Page 8 of Time Served in New York
I kept rubbing Marques’s back but twisted around to look at my daughter. “Which one?”
Sis sighed and lifted her hand up to point at Soda who was unconscious in the seat next to hers. He let out a soft snore right before she explained, “He’s never flown before. He’s also never taken melatonin. As you can see, he’s doing great at both.”
“If we’re going to join the Mile High Club, I want to do it now,” I heard my friend Sara whisper as she walked past me.
“Let’s get settled in first . . .”
Sara looked back at Trident and hissed, “You know we’re not the only ones thinking it, and I’m not sure I’ll want to after someone else.”
“Good point, my heart. Drop your bags and meet me in the lavatory at the rear of the plane. We’ll hide out until takeoff.”
I twisted back around and saw the horrified look on Sis’s face and knew she’d overheard the same conversation. I had to put my hand over my mouth to stifle the laughter and felt my eyes filling with tears.
“Oh Brea,” Bernadette said as she stopped at the end of our aisle and took in my damp eyes. “Are you okay? Do you want me to sit with you? I’ll hold your hand or . . . What can I do?”
“Birdie, she’s fine,” Stamp insisted as he nudged her from behind. “Let’s go sit down.”
“But she’s . . .” Bernadette looked shocked when Sis started laughing behind me. I couldn’t hold it in any more and leaned forward to rest my forehead on the seat in front of me as I let go of the laughter I’d been trying to hold in.
“I’m sorry . . . oh shit!” I heard Sis snort and then laugh even harder.
“Excuse me, guys,” Sin, the president of the Ares men, said as he tried to squeeze past Bernadette and Stamp. “Front bathroom’s taken, and I need to . . .”
Sis and I stood up at the same time, and I put my hand on Sin’s arm. “No! You can’t go back there! It’s . . .”
“Occupied!” Sis finished for me. “There’s a line!”
“Yeah! Wait for the front one!”
Sin tilted his head and studied us before his eyes narrowed. He looked toward the back of the plane and got a horrified look on his face. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Sara smiling as she walked into the lavatory, and then Trident’s face appeared right before the door shut.
Sin made a retching sound and put his hand over his mouth. I yanked the airsick bag out of the pocket on the seatback in front of me and slapped it against his chest with one hand while I spun him around with the other. “Just don’t think about it, Sin.”
Sin clutched the bag in one hand and kept the other over his mouth as he walked back toward the front of the plane where he was sitting with some of the other Ares men and women.
Stamp had his lips clamped together, trying not to laugh, but he lost it when Bernadette whispered, “Oh God! Isn’t that his mom?”
After Stamp and Bernadette walked past us to find a seat, I sat back down and focused on Marques. “Honey, are you gonna be sick? I don’t know what to do for you.”
“I just need to chill here for a bit. I’ll be okay once we get . . . Ugh. . . I think I’m gonna stay home,” Chef said suddenly as he sat straight up in his seat. He nodded and started to stand, but I stopped him with my hand on his arm. “Pickle, you go on without me. I’ll make it on my own.”
“You sound like we’re leaving you in enemy territory or something,” Sis grumbled.
“Here,” Paula said as she appeared and thrust her hand out toward Marques. “Eat this.” Chef looked at her hand and then up at her face in question. “I didn’t give Sis melatonin for Soda. In about 15 minutes, Preacher’s gonna be seeing life-sized gummy bears and giggling like a schoolgirl. If you eat this, you can join him on that trip.”
Marques took it from her and popped it into his mouth. He swallowed it without even chewing and said, “I’m a big man. Give me another.”
Paula raised her eyebrows and looked over at Soda, who was drooling with his head resting against the window. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“He ate all three of them,” Sis explained with an exaggerated wince. “He said he wanted to make sure he didn’t make an ass out of himself sprinting toward the emergency exit before we take off.”
“Give me another one,” Marques ordered with his hand out.
“If you end up like him, how are we gonna get the two of you off the fucking plane?” Paula asked.
“She has a point. You and Hook are the biggest . . . “
“Hook’s sitting behind Blue and Preacher waiting for the gummy bear show to start,” Paula explained. “He took one about five minutes ago.”
