nine-eleven ♡ h.s.

four

C H A P T E R        F O U R

08:47am — Valerie

 Valerie comes back out of the kitchen with a cup of black coffee in her hand and sits down on their huge white couch. She took a day off just for her daughter's birthday and now Amy has left with Harry. Valerie is about to change channels because she would rather watch an old movie than commercials when suddenly disturbing news are shown on TV.

 "...just a few moments ago something—seemed to be a plane—crashed into the South tower of the World Trade Center. I just saw a plane—You can see the smoke that is coming out of the tower. We have no idea what it was or..."

 For what feels like an eternity she stops breathing. Her head is aching but there are no thoughts running through her mind. Her heart pains when she thinks about his little family being trapped in the World Trade Center. It feels like someone stabs her heart over and over again and it doesn't seem to stop soon.

 Valerie's family is in the World Trade Center. Her husband and her daughter. They are both in there and she has no idea how they are doing, if they are still alive. With shaking fingers she searches for her phone. Tears are forming in her eyes while she looks at the horrible scenes that they are showing on TV.

 "...it appears to be a black smoke. This one indicates things to a burning inside. We have no idea what happened. What we did hear sounded like an air craft. And then a tremendous Boom! I don't know whether..."

 Valerie's shaking fingers find her phone and she quickly searches for Harry's number in her contact list. She puts a shaking hand in front of her mouth as she waits for Harry to pick up his phone.

 "Valerie? Valerie?" Harry sounds concerned.

 "Are you okay? Is Amy okay? Oh my God, what just happened? I just—Oh my God, please tell me you two are okay. Please—"

 "Shh, yes we are. I am, Amy is. We are in the South tower. Everything is okay."

 "But they said...the channel...the news said the South tower has been crashed."

 "No, no the North tower. It's the North tower, don't worry about us." Harry soothes her but she knows that he is just as agitated as she is.

 "Please, Harry, do me a favour. Leave the South tower, too. Take Amy with you and come back home, please." Valerie begs him.

 "They think it was an accident and they told us to stay calm and at our working place and that's what we're gonna do, okay baby? It was an accident...an accident, yeah? Don't worry, baby. We are safe here. I'll see you for lunch." Harry tells her abstractedly.

 "Harry—"

 "We are okay, Valerie. Really, you don't have to worry about us. You know I would leave immediately if Amy and I were in danger but we aren't," Harry assuages her, "I love you, Valerie."

 "Please, Harry, come home." She begs again but she knows he won't give in. He loves his work way too much to just leave it when there is no reason to.

 "I can't just leave my work here. We are safe, Valerie. Please don't worry. Turn off the TV and calm down, yeah? We are okay." Harry promises and Valerie sighs.

 "Okay, okay."

 "I love you, Valerie."

 "See you at lunch, Harry, and please take care of Amy. I don't want her—" But her worries are interrupted by Harry once again.

 "Can't you say it back anymore?" Harry sounds exhausted and sad. He sounds like a lost, little boy and her heart hurts even more.

 "I love you, too, Harry," Valerie quietly says and hopes that was not the last time, "I really do. Be careful."

 "Don't worry about us." Harry says and hangs up. Valerie doesn't turn off the TV like Harry told her to do. Instead she watches the news, lets the horrible pictures find a place to stay in her mind. Her thoughts are with her family as she waits for the next heart-breaking news.

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Just letting you know that I've done my research and I quoted the live broadcast of the channel WNYW because they were the first to report about this and I used their exact words.