Say You Won't Let Go

Deployments

    "You guys make me want to puke." Phoenix interrupts, standing with Bob off to the side. Abigail and Jake laugh, reluctantly pulling away. "You guys need to look out for each other, be safe." Abigail pleads, hugging Phoenix and Bob too. Then, like a magnet, she's pulled back into Jake's side.

      The ship's warning siren goes off, alerting the sailors and their families that it was time to depart. "I love you." Jake whispers. "I love you too." Abigail wraps her arms tightly around Hangman one more time, gives him a kiss goodbye and then watches him walk up the ramp, onto the large ship he's going to be residing on.

      Abigail stands there on the worn down wooden dock until the ship was no longer in sight, then she takes a deep breath and drives to the naval air base to continue her day as a Top Gun instructor.

     The California weather may have been cold while she was saying her goodbyes to Jake, but the second she stepped out of her car at the base she had to peel off her jacket in fear she would have a heat stroke.

      "You look like shit."

    Was the first thing Rooster said to Abigail once she joined him outside. The students were running laps up and down the unused runway. ITP, intense physical training.

     Abigail scoffed. "Gee, thanks. I'd like to see how you'd react if your husband just left for deployment while you're sweating through your underwear and sleep deprived." She cringes at the slip up that she was not sleeping well. Obviously Rooster would express his concern.

    "Damn. You and Hangman need to get off of that honeymoon phase."

    Or maybe he couldn't read her so well. He's just dirty minded.

     "So, how are you and your student?" She asks, trying to make him awkward. She succeeds, watching him shrink into his shoulders like a turtle would it's shell. Abigail's eyes follow his like of vision, seeing Liliana, or Mallard, looking at Rooster with the pinkest cheeks. Of course, that could be because of the heat, but Abigail doubts that's the reason.

     "Her smile." Rooster mutters, completely captivated by Liliana. Abigail bumps his shoulder. "Go. Ask her out. It's painful seeing this carry on." She pleads, already imagining Liliana and Bradley's children. She hasn't even imagined what hers and Jake's would look like, so that's really saying something.

     Surprisingly, Rooster listens and walks over to Liliana, pulling her out of the intense exercise he ordered.

     "You look like crap." Coyote mutters, stepping up next to Abigail. She smiles and shakes her head. "You're not the first to say that to me in the last hour." She replies, hugging Coyote. His strong connection with Hangman carried over to Abigail, and now the two of them sometimes make Jake jealous. They had immediately clicked, just like how she did with Rooster. "I didn't realize you were here today." She then says, pulling away and fanning herself to stay cool. 

      Coyote shrugs, turning to keep his eyes on the new group of recruits. Bambi trails in the back of the group, sweat pouring down his back. The poor man looks like he's about to pass out. Meanwhile, Rudolf and Splinter are neck and neck up front. She could sense a rivalry between those two like her father and Maverick used to have.  "Figured you could have some company. I know Hangman leaving so soon after your wedding is hard. Sometimes being in the military can really suck."

     "Sometimes?" Abigail questions amusedly. "Right now it kind of seems like all the time." She gestures to the mess of students, then her prosthetic leg, and then Rooster and Mallard. Coyote puts a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you have to admit that this job is kind of awesome. There may be bad days, but there are also days where we play dogfight football or be stationed out at sea with your best friends." He raises a suggestive eyebrow. "You could get back in the air again, maybe you and I could get deployed together."

     Immediately she shakes her head, her eyes filled with fear. "No." She says sternly, then drops her head. "Sorry. It's not that I don't enjoy hanging out with you, I just have absolutely no interest in flying again."

       Coyote scoffs. "Come on, Ice. I see the way you stare agonizingly at the planes and the group of students. You want to get back in the air again, so what's stopping you?"

     Her eyes cloud over and she bites the inside of her cheek, feeling that familiar aching in the leg that most definitely does not exist. "I don't want to fly. You're seeing things." She lies, refusing to make eye contact.

      Coyote stays quiet, deciding to let it go for the time being. Perhaps talking to Rooster would be a good idea. Maybe together they could form a plan that would get their friend back to what she loved to do.

     Hi! I'm back! Sorry I haven't uploaded. For the past week I've been in the process of moving from Kentucky to Florida, so my life has been pretty hectic.

     But I'm almost done getting unpacked now and I should be writing more often starting this week.
    I also plan on starting a new fanfiction about Rooster (not about him and Mallard, this will exist separately from this story)
    But anyways. Thanks for all the support!! :))