Uncertain Fire, page 12
"Had it cleared?"
Aaron paused then shook his head. "No. A front was coming in from the southwest that would have cleared it but the front stalled and the fog and mist hung on all night."
"Well, what are they doing up there? Don't they have people out searching?" Kamil sounded angry and frustrated but it was understandable, particularly because he knew practically nothing about these matters.
"They have radar scouring the area for emergency signals. If the plane ran into distress a signal is automatically triggered but so far they haven't detected any. As long as the weather persists they can't send actual search flights out."
"God DAMN it!" Kamil burst out, and the other men nodded in sympathy. Denny was off the phone now and brought Kamil over to where he had charts spread across the desk, explaining to him how the weather patterns would affect the flight path but all Kamil noticed was the wide area of absolute nothingness on the map in the area he indicated. Kamil had never been to that area of the highlands but it was obviously very isolated.
"What is there? What's the terrain like? Aren't there any houses or roads?" He saw no roads indicated on the map.
"Um, no, not really. It's mostly sheep pastures and moorland. There are a few scattered farms but no real towns to speak of, and the area between Braemar and Newtonmore has no roads at all."
Denny didn't have to say any more, it was in all their minds. Anything could have happened and it could be days before they found out. Denny went back on the phone, calling anyone he could think of in Scotland who might be of any help but until the weather cleared the bottom line was that no real search could be made. Aaron grew frustrated with the previous night's weather reports, turning his computer off with a snap and running his hand over his eyes tiredly. Almost an hour after Kamil arrived, Norm came in. They had been unable to get ahold of him the night before, he had been with his family at his in-laws and they hadn't been able to reach him, but evidently he'd arrived home and received the message they had left. It was a repeat of the scene when Kamil had arrived, questions with no answers and suggestions that had already been acted upon. Norm impulsively wanted to take a plane and fly up to conduct a search himself but they had to convince him it would be useless in the fog, he wouldn't be able to see a thing.
"Leave the search to the professionals, mate," Aaron told him. "They know exactly what they're doing and they'll be out as soon as they possibly can."
"What the hell are we supposed to do in the meantime?" He cursed, sinking down next to Kamil on the couch. "Just sit here on our fucking hands?"
"Not much else we can do." Denny shook his head.
Norm put a hand on Kamil's shoulder. "How are you doing, mate?"
Kamil shrugged. "Just feeling so helpless."
He didn't feel like talking, he had been sitting there absently sipping coffee and staring into space. On the wall opposite him was a photo of Bradley with the first plane he'd bought for the company and every detail was etched into Kamil's mind. The pride on Bradley's face; his eager, reckless smile, those bright brown eyes, and the unkempt chestnut hair. In his heart, Kamil felt that he had been taking his relationship with Bradley for granted. Loving it, loving the excitement of all the new experiences knowing Bradley had opened for him, loving the effortless closeness they shared, but not fully appreciating Bradley as a man, an individual. They had been a couple for over four months now and there was still so much he didn't know. Bradley had always been reluctant to talk about his past, about his family and about boarding school, and Kamil had respected that but now he wished he knew more about all the things that had molded Bradley into the unique individual that he was.
Chapter Ten
The phone rang shrilly, jarring him from his thoughts, and Denny snatched it up. From the expression on his face, though, Kamil knew it wasn't any news. The conversation was brief and when he hung up, Denny quirked an eyebrow at Aaron.
"That was Harry Howell. I wonder how he heard about this?"
"Oh, um, I phoned him when I heard," Norm confessed. "Maybe I shouldn't have, but I thought he would want to know."
"No, it's okay, I guess I'm a little surprised he called."
"Harry's a decent bloke," Norm said. "It isn't easy to get inside that shell he's built around himself but I think he actually considers us his friends. He hasn't got many."
After a few more minutes Kamil was feeling claustrophobic and felt the need to move about. He stood and wandered out through the hangar, going outside and sinking to his haunches against the curved outside of the building. A few weeds poked through the concrete and he plucked one, shredding it, lost in thought. He knew it was a foolish thought, but he kept going back to the idea that Bradley may never be found. Or that he may be injured or dead. Every fiber of his being fought against that thought, but it was there in the back of his mind and he couldn't rid himself of it. He had lived nearly thirty years never knowing or even imagining he could be capable of feeling for anyone the way he felt about Bradley and the idea of losing him now was inconceivable. He refused to accept it. He stood abruptly, kicking a loose chunk of concrete in helpless frustration and started pacing from one edge of the building to the other, back and forth. The noise and bustle of the rest of the airfield were all around him but he was oblivious to it.
"Bradley, God Dammit, you had better be all right!" he muttered to himself, and when a breeze sprung up he felt that his face was wet with tears he hadn't been aware he was shedding. "You're too stubborn and too tough not to be all right!"
He wasn't sure how long he was out there. The sun had come up and he felt the heat of it on his back as he paced but he didn't look up. He heard the sound of the door open behind him but didn't acknowledge it until he heard Denny call his name.
"Kamil?" He turned, and Denny went on. "They found him!"
"Is he okay? Where is he? What happened?" The questions tumbled out of Kamil as he rushed over to Denny and followed him back in to the office.
"He's okay. A little banged up, but okay. He was found wandering along a remote road an hour ago. The plane had a complete electrical failure. No radio, no beacon, nothing. He managed to crash land in a pasture but he was miles from anywhere and just started walking."
Aaron and Norm were listening as well; evidently, Denny had gone out to get Kamil before filling any of them in on the details. Denny continued. "They didn't give many details, only that a passing car found him walking in the mist. He must have been walking all night. They took him in to the hospital in Aberdeen to check him over and if he's all right they'll put him on the next flight back here."
"Oh, thank God!" Kamil gasped and then, for some reason, he burst into tears. The emotional overload was just too much, and he couldn't even feel embarrassed for crying in front of these men. He was vaguely aware that Aaron and Denny shared a quick hug of relief, and he felt Norm's hand on his shoulder in a show of support and understanding.
It was two more hours until Bradley was cleared at the hospital and was on a commuter plane back home. Several calls to the hospital told them that Bradley had a slight concussion and two cracked ribs but other than some bruises he was fine. He had been chilled to the bone and close to hypothermia but thankfully he had been found in time. The road he was on was so seldom traveled it was little short of a miracle that a farmer had been driving out to check on some sheep at that time. When it was finally reported that Bradley was en route for home, the others respectfully left it to Kamil to go to the main terminal to meet his plane. Kamil appreciated that.
The 90-minute flight felt like it took forever but when the small jet landed Kamil was practically jumping up and down until he spotted Bradley's familiar figure on the airstairs. He wore unfamiliar clothes, his own no doubt having been soaked by the weather, but other than a darkening bruise over his left eye he looked well. Tired, but well. Kamil watched, hovering by the door, as Bradley made his way stiffly to the building but as soon as he was inside he looked up, looking straight at Kamil. Then he broke into a smile.
Kamil couldn't hold still any longer, he rushed forward, barely restraining himself from clasping Bradley tightly but conscious of the other man's cracked ribs. Bradley clasped his arms tightly around Kamil however, an almost desperate clutch, his head resting on Kamil's shoulder.
"Thank God you're okay." is all Kamil managed to whisper. He felt Bradley nod slightly, then he stepped back enough to look up into Kamil's eyes. Bradley's own eyes were moist.
"I kept thinking of you back here, worrying," he said, his voice almost cracking.
Kamil nodded. "It's okay now, you're here. Don't you ever, EVER, scare me like this again!"
Bradley had to chuckle. "I'm not planning to!"
The two men walked back to Bradley's hangar where the other three men were hovering by the door, each of them welcoming Bradley back in their own way, but Bradley kept hold of Kamil's hand tightly. There were mountains of paperwork to do, insurance claims to file, accident reports to turn in, but when Bradley mentioned it Denny strictly forbade him to think about it right then.
"I'll get that stuff started, we can finish it when you're up to it. You get your ass home and get some rest."
Bradley wouldn't agree to leave though until he gave his account of the previous evenings' events. He was feeling he had made a very poor decision in his returning to the original flight path and Kamil knew that to talk it out would help him ease his mind about it. Ensconced on the couch in the office, Bradley began his tale.
"I should have known better," He shook his head. "I've been a licensed pilot for eight years; I really should have known. The forecast said it would be clear, but I know better than to trust forecasts. Still, it wouldn't have been a problem if the instruments hadn't failed."
"But I don't get it!" Norm interjected. "We're always on top of maintenance, there's no reason at all for a failure!"
"I don't get it, either," Bradley admitted. "The first indication I had that anything was wrong was when the fuel started cutting out. I tried to switch to the auxiliary tank but it wouldn't switch, so I went to put in a distress call and there was no radio. Everything failed, absolutely everything."
Kamil tightened his grip on Bradley's fingers, trying to imagine how Bradley must have felt at that moment.
"The fucking fog was so thick I couldn't fly by sight, I had no choice but to land. There was no level ground and it was dusk, so with the fog, I was practically blind. I landed in a gully, scaring the hell out of a flock of sheep, and I hit some rocks so that's how I banged my head. I have no idea how I cracked the ribs, it must have been when I was thrown against the door. Even the GPS was out, so I started walking. At least I had a torch."
"That's enough for now, mate." Denny reached out and patted Bradley's knee. "Get home, and don't you dare come in tomorrow. I'll get the preliminary paperwork done."
Bradley opened his mouth to argue but Kamil jumped in "Don't even start. Come on." He tugged Bradley to his feet and retrieved the car keys from the hook by the door, calling back over his shoulder that they would call in the morning.
Bradley was quiet as Kamil drove them home but when Kamil glanced over he saw that the other man was awake, looking preoccupied.
"Stop second-guessing yourself, love," he told him gently. "It was equipment failure, pure and simple. I'm just glad..." he had to stop and swallow, "glad you're all right."
Bradley looked over at him then and smiled. Once home, Kamil bustled Bradley off to bed, completely ignoring his protests. Finally giving in, Bradley laid down but asked Kamil to lay with him.
"Was going to." Kamil smiled, crawling, still clothed, next to his lover and circling his arms gently around him. "You're always trying to take care of me, but now it's my turn to take care of you. And you're going to let me!"
Bradley smiled and reached over to touch Kamil's hair. "Yes, sir." After a few minutes of lying quietly together, Bradley began to speak softly. "You were all I was thinking about when I was walking around out there, you know."
"Stop thinking about it, stop talking about it. Just rest."
"No, no...I have to say something." He propped himself up one elbow, looking into Kamil's eyes. "I want something more with you, Kamil."
"Something more?" Kamil wasn't sure what Bradley meant.
Bradley nodded. "I mean, I want a commitment. Something permanent. I want us to be married, Kamil! I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
Kamil felt tears prick at his eyes. "Bradley, you've had a bad time, you're exhausted, you had a concussion. We don't have to talk about this now."
"Yes, we do. I want to. I want to know. Will you be with me forever, Kamil?"
"Yes." Kamil's voice almost broke. "I was doing a lot of thinking, too. I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. You....you're my life, Bradley."
Bradley's eyes closed and he pulled Kamil tighter to his chest. "You're mine, too. I love you so much."
~~
Two months after the plane crash, Bradley and Kamil joined hands and exchanged self-written words of love, loyalty, and fealty in the garden of Harry Howell's estate. Pandamonia played, with Harry joining them on bass, and a soft-spoken dark haired lady named Emily played hostess along with Norm's wife Rachel. Five young girls in long white lace dresses spread flower petals and Aaron, Denny, and Norm tried to bluster their way through any display of emotion as Bradley and Kamil exchanged a soft kiss at the conclusion of the ceremony. Life was beautiful.
END
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright P.J.Doolittle 2019
P J Doolittle, Uncertain Fire
