Remember by Karen Kingsbury; Karen Kingsbury

Author:Karen Kingsbury; Karen Kingsbury
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-05-06T16:29:34+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

They met at the Baxter house. The place where the family came together to celebrate and mark the passing of seasons. The place where they came to grieve. And the evening of September 11 was no exception.

Though John Baxter was tired from a full day, he was grateful for his family’s presence. Too many people that night would be missing someone, waiting for a phone call, desperate for word from rescue workers that their son or daughter or parent or spouse had been found.

The heartache across the nation that night was too huge to comprehend.

It was after nine o’clock, and still they remained gathered around the television set, talking in muted tones about the latest reports and what President Bush was going to do. Already the president had declared the terrorist attacks an act of war. The death toll was thought to be in the thousands, with hundreds of firefighters and police officers buried beneath the rubble. New York City’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani had already coined a term for the desolate spot where the World Trade Center had once stood: Ground Zero.

Rescue efforts were in full swing, but so far no one had been pulled out alive.

“I don’t see how we can move to Texas at a time like this.” Erin crossed her legs and leaned hard against the arm of the family’s old sofa.

Kari and Brooke and Peter sat on the floor, their backs against the same sofa. The grandchildren were upstairs sleeping, and Brooke was still talking about the blood drive at St. Anne’s that day.

Across from them on the other sofa sat Luke and Ashley. John glanced at them, amazed. It was the first time in years they had sat on the same side of the room together, let alone next to each other.

Ashley had mentioned that they’d accidentally met up at the bus station. But it was obvious she and Luke had experienced more than a chance encounter. They’d had a meeting of the heart—the meeting John and Elizabeth had spent many hours praying for.

“Anything new?” Elizabeth sounded tired like the rest of them as she entered the room and sat down next to John. She slipped her hand in his, shot a look toward Ashley and Luke, and squeezed his fingers.

“Still no survivors.” John returned her squeeze. “They said people are making cell calls from somewhere in the debris.”

“That’s awful.” Kari pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes wide as the screen showed hundreds of workers atop a mountain of rubble.

“I can’t believe they’ll find anyone alive in that.” Brooke shook her head. “The jet fuel’s still burning down there. If the temperatures don’t kill them, the fumes will.”

“You’re right,” Peter sighed. “But they’ve got to try.”

Elizabeth looked at Luke, and John followed her gaze. How was he handling this conversation? Reagan’s father was one of those buried in the massive twist of cement and steel. Certainly Luke didn’t want to hear his family dashing all hope that the man would be found alive.

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