“Of course you can, you’re perfectly capable.”
“No,” he said, his hands shaking.
“Are you all right?” asked the flight attendant.
Thomas was holding the syringe just a few inches from the man’s stomach when his seatmate burst in behind them.
“This man is not a doctor! He told me so himself!” she protested vehemently.
Her expression filling with doubt, the flight attendant appeared about to intervene when Thomas stuck the needle into the man’s skin and emptied the syringe. Everyone was silent for a moment. The flight attendant stared at Thomas, who kept his eyes glued on the passenger. Thomas’s angry neighbor held her breath, and Raymond made sounds of rejoicing.
The man came to and asked where he was. Thomas’s seatmate threw up her hands and left, swearing that she wasn’t crazy—unlikesomepeople on this plane.
Thomas helped the flight attendant take the passenger back to his seat, reciting his father’s instructions word for word. “Give him something sweet to drink. And you, sir, check your blood sugar regularly until we land.”
“Thank you, doctor,” the flight attendant and the passenger replied practically in unison, to Raymond’s delight.
The flight attendant said she wished she could invite Thomas to finish the trip in first class, but the cabin was full.
“Don’t worry, it was no trouble,” he assured her.
He went back to his seat and leaned over toward his neighbor, who was still all worked up. “There’s no rule that says I can’t be a doctoranda pianist,” he said.
“Looks like your dear old dad still has what it takes,” Raymond said. “You did good, kid.”
“I guess so, but what if he hadn’t woken up? I would have ended up in handcuffs for risking a man’s life!”
“Is he dead, or is he feeling better? You should be proud of yourself for taking such a big risk to help save someone. Are you going to holdthisagainst me now?” Raymond asked with a hint of irony in his voice.
Thomas thought for a moment, then turned to his father and asked, “What exactly happened while I was helping that man?”
“Whilewewere helping him! I seem to remember giving you some assistance.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Was it just a feeling I got, or were you actually talking through me?”
“A feeling, I guess. I wouldn’t have dared.”
“That’s strange. I said things that don’t make sense to me and used words I don’t know. It was as if I was possessed.”
“So what? The important thing is what you did, not what you said.”
“Don’t ever do that again. It was a terrible feeling. It was like you existedwithin me.”
“Every parent’s dream! Living on in their children’s hearts,” Raymond replied in a joking tone. “Don’t make a big thing out of it. Your mother used to speak for you all the time when you were young. I’d ask you a question and she would answer.”
“Were you always this jealous of her?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, get some rest. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
The plane flew over San Francisco Bay. As it turned left, Thomas could see the bright-red outline of the Golden Gate Bridge hovering over the water.
Thomas felt better as he left the plane. The man in first class had gotten off first. The flight attendant thanked Thomas warmly at the door.
Thomas returned her smile and made his way up the gangway.
“Why don’t you ask for her number? She must be here for at least two days before she returns to Paris. You could invite her to dinner tomorrow night.”
“And do what? Lie to her by continuing to pretend that I’m a doctor? You act as if I had nothing else planned for this trip.”
