Chapter 84: Leaving on a Jet Plane

July 12, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Albert

“Thanks for driving me to the airport!”

“I always enjoy spending time with my grandson!” Grandpa Al said as he turned onto the ramp to the Dan Ryan on Friday morning. “I spoke with Jon yesterday, and they’re all looking forward to seeing you.”

“I like visiting, too. The only pain is that British Airways makes me travel as an ‘unaccompanied minor’ even though I could fly the plane if they let me!”

“A 747?”

“I’ve flown this route in Flight Simulator dozens of times, complete with air traffic control! You’ve seen my flight rig and while I don’t have all the cockpit buttons and switches, I know what they do and how to respond to problems.”

“I believe you need a special license to fly a commercial jet!”

“Yes, an ATP license, which allows me to act as air crew, plus AMES, which is for multi-engine aircraft over the ocean, plus type certification in a 747. I have the necessary flying hours from my flights with Aimee to get my basic license when I turn seventeen, then work on instrument and multi-engine certification. But that has nothing to do with my ability to actually fly the 747!”

“You sound like some of my medical students who think they can do more than they actually can. I had that problem as a Resident.”

“I didn’t say I would do it, Grandpa! I said I could do it! I follow every single flying rule, and I’d never break one! Commander Aimee would have my butt in a sling if I did! What happened when you were a Resident?”

Grandpa Al took a deep breath and let it out.

“I haven’t actually spoken to anyone about it in a very long time. This should stay between you and me.”

“Does Mom know?”

“Yes. She’s the only person I’ve discussed it with since it happened nearly forty years ago. I’ve mentioned it, but not given any details.”

“What happened?”

“My ego caused the death of a beautiful young woman under my care. I began drinking heavily and nearly quit medicine. My mentor refused to let me ruin my life and got me back on the straight and narrow.”

“How did it happen?”

“I was covering one of those very long shifts I’m sure your mom has mentioned, and it was around 2:00am when a young woman came into the hospital. We didn’t have Emergency Departments back then. If you’ve seen the old medical shows such as Medical Center, there was a basic treatment room staffed by an on-call physician, usually a surgical Resident, though other departments, such as Internal Medicine, would provide coverage as well.

“I diagnosed her with appendicitis and took her up to surgery. Normally, a Resident doesn’t do surgeries on their own, but the on-call Attending was tied up in a complicated surgery on an automobile accident victim. He gave me permission to do the surgery, and it went off without a hitch.

“The problem was, she didn’t actually have appendicitis. She had an ectopic pregnancy which burst an hour later and she died. I missed the diagnosis, but I was so sure that I was right, I didn’t even examine the appendix when I removed it. When the pathology lab examined it, it was perfectly healthy, something I should have noticed as soon as I exposed it.”

“But you didn’t have modern diagnostic tools like ultrasound or MRI or CT, right?”

“No, but that was no excuse for not noticing that the appendix wasn’t inflamed at all, and couldn’t have been the source of her abdominal pain. I was so damned sure of myself that I didn’t consider the possibility I was wrong.”

“I thought you always did pregnancy tests on women who came into the ER.”

“Now, with tests which can be completed in minutes, yes. Back then, there were no instant tests available. The tests we had would usually take a few days, so they weren’t done routinely when someone presented with some kind of acute complaint that needed immediate attention. Just over ten years later, you could get a home pregnancy test, which gave you an answer quickly.”

“What did you do?”

“When the pathologist discovered that her appendix was healthy and that she’d had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I went back to my apartment and started drinking and didn’t show up for my next shift. My mentor came to find me, drunk out of my mind and basically incoherent. He took me to Palm Springs, got me sobered up, and convinced me to come back to work.”

“You were in Los Angeles then, right?”

“Yes, at UCLA.”

“You don’t drink alcohol.”

“That’s when I quit. You’ll have similar restrictions to doctors when you fly. It’s better to simply not drink at all.”

“Did you get in any trouble?”

“Not really. My mentor smoothed things over with the administration about missing my shift, and the girl’s death was considered a missed diagnosis. Malpractice suits were rare in those days, and nobody told the girl’s family about the error. The fact that she was pregnant and unmarried likely kept her parents from asking too many questions.”

“You didn’t speak to them?”

“No, because an ambulance had brought her in.”

“That was before paramedics, right?”

“Yes. The most an ambulance attendant could do was provide oxygen and stop bleeding with pressure bandages or a tourniquet. The modern paramedic service was proposed by a cardiologist named Walter S. Graf. The year after I left for Indiana, the LA County Board of Supervisors approved his proposal for Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic services. A change to the law was required, and California passed the Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act of 1970 while Ronald Reagan was governor. You’ve seen Emergency, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s based on the earliest official paramedics in Los Angeles County. Just before that, Doctor Graf had created a mobile cardiac care unit which was basically a van, a driver, an RN, and an early defibrillator.”

“That’s about the time the first actual Emergency Room was created, right?”

“Actually, we had ‘Emergency Rooms’ at UCLA when I was there. Chicago had the first ‘shock-trauma’ unit, or what we officially call the Emergency Department, though even doctors usually still call it the ER.”

“Have you made mistakes since then?”

“Too many to count,” Grandpa replied. “Fortunately, that is the only patient I ever lost due to what would be called negligence nowadays.”

“But you didn’t have all the tools we have now back in the dinosaur age!”

Grandpa laughed, “You do realize that when I was born, your Grandpa Adams was in the Naval Reserve and had graduated from college, right?”

“So, pre-Jurassic!” I replied with a silly grin.

“One day you’ll be sixty-two and your perspective will change! Your own grandkids will call you ‘ancient’! Speaking of that, are you and Jane still a couple?”

“Yes. Though all we do is hold hands, hug, and kiss on the cheek.”

“You’re thirteen! There’s no rush!”

“Besides, I don’t think Doctor Jon would approve!”

Grandpa nodded, “Most dads are not like yours! I know this is a silly question given who your parents are, but you have all the information you need about sex and birth control?”

“I could teach your med students reproductive systems!” I declared.

“Sadly, given the utter ignorance in society about sex, you’re probably right. You know you can always ask questions, and I won’t judge or rat you out.”

“I’m not sure there’s anything I would do that you could ‘rat me out’ to Dad that would cause him to do anything but laugh!”

“Your mom, then.”

“Only if it was something she thinks is dangerous, like flying solo or driving a motorcycle. I haven’t done either of those. Yet.”

“Motorcycle?”

“I feel the need, the need for speed!”

Grandpa laughed, “OK, ‘Maverick’! Just remember what was said in that movie — Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash.”

“I won’t get busted for a speed pass over an admiral’s daughter! I’ll leave that to Dad!”

“You Adams men are incorrigible!”

“Mom says the same thing about you!”

Grandpa laughed again, “In my youth, I may have been a rapscallion!”

I smirked, “Rapscallion: A rascal, scamp, rogue, or scoundrel.”

“And you’re too squared away for that!”

“Just as you are now! And Grandpa Adams! And Mom! We won’t talk about Dad!”

“Your dad is as squared away as they come with regard to his work and his children. His other activities simply confound social norms.”

We arrived at O’Hare, Grandpa parked, and we went into Terminal 5. Grandpa let me handle the entire check-in process, simply standing behind me as I handed over my ticket, passport, and letter from Dad and Mom which gave me permission to travel.

“Who is this with you?” the clerk asked.

“My grandfather. He drove me to the airport this morning.”

“Do you have ID, Sir?” the clerk asked Grandpa Al.

He handed her his driver’s license and UofC ID card.

“Thank you, Doctor Barton,” she said. “I just need to note in the computer who delivered Master Albert to our care.”

I wanted to roll my eyes because I’d flown so many times and knew exactly what to do, including getting from Heathrow to Jane’s house by myself if I needed to.

“Master Albert, you’re all set,” the clerk said. “Your bag is checked to Heathrow, and you have seat 13B in our Business Class cabin. Let me call a flight attendant for you.”

About five minutes later, a pretty girl, who I guessed was about twenty-five, came to the counter.

“Juliette, this is Master Albert Adams. He’s traveling with us to London today as an unaccompanied minor.”

“Hello, Albert!” Juliette said. “Is this your father?”

“Grandfather!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

Grandpa smiled, “I have no problem with being mistaken for being young enough to not look like a grandfather!”

“I have the paperwork and badge,” the clerk said to Juliette.

Juliette took the paperwork, handed me the badge to hang around my neck, I shook hands with Grandpa, and after he wished me a safe trip, I followed Juliette to security.

“Not your first trip, is it?” she asked as we waited in line.

“No. I’ve been to England a few times to see my friend Jane and her family. Her dad lived with us while he worked for my grandpa at the University of Chicago hospital.”

“What does your grandpa do?”

“He’s Chief of Emergency Medicine. My mom is an ER doctor.”

“And your father?”

“Owns a computer software and consulting company.”

“Well, that explains your Business Class ticket!”

“If they’d let me, I’d sit in the cockpit!”

Juliette laughed, “You need to be a pilot!”

“I’ve flown single- and twin-engine aircraft for the past five years with a friend who is in the Navy as my instructor. I also use Flight Simulator so I know the routes and procedures to fly from O’Hare to London.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s very good!”

“Thanks.”

We went through security, which had become much more annoying after what they were calling 9-11, and I had to remove my shoes and belt, as well as have my laptop swabbed to see if it had explosives inside. The whole thing was silly because Jesse, Matthew, and I could create or buy everything we needed to blow up or hijack a plane AND get it through security. The 9-11 guys had used box cutters! And ceramic knives and scalpels were available, too. But even easier was simply to have someone get a job at the airport and carry anything we needed through the employee access gates.

“All clear, Sir,” the security agent said.

I started for the gate, with Juliette following behind me.

“You know your way around the airport, I see,” she observed.

“I’m also able to read and follow signs!” I replied. “I assume you’ve heard of these buildings called schools where they teach you to read?”

She laughed, “Are you sure you’re thirteen?”

“Positive!”

We arrived at the gate where I had to wait, and per the rules, Juliette had to wait with me until I boarded the flight. It turned out she was on the flight, but was assigned to Coach, as she was one of the youngest attendants on the flight.

“Welcome aboard!” a female attendant who was about my mom’s age said when I entered the plane and showed my boarding pass.

“Seat 13B,” I said. “I know where it is.”

She smiled and nodded and I moved down the aisle to my seat, stowed my carry-on bag, hat, and windbreaker in the overhead compartment, then sat down. A male attendant brought me orange juice, and I was tempted to ask for champagne to see what happened, but decided that was a bad idea. About five minutes later, a uniformed pilot came to my seat.

“I understand you are a future pilot,” he said.

“Yes.”

“We can’t take you on the flight deck because of the new security rules, but I would like to give you some official wings.”

I already had a pair, but I wasn’t going to object!

“Thank you,” I said. “I did get a tour of the flight deck, but that was before the attacks.”

“We’re glad to have you with us and please let the attendants know if you need anything!”

“Thank you.”

He handed me the wings, then returned to his duties. I got up, put the wings into my bag, then sat back down. A few minutes later, a businessman sat down next to me, but didn’t say anything other than that he had seat 13A. He could get to his seat without me getting up, so I didn’t need to move. It was about thirty minutes after I had boarded that the captain made the announcement I’d been waiting to hear.

I cinched my seat belt tight and, seconds later, the plane roared down the runway.

🎤 Birgit

On Friday morning, after Albert had left for the airport, Tiffany and Hannah came to the house to say ‘goodbye’. They hung out for about an hour, and just after they left, Lilibeth came to the house for the same reason. I was so glad she hadn’t been upset by my decision, and I could tell she was going to be a close friend.

“Can I ask you a question?” I inquired when we sat down in the sunroom.

“Sure. What?”

“I know what you said about boys, and I was thinking about that. You didn’t have a problem going into the sauna naked with my brother.”

“There’s a big difference between him having that anatomy and trying to use it on me! Besides, his girlfriend is hot!”

I laughed, “My mom thinks so, too, and so do Jesse’s moms!”

“How long have they been a couple?”

“They aren’t a couple. She’s just one of Jesse’s girlfriends and he has a lot of them!”

“So, kind of like your dad’s situation?”

“No. Jesse’s just not interested in being tied down right now. Someday he’ll have a steady girlfriend, but not now. If you were interested...”

“Gross!” Lilibeth exclaimed. “I mean, he seems really nice, is in great shape, and is handsome, but yuck!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“He’s free to do whatever he wants with whomever he wants; I just have zero interest. Less than zero, if that’s possible.”

“That’s how my dad feels about guys. He can acknowledge they’re good looking or whatever, but he’s as straight as they come. He has no objections to what they do, he would just never do it.”

“What surprised me on Monday was that you and your brother had no problems being naked in the sauna together. He did a good job of explaining while we were in there, but it was a bit strange. Even stranger was that you’ve been in there naked with your parents.”

“Nudity is our natural state,” I replied. “I mean, it’s not like I was wearing a cute skirt and sweater when I was born!”

“Duh!” Lilibeth replied, laughing.

“And in Europe, nobody flips out about being topless at the beach. People here are too prudish for their own good. The US is obsessed with sex, and that leads to stupid, prudish laws and social conventions. We need to totally chill.”

“I agree! Of course, I’m going to a Catholic High School, so I’ll have to put up with the BS that comes with that. They don’t like gays or lesbians.”

“What will you do?”

“Not kiss girls at school! What happens outside of school is none of their business.”

“Do you go to confession?”

“I have, but I don’t think being a lesbian is a sin, nor do I think sex outside of marriage is a sin.”

“Dad agrees. That’s why he quit going to church as a teenager. His mom insisted he confess that he’d sinned and he refused. The priest kicked him out of the church and that was it.”

“But your brother goes to church, right?”

“Yes. I have no clue what he says to his priest, and I don’t care. Jesse doesn’t try to push his beliefs on anyone, so it’s totally cool. Dad let each of us decide for ourselves. He has tons of books in his study on religion and philosophy, and I’ve read a bunch of them. Almost every religion seems like made up BS intended to control people, especially girls and women, and limit their sexual expression.”

“What do you think happens when you die?”

“When the electrical and chemical processes in your brain stop, you stop. That’s the end of it. Anything else is just wishful thinking.”

“So, what’s our purpose?”

“To learn, to grow, and to leave the world a better place than we found it. Unfortunately, religious fanatics are the biggest impediment to that.”

“I’m not sure,” she replied.

“Same as my dad.”

“He seems pretty cool.”

“He is.”

She stayed for about thirty minutes, and when she left, we hugged. I could tell from the hug she wanted me, and that was OK, because she wasn’t obnoxious about it and wasn’t pushing me to do stuff.

I hung out with my sisters until lunch. Peter and I hadn’t seen each other since Monday because he’d been busy, but when he’d called on Tuesday, I’d invited him for lunch. He arrived just before noon and we made sandwiches, got chips and lemonade, then went to the ‘Indian’ room to eat.

“Sorry about being busy,” he said. “But with my mom’s parents in town, I had to hang out with them.”

“I totally understand,” I said. “I meant to ask, but where will you go to High School?”

“Saint Thomas the Apostle,” Peter replied. “It’s Roman Catholic, but Dad is OK with that. He’s not thrilled with Kenwood Academy.”

“Same as my moms,” I replied. “That’s why we’re all transferring to the Lab School this year except Jesse.”

“He told me. What time are you guys leaving today?”

“Our flight is at 10:05pm.”

“Direct?”

“No, we have a two-hour layover in Copenhagen. From Chicago you have to stop someplace before you get there, or fly to New York first. There aren’t any direct flights.”

“What time do you get there?”

“Tomorrow afternoon around 4:30pm. The time change accounts for about a third of the total travel time.”

“That was like our trip to Greece. It seemed like it took forever!”

We finished our lunches, took the plates and cups back to the kitchen, then went up to my room so I could finish packing. Peter sat on the loveseat while I gathered my few remaining items, mostly my hygiene stuff, which I’d used earlier, like my toothbrush. Once I was finished, I went to sit next to him on the love seat.

“You’re not upset about anything, are you?” Peter asked.

“No,” I replied. “I guess I’m just nervous.”

“You aren’t the only one!” Peter replied.