Into the Life of Hadji 2 Part 2





	The next day, a call came in while everybody but Race and Benton

were out.  Benton had just hung up the phone when Race walked into the

room.

	"Benton!  What's wrong?!  You're as pale as a sheet!" 

	"That was Sukinder for Hadji.  Neela is sick again and close to

death.  He wants Hadji to go to India immediately." 

	"My God... and just when things were going so well..." 

	"I'm going to call the college-- Race, make preparations.  No

doubt, Hadji will want all of us there." 

	Race nodded and left to make arrangements. 

	Benton called the college and had them pull Hadji, Jonny, and

Miana from class, and he called Jessie at work.  Half an hour later,

everyone came rushing into the house. 

	"Dr. Quest, what's wrong?  They pulled me from class and said it

was an emergency." 

	"Sukinder called for you.  Neela is sick again and close to death. 

We've made arrangements for all of us to go to Bangalore immediately, that

is, if you want us along." 

	Hadji's face fell. 

	"Of course Dr. Quest." Hadji said in a near-whisper.  "I suggest

we all pack." 

	All packed and were on the dragonfly inside of an hour.  Everyone

was silent during the trip, while Hadji was trying his best not to break

into tears.  Just then, everyone's silence was broken when the Dragonfly

started to shake and rumble.  Race's voice came over the intercom. 

	"Everyone buckle up!  Something has gone wrong with the number two

engine and control systems.  We're going down!" 

	Inside the cockpit, Race was frantically looking for a place to

land.  They were over the dense jungles of India, quite a distance from

the Bangalore Palace landing strip. 

	"Mayday...Mayday...Dragonfly to Bangalore Control Tower... we're

twenty miles from Bangalore Palace and having to crash land..." 

	The plane started to dive and Hadji looked into Miana's eyes as

the plane shook and tumble downward.  He could see that she was terrified

as knowledge of his vision came to their consciousness.  All were strapped

in and bent over heads between legs as the plane crashed and slid along

the jungle floor twenty miles from Bangalore Palace.  The jungle behind

them burst into flames along the path the downed plane had made.  The

Dragonfly tore and crumbled like an aluminum can, and broke in half just

behind the cockpit. 

	Race managed to get the control tower of Bangalore's main airport

to send help out, and they were flying out to the crash site as the plane

was going down. 

	

***********************************************************************



	Hadji awoke to the smell of smoke and charred metal.  He was

hanging upside down, bleeding, and his head hurt. 

	"Miana..." he whispered.  "Miana... Miana!" 

	Hadji looked over at his unconscious wife, who was also upside

down and covered in blood.  When his head cleared, he realized that not

only was he the only one conscious, but there were still flames not far

from them and that they were all in danger.  Hadji unfastened his belt

and he fell to the ground.  He managed to get everyone down, and he worked

as fast as he could to get them all out of the plane and out a safe

distance.  Race was the hardest to get to, as the cockpit was broken from

the body of th e plane, and there were flames in the way.  However, after

some creative strategy and several attempts, Hadji managed to get Race out

of the cockpit.  Just as Hadji pulled Race to safety, the plane exploded. 

He looked around at his unconscious family, and at their various states

of trauma.  Jessie and Miana were the worst.  Benton and Jonny were bad,

but better off than the girls.  Benny was relatively unharmed compared to

the rest of the family.  Hadji was relieved that they had left Bandit

behind in Maine, as he would not have made it.  Hadji tried to tend to

everyone's wounds as best as he could, and it seemed like an eternity

before the rescue crews arrived. 

	Firefighters and investigators came to put the fires out, and

paramedics took them all to the closest hospital, which was in Bangalore

city. 

	Hadji passed out in the ambulance, and awoke hours later in a

hospital room. 

	"Your highness?" asked a voice. 

	Hadji's head was spinning. 

	"Your highness?" 

	"Please call me Hadji." he whispered as he put his free hand on

his head (his other had an IV in it). 

	"I am Dr. Chandra.  You are going to be alright-- just some minor

head injuries." 

	"My wife, my family..." 

	"Her highness is in critical condition, as is Race Bannon and his

daughter.  Dr. Quest and his son are stable and sleeping.  The young boy

is sleeping, and had only cuts and bruises." 

	"The women, they are pregnant..." 

	"Mrs. Singh's pregnancy is at great risk now, and Mrs. Quest lost

her pregnancy." 

	"Miana... my God... Jessie's baby..." 

	Hadji broke into tears. 

	"That is not all.  Your mother is in this hospital.  Her illness

has returned.  She originally had a week to live, but that was four days

ago.  It is just a matter of time."

	Hadji started to get up. 

	"Hadji, you can't..." 

	"I can, and I will." said Hadji sternly.  "My wife and my

mother..." 

	"Your wife is in no condition for visitors, but I will take you to

your mother." 

	Hadji was escorted to Neela's room. 

	"Hadji...I'm so glad you are alright..." whispered Neela. 

	Neela was emaciated to just a ghost of her original form, and her

complexion was paler than that of a white person.  All color was drained

from her, and she looked as if she were in death's grip. 

	"Hadji, I tried to hold on as long as I could... Miana will pull

through-- I feel it." 

	"Miana is pregnant, but I do not know if the baby will survive." 

	"Both will, my son.  I am so happy she is pregnant... when your

family comes out of this, you must take the throne." 

	"Mother..." Hadji cried. 

	"I am so proud of you, Hadji.  You have grown into a fine man with

a beautiful spirit, and your family is just as beautiful." 

	Neela's eyes grew glassy as she looked up toward the ceiling.  She

stetched her thin arm into the air.  "Haresh... I see your father! He is

here for me..."  With that, her arm dropped, and her eyes closed. The

monitors hooked up to her flatlined.  She was dead. 

	"Mother!" Hadji cried aloud. 

	He dropped to his knees and started wailing.  He felt a cold brush

on his shoulder, and as he looked up, he saw the faint outlines of both

his parents fade into nothing. 

	The nurses came in and escorted him back to his room.  Although he

had Neela's assurances that Miana would be alright, he had his doubts.  He

then realized his prediction came to pass.  The plane crash claimed

Jessie's baby, and his mother had just passed.  The two deaths he foresaw

had occurred, although he was questioning whether Jessie's baby would

count, or if the death would be someone else who was already in the world. 

The anxiety of this, combined with the recent losses and the questionable

health of his family were almost too much for Hadji to bear.