92. Searching for Cash and Stella
1062 Words
Drake was dragging behind, his heart was totally destroyed. He loved Stella, he really did. He didn't know how to go on without her. He couldn't keep up with Sam on the long walk to get their luggage at the airport baggage claim.
The only thing that kept him going was Sam.
Sam made him go with him to Florida. His eyes were swollen and red from his tears. He hadn't eaten or showered since he heard the terrible news.
Sam was shutting out all thoughts of Stella and his oldest brother dying. He refused to believe it.
Ash and Storm were waiting to hear from Sam on where to meet up with them to start the search.
Drake bought a bottle of fireball and began to get drunk whole he waited for the boys to arrive at the hotel.
His father Hall called. "Drake, your mother and I are out by the crash site.
It doesn't look good. The plane has sunken to the bottom of the ocean, but there is debree floating west.
Looks like there is a directional current that the plane scuttle is heading. Tell Sam it is a south western direction, start there."
" You can go to hell, you and your attitude, what you did to my fiancé was inexcusable.
I will kill you if I ever see you again, you hear me?
She was black and blue, but do you know what? She didn't even tell me, she refused to tell me so you wouldn't be in jail when your wife died.
She did that for you asshole. She is more of a man than you will ever be." He said in a drunken rant.
Hall was quiet then said,"Put Sam on."
Drake yelled," Samuel! Phone, it's the asshole you call father!"
Hall understood the grief that Drake was going through. From the looks of things, they both perished in the accident.
Sam took the phone. "Your brother is being a jerk, he seems to be putting that b***h in front of family."
Sam was livid. "Do not speak about my fiancé that way, ever! Do you hear me Hall, never talk about her to me, I will not tolerate it."
Hall was taken aback by his son's firece loyalty to Stella.
" Son I called to tell you the dirrection of the debree pattern is South West, go find your brother Cash. We are heading that way now. And son, don't disrespect me that way ever again."
He hung up on Sam.
Beth was crying. She had a very bad feeling that Cash and Stella were at te bottom of the ocean.
Drake drank another bottle of whiskey. This time Ash arrived and joined him.
Storm was still a bit hung over from yesterday. Sam was holding it together, barely.
Sam chartered a boat for the four brothers. He hired a guide who was local to the search area.
" Storm get your brother Ash, I will grab Drake. Get them on board and put a life vest on them.
We have to see this through."
He said as he started to lose it.
Sam ran outside of the hotel room and took several deep breaths.
Drake walked out a bit unsteady now. " Sam, stop it now, I'm counting on you to hold it together for me. You can't give up, not yet."
Sam nodded as he straightened up.
Beth could see that Hall was disturbed by his sons reactions.
" Tell me about Stella please, I need to understand this." He said.
" Well when she was a girl she dressed like a Tom boy, she has three older brothers. Her mother had an affair with her brother in law and got pregnant with Stella.
When her father found out, he made a point to distance himself from the girl that he thought was his only daughter.
Stella was a very lonely girl. Her brothers didn't make time for her, perhaps seeing how her father treated her, they did the same.
Her mother, well she chose her husband over Stella.
Stella has so much love to give, she really does love them all equally. She is quite special. She doesn't complain, nor hold a grudge. She is a good woman."
" I do not see how it is possible for one woman to be in love with 5 men. It is not possible, I don't believe her, nor her motives."
He turned away and moved to the front of the cutter style boat.
They were moving towards the South, the sun was going down on day three.
Storm used GPS to track Stella's phone. He had added a geo tracker feature to be able to find her when she was traveling. He just remembered it and used it now.
The last known location was Florida, the Everglades.
He smiled. She is alive, she must be.
He brought his phone to Ash.
" Tell me I'm not crazy " He held his phone up to Ash.
" She is on land?" He said.
" Or her phone is." said Storm.
Ash smiled, he was only half drunk. He hugged Storm very tightly.
" Storm, I thought she was gone. I knew she died. I didn't really believe like Sam did."
Sam walked in, followed by Drake.
" Ready boys?" He asked with tears in his eyes.
Storm smiled.
" Look at this." He showed his phone to Sam and Drake.
They felt immense relief. "We don't know if it's her, it might be just her phone is there, or near there."
Storm said," We need to believe it, we have to find them. Let's go."
They left for the boat.
Hall and Beth were almost to land. They were searching for signs along the shore of each small island that they encountered.
There were so many. They knew it would be like a needle in a hay stack.
The coast gaurd deployed their helicopter, they had several boats in the area looking for signs of the missing passengers.
There was a large amount of plane wreckage in the water near the first two islands.
The coast gaurd landed their boats and started their search there, to no avail.
It was getting late, the clouds were rolling in, it looked like a storm was coming in. The helicopter had to land due to weather.
- Writer
