X is for X-Ray
Cabbie did his best not to hold his breath, he needed to keep breathing, but the fear that was bubbling up inside of him just made him want to stop time…to freeze it in its tracks. He knew he shouldn't fear a simple medical procedure…a test…but he also knew that the outcome of that test would determine his entire existence.
Maru had offered to come with Cabbie when he got the procedure done, but as always, Cabbie had declined. He trusted the mechanic with his engines…his life…but he was too good of a friend. If X-Ray Radiography showed signs of microfractures, Maru would insist on being the mechanic to let him know. Cabbie knew that giving him what was tantamount to a death sentence would haunt Maru forever…and if Cabbie needed to get that level of bad news, the least he could do was make sure to do as little harm to those he cared about in the process.
He tried to force himself to breathe and look at the bright side. He had lived a good, long life. One that was far better and far longer than he deserved. During the wars there were so many battles that he shouldn't have flown away from and he had fought some truly terrifying fires. If his body decided that it had experienced too much to keep flying, Cabbie would find a way to respect that. He had made up his mind long ago that he wouldn't fight it like some aircraft did. He would respect his fate, say his goodbyes, and take his last flight. As far as deaths go, there was a lot of comfort in being able to face it with choices.
"Colonel McHale?" The VA medical orderly pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts before they got into a proper tailspin. Cabbie tried to reply, but he found his mouth had gone completely dry, so he managed an affirmative bob instead. "The technician just looked over your scans and they looked great. No evidence of microfractures."
"Thank You." Cabbie managed to choak out which got him a pat on his nose.
"Well, I will send back some coffee and when you are done with your mug and your nerves are settled, you are free to hit the sky's."
Cabbie had enough practice faking stable nerves that he was able to escape out the airport exit of the VA less than 15 minutes later. Once he was finally on the tarmac, Cabbie let go of the breath he had partially been holding for the full week leading up to the test. He held in the rest of his emotions until he reached cruising altitude, then he opened the flood gates and let everything out. Only when the last of his sobs had let go of his frame did Cabbie turn his nose towards home. He took the long way home to give his tears space to dry, but he did up his speed…after all, he had friends at home who were patiently waiting to hear the good news.
Term- X-Ray- X-Rays are a type of penetrating, high energy electromagnetic radiation. Because it passes through different substances at different speeds, X-Rays are a useful tool to create imagines of the inside of things.