‘You’re tough, you’re smart, and with the exception of the, ah, incident yesterday, you’re always calm. Phoenix gave his hands another squeeze, battling to keep a slew of emotions from taking over on her face. Coyote got GLOC, and nobody else has even stood a chance against Mav’s BFM - you’re the best pilot we have.’ Rooster was alright, but something with Mav has him acting completely out of it. ‘Why do the single-seaters always get all the glory?’ ‘Honestly, Nat? I wish you could be our team leader,’ Bob admitted. She grabbed his hands, then, squeezing his fingers tightly - careful not to press on where his IV was - and swinging them with fervour. Phoenix held out her hands for a double high-five, and Bob obliged, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. ‘Fuck yeah! We can fly again!’ she cheered, and Bob burst out laughing, a euphoric thrill rippling through his veins. Phoenix and Bob sat there for a second, looked at each other for another, and then Phoenix let out a joyful whoop. ‘I’ll get the nurses to remove your IVs, and rehab will come see you afterwards. ‘Well, that’s all the news I have for you,’ said Reyes. We still have a chance to go on this mission. Being in the air was easier than breathing for both of them, and being grounded always felt like all the air was being sucked from their lungs. He was sure Phoenix felt the same, the way she couldn’t stop her lips curving into a smile. Up there, he knew every system better than the back of his hand. On the ground, he always felt restless, purposeless, but in the Super Hornet, he felt alive. He was itching to be up in the air again. I don’t want to see any strenuous exercise for at least three days - flying will be fine, but keep your Gs low, you don’t want to make your back and neck pain any worse - oh, and you’ll be glad to know I’ve excused you from the two-hundred-pushups deal.’īob shook his fist a little in celebration. ‘I’ve written to your captain and the air boss to advise of your conditions. For reasons I can only begin to imagine, you’ve both walked away with no fractures.’īob and Phoenix shot each other a grin. I have copies back in the office anyway.’īob studied the ghostly structures in front of him: one of his spine, two of his legs. Reyes held out A4-sized glossy black-and-white images, handing one to Phoenix and three to Bob. ‘It’s fine,’ Phoenix returned, her voice rough around the edges. ‘Good.’ She glanced at Phoenix, who was rubbing her eyes mid-yawn. Reyes, wearing a different slightly-crumpled blouse this time. But, hey, improvement is improvement, right?Ī knock on the door came right on cue. Don’t forget how many painkillers you’ve taken today, he reminded himself. The ice had definitely helped - gentle presses on his shins yielded no pain, and he almost had the full range of motion back in his neck. Phoenix was asleep, curled on her side, her face peaceful and breathing steady.īob yawned, then stretched cautiously, testing his body’s limits. He awoke from what must have been his fifth attempt at sleeping to find the room awash in the cool dawn sunlight. The rest of the night was punctuated with nurses visiting to take his observations, bring him pain meds and rotate ice packs for Bob’s injuries. Stats: Published: Completed: Words: 37,022 Chapters: 11/11 Comments: 45 Kudos: 111 Bookmarks: 22 Hits: 2,464
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