The Mystery Baby Left Behind at 30,000 Feet (3 of 3)

“Matthew,” she murmured, trying the name on her tongue. It fit him.

Questions tumbled through her mind. Who was his mother? Was she still somewhere in the airport, hiding in the crowd? Was this abandonment an act of desperation… or love?

Lincy carried the baby toward the front of the plane, each step heavier than the last. The note crinkled in her fist. She knew she had to call it in. Airline protocol left no room for hesitation. And yet, she couldn’t help but imagine what it would mean to take him home.

After years of working flights across the country, she’d grown used to strangers passing in and out of her life. But this was different. This wasn’t luggage left behind in the overhead bin. This was a life—tiny, helpless, and now hers to protect.

By the time she reached the galley phone, Matthew was asleep again, his chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm against her uniform. She stared out at the empty terminal, her lips forming the same words she had spoken to the last passenger only minutes before:

“Thank you for flying with us. See you next time.”

But this time, her voice trembled—because she couldn’t stop wondering if “next time” would mean returning this baby to a mother who vanished… or raising him as her own.