A strange noise from the bathroom on a long-haul flight sends flight attendant Leslie into a panic. Little does she know, the child inside will change her life forever.
Leslie rubbed her temple with one hand as she made her way to the plane. A pounding headache reminded her of the night she had spent partying at one of Atlanta’s trendiest clubs.
“Amy!” Leslie called out when she saw her fellow flight attendant. “Please tell me you have some headache pills!”
Amy looked at Leslie and rolled her eyes. “Of course I have some, but you should know better than to party the night before a long-haul flight.”
“What else am I supposed to do, visit museums?” Leslie sighed. “At least partying distracts me.”
Amy gave Leslie a friendly shove, and the two women boarded the plane together.
“One day, everything will turn out okay, Leslie,” Amy said. “Just trust it.”
Leslie and Amy immediately got to work, preparing for passenger boarding, conducting the safety demonstration, and helping everyone settle in. Finally, Leslie slipped into the galley and took her headache pills.
“I wonder if Amy would mind if I lay down for a bit in the rest area,” Leslie thought. Just as she was about to go talk to her colleague, a strange sound stopped her.
Leslie paused and listened intently. A moment later, she decided it must have been her imagination. Maybe Amy was right that she had partied too much. She had planned to visit several clubs in L.A. after landing, but maybe she would take it slow and skip a few.
As Leslie passed the bathroom door, she heard a high-pitched, mewing sound. It certainly wasn’t a cat on the plane, so it must have been a crying child.
Amy knocked on the bathroom door. When there was no answer, she opened the door and peeked inside. A second later, she screamed.
A moment later, Leslie realized that the trembling bundle she had been startled by was a little boy. He had been crying and was looking at her with tear-filled eyes.
“Don’t do that!” Leslie said to the little boy who had surprised her.
“What are you doing in here?” The boy hugged his knees and began crying again. Now that she had recovered from her shock, Leslie felt sorry for him. She crouched down in front of him.
“I’m sorry for yelling,” Leslie said. “You scared me. I’m Leslie, what’s your name?”
The boy sniffled. “My name is Ben.”
Leslie helped the boy up. She let him sit in one of the crew seats while she searched the passenger list for his name. It was probably his first time on a plane, and he didn’t seem to enjoy it.
Leslie frowned. She checked the passenger list again but still couldn’t find the boy’s name!
It had been far too long since Leslie had comforted a child. The thought filled her with longing for home, but now was not the time to think about it. She sat down next to Ben and put her hand on his arm.
“Ben, sweetheart, did you get lost? I can help you find your family if you tell me where they are.”
Ben let out a sob. He was clutching a paper bag to his chest, which Leslie noticed. That made her nervous, as she had heard many horror stories about substances being brought on planes.
“What’s in the bag, Ben?” Leslie asked.
“That’s Grandma’s medicine,” the boy replied. “Without this medicine, she’ll die, and it’ll be my fault!”
Over the next few hours, Leslie got the whole story from Ben. He was the youngest boy in a large family. While his older brothers spent most of their time playing sports and fighting, Ben dreamed of becoming a scientist.
His mother had not appreciated the explosive side effects of Ben’s efforts to find a cure for all diseases. He had hoped so much to make his mother proud and receive a hug from her, but instead, she had put him in a 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 took the bag with Grandma’s medicine.”
When Ben’s grandmother got sick, the family decided to visit her in Seattle and bring her medication. Ben had been separated from his family at the airport. Eventually, he had seen his mother again and followed her onto the plane.
“But she wasn’t my mother,” Ben whimpered. “And now I’m on the wrong plane. I wanted to be the hero who gave Grandma her medicine, but now I’m the bad guy. She’ll die because of me.”
Leslie alerted the authorities as the plane landed in Los Angeles. She felt awful for Ben but was ready to leave the situation behind. Then, when she heard about the arrangements the airline had made for Ben, she was shocked.
She stared at the boy she now had to care for and share her hotel room with. This wasn’t fair. She had made a list of clubs in L.A. she wanted to check out, but now she had to babysit instead.
“This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I just hope it’s enough.”
Several times, she had messaged Amy and her other colleague Brandon, but neither of them was willing to watch Ben. She had even considered hiring a babysitter nearby, but she realized she couldn’t afford it. She needed to save as much as possible to send home.
The two ate a quiet pizza Leslie had ordered for dinner when her phone rang. She picked up, and her stomach dropped when she heard what the caller had to say.
“My baby is sick?” Leslie asked. “What happened, Mom? The last time we talked, Joe was fine. Did you take him to the doctor?”
“Yes,” Leslie’s mother replied. “And they referred us to a specialist. We have an appointment at the end of this week. They mentioned a genetic disease, and they may need you for tests since you’re his mother.”
“Whatever is needed, as long as Joe gets better,” Leslie responded.
After ending the call, Leslie curled into a ball and cried. She wished with all her heart that she could hold her son, smell his soft, curly hair, and tell him everything would be okay.
Unfortunately, Joe was unreachable far away. Her flight schedule had kept her away from home for over a month. No matter how hard she tried to forget her longing for her son by partying and drinking, nothing could stop her heartache.
“Leslie?” Ben came up to her and placed his hand on her arm. “I think you should have these for your Joe.”
Leslie felt tears come again as she looked at the bag of medicine Ben offered her.
“If I can’t save my grandma, at least I can help you,” Ben said. “Take them for Joe so he gets better.”
“I have a better idea.” Leslie started typing on her phone. “I’m going to take you to your grandma in Seattle, Ben. Then I’ll head home to Missoula to my son.”
Leslie booked a plane ticket for Ben at her own expense. She then arranged for a vacation and made plans to accompany Ben on his flight while she was heading home.
“I’m scared,” Ben said as he and Leslie boarded the plane. “What if Grandma is already dead because of my mistake? Then Mom will never love me.”
Leslie ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Your mom has always loved you, Ben, and she always will. That’s what parents do. I’m sure she’s been so worried and will be so happy to see you safe.”
Ben didn’t seem to believe Leslie, even when his whole family rushed to embrace him after they arrived in Seattle. Leslie watched as Ben’s mother showered him with kisses, vowing never to ignore him again.
Unfortunately, Leslie’s reunion with her own family was less joyful. She was shocked to see how pale and thin Joe had become since the last time she saw him. In her arms, he felt so fragile.
Leslie stayed up late that night talking to her mother, going through the various tests the doctors had done on Joe. She felt overwhelmed, helpless, and incredibly guilty.
Finally, when she went to bed, Leslie snuck into Joe’s room and curled up next to him. She buried her face in his soft, coconut-scented hair and promised him, herself, and God that she would do whatever it took to see her son healthy and happy again.
As the days passed, Joe’s condition didn’t improve. The specialist couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the boy. Meanwhile, Joe seemed to grow weaker with each passing day.
Leslie requested additional vacation days, but the airline was unsympathetic. They refused to pay her for the time off, even though Joe was sick.
After another week of caring for Joe and covering doctor visits, money began to run low. Leslie’s mother was on a pension and had always relied on Leslie to cover Joe’s needs while she took care of him. Now, the women had to figure out what to do next.
“Maybe I can find a job here,” Leslie said. “Maybe something better paid.”
“It’s definitely worth a look,” her mother shrugged. “If it comes to that, I can sell the house.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door that changed everything.
Leslie opened the door to find a familiar face looking back at her.
“Ben?” Then she noticed the family she had met at the airport was with him. “What’s going on here?”
“I have something for you and Joe,” Ben said, handing Leslie an envelope.
Leslie opened the envelope. Inside was a check. When she saw the amount, her jaw dropped.
“What is this? I can’t accept this,” she stammered.
“It’s over a hundred thousand dollars!” Ben’s mother spoke up. “We started a crowdfunding campaign for my mom’s treatment, but she…” The woman put her hand over her mouth. “She passed away a few days ago.”
Ben’s father stepped forward and hugged his wife, who broke down in tears.
“We’ve all decided we should give you the money, for Joe,” Ben continued.
“We also announced our plans on the crowdfunding campaign,” Ben’s father added, “so it’s all okay.”
Leslie pressed the check to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you all so much,” she sobbed. “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I just hope it’s enough.”
Ben ran forward and hugged Leslie’s legs. “It’ll be enough,” he said, “I’m sure of it.”
Leslie smiled down at Ben and hugged him tightly.
