Wildflower Park Series

‘You’ve done this loads, haven’t you?’ she asked.

‘Yep, I’ve no idea how many times. It’s like taking the train to me.’

‘That’s good,’ said Anna. ‘I’ll remember that. It’s like taking the train … apart from being thirty-nine thousand feet up in the air!’ She took a gulp from her orange juice and choked.

‘Hey, slowly,’ said Hudson, taking the glass off her. ‘It’ll be completely fine. I promise you.’ The way he looked into her eyes as he said it made her insides turn to mush. ‘Let’s get something to eat and then I’ve booked us in for a massage.’

‘Booked us a massage?’

‘It’ll help you to relax.’ He tilted his head. ‘It’s not together or anything weird.’

‘Good. Thank you. Nothing weird is good.’

She drank plenty of water at Hudson’s instruction, took the medication her doctor had prescribed to help her stay calm and came back from her massage feeling like she couldn’t be bothered to do much at all. Before she knew it, Hudson was gathering up their carry-ons and ushering her towards the gate, which turned out not to be a gate at all but another less equipped waiting area.

All was well until Hudson took her over to where three small children had their noses pressed to the glass of a giant window. Anna saw what they were looking at – an enormous plane. Her knees buckled and at the same time Hudson’s hand snaked around her waist to keep her upright.

She looked up into his blue eyes. ‘I’ve got you,’ he said.

The tunnel down to the plane was the best part. The enormous plane she’d seen through the glass seemed much smaller on the inside. Their seats were near the front and as soon as she’d sat down someone was offering her a glass of bubbly, which she politely turned away.

Hudson made sure she had what she needed from her bags and then stowed them in the overhead lockers and began fiddling with a screen that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.

‘You okay?’ he paused to ask.

‘Yeah. Are we taking off yet?’ She held her eye mask tightly in her hands.

‘No. About twenty minutes.’

It surprised Anna how much waiting around was involved. ‘It’s like airlines want to give you maximum opportunity to get as panicky as possible. If you checked in and went down a chute straight onto the plane it would be far better.’

He gave her a warm smile. ‘You could suggest that on your feedback form.’

Her eyes darted about agitatedly. Everyone else was either settling down to read a paper, getting out a laptop or fiddling with their screen. Nobody else was panicking.

‘Distract yourself with something. Watch a film.’ He pulled out the inflight magazine and handed it to her.

When the plane started to move she hadn’t expected it to go backwards. ‘What’s happening?’ Her voice was a squeak. ‘We’re going backwards.’ She didn’t remember this bit.

‘It’s called push back. We are up against the terminal building so they have to reverse away. We’ll soon be going in the right direction.’

Or straight to hell, was all she could think. And she closed her eyes and tried to stem the panic. It didn’t feel like the medication was kicking in yet. A loud noise engulfed the aircraft and Anna let out a shriek. Hudson’s warm hand enveloped her own. She opened her eyes and then quickly closed them. She couldn’t speak. Her shoulders were so high they were almost touching her ears. The noise increased and the plane started to speed forward.

‘It’s okay,’ said Hudson. His voice soothing and in total contrast to the unholy racket the plane was making. His thumb tenderly stroked across her knuckles and she fleetingly thought how nice that might be if she weren’t having a panic attack.

‘Is this normal?’ she managed to squeak out.

‘Completely normal. And here we go.’

‘Argh!’ Anna couldn’t halt the small scream that burst from her when the front of the plane came up. Her heart was racing. Her eyes were tight shut. She could feel sweat sticking her hair to the back of her neck. She gasped in some air.

‘Here, sip some water,’ said Hudson, prising her fingers from the arm of the seat and giving her a cup. She opened one eye and took it from him. ‘You did it. You’re flying. Well done.’ He pretend chinked his paper cup against hers.

She glanced over to the nearest window and nearly vomited as the plane banked, dipped down one side and clouds whizzed past to reveal green fields a very long way below. Hudson took back the cup of water.

‘This was a very bad idea.’ Anna resumed clutching the seat.

‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’ came Hudson’s dulcet tones. ‘You are going to keep your eyes closed. Not scrunched up like used teabags,’ he said. His voice was low and methodical and almost a whisper, making her concentrate to hear him. ‘Okay?’

She nodded her reply.

She felt him lift the armrest between them and move his body closer. He was now leaning against her shoulder. He spoke softly into her ear. ‘You are doing great, Anna. I need you to concentrate on your breathing. We need to slow it down. Deep breath in …’ He paused. ‘And slowly exhale. That’s awesome.’ They did this a few times and she could feel her pulse returning to the right side of normal. ‘Now, let’s let the tension out of those shoulders. Imagine they’re a Lilo and someone is letting the air out. Let those shoulders drop down. That’s great.’ She could feel his breath on her earlobe and it made her shudder. ‘I want you to think about your favourite place to sleep. Picture it and …’ Hudson’s voice had a soothing rhythm to it and whilst Anna was listening she also wasn’t.

Before she knew it a sweet female voice was asking someone near her if the lady would like something to eat. She heard Hudson whisper a reply. Anna smiled when she realised the lady must be her. She opened her eyes and yawned.

‘Hello, sleeping beauty,’ said Hudson, his eyes twinkling.

For a moment Anna wasn’t sure where she was. It was a nasty reality jolt to remember she was sitting on a plane. Her mouth was dry but she checked it for dribble anyway. ‘Hi,’ she said, looking about her feeling slightly dazed. She was a lot better for her nap and not nearly as anxious as before.

‘About fifty minutes to landing,’ said Hudson, closing his book.

‘What?’ Anna was stunned. Had she really slept that long? She checked her watch – she had. ‘You’re like the horse whisperer but for phobic flyers.’

Hudson smiled. ‘Would you like something to eat? You’ll need to be quick before they start getting ready to land.’ He handed her the menu. It was like reading something from a posh restaurant.

Hudson waved a hand to attract the stewardess and she appeared at his side. ‘Yes, sir. What else can I get you?’

‘I’d like the crayfish sandwich, please,’ said Anna, noting how the stewardess seemed to struggle to drag her eyes away from Hudson. She gave him a fresh look. He was very handsome; he could easily be mistaken for a film star. She mused over how she’d almost come to accept it.

Anna’s sandwich arrived and she was aware Hudson was talking but she could no longer hear him properly. Her ears had gone all fuzzy. She began opening her mouth wide and waggling her head from side to side like she had water stuck in her ears. Hudson was watching her. ‘Here,’ he said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a lollipop. ‘It’ll help to clear the pressure in your ears.’

‘You think of everything.’

‘I do my best. Now don’t worry if there’s a little bump when the wheels hit the runway. It’s perfectly normal. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ said Anna and it really was. It was okay that she was on an aeroplane at thirty-nine thousand feet and it was okay that it was about to land in New York. A city she had dreamed of visiting since she was a teenager. Everything was a lot more okay thanks to Hudson Jones.

Hudson repeated the breathing exercises with her as they came in to land and Anna had to force herself to concentrate and stop grinning like a lunatic. But something made her act like a teenager every time he whispered in her ear.

Hudson led the way and they trooped off the plane and were soon reunited with their luggage, through immigration and being whisked away from the airport in a yellow cab. It felt very special to be cocooned in the back with Hudson. He had a brief chat with the driver and they were soon speeding towards Manhattan. Anna switched her phone off airplane mode and it beeped as it delivered messages from her dad, Sophie and Connor all asking if she had got on the plane. She was pleased to be able to fire off a few quick replies to say she had survived the flight and was now in New York. She felt like she needed to pinch herself. She was actually here. She’d done it.

‘I know I have no right to be, but I’m proud of you,’ said Hudson. ‘You have conquered your fear of flying. That’s remarkable.’

‘Only thanks to you and I can’t guarantee I won’t be a gibbering wreck when it’s time to go home.’ Although she had to admit she was quite proud of herself too.

‘Stay alert, we’re going to see a few of the sights on our way into Manhattan.’ Was she imagining it or had Hudson’s accent got a fraction stronger from being on American soil?

Hudson leaned in. ‘Look ahead.’ Through the windscreen she saw her first glimpse of New York City. The iconic grey skyline she’d seen many times on TV and in films.