Wild Heart - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

16. Hold My Hand

After school the next day, Finley had a couple of her students meeting with her to discuss essay writing. The three of them were in her classroom when a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, hey," she said, smiling when she saw Pete.

"Hey," he replied softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were busy."

"No, no, that's okay. I'll be right back ladies," she told her students and slipped out into the hall with him.

It was like a shadow had passed over him.

"Everything okay?"

"Two of my pilots were in a crash today."

Her heart skipped and her stomach clenched. "Oh my God - who?"

"Phoenix and Bob.  There was a bird strike and they went down. They managed to eject in time but are staying at the hospital overnight for observation. And-" He paused, swallowing hard. "-Ice died today."

Her mouth dropped open. "B-but, we just saw him the other day-"

"I know, everything went downhill really quickly. One of the admirals told me. 

"Oh Pete-" She drew him close.  "I'm so sorry. So sorry." She had just met the man, and had hoped to connect more with him, and now he was gone. 

The funeral was a few days later, a full service funeral. Penny and Amelia were going and they invited Finely to come along. She got a substitute teacher to cover for her for the whole day. There was no way she was missing this.  

"You're here," Brad said. He and the rest of the group were in their uniforms, as was Pete of course. 

"Yeah, I came for Pete." She didn't even hesitate to use his name. 

She had never attended a funeral like this one before, and it broke her heart watching Sarah receive the flag from  atop her husband's casket, and when Pete strode up to the casket himself, giving his friend and wingman one last salute. 

She didn't get to see him before the service, and so they didn't connect until it was over when she watched him standing before the new gravesite. She headed over, joining him.  "Hey."

"Hey." He gave a small smile. "Thank you for coming. It means so much."

"Of course. Would you like some company, or would you prefer to be alone?"

"Stay, please."

"Of course." She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad I got to meet him. He was wonderful."

"I so glad too." His arm went around her waist, holding her close. "It seems like I'm outliving all of my friends-" His whole body shook as a sob overtook him, and she held onto him tight.

They stood in comfortable silence, just holding each other and thinking of Ice. 

Bradley could see them, but she didn't care.

------------------------------------

"What happened?" she asked Pete the next time she saw him.  That shadow over him had only darkened.

"I was let go today."

"What?" she cried.

"Apparently I wasn't achieving what needed to be achieved. And they figured I should take some time away in the wake of Ice's death."

"But they're your team. Ice chose you."

"Yeah, but as Admiral Simpson reminded me, Ice is no longer here." He sat down.  "I don't know what to do - Ice is gone and the mission is days away." He was so defeated it broke her heart. 

He rubbed his hands over his face.  "I knew right from the beginning when they pitched the mission to me that someone wasn't making it back from it-" Her heart squeezed in fear at his words. "-Bradley and I got into another argument - this was before I got the news about Ice.  I still don't know if he's ready. But if I don't send him on this mission, he'll never, ever forgive me, and if I do, I might lose him forever..."

"Tough choice."

"Yeah, really tough..."

"But you're the instructor, if he's not ready, he's not ready. And you're doing it for his own good. That, or show him what to do." She sat down next to him and wrapped both arms around him.  "Look, I don't know a lot about flying and such, but from what I can tell, if your wingman goes down up there, you don't give up. And I take it that it's the same for down here..."

"Ice told me that I need to let go, but I don't know how."

"Let go of what?"

"Of everything."

"Well just know that you don't have to let go completely. You'll always hold a piece of what happened with you."

"Yeah." He shifted in her embrace, wiping a hand over his face - he was crying. 

"Can I just say, I love how emotional you are and that you share that with me," she confessed. 

He gave a small, teary smile. "I'm comfortable around you."

"I'm glad, cause I'm comfortable around you too." Now they were both  openly crying. 

He moved in her arms again in order to take her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it and then one to her palm as well before holding it in both of his own. "Thank you, Fin."

"Of course. I'm here for you, always." They leaned against each other and just held each other, locked in each other's embrace and another comfortable silence. 

"What are you going to do?" She broke the silence. "Something dramatic?"

"Most likely."

(I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love emotional Pete!

RIP Ice - we love you always!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :))