Fly High and Go Far

ROOSTER-Chapter Eight: Feel Better and Goodbye

Days went by at school and they learned nothing more than what they had to do in order to make the mission work.  Sammy sat in the break room near the radio, listening to Phoenix, Bob, and Rooster talk to each other.  Maverick's radio came in and when it all ended, Sammy walked around, ready to walk out for her turn.  But when yelling came across the radio, she ran back.  Everyone gathered around.

  "Bird strike! Bird strike!" Phoenix's voice came through.  Sammy's heart sank and stared up at the sky, seeing the jet spewing smoke and fire.

  "Trace, no no no," Sammy whispered to herself.  She ran out of the building and onto the Tarmac.  Rooster was ordered to ground his plane immediately, followed by Maverick.  Off-roading vehicles followed the trail to the jet that crashed on the side of the mountain.  Sammy stood there with her hands on her mouth, shocked and hoping for the best case scenario.  Rooster parked his plane and ran towards Sammy, who stood in distress. 

  "Come on, you need to get back inside," Rooster told her, pushing her back into the building.  She walked backwards, watching the smoke billow into the sky and the sound of sirens filling the air.

  Rooster and her sat in a separate break room from everyone else as he comforted her. They were in there for ten minutes, followed by thirty minutes, before it broke an hour. And then it was two hours of waiting. At that point, Sammy felt so numb, she wanted to give up. She couldn't do anything knowing Phoenix might be dead or disabled from that crash or ejection.

  "Sammy," Bradshaw whispered, rubbing her back.  She stared dead ahead and with no light in her eyes, tired of panicking internally over her friends.  The door opened and Maverick walked in, causing Sammy to shoot up from her seat.

  "Phoenix and Bob are okay," he started.  "They're being kept overnight for observation." He noticed Sammy worried.  She nodded, trying to calm herself down.  Her friends were okay and that's all that mattered.

  "I'm going to head out.  I'll meet you in the locker room," she told Rooster who nodded and caressed her hand before she walked out, staying behind to talk to Captain Mitchell in private before heading out.  Maverick watched Sam leave, and as soon as the door shut, Sammy felt her phone vibrating. Warlock walked up to her at the same time and watched her answer the phone.  He knew and was on his way to grab her and to tell Maverick the news.

  "Mom?" She answered.  Her mom choked a bit.

  "Your father," she began and Sammy dropped her phone a bit in her hand.  "He's gone, darling.  Please come home immediately." She said before Sammy replied with an okay and hung up. 

  "You're dismissed, Lieutenant.  You have emergency family leave now," Warlock piped up.  He left Sammy there to go tell Maverick. 

  Sammy's phone left her hand fully and clattered on the floor.  She stared off in the distance, feeling so many emotions at once she felt nothing.  Her hearing left and she began to disassociate. Maverick and Rooster, upon hearing the news from Warlock, came running out to see Sammy not moving at all and standing there motionless, phone on the floor.  Rooster pushed both Mav and Warlock out of the way, grabbing Sammy's phone off the ground and putting himself in front of her.

  "Sammy, talk to me.  Sammy, Earth to Sammy," he spoke softly, holding onto her arms.  She moved her head slowly looking up at him.

  "He's dead," she started, with tears forming quickly.  "My dad is dead." She choked out, beginning to sob.  Her arms went around Rooster's torso as she buried her face into his sweaty flight suit.  Rooster held onto her tight, holding her head in place.

  "Let's get you home, baby girl.  Let's get you home," he spoke softly, holding her for a solid minute before kissing the top of her head and leading her away, not caring that Maverick or Warlock were standing there watching.