Part of him was shocked to the core. Even though he knew it would happen, believed Eilish and her team implicitly, the reality was still stupefying. From the hushed and fearful comments around him, he realised he wasn't the only one who was surprised by what had happened and its implications.
He heard Bart speaking louder now. ‘Ready? The door is going to open now. Don’t be scared. Here it comes.’ He repeated the words several times in different languages. The boy was a wonder!
Suddenly, a brilliant light filled the saloon and Max could see quite clearly all the people around him for the first time. Their shocked expressions mirrored his own.
Eilish looked up at him and smiled ecstatically. ‘At last!’
Bart and the other adults were getting the children to their feet. Not one child was crying or seemed scared, unlike the adults, who seemed quite stunned and terrified. He heard a woman’s voice call, ‘Marco!’ and turned just in time to see the young waiter dashing back through the swinging doors into the kitchen area. A fair-haired girl raced after him.
‘Damn!’ Eilish said under her breath, ‘I knew something would go wrong. I will need to go to Pia. Are you all right?’
‘Of course, I will wait for you.’
He watched Eilish hurry away after the tall, fair girl. Then he turned to watch the spectacle in front of him. Children were moving toward the light, two-by-two, holding hands and following a tall, blonde woman into the Portal. As they disappeared, more children moved up and prepared to move into the light.
The woman next to him, with a very young child clutched to her breast, whimpered, ‘I can’t go wi'out me 'usband,’ in a broad, West Country accent.
‘Yes you can,’ he found himself saying. ‘Your children need you more than he does. He will have a better chance on his own. You know he will.’
The woman’s big, terrified eyes looked up at him, searching his face for certainty. He gave it to her with his best barrister demeanour. After a moment, she nodded and moved forward with her group. She took hold of another child’s hand and stepped up for her turn, displaying more courage than he knew she felt at that moment. Then she was gone, and so were her children. And the next group approached the Portal, ready to go through.
By the time Eilish came back to his side just about all the children were gone. He didn’t know how much time had passed but it felt like forever. And, yet, in the same instance it felt no more than moments ago that they had entered the extraction area.
‘How is she?’ Max asked Eilish as she came back to wrap her arms around his waist.
‘Inconsolable. I had to stop her from running after him. She is waiting now in case he comes back. I have to see Jac. I will be right back.’
Eilish left his side again and moved to where a Nordic giant stood at the entrance to the Portal. He saw her talking to him intently with a lot of nods and glances in Pia’s direction. Then Max himself moved forward toward the Portal with Carter, Hugo and the others from first class.
He let everyone else go before him while he waited for Eilish to reach his side. There was no way he was going into the light without her.
‘He’s going to wait until everyone has gone and then if she wants to stay he’ll give her my PA. She can open the Portal herself when Marco comes back or for herself if he doesn’t. He’s gone for his assistant, Pia says. Damn stubborn man! Why are men willing to throw away love for duty every time?’
He pulled her in close and shook his head. ‘Just the way we’re made. Will we go now?’
She nodded reluctantly, still looking back to where Pia stood. He noticed that a beautiful red head had gone back to the fair-haired girl now and was holding her while she cried.
‘Let’s do it,’ Eilish said finally and led him forward into the light.