Flight to Freedom (Flight Trilogy, Book 3) (15 page)

“Before Mr. Hart died, he made sure I understood that if our paths ever crossed, that I should do anything possible to help you. Like I said, he was all about helping others—especially his family.”

What
did
he
mean
…“
if
our
paths
ever
crossed
”?

“That sure is an expensive gesture to fly me all the way to California and then return empty.”

“I’ll never forget that conversation Mr. Hart had with me. It was after he knew he didn’t have much longer to live. He said, ‘John, I founded Mercy to help others, but if the circumstances ever arise that you get the opportunity to help Ryan, Keri, or any of their children, I want you to do so. I mean anything, including the use of the flight department. Family always comes first. It almost makes you think that he knew you and I would meet one day.’” John laughed out loud and looked up at the ceiling. “Or maybe he is continuing to do his good deeds from Heaven.”

I
wish
someone
had
told
us
.
We
could
have
used
some
help
.

They finished their meal and John graciously picked up the check.

Back at the hotel, as Ryan exited the Lexus, John said, “What time do you want to blast off tomorrow? You name it.”

“You tell me what works best for you. I’m still in a daze that you are doing this.”

“How about I pick you up at ten o’clock so we don’t have to hassle with rush traffic. We should be wheels up by noon and touch down at John Wayne by one o’clock, West Coast time.”

“That sounds unbelievable. I’ll be standing on the curb at ten sharp.”

“See you then.”

Ryan said, “Wait! I forgot. I’ve got a rental car. I’ll need to drop it off at Hartsfield.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ll take care of it. Just leave me the keys.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Ryan. Do I have to remind you? When Mr. Hart said
anything
, he meant it.”

“Okay, whatever he says.”

“Have a great afternoon and evening. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He drove off.

Ryan reflected back to his
other
life within his dreams when he first met Captain John Dross. It all made sense now. John had offered him a job because of Mr. Hart’s request to ‘do anything possible’ to help him.

But that day was in his
other
life in 2004—one year in the future.

This
is
going
to
take
some
time
to
unravel
.
How
can
I
ever
explain
this
to
Keri
?
Or
should
I
even
try
?

He could hardly get his own mind around it. His heart grew heavy at the thought of her. He missed her desperately and hated thinking about having to lie to her.

He remembered Lewis at Starbucks and the woman named Angela. After his lunch meeting with John, the idea of being hurled into another allergy-induced dream regression—resetting his present reality—didn’t sound so wonderful anymore. What happens if things don’t turn out so pretty? Like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond, or a spacecraft attempting reentry too fast or too steep and finding a fiery end, he might wake up and find that everything good in his life has vaporized into his
other
life, trapped within his dreams?

Am
I
dreaming
now
?

CHAPTER 20

Buckhead
,
Georgia

Thursday
morning
—
April
2003

Ryan woke as excited as a four-year-old on Christmas morning. His trip to Atlanta had paid off big. He had confirmed that John Dross, and possibly the woman named Angel, were living in his present reality, not merely illusions trapped within his dreams. He now had proof his
other
life did exist.

In addition, the news about Ronald Hart’s connection with Mercy Flight and the provision he had made for Ryan’s family was life-changing. As soon as he cleared his schedule, he and Keri would definitely return to Atlanta on a weekend to see if Lewis’s Angela was his Angel.

He showered, dressed, and packed. There was no need to wear his airline uniform, as he planned to tell Keri everything once he arrived back home.

“Was everything satisfactory, Mr. Mitchell?” The desk clerk asked as Ryan slid his room key across the counter.

“Could not have been better.”

After keying in a few computer entries, the desk clerk said, “It looks like everything’s been taken care of.”

Ryan said, “I assume you’ll be leaving that on my credit card?”

“Ahh…no, Mr. Mitchell, someone from your company called this morning and paid your entire bill. We won’t need to charge your credit card.”

“Would you confirm for me the name of the company?”

“Mercy Flight, Incorporated.”

Ryan smiled. “Thank you.”

How could life get any better? Everything he and Keri had lost was being returned to them tenfold—possibly twenty, or even fifty, who knows. He checked the time: 9:15 a.m.

He used the forty-five minutes to grab a light breakfast and coffee in the hotel’s restaurant, and then returned to the lobby to watch for John.

John drove up at exactly ten o’clock sharp, as though he’d been in a holding pattern carefully timing his arrival. He met Ryan at the rear of the car, shook hands, and lifted the tailgate. “John, thank you for covering the room charges.”

He shot Ryan a quizzical look. “I can see this is going to take you some time to get used to.” He tossed Ryan’s roller bag into the back and closed the tailgate.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m still in shock.”

John put his hand on Ryan’s left shoulder. “If you’re in shock now, we might better call ahead and have the ambulance meet us in Orange County.” They both laughed.

They arrived at Peachtree DeKalb Airport in less than thirty minutes. After keying a series of numbers into a keypad, the security gate rolled back. John wheeled up next to a large hangar and into a private parking space marked: CHIEF PILOT. He retrieved Ryan’s bag, and entered the hangar through a nearby door covered by a maroon-colored canopy.

“There she is. Isn’t she beautiful?” John said.

The Gulfstream 550 was in the hangar connected to a tug. The hangar doors were open. “Very nice.”

Ryan had a hard time processing what he was seeing. He ranked it somewhere between a dream and an out-of-body experience. Being flown from Atlanta to California in a fifty million dollar private jet, alone, was ridiculous.

John said, “My son, Michael, will be flying copilot for me today. He’s been with us for about five years; one of our best. Obviously I’m proud of him…and a bit prejudice.”

“That’s fantastic! You should be.”

Michael
was
John’s
copilot
in
the
simulator
.

“Michael should have the jet preflighted and ready to go. I’ll just take a quick look at the weather and we’ll be on our way.”

While John checked the weather, Ryan stopped by the men’s room.

Unbelievable
!

Designed with an aviation theme, everything was first-class and immaculate. Marble floor, a wall-mounted flat screen TV showing the national weather, artwork, hand towels, and even mouthwash and lotion.

After leaving the bathroom, he followed John into the hangar and to the jet. Michael was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Michael, I’d like you to meet Captain Ryan Mitchell.”

Ryan shook hands with Michael. “The pleasures all mine,” Ryan said.

“Ryan is Mr. Hart’s son-in-law,” John said. Michael appeared to be impressed, as though he was shaking the hand of royalty.

They boarded the jet while it was still in the hangar. After the stairs were retracted and the door closed, the tug operator slowly pulled the jet from the hangar.

“Make yourself at home,” John said as he and Michael entered the cockpit. “You’re welcome to sit up here on the jumpseat or in the back for takeoff…your choice.”

“There will be plenty of time later for a tour of the cockpit, I believe I’ll find a seat in the back and act like I’m somebody important.”

The interior was luxuriously appointed: fourteen soft, tan-hued leather executive seats; hand-rubbed wood inlays with Brazilian mahogany maple surfaces polished to a mirror-like sheen. Panoramic oval windows showered the cabin with plenty of light. At the rear of the cabin, a shiny mahogany door opened into a private sleeping quarter complete with lavatory and shower.

Ryan took a seat, buckled up, and enjoyed his new world. The engines spun up, they taxied to the runway, and within ten minutes were airborne.

The jet had been catered for lunch with an amazing spread of meats, fresh breads, veggies, and an assortment of fruits. After lunch, he spent an hour or so with John getting a tour of the Gulfstream’s high-tech cockpit. He had time before they began their descent for reading and a short nap. The level of comfort and luxury he experienced was on the opposite end of the scale of what one experiences on a typical commercial flight.

The trip back to California went quickly—almost too quickly. John made a smooth touchdown at John Wayne Airport and taxied to Signature Flight Support. After they deplaned, Ryan said, “That was amazing. I’m still having a hard time processing what has happened since I met you.”

“If there is anything you need, let me know. We are zipping back and forth all the time. Be glad to give you a lift…or for you…I’ll even make a special trip.”

“John…” Ryan paused.

“Don’t say it,” John said. “Remember—anything.”

“Okay. I understand,
finally
. Are you headed back to Atlanta tonight?”

“We’ll take a short break and then be on our way. Should be back by 8:00 p.m. local—5:00 p.m. your time.”

Ryan reached to shake John’s hand, but John opted for a man-hug and a pat on the back instead. “We’re family now,” John said. “I hope you will give me a call when you plan to come back and visit…or when you need to go anywhere else.”

“I was hoping to get back over to Atlanta and visit my mom’s old place on the first weekend I can get off. I thought Keri would enjoy seeing Buckhead. She hasn’t been back in years—at least since she moved to California.”

John handed Ryan a business card. “Call me. All I need is a day’s notice. Unless I already have a trip booked for Mercy, I’ll be more than happy to give you and that sweet wife of yours a lift.”

Ryan looked at the business card and had a déjà vu moment. It was the same simple card he remembered from his
other
life—when John was his student in the simulator.

MERCY FLIGHT, INC.

CAPTAIN JOHN DROSS

CHIEF PILOT

770-552-1015

“I’ll talk to Keri and then give you a call.”

“Fantastic! It will be great to see Keri again. I haven’t seen her since the flight to Hawaii for your honeymoon.”

“Do you think she will remember you?”

“She should. When she was young, I hauled her and Mrs. Hart all over the world shopping. I flew them to New York practically every month.”

“I’ll give her your regards and talk with you soon.”

Ryan headed for the parking garage.

Keri
knows
John
Dross
.

He’d never had a reason to connect these new dots. On the night of their honeymoon, Keri would have known that John Dross was the pilot of the plane flying them to Hawaii. It was Ronald Hart’s plane, and John Dross had always been Hart’s personal pilot—the same pilot that had flown Keri and Barbara Ann on numerous shopping trips all over the globe when Keri was growing up.

Oh
no
!
If
Keri
knows
John
,
that
means
I
can’t
use
him
to
prove
that
the
other
life
is
real
.
As
far
as
Keri
is
concerned
,
John
has
always
been
around
,
regardless
if
I
only
knew
him
in
my
other
life
.

This put a big kink in his plans. Telling Keri about his trip to Atlanta—or anything else—was now out of the question.

When he arrived at his car, he dug into his suitcase and pulled out his airline uniform. He would have to make it look like he was returning from his trip. He opened his car door and used it as a curtain, changed pants, and then put on his uniform shirt and tie.

Until
I
find
Angel
,
I
can’t
tell
Keri
anything
.
My
next
trip
back
to
Georgia
will
be
alone
…
which
means
I’ll
have
to
continue
living
this
lie
.

CHAPTER 21

Southern
California

Thursday
afternoon
—
April
17
,
2003

Keri relished every day she had with Ryan as a gift not to be taken for granted. As an airline pilot, he spent half of his life away from home. They compensated for his fragmented schedule by spending as much time as possible together when he wasn’t flying. It might be at a school event supporting one of the twins, or a simple walk on the beach. Regardless of the activity, it was all about multiplying the time they had together.

Tonight, she wanted to make everything perfect for his arrival. Even though he traveled weekly, anticipating his return always gave her a fresh excitement. She expected him home at about three o’clock, depending on traffic.

The twins would be busy with after-school commitments until about 8:00 p.m. David had a baseball game and Martha was at a friend’s house studying for a history test. That would allow her and Ryan to have a quiet dinner together.