Crashing to earth

                                     ~Rania~

"I'm almost ready to board the plane. I'll be there for your wedding, "As my best friend kept reminding me about her wedding to her sweetheart, I laughed into the phone. It was tomorrow, and I had to fly back that evening because of her. I had worked long and hard during the week, and I had traveled from Mecianda to Nigeria to assist in a surgery that lasted a few days. It was one of the most bizarre surgeries I'd ever done. As a neurosurgeon, I see patients' brains on a daily basis, and every time I walk past someone, I'm reminded of what their brains might look like.

Sounds like something a psychopath would say, but believe me, I'm not one.

"Don't be concerned, Daya; I'll be at your wedding, and we'll party until we drop!" I laughed, trying hard not to sound tired, but I couldn't keep it up for long. I was dizzy from the desire to lie on my pillow and close my eyes for two days. My vision became hazy, and when I tried to blink, I hit a rock or possibly someone because I could smell the cologne. My suspicions were confirmed when I noticed the Rolex in his hand.

"Are you all right?" I had to look up because his deep voice made me shiver. My free hand clung to his clothes for dear life, and I couldn't let go because I'd fall. "Are you all right?" He asked again, this time wrapping his hand around my tiny waist.

For a few seconds, I lost my voice and forgot I was on the phone with my best friend, Daya. Every girl's fantasy was realized in front of me. His arms were so powerful and muscular that his Italian suits felt like a second skin to him. His jaws were razor-sharp, and any man would kill to have his jawline. His nose was even pointed, and he had the most stunning blue eyes. They were the color of the ocean, and staring into them made me feel like I was going to drown. I'd seen some fine men in my twenty-seven years, but the man whose hand circled around my waist and made me forget about my friend was a hell of a handsome man.

"Miss! " In my face, the man snapped his fingers. "Are you all right?"

My eyes widened as I realized what had happened. I was caught up in a fantasy about the man and completely forgot that I had collided with him. "Oh my!" I muttered and released his suit. I bowed my head and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry, sir," I said, not daring to look him in the eyes again. "Great job, Rania, you've completely embarrassed yourself," I muttered under my breath.

"With that said," "the man took his strong hands off my waist. "I should be on my way," he said as he walked away, his luggage trailing behind him. I sighed as I watched them walk away.

He's very attractive!

When I saw the time, my phone beeped and a message from Daya appeared on my screen, but I ignored it.

Shits! I only had five minutes.

I ran like a crazy woman, dragging my luggage behind me, apologizing to everyone I saw, hit, or pushed. I nearly missed my flight because I was staring at a gorgeous man.

"This is the final boarding call for passengers Rania Brown and Eros Hamilton, who are scheduled to fly to Mecianda on flight 312A." That's my name, I thought as I ran. "Please proceed immediately to gate 3. The final checks are being completed, and the captain will order the aircraft doors to close in about five minutes. This is, once again, the final board..."

I got in just in time before they called my name again. I smiled at the attendant and handed her my passport.

"Welcome onboard," she said, and I smiled back as I walked into gate 3, where I heard a throat clearing behind me and turned. It was the blue-eyed man I collided with. I looked behind him, and when I didn't see anyone else, I realized that he must have been Eros. I almost delayed our flight because of my foolishness. 

"Hey! " I greeted him, but he didn't respond and just stared at me. "I'm sorry for earlier." I reached out my hand, hoping he'd understand what I meant, but he just stared at me." I'm a doctor, so I was feeling dizzy a while ago and... "

"Are you able to move?" His voice was tired, like mine, rather than angry. As he walked past me, I paved the way for him. "I think you should get moving," he said as he walked past me, but then he came to a halt and turned to face me. "You look tired, doctor," he said as he walked away. 

Daya: Is everything okay? I've been texting you for quite some time, but you have yet to respond.

I called her instead because I was too tired to respond to her text. "Hey Daya," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. "My flight is leaving soon," I told her.

"Fantastic, babe! I'm excited to see you," I yanked the phone away from my ear as she squealed. Daya's voice sounded like it had speakers in it. "Baby, I'm getting married!"

"I can't wait to see you and your husband, whom I've never met before. What was his name once again?" I inquired.

Just as she was about to respond, a woman with a child brushed against my shoulder as she sat down, and my phone fell off. "I'm sorry," she apologized, but I ignored her and picked up my phone from the floor while staring at the scream. I couldn't see anything because the screen had broken. "I am truly sorry!" She apologized once more. "It's just that my child keeps crying, and I didn't realize you were here," the woman apologized repeatedly.

 "It's okay," I said as I slipped my phone into my pockets. "I can always repair my phone," I told her, turning to face her child. The baby was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes, and the way she cooed made me forget about my stressful week.

"May I hold her?" I approached the lady with a request.

She responded with a nod and handed me her daughter. "Thank you for not using your phone against me. If you want, I can assist you in repairing it once we arrive "I shook my head in response to her offer.

"I completely understand." I didn't take my gaze away from the little girl. She messed with her black hair and reached out to touch my nose. "Can you tell me her name and age?" I inquired.

"She's nine months old, and her name is Ria," the woman replied.

"Almost identical to my given name. My name is Rania." I introduced myself and instructed the baby to stand on my thighs. She clapped her hands as her mother and I laughed at her cuteness. "She's a lovely child," I told her mother as I handed her back to her.

"I appreciate it," While I rested my head back, the woman smiled and patted the baby's back. The pilot then made the announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome flight 312A from Nigeria to Mecianda. We are currently second in line for takeoff and should be in the air in about five minutes. We request that you buckle your seatbelt. Please turn off all of your personal electronics, including cellphones and laptop computers. Thank you for deciding on ACE Airlines. Have a safe flight."

As the plane was about to take off, I shifted in my seat. When I turned to look to my side, I saw Ria fast asleep in her mother's arms, her mother holding her tightly in her arms. I suppose I needed my own sleep as well. Six minutes after the takeoff announcement, the plane took off, just as the pilot predicted.

"Passengers, good afternoon. Your captain is speaking. First and foremost, let me welcome everyone to ACE Fight 312A. We are currently flying at a height of 33,000 feet and a speed of 400 miles per hour. The time now is 12:40 p.m. The weather looks good, and with the tailwind on our side, we expect to arrive in Mecianda about fifteen minutes early." I yawned and closed my eyes.

I needed to sleep for quite some time.

Someone had a firm grip on my shoulder about an hour into the flight. It was Ria's mother, and she was crying when I turned to face her. I had no idea why tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What are you crying about?"

"I'm not feeling well. My stomach aches. I need to use the restroom." She tried to hand over her daughter to me, but the plane shakes so badly that if she hadn't held her daughter so tightly, she would have fallen from her hand," I explained.

 "What exactly is going on?"

Just then, the intercom came on."Please fasten your seat belts immediately, ladies and gentlemen, as we are experiencing some turbulence. Thank you very much." Over the intercom, the captain said.

I looked out my window after fastening my seatbelts to find the wind bouncing around hard. As smoke poured from one of the engines, I realized it we were in trouble. "Oh my goodness!" As Ria's mother continued to cry, I inhaled and exhaled and turned to my left side. I took her hand in mine and gently rubbed it. "We'll be fine," I reassured her.

"I....." She was speechless as more tears streamed from her eyes. The intercom was turned back on.

"Your captain is speaking. We must immediately make an emergency landing!" My heart skipped a beat when he said it. I could tell we were going downhill. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt my stomach rise to meet my head. I never imagined myself in the position of imagining my own death. I've done surgeries on plane crash victims, but I never imagined it would happen to me. I could hear people crying behind me as the plane began to shake. Ria's mother cradled her daughter in her hands and lowered her head.

"Josh, you'll never see your daughter again," she sobbed as she continued to call Josh's name.

The noise became more intense and sounded like an earthquake. The oxygen masks were thrown from the roof. As the pressure rose, I grabbed my mask and pulled it over my head. Ria's mother struggled with the oxygen masks, but I assisted her in putting them over her and her daughter's heads. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," I assured her. She shook violently and screamed. Her daughter slipped from her grasp, and I carried her and held her in my arms before she could fall. "Lord, save us," I prayed.

The air hostesses ran around trying to help people with oxygen and calming them down. I felt sick after the plane briefly dropped. Ria's mother screamed angrily, "Josh! We'll be reunited soon!"

I had never been so terrified in my life, believing I was going to die.

It all happened so fast. The force of the collision threw me forward into the seat in front of me. I clutched Ria, careful not to drop her. As we bounced across the rocky earth, the front of the plane was being stripped away from the body. The plane finally came to a stop, and there was almost complete silence. The crying and screams of the people and the rumbling of the plane had come to an end.