She glanced at him skeptically. “Are you traveling with family up here?”
“No, ma’am. But I’ve dealt with colic before. I know what that kind of crying sounds like.”
She looked toward first class, where Andrew was now standing in the aisle with a red-faced, screaming baby and the expression of a man at the edge of real panic.
Before she could respond, Andrew stepped closer. “Did someone say they know how to help?”
Noah took a breath.
“My name is Noah Bennett. I know I’m just a kid, but my little sister had terrible colic. I learned some things that helped. Your daughter sounds like she might be dealing with the same kind of pain.”
Andrew studied him for one quick but meaningful second. He saw the boy’s seriousness, his self-control, the absence of performance in him. And because desperation is clarifying, Andrew listened.
“What kind of things?”
“A different hold. Gentle pressure along her back to relieve gas. And she may be overstimulated. Too much bouncing can make some babies worse.”
Andrew looked around the cabin. Everyone was watching.
Then he made the only decision left to make.
“Please,” he said, and handed over Lily.
The miracle that followed changed the atmosphere of the entire flight.
Under Noah’s steady hands, Lily softened almost immediately. He held her upright against his chest, supported her carefully, and traced small rhythmic movements down her back. Then he began humming.
“What song is that?” Andrew asked quietly.
“My grandmother taught it to me,” Noah said. “Her mother used to sing it to her.”
Lily let out one last shaky sigh and fell asleep.
Charles Winthrop, who had spent hours acting personally persecuted by infancy, now stared in open admiration.
“Remarkable,” he muttered.
Vanessa Hale lowered her phone. Even the flight attendants looked stunned.
Andrew’s relief came so fast it was nearly painful. He sank into his seat as Noah, still standing in the aisle, adjusted Lily with the confidence of someone who had earned every ounce of his skill through necessity rather than theory.
“How long do you think she’ll stay asleep?”
“If that was really colic and trapped gas, probably most of the rest of the flight,” Noah said. “She’s comfortable now.”
Andrew believed him instantly.
As Noah gently transferred Lily back into Andrew’s arms, Andrew kept studying him.
“You said you’re going to London for a math competition?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me.”