When the Wind Turned (9)

A Katrina family story / Chapter Nine

Previously on When the Wind Turned, Chapter Eight:

Jeremy was evacuated from Charity Hospital on September 1st after two days operating in flooded hallways by flashlight. Frankie and the kids—safe in a Baton Rouge hotel—caught a glimpse of him on the news. As Jeremy boarded the evacuation helicopter, he whispered one word:

Frankie.

And made his way toward the family waiting for him.

Chapter Nine

The Reunion at the Crown

FRANKIE — The Cypress Crown Hotel

She draws the largest breath she’s taken in days.

She doesn’t remember ending the call. She just tosses the phone onto the bed.

Now, as the hours tick by, she runs to the door every time footsteps pass in the hallway.

Jacob, Noah, and Eve sit on the edge of one of the beds, saying nothing, passing Maisie between them like a living prayer.

When the knock finally comes, Frankie already has her hand on the knob.

She opens the door.

And the world narrows to one man.

Jeremy stands in the hallway looking ten years older and ten years younger all at once—hair damp from a fast wash, wearing a set of clean sweats slightly too big for him.

For a heartbeat, they don’t move.

Then both do.

They collide softly but desperately—her hands on his face, his arms around her waist, her fingers sliding into his hair, her forehead pressed to his, his breath shaking against her ear.

“Frankie—God—Frankie,” he whispers.