Leslie rubbed her temple as she stepped onto the plane, a throbbing headache reminding her of last night’s party at one of Atlanta’s hottest clubs. She scanned the crowd for her fellow flight attendant, Amy.

“Amy! Please tell me you have something for headaches,” Leslie groaned.

Amy rolled her eyes. “I do, but you should know better than to party before a cross-country flight.”

“What else am I supposed to do? Visit museums?” Leslie sighed. “At least partying keeps me distracted.”

Amy nudged her playfully. “One day, everything will fall into place, Leslie. Just have faith.”

They boarded the plane and got to work preparing for takeoff. After seating passengers and going through safety procedures, Leslie slipped away to take her pills. As she headed toward the crew rest area, an odd sound made her stop. She strained to listen. Was she imagining things? Maybe Amy was right—she needed to slow down.

Then she heard it again, a faint whimper near the lavatory. She knocked. “Is someone in there?” No answer. Frowning, she pushed the door open slightly and gasped.

A young boy, curled up in the corner, looked up at her with tear-filled eyes.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Leslie exclaimed. “What are you doing in here?”

The boy hugged his knees and sobbed. Her irritation faded, replaced by concern. She crouched beside him. “I’m sorry for shouting. You surprised me. I’m Leslie. What’s your name?”

“Ben,” he sniffled.

Leslie helped him up and seated him in a crew jump seat. Checking the passenger list, her concern deepened—Ben’s name wasn’t there.

She sat beside him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Ben, honey, are you lost? I can help if you tell me where your family is.”

Ben clutched a small paper bag. “It’s Granny’s medicine. She’ll die without it, and it’ll be all my fault!”

Leslie’s stomach sank. Over the next few hours, she coaxed his story out of him. Ben, the youngest of several brothers, longed to make his mother proud. When his grandmother fell ill, the family planned to bring her medicine to Seattle. But at the airport, Ben got separated from them. In his panic, he followed a woman he mistook for his mother—boarding the wrong plane.

Tears streamed down his face. “Now Granny won’t get her medicine, and it’s all my fault.”

By the time they landed in Los Angeles, authorities were alerted, but the airline arranged for Leslie to care for Ben temporarily. Frustrated, she texted her colleagues, hoping someone would take her place. No one did. Babysitting was not part of her plan—she had clubs to check out in L.A.

That night, as she ordered pizza in her hotel room, her phone rang.

“Leslie, it’s Joe. He’s sick,” her mother’s voice trembled.

Leslie’s heart dropped. “What? But he was fine last time we talked!”

“They referred us to a specialist,” her mom said. “They suspect a genetic disorder. They need you for tests.”

Leslie’s breath hitched. “Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”

Hanging up, she curled into a ball and sobbed. She hadn’t seen her son in over a month. No amount of partying had dulled the ache of missing him.

A small hand touched her arm. “Miss Leslie?” Ben held out the medicine bag. “If I can’t save my Granny, maybe this can help Joe.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She hugged him tightly. “I have a better idea,” she said, grabbing her phone. “I’m getting you to Seattle, then going home to my son.”

Leslie used her own money to book Ben’s flight and took leave from work to accompany him. As they boarded, he whispered, “What if Granny is already gone? Mom will never love me then.”

She ruffled his hair. “Your mom has always loved you, Ben. She’ll be happy to see you safe.”

When they landed, his family rushed forward, his mother hugging him and promising never to ignore him again. Watching from a distance, Leslie smiled, but her own heart ached.

Back home, Joe was frail, barely resembling the boy she had left. Specialists ran test after test, but answers remained elusive. The airline refused to pay her during leave, and money was running out fast.

One evening, as she and her mother discussed selling the house, a knock at the door interrupted them.

She opened it to find Ben standing there with his family. “Ben? What’s going on?”

“I have something for you and Joe.” He handed her an envelope.

Inside was a check for over $100,000.

Ben’s mother wiped her tears. “We raised this money for my mom’s treatment, but she… she passed away. We decided it should go to you instead.”

Leslie clutched the check, overwhelmed. “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. Thank you.”

Ben hugged her tightly. “It’ll be enough! And when Joe is better, I’ll come play with him.”

Thanks to the donation, Joe received the best care. A month later, he was back to his happy, energetic self.

As Leslie watched him playing, she whispered, “And it’s all thanks to Ben.”

The sound of a plane overhead reminded her of work. Before returning, she made one final call—to arrange lifetime discounted flights for Ben’s family. It was the least she could do to repay their kindness.