Ria grunted as she landed harshly, collapsing to the ground as her shute drifted down behind her. She checked herself over and only found a few scrapes but knew she would definitely be sore later. "Elliot!" She yelled as she took off her helmet and began looking for where he landed. When she heard no response she untangled herself from her shute cords and walked a little ways away from it. "Elliot!" she yelled again. "Ria!" he called out climbing up and over a hill to where they finally spotted each other. Elliot raced down the slope, taking her into his arms. The two felt like they could breathe again now that they were holding onto one another. "I'm so sorry Eli," Ria cried into his chest. "Hey, hey, Ria- look," he said, brushing the hair that had come loose from the bun she'd had it in back from her eyes. She wouldn't look him in the eyes. "Indira Kazansky! Look at me. I am right here. We are both alive and we are both ok. You did your job." Tears ran down Ria's face but she looked at him. "You did your job," he told her again and she nodded, burying her face into his chest again. Elliot pressed a kiss to her head as he held her tightly. A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk soars over the landscape toward the two aviators. It landed on the desert floor and a crew member came to check them out and help them to the helo. Soon enough Ria was strapped in beside Elliot and one of the rescue crew members and laying her head on Elliot's shoulder, exhaustion setting in.
They are brought to the base hospital to get checked out, per protocol. The flight medic found nothing life-threatening but wanted to be completely sure. They weren't allowed visitors until their commanding officer had been briefed on exactly what had occurred. The nurse was in the middle of applying a butterfly closure to the cut on Ria's forehead when Admiral Simpson walked in. "Admiral," Ria and Elliot greeted the latter wincing as a nurse prodded at one of the more noticeable bruises on his wrist. "At ease, I just have a few questions to ask." The head nurse turned to look at the Admiral. "They're pretty banged up, we'd like to keep them overnight for observation, just in case something changes." The Admiral nodded before dismissing them. Ria motioned for him to ask away. "In the course of training, have you felt Captain Mitchell was forcing you beyond your natural abilities?" he asked and Ria furrowed a brow. "No, sir," she responded immediately. "Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" he asked. "We suffered a double engine failure at low altitude. We had no choice but to eject sir," she replied. The Admiral turned to Elliot. "Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" The two aviators share a look. "Don't look at her. Answer the question. Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" the Admiral demanded. "I know what you want me to say, sir. I'm not going to say it," Elliot said firmly. "We did what the mission calls for. It was a bird strike that cause engine failure. Captain Mitchell is not responsible for what happened out there," Ria told him, not backing down.
Maverick waited anxiously in the waiting room. Cyclone emerges from the room and approaches him. There is a long, uncomfortable pause as Cyclone ponders what to say. "Admiral." Maverick and Cyclone turn their heads to see Warlock and Hondo approaching. "At the request of Hondo here, I've just been down to inspect Captain Mitchell's plane," Warlock tells the other Admiral. Cyclone looks to Hondo. "Well?" he asked. "Bird strike, sir," Hondo tells the man. "Come again?" the Admiral asks. "There's bird guts all down the starboard side of Mav- Of Captain Mitchell's plane, sir. Lieutenant Kazanksy was flying in tight formation with him. I'm guessing the wreckage will show she took a flock of birds head-on." Cyclone looks at Maverick for another beat, then walks away. Warlock follows, leaving Maverick and Hondo to share a look. "Go check on them, see for yourself that they're ok," Hondo advised, seeing the almost haunted look in Mav's eyes. Maverick nodded before turning down the hallway where their room was. He knocked gently on the door twice before he opened it to see Ria and her wizzo talking quietly. Elliot stiffened, immediately shutting up. "Captain," he greeted. "At ease Lieutenants," Maverick said, not moving further than the doorway. "I'm so glad you both are alright, you did good," he said after a moment. "I should have seen them coming," Ria said, looking down. "I hardly saw them until they hit my canopy, you did absolutely everything right, there was no fault today," he reassured. "I'll leave you guys to get some rest now. Good work today," he told them before turning and leaving the pair alone once again.
"Can I help you?" a nurse at the front desk asked him as Jake walked up. "I'm looking for Indira Kazanksy, she was brought in a few hours ago," he told her. The woman raised a brow. "Relation to the patient?" she asked. "Boyfriend," Jake said with no hesitation. "Oh, alright," she hummed before typing a few things into the computer. "Visiting hours are over in an hour. Room 189," the nurse told him. "Thank you, ma'am," Jake replied before turning to head down the hallway toward the room he had been told. He knocked on the door gently before opening it to see Denver quietly talking on his phone to someone and Ria laying on her side with her eyes closed, resting. Denver smiled at him before nodding his head over in Ria's direction. Jake nodded as he walked further into the room, hesitating for a moment before making his way over to her bedside. Jake reached out to gently tuck a few stands that lingered around her face behind an ear. Ria's eyes fluttered at the contact before opening and revealing her blue eyes. "Jake?" she says quietly. "Hey," he whispers, withdrawing his hand as he takes a seat in the chair beside her bed. "What are you doing here Jake?" she asks, sitting up and adjusting the pillow she had been resting on. "Had to come to check on you myself," he told her simply. "Didn't they tell you guys we were fine?" she yawned. "Yeah, just needed to see you, that's all." Ria felt like she could just melt into a puddle at his words. "You scared the crap out of me Ria, hearing everything that happened," Jake said quietly. Ria reached out for his hand, and he gave it to her, 'm, right here," she whispered, squeezing his hand before placing it right on her heart. Jake nods and allows it to rest there for a moment. Ria frowned as he went to remove his hand, grabbing it before he could go very far. She scooted over and patted the bed beside her, silently asking Jake to lay with her. He obliges, carefully laying beside her and wrapping her into his arms, almost sighing with relief as she lays her head on his chest and closes her eyes.
It can't have been longer than a few hours before she's shaken awake by a nurse and Jake moving to stand. "I'm sorry honey, there are some men here to see you and visiting hours are over," the nurse whispers, checking her monitors. Ria rubbed at her eyes as Jake stretches his arms over his head, thanking the nurse quietly for letting him stay as long as she did, looking over at Elliot who was now sitting up, his eyes focused on the two uniformed men standing in the doorway. Following her backseaters gaze, Ria recognizes the uniformed men and her hand darts out to grab Jake's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Miss Kazansky, we have some news for you if you'd come with us," the one on the left says. Ria shakes her head. "No. no. They- they can hear too," she says, her voice a little hoarse. She had a feeling she knew what they were going to say. "Very well, we regret to inform you miss Kazansky, that your father, Admiral Tom Kazansky has passed away in his home of San Diego, California." Ria swallows, their words sinking in. She licked her lips before nodding. "Thank you for the information, I have my support system here, so you are dismissed," she says professionally and the two men look at her, unsure. "Do I need to repeat myself sir?" she asks. Jake gives them a look and they both shake their heads. "Very well ma'am, goodnight." Jake takes a seat on the edge of her bed, pulling her into a tight hug as Elliot begins shifting his thin blanket so he can get up. "I'm sorry to say this, but visiting hours are over. Mr. Seresin will need to be leaving now," the nurse spoke up. Ria clutched Jake tighter at her words, burying her face in his chest, silent tears streaming. "Can't he stay, just for the night?" Elliot whispers to the nurse. "She's just been told her dad is dead, surely you can make an exception." The nurse bit her lip. "I suppose I can, but if anyone asks, he's her fiance," she said after a moment and Elliot thanked her profusely. "Alright, push the call button if you three need anything," she said before she briskly exited the room. Elliot makes his way over to sit on Ria's other side, rubbing her back soothingly as she cried into Jake's shirt.
The next morning Jake had dropped Elliot off at his temporary housing and proceeded to drive Ria to her parents home. She was silent the whole drive but as soon as he put the truck in park Ria was out and running for the front door. Junior opened the door and Ria immediately pulled him in for a tight hug, whispering words of love as he clutched onto his big sister. Ria sniffled as she felt him loosen his grip and took that as he was ready for her to let go of him. Jake had slowly made his way up the few steps to the front porch. "Atlas is up in Mari's room with her. Mom's in their room," Tj tells her and she nods before clearing her throat. "Tj, I dont know if you remember him but this is-" Ria begins only to be cut off by her younger brother. "Jake. I remember," he deadpans. Jake rubs the back of his neck almost sheepishly. "Right well, I'm going to go up and see Mari, then mom, be nice to him," Ria says before heading for the stairs. "You hurt my sister again and I swear to whoever is out there you'll regret it, Rhett's not here to threaten you anymore but I'll do it for him," Ria manages to hear Tj tell Jake from her position halfway up the stairs. She smiles softly, before knocking twice on Mari's door before opening it to see her sitting up in her bed, watching something mindless on her tv, Atlas laying across her legs.
Atlas lifted his head and looked at her as Ria crossed the room and sat down beside her little sister, scratching Atlas's head in greeting. Ria opens her arms and Mari then flings herself into them, Atlas jumping up at the movement before settling across Ria's legs. "Why weren't you here last night?" she mumbles into Ria's chest. "Mari, love, I can barely hear you when you do that," Ria begins, "But if you asked where I was last night I was in the base hospital, I uh, I had a little bit of training mishap and they kept me and Elliot overnight, wouldn't release us," she told the 13-year-old. Mari squeezed Ria a little tighter at her words. "Easy Mari, I'm still a little sore," Ria laughed. "I could have lost you too," Mari begins sobbing. Ria softened at her words, "Mari, honey, it's always a possibility with my job, you know that." Mari just cried more and it hurt Ria's heart. "You also know that I do absolutely everything I can to come home," Ria told her. "Rhett didn't come home though," Mari sniffled and Ria just squeezed the younger girl to her tighter. "I know Mari, and it sucks, but we knew the risks when we signed up. We keep his memory alive through us all, and we'll do the same for Dad too." Mari cried for a bit longer and Ria just held her through it. Eventually, Mari fell asleep and Ria carefully picked her up off of her and placed her back in the middle of her bed. Atlas moved to lay beside Mari and Ria patted his head before leaving to go check on her mom.
She carefully walked down the hallway to her parents room, knocking gently before entering. "Hey mama," she greets softly, seeing her mother curled up on the big bed with the pillow her father had used tucked in her arms. Sarah Kazansky in her pajamas looks up at her eldest daughter with unshed tears in her eyes. "Hi, baby," she whispers, setting the pillow back into its place and opening her arms. Ria crawled onto the bed beside her mother, welcoming the embrace. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "He's not in pain anymore," her mother replied. Ria sniffled and nodded as her mother tightened her grip on her daughter. "How are Tj and Mari?" her mother asks softly. "They're as ok as they can be momma," Ria told her. "And you?" she asks. "I'm ok, mama. I'll always be ok," she told her mother. Sarah pushed some of the hair out of Ria's eyes. "You've always been my strong and independent girl, it's ok if you aren't," she said. "I know mama, I know." Her mother squeezed her tightly for a moment.
A portrait of Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky presides over his funeral the next day. Ria, in her dress blues, stands somewhat stoically beside the rest of the Kazansky family, Atlas at her feet. She hardly listened to the preacher or some of her father's closest co-workers as they told stories of how great of a man her father had been and how he would be missed. She already knew how great of a man he was, he was her father. Taps played as Cyclone received the folded flag from the officers and presented it to her mother, who took it gently and holds it to her chest before looking at Maverick, who had been standing beside her. He steps forward, moving to the little podium before addressing the crowd. "Ice understood what it is to be a wingman. A wingman is willing to defend your life with their own and stay with you no matter how impossible the odds are. More than anything, a wingman is there to push you beyond your limits and encourage you to find the very best in yourself. Ice was a wingman to his family, his friends, to every life he touched. That is why I know he'll never be truly gone." Maverick steps forward to the casket, slams his wings into the casket, and salutes, as do all service members. There's the rumbling crescendo of jets as four F-18s fly overhead. One pulling up into a vertical climb: the "missing man" formation is when Ria allows a single tear of her own to slip down her cheek.