woman looked at him and smiled, walking toward the wolves.

"Hello. I'm Penny, I'm here to take care of your nephew for the other flight to Rexville."

"Ah, thank you, I was worried when you were about to come," said Sophia.

"There have been some last-minute changes, and because I'm also going back to Rexville after my shift, it was convenient to take the role. So, there is no problem for me."

"Wonderful, thank you so much. We're now about to board our flight, please take care of him," said Derrick.

"My pleasure."

Sophia kissed his nephew on the cheek out of costume before joining the other passengers boarding the gate.

A while later, Keanu and the flight attendant watched his uncles' and cousins' plane leaving from the jetway and apron, moving backward with the help of a vehicle below holding the forward landing gear. They saw it going somewhere else through the maze of taxiways to the runway, from this angle they could not see the plane taking off.

Now Keanu had to wait for his flight at two in the afternoon. It was now lunchtime and had money given from his father for the trip in his wallet, so he and Penny went together to the nearest food shack.

Time went by easily and made small talks, but Penny knew how to keep up with the conversation with the shy wolf. After their lunch, they sat near Gate 26 where another Airbus A320 just parked at the apron and unloaded its passengers and later the crew.

"That's our flight, Keanu," said Penny. "I might meet some of my colleagues on board."

Keanu's phone ran out of battery and plugged the charger into the nearest socket. "So, what movie is going to show?"

"Oh no, this type of plane has an in-flight entertainment system, so you can pick your favorite movie."

"Oh, really? The last flight we took didn't have any and only showed one movie."

"Ah, I see, you flew on one of the old A310 planes. They could really use some upgrade, but most of Polaris' planes are new A320s and A321s, so they are just fine and comfortable."

"I see..." Keanu wasn't very familiar with aviation or which types of planes she was talking about, but Penny assured him that the plane he was flying today was new and up to date with an in-flight entertainment system to pass the time. He must set his phone in airplane mode later.

"This is a really odd occurrence about the airline policy, but the only way to change it was to do it sooner, which your uncle didn't," said Penny.

"Well, the truth is that my dad wanted me to go with them as he was busy this spring break," Keanu explained. "My uncles were okay with it, but they already paid for their trip and all, so I was sort of a last-minute guest. I sometimes feel guilty for getting in their plans like that."

"It's okay, I see that your uncles really care about you to bring me here to keep an eye on you."

Two hours passed after lunch and the crowd gathered up for their flight to Rexville. Keanu kept texting his uncle and father about the status of his flight and it remained on time. No delays yet. His uncle informed him that they had landed in Rexville thirty minutes ago which was now one in the afternoon in California. His father texted him that they would wait for him around three-thirty of the afternoon in their time zone once he arrived. Keanu wasn't sure what his father was thinking about all of this, having Keanu booked on a different flight than sticking together with his uncles and cousins on one flight.

A horse-woman behind the desk announced to the passengers with a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please, flight 8085 for Rexville is now really for boarding. Please check all your belongings before heading to the gate.We're now starting with Group A; the elderly and the military passengers first..."

On Keanu's boarding pass said Group D, he would have to wait a little longer. His legal guardian kept him close until Keanu had his ticket scanned and finally walked into the gate.

They followed the other passengers through the jetway bridge. His backpack was on his shoulder while Penny was carrying his suitcase.

"Once you're in your seat, you're good to go," said Penny. "And once we land, I'll keep you company until reuniting with your loved ones, okay?"

Keanu nodded. They got to the entrance of the plane. "Watch your steps," warned Penny.

Finally on board, they were greeted by two flight attendants, and so was Penny greeting her colleagues.

"Hi, Penny, aren't you off duty?" said the cat-woman in a green and blue uniform.

"I am, but they assigned me to take care of this young boy who is flying solo to Rexville. I'll catch up with you later, I'm taking him to his seat."

The plane, being a narrowed-body aircraft, had only one aisle and the line was slow and stiff to move. According to his plane ticket, Keanu's seat was at the near tail end of the plane, an aisle seat in row 34. They watched the passengers taking their seats and placing their luggage in the overhead bin compartments. Keanu was behind a family of three ferrets. The mother took her seat first in row 30 on the right side, but the daughter and father moved further aft. There was a lot of chatter and children shouting excitingly.

"Here we go, Keanu, this is your seat, row 34 left," said Penny as she gestured at the empty seat. Next to it were a father and daughter sitting on the middle and window seat respectively.

The older ferret-man saw the flight attendant and asked her. "Excuse me, miss. My wife sat a few rows ahead and we were hoping if she could sit with us and let the young boy take her seat instead." He looked at Keanu. "Is it alright with you, young man?"

Keanu didn't have a definite answer, he was always following the rules, but Penny spoke, "You can do that after takeoff, sir, I honestly don't know how many people are boarding today, so please be patient. I'm sure you can sort it out later, but for now, not right now."

"Alright, miss, thank you."

Keanu picked up his suitcase and placed it in the overhead bin with no problems, sitting on his respective seat and buckling his seatbelt. Penny closed the bin and leaned to Keanu and softly spoke, "Now sit back and relax and we're soon taking off."

"Thank you, Penny."

She went to the tail end of the plane and met with another flight attendant. Keanu took his time to text his father and uncle that he was now on board. The flight duration was two hours and thirty minutes long so Keanu must enjoy his flight as best he could like Jack said.

A while later, once all the passengers sat down, the captain spoke through the speaker, informing their passengers about the weather in Colorado and California. A safety video was played through the small screen behind the seat in front of Keanu and listened. He was familiar but it didn't hurt to rehearse and refresh.

Flight 8085 moved away from the apron and wandered around the maze of taxiways to find its assigned runway. The passengers were mostly quiet, but a few were chatting in low voices, and a few laughter from children. Keanu took some breaths as the plane was in motion. The two engines were loud but not too long the plane stood in one place and it started its crescendo.

Keanu's body felt pressed firmly against his seat with his hands holding his knees tight. Good thing he wasn't seating next to the window to see the airport getting smaller and smaller and up in the air. The plane was shaky because of some light turbulence but kept climbing to its assigned altitude. Once in the clear above the clouds, the plane was steady. Keanu let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Uncle Derrick said the hardest part of the flight was the take-off. Now in the air, Keanu could relax in his flight.

When he was allowed to use the electronic devices at mid-flight, Keanu texted his uncle that he was now in the air for the next two and a half hours.

The seatbelt sign above was turned off after a beep. This meant that passengers and flight attendants could wander the plane without difficulty. It was then the ferret woman from a few rows ahead sat up, picked up her handbag, and walked for Keanu's seat.

Keanu looked at the smiling ferret lady. "Excuse me, young man, would like to switch seats so I can be with my husband and daughter?"

"Y-yeah, sure, I'm okay with it," Keanu said. "So, where's your seat?"

"Just over there, next to a sleeping collie by the window. Or... there are some empty seats on the back."

"Really?" Keanu unbuckled his seatbelt and sat up, picking up his backpack. "Okay, here you go."

"Thank you." She said and let Keanu move aside to walk down to the last very end of row 38, on the right side of the plane, sitting on the aisle seat and putting his backpack in the middle seat.

Keanu buckled his seatbelt and turned on the in-flight entertainment system to watch a movie with his wired earphones for canine ears.

The whole flight was fine and routine, flight attendants served the passengers drinks and snacks. Penny occasionally came to check on him a few times before the captain announced through the PA speaker.

"Attention, passengers, in twenty minutes we're soon arriving at Rexville Airport. And as you can see, the weather and visibility are moderately low, but it is not affecting our intended destination. There is some heavy rainfall and heavy winds, so please to all flight attendants return to your seats and passengers fasten properly your seatbelts for any unexpecting turbulence. Thank you."

Keanu looked out the window, the sky and clouds were graying. The plane shook and bumped a little. The lights in the cabin slowly dimmed into darkness as standard procedure for landing.

Keanu read the latest text message from his father that he was waiting for him at the airport and quickly texted him back that he was soon about to land and turned on the airplane mode before putting it in his pocket in his pants. He put his earphones back in his backpack and zipped it close.

He saw Penny and another male flight attendant walking down to the back end of the plane where the galley and lavatories were, taking their seats.

There came the sound of the landing gear engaged; they were soon landing.

Keanu could not see anything from the window; it was now dark and grayer. He could see the drips of rain rushing against the window.

More turbulence shook the plane, more aggressive this time, and the passengers gasped and shrieked. The kids' voices were rather enjoying it with cheers as that of a roller coaster, but Keanu wasn't having it and held both the armrests tightly.

Keanu one more time glanced at the window and saw the clouds clearing up and could make out something at least on the ground and was getting closer to his destination.

This weather was not giving him a good time to relax like before or what Jack said earlier--

The engines made weird noises of reducing their power and the next the whole plane jerked heavily against the concrete runway, the passengers let out their priceless reaction with their voices. Keanu pressed his hands hard on the armrests, the plane was moving weirdly aggressively left and right than the usual way of landing straight. This was strange but justified by the weather. But soon the engines roared back in power, and everyone felt the same sensation of being lift-off into the air.

Keanu and the passengers were puzzled at this sudden turn of events. One passenger in front of Keanu's seat said, "Did we just abort?"

The plane shook violently, and everyone felt as if they were dropped into an elevator, but their seatbelts kept them from flying off.

The plane rolled to the left vigorously. Passengers shouted in fright. "BRACE! BRACE! BRACE! BRACE!" Captain's voice from the intercom shouted.

All flight attendants shouted the same order. Keanu immediately leaned his head forward with arms against the back of the seat, counteracting with the roll of the plane, and shut his eyes--

...

Kendall arrived at Rexville Airport's arrival area and waited for his brother Derrick to come back after dropping his wife and kids at the new house they recently moved into. Derrick was exhausted but did not want to leave his nephew behind. He found a parking spot and ran back to the terminal's arrival section with an umbrella. He felt a weird blow of wind and swiftly mangled his umbrella in an upward position.

"Piece of shit!" He grumbled but managed to get inside until he heard a loud explosion. He could not see where it came from but heard sirens screaming from the distance, but not too far from where he was. "What hell was that?"

He resumed his objective and entered the arrivals section. It was now around three-thirty of the afternoon and Keanu's plane should be now landing at this point.

He saw a billboard screen on the wall that Polaris flight 8085 was still on-time despite the weather but it suddenly disappeared from the screen and was replaced with another flight.

But Derrick noticed something unsettling going on, he heard people screaming and shouting. Security guards were running around with their whistles.

"Kendall!" Derrick called.

People were leaving with their luggage to the exit, he overheard people talking about a plane crash they saw and others were talking about an explosion. Derrick walked against the people who were leaving the airport and searched his brother.

He found Kendall sitting alone in the waiting area with ears lowered and hands on his face.

He patted him on the shoulder and sat next to him. "Kendall? Are you okay?"

Kendall looked at him with a devastated look on his face. It was the same expression he saw when Kendall heard the news that his sister-in-law Juliette passed away.

"What happened?" Derrick asked. He was afraid of what was going on at the airport.

Kendall pointed with a shaking finger at the giant glass bay window and from afar, there was a column of black smoke rising from the distance.

"Th-that was K-Keanu's plane..." Kendall fearfully stuttered.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Y-yes!" Kendall howled. "I just saw it! It was a Polaris plane."

Derrick looked back at the billboard and could not find flight 8085 anywhere like before. It was gone. "Please, this is not happening!" Derrick ran around for someone who worked here who could confirm what plane just crashed.

Unfortunately, Derrick could not go any further inside the airport in the arrival section. There were one-way exit doors for safety protocols and the only way to get further inside the airport was to go through security checks and then find the nearest desk who worked for Polaris.

Derrick went back to a devastated Kendall. "Come on, Kendall. Let's find a way to figure this out."

But Kendall could not move and remained in his seat. Upon looking more around, some people were bawling and crying at what they saw. They were loved ones who were waiting for them and were as helpless as Kendall. Derrick sat down and did what he could do like before, comfort his brother in the hardest times.

"I'm so sorry, Kendall... I really wished I could have taken Keanu's flight."

The PA intercom echoed the whole airport. "Attention. Attention. The airport is now closed, all flights have been canceled and diverted to other airports until further notice."

...

Keanu could not remember everything after he closed his eyes, there were bits of memories that he could vaguely make up. The screams, the explosion, the destruction, and the cold rain that poured down on him soaked him. He heard horns, car alarms, sirens, and people shouting. The smell of burning jet fuel hit his nostrils and opened his eyes at the grayed sky before closing them again.

He felt being picked up and opened his eyes to see a German shepherd fireman and a dalmatian police officer holding him together. They all looked down at him with surprised looks at seeing him still alive and breathing, their voices were vague and muffled, trying to communicate with him.

He was placed on a stretcher bed and a tricolored cat-woman in a paramedic uniform hovered over him with a small flashlight, checking him for any injuries, and found a dislocated shoulder on the left. That was then Keanu yelped loudly and regained his senses back as he recovered his breath. Next was his right leg, his knee and ankle were sprained which hurt the most. Another paramedic came and helped to lift the whimpering Keanu through what remained of the plane and the debris scattered and made for the ambulance.

"Can you hear me?" said the cat-woman as she closed the door. The ambulance accelerated to the hospital.

Keanu responded weakly as he breathed, "Y-yeah?"

She placed a stethoscope on his chest and then checked his pulse. "You're gonna be okay."

"My leg hurts, is it broken?"

The paramedic injected him on the back of his right hand with sterile water and the bag hanging next to him. "No, it's fine but it's sprained. We'll soon contact you with your family, okay?"

Keanu felt like everything was happening so fast, next the ambulance's doors opened and brought Keanu with the medical bed and took him to the Emergency Room, and a bald-headed black woman in her white coat and stethoscope on her neck joined the running paramedics and nurses as they discussed his delicate condition before slamming the door open to the ER. Keanu could not tell at this point what was going on but tried to listen and cooperate with the medical professionals on what they were saying.

...

Kendall and Derrick had been informed of survivors being taken to Costa Blanca General Hospital by the airport and airline officials to the families affected by the incident. Kendall and Derrick drove together to the hospital. The ride was quiet, Kendall had to leave his car behind in the parking garage station as he wasn't himself right now to drive safely.

Derrick was the same in trying to stay together and hoping for the better. The traffic was awful, and Derrick had to find a way around to get to the hospital. He hoped and avoided getting near the crash site as apparently, according to the car's radio, the plane crashed near the highway. He didn't want Kendall to see the chaotic mess out there.

He ignored his wife's calls; his phone rang sometimes after they left the airport and assumed that Sophia had heard the news about the incident.

...

A rescue helicopter flew over the building to land on the helipad on top of the building. Another ambulance arrived at the Emergency Room on one side of the building. Derrick knew he wasn't too late... or felt like it.

In the reception room was a crowd of people who demanded to see their loved ones immediately, but they were forbidden until further notice. The receptionists told the desperate to calm down and security staff was brought to the scene if anyone tried to get further inside the hospital.

Derrick told Kendall, "I'm afraid we have to wait, Kendall."

The wolves sat down on the waiting chairs until the situation had settled down.

...

Time was slow and once Derrick had the opportunity to talk with the receptionist if there was a Keanu Winters in the hospital wards. When Sophia called once again, he finally answered his wife on the phone about what was happening, and she went to get her car and drove to the hospital with her kids.

"Mr. Winters?" said the receptionist woman. "We have a Keanu Winters on the second floor. But we're only allowing one person to visit for the time being."

"Really? Oh, thank God!" Derrick turned to his brother. "Kendall, Keanu is among them!"

Kendall frantically ran to the desk and pleaded with the nurse. "Please, let me see my son!"

After one ride on the elevator, Kendall walked alone in the busy hospital's corridors with a visitor sticker on the chest of his polo shirt. He saw a bald-headed woman leaving a room with the number 205 on the door.

Kendall met up with her, he was taller than the doctor. "Excuse me, Doctor, is this...?"

"Are you the boy's father?" she said as she saw the resemblance of her patient.

"Yes, I'm Kendall Winters, how is he?"

"He's doing fine, he is now asleep, so let him have some rest."

"Please, tell me the truth, be honest..."

"He has no life-threatening injuries, sir, when they brought him here, he was conscious the whole time and he listened and cooperated with us. He had a dislocated shoulder on the left, it's now back in its place, his right knee and ankle are sprained, and also his lower back."

"No internal bleeding, no broken bones, or anything else?"

"No, just bruises. We'll soon check on him later, and now that you're here, you can keep him company and let us know if anything happens."

"Thank you, Doctor..." Kendall sniffled.

The doctor placed her hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Winters, to tell you the truth, we have received other critical patients from the plane, and they are now our top priority to take care of them. Don't take this the wrong way, but your son is the least of my concerns right now. It's a miracle that he's alive and well."

Kendall looked at her in disbelief. "How... how many survivors?"

"Just fourteen..."

"Dr. Carlton!" A nurse called her loudly and the doctor ran immediately to the other room as a long continuous beep was heard next door.

Kendall almost forgot to breathe at the sudden change of scenery and turned around to open the door where his son was sleeping in peace.

It hurt him to see him like this, his face was dirty and damped. An oxygen mask for canines covered his muzzle and he breathed comfortably, his chest ascending and descending smoothly in rhythm. The IVY monitor was beeping in slow intervals. He was covered in blankets from neck to legs for warmth. There was nothing else he could do but wait and let his dam of tears flow.

...

Keanu woke up the following day with a dried mouth, coughing and trying to moist his tongue. Kendall was sleeping uncomfortably on the chair and responded to Keanu's dried coughs. Kendall acted and removed the oxygen mask to give his son some water through a straw.

"Hello, son, how are you feeling?" Kendall smiled in relief to see him awake which teared him up more.

Keanu's voice was weak but clear. "Dad? You're here?"

He saw the morning sky coming up from the window. "How... long was I out?"

"Yesterday, do you remember how you got here?"

"I think so..." Keanu took another sip of water. "Where's Uncle Derrick?"

"Don't worry, they are coming today for a visit. I came here yesterday after the accident."

Kendall held his son's bandaged right hand carefully. "The doctor told me that you're going to be okay."

"I feel numb."

"Must be the pain killers, but the doctor said that you'd be fine."

"Okay, but... do I need surgery?"

"We'll see..." Kendall wiped his tears. "I love you, son. You mean a lot to me, you know that?"

Keanu nodded, the lump on his throat emerged, and sniffled, squeezing his father's hand. "I love you, too, Dad..."

...

Jack and Crystal were overwhelmed by the news of the crash and Keanu's survival. The local news covered the incident in an instant. They sat in the waiting area where a TV screen on the wall covered today's news.

The news anchor Nelly Martines spoke live outside the hospital, "In the past twenty-four hours since flight 8085 crashed, families are still waiting for news of their loved ones at Costa Blanca General Hospital. It has been confirmed just recently that there are now down to five patients left with critical injuries and are still kept under monitoring. So far, the NTSB had come down on the case and had found the flight data recorder this morning..."

"How could a plane crash like that?" Jack asked his sister.

"I don't know but do you think it was the weather? It was raining and cloudy when we first landed," said Crystal.

The television showed the gruesome aftermath of the crash site. The tail section was the only part of the plane that was barely intact by the highway and was yards away from the now extinguished forest. A giant black mass of burnt trees was revealed from above in a news helicopter. The fire spread further but the heavy rain reduced the chances of ever causing a major forest fire.

Aunt Sophia could not sleep all night and hastily came back to the hospital to see Keanu with her children. Yesterday was a madhouse and she didn't even could remember how she came back home with her husband after Kendall spent the whole night in the hospital. All she could remember was sobbing with her husband all night.

She was glad that the nightmare had dissipated as she took her children to see their cousin in the wards. They, one by one, exchanged a gentle hug with Keanu. It was a different mood as Jack kept himself together without bringing any humor that could make Keanu uncomfortable.

"You know you're lucky, right?" said Jack, holding and ignoring a tear coming out from his left eye.

"Maybe too lucky," Keanu said somberly.

"Do you know what happened?" asked Crystal.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Keanu looked down at the breakfast tray he had finished.

Derrick leaned to his brother and spoke in a low voice. "It's a miracle he didn't suffer any burns. I overheard from doctors and nurses that all the other patients have third-degree burns. That plane burst into flames upon impact. Just how the hell did he survive unscathed?"

"Let's not discuss this right now, okay, Derrick?" Kendall said sternly.

"Okay, but I just overheard that another one passed away last night."

The week passed as every family member came for a visit to see a recovering Keanu in the room. His paternal and maternal grandparents, his other uncles, and cousins all paid for a wholesome visit. Keanu was feeling mentally better and was taken for any diagnostics in his health. It all came out negative and his current injuries were treatable with proper care, but Keanu must spend his time in a wheelchair until his sprained right leg was healed.

Everything was coming to light positively.