Captive

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Canadian Forces Base Shearwater. Local is time is zero eight hundred. A sunny day is ahead of us; the temperature is ten degrees Celsius. And we have ourselves a busy tarmac.” “Do you recall all the instructions?” Greg asked and I nodded. “We ask you to remain seated until we reach…” The pilot’s instruction continued in the background. “Are you ready?” Greg kept probing. I shrugged, though my heart rate was telling a whole other story. I chanced a look at Crosby who was in a rather deep conversation with General Neal. He appeared calm, but his nervous habit of bouncing his legs was in full motion. I got a glimpse of the tarmac as we slowly navigated our way to the rendezvous point. I scanned the sea of civilians for the distinct silver of my grandma’s hair but came up short. Once the aircraft came to a complete stop, Crosby and I stood in the pre-determined order behind Greg and General Neal who was leading us through the narrow dark aisle to the small exit that folded out in the form of five steel steps. A Royal Canadian Air Forces aircraft was not equipped with red-carpeted white stairs; it was not the royal family squadron after all, and it was a good thing. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to manage more than five steps in the state I was in. As we approached the open door, I could hear cheers mixed with military marching commands. I fixed my hat and straightened my service uniform as best as my shaky hands allowed. I took a deep breath and glanced at Crosby who was right behind me wearing a shirt and pants that matched our uniform colours. He had a concentrated look as an officer whispered something in his ear. The commotion on the other side came to a halt when General Neal stood at the top of the stairs, his right hand near his peaked cap, facing hundreds of civilians, politicians, and military and media personnel. He made his way down to the ground followed by Greg. A pin drop could be heard when it was my turn to walk out in the bright light. Keep a straight face, Mia. A deep breath, that’s it. I squinted and focused on the scene before me. Rows of Armed Forces soldiers saluted me with the typical synchrony that still amazed to this day. It appeared we were accorded the 50-soldier guard of honour, which was normally reserved for prime ministers and ministers of National Defence – not for an officer and an athlete returning home from captivity. The prime minister presence was certainly not a fixture at those events either. Neal did not exaggerate when he said, “full military honours will be accorded.” Was there a dais in the shade? Despite the overwhelming spectacle, I had the presence of mind to salute the soldiers back. My hand faltered when I spotted my father standing tall in his ceremonial uniform next to Mr. Trudeau. There was only a stretch of red carpets separating us. “Captain Shaw,” Greg said with a nod. Right, I wasn’t the only one exiting that airplane. I took steady steps to join Neal and Greg when the musical salute started. Crosby joined us soon after. His eyes went searching the crowd, unfazed by the wide smile and nod of the prime minister. We followed behind Greg and Neal who saluted my dad and Mr. Trudeau before introducing us. “Mr. Prime Minister, this is Captain Mia Shaw, Chief Nurse Officer of Operation IMPACT.” My brain was slow in his command of my body. I saluted Mr. Trudeau and with all the strength I had, I tried to command my eyes to stay on him and not on my father who was politely waiting for his turn. “It’s an honour, Officer Shaw. Thank you for your service and welcome home.” “Thank you… thank you, Sir,” I mumbled. I took the two steps that brought me face to face with my father who I haven’t seen in almost a year. His blue eyes that mirrored my own were wet but he kept a straight face when all I wanted to do was to throw myself in his arms. “Sir,” I said with my shaky hand saluting him. He saluted me back. “Welcome home, Officer,” he said with a hoarse voice full of the emotions that he was concealing so well behind that intimidating uniform. I moved down the line of highly ranked officers with Crosby following behind. From the corner of my eye, I saw Neal introducing him to my dad. We took our designated spots in line. Soon after, the glorious sound of the bagpipes filled the gusty morning. Strands of hair flew out of my bun, but my hand remained steady as Oh Canada played. I couldn’t stop the memories from flooding even if I tried: flashbacks of Josh coming home, the friends I left behind, moments from our escape, Crosby’s bloody face, and finally, for some strange reason, the barred window of our prison at night. I could feel Crosby’s eyes on me. I forced myself not to move until the national anthem was done. When it did, I turned slightly towards my cellmate of three months. His face was full of emotions. I wanted to be in his arms so badly and I think he felt it. “We’re home,” he croaked with a smile. For a few seconds, we were there alone on the red carpet. I briefly closed my eyes and pictured his fingertips wiping my tears and his solid arms wrapping around me. When I reopened them, he gave me a toothy grin and nodded to something behind me. At the end of the rows of uniforms, an unmistakable ginger head peeked at me. There, at the end of the line of people who had to be there, stood the people who’ve been wanting to be there for months. My brother Jamie was having trouble keeping his cool. He broke the line and ran towards me, skipping all the soldiers who were still waiting to welcome us. He gave me a bone-crushing hug, lifting me off the floor easily. I hugged him back, protocols be damned. “You’re here. You’re here!” he said. Tears stained his red face but his happy grin never wavered. “I missed you, Jamie.” I was rubbing his back when another pair of arms wrapped around both of us. “Liv,” I whispered. Jamie brought our sister into the hug and the three of us cried then laughed. Protocol and cameras were long forgotten. The cheers and applause drowned in the background when I saw my mother standing with my grandma who had red and white flowers in her hands. I let go of my siblings and walked towards them slowly at first. My legs picked up speed and I darted towards my mother’s wide-open arms. “My baby is home! My girl,” my mom cried. She kissed my cheeks and held on to my face, inspecting me closely as if making sure it was really her daughter standing before her. “I’m okay, mom,” I said and she nodded fast while wiping her eyes. I took the flowers from my grandma and hugged her tightly. Next in line stood my only aunt Janet with my cousins and some of my friends from college and military school. “Officer Shaw, Mr. Trudeau will say a word now,” Greg said, reminding me of the proceeding that I just ruined with no care in the world. Crosby stood a few feet to my left. He seemed to have reunited with family as well. “In the name of the Canadian government and every Canadian, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you home Captain Mia Shaw and Mr. Sidney Crosby. We could not be happier that you are both safe and among us today. It is for the sacrifice and courage of our Canadian Armed Forces that our nation continues to prosper...” As Mr. Trudeau continued his speech, my father joined our side. Without moving his gaze away from the Prime Minister, he placed his arm around my shoulder and squeezed. He was breaking protocol and his gesture stirred many emotions that I turned around in his arm and hugged him tightly. He rubbed my back, “my Mia.” We broke the hug and turned our attention back to Mr. Trudeau who have paused and was looking at us fondly. “Major General Shaw, you have raised a family of heroes and heroines. You gave everything to your country. I speak for everyone when I say that you are a role model as an Officer and father. You embody our Canadian values. I salute you for all the sacrifice and dedication,” Mr. Trudeau said. This was clearly not written in his planned speech. My father nodded, “thank you, Sir.” The rest of the reception on the tarmac was a blur. It was a big party of meet and greet to the flashes of a million cameras. I have met more people in these two hours that I would in two years. I have lost Crosby in the commotion and did not see him until we were ushered to a special lounge in the military airport. The room was lined with fancy chairs and dark-suited men and women. With the media-coverage over, we were allowed some private time with our families while waiting for a private meeting with the Prime Minister. “Mia, honey, this is Sidney’s mother, Trina,” my mother said pointing to the small lady at her side. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mia,” Trina said. I stood up and extended my hand but she gave me a warm hug instead. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Troy!” she nudged the tall man chatting with an even taller man. Upon further inspection, I realized that the taller man was Mario Lemieux. “Officer Shaw, pleasure to meet you, I’m Troy, Sidney’s father,” Troy said kindly as he shook my hand. “Thank you, I mean, nice to meet you too,” I said flustered. “No, thank you,” Troy said, his voice wavering as he gave me a short hug. “Mario, Nathalie, meet Officer Mia Shaw.” I shook Mario’s hand and saw Sidney coming towards us. He stood between the two men, with his hands on their shoulders. He flashed us a bright smile. “Mrs. Shaw, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” Sidney said, giving my mom a hug that took her by surprise. My mom was acting too chill for a die-hard hockey fan. She seemed to have already met Mario Lemieux and his wife. “You too, Sidney. I’m so thankful that Mia had you,” she said, then covered her mouth. “I don’t mean that I was glad you were kidnapped, but –” “I get what you mean. We had each other and that helped,” he said, smiling gently my way. I watched as Crosby met the rest of my family. When he gave my grandma a hug, he sent me a knowing smile. I have told him many stories about her. I listened to all the exchanges, not saying much. “Are you okay, kid?” my dad said, standing closely at my side. With his hat gone, he looked much older. “I’m fine. Your hair, on the other hand, isn’t. It looks greyer,” I said with a tilt of my head. With a heavy sigh, he said, “it wasn’t easy, you being gone. With fake news going around, we were reassured that you were still alive at first. But then, the news stopped. We had nothing.” He looked the other way. “But I’m here now,” I said with my hand on his arm. “You’re here now,” he repeated as he squeezed my hand. “Mia, meet my sister Taylor,” Sidney interrupted. He steered the blonde girl towards me. “Nice to meet you, Mia,” she said while hugging me. Okay, so the Crosby’s are huggers. “You and Jamie look so much alike, it’s crazy!” I rolled my eyes, “yeah, but he’s more ginger than I am, so...” “You’re both too pretty,” Taylor said with a grin, earning a stare from her brother. “Relax, Crosby, I’m sure Taylor is aware that Jamie is gay,” I said. I chuckled when Taylor’s eyebrows shot up. She was yet another disappointed girl that have met my handsome brother. “Speak of the devil,” I grinned at my brother who joined the group with a navy officer at his side. “Ryan?”

Notes

My dear readers, I've been quite busy lately, hence the long wait :( Good news is that I've already written a draft of the coming chapters :D Thanks for sticking around :):) Happy Easter and Passover! Charlie