Patrick stopped at the bottom of the stairs, motioning me upward. Each step was harder than the one before. As my stomach twisted, I decided finding a restroom was my first priority before we took off. What little breakfast I’d eaten many hours ago was moving precariously upward as the taste of bile bubbled in my throat.

“Welcome, Ms. Hawkins,” a woman in uniform said as I stepped inside away from the sunshine. “I’m your pilot today, Marianne McGee.” She lifted ...