Poor co-pilot! The armchair quarterbacks are out in force. End of. I reckon the chances of Al Q waiting for the Captain to have a heart attack and then obtaining f/deck entry are not high, personally, but some obviously feel worried.
I reckon having a second living human being with you would be a significant help in a very stressful and disturbing situation. My vote is well done both. We have a safe result and a good stab at 'CRM'.