My Heart Is Yours

Chapter 29

Maine knew she was late that moment she stepped out of that clinic Dr. Vega recommended for her, for her steroid shots.

Over the years, to keep her body from rejecting Alden's heart, she needed to take steroids. The doctor had changed her dosages every year and switching from injectables to oral medication and vice versa to see what was the most effective form of maintenance for her. Currently, Maine was in a cocktail of injectables once a week and daily oral meds.

The clinic didn't have that many patients that day but they had communication problems. By the time they found a staff who could understand English and gave her the right injection, Maine missed the subway train that would take her to the train station, where trains going to the airport were located. Needless to say, she also missed that train and had to wait 15-minutes for the next schedule.

She was really worried as she stepped off the platform and had to sprint towards the staff area where the flight attendants and pilots were assigned. It didn't bode well to be late on the first day with a new team, especially if that team had Martin Croft. Maine highly respected the senior head FA and wouldn't want to be on his bad side. Her FA career depended on that. So, she ran and prayed that he was in a good mood.

She found them in the staff room where the FAs were seated in a group with Martin pacing on one side, and the three pilots huddled together on the other side of the room. She slowed down and composed herself enough that she didn't look too distressed and harassed. She approached the group in tentative steps, not sure on how to let her presence known. So she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!"

All eyes turned to her and she was glad that she saw at least two familiar faces in the crowd, Valeen and Abbie. They were a batch ahead of her but Maine was glad that they had assisted her enough when she was starting off at the local flights, giving her pointers and advice on how to better her work.

"Maine!" Abbie cried as she approached her. "We thought you wouldn't make it."

Valeen immediately went to the water dispenser and drew water for her when she saw her trying to catch her breath. The rest approached her and welcomed her to the group. Finally, Martin came and approached her with a serious face. He looked her up and down, and slowly walked around her as if inspecting merchandise. Maine was a bit uneasy. She tried to do a mental assessment of herself if her uniform was fine, her make-up wasn't too much or if her hair was out of place as she did ran the length of the airport just so that she wouldn't be any later than she already was.

Martin continued his inspection as Valeen gave her the cup of water and she gulped it down in big swallows. But still her eyes followed Martin and waited in bated breath if she was off to a bad start with him or not.

"Why are you late, Ms. Mendoza?" Martin asked, his face still looking at her seriously.

"I needed to get my steroid shot, sir," Maine answered calmly.

"Sir?!?" Martin exclaimed aghast.

"I'm sorry...ma'am?" Maine replied in a grimace and was slightly panicked.

"Better," he replied with a smile but then he raised an eyebrow in question. "But what do you mean about steroid shots?"

"Oh," Maine rummaged through her bag and extracted an envelope which she handed over to Martin. Martin scanned through the contents of the document as Maine explained, "I needed it for medical reasons...ma'am. It's part of my maintenance."

Maine kept a calm facade outside but she was a bit nervous on the inside. A lot of airline companies that she had applied to didn't accept her application because of her condition. While she was given a clean bill of health, a lot of companies were reluctant to hire people who went into surgery, especially transplants. She was just lucky enough that this airline company took a chance on her. She didn't want special treatment nor does she need it, but she didn't want people judging her capabilities because of it either.

"And you actually ran here?" Martin looked at her in disbelief as he handed her back the documents. "My dear child, do not do that again, please. If I had known about this beforehand, I would have had someone with you when you went to the clinic. You could have gotten lost down in the subway seeing as this was supposed to be your first time in Paris and you don't know the language! You've got guts, Mendoza. I'll give you that."

Then Martin smiled and welcomed her to the team. She was formally introduced to the other FAs once more and when everybody was acquainted, Martin explained to Maine, "usually, whenever you have me in your rotation, I usually implement a buddy system especially whenever we're out of the country. That way, we have each other’s back and if there's a problem, one of you can call for help. This goes especially when you're not on duty. You can't be too careful and I take my FAs well-being seriously. You never go around without your buddy or your buddy needs to know where you are all the time. Tanya was partnered with Ardee before, so since you've replaced her, you're buddying up with Ardee."

Ardee smiled and gave a quick wave to Maine which she returned in kind.

"Before I hand over your assignments," said Martin to the group. "Maine, let me introduce you to the pilots of our flight team."

At the mention of "pilots", two of them stood up and approached the group. The one whose back was turned to her kept to his seat. Maine looked at him and her heart lurched. There was a familiarity about his stance and demeanour that she couldn't place. She peered at him but was blocked by one of the pilot who approached.

"Maine," Martin said as the taller of the two pilots took her hand to shake it. "This is First Officer Jerald Usman. And this is Lieutenant Sam Robles, our reserve pilot."

Maine smiled as she shook hands with both men. But she discreetly tried to check on the last pilot who she didn't know yet. She saw him heave like he was bracing himself, then he stood and turned.

Maine stared wide eyed in shock as she saw his face. The same chocolate brown eyes, the same nose and thin lips. He smiled a fraction when he saw her and the shadow of a dimple on his left cheek surfaced.

When he stood there face-to-face, he calmly said, "Hi Maine. It's good to finally meet you."

She took a step back and just said, "Alden?" before she fainted.

-oo-

He caught her before she hit the floor. Richard cradled her in his arms as the people around them started to panic. It was a good thing Martin was there, as he took charge of the situation immediately.

"George," he ordered. "There's a hand towel in that drawer, grab it and soak it in water. Valeen, go out and see if we need to be at the boarding area already. If we need to be, stall for time. The rest of you, sit down and give them some space. Jason, try to open up the top buttons of Maine's blouse."

"Wait...What?"

"This is not the time for your green mind to work, Faulkerson," Martin remarked in exasperation. "She needs ventilation. Her clothes are restricting. She needs air."

Richard reluctantly did as he was told and unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse. George returned and handed him the towel. Richard dabbed it on her face and her neck and the exposed part of her chest. He saw the scar from her operation peeking out as he dabbed the towel gently.

"What did you do to her, Jase?" Sam asked as he knelt beside his friend.

"I didn't do anything," he retorted.

"Who's Alden?"

Richard hesitated before answering with a sigh, "my twin brother. Her best friend."

"You have a twin?"

"Had a twin," Richard corrected, emphasizing on the word "had", a scowl formed on his face. "He's gone now."

Sam knew that it was the end of their conversation, so he stood to give them room. Richard's attention went back to Maine as he felt her stir in his arms. Her eyes slowly opened and Richard was caught mesmerized by her brown orbs.

"Maine?" He whispered.

She met his eyes and her eyes widen in surprise.

"Easy," he said softly as he felt her stiffen under his hold. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Maine calmed down a bit. She looked at him and studied his face. She frowned as she reached out to touch the small scar on his right cheek.

"You're not my Alden," she remarked. "Who are you?"

"I - "

"Jason?" They heard Martin call as he approached them, stopping any type of conversation between them. Without a word, Richard helped her to a sitting position but he kept his hand on her back for support. "Oh, good. You're awake, Maine. Jason, can you help her up to the chair there?"

Richard eased her into a standing position and let her lean on him for support. He could feel that she was hesitant but she allowed him to support her. Taking on her full weight, he half-carried her to the chair that Martin indicated and sat her down. He then moved away to let Martin check on her as she tried to fix her blouse.

"You're not my Alden."

There was a pang of hurt when Richard heard her say those words. She missed Alden, that much was obvious. It was the same for him after all. There wasn't a moment when he didn't think of his brother and he figured that Maine was the same as well.

"I'm afraid to ask this, Maine," he heard Martin say as the head FA was checking up on his charge. "But, can you work this flight today? The plane is a bit full so I really need to know if we can rely on you for this."

"Yes sir, I mean ma'am," Maine immediately answered. "I'm sorry. It was just a bit of a shock to see that man. I'm fine. Really, I am."

That man. There was another pang of hurt at those words. Richard frowned. 'She doesn't remember,' he thought in dismay. Then he mentally whacked himself, 'of course she doesn't remember, RJ. She was unconscious that time.'

"That man?" Martin wondered and he quickly looked at Richard, who was looking a Maine worriedly. "Oh, you mean Captain Jason? Do the two of you know each other?"

"Um..."

"Is she alright, Martin?" Richard asked, getting Martin's attention. He saw how uncomfortable Maine was becoming with the inquiry that he needed to distract the head FA.

Martin approached him and pulled him aside taking sidelong glances at Maine who was being assisted by Abbie and Ardee. His co-pilots were hovering but were keeping their distance, just making sure that everything was fine in their team. They kept looking at her and then at him, wanting to ask questions but they kept silent. Richard was sure that they would barrage him with questions once they were in the cockpit.

"Jason," Martin started. "Will I be having problems with you on this flight?"

"Martin," replied Richard with a hint of teasing in his voice. "When have I ever been a problem to you?"

Head FAs never really rotate. They stay with the captain and first officer in wherever flight they were assigned to. They only change when they request a transfer. Martin had been Richard's head FA since Richard was promoted to captain for the airlines. At first, Martin was afraid that Richard was the type of pilot who played around with the FAs. But it was a refreshing surprise to him when Richard kept his professionalism. He was nice and friendly with the female flight attendants, but he never moved beyond that. It was Jerald whom he had a problem with in the beginning. It was a good thing Valeen kept him straight when they started dating.

Martin and Richard became close over the years they've been working together. Richard saw an older brother (well in this case, an older sister) in Martin, and Martin was the same with him.

So Martin knew Richard too well, that he noticed the sudden change in him when he saw Maine. There was something different about his demeanour when the new girl was introduced.

"You will explain to me everything when we're back in Manila," Martin stated. It wasn't a request and Richard knew too well how persistent the head FA could be. So he just nodded an affirmative.

"I do have one request though," Richard said as Martin was about to turn away. Martin looked back and c****d his head on the side to indicate for him to go on. "Can you assign Maine at the First Class section? So that she'll be near the front? You usually handle first class. I just need to make sure she's fine on her first day with the team. I know you assign newbies at the back but just this once. Please?"

"Fine," he answered with a smirk. "And as a sign of good will, I'll make sure Tanya doesn't come back to this team in this rotation. I'm keeping Maine. I think I'm going to like her. She has spunk."

"Yes she does," Richard smiled as he watched Martin take control of his team once more and assign them their duties for the flight.

Richard glanced at Maine who was being fussed over by the other FAs, checking if she was indeed fine. He noticed that she was a bit uncomfortable. She didn't like the attention. He wished that he could rewind the time. That wasn't how he wanted their first meeting to be. He sighed and shook his head. 'I'll do better next time,' he thought to himself. 'I never wanted to be your Alden, Maine. But I'd hoped that one day I can be your RJ.'

He started towards Jerald and Sam to discuss their flight path.