The Altruistic Pilot: A Jake Seresin TopGun fan fiction

Chapter 11

      Penny had insisted I stay with her and Amelia that night. She planned on occupying me the whole next day until the plane had landed carrying all the pilots. I wanted to refuse, but I knew that anything was going to be better then the torture sitting at home and waiting would be. When the morning finally rolled around, Penny was immediately moving. She insisted on me going with her to do a supply run for the bar that took several hours. She took me out for a coffee, which seemed to be the only thing I could stomach right now. Then back to the store for groceries for her own house. By the time we finally made it home, I was exhausted. I'll admit though, her tactic worked. It was almost five in the afternoon when we finally made it back to her house. It took a while to unload her groceries, but when we finished, we collapsed on her sofa together. Theo and Dax hadn't moved from where they were currently napping together on Theo's giant dog bed.
      I wish I could say the days worth of work was enough to prepare me for later that night, but it wasn't. The second we sat down, my mind immediately started racing.
     "It'll only be a few more hours." Penny tried to reassure me.
      I nod, but don't say anything back. I wish I was able to prepare some way. I had already done any prepping I could in my house. I took the time to clean Nat's room, wash her sheets so she could come back to a clean bed, and stocked the fridge and pantry full of her favorite things. I also made sure to include food for the boys. I had a feeling when they did finally get home, any comfort I could bring would be helpful for them. I know after going through a traumatizing ordeal like they had just done, all I would want is comfort.
      "Think we could stop by my place in a bit, just so I can change?"
     "Of course, just tell me when you want to go."
     I look over to Dax who is still happy as can be curled up beside his best friend. I didn't want to disturb him in anyway.
     "It can wait a bit." I pause for a minute, thinking if I could ask such a big favor from Penny after how great she's been these past few weeks for me. "Could I ask a favor though?"
     "You know you can." She tells me, rolling her eyes slightly.
     "Do you think I could keep Dax here for the night? I just want Nat to be able to come home and not worry about anything, and if I end up staying late with Jake, I don't want to worry about him."
     "I think you were going to have to pry Amelia's hands off him, so I'm sure she'd love to look out for him for the night." She says with a smile. She was probably right, Amelia absolutely loved Dax, and he felt the same about her. He enjoyed the company of all my friends, but Amelia was by far his favorite.
      "I really don't know how to thank you for everything. I couldn't have made it through these past weeks without you."
     Her face softens, "of course you could have. But that doesn't mean you ever had to. I love you and would do anything to make sure you are okay." She reaches over to me across the couch and pulls me into a hug.
      I struggle to hold back tears again. Penny has been more of a mother figure in my life then my own mother. I had to learn to fend for myself the minute I decided to move across the country to be with my uncle here. Despite the fact that he was family, and certainly cared more then my parents, he still kept to himself mostly. It was Penny who instantly accepted me into her life and made me a part of her family. I owed everything to her. She was the first person who truly made me feel like I could lean on others for help, not try and fix the problem myself. I hug her tightly back now.
     She pulls away, her hands still squeezing my shoulders gently.
     "When they get here tonight, I want you to know that I'm here for you and all of them. If they need a night to destress and have a drink, let me know. I'll shut down the bar so they can unwind on their own. If you need any help with Jake at all, feel free to call me. I'm here for you, for whatever you need."
      A single tear falls down my check, "thank you."
     She smiles warmly again and pulls me in for another tight hug.
     After a while of sitting on the couch, we decide to head back down to the beach with the dogs. This time, we bring a blanket to just sit on the sand and watch the sunset. She tries to make casual conversation with me, but it falls on deaf ears. All I can do is watch the sunset. Any other day I would marvel at the beauty of it, today, I can't wait for it to disappear. Once it's gone it means I'm all the closer to seeing everyone. To me, it only functions as a count down.
      By the time it sets, both dogs are throughly gross again. So we walk them back to the house and hose them down. Amelia is home now, and she brings out a large bottle of soap to help us. We all spend the next few minutes scrubbing, then hosing the dogs until they no longer stink of saltwater. We opt to let them air dry, and sit in her patio swing under the porch light. The sun has fully set now, and all I can do is sit and twiddle my thumbs.
     "Why don't we head back to your house so you can get changed. Hopefully by then they'll call." Penny suggests. It's a good a plan as any.
     Penny takes the dogs back in and tells Amelia the plan. As expected, she's more then happy to keep Dax overnight for me.
     When we pull into my house a few minutes later, I head upstairs to change. The first thing I find in my closet to throw on is the hoodie that Jake lent me the night we met at the Hard Deck for a talk. It's just a plain grey hoodie, yet when I hold it up to my face, it's still filled with the smell of his signature Old Spice cologne. Without a second thought I tug it on over my head. I could use the comfort it offers. After I pull on an old pair of leggings and head back downstairs. I make it halfway down the stair well when my phone starts to ring. My hands start shaking wildly as I lift it to see Nat's name on the screen.
"Hey," I shout into the phone not even bothering to hide my eagerness. "Have you guys landed?"
"Just did. I can't talk long, but I think you should come to the base now. I don't know what the plan is for Jake."
"Penny and I are on our way, we'll be there in a few minutes."
     We hang up the phone and I hurry the rest of the way downstairs. My hands continue to shake as I struggle to put my phone away. That's the first I've heard from Nat in weeks. The realization only makes my hands shake harder.
Before I can even say anything to Penny she's opening the front door.
      The drive to base is only about fifteen minutes, it feels like an eternity though. I can't sit still. I'm feeling a mix of excitement and absolute terror at that thought of seeing Jake in the state he's in.
By the time we head to the small area in the base that Nat had texted we go to, my initial excitement is nothing but fear now. I do my best to swallow it though. They don't need me to be a mess right now. They need to be able to lean on me for support. So I force myself to take a breath in, and get out of the car.
We start walking towards the building, but before I reach the doors, Nat, Bob, and the boys walk out. They are dressed in their signature flight suits, carrying their bags behind them. However, all of their faces show how truly exhausted they are by the past few weeks. It's obvious they need a long recovery. The relief I feel seeing them is instant though. Nat sees me and we cross the short distance between each other and grab one another into a tight hug.
I hold on to her as tightly as possible, not daring to let go for a second. For the past week and a half I've lived in fear that I may not see her again. Now that she's here, it's like the biggest weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We pull apart and I immediately go to hug Mickey and Reuben. Bob, who has been hovering beside Nat, even comes over to hug me.
"God I missed you all so much. Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine," Reuben tells me.
"Just exhausted," Mickey adds right after.
"Are you allowed to leave?" I ask.
Nat nods. "Bob and I were going to head back to our house to get some sleep." She pauses for a second. "Jake was taken to the hospital already, they had an ambulance here ready to transfer him. His sedative started wearing off towards the end of the flight. The landing was really rough for him."
I swallow hard, but force myself to keep a neutral expression.
"Okay, I'm going to find Penny then. Dax is staying at her place tonight so you don't have to worry about him. The house is stocked with everything you like. Go home and rest. I need to go see Jake."
Nat nods. They all seem to be a mix of exhausted and guilty. I have a million questions for them, but now is not the time to ask. They need rest. I settle for reaching out again and pulling Nat into another right hug.
"I'm so glad you all are home and safe."
When we pull away again, she looks a bit teary eyed. I look to Bob, who seems to get what I'm saying. He places an arm around Nat, grabs their bags, and starts leading her towards the parking lot. He gets the hint that I need him to take her home for me. Im worried about all of them right now, but if Bob is strong enough for the minute to take care of Nat, then I'm grateful for him. The boys give me another small hug each and tell me they are headed back to their place, but we would all talk in the morning.
      I make my way back to Penny's car. She's on the phone with someone, but the minute she sees me she says she has to go and ends the call.
      "That was Pete, he went with Jake to the hospital. I don't know if we are going to be allowed to see him tonight." She says sadly. I shake my head.
      "I don't care. I need to be there whether I can see him or not. The others are all going home now anyway. They are tired and need sleep, I need to do something. I can't sit here and do nothing." I start rambling, Penny reaches out to grab my arm.
      "It's okay. Let's go ahead and go to the hospital. Pete is there, maybe he can at least give us some insight into what happened."
     I nod. She ushers me into the car and we head off for the hospital.