Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Let’s get ready for landing.”
The pilot nodded at Eustace and started descending.
Clearwater didn’t have much flat ground, especially after the earthquakes. The only place they could land was in front of the village hall.
The villagers dispersed when they saw the helicopter landing. Everyone was anticipating the arrival of the huge and unfamiliar object with a look of curiosity.
When Eustace alighted from the helicopter, the chief immediately went up to him. “My friend, are you sent here by the higher-ups to rescue us? Please save Dr. Zellweger right now!”
“Dr. Zellweger? Is that Danika Zellweger? What happened to her?” Eustace’s expression became serious, and he stared intently at the chief.
The chief froze upon seeing the grave look in Eustace’s eyes, but he soon recovered. “She’s buried under a collapsed house.”
Eustace almost lost his balance from hearing that. “What?”
Despite his speedy arrival, he was still too late for her. Standing in front of the rubble where she was buried, he immediately commanded people to start digging. As he had gone in a hurry, he only brought some simple tools instead of huge excavating machines. Even so, using the tools was much better than having the villagers dig with their hands. The villagers immediately jumped into the rescue mission after receiving the tools.
Underneath the rubble, Danika and Justin huddled in a corner. She ignored the pain in her right calf and scanned the area for a way out. She was discouraged when she realized they were trapped without any chance of escaping.
“Danika, am I going to die here?” In the dark, Justin trembled in fear. The warmth from Danika’s body helped him to maintain his consciousness.
“No, you won’t. The village chief and all the villagers out there will save us. Justin, you need to stay strong and believe in yourself. Remember, your sister is still waiting for you out there.” She gave him a tight hug to comfort him and boost his confidence. Despite that, she was worried about their circumstances. Aftershocks aside, they were too deeply buried that it’d be hard for the rescuers to remove the rubble with bare hands and save them.
She was filled with regret. Had she known earlier, she would have sent Lilian and Justin out at the same time rather than wasting precious time by getting one after the other.
Still, she took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. “We must stay alive, at least before the village chief gets to us!” she thought.
As time ticked by, however, she started feeling suffocated. It dawned on her that the oxygen was running out, and she might not make it out alive with Justin if they remained buried.
“Danika, I’m thirsty,” Justin whimpered weakly. He was in a worse condition than she was because he was younger and had been under the rubble for a longer time.
“Justin, hang on a little more. The chief will find us soon.” She knew that her consolatory words rang empty, but she had no better way to assuage his fear. When he fell silent, she started feeling worried.” Justin?”
She called out again, “Justin?”
A chill went down her spine when she received no reply. She sat up and lifted his body. Then, she pinched his philtrum. He started coughing and regained consciousness.
“Danika, I feel sick,” he moaned, and she felt extremely sorry for him.
“It’s okay. We’ll be okay.” Even she would feel hopeless in this situation, not to mention a child. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise from above. She reacted fast and yelled, “We’re here!”
“That’s Dr. Zellweger’s voice!” someone shouted.
“They’re here! They’re here!”
As a commotion formed above their heads, the heavy weight on Danika’s heart finally lifted. Light trickled in as the rescuers created the opening that had been there when she lifted Lilian out. Then, a shadow appeared in her vision. She could not make out his features because of the bright backlight. However, he gave off a strongly familiar feeling, which she found hard to believe.
The man approached them until he was standing right in front of her.
“Eustace…Quincey?” She stared at the familiar face in disbelief and wondered if it was an illusion.
“Yes. Can you walk?” He was overcome by an inexplicable mix of emotions when he found her safe and sound. He wanted so badly to pull her into an embrace, but he decided to act cautiously, worried that she might flinch at his touch.
She nodded at him in a daze and didn’t ask questions about his arrival. She looked at Justin in her arms.” Can you lift him out?”
“Sure,” Eustace readily agreed and took Justin from her. However, he waited for her to go with him. It took. him much difficulty to get to her, and he wanted to make sure she was in his sight.
She propped herself up with a hand on the wall and limped behind him as she endured the pain from her right calf. Noticing her limping, he halted and bent over. “Get on. I’ll carry you.”
“No…no, I can walk.” She shook her head. How could she possibly have him carry her on his back when they were not that close to each other? Plus, he must have been married to Yvonne. She couldn’t accept the idea of being carried by a married man on his back.
“Get on my back. Or, I’ll let him go and lift you instead,” Eustace said commandingly.
She paused to deliberate, for she knew he could definitely execute the threat. She clenched her jaw and warned him, “You’d better not let go of that kid.”
“Okay.” He nodded and bent over once more. This time, she quickly got on his back, especially knowing she might put everyone at risk the more she hesitated.
With Justin in his arms and Danika on his back, he slowly walked toward the exit nearby. Even so, it still felt like a long walk due to the rocks on the ground. Luckily, they reached the exit without any accident.
Eustace handed Justin over, then, without asking Danika, he lifted her in his arms and walked out through the opening. Locked in his embrace, she could smell him. She couldn’t put her finger on his scent, but it invoked a sense of security in her.
“Why? Are you feeling unwell?” Once they escaped successfully, he looked at her with worry. She shook. her head and found it difficult to look into his eyes. “Are you okay? Why does your face look red? Do you have a fever?” He tried to touch her forehead and soon concluded, “No signs of fever.”
Danika blushed deeper during their exchange. She wasn’t running a fever-she was blushing because Eustace was carrying her in his arms under the eyes of the villagers, embarrasing her further. She nudged him. “Put me down.”
“Oh, okay.” Even though Eustace wanted to hold her longer, he agreed and put her on the ground.
After distancing herself from him, Danika felt more like herself. Looking at the people around them, she asked Eustace, “Why are you here?”
“What do you think?” he redirected the question at her.