The Hitting Zone

We all went to bed, not feeling our best.

Before falling asleep, I thought about texting Jeremy, to tell him what was going on. However, I knew he had spent the day with...his family. And tomorrow he's going with Rose to spend the holiday with her family. He might also propose to her. It's better if I wait an extra couple of days. Besides, I don't know what's happening anyways.

"We have a flight!" The lights of our room flickered on and off. Kyle stood in the doorway, doing his best to wake us. "Let's go!"

Half-asleep and squinting at the bright lights, I forced myself to get up. I changed and followed Noah out the door in record time. All bags were thrown in the trunk and we were off. I could hear Dad talking about the plan and our flight, but sleep overcame me once again, knocking me out.

When I woke again, we were stopped at Rhys's house, picking up Mr. Johnson. I merely closed my eyes and was asleep again.

Once at the airport, Noah dragged me along after handing me my backpack. Dad thanked Mr. Johnson and gave him the keys of the car back. They shared a short conversation before Dad took the lead to walk through the crowd.

San Francisco International was right on the bay. Being so close to the ocean in December meant I was freezing. The fog was also so low, it felt like it was raining. The feeling was brief as we got inside the airport. Dad had us find a seat as he lined up to get to the ticket counter.

Noah and Kyle spoke to one another while Dave and I stayed slumped over our backpacks. I could no longer sleep comfortably, but I also couldn't keep my eyes opened.

Dad took awhile before coming back. He took a deep breath. "Okay, listen up."

I squinted up at him. Kyle nudged Dave to wake him.

"We have tickets, but no seats." Dad said.

"Meaning?" Noah frowned. I was in the same boat as him, not understanding.

"Means we can only board if people don't show up for their flight." Kyle kicked the legs of Dave's chair, jostling him. "Airlines do this often. It's a scam."

Dave grunted.

"For now, it's our only way out." Dad said. "We'll go to the gate. Get on the waitlist and I'll talk to the front desk person over there. We might have to take separate flights, but I'll make sure you four are the first to go."

I stiffened up at the word 'separate'.

Dad noticed immediately and reached out to put his heavy hand on my thin shoulder. "Don't worry, Jake. You won't be alone." He glanced at Dave, who was dozing off again. "Neither will Dave."

Dave's pain had come down a lot and didn't beg for painkillers, but it was evident that being on the painkillers took the edge off. And made him drowsy. He definitely couldn't be trusted alone, especially in a big airport like this.

"I'll be with Jake!" Noah volunteered.

Dad shook his head. "I'll be with Jake. You get Dave. Kyle can go alone."

"Why do I get Dave?" Noah glanced at his sleeping brother. "I think I rather be alone than responsible for him."

Dad thought about it, hesitated, then finally shook his head. "Maybe if this was normal circumstances, you could be trusted to travel alone. But I think, for now, we should just play it safe."

Dave let out a loud snore.

Noah raised an eyebrow. "You think I'll safer with him?"

"Okay, let's not waste any more time." Dad ignored Noah and started to pick up his bag. He also grabbed Dave's. "Let's go through security first."

We followed Dad obediently through the long line of security. Having been on flight before, I wasn't as nervous going through the check-in routines. We had to wait an extra second thanks to Dave's brace, but it was all fine. Then it was off to the gate.

It was strange being at such a busy airport on Christmas morning. Lots of people were coming and going, talking with their family or friends happily. There were only a handful of people that I could find that were alone.

Dad sat us down with the bags on the first set of empty chairs we could get. Then he lined up to speak with the worker behind the counter. The line wasn't overly ridiculous and his conversation took the longest.

He came back with a tight smile. "Alright boys, we're on the list." He pointed at the tv screen and we could see numbers one through twenty. Five of which had the name 'Atkins' and then each of our first intial. We held spots three to seven. Not first up, but there was hope. "If we can get only one on, Kyle will go. If it's two, Dave and Noah."

"You and Jake won't go first?" Noah frowned.

"Can't you understand Dad's struggle?" Kyle knocked Noah on the top of his head.

Noah pouted and rubbed his head.

Dad sighed. "Let's just relax, boys. We're on the list. There are multiple flights and multiple airlines. We'll just play it by ear first." He looked around. "I think I spot a donut store further down. I'll go get you guys something to eat." He turned and was on the move again.

"Stop asking Dad so many questions." Kyle immediately instructed Noah. "Give him a moment to breathe, man."

Noah rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm playing twenty questions. I just want an idea of what the plan is."

"The plan is get to Mom. Don't worry about the details." Kyle replied.

The two started to bicker, and I casually listened. Tension was a bit tight so I could understand how the two couldn't keep it together. We were all in a rush to get to Mom and them by tonight. But some things were merely out of our hands. I was going to try not to stress until actually boarding the plane.

I paused. Last time...I had the help of Noah and his headphones. I immediately tugged on Noah's sleeve.

Noah glanced at me, not completely willing to let Kyle win this spat. "Yea?"

"Did you bring your headphones?" I asked in a small voice.

Noah went blank. He bent down to his bag and started to search. "Kyle, check the other bags for headphones."

Kyle actually complied and bent down too. I also checked my bag even though I knew I didn't pack any. But one can hope.

Dad found the three of us going over his and Dave's bag. "What is it? Did we forget something important? Dave's meds?"

"Nope. We have those." Kyle showed it to confirm. He glanced at me. "Jake doesn't have headphones. I also didn't think to pack any."

Dad actually relaxed. "Okay. That's fixable. The mini market over there will have some." He placed a box of donuts on Noah's lap and a bag of drink on Kyle's. "You two eat first. I'll take Jake to see if there's a similar pair. Maybe we'll grab some snacks too."

I got up and pushed my bag closer to the sleeping Dave.