Heatwaves

The midday sun reflected brightly off their FA/18's clear canopy's as their training only got harder by the minute. The relief of Coyote's safety washed over not just the one's flying, but the one's listening below. They collectively let out a breath with going back to land in mind.

Suddenly all ears were peirced with hot panic. "BIRD STRIKE BIRD STRIKE!", Mav yelled as Phoenix and Bob's heart rates spiked and their eyes darted around looking frantically, their military trained minds told them not to faulter as they desperately tried gaining control. They let their navy drilled bodies follow the memorized procedures as they tried suppressing the fear.

Phoenix announced the steps she was taking to extinguish the burning engine and save the jet. Bob called back his analysis of the readings, yelling to his pilot with eyes wide as anxiousness held the skies captive. "WE'RE ON FIRE WE'RE ON FIRE!!", broke his desperate voice. Nothing could ever have been more petrifying to hear from the team on the ground that listened through the small speaker in horror.

Maverick tried getting through to them as their jet spiraled toward the mountain side.

Rooster paced terrified, Hangman jiggled his leg up and down on his stool and no one took thier eyes off the radio.

"We're goin down Phoenix! We're goin in we're goin in!", yelled Bob.

"You can't save it! EJECT EJECT!!", screamed Maverick.

Bob wanted to wait to make sure Phoenix got out but he knew she wouldn't want that. His shaking fingerless gloves swiftly wrapped around the rough cord as he pulled praying she was right behind him.

The explosion erupted through the comms, fire and smoke rising from the canyon. Hearts beat hard in disbelief and a very horrid silence.

Maverick confirmed two parachutes floating within the heatwaves. Any sign of life was unknown but the familiar scene made him choke on his words.

The two of them came in hot finding the earth to be too eager to meet their unprepared feet. Bob was unwillingly faced away from his pilot as he tumbled across dry hard landscape for about fifteen feet. Suddenly he was still. His fading thoughts felt his pulse thumping against the hot terrain pressing against his body.

Then anxiety forced adrenaline into his bloodstream as the thought of Phoenix made him open his eyes. He stood up quicker than he thought he should. He fumbled to unclip his parachute, ripping off his helmet to fall to the dust.

"Phoenix!", he yelled out as he turned around to find her.

She was directly behind him less than a quarter of a mile away. Somehow he was running feeling blurry and numb, only half registering the forceful wind he felt from a familiar aircraft. Were they in the air already with him and Phoenix or had they gone looking for them? He couldn't remember.

"Phoenix!", he called again instinctively as he got closer.

She was laying unmoving on the ground floor covered mostly by her parachute. He fervently pulled it off along with her helmet that he treated more carefully. He brushed the hair from her face scanning her frantically. He held her head in his hands as he said her name not thinking clearly enough to check her pupils or for breath.

Suddenly someone grabbed his elbow hoisting him to his feet as they said his name. Their words went in and out as the heat drowned out so much sound. A trickle of blood left his right ear from it's proximity to the explosion.

"Bob you with me!?", asked Rooster who he suddenly realized was shaking his shoulders. Somehow his eyes focused on the ones looking hard into his as Bob found himself nodding as he clenched his aching jaw.

Someone was taking Phoenix away as someone else told him she was alive. He couldn't grasp it, why was everything so hazy.

He hopped in, well more like he was pushed into a helicopter with Rooster and Hangman sitting across from him, maybe Fanboy or Payback was there too, maybe both.

He leaned against the cool leather with his head resting against the seat. His eyes wanted very badly to doze shut. He didn't think he had much of a choice actually.

Crimson started to bleed a stain that only grew. It spread from within Bob's olive green torso fabric.

Hangman cursed as he alerted Rooster who yelled something. To whom Bob was unsure and what even more so, but he certainly didn't care. All that occupied his mind was sleep, the heat, and Phoenix.

--

A gasp from his throat shot his bloodshot eyes wide open as Bob found himself quickly scanning his surroundings grabbing his painful ribs.

"Whoa whoa relax Bob!", said Rooster who stood in his view.

"Where's Phoenix?", he asked with panic.

Rooster pointed to the bed a few feet away with a familar pretty brunette laying in soft white sheets. "She's completely fine, their making you both stay overnight but you're both fine now.", said Rooster trying to be calming. The panic in Bob's pupils was hard to look at. Even for Hangman who sat nearby next to a half asleep Coyote.

Bob relaxed back into the bed with a sigh as he rubbed his sore eyes under his glasses. "Gosh almighty I ache.".

Rooster and Hangman chuckled lightly at that endearing southern speech Bob rarely let slip, they didn't think he even noticed. "I'd ache too if I emergency ejected out of a fighter jet and landed on solid ground rolling like a tumble weed.", said Hangman flashing his somehow tension cutting smile.

"At least I survived unlike that Hornet. The big guys are gonna be madder than all heck.", said Bob.

"Nah. Bird strikes are unpredictable and usually unavoidable. You know all that though baby on board. You have nothin to worry about.", said Hangman as he stood up giving Coyote a waking nudge.

Bob nodded appreciating the reassurance, he knew he was right. He also knew that he would've blamed himself hard for anything happening to Phoenix. They knew it too. It's how they'd have felt.

"Well seeing as you two are alive and well the rest of us are going to drink away the day.", said Rooster.

"We'll have one for you guys. Have fun with your jello.", said Hangman with a wink.

"Get out.", said Bob rolling his eyes with a grin jokingly mad as they escaped out the door with a laugh.

Bob looked over at Phoenix, shuddering at the thought of her being injured. He should've seen those birds. He should've known what to do. He cursed himself at what could've happened. Yet somehow they came out of it almost unscathed. She was only knocked unconcious, he was only a little somewhat stabbed in the stomach by something like a rock on the desert floor. Nothing a very in shape body couldn't recoup from overnight with a little extra doctoring to help (though it did manage to scare the life out of Rooster and Hangman, man that seemed like a lot of blood.). Besides, there was nothing that could keep Phoenix and her loyal back seater from sitting in that classrom and soaring in those skies.

"Oh hey I almost forgot.", popped in Roosters head. He then tossed Bob his helmet he figured was lost to the oblivion.

Bob swiftly caught it and smiled with relief once again. "Thanks.", he said.

"No problem Bob.".

A/N: Okay I know jack squat (I know that's not a saying but it is because I've just invented it) about the Navy or fighter pilots/naval aviators or the operations of the military or writing or breathing(: