Page 54 of Dr. Stone (Billionaires’ Club #9)
“We still need to get more points on the scoreboard for that. You know you loved it,” I laughed. “But no dogfights today. Andie’s here, and I wanted to show her little boy the simulator.”
“Oh, he’s going to love it. How’s the little guy doing, anyway?”
“Great. You know, just stealing my heart and all.”
“Never thought the day would come when I’d hear you say those words,” he chuckled. “That’s great, man. Well, I have rounds, so I won’t be able to meet you guys down there, but go hard and have fun with it.”
“Thanks, Cam,” I said before ending the call. “Let’s get this boy in a flight simulator.”
The moment the sliding glass doors opened to admit us into the simulation hangar, Brandon let out a soft, “Whoa.”
“Holy shit,” Andie said, her fingers interlaced with mine while I held Brandon.
“Right? This shit is unhinged,” I said. “This entire pediatric hospital sits in a world of its own.”
“Who came up with all of this?”
“Some Silicon Valley genius backed by Mitchell and Associates funding,” I chuckled. “This newest section, though, is unparalleled to anything here so far.”
“It doesn’t even feel like we’re in a hospital anymore,” she said. “I suppose that’s the point for the sick kids who are forced to live here.”
“That’s exactly the point. Of course, we also want to give the kids something extra, especially those less fortunate than others their age who are healthier and able to live life on their terms.”
“Amazing,” she said.
We walked on shimmering floors coated with blue and silver gloss, the entire space designed to mimic a luxury aircraft hangar. Ambient lighting set the mood, and at the center stood five full-scale Cessna simulators.
“They just finished this two months ago,” I said. “It’s probably been more of a hit with us overworked doctors on our lunch breaks than with the kids.”
“Jesus, this is like a Pixar version of a NASA training center,” Andie said as we approached the simulator.
“Are you ready to fly an airplane?” I asked Brandon.
“Yes,” he squealed, having been silently in awe on our entire walk through the hangar.
We approached, and the plane’s door automatically opened for us. Once inside, the doors to the unit closed behind us as we settled into the captain and co-pilot seats.
“Looks like we got the captain’s chair since,” I pointed at Brandon, sitting on my lap, reaching for the steering mechanisms, “it’s this guy’s flight.”
“Hell yeah, it is,” Andie said with a laugh of disbelief.
As soon as we clicked our seatbelts, the lights dimmed, and a soft light above our heads in the cockpit flickered on.
“Welcome to your Dream Flight experience. Please select your destination,” a futuristic woman’s voice alerted us after all the touchscreen panels came to life.
A huge holographic map was displayed before us in the air and above the console of the plane. I reached out to the shimmering coastline that stretched from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara and selected that as the location we’d take our first flight.
“No better first flight for our little captain,” I said, matching Brandon’s quiet, curious expression with my own excitement. “Especially along the coastline where he watches planes fly overhead every day.”
“Now, it’s your turn, buddy,” Andie said with a giggle that proved she was just as excited as the rest of us.
The simulator hummed to life, a gentle breeze swirling around us as the view outside each window shifted to a private runway just beyond Santa Monica.
I caught Andie’s amazed gaze and squeezed Brandon, his body tense with excitement, as the airplane’s ceiling vanished, revealing the bright, clear California sky above.
Our seats rumbled beneath us after I placed my hands on the controls and drove us out on the runway, and once the airplane left the ground, you could feel the gravity pinning you to your seat as if you were really taking off in the damn thing.
“This is so fucking awesome,” Andie said while Brandon clapped his hands and bounced in my seat.
“No shit,” I said, loving this as much as I would if I were flying my own damn Cessna.
The plane soared above the Santa Monica Pier, and everything in sight transformed through the windows, making it feel like we were flying over the coastline in real time.
The white foam of the waves crashing ashore, beachgoers, surfers…
everything happening on the shoreline was right there beneath us.
Hell, you could even feel the warmth of the sun shining through the cockpit windows.
“This is beyond me,” Andie said as the plane smoothly rushed through the air and over the coast, dipping just enough to allow you to feel everything you would in a real-life flight. “What an amazing thing they’ve done for these children by giving them this,” she said with the most beautiful smile.
“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll be sure to tear your cute little ass up on the ocean tonight.”
She chuckled, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
The joy I felt in that moment, having this sweet little family visit me at work and sharing the incredible things I was fortunate to be surrounded by, was simply indescribable.
Rather than trying to put words to why I’d been so drawn to this woman since that first night, I chose to accept it as a blessing, something even more remarkable than the simulator itself.
Tonight, I couldn’t wait to spend the evening anchored out at Catalina Island. I had planned a lovely dinner on the island, and for the rest of tomorrow, we’d just let the wind take us wherever it wanted.
I couldn’t wait to get home, get the boat ready, and have my lady back from her parents so we could make this sailing trip even more exciting than the amazing simulator flight we’d just experienced over the West Coast.
This was what it was all about, just being with her and making the most of every moment we had together.