Disclaimer: See Part One
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Kristin looked up and over at Lucas who was hunched in a corner of the small compartment where the three of them were. She had just gotten done checking on Michael when she heard Lucas say, "There you are, I got ya now." The doctor had to smile at the teen's enthusiasm, when he had a computer problem facing him he was completely at home. Rising she walked slowly over to the teen and glanced over his shoulder and stared at the complex array of numbers and symbols scrolling on the screen. She was just about ready to ask him if he found anything when he jumped up and said, "I got it!"
Kristin composed herself where she had stepped back suddenly when the young boy had jumped up. Slowly she approached him and looked at him curiously. "Lucas what exactly do you have?"
He turned around and smiled at the doc. "Oh hi, I didn't see you over here."
"Obviously, you nearly knocked me over. Now what has you so excited?"
He sat back down and brought up a file and then stood up and indicated for Kristin to take his seat. "This is the file on one of the passengers. He's an Air Force Colonel and is probably more qualified than the captain to fly this tin can. Now all we gotta do is find him."
Kristin sat quietly reading the file for several minutes; it was too good to be true. This Air Force Colonel could land the plan with no problems she was sure of it and he had received many commendations from the government for civilian rescues of one type of another, the man was a regular good Samaritan. Standing up she turned back to Lucas. "This is great Lucas. I'll get Debra to talk to him and get him up here. What's his name? I didn't see it in the records."
Lucas nodded and sat down and brought up another file that had all the man's personal information on it. He read silently and then said, "The guy's name is Rocco. Rocco Johnson"
Kristin nodded and headed to find Debra who was in the cockpit on the radio when she stopped and remembered where she had heard that name before. Turning around she headed back over to Lucas. "Lucas you did say Rocco Johnson correct?"
"Yeah doc. Is something wrong?"
Kristin nodded and ran a tired hand through her hair before answering the teen. "Lucas you remember that rather demanding gentleman that stopped you before?"
He nodded and waited patiently for her to get to the problem. "Well his name happens to be Rocco Johnson. He's our pilot."
If it could have happened Lucas' jaw would have dropped through the floor. He stood staring at the doctor for several minutes and finally found his voice. When he spoke it was really low and tense, "Doc tell me you're joking."
"I'm afraid not Lucas. That man gave me his name when I went to get your laptop. He is rather insistent as you already know, dear."
He nodded and sat down. "What are we gonna do? That guy's going to be really unhappy when he finds out that he was lied to and that the airline doesn't have a co-pilot to handle this landing and his wife is going to be real happy when she finds out."
"I know Lucas but what choice do we have? He's the only one onboard that can land this thing. I'm going to get Debra to join me and we'll get him back her and let him know what is going on. I don't want him to see you yet however so gather up your stuff and go sit behind that slightly closed off area with Michael."
The teen nodded and began to clear up his things as Kristin moved to the cockpit to talk to Debra. She walked in and found the young woman on the radio and was obviously just finishing up talking to someone on the ground. Kristin moved to sit in what would have been the co-pilots seat and waited while the woman said, "Over" and hung up the mike.
Debra leaned back and closed her eyes and for the first time since this situation had started noticed how tired the other woman looked. Her hair was mused, she had been sweating, her once vibrant eyes were drawn and she had a slight slump in her shoulders when she sat still. Debra sat up slowly and looked over at the older woman and spoke to her. "Doctor I was just on the radio with ground control, they haven't finished going through the passenger manifest yet. It should be within the hour though."
"No need to worry about it. Lucas has found out we do have someone on board that can land this plane but we have another problem. Do you remember the man sitting on the front row next to the pregnant woman?"
Debra nodded and said, "Yes I do. If he's our man then lets go get him." She began to rise when she felt the doctor touching her arm. "What's wrong doctor? This is good news."
Kristin nodded and said, "I need to tell you a little about our new pilot first." Debra sat and listened with interest as Kristin began unfolding the story of both she and Lucas' run-ins with Mr. Johnson. Debra nodded and rose from her chair and moved toward the door. She was just barely out of the cockpit when a very excited Rocco Johnson burst into the room. Debra stepped forward and said, "Sir, what's the matter?"
He glanced around and caught sight of Kristin coming out of the cockpit and ran up to her, "You said you're a doctor right?"
"Yes Mr. Johnson I am. What's wrong? Are you ill?"
He shook his head and said, "No but something is wrong with my wife. She's in pain and says her stomach hurts. You gotta come quick."
Kristin looked over at the young flight attendant and thought, "Just great. What else is going to happen today?" She sighed and hurriedly followed the man out of the room and into the passenger compartment. She felt Debra right on her heals as they stopped just short of the seats that Mr. Johnson and his wife occupied.
Kristin knelt down beside the woman of about 33 years of age or so. Her face was contorted in pain and she had been sweating profusely. The older woman took a moment to glance back at Debra and Mr. Johnson and said, "Debra why don't you take Mr. Johnson up front and talk to him and help him spread out a blanket on the floor where his wife can rest. I'll come up and talk to you in a minute."
Debra nodded and began to usher Mr. Johnson back toward the front amid his protests of not being able to leave his wife. Kristin finally turned her attention back to the woman in front of her and felt the looks of the passengers on both of them. She smiled at the younger woman as she gripped her wrist to get her pulse. "Hi. My name is Kristin and I'm a doctor. How are you doing?"
The younger woman tried to give a smile but a bout of pain hit her and she gripped the armrests in response. Finally the moment passed and she sank back exhausted and spoke softly to Kristin. "My name's Tessa Johnson. As for how I am, I'm feeling pretty terrible at the moment."
The doctor nodded and said, "You're almost in your ninth month, correct?"
Tessa nodded and again gripped the armrest as another wave of pain began and slowly eased.
Kristin gripped her hand and said, "Listen Tessa, I don't want to get into too much of this until I have you lying down but you are in labour. I'm going to get your husband to move you and then I'll do a more complete examination. All right?"
The younger woman nodded slightly and Kristin gave her one last smile before rising and heading back up front. As she walked she thought to herself, "I'm never leaving that blasted boat again."
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Kristin looked up and over at Lucas who was hunched in a corner of the small compartment where the three of them were. She had just gotten done checking on Michael when she heard Lucas say, "There you are, I got ya now." The doctor had to smile at the teen's enthusiasm, when he had a computer problem facing him he was completely at home. Rising she walked slowly over to the teen and glanced over his shoulder and stared at the complex array of numbers and symbols scrolling on the screen. She was just about ready to ask him if he found anything when he jumped up and said, "I got it!"
Kristin composed herself where she had stepped back suddenly when the young boy had jumped up. Slowly she approached him and looked at him curiously. "Lucas what exactly do you have?"
He turned around and smiled at the doc. "Oh hi, I didn't see you over here."
"Obviously, you nearly knocked me over. Now what has you so excited?"
He sat back down and brought up a file and then stood up and indicated for Kristin to take his seat. "This is the file on one of the passengers. He's an Air Force Colonel and is probably more qualified than the captain to fly this tin can. Now all we gotta do is find him."
Kristin sat quietly reading the file for several minutes; it was too good to be true. This Air Force Colonel could land the plan with no problems she was sure of it and he had received many commendations from the government for civilian rescues of one type of another, the man was a regular good Samaritan. Standing up she turned back to Lucas. "This is great Lucas. I'll get Debra to talk to him and get him up here. What's his name? I didn't see it in the records."
Lucas nodded and sat down and brought up another file that had all the man's personal information on it. He read silently and then said, "The guy's name is Rocco. Rocco Johnson"
Kristin nodded and headed to find Debra who was in the cockpit on the radio when she stopped and remembered where she had heard that name before. Turning around she headed back over to Lucas. "Lucas you did say Rocco Johnson correct?"
"Yeah doc. Is something wrong?"
Kristin nodded and ran a tired hand through her hair before answering the teen. "Lucas you remember that rather demanding gentleman that stopped you before?"
He nodded and waited patiently for her to get to the problem. "Well his name happens to be Rocco Johnson. He's our pilot."
If it could have happened Lucas' jaw would have dropped through the floor. He stood staring at the doctor for several minutes and finally found his voice. When he spoke it was really low and tense, "Doc tell me you're joking."
"I'm afraid not Lucas. That man gave me his name when I went to get your laptop. He is rather insistent as you already know, dear."
He nodded and sat down. "What are we gonna do? That guy's going to be really unhappy when he finds out that he was lied to and that the airline doesn't have a co-pilot to handle this landing and his wife is going to be real happy when she finds out."
"I know Lucas but what choice do we have? He's the only one onboard that can land this thing. I'm going to get Debra to join me and we'll get him back her and let him know what is going on. I don't want him to see you yet however so gather up your stuff and go sit behind that slightly closed off area with Michael."
The teen nodded and began to clear up his things as Kristin moved to the cockpit to talk to Debra. She walked in and found the young woman on the radio and was obviously just finishing up talking to someone on the ground. Kristin moved to sit in what would have been the co-pilots seat and waited while the woman said, "Over" and hung up the mike.
Debra leaned back and closed her eyes and for the first time since this situation had started noticed how tired the other woman looked. Her hair was mused, she had been sweating, her once vibrant eyes were drawn and she had a slight slump in her shoulders when she sat still. Debra sat up slowly and looked over at the older woman and spoke to her. "Doctor I was just on the radio with ground control, they haven't finished going through the passenger manifest yet. It should be within the hour though."
"No need to worry about it. Lucas has found out we do have someone on board that can land this plane but we have another problem. Do you remember the man sitting on the front row next to the pregnant woman?"
Debra nodded and said, "Yes I do. If he's our man then lets go get him." She began to rise when she felt the doctor touching her arm. "What's wrong doctor? This is good news."
Kristin nodded and said, "I need to tell you a little about our new pilot first." Debra sat and listened with interest as Kristin began unfolding the story of both she and Lucas' run-ins with Mr. Johnson. Debra nodded and rose from her chair and moved toward the door. She was just barely out of the cockpit when a very excited Rocco Johnson burst into the room. Debra stepped forward and said, "Sir, what's the matter?"
He glanced around and caught sight of Kristin coming out of the cockpit and ran up to her, "You said you're a doctor right?"
"Yes Mr. Johnson I am. What's wrong? Are you ill?"
He shook his head and said, "No but something is wrong with my wife. She's in pain and says her stomach hurts. You gotta come quick."
Kristin looked over at the young flight attendant and thought, "Just great. What else is going to happen today?" She sighed and hurriedly followed the man out of the room and into the passenger compartment. She felt Debra right on her heals as they stopped just short of the seats that Mr. Johnson and his wife occupied.
Kristin knelt down beside the woman of about 33 years of age or so. Her face was contorted in pain and she had been sweating profusely. The older woman took a moment to glance back at Debra and Mr. Johnson and said, "Debra why don't you take Mr. Johnson up front and talk to him and help him spread out a blanket on the floor where his wife can rest. I'll come up and talk to you in a minute."
Debra nodded and began to usher Mr. Johnson back toward the front amid his protests of not being able to leave his wife. Kristin finally turned her attention back to the woman in front of her and felt the looks of the passengers on both of them. She smiled at the younger woman as she gripped her wrist to get her pulse. "Hi. My name is Kristin and I'm a doctor. How are you doing?"
The younger woman tried to give a smile but a bout of pain hit her and she gripped the armrests in response. Finally the moment passed and she sank back exhausted and spoke softly to Kristin. "My name's Tessa Johnson. As for how I am, I'm feeling pretty terrible at the moment."
The doctor nodded and said, "You're almost in your ninth month, correct?"
Tessa nodded and again gripped the armrest as another wave of pain began and slowly eased.
Kristin gripped her hand and said, "Listen Tessa, I don't want to get into too much of this until I have you lying down but you are in labour. I'm going to get your husband to move you and then I'll do a more complete examination. All right?"
The younger woman nodded slightly and Kristin gave her one last smile before rising and heading back up front. As she walked she thought to herself, "I'm never leaving that blasted boat again."