Chapter 13- He's Awake!

Three more days passed. I couldn't sleep. Even though I knew better than to doubt Maru, I was beginning to, well, doubt Maru. I was worried about Dusty and watching Kimberly fall over and over again every time I closed my eyes. I was just hoping and praying that my best friend would be all right. I wasn't the only one concerned. The residents of Propwash Junction radioed all the time and, ruefully, I never had much news for them. Harvey and Winnie kept getting in touch with the base, wanting to know when Dusty was awake, so that they could thank him personally.

After five days, at midnight, I got up out of the hangar I'd been sharing with Dusty and found Maru.

"How's it going?" I wanted to know.

Maru sighed. "I'm confident that he's gonna be okay now, but I'm up to the hard part now."

"What's the hard part?" I wondered.

"His gearbox."

"His gearbox?" I repeated. "Do you think you can fix it?"

"I should be able to", he assured me. "By the time it's done, he'll be better than new."

I hung around a while, watching anxiously as he worked. Impulsively, I tried to reorganise the hangar. Maru saw what I was doing and suppressed a smile.

"Do you mind? I got everything exactly where I want it."

I looked around. I wouldn't say that the garage was messy. It was more... creatively organised. Smiling sheepishly, I left his tools alone and tried to get some sleep. Tried, being the key word.


It was light the next time I checked in with Maru. He looked exhausted, but proud.

"I just finished his better than new gearbox!" he announced proudly, showing me.

"That's fantastic!" I declared. "He'll love that!"

"Now, I just need to implant it and wait for him to wake up and we should be set."

I helped Maru implant the gearbox, smiling softly as I imagined Dusty's face when he found out.

"Maru?"

"Yeah?"

"When do you think he'll wake up?"

"Hard to say", he responded with a frown. "It could still be a couple more days."

"A couple more days?!" I repeated, dismayed. "Why won't he just wake up?" I was so frustrated, I nearly stomped my foot.

"David, I said, 'Could be'", Maru reminded me. I was surprised to hear him call me by my first name rather than my last name.

"I hope you're wrong", I murmured.


Luckily, he was wrong. It was only a couple of hours later that we heard a low groan. I caught a glimpse of ocean blue in Dusty's windshield.

"Maru!" I gasped. "He's waking up!"

"Maru?" Dusty mumbled.

"Hello there", the mechanic greeted him. Then he laughed. "He's awake! I'm a genius."

"You are!" I agreed. "Thank you so much, Maru!" When I first met him, I wasn't sure whether or not I liked Maru. Now, I could say with confidence that I most certainly did. "DUSTY!" I hollered, charging forward and throwing my arm around him, the best I could.

"Careful, David!" Maru cautioned.

I barely heard him as I laughed happily. "Man, I was so worried about you!"

"I'm okay, David", he assured me. He still looked exhausted and a little disorientated, but we knew that he was going to be okay now. He managed to crack a smile. "I'm not planning on going on the Wall anytime soon."

I burst out laughing, mostly out of relief. "Well, we've got a million people to tell that you're okay!"

"Wait. David, you're hurt", Dusty observed, eyeing the cast on my arm and Band-Aid on my forehead.

"Nah." I waved my good hand dismissively. "I'm okay."

Blade rolled up just then. "Mornin', mud dropper."

"How long have I been out?" Dusty wondered.

"Five days", Blade answered. "Dipper stayed by your side the whole time."

"I like watching you sleep", Dipper whispered, making Dusty blink.

That's when the rest of the team hurried over, cheering.

"Dusty! Thank Chrysler you're all right!" Wildflower cried, sniffling.

"Looking good, Dusty." Cabbie smiled.

"All aircraft, the superintendent has entered the base", Patch's voice rang out, sounding quite pleased for once. With the exception of Dusty, we all knew why. "The superintendent has entered the base."

Obviously expecting Cad, Dusty was more than a little surprised to see Ol' Jammer, accompanied by André, Pulaski, and his assistant, Rake.

"Well, you had us worried, Dusty", Jammer remarked. "Glad to see you're out and about."

"You're the superintendent? What happened to Cad?" Dusty wanted to know, clearly sensing that he had missed something.

Pulaski laughed. "Sprinklers saved the lodge but not his job", he explained. "Secretary of the Interior did the right thing. Put Ranger Jammer here in charge."

"YAY!" Avalanche cheered.

"Pay rise!" Dragon hollered, giving Drip a high-five.

Everyone burst out laughing. We all knew that the team- Dragon included- didn't do what they did for money. Even so, it was nice to know that they were finally being acknowledged for their exceptional work. And now, they could afford to update the base a little.

There was a moment of silence before Windlifter spoke. "Maru, did you tell him?"

Maru hesitated. "Uh….."

"Tell me what?" Dusty questioned, expecting some bad news.

I tried my best to keep a neutral face. Since I know I'm pretty easy to read, I kept my face down and I bit my lip, kicking a stone on the ground.

"I replaced your prop", Maru began. "Repaired the damaged wing ribs. Hammered out what damage I could. Even got your pontoons back on." He chuckled, but then his face fell. "But your gearbox…"

"I know", Dusty murmured sadly. "Thanks for trying, Maru."

Maru grinned abruptly. "You're welcome!" he responded cheerily.

"What?"

"'Cause you're fixed!" Maru confirmed excitedly.

"Wait, really?" Dusty sounded over the moon, but like he was almost afraid to believe it.

"Yeah, that was the hardest thing I've ever done", Maru declared. "You've got yourself a custom-made, epicyclic, concentric reduction gearbox."

"A new gearbox?" Dusty questioned in amazement.

"No! It's better than new!" Maru corrected him.

"Crophopper, I'd say you've earned that certification", Blade informed him.

I guess that was the icing on the cake for Dusty. He turned to me with a broad smile. "I guess things are finally starting to go our way, huh?"

My smile faltered a little. "I guess..."

"Something wrong?" my best friend wondered. "Wait! David's not certified?"

"Not yet", Blade answered, "but with a little more training, he should be-"

"Oh, no; that's okay!" I cut him off. I sighed. "I've thought about it and... I've decided that... I don't want to be a firefighter, anymore."

"You don't?" Dusty blinked in surprise. "How come?"

Reluctantly, I had to tell him about Kimberly.

"I'm sorry that happened to you", he told me sympathetically.

"Thanks, but I don't think I can go through that again", I explained. "Besides, I need to focus on Susannah and my son right now. And, anyway, we only need one firefighter and we've already got one." I smiled at Dusty.

Everyone was silent for a while.

Finally, Blade sighed. "I know how you feel and I'll respect your decision, but a traineeship will always be waiting for you here if you change your mind. Because I think- in fact, I know- you would make a great firefighter."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. It felt good to hear that, but I still wasn't ready to be a firefighter yet. And I wasn't sure I ever would be.


"This is Dusty Crophopper to Celeste Wright! Come in, Celeste! Dusty Crophopper to Celeste Wright!"

"Dusty!" I heard Celeste gasp through the radio. "Do I wake or do I dream?"

Dusty laughed. "You wake! And so do I!"

"Hey, everybody! It's Dusty!" she hollered.

"Dusty?!" several excited voices echoed. "He's okay?!"

"I'm okay, guys", Dusty assured them all. "Uh... Who exactly am I talking to?"

"Well, me, of course", Celeste replied.

"Mayday", Mayday chimed in.

"And Skipper."

"And Sparky."

"And Chug."

"And Dottie."

"And Cynthia."

"And Emma."

"And Rebecca."

"So, what happened?" Chug wanted to know. "Are you okay?"

"We've been worried sick!" Dottie added.

Naturally, they all had a million questions about his crash and Dusty did his best to answer them all and insist that he was perfectly fine.

"And I got some more good news", he went on.

"Yeah?" Skipper asked.

The orange and white plane grinned. "Say hello to Propwash Junction's new firefighter."

That was met with plenty of excitement.

"That's wonderful, Dusty!" (Mayday.)

"Way to go, Dustmeister!"(Chug.)

"We're so proud of you." (Skipper.)

"I knew you could do it!" (Mom.)

"Congratulations!" (Dottie, Rebecca and Emma.)

"Good going, partner!" (Celeste.)

"Awesome... Wait. What about David?" Sparky questioned.

"I'm not certified", I reported, "but it's all good." Even though I knew it was for the best, I still felt like I'd let everyone down.

Being the great friend that he is, Dusty picked up on that and changed the subject. "Ready for my last bit of good news?"

"There's more?" Rebecca asked in surprise.

"It's about my gearbox..." he began, speaking slowly and smiling.

"You're fixed?" Celeste guessed hopefully.

"I got a better than new gearbox, courtesy of Piston Peak's mechanic, Maru!" he reported.

"AUGGHHH!" Celeste squealed. "Dusty Crophopper, you better not be kidding!"

"I'm not!" he laughed.

"Thank this Maru for me!"

"I will", he assured her.

"I'm glad to see you found a new favourite mechanic!" Dottie teased.

"Ishani, El Chu and Bulldog have all been worried about you", Celeste reported. "They all heard about the fire and your crash... Should I tell them you're fine and will be back to racing soon?"

"Sure, co-pilot!" Dusty answered, grinning. "Starting with the Corn Festival. David and I still have to stay up here another week, but we'll be back in time for the Corn Festival."

"With Dusty a certified firefighter, they'll have to reopen Propwash", I put in. "And the Corn Fest will go on."

"Great!" Celeste confirmed. "I'll see you then, partner!"

After ending the call, I was about to check in with Susannah, but Dusty stopped me.

"Listen, David, I got something I wanna say", he began. "I'm sorry I've been such a jerk since we got here."

"That's okay", I assured him, willing to let bygones be bygones. He seemed to be acting like my best friend again. "I guess I was a little hard on you."

"No, no, no; you were right", he disagreed. "I hadn't been listening to a word Blade said since we got here. I should've listened to both of you."

"Well, you were right too", I admitted. "Sometimes, I don't think for myself. I just go along with what everyone else wants." I sighed. "The truth is, I never should have come here in the first place. I know you didn't want me to."

"Yeah, if it did kind of annoy me that you wanted to be a firefighter too", Dusty confessed. "I mean, you're always helping out Propwash Junction. You're not the only one who wants to do that. I wanted an opportunity to show that I care."

"What are you talking about?" I wondered. "Everyone in Propwash Junction knows you care about them. You're always there for them too."

"Like when?" Dusty wondered.

"You helped tutor Celeste when she was struggling at school", I began.

"You did that too", Dusty countered.

"Helping Leadbottom when Air Devil Jones cancelled on him", I pointed out. "Sticking up for me when kids at school called me a momma's boy and a teacher's pet. We know you care about people in general by saving Bulldog's life and El Chu and Rochelle wouldn't be together if it weren't for you. Plus, just... being there. Sometimes, that's all you gotta do." Just like I didn't, I thought miserably.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't want you here, but I'm glad you're here now", he assured me. He offered me his wing. "Brothers for life?"

I couldn't help smiling. I remembered that from years ago. Chug came up with a secret wing/nozzle/handshake. We were supposed to spit first, but I could understand that Dusty thought we were past that.

"Brothers for life", I repeated, shaking his wing.


I thought that the week we had to wait on the base before returning home would be torturous, but it actually went by surprisingly quick. Dusty had tested out his gearbox and could confirm that it was indeed better than new. He seemed especially happy that the alarm on his panel kept quiet, even when he pushed himself to max torque.

Although, we couldn't go until we'd done two things. One, Dusty received a new red, white and black paint job from Maru, so that he looked like a real firefighter. Two, the Smokejumpers insisted on signing my cast and the rest of the team followed suit.

Finally, it was time to go.

"Thanks for everything, guys", Dusty chorused.

"It was our pleasure", Blade assured him. "Normally, we don't allow guests onto the base, but the two of you are welcome back anytime."

"Thanks!" We nodded in appreciation.

"So, this isn't goodbye", Wildflower assured us, though she still had tears in her eyes. "This is, 'See you later!'"

"You'll still come to the Corn Festival, right?" Dusty asked. We had invited them all and they had agreed. Blade was a little tentative, but we all pointed out that fires were not likely right now, given that the park was still closed. If lightning started a fire, the staff at the lodge would call them immediately.

"We wouldn't miss it", Dipper promised him.

"See you then!" Dynamite waved.

"Safe travels!" Cabbie shouted as we took off.

"Take care of yourselves!" Windlifter added.

As the base disappeared from view, I felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind.

"Cheer up, David." Dusty smiled at me. "We'll be back. Besides, we're going home."

Home. Just then, it was the most beautiful word in the English language.

Somewhere over Wyoming, Dusty started singing "Still I Fly" by Spencer Lee as he pushed himself into the red a couple of times. I laughed.

"Be careful! We're both still recovering!"

"Right! Sorry."

"Hey, Dust?"

"Yeah?"

"You sure you can handle being a racer and a firefighter?" I had learned my lesson on taking too much; I didn't want my best friend to make the same mistake.

"No", he admitted, "but I guess I'll never know if I don't try."

"Good point", I acknowledged.


A few hours later, the sights we past became more and more familiar. Finally, I could see the highway where we had taken off from Propwash with the aeroplane-shaped town in the distance.

"Hey, everyone's waiting for us!" Dusty observed happily as he began his descent.

Indeed they were. The first thing I spotted was Mom's honey-coloured hair. Then I could see everyone were Chug, Dottie, Skipper, Sparky, Mom, Celeste, Emma, Rebecca and...

"Is that Mayday?!" I gasped, getting a glimpse of the newly refurbished fire truck. He was now shiny with new equipment and new glasses.

When we landed, everyone enveloped us in a big group hug, laughing and shouting.

"I missed you!"

"We're back!"

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!"

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you guys!"

"Congratulations, Dusty!"

"I was so sorry to hear about your crash and that poor woman!"

"Glad to see you're both looking well!"

"So, a new gearbox, huh?"

We were all talking over the top of each other and I loved it.

Finally, I broke away, pulling my mother aside. "Uh... Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, honey... What is it?"

I asked her the same question I had asked Blade. "When Dad died... how did you get through it?"

Mom sighed, locking her crisp blue eyes onto my dark brown ones. "It's not easy", she admitted, "but life goes on. I mean, I had a baby coming soon. I had to be there for you. And you weren't easy at first. You had colic and would not stop crying."

I managed a tiny smile.

"You're so much like him, you know", Mom continued. "So unselfish and devoted to those you love..." She sighed. "I was worried it might become your downfall, like it was his."

"What do you mean?"

Mom sighed again. "When the tornado came, your father... He was very worried about me, of course, because I was pregnant with you, but he was also worried about Julian Myers." Julian Myers was an old man who used to live in Propwash Junction. He never left his house after the war, but everyone knew him and helped him out until he passed away in 2003. He lived where Celeste and her family does now. "So, your father went to make sure Julian was all right. On the way there, he... He was struck by a tin roof that came off a shed in the tornado. He was killed instantly."

"Oh..." I murmured softly.

"He was trying to help his friends, his community", Mom explained remorsefully. "I've always found that a very admirable quality, but I'll tell you what I wish I'd told your father: You can't be everything to everyone, David."

"But I can try!" I insisted, fighting the urge to cry.

"Oh, honey!" Mom exclaimed, hugging me. "Whatever you need, we'll all be here."

I nodded. "I know I appreciate that... Is Susannah okay?"

"She's fine", Mom assured me. "Why don't you go and see her? I think she's been worried. I'll come home soon and fix you both up with some soup."

"Okay! That sounds great." I hurried home. "I'll catch you guys later!"


Our collie, Daisy, greeted me at the door and followed me up to my room. Susannah was in bed; her face was pale and her normally silky, shiny auburn waves looked more like a rat's nest and her hazel eyes were not as bright as they normally are.

"Honey?"

"Babe!" She lit up as I strode across the room and hugged her. "You're back! How are you?"

"I'm fine. The more important question is, how are you?"

"Oh, fine!" she assured me, waving a hand dismissively. "Nothing wrong with me or the baby."

I nodded, relieved. "That's good."

"I'm sorry to hear the whole firefighting thing didn't work out for you."

"I'm not", I disagreed. "It means I can be here."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're back!"

"Me too", I agreed, "and I promise I'm not leaving you again. I'm sorry I did in the first place."

"You don't have to-" my wife protested.

"Yes, yes I do", I insisted. "I thought that I should take care of Propwash, but, I learned that I can't take care of everyone. And you and the baby should've always been my first priority."

Susannah smiled. "I know. And I've never doubted that we have been. You were trying to get certified for us too. Someone who tries as hard as you do is a very special kind of person."

"Well, I'm gonna be here from now on", I promised, placing a hand on her stomach. "Every step of the way, I'm gonna be there."

Her smile grew wider. "You better be! I can't raise this baby alone."

"I'm sure you could", I countered, "but I don't want you to."

That was when we shared a long overdue kiss. And before my mom could come back with the soup, she promised, both of us were fast asleep.

The part about helping Leadbottom when Air Devil Jones cancelled is a reference to the Planes short, Vitaminamulch Air Spectacular.