Disclaimer: See Part One
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Finally 5 minutes passed and Lucas unbuckled his seat belt. He rose and headed up front when a man of about Captain Bridger's build and age stood up. He had a dark moustache and looked Lucas up and down. He tried to step around the man but he wouldn't let him. "Excuse me sir but I need to get around you. Would you mind moving a moment please?"
"Hey kid what's going on up there? Is something wrong or what? My wife her is pregnant and she can't afford any hints of trouble."
Lucas smiled down at the very pregnant woman of about 33 with dark black hair. She looked up questioningly at him and gave a half smile. Lucas turned his attention back up to the man standing before him. "Sir I don't know what, or if anything is going on. My stomach is a little upset from dinner earlier and I wanted to see if my mom, the lady you saw going up before, had anything for it. That's the only reason I'm going up front."
The man stared at the young teen a moment and then reluctantly let him pass by. Lucas hurried past and quickly moved up front. He found Kristin gently spreading a blanket out on a fold down couch that must have been used so some of the crew could catch a quick nap on long flights. Kristin finished setting up the bed and turned to find Lucas looking back at her. "Lucas I need you to help me move the young man in the cockpit in here and then we'll talk."
The teen nodded and followed his mom into the cockpit. Upon entering he saw a man lying on the floor with the young flight attendant sitting beside him. She was gently wiping his mouth with a rag. Kristin had dropped down to the other side of him and was talking softly to the older man. Lucas looked up and out into the beautiful and clear sky that they were flying through. It seemed odd that they were flying and no one was at the controls. Suddenly a patch of clear understanding hit the teen and looked down with a horrible look on his face. The man on the floor was wearing a Captain's uniform. He was still staring when he saw the young attendant rise and go around him and out into the cabin area to talk to the other crew. Kristin smiled down at the man one last time and looked back at Lucas, who was still staring down at them. "Lucas. Lucas."
He shook his head lightly as he began to register the doc talking to him. "Yeah, yeah what do you need?"
"Lucas this is Michael and we're going to move him onto the bed in the other room. Get on the other side of him and when I count three lift him up."
Lucas nodded and came and knelt beside the older man. He gripped his arm and draped it over his shoulder so they could get him up together and in one motion. Kristin did the same thing and began to count; at three both lifted the man up. He wasn't able to help much because of his weakened condition and to Lucas is felt like dead weight and that the man weighed 500 pounds. It was a tight squeeze getting the three of them out of the cockpit but they finally did it. Lucas and Kristin placed the top half of their bundle on the bunk and Lucas picked up his legs as Kristin walked over to get her bag from the other room. Finally he got the man somewhat situated just as the doctor walked back into the room. She nodded a thanks to Lucas and moved next to the sick Captain.
"Hey Michael how we doing?"
The older man just smiled lightly and closed his eyes again. Lucas moved to stand toward the back of the room while Kristin tended to the other man. He was always amazed when he watched her with a patient. Age, race, sex, nothing seemed to matter when she was treating someone, except that the person was sick and needed help. He watched with fascination as she tended to the older man and was careful to tell him exactly what she was doing. She'd reach out and touch his shoulder or lean in a little closer to give him any comfort she could. She had just finished preparing a shot of some kind for the man and Lucas could tell from the way he tensed when she spoke to him that he didn't like shots. He watched as the doctor fixed him with a gaze and talked to him calmly as she slid the needle gently beneath the tanned skin and quickly removed it while smiling at him. The young man nodded slightly and drifted back to sleep.
Lucas stood up a little straighter when he saw Kristin look back at him. He moved forward and waited for Kristin to join him. She walked up and motioned him to over to a corner. After they were situated he looked over at the man quickly and said, "Doc what is going on? What's wrong with the Captain?"
Kristin leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. She was tired, not just from tending to Michael but the situation about not having a pilot had her worried. The minute the other passengers found out what was going on they would have at least a mild panic. Hopefully they had someone on board that could land this plane, but if not then they had a whole new problem. She looked over at Lucas, should she be sharing this news fully with him, he was after all only a teenager. Deciding she needed his held she began, "Lucas we have a situation. The man over there, Michael, is the pilot and is suffering from a rather severe case of food poisoning. That means that he will unable to land the plane when it's time. Right now we're on autopilot and should be able to stay that way until time to land. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem, the co-pilot would land but we have another problem. Because of the type of flight the airline didn't hire a co- pilot for this flight. Now the reason I wanted to talk to you back here is that I don't want to cause a panic among the other passengers."
His mouth dropped open and he just stared at Doctor Westphalen. She looked at him concerned but waited until he regained his composure and spoke to her. "Uh doc, if he can't land and we have no co-pilot how do you figure to get this plane down?"
Kristin ran a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh. "Well Lucas that is one question I have for you. The flight attendant, Debra, called for help and they are looking in the passenger files to see if anyone is qualified to land this plane. I however know how long that is liable to take. Would it be possible for you to use your laptop and access those records and find out any faster?"
Lucas scrounged up his face a few moments while thinking. He had his laptop and as long as he could get an Internex connection it should work. Of course he needed to know whether the fight service would appreciate his help or whether he needed to do is secretly. "Doc I can do it. I'll hook the modem up to the cell phone in my bag and connect that way. Do you think the airline will let me have access to the records or do I gotta bust in?"
"Considering the time we have you better bust in. I don't like it but the airline would make you go through a security check if nothing else and that would take time." She shot him a crooked smile and said; "Oh and Lucas try not to have fun while you're doing it, okay? After all you're only a teenager."
He smiled and headed towards the cockpit when he spotted the man he had the run in with watching the doorway. Kristin noticed him stopping and said, "Lucas what's wrong?"
He came back over to stand next to the doc and Michael. "Kristin on the way up here the man in the front row stopped me and asked what was going on. I managed to stall him for the moment and told him you were my mom and I was coming up here to see if you had anything to settle my stomach. He bought it and let me pass but I don't think it will work again. Can you come back with me and maybe dissuade his suspicion?"
Kristin thought about that a minute and then glanced back at Michael, she needed to stay close and monitor his condition. "I could Lucas but I would have to come up here every 10 minutes or so and that would arise even more suspicion I'm afraid. Is it possible the man won't ask?"
The young teen shook his head and nodded toward the curtain. "I can't be sure but I get the feeling that he is waiting for me to come back out. He is looking directly at this area and has been for several minutes. He says his wife is pregnant and can't afford any extra problems."
She walked over next to the boy and looked out where he indicated. "Well he is right about that. That lady looks like she is in almost her 9th month. She shouldn't even be travelling. Any ideas on what we can do here?"
Lucas walked back and forth a couple times then he turned around with a wide grin on his face. "I got it doc."
Kristin listened carefully to his plan and decided it wasn't too risky. A little lying was involved but once the passengers found out about the pilot Lucas would be the least of that man's problems. She agreed and watched as Lucas went to sit next to her patient as Kristin moved toward the cabin. Arriving at their seat she found the bag that Lucas had said contained his laptop and cell phone. After slinging it over her shoulder she headed back up front and just as Lucas figured the older man stopped her. "Yes sir, how can I help you?"
"Ma'am my name is Rocco Johnson and this is my wife, Tessa. We were wondering if you would tell us what is going on up front."
Kristin shifted the bag to her feet and spoke to the couple. "Certainly. You see one of the flight attendants was feeling under the weather and I'm a doctor. They asked if I would take a look. I did and they're fine now but in the meantime my son, whom you stopped before, had a very bad upset stomach. He's been sick and he came up front to find me, he's resting on the fold out couch in the area up front. I was just on my way back up there."
The man seemed satisfied with that answer and moved aside and said, "Thank you doctor. Please tell your son I hope he feels better."
The doctor nodded and again picked up the bag and headed for the forward cabin. The little ruse had worked and if they were lucky they would have someone on board this thing that was a qualified pilot and could get them down safely and the entire passenger cabin wouldn't have to know until they were in Honolulu. Michael would get to a hospital and she and Lucas could finish their talk from earlier as she felt even guiltier now for having tricked him into coming on this trip.
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Finally 5 minutes passed and Lucas unbuckled his seat belt. He rose and headed up front when a man of about Captain Bridger's build and age stood up. He had a dark moustache and looked Lucas up and down. He tried to step around the man but he wouldn't let him. "Excuse me sir but I need to get around you. Would you mind moving a moment please?"
"Hey kid what's going on up there? Is something wrong or what? My wife her is pregnant and she can't afford any hints of trouble."
Lucas smiled down at the very pregnant woman of about 33 with dark black hair. She looked up questioningly at him and gave a half smile. Lucas turned his attention back up to the man standing before him. "Sir I don't know what, or if anything is going on. My stomach is a little upset from dinner earlier and I wanted to see if my mom, the lady you saw going up before, had anything for it. That's the only reason I'm going up front."
The man stared at the young teen a moment and then reluctantly let him pass by. Lucas hurried past and quickly moved up front. He found Kristin gently spreading a blanket out on a fold down couch that must have been used so some of the crew could catch a quick nap on long flights. Kristin finished setting up the bed and turned to find Lucas looking back at her. "Lucas I need you to help me move the young man in the cockpit in here and then we'll talk."
The teen nodded and followed his mom into the cockpit. Upon entering he saw a man lying on the floor with the young flight attendant sitting beside him. She was gently wiping his mouth with a rag. Kristin had dropped down to the other side of him and was talking softly to the older man. Lucas looked up and out into the beautiful and clear sky that they were flying through. It seemed odd that they were flying and no one was at the controls. Suddenly a patch of clear understanding hit the teen and looked down with a horrible look on his face. The man on the floor was wearing a Captain's uniform. He was still staring when he saw the young attendant rise and go around him and out into the cabin area to talk to the other crew. Kristin smiled down at the man one last time and looked back at Lucas, who was still staring down at them. "Lucas. Lucas."
He shook his head lightly as he began to register the doc talking to him. "Yeah, yeah what do you need?"
"Lucas this is Michael and we're going to move him onto the bed in the other room. Get on the other side of him and when I count three lift him up."
Lucas nodded and came and knelt beside the older man. He gripped his arm and draped it over his shoulder so they could get him up together and in one motion. Kristin did the same thing and began to count; at three both lifted the man up. He wasn't able to help much because of his weakened condition and to Lucas is felt like dead weight and that the man weighed 500 pounds. It was a tight squeeze getting the three of them out of the cockpit but they finally did it. Lucas and Kristin placed the top half of their bundle on the bunk and Lucas picked up his legs as Kristin walked over to get her bag from the other room. Finally he got the man somewhat situated just as the doctor walked back into the room. She nodded a thanks to Lucas and moved next to the sick Captain.
"Hey Michael how we doing?"
The older man just smiled lightly and closed his eyes again. Lucas moved to stand toward the back of the room while Kristin tended to the other man. He was always amazed when he watched her with a patient. Age, race, sex, nothing seemed to matter when she was treating someone, except that the person was sick and needed help. He watched with fascination as she tended to the older man and was careful to tell him exactly what she was doing. She'd reach out and touch his shoulder or lean in a little closer to give him any comfort she could. She had just finished preparing a shot of some kind for the man and Lucas could tell from the way he tensed when she spoke to him that he didn't like shots. He watched as the doctor fixed him with a gaze and talked to him calmly as she slid the needle gently beneath the tanned skin and quickly removed it while smiling at him. The young man nodded slightly and drifted back to sleep.
Lucas stood up a little straighter when he saw Kristin look back at him. He moved forward and waited for Kristin to join him. She walked up and motioned him to over to a corner. After they were situated he looked over at the man quickly and said, "Doc what is going on? What's wrong with the Captain?"
Kristin leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. She was tired, not just from tending to Michael but the situation about not having a pilot had her worried. The minute the other passengers found out what was going on they would have at least a mild panic. Hopefully they had someone on board that could land this plane, but if not then they had a whole new problem. She looked over at Lucas, should she be sharing this news fully with him, he was after all only a teenager. Deciding she needed his held she began, "Lucas we have a situation. The man over there, Michael, is the pilot and is suffering from a rather severe case of food poisoning. That means that he will unable to land the plane when it's time. Right now we're on autopilot and should be able to stay that way until time to land. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem, the co-pilot would land but we have another problem. Because of the type of flight the airline didn't hire a co- pilot for this flight. Now the reason I wanted to talk to you back here is that I don't want to cause a panic among the other passengers."
His mouth dropped open and he just stared at Doctor Westphalen. She looked at him concerned but waited until he regained his composure and spoke to her. "Uh doc, if he can't land and we have no co-pilot how do you figure to get this plane down?"
Kristin ran a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh. "Well Lucas that is one question I have for you. The flight attendant, Debra, called for help and they are looking in the passenger files to see if anyone is qualified to land this plane. I however know how long that is liable to take. Would it be possible for you to use your laptop and access those records and find out any faster?"
Lucas scrounged up his face a few moments while thinking. He had his laptop and as long as he could get an Internex connection it should work. Of course he needed to know whether the fight service would appreciate his help or whether he needed to do is secretly. "Doc I can do it. I'll hook the modem up to the cell phone in my bag and connect that way. Do you think the airline will let me have access to the records or do I gotta bust in?"
"Considering the time we have you better bust in. I don't like it but the airline would make you go through a security check if nothing else and that would take time." She shot him a crooked smile and said; "Oh and Lucas try not to have fun while you're doing it, okay? After all you're only a teenager."
He smiled and headed towards the cockpit when he spotted the man he had the run in with watching the doorway. Kristin noticed him stopping and said, "Lucas what's wrong?"
He came back over to stand next to the doc and Michael. "Kristin on the way up here the man in the front row stopped me and asked what was going on. I managed to stall him for the moment and told him you were my mom and I was coming up here to see if you had anything to settle my stomach. He bought it and let me pass but I don't think it will work again. Can you come back with me and maybe dissuade his suspicion?"
Kristin thought about that a minute and then glanced back at Michael, she needed to stay close and monitor his condition. "I could Lucas but I would have to come up here every 10 minutes or so and that would arise even more suspicion I'm afraid. Is it possible the man won't ask?"
The young teen shook his head and nodded toward the curtain. "I can't be sure but I get the feeling that he is waiting for me to come back out. He is looking directly at this area and has been for several minutes. He says his wife is pregnant and can't afford any extra problems."
She walked over next to the boy and looked out where he indicated. "Well he is right about that. That lady looks like she is in almost her 9th month. She shouldn't even be travelling. Any ideas on what we can do here?"
Lucas walked back and forth a couple times then he turned around with a wide grin on his face. "I got it doc."
Kristin listened carefully to his plan and decided it wasn't too risky. A little lying was involved but once the passengers found out about the pilot Lucas would be the least of that man's problems. She agreed and watched as Lucas went to sit next to her patient as Kristin moved toward the cabin. Arriving at their seat she found the bag that Lucas had said contained his laptop and cell phone. After slinging it over her shoulder she headed back up front and just as Lucas figured the older man stopped her. "Yes sir, how can I help you?"
"Ma'am my name is Rocco Johnson and this is my wife, Tessa. We were wondering if you would tell us what is going on up front."
Kristin shifted the bag to her feet and spoke to the couple. "Certainly. You see one of the flight attendants was feeling under the weather and I'm a doctor. They asked if I would take a look. I did and they're fine now but in the meantime my son, whom you stopped before, had a very bad upset stomach. He's been sick and he came up front to find me, he's resting on the fold out couch in the area up front. I was just on my way back up there."
The man seemed satisfied with that answer and moved aside and said, "Thank you doctor. Please tell your son I hope he feels better."
The doctor nodded and again picked up the bag and headed for the forward cabin. The little ruse had worked and if they were lucky they would have someone on board this thing that was a qualified pilot and could get them down safely and the entire passenger cabin wouldn't have to know until they were in Honolulu. Michael would get to a hospital and she and Lucas could finish their talk from earlier as she felt even guiltier now for having tricked him into coming on this trip.