Bob walked out of the hanger; gym bag slung over his shoulder. The sun beat down hotly on the ground, and Bob could see the heat waves coming off it. He glanced over and watched someone doing touch-and-goes.
He breathed out a long breath before continuing his walk. Unlocking his Jeep, Bob put his gym bag in and stepped into the driver's seat. He didn't need to go to the gym; they were going to be doing PT for the next five weeks. From sunup to sundown. Great.
He needed a break. He could go on a scenic drive or something. That could sooth his nerves before they got out of hand. Starting the ignition, Bob drove of NAS and headed out for the country. Being raised by his grandparents for the few short years he had with them had caused him to love the country. His grandpa rose a lot of chickens, cows, pigs, goats…you name it, he probably had it. His grandma was an amazing cook, always made her foods with great love.
It had come as a blow when he learned about their death. There was a shooting at a school, and his grandparents were heroes, saved a lot of kids from a bad death. In his younger years, he sometimes wished they were still there with him, but that was selfish. If they were still with him, what would have happened to all the kids? Bob shook his head from those thoughts as he drove into the country.
Oh, that sweet, pure country air. So soft and fragrant. While city life was great and all, sometimes you needed to take a deep breath and slow down. The country allowed him to do that; it was slow, peaceful and sweet. Bob rolled down his windows, putting his hand out the window like when he was a kid. He felt a grin spread across his face. This felt great.
Glancing in his rearview mirror, and seeing no one, Bob pulled over on the side of the road, parking the Jeep. He stepped out, walking to the middle of a field and just…stood. The rolling hills around him were a fresh green, with a large blue, cloudy sky above him. The air was fresh, new, exciting in a way you couldn't describe. There was daisy's blossoming in the grass in little clusters, with bumblebees buzzing lazily across the flowers. In the distance he could hear the sound of cows mooing.
Bob smiled, closing his eyes and enjoyed the simplicity of the moment. He wasn't sure how long he was there, but it was well after sunset, when the fireflies (lightning bugs for others) started blinking.
Bob got back into his Jeep and headed home. His phone buzzed and Bob picked it up, answering the call. "Hello?"
"BOB!" It was Hangman.
Bob flinched away from the sudden noise and put his phone on speaker. "What?"
"Thank goodness. You're okay!" Hangman exclaimed.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Bob asked, frowning. Did he pass out or something?
"We've been calling you for hours!" Hangman started to explain, "When you didn't answer, we headed to your house, and you weren't there! You weren't kidnapped where you?"
Bob started to chuckle. "No, no. I wasn't kidnapped. Just needed a break from the city."
"Oh."
"Hey, why'd you call me anyway?"
"Oh, right. We got news from intel," Hangman said, "The missions training has been knocked down to three weeks. Some things have happened; it's going to be a lot rougher than Maverick was planning. Head to the Hanger, they've arranged for us to be 'camping' there for the next few weeks. I have your stuff, and we'll meet you there."
Oh, shoot. Maybe he wouldn't make it after all.
A/N: Plot twist. Hehehehehe. Hope y'all liked it, it's about to get a little hard. :))