Leslie rubbed her temple with one hand as she walked towards her plane.
She had a throbbing headache from her night out at one of Atlanta’s trendiest clubs.
“Amy!” Leslie called when she recognized a fellow flight attendant. “Please tell me you have some headache pills?”
Amy rolled her eyes at Leslie. “Of course I do, but you should know better than to party the night before a cross-country flight.”
Leslie and Amy quickly began preparing for the passengers’ boarding, followed by the safety demonstration and ensuring that all passengers were situated in. Finally, Leslie snuck into the kitchen and gulped her headache medications.
“I wonder if Amy will mind if I lie down in the rest quarters for a bit,” Leslie said. She was about to leave to speak with her colleague when an unusual sound halted her in her tracks.
Amy knocked on the bathroom door. When no one replied, she opened the door and looked inside. A second later, she shouted.
Leslie noticed the shivering bundle that had scared her was a young child. He had been crying and glanced up at her through teary eyes.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I’m sorry I shouted,” Leslie said. “You gave me a fright. I’m Leslie, what’s your name?”
The boy sniffed. “My name’s Ben.”
Leslie assisted the boy up.
She allowed him to sit in one of the crew jump seats while she searched the passenger list for his name.
Leslie frowned. She examined the passenger list again but couldn’t find the boy’s name!
“Ben, sweetie, are you lost? I can help you if you tell me where to find your family.”
Ben sobbed. He was gripping a paper bag to his chest, Leslie observed. It made her nervous because of all the horrible stories she’d heard about substances being taken on board flights.
“What’s in the bag, Ben?” Leslie asked.
“It’s Granny’s medicine,” the boy replied. “She’s going to die without this medicine, and it will be all my fault!”
Leslie was able to persuade Ben into telling her the entire story over the next four hours. He was the youngest son of a huge family. Ben aspired to be a scientist, whereas his older brothers were more interested in sports and getting into scrapes.
His mother had underestimated the catastrophic consequences of Ben’s ambition to discover a solution for all ailments. He had intended to make his mother proud and receive a hug from her, but she had made him sit in the corner.
“I just want her to look at me with the same love and pride she gives my older brothers when they do well.”
Ben sobbed. “That’s why I stole the bag of Granny’s medicine.”
When Ben’s grandma became unwell, the family went to visit her in Seattle and bring her medicine.
Ben became separated from his family at the airport. He eventually found his mother again and followed her to the airport.
“But she wasn’t my mom,” Ben wailed. “And now I’m on the wrong plane. I wanted to be the hero who gave Granny her medicine, but now I’m the baddie. She’s going to d.i.e because of me.”
Leslie had alerted all the relevant authorities when the plane touched down in Los Angeles. She felt terrible for Ben but was ready to put the whole situation behind her. So, when she found out about the arrangements the airline made for Ben, Leslie was sh0cked.
Several times, she’d texted Amy and her other colleague, Brandon, but neither of them was willing to mind Ben for her. She’d even considered searching for a local babysitter but realized she couldn’t afford it. She had to save as much as possible to send home.
“My baby is sick?” Leslie asked. “What happened, mom? Joe was doing well the last time we spoke. Have you taken him to a doctor?”
“Yes,” Leslie’s mom replied.
“And she referred us to a specialist. We have an appointment for later this week. They mentioned a genetic disease and they might need you to come in for tests too since you’re his mom.”
“Whatever it takes, so long as my boy gets better,” Leslie replied.
Leslie curled into a ball and wailed as she ended the phone conversation. She yearned with all her heart that she could hold her kid in her arms, smell his soft, curly hair, and tell him everything was fine.
Unfortunately, Joe was beyond her reach. Her flying itinerary had not taken her home in more than a month. Even though she attempted to forget her love for her kid by partying, nothing could keep her heart from aching.
“Miss Leslie?” Ben approached and put his hand on her arm. “I think you should have these for your Joe.”
Leslie felt another wave of tears well up as she glanced at the bag of medicine Ben presented her.
“If I can’t save my granny, at least I can help you,” Ben said. “Take them for Joe so he can be healthy again.”
“I have a better idea.” Leslie started typing on her phone. “I’m going to get you to your granny in Seattle, Ben. Afterward, I’m going home to see my son.”
“I’m scared,” Ben said as he and Leslie boarded their flight. “What if Granny is already d.e.a.d because of my mistake? Mom will never love me then.”
“Your mom has always loved you, Ben, and she always will. That’s what parents do. I’m sure she’s been very worried and will be happy to see you safe.”
Ben didn’t appear to believe Leslie, even when his entire family rushed up to greet him when they arrived in Seattle. Leslie watched as Ben’s mother covered him with kisses and promised never to ignore him again.
Unfortunately, Leslie’s reunion with her family was less enjoyable. She was astounded to see how pale and frail Joe had gotten since she last saw him. He felt so vulnerable in her embrace.
Leslie stayed up late that night, chatting to her mother and reviewing the many tests the physicians had performed on Joe. She felt overwhelmed, helpless, and extremely guilty.
Joe’s condition deteriorated over time.
The specialist was unable to determine what was wrong. Meanwhile, he seemed to become weaker by the day.
Leslie requested additional days on her leave, but the airline was not very understanding. They refused to pay her for her time off. After another week of caring for Joe and paying for doctor visits, money was running low. Leslie’s mother was retired and had always relied on Leslie to provide for Joe’s needs while she looked after the boy. Now the women had to decide how to continue.
“Maybe I can get a job here,” Leslie said. “Maybe something that pays better.”
“It’s worth looking at any rate,” Leslie’s mom shrugged. “If it comes to it, I can sell the house.”
There was a knock at the door.
Leslie opened the door and saw a familiar face staring back at her.
“Ben?” She noted then that the family she recognized from the airport was with him. “What’s going on?”
“I have something for you and Joe.” Ben presented Leslie with an envelope.
Leslie opened the envelope. The inside contained a check. Leslie’s mouth dropped when she saw how much was on it.
“What is this? I can’t accept it,” she stammered.
“It’s over a hundred thousand dollars!”
“We want you to have it.” Ben’s mother stepped forward. “We started a crowdfunding campaign for my mother, but she…” the woman put a hand to her mouth. “She pass:ed away a few days ago.”
“We decided together that we should give you the money, for Joe,” Ben continued.
Leslie pressed the check to her chest as tears welled up in her eyes. “Thank you all so much,” she sobbed. “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I only hope it’s enough.”
“And it’s all thanks to Ben,” she muttered.