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Senior Master Sergeant Henry Barnes considered himself a fearless man. It wasn't because he was unusually brave. It was just unproductive to be distracted by fear in his long career as a fighter pilot. However, right now, the thing he feared most in the world was the telephone sitting on his desk.
His job came with many benefits, like better pay and more prestige, but then there were moments like this. The phone call. The bad news. The choked sobbing on the other end of the line. Atlas was one of the greatest pilots he had the privilege of flying with, and things weren't looking good for her.
He stared at the phone for a moment, delaying the inevitable, and he finally squared his shoulders and punched in the number.
"Hello. Is this Mrs. Steele?" he asked.
.........
"How was the call?" asked Google, quietly. The cafeteria was oddly subdued that day, Atlas's injury heavy on the pilot's minds. Henry shook his head.
"Mrs. Steele took the news better than most, but what do you expect? She's worried sick. She and her husband will be here tomorrow. If you and the boys could clear out a place for them on the base, that would be great." Google nodded.
"Yes, boss. Buckeye is sitting with her now, by the way. She just got the kidney transplant. It looks like it will be successful. How are you feeling?" Henry grimaced and patted his side.
"I'll be fine. I won't be able to walk without it hurting for a while but I've dealt with worse." They continued down the line, nodding to the chef. "It was a brave thing you did, boss," said Google, admiringly. Henry snorted humorlessly.
"The rest of the squadron was about ready to cut their kidneys out themselves. I just did my duty. We need Virginia." He sighed and looked at the squadron picture on the wall, with Virginia on the left side. "Hold on, girl," he rumbled quietly.
.......
Richard and Mandy breathlessly ran out of the airport, with Sarah, Sam, and Liam close behind. They were told there would be a ride for them, but they didn't know what to expect. They then spied two normal-looking vans nearby with two men in military uniform holding a sign with "STEELE FAMILY" scribbled on it several yards away. They hurried over to the men, who introduced themselves as Gage and Ezekiel. The soldiers packed up the family's bags and made their way to the base.
.......
"It is good to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Steele. Your daughter has told us much about you," said Henry, with a smile he could barely muster. "I'm the commanding officer here. May I show you your rooms?"
They nodded and nearly laughed when half a dozen pilots hanging around attempted to all carry their three suitcases. Liam was having the time of his life, chattering away and asking Henry every question that fell into his brain. Henry felt the flicker of a genuine smile cross his lips and answered every one.
"How is Virginia? When can we see her?" asked her father, Brad, nervously. It was odd hearing Atlas, Steele, or Ginny called by her full first name, Virginia. He'd have to get used to it.
"She's doing well, all the boys have been taking turns sitting with her. She's recently made a turn for the better after the kidney transplant." He subconsciously rubbed where the incision had been healing. Brad glanced down at the motion but didn't comment.
"We will bring you straight to the infirmary after we drop off your bags if that's okay. I think Google is sitting with her now." Brad and Mandy looked confused, and he elaborated. "Google is a call sign. One of her good friends, Marcus. They fly in the same squadron."
They seemed surprised by how many pilots and mechanics came up to offer a handshake, condolences, hopes, and prayers. Outsiders were always surprised by how closely knit the base was.
..........
Virginia woke up in a haze of pain. That wasn’t anything new to her; despite flying's reputation in the general public, being a test pilot was no joke. She specialized in accident prevention, and would deliberately put new aircraft into dangerous spins, altitudes, and acrobatics to see how they responded pulling out.
This was far from her first crash, in fact, it was her fifth, but usually she would eject before it got as bad as it did this time. Normally, it only took her a few days to recover; it was clear it would take much longer this time. She blearily opened her eyes and glanced around her surroundings. She was in a small white room, and the window to her left revealed a clear sky and the twinkling lights of a Nevada town.
Her leg thumped with a dull pain, to the same tempo of her head. A half-finished cafeteria dinner was on her side table, as well as a bouquet of carnations. Tessa, also known as Rico and one of the only other female pilots on base, was sprawled on a light blue armchair next to the bed and was snoring loud enough to wake the half the hospital. The sight of her made Virginia smile. She briefly wondered how long she had been out, then realized there was a date on the luminous digital clock on the wall: October 15. She had been unconscious for two days.
"Tess!" She whispered. No response. She tried again.
"Tessa!" This time a little more loudly. She sniffed a little but was still sound asleep.
Virginia lost her patience. "TESSA!" She yelled, then instantly regretted it as she gritted her teeth in pain. Tessa sprang out the armchair and tripped spectacularly onto the floor.
Virginia started laughing. It was painful, but she couldn't help herself. Tessa glared at her accusingly. "You could have poked me first!" she hissed. Virginia just grinned.
"No big deal, Rico. you can joke about how stupid I am, I deserve it." Virginia knew Tessa would probably rip her a new one once she was well enough to take it.
Tessa just snickered. "Maybe you need a new call sign. How about "moron with a hero complex?"
Virginia rolled her eyes, and mumbled drily, "That might be a bit of a mouthful." She offered her hand, and Tessa took it in both of hers. That's when Virginia realized how much Tessa was shaking.
"...Tess?" She said cautiously. "Everything okay?" Tessa just shook her head.
"Ginny. We thought we lost you. I thought I lost you." She shook her head again. "Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again. Promise?"
Virginia smiled slightly and lifted her hand to Tessa's cheek. They quickly glanced at the door before leaning for a short kiss. Their friends weren't unsupportive by any means, but relationships were frowned upon on base. Virginia and Tess's dating life was limited to quick kisses when no one was looking and free weekends when they had them. Virginia searched Tessa's eyes, marveling at the love she saw there every time. "I promise," she whispered.
They smiled gently at each other as Tessa ungracefully crawled next to Virginia and slumped on top of her, minding broken ribs as she wrapped herself protectively around her lover. Virginia signed, carefully lifted her hand and stroked through Tessa's wild curls. She knew there would be hundreds of tiny problems that would seem insurmountable she'd have to tackle tomorrow. But right now, she was content.
......
"Mrs. Steele?" said Henry. "Do you know how many pilots are on base?" Mandy shook her head.
"It's a few dozen, right?" She guessed. Henry nodded.
"There are twenty-seven pilots on regularly base. Do you know how many of her pilot friends offered a kidney to save her?" Mandy shook her head slowly.
"Twenty-seven. Every single pilot on this base, as well as a few mechanics and administrators, offered a kidney. Also, you can't fly without all your organs." Mandy gaped, looking as though she wanted to say something but the words just were stuck. Henry pressed on ruthlessly.
"These pilots live to fly and worked their asses off to get here. And they were all willing to give that up for Virginia. Your daughter is the one who will pick up your kid from school if you can't, covers for a stupid mistake you made, and offers you a dance at the bar when you're having a bad day. When my wife had an emergency C-section, Virginia stayed at home with my kids and helped my son cram for a math test that he got an A on the next day. She is the best pilot I have ever seen fly, and she's a mechanical genius, too. The whole squadron will be damned if anything happens to her."
Richard and Mandy looked a bit alarmed at his intensity, so he softened a bit. "Please don't blame the airplane, or us, or her, or even the Air Force for this. Atlas knew the risk when she took the job, and it's a miracle she hasn't had any serious accidents thus far anyways. I hope you realize what it means being a pilot like her. Virginia is the best of us.