Mollie and Johanna locked hands as they walked as fast as they can.  Boo was keeping pace with them but it was hard to see through the smoke.  They cleared 10 blocks in a short amount of time and soon found they weren’t alone.  There were mass amounts of people trying to leave.  It was strange, Mollie thought, that the city people dreamed of coming to, was now the city people were running to get out of.  Before too long, they heard a rumble and the earth shook.  There was another loud boom and Johanna cried out. There couldn’t be another plane, could there?

“One of the towers went down,” the guy next to them said, holding up a portable radio.  “We’ve gotta move.  Follow us, we’re heading for the GWB.”

Mollie and Johanna followed, figuring any direction opposite the mess was a positive step.  They were soon overcome by a white cloud.  There was debris everywhere and Boo barked in fear.  Mollie tightened her grip on his leash, keeping him close.  She felt something smack the side of her face and she hit the ground.  She tasted blood in her mouth after the fall and felt the sting of friction burn on her hands.  Her head throbbed in pain.  When she looked to her left, she saw a white mass.  She didn’t know what it was but there was no time to look.  Someone scooped her up and set her back on her feet, doing the same to Johanna, who’d fallen because she was holding onto Mollie.  The crowd urged them forward.

It was blocks before they could see anything.  They took a moment to figure out what street they were on and then broke into a jog.  The faster they could get away the better.  When it had cleared a bit more, they stopped, retrieving a water bottle from Mollie’s backpack.  Mollie sucked down half and gave the rest to Johanna, then pulled out another and tipped it into Boo’s mouth.  They didn’t stop long and were quickly back on the road.  It felt like they had been jogging for hours when they heard the second tower fall.  This area was smoky but clearer and they slowed to a walk.  After a few more miles, they saw the entrance to the George Washington Bridge.

Mollie looked at Johanna and almost cried at the relief she felt.  The GWB would take them straight over to New Jersey.  They sat down in the bus terminal for a moment, so they could make some calls and rest their feet.  JC answered immediately.

“Oh my God are you okay?  Where are you?  It’s been hours.”

“We’ve made it to the entrance of the GWB.  We’re going to walk it over to Jersey.  Then we’ll figure it out once we get there.  We’re going to need some help.  We’ve got a bunch of cuts from falling glass and I got hit in the head by something falling.  Boo’s pretty worse for wear.  I think he’s got glass in his paws.” 

“You’re halfway there baby.  I’m so proud of you.  My dad is in New Jersey right now.  He couldn’t get closer than that but he’s going to try to get to the GWB so he can meet you on the other side.”

“Really?  I can’t believe it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me.  He drove up before I could even call him.  You just keep on moving.  When you get to the other side, I promise dad will be there.”

“Don’t make promises.” 

“Mollie, I promise you.  This is almost over.”

Mollie filled Johanna in and they set out over the bridge.  It was a slow go, as they were not the only ones to have this idea.  It had to have taken them almost two hours with all of the people to get across and when they stepped on solid ground again.  Mollie looked frantically around.  This was a state park and they would have to walk towards the entrance, as nobody was getting into Manhattan today.  Mollie could see a cluster of cars and people waiting for loved ones.  She practically ran towards the group and frantically searched for Roy.

“Mollie!” she heard.  She looked towards the back of the pack and sighed.  He’d found them.

They pushed their way through until they saw him and Mollie flung herself into his arms.  It was so nice to see a familiar face after the day they’d had and Mollie cried.

“You’re okay now,” Roy whispered, stroking her hair.  “Everything’s going to be alright.”

“Thank you for coming, I had no idea what we were going to do…this is my best friend Johanna and my dog Boo,” she rambled. 

“Johanna, nice to meet you,” Roy said, pulling her in for a hug.  He leaned down and ruffled Boo’s head as he led them to the car.

Boo was tired and hurt so they had to lift him into the car.  Johanna sat with him and rubbed his head as he whimpered in pain.  They got out as quickly as they could and Roy insisted they go to a hospital.  She called JC on the way and assured him that one way or the other, she was going to be home tonight.  Her battery ran out and they drove to the nearest gas station where they got directions to the hospital.

It was so crowded because of the many people coming here over the bridge.  They sent them to a bed as a group and they waited for a doctor to check them out.  Boo was getting antsy as the hours passed but eventually a doctor came to help them.  They whisked Johanna away to get some stitches on one of her cuts.  The doctor cleaned up the areas around her cuts so that the dirt and debris wouldn’t infect the wounds.  He was concerned with the lump growing on the side of her forehead and the bruises already beginning to form down her cheek.

He asked a series of questions about the events of the day.  Mollie remembered getting hit but she didn’t remember where she was then or what time it was or how long she was down for.  The doctor explained that the regular questions they might ask concerning a concussion were inconclusive based on the stressful events of the day.  He guessed that she more than likely had one and advised her to take it easy for at least two weeks.  No physical activity or anything taxing to her brain.

“Any further injury could result in serious brain damage,” he explained.  “And I want to prescribe you something for the pain.”

“Thanks doctor.  Can you help me with my dog?  I think he has glass in his paws,” Mollie asked, knowing her question was probably out of the box for the hospital’s normal routine. 

“Sure,” the doctor replied.  “Make sure he sees a vet after this to make sure there’s nothing else wrong.”

Mollie promised and she held onto Boo as the doctor pulled many shards of glass and debris out of his paws.  His paws were bleeding a little so the doctor wrapped them in gauze.  By the time Johanna was brought back to them, they were cleared to go.  It was seven in the evening and the sky was just starting to dim.

“Can I stop and get you girls some food?  You must be hungry after the day you all have had.”

“Can we just drive straight on?” Johanna said.  “I’m kind of looking forward to sleep.” 

Roy laughed and glanced at Mollie.  “How about you?”

“I want to see my boy,” she said.

“Then we’re off.” 

JC found himself wearing a hole in his mother’s floor.  Justin had gotten them there in record time.  No doubt breaking quite a few speed laws while he was at it.  They had arrived a few moments ago after driving for twelve hours straight and JC hadn’t relaxed since.

“Honey, why don’t you sit down?  I’m sure they’re alright.  They’re probably going to walk in at any second,” his mother said. 

“Why aren’t they calling ma?  It’s eleven o’clock, they should be here by now.”

Justin kept quiet on the sofa, though his incessant foot tapping betrayed his calm exterior.  Inside he was just as nervous as JC, both for Mollie, the girl who’d become like a sister to him and for Johanna, who he’d grown fond of through their times together.

JC gripped his phone so hard his knuckles were white.  He opened and closed it once more, checking for any missed calls.  The clock seemed to be inching along but when he saw headlights flash in through the windows a short time later, he realized a half an hour had passed.  He ran to the door and flung it open.  His dad’s car turned off and the doors opened.  JC began to cry when he saw Mollie, beaten and bruised, but alive.

Mollie’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him.  Thank God too, it reminded her that it was still working.  She raced out of the car and headed for him.  They collided in the middle of the driveway and held on tight.  They didn’t need words.  Every emotion they’d felt that day hung in the air and they savored the opportunity to be this close.

Justin scooped Johanna up into his arms as she approached.  He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and set her down on her feet.

“Easy Justin, I’m a little banged up,” she said, smiling at him.  The smile was fake and as the gravity of the situation fell on her, she began to cry.

“Joey, you’re safe now.  I’ve got you.”

He held her until she calmed down and as they pulled back, both searched for their friends.  JC and Mollie had finally separated and they switched partners.  Karen herded them inside and they all headed for the living room.

“Girls, you must be exhausted.” 

“Actually, now that I’ve finally seen you all and I know we’re safe.  I’m kind of hungry,” Mollie admitted.

JC couldn’t help but chuckle.  All of this chaos and his girl was thinking about her stomach.  They all smiled a relieved smile and the tension broke.

“Why don’t you girls get cleaned up and I’ll fix something up for you.”

            They girls headed upstairs alone, much to JC’s displeasure.  Mollie assured him she could bathe without his assistance and they rifled through the bag for some clothes, finding sweatpants and t-shirts.  They took turns in the shower and helped each other brush their hair.  As she pulled a knot from Johanna’s head, she began to cry.

“You know Jo, I don’t think I could have made it through today if you weren’t there.   You kept me from falling apart.”

“I was thinking the same about you,” Johanna replied.

The girls pulled themselves together and joined the group waiting for them in the dining room.  Karen had made them some pasta and they gobbled it up.  You could tell the unspoken question that nobody dared ask was “what was it like?”  When they finished, they just wanted to rest and not talk or think about what happened any longer.

Mollie and JC headed to his room and climbed into bed.  She didn’t feel like talking and they snuggled in the silence.  Before she knew it she drifted off to sleep. 

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Justin said, dropping Johanna off at Heather’s old room. 

Johanna looked around at the room.  She felt strange in this unfamiliar place and turned to look at Justin.

“Could you stay?  After the day I had, it’d be nice to have something familiar around.”

Justin hesitated to answer and looked down at his feet.

“I’m not gonna jump you,” she said.  “We don’t have to cuddle.  We could just sleep next to each other.”

“Well,” Justin said, closing the door behind him.  “I know you want me, but keep your hands to yourself and we’ve got a deal.”

The next day was spent mainly resting.  Everyone was afraid to ask the girls about their experience but the news that was on every station made it quite clear the kind of terror they must have felt.  JC never wandered more than five feet from Mollie and held her hand or had his arm around her at all times.  Justin’s phone kept ringing but he never answered it.  Life continued outside their little bubble.

The next day, Mollie felt the itch to be in her own space.  Being around JC’s family was comforting but she felt like if she stayed here too long, she’d be avoiding moving on with her life and dealing with her feelings about it all.  She needed to get home and recover.  They packed the car and got ready to leave.  Mollie hugged Karen goodbye and walked over to Roy, who was standing back a ways.

“Thank you Roy, for saving me,” Mollie said, tearing up.  “I have no family left so to have someone drive all that way and take care of me was unexpected.  I’m so grateful to have you in my life.  I don’t know where I’d be right now if you hadn’t come.” 

“I didn’t save you.  You saved yourself,” Roy said, taking her hands in his.  “You’re the love of my son’s life…your family.  I’d have driven a hundred miles to make sure you were okay.”

Mollie shed some tears as he hugged her tight.  She leaned up and whispered, “Thanks Pop.” 

“Anytime kiddo.”