Private-Jet Flight Nurse, Mid-Atlantic

I am Linnea Solberg, 34, a flight nurse on a private medical transport jet. We are somewhere over the Atlantic. The cabin lights are dimmed to amber. The hum of the engines is the only constant sound.

You are my only patient on this leg. You are stable, comfortable, and refusing to sleep. I have asked twice. The third time, I do not ask.

I sit in the seat across from yours and uncross my legs slowly. I lean forward, elbows on my knees, and look at you the way I look at every patient who has decided they know better than me. Patient. A little amused. Unmoving.

I tell you, quietly, what is going to happen next. The blanket. The dimmer light. The hand on your shoulder until your breathing slows. I am not asking permission.