[~Song Recommendation: I Choose by Alessia Cara~]
"Hello, Ma'am," A man in a security uniform approached Cammy and informed her, "The boy matching the description you provided is with my colleague. They are in the waiting area of gate 23."
"That's where our plane is! Thank you!" Cammy hurried to the said location and from a distance she quickly identified Dylan holding hands with a man in a gray suit and a guard, tears streaming down his face.
"Dylan!" Cammy called out and rushed to her son.
She embraced the sobbing boy tightly.
"Ma'am, I apologize on behalf of my boss. He found his inhaler in the toilet. He took it and told me to take it to the lost and found office. When your son returned searching for it, he met my boss who was waiting for my return.
He offered to accompany him to the lost and found office, thinking he might get lost. When we walked him here, he cried after the airline staff refused to let him in," the man in a suit explained apologetically.
"I believe you missed your flight, ma'am. The gate to the plane is already closed, and the aircraft is already in the queue on the runway. He thought you were on that flight that's why he is crying like that," he added.
"That's alright. I'll just book another one. The important thing is that my son is safe. Thank you for helping him. Please send my gratitude to your boss as well," Cammy said to the man who nodded and left.
Cammy gently withdrew from Dylan, who was gradually calming down. Retrieving a tissue from her bag, she tenderly wiped away his tears.
"I'm sorry, Mommy! I thought you left me... Waaah!" he began to cry again.
Cammy sighed and embraced Dylan once more. "I would never leave you no matter what. It's not okay to run off like that, but I'm not angry. Just don't do it again, and please stop crying, my love. It's not good for you. It might trigger an asthma attack if you keep going. Mommy's heart aches whenever you cry or get sick."
Dylan made an effort to control his emotions, wiping his own tears. He raised his small hand, revealing what he was holding. Despite the lingering sniffles from prolonged sobbing, he smiled and said proudly, "I got my inhaler back."
Cammy found herself torn between laughter and tears. Earlier, she had been so anxious that tears were on the verge, but seeing Dylan's innocent messy face, a mixture of smiles and tears, made her want to laugh.
She tidied up Dylan's face once more and said, "Come on, let's head to the ticketing office. We'll figure out how to rebook our flight. Keep your inhaler in your pocket, and only take it out if you need to use it, understood?"
Dylan nodded, and Cammy took his tiny hand as they headed toward the ticketing kiosk.
Meanwhile…
The man who accompanied Dylan went back to the waiting area of the adjacent boarding gate meeting his boss. The boss received an important call while waiting for the boy's mother, prompting him to leave Dylan with his assistant and the airport guard.
He ended his call after noticing his assistant walking towards him. "Was she the mom of the boy?" the boss asked while watching Cammy and Dylan leave as he put his phone into his pocket.
"Yes, Mr. Cross."
"She looks so young to be the mom of that boy," the boss commented, making his assistant smirk.
"Just young?" the assistant asked with a teasing smile.
The boss furrowed his eyebrows and uttered, "What are you implying, Harry?"
"Nothing Mr. Cross. I just noticed how your eyes were glued to her while you were on a phone call. That's so unlikely of you… Boss…"
"You notice too many unnecessary things. She's married so stop assuming things," the boss replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
The assistant chuckled and said, "Who is assuming now? Just because she has a son, doesn't mean she's married."
"I didn't make it up. I saw it. She's wearing a wedding ring. So stop accusing me."
"Aha! I knew it! You were checking her out and you even inspected her ring finger. I knew she was your type."
Mr. Cross scoffed, "I don't have a type. I just appreciate the view. It was not only me, but other people were also looking at her too, especially those men near her earlier… Now move your ass and check what's taking so long. They should be opening this gate by now or at least checking our boarding passes..."
**********
In the ticketing area in the airport…
Fortunately, there weren't many passengers rebooking their flights, allowing Cammy to promptly speak with a staff member.
"We missed our flight to Arlon City. Could you check when the next available one is?" Cammy inquired with the ticketing agent.
"Sure, let me see your boarding pass, ma'am, so I can find a similar one."
Cammy handed their boarding passes to the ticketing agent right away without looking at them.
"Hmm, I'm sorry, but all the flights for this destination are fully booked, and the next available slot is two weeks from now."
"I can't wait that long. My father is sick so he urgently needs me and we need to stay in Arlon for at least a week before school starts. What about our suitcase and backpack? They were already loaded onto the plane," Cammy asked.
"I can file a ticket request to retrieve your belongings, Miss..." the ticketing agent paused and glanced at the name on the boarding pass before continuing, "Mrs. Johnson. I just need—"
Cammy quickly cut her off after hearing the name the ticketing agent mentioned. "What did you call me? Mrs. Johnson?"
The ticketing agent looked at Cammy with a puzzled expression and said, "Uh, yes, that's what it says on your boarding pass." Handing back the boarding pass to Cammy, she added, "Here, take a look."
Cammy's eyes widened upon seeing a different name on it. When she checked Dylan's, it also had a different name. She then recalled the woman she bumped into – their boarding passes had been accidentally switched!
"Miss, look this is not–"
*BOOM!!!*