Accidental Heroes

by Danielle Steel

  “Depends on how you fly the plane,” Jason said boldly. “But the fools who run our precious airline wouldn’t let you fly if you weren’t good at what you do, I guess,” he conceded grudgingly. He wasn’t afraid to offend her, but it didn’t bother her. She looked calm and easygoing as she listened. He had eyes that were filled with resentment despite his boyish good looks. “Generally, I think men make better pilots, but I guess some women are okay,” he admitted. “Your takeoff was pretty smooth just now.” He was incredibly arrogant, had a superior attitude, and seemed to have an ax to grind against everyone. “But this plane is a breeze to fly,” he said, mitigating his earlier praise.

  “Yes, it is,” she said in a friendly tone. “I’ll let you land at SFO if you want.” It was her prerogative to decide which of them would land. And she could always take over if she didn’t like his approach, and the passengers would be safe. She wouldn’t have let him land the big Airbus. He didn’t have enough hours on it yet, but he was more than adequately qualified for the plane they were flying. There were always some flyboys in aviation who thought that men should own the skies. Fortunately, neither the Air Force nor the airline they worked for agreed with him. And she had long since earned her flawless reputation.

  “Do you know who you’re flying with?” Connor suddenly spoke up in a deep, angry voice, and startled both of them. There was emotion trembling through his words. “She was one of the most decorated fighter pilots in the Middle East. How does that stack up against your experience, sonny? I don’t see you in the captain’s seat.” Jason bridled instantly at his words.

  “Yeah, I know who she is. I saw her husband get his head cut off on TV.”

  What Jason said squeezed Helen’s heart like a vise and took her breath away. Nothing showed in her expression, but both men could sense how shocked she was. Jason had hit her hard and done it intentionally, which Connor thought was despicable. He could see tears in Helen’s eyes.

  “I think that’s enough of that for today,” she said, wanting to stop the exchange between the two men before it got out of hand. Despite the words, which hurt her personally, she was the senior officer and in command here, and both men fell silent. Nancy knocked and was buzzed into the cockpit then, with Joel right behind her, carrying their breakfast trays. The cockpit door closed and locked automatically behind them after they walked in. They always served the pilots first, and the stewards in business class took care of them. The first-class flight attendants were always too busy, providing additional service to their passengers, although they helped out occasionally. And premium economy and coach had their hands full by sheer numbers. The flight crew had omelets, fruit salad, warm biscuits, and an assortment of breakfast pastries on their trays. There was no conversation in the cockpit, after what Jason had said, as Joel and Nancy set down their trays.

  “Call us when you want to get rid of the trays,” Nancy said pleasantly, as Jason eyed her again, and she ignored him. He acted as though any woman on the planet would be lucky to sleep with him. She had more important things on her mind after the positive pregnancy test that morning. She could hardly wait to see her husband and tell him. She and Helen exchanged a warm look of female solidarity, and both Nancy and Joel noticed that the other captain looked angry about something.

  “Wow,” Joel whispered as the cockpit door closed and locked behind them again. “You can cut the atmosphere in there with a knife today. That’s the only thing I hate about our job,” he said as they walked back into the galley in business class. “You never know how the chemistry is going to work out. I love flying with new people all the time, but when you get a lemon, it can sure turn your day to shit in a hurry.” They both laughed at what he said. “And the flight deck does not look like fun today,” he added, as he started putting the garnish on the trays.

  They were offering three choices of breakfast to the passengers, which kept them busy working the ovens to heat the biscuits and the quiche they were serving. They also had scrambled eggs with sausages, smoked salmon and bagels, and oatmeal with fruit salad. They served a hearty breakfast on the early flight. With the time difference in their favor flying west, the passengers had a long day ahead of them, many of them with meetings to attend for the rest of the day, as soon as they arrived.

  Joel and Nancy headed down the aisle with the cart loaded up with trays a few minutes later. They had handed out headphones for the entertainment system immediately after takeoff, and several people were already watching movies, including the two unaccompanied children, Nicole and Mark, who’d been upgraded and had been no trouble so far. Nicole was adorable, and Mark took good care of her.

  Other passengers were working on their computers, getting ready for work, or keeping up with what was happening in their offices in New York by email. People who took the early flight were rarely demanding, which was why Nancy liked it. By the end of the day, passengers were tired, cranky, and stressed by whatever had gone wrong in their day, and took it out on the flight attendants. They were more likely to wind up with delayed flights, and often drank too much. Everyone was still fresh and in a better mood in the morning.

  Catherine James was awake again by then, after her heavy dose of champagne before takeoff, and was working on her computer, as was the man sitting next to her. The couple across the aisle were conferring quietly, although he still didn’t look happy. He took vegetarian quiche and his female companion smiled at Nancy, as though in collusion with her and silently apologizing for her somewhat grumpy husband. Nancy mentioned to Joel how serious and unsmiling he was compared to his very friendly wife, who seemed open and happy and excited about the trip and their upgrade.

  “He didn’t seem to approve when I offered them earphones,” Joel added. “And he wouldn’t let the woman take them. He told her not to in Arabic, I think. I’m sure they’re fine, but I assume someone checked them against the no-fly list before they boarded,” he said, and Nancy reassured him. Neither the crew nor the public knew exactly how the no-fly list worked, only that there was one that listed anyone suspected of terrorist ties or activities, and that Homeland Security was diligent about their job.

  “I don’t think he’s a terrorist. He’s just a crabby guy. She seems very sweet, though.” She smiled at Joel.

  In the course of their work, they had occasionally seen passengers refused entry to the plane, or removed before a flight took off, if their names were on any of the sensitive lists. And they knew that there was an armed air marshal somewhere on the plane, usually in first class, sometimes with a second one elsewhere on the flight. Some were harder to detect than others, and no one was supposed to be able to recognize them. They were on board to protect the passengers and crew, in case someone got violent or tried to take over the plane. There was a rumor that they were cutting back on air marshals, but the crew doubted that it was true. There had been air marshals on the flights as long as they’d both been flying, and it was comforting to know.

  “The woman in 2C looked like she was going to have a heart attack when that couple boarded,” Joel commented, meaning Catherine James.

  “You mean the champagne guzzler?” Nancy said and both laughed. “She looks sober now,” Nancy defended her. They had a lot of passengers who used alcohol to calm their nerves, even on morning flights. It always amazed Nancy how they could drink at such an early hour.

  Joel cleaned up the galley, while Nancy picked up the trays one by one and brought them back. She offered coloring books with crayons to the two unaccompanied children, but only Nicole took one. Her brother, Mark, was engrossed in watching a movie, the latest Disney film about dragons, and they both looked happy.

  Joel served another round of coffee in the cockpit, and the atmosphere had eased up a little after breakfast. The captain was quiet, and Jason was complaining about the airline when Connor let Joel in. Jason was grousing about how high-handed management was with younger pilots, and kept them in the co
pilot seat forever.

  “You have to earn your position here,” Connor was saying coldly, as Joel poured his coffee, and the retired captain smiled up at him and nodded. “You can’t expect to just walk in and take over.”

  “I’ll bet she did,” Jason said, nodding toward Helen.

  “I had a lot more flying hours than most people because of the Air Force,” Helen said modestly, not wanting to make an issue of it, or get into an argument with her copilot.

  “I flew in your seat for a long time. You’ve got years ahead of you. I’m sure you’ll be in the captain’s seat soon,” Connor said to Jason. He wanted to add “If you clean up your attitude and stop shooting your mouth off,” but he didn’t. He knew better. The handsome young pilot was a hothead, and Connor was sure he’d been just as brash with top management, which hadn’t done him any good. They wanted to see pilots who were calm and in control, could face any situation, both mechanical or with passengers and crew, and maintain a level head. Jason Andrews didn’t fit that description, and had a lot to learn about how to treat people and behave with his superiors. Part of his problem was that he was young and felt entitled. It was an attitude and a generation of pilots Connor didn’t like. Helen was much more the profile of who the airline wanted in the pilot’s seat, whatever her sex. She looked like nothing would upset her. Jason’s mention of her husband’s murder on worldwide media had been an intentional heavy blow below the belt to upset her gratuitously, but she had handled it with grace. She was watching conditions and checking dials, even though the aircraft was on autopilot. She was ever vigilant, but the weather conditions were perfect an hour into the flight, and were expected to stay that way.

  Connor left the cockpit then, and stopped to chat for a minute with the flight attendants. He said hello to both women in the first-class cabin and then chatted with Nancy and Joel in the galley in business, and they smiled when they saw the retired captain. They’d been talking about Susan Farrow, the actress, being on the flight in first. The purser had confirmed that she was on board before takeoff, and Jennifer had come back for a minute to visit them, and said the famous movie star was a remarkably nice, unassuming person, and was traveling with a little dog she had registered with the airline as an “emotional support animal” so she could keep it in her seat with her. When he heard them, Connor said he had met her once when she was on one of his flights, and she had been a beautiful woman then, and extremely gracious.

  “She still looks pretty good. She must be at least seventy by now,” Joel volunteered. “I’ve seen every movie she’s ever been in.” She had won three Academy Awards in the course of an extraordinary career. “I think she’s been married three or four times. I think her last husband died last year. She was married to a famous director. He directed her in her last movie. He was already sick and died right after that. I read about it in People,” he said, looking mildly embarrassed to be gossiping about her, and for an instant, Connor Gray seemed sad again, and then he went to the restroom, and afterward nodded at them and headed back to the cockpit.

  “They said management retired him in New York,” Nancy whispered to Joel after he had left. “I don’t know what happened, but it must have been something serious. The poor guy looks very down about something.

  “A friend of mine was on the flight,” Nancy added. “I don’t know all the details. I think he had a heart attack or something after they landed. Or maybe a stroke. It was supposedly minor, but the next thing I heard was that they retired him. I think he was only a year or two away from retirement anyway, but whatever it was, he can’t fly anymore. That must be tough for a guy like him, to have them force him into retirement from one day to the next, with no time to prepare for it or adjust. This is their whole life, but you can’t have pilots whose health puts everyone at risk,” she said sensibly, and Joel didn’t disagree, although he felt sorry for him.

  “Mentally and physically,” Joel added, which was obvious, and justified the rigorous psychological and physical testing the flight crews underwent every year, and no one objected to. On the contrary, it was reassuring to know that the airline’s standards were kept high to reduce the chance of any problems or even disasters that could occur while in the air. “He’s a good guy. I’ve heard great things about him over the years.”

  “I like Helen Smith,” Nancy commented. “She’s got a fantastic flying record. I don’t know how she survived what happened to her husband. I would be a basket case after that,” Nancy added sympathetically. “How do you live through seeing your husband beheaded on TV? Bad enough to lose him in those circumstances, but to see it…” It brought tears to her eyes thinking about it, and Joel nodded. It had been gruesome, and the United States had objected vigorously and retaliated on the ground. “She must have kids too. But she looks sane in spite of everything. And she seems very personable. She’s pretty quiet.”

  “You never know how things like that affect people. It’s hard for the rest of us to imagine. I’m sure she’s had a lot of counseling to help her get past it,” Joel said quietly.

  “I don’t think you ever do get past it,” Nancy said sadly, thinking about Helen’s husband. “How could you? She doesn’t seem like an angry person, though. A little sad maybe, or introverted.”

  “A lot of pilots are like that,” Joel said. “Some of them aren’t big talkers. And then you get the Chatty Cathys who schmooze their way through the whole flight, and drive everyone nuts on the PA system. Or our charming copilot today. I hate to say it, but he seems like an asshole. He’s so full of himself. He’s nice-looking, but no one is hot enough to get away with that. He’s a racist, and I can tell he’s homophobic. I was beaten up by guys like him in Utah when I was a kid. That’s why I moved to San Francisco as soon as I got out of college. My parents made me go to BYU, Brigham Young University, and after that I got the hell out of Dodge. I left two weeks after graduation. My parents weren’t happy about it, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I have a brother who’s gay and still lives there. He’s totally in the closet and tells everyone he has a girlfriend. His girlfriend’s name is Henry,” Joel said. “It makes me sad for him every time I hear him lie about it. That’s no way to live.” And then he decided to share his good news with her, although he didn’t know her well, but he was too happy and excited to keep his secret and was desperate to share it. “My partner and I are getting married on Friday.” He beamed after he said it, and Nancy congratulated him.

  “I had some good news today myself,” she said, smiling too, but didn’t say what it was. “Sounds like this is our lucky day,” she said, and Joel laughed.

  “Mine will be on Friday. We’ve been together for two years, and he’s the nicest man in the world. I met him on a flight to Miami I switched for, to do a friend a favor, who wanted my Boston flight to see her boyfriend, and I got a husband out of it. Good trade for me.” They were still talking when Bobbie, one of the flight attendants from coach, showed up during her break with a harried expression. She was young and full of energy, but she looked stressed as she joined them.

  “We’ve got a girls’ chorus of fourteen girls and they’re running all over the place, with a chaperone who’s driving us nuts and letting them do whatever they want. We’ve got a guy with a baby that hasn’t stopped screaming since we took off, and one of our toilets just broke. You people have the good life up here. I’m not signing up for coach again.” They laughed at her description of it, and had all been there too. It was luck of the draw as to where they got assigned, but they all agreed that business class was their preference. There were too many entitled people in first who demanded constant attention and the meals were more elaborate, but coach was a zoo. Business was mostly adults and often businesspeople on a flight like this, except for the two unaccompanied children who’d been upgraded but had been easy so far. After venting to them for a few minutes, Bobbie went back to “hell class,” as she called it, and Nancy and Joel sat down to c
hat and read magazines until someone called them. Joel continued talking about his wedding. He was excited to land and see his future husband, and leave for their honeymoon in Tahiti. And Nancy was desperate to share her news with her husband. They were both in a good mood, and couldn’t wait to land in San Francisco in a little less than five hours. And the sky was as smooth as silk. No turbulence, no problems. Inside the plane or out.

  * * *

  —

  The first flight to San Francisco, the A321, had been in the air for an hour by then, and the 757 for forty minutes. Bernice felt the postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge burning a hole in her pocket. What if the message was serious or dangerous and she did nothing about it, and something happened to one of the planes? So many crazy things happened on airplanes these days. Ever since 9/11 you couldn’t rule out any possibility, even if it seemed far-fetched. She knew she had to say something, even if they thought she was overly dramatic for her concerns, and there was no point talking to her supervisor about it. She would just blow her off again.

  Bernice went into an office and picked up the phone. She knew the number to call, and wondered if she’d be reprimanded if she was wrong. But something in her gut told her she had to do it, no matter what the consequences for her. She called for airport security, and told them it wasn’t a full-on alert of a bomb threat or an abandoned suitcase, but she had found something in an X-ray bin that concerned her, and she thought someone on the security team should come and see it, for risk assessment.