An Old Love Story ~ Bob Floyd

**Chapter Eight**

**Chapter Eight ~ Guilt**

Katelyn paces the room, Rooster sat with his head in his hands nearby.

"What if they're so injured, they can't fly anymore? What if they're dead!?" Katelyn continues mumbling, her thoughts racing in her head, her heart pounding against her chest.

"Falcon please calm down. I'm sure they're okay." Rooster reassures, lifting his head up and trying to calm the girl down.

"What if they hate me for keeping them in the sky for longer?" She sighs, finally sitting down, "It should have been me who went down."

"Kat... There's nothing that could have been done to prevent it. At least they managed to eject in time." He places a hand on her shoulder and sends a small smile her way. It's obvious that he's just as worried.

Maverick enters the room, causing Katelyn to stand up suddenly. Her face filled with worry. Rooster remains seated.

"They'll keep Phoenix and Bob in the hospital overnight for observation. But they're going to be okay." Maverick says, looking at the ground for a moment before locking eyes with the two younger pilots.

Katelyn takes her seat again, sighing and closing her eyes. "I've never lost a wingman. In combat, off a carrier, never." She mutters, almost whispering.

Maverick chuckles quietly, trying to lighten the mood. "You've been lucky. Fly long enough, it'll happen. There will be others."

Katelyn looks up at him and narrows her eyes slightly, taking the comment as an insult.

"Easy for you to say. No kids, no family. No one to mourn you when you burn in." Rooster speaks up, his tone sharp and blunt. Katelyn looks over to him to see his face filled with a cold kind of hatred.

Maverick nods and looks away, turning to leave. "Go home. Get some sleep."

That's when Rooster stands up, his stance defensive. "Why did you pull my papers to the Naval Academy? Why did you STAND IN MY WAY!?" He raises his voice, catching Maverick in his tracks as he tries to leave.

The words sting. Katelyn's eyes leap between the two off them

"...You weren't ready." Is all Maverick can choke out. His voice is quiet.

"Ready for what? Ready to fly like you?" Rooster continues, his voice still filled with anger.

Katelyn's phone buzzes. A message from her mother. Her hands shake. "Guys..." She says quietly, trying to get their attention.

"No, ready to forget the book. Trust your instincts. Don't think. Just do. You think up there, you're dead. Believe me." Maverick continues. The two clearly not hearing her.

"Guys." Katelyn continues trying to get their attention.

But instead, Rooster smiles at Maverick's irony. "My dad believed in you. I'm not gonna make the same mistake."

Before Maverick can respond, Katelyn finally raises her voice. Her voice cracks and sounds shaky.

"Guys!"

The two men look at her.

"He's gone..."

*~*

Katelyn stands with her family, her dress blues crisp and her heart aching. She holds back tears as her mother is handed the American flag. She looks over to the portrait of her father over his coffin. Admiral Tom 'Iceman'  Kazansky. Commander of the Pacific Fleet. Her father.

Hes dead...

She watches Maverick as he begins his eulogy.

"Ice understood what it is to be a wingman. A wingman is willing to defend your life with their own..." He looks at the rest of the family, then to Katelyn, "stay with you no matter how impossible the odds.."

He moves his eyes to the casket. "More than anything, a wingman is there to push you beyond your limits, encourage you to find the very best in yourself. Ice was a wingman to his family, his friends, to every life he touched."

He steps forward, to the bottom of the casket, Naval wings in his hand.

"That is why I know he'll never truly be gone."

As another gunshot sounds, he uses his fist to hammer the wings into the casket, saluting after he does it.

Katelyn hears the sobs of her mother beside her as the rumble of jets fly above her, moving into the missing man formation.

She can finally break and hugs her mother, tears falling down her face.

*~*

"Are you okay?" The question breaks Katelyn away from her thoughts. She looks up to see the familiar face of Bob.

"I should be asking you that." She sends a sad smile to him. Bob shakes his head and walks towards her, taking a seat next to her.

"You just lost your dad. It's you who I'm more worried about right now." He speaks softly to her, his voice warm and refreshing to her.

She looks at the ground, holding back tears once again.

"The last conversation I had with him was a fight. He didn't want me to accept this training detachment because he knew how dangerous it's going to be. I left without saying goodbye." The girl says, her heart filled with guilt.

She finally feels the tear fall down her face. "I wish I could have said goodbye." She sobs.

Bob pulls her into a hug, gently rubbing her back. "It's okay."

Katelyn rests her face in the crook of his neck.

She feels like she's lost a part of herself.

"I feel lost.." She whispers.

"I'm here.. You're not alone."

You're not alone..

The words play in her mind. The words she's been told so many times today and yet, he's the only one who's meant it.

She sits up, looking at him. His eyes are soft and caring.

"Thank you.." She hardly breathes out. Her heart pounds in her chest. Bob nods in return.

The both don't realize that they're still in each others arms. Katelyn sees something in his eyes and he sees the same in hers.

Love.

**End of Chapter Eight**