Following the day's review with Maverick, Annabelle straight away headed towards the base's infirmary. There were only thirty minutes left in visiting hours, but seeing Bob and Phoenix even for just a short time was better than not being able to see them at all. She decided to see Phoenix first, as she had been ushered away all to quickly by the med team before being allowed to see Annabelle on the tarmac. She found Phoenix laying quietly in her hospital bed, her headphones in her ears to drown out the noise surrounding her in the infirmary. Annabelle remembered this from the academy. After any particularly bad day, Natasha would hide in the solitude of her room, blasting music to block out any other distraction or thought that could possibly put her in a worse mood. Annabelle knew that this meant she wanted to be alone now, but she was hoping Nat might make an exception given the circumstances. As she moved to open the door, Natasha's head turned to meet her eyes, and she straightened up in her bed, removing her headphones as she did so.
"Annie. I'm so sorry. I almost got Bob killed and I--" Natasha's words were cut off by Annabelle as she sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. The tension in Phoenix's body lessened and she hugged her best friend back in response. "I thought you'd be so mad at me. I'm so sorry, Annie." Annabelle couldn't believe the words leaving her friend's mouth. If she hadn't just had a near death experience and weren't in a hospital bed right now, Annabelle would have slapped Natasha upside the head for such an assumption. So instead, she settled for a look of utter disbelief as she pulled back to look Nat in the eyes.
"Nat, I was just as worried for you up there as I was for Bobby. You think I'd hurt any less if I had lost you instead of him? Natasha I can't imagine, I can't even entertain the thought of you dying. You're my best friend and I almost lost you today. How could you possibly think I'd blame you for something as random and unpredictable as a bird strike?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry, I know that you care about me too, of course I do. But I also know that I'm responsible for Bob's life up there as well as my own. And that's a lot of pressure in and of itself, but now that Bob is also my best friend's boyfriend? I wouldn't blame you for hating me if anything ever happened to him while we were up in the air."
"Natasha. Listen to me. From now on, I don't want you thinking like that up there."
"But it's the truth--"
"No. You cannot put that much pressure on yourself. That kind of expectation is only going to hinder you mentally as a pilot. And I especially can't allow it to happen because of me. When you're up in the sky, Bob is just your back seater, nothing more. And so long as you guys listen to each other and trust one another, I know that you'll both always come home. And that's how it needs to be. You both need to always come home to me, okay?" With tears in her eyes, Natasha nodded her head in understanding, so grateful to have a friend like Annie here with her now.
"I promise. I love you, Annie."
"Oh, I love you too, Nat!" The girls pulled one another into yet another tight embrace. When they pulled away, Natasha made quick work of removing any sign of falling tears from her face, laughing lightly as she did so.
"Okay. Enough with the heavy. Were you able to see Bob before they carted him over here?"
"Yeah, I did. Warlock intervened and made it happen. Remind me to thank him for that."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What happened? When you and Bob talked to each other?" Annabelle blushed lightly as she thought back to the conversation, now able to think of it in a much happier light.
"He told me that he loves me. And I told him I love him back." Although Annabelle spoke in a soft and calm tone, Natasha could tell that she was struggling to contain her excitement at the latest advance in their relationship.
"I'm happy for you. You deserve this. I can't imagine a better guy for you than Bob." Annabelle smiled as she gripped Natasha's hand at the side of the bed.
"Thanks, Nat. That means a lot coming from you. And thank you. For helping make it all possible. Bob and I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah, I thought that too. But seeing the two of you together, I think it would have happened no matter what. Now go. I know you're dying to see him, and you only have ten minutes until visiting hours are up. Don't worry about us. We'll be back in the air first thing in the morning." Annie smiled wide at Phoenix's last remark, standing to place a kiss on Nat's forehead before she made her way out of the room and moved next door to Bob's.
-----
Bob's eyes lit up as Annabelle's figure quietly slipped through the door to his hospital room. She gave him a small smile as she shut the door behind her and made her way to sit beside him on the bed, her hand immediately going to grab his. As it did, Bob gently tugged her forward, bringing her lips to his in a much needed kiss. The kiss was soft and gentle, but it felt different than all the other kisses they'd shared before. Knowing what they both knew now, that he loved her, and she loved him, the kiss felt all the more real. They both recognized that what they were feeling behind the kiss now, was love. Never wanting the remove her lips from his, Annabelle swung her legs up onto the bed beside Bob, who moved over slightly to allow her room to lay beside him, their lips not breaking apart for even a second. Finally feeling a need for more air in her lungs than was currently being allowed, Annabelle pulled back, her hand falling from Bob's neck to his chest while their others remained entwined between their bodies. Bob was breathing heavy, and Annabelle couldn't help but giggle as he continued to tilt his head forward now and again to bring their lips together again for small pecks.
"So, I know we probably established this out on the tarmac earlier, but I just need to check. We're together now, right? Like officially together, together?" Annabelle laughed at the innocence of the man beside her. She hoped he always stayed her sweet, shy, innocent Bob. She wouldn't want him any other way.
"Yes, Bobby. We are together. I don't ever want to go back to not having you in my life. I can barely remember a time you weren't already in my life and that was just nearly two weeks ago."
"I know what you mean. I love you, Belle. I think I might've loved you from the moment we met." The sincerity in Bob's eyes as he spoke to Annie made her feel safer than she ever had in her entire life. She knew that he meant every word he said. She knew she could trust him completely, and that was a feeling that was foreign in her previous relationships. Placing a sweet kiss to Bob's lips, she slid down slightly to curl up beside him, her head resting on his chest as his arms moved to wrap around her midsection.
"How much time do we have before visiting hours are up?"
"Um... about three minutes." Annabelle's only response was a soft groan as she nuzzled herself closer into Bob's side. If they wanted her out of here, one of the nurses or doctors would have to come force her out. So, when Annabelle heard the door to Bob's room open just a few minutes later, she assumed it was one of the nurses doing checks for the night. With a heavy sigh, she lifted herself to sitting position away from Bob, preparing to head out for the night, but stopped short when she saw Admiral Simpson in the doorway instead.
"Sir, about earlier. I'm sorry--"
"This isn't about that, Lieutenant." Confusion filled Annabelle's face as Admiral Simpson continued to just stare at her. If he wasn't here to talk about her insubordination on the tarmac, or to kick her out of the infirmary for staying past visiting hours, then what could he possibly--. The look Cyclone gave her as the realization came to her face confirmed all she needed to know.
"No. No, no, no, no, no." Annabelle raced over to the seat by the door where she had dropped her phone and keys upon entering the room. Her hands were already shaking when she grabbed her phone and found a plethora of missed calls and messages from her mom, all from within the last ten minutes. She instantly dialed back on one of the missed calls, preparing for the worst when she brought her phone to her ear.
"Baby?" Annabelle looked over at Bob quickly whose face was covered in concern. But she didn't have time to ease his worries just yet. Not when she might not have a reason or the ability to do so. Her attention was pulled back to the call at hand when she heard her mother's voice on the other end of the call.
"Annie."
"Mama? Mama, tell me it's not too late. Please tell me I'm not too late." Understanding now the sudden change in Annie's demeanor, Bob sat up taller in his bed, pulling the sheets away from his body in case he needed to get to Annabelle in a moment's notice.
"I'm so sorry baby girl. He's gone."
Everything after that seemed to move in slow motion. Annabelle faintly heard herself let out a small scream, sobs immediately making their way out of her chest and into the open air. She fell to her knees on the hospital floor, Bob falling just beside her almost instantly. She faintly felt him take the phone from her hand and heard him speak a few soft words into it before hanging up and placing it back on the chair to their side. All of Annabelle's senses had gone numb. She didn't feel Bob pull her into him, she didn't hear Natasha barge in from the room next door having heard Annie's initial scream, she didn't hear any of the soothing words Bob tried to offer her, or feel Natasha's embrace from her other side, caging her in between two of the most important people in her life. She couldn't speak. She couldn't think. All she could do was feel her heart breaking from inside her chest and the warm tears that wouldn't stop rolling down her cheeks.
-----
The morning of the funeral was one of the hardest Annabelle had ever experienced. She had been given permission to attend with her mother instead of the detachment team and had also convinced Admiral Simpson to allow Bob to go with them as well. This was mainly because when he had tried to refuse, she made it clear that she was not asking. She was merely informing the admiral that he would be with her. Period. Needing to drive to her mother's first before leaving for the cemetery, Annabelle had to be up extra early to account for the commute. She got ready in silence, moving slowly throughout her apartment while waiting for Bob to pick her up as planned. When Annie opened the door at his arrival, she wanted to break down in his arms then and there, but she knew there would be no time for that until after the day was over.
By the time Bob and Annabelle had arrived at the Kazansky home, Annabelle was already exhausted in every way possible. But she needed to keep a brave face for her mother's sake. As Sarah opened the door, she rushed to pull her daughter in as close to her as possible. Noticing Bob just behind Annabelle, Sarah extended an arm, reaching to pull him into the embrace as well, which he did gladly. After several minutes like that, Sarah finally released the two from her grip and welcomed them inside the house. By some miracle, no one had shed a tear, but it was only a matter of time. Annabelle was unsure what to say as she stood in the entry way of her childhood home. Already, it felt completely different. Knowing that her father would never walk amongst these walls was enough to make her heart constrict in her chest.
"Thank you so much for coming, Bob. It means a lot to me and Annie that you can be here with us. Tom would've wanted it this way." The sentiment choked Bob up a bit, but he promised himself he would stay strong for Belle today. She needed him now more than ever, and he certainly wasn't going to choose today of all days to let her down.
"Of course, Sarah. Anything I can do to help today, please, let me know. I am entirely at your disposal." Sarah gave Bob a grateful smile and pulled him into a hug on his own. She held him close so that he might hear her as she spoke softly into his ear, not wanting Annabelle to hear her words.
"I cannot thank you enough for helping Annie through this. I'm so grateful you were with her when she got the news. Thank you for taking care of her. Thank you."
"Of course. I plan on taking care of her for the foreseeable future. Thank you for trusting me with her." Sarah squeezed Bob a little tighter at his words. If only Tom had been around to see the two of them become official. The moment they had left the night of the barbeque, he turned to Sarah and said he hoped that boy would marry his little girl. Sarah had no doubt that that was a very real possibility now as she held the young man in her arms.
"Mama, we need to get going. We're expected to be the first to arrive and it's a bit of a drive." Sarah released Bob at the sound of her daughter's voice, straightening out her dress as she pulled herself together quickly.
"You're right. Let me just grab my purse and we'll be off." As Sarah left the room for a short moment to collect her things, Bob moved to stand in front of Belle, taking her hands in his as she looked up at him from below.
"You know it's okay to cry, right? You don't need to wear a brave face, not today if you don't want to."
"Yes, I do. I need to be strong for mama. She's going through too much right now. I need to be able to be there for her if she needs me."
"What, and you're not going through a lot, Belle? Honey, in the last twenty-four hours, you nearly lost me and your best friend, and ended up losing your father. No one would blame you for being vulnerable at a time like this." Annabelle felt herself starting to crack at Bob's words. She couldn't be mad at the slight frustration in his voice. She knew he was just worried about her and wanted her to process all of this in a healthy manner. But she stuck to her guns and kept everything bottled up inside. She could break a little once the day was up, and then the rest of the way after the mission.
"I'm okay, Bobby. I promise. If it gets to be too much, you're the first person I'll tell. But until then, I'm fine." Not wanting to discuss it any further for fear of breaking her resolve, Annabelle walked back out the door to wait in the car.
-----
The funeral was just like any traditional military funeral. Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky was granted highest honors with all chief naval commanders in attendance. They performed the 21 Gun salute, and presented Annabelle's mother with a folded up flag, thanking her for her husband's service. Although Annabelle felt the many gazes of her detachment unit on her throughout the ceremony, she couldn't bring herself to look back. She knew that Rooster in particular had been keeping a close eye on her, and she knew that the impending conversation they would have would likely cause her to break. So, she remained silent, her gaze locked straight ahead on her father's casket.
Maverick was granted the honor of locking Iceman's Top Gun insignia into the casket, but as he raised his hand to punch in the pin, he found he was unable to do it. His eyes turned to Annabelle whose look had already been on him. Realizing what he was asking, Annabelle sucked in a deep breath, then moved forward to take her place beside Maverick. She raised her fist to eye level before bringing it down hard, securing the pin to her father's casket, followed by her and Maverick raising one final salute to the admiral. It was in this moment that her first tear of the day made it past her eye.
Everyone came over to offer condolences to Annabelle and her mother before departing the cemetery at the funeral's end. Annabelle didn't say much, just a quiet thank you for attending and a few hugs to those from the detachment. Rooster was the last to make his way over, pulling Sarah into a strong hug while apologizing for her loss. When he stepped in front of Annie, she nearly leaped into his arms, standing as tall as her toes would allow her to go to get the best possible grip on her best friend. Knowing they would need a moment alone, Bob offered his arm to Sarah to lead her back to the car, whispering to Annie on the way to take as long as she'd need. Annabelle felt completely at peace in the quiet of the cemetery with her best friend in her arms. Rooster showed no sign of letting her go anytime soon which Annabelle didn't mind one bit. His voice came out muffled as he talked into her neck, but she heard him all the same.
"I'm so sorry. What can I do? Tell me what I can do to help. Anything at all, Annie." The girl sniffled back oncoming tears as she pulled away, Rooster looking down at her with all the concern in the world.
"Nothing at the moment, Roost. I just need to go on this mission, complete it with no casualties, and then I can come home and rest with it."
"Come on Annie, the mission isn't what's important right now."
"Yes, it is. My father is the one who signed off on this mission and he believed in me enough to throw me in the pool of candidates to go. I can't let him down. I have to go on this mission, and I have to see it through. Nothing else matters until that is done." Understanding that this wasn't a discussion he would be winning, Rooster merely nodded as he pulled Annabelle back into him, planting a kiss on her head as she wrapped her arms around him in return.
After spending the afternoon at her mother's with Bob, entertaining the family who had all come to pay their respects as well, Annabelle and Bob found themselves back at the base beyond exhausted from the day's events. Offering Belle a quick kiss and an 'I love you' goodnight, Bob turned to make his way to his own dorm for the night before being stopped by Annie gripping his uniform tightly to keep him from going any further. When he turned back to her, tears were running down her face, the first time they had done so all day. The look of complete sadness and defeat that she gave him broke his heart into a thousand little pieces.
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please? I don't want to be alone right now." Bob released a sad sigh at the question, crushed that she could possibly think he might refuse such a request.
"Of course I will, Belle. Baby, I don't have to go anywhere if you don't want me to. Let me go grab some pajamas and a change of clothes and I'll be right over." Annabelle nodded in agreement as she released her hold on his sleeve and stepped back towards her door again.
"Thank you. I'll leave the door unlocked." Bob leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips before making his way down the hall to his own dorm room. Annie made quick work of changing out of her formal uniform and into an extra-large t-shirt to sleep in for the night. She let out a sigh of relief as her bun fell from her head and she shook her hair out to rest lazily over her shoulders. She heard Bob make his way into the dorm as she climbed into bed, his figure quietly making its way into her room as he shut the door behind him. Annabelle had already begun to doze off when she felt him slide into bed next to her, pulling her body close against his as he nuzzled his head into her hair. She felt him lean up and over slightly to press a chaste kiss to her cheek before laying back into the mattress.
"I love you, Belle. More and more every day." Annabelle tightened her hold on his arms around her stomach at the words, feeling some semblance of true happiness for the first time all day.
"I love you too, Bobby. More than you can possibly know." Feeling completely warm and at peace in one another's arms, the two young pilots fell blissfully into sleep, not yet knowing what the next day would bring them.