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There weren’t many times that Ron Kerner had felt this helpless.
He was a man that prided himself on his ability to do . He didn’t pussy foot around; he was a man of action. If something needed fixing or someone needed help, Ron was far more likely to step in than he was to wait round and analyze the situation.
One of his brothers needed a ride? On it. Someone needed a liberty last minute? He’d trade weekends, no problem. Baby Goose needed someone to practice pitching with? Well he wasn’t called Slider for nothing.
But this ?
There was very little Ron could do here and that—-that was heart wrenching.
He stifled a yawn as he sat a bit more upright in the uncomfortable plastic chair, trying to refocus.
“Ron?”
“Hmm?” He startled a bit, looking over at Rick.
“Mav’s gonna be dockside soon,” the pilot offered softly. “One of us——one of us needs to go get him. He—“
“It should come from us,” Ron agreed.
Both men exchanged worried looks before looking at the bed stretched between them.
There, looking impossibly small and horrible still, lay Tom, because he couldn’t possibly be Ice , not when he looked like this.
Black stitches along his temple, bruising all over his face and torso, the ominous, slow, beeping of various monitors a stark reminder of how seriously he was injured.
Three days.
72 hours of this silent, corpse-like version of his best friend lying motionless.
Of words like temporal lobe contusion, coma, and pneumothorax.
Of frank discussions with doctors and cautious optimism slowly fading as the hours ticked on.
Ice—Ice wasn’t supposed to be here . He wasn’t supposed to be unresponsive in a medical bed. He was—-Thomas Kazansky was the very epitome of strength and resilience. He was meant to bounce back.
To take this car crash on the chin and get back up. To wake up within the first 6 hours like the doctors originally predicted.
To hug his son.
Ron glanced over at the darkened corner of the room where Leo was stretched out in a strange reclining chair the nurses had brought in. Cradled against his chest, one arm pitifully encased in a red cast, was Bradley. The 7 year old had cried himself to sleep hours ago, the last several days catching up with him in ways his uncles weren’t adequately prepared to handle.
How did one explain to a concussed 7 year old that the nightmare he kept having about bright lights and crunching metal was a memory ? That he was remembering the accident that had left his Pops in a coma. That his Dad was on a carrier and unreachable?
“Ron—“
“I’ll go,” the RIO stood stiffly, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Shortstack needs to hear it from us and—keep an eye on the kid. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Sli, I can go with you,” Rick offered, exchanging worried looks with his RIO. “We don’t—“
“No, I’m okay,” Slider smiled weakly. “You need—-Tom needs someone here too. I’ll get Pete and bring him here. Maybe—-I dunno, maybe the kid will be enough to get through his thick skull, huh?”
He reached over and gently squeezed the motionless pilot’s forearm before he forced himself to turn and walk out of the room.
This was easily the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
He’d been there when they told Maverick Goose didn’t make it. Now he was going to have to tell him his wingman might never wake up.
***********************************************************************************************
Maverick hefted his bag a bit higher on his shoulder, mentally groaning at the slow shuffle of the crowd in front of him. All he wanted was to be home . 4 months was hardly the longest deployment he’d been on but there was something about this one that had his skin itching. Everything felt a little too tight, a little too heavy.
He needed to be home, with Bradley, with Ice, just taking a second to breathe.
God, he could feel the tension starting to work its way out of his body just thinking about it.
Pancakes, a morning run in the park, spending nights wrapped in Ice’s arms. He couldn’t wait!
Finally, it was his turn to move beyond the gate, walking into the family waiting area with practiced ease. He scanned the crowd for a familiar frame with frosted tips, certain Mr. Punctuality would be waiting with his arms crossed as usual.
When he wasn’t apparent at first glance, Mav felt himself frown. It wasn’t like Ice to be late, especially picking him up from deployment like this.
Another cursory glance brought a puzzled look to his face as he walked towards the far set of doors. Maybe Ice was in the parking lot?
Coming to the familiar blacktop, he started looking for his wingman once again.
But no sign of him.
Another glance made him freeze. That looked like—Slider?
He chuckled, jogging towards the tall RIO.
“What the hell are you doin’ here, big guy? Are you going for a wildman look? That scruff is definitely not regs——“ Maverick felt himself freeze before his brain even fully processed what he was seeing.
Slider was here to pick him up. A scruffy, unkempt, exhausted Slider.
Maverick felt his hands start to sweat as the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
Something was wrong , horribly, horribly wrong.
“Pete—“ Slider moved towards him, hands outstretched even as Maverick stumbled back.
“No—“
“Kid, look, something—“
“No, no, no, no, Ron—- please —don’t—-“
“There—-Pete, there was an accident and—-“
“ No ,” Mav gasped, shaking his head. “He—-they—-
Ron finally got close enough to wrap an arm around his friend, pulling him into a reluctant hug as he deftly snagged the bag. “Mav—“
“ Please , Ron—-are they? Where’s Bradley? Tom? He—-fuck, Ron—“
“Tom and Brad were in a car accident three days ago. Drunk driver blew through a red light and tboned them. Tom spun the car to take the majority of the impact. B is banged up and has a broken arm and a concussion. Tom—-“
He felt Pete trembling and held him a bit tighter. “ Tom has several broken ribs, a broken ankle, and some burns on his hands from the airbag. He—-he had some head trauma—-“
“ Shit—“
“He was supposed to wake up a few hours after they got him settled but he—-it’s been nearly three days, Mav.”
“H-h-h-he’s——is he? Is it like a coma or—-“
Maverick pulled out of his hold suddenly, eyes wide as he took a shaky breath.
“Pete?”
“He—-he has brain activity, right? He’s not—-fuck, Sli, why do they think he’s not awake? Is he—-I mean—-what if he’s lost his memory or what if he has complications or, shit , what if he doesn’t wake up, or—-God, Bradley—-“
“Mav—“
“And he——Tom won’t want to be a vegetable, he won’t, so we…. I mean it’s—-it’s not going to get to that. He’s going to be fine. I mean, maybe not fine, fine , but—-right? I—-Bradley? He’s okay? You said he’s got a broken arm? My poor buddy—-bet he hated that—“
“He’s with Wood and Wolf—-he’s—-“
“I—-I have to see him, to see them ! Is Tom, I mean obviously he’s in the hospital but is Bradley? I mean I guess he is—-he is now, right? God, I’m so sorry—-he must’ve been so scared and I was—-this—-“
“ Maverick!” Slider grabbed his shoulders, trying to ground him.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why—-I’m their contact—-I—-“
“You were already headed stateside, kid, there’s nothin’—-“
“But it’s been days and—-Brad and, shit, and you !”
“Me?” Ron frowned, eyes narrowing as he watched the shorter man finally slow enough to inhale properly.
“You—-I mean he’s your brother,” Pete shrugged suddenly, voice growing soft. “I—-I know this has to feel terrible. I know it’s—-it’s hard, I mean it’s not the same as when Nick, but—-“
Maverick shuddered suddenly. Ron pulled him into a hug, sighing.
“Yeah—-yeah bud it’s honestly the absolute worst, but—-Tom’s strong. He’s going to be okay. Maybe he just needed a little bit of a nap? S’gotta deal with your bullshit all of the time huh? Must be exhausting…”
“—-maybe it’s his way of proving he takes orders from no one?”
Ron huffed out half a laugh at that, leaning against the smaller man for a second. Then he sighed, stepping back.
“Alright, well, let’s—-let’s get headed that way then, okay? Go see our boys?”
“Lead the way, werewolf,” Mav quipped halfheartedly, not even reacting when Sli playfully shoved him.
This was not how he saw his homecoming going.
***************************************************************************************
“What are you doing here, Tom?”
Ice blinked, turning frantically. He knew that voice. That—-that was a very bad sign.
“ Toooooooooooom—- man, are you really going to be this dense here? Did that bleach seep into your brain? C’mon Kazzzzzaroni, where’s that sharp tongue and wit now?”
Tom stilled, shoulders tensing. Only one person had ever called him that. It was further confirmation that something was very wrong.
“—-Nick?”
“Hey, bingo, there’s the A student we all know and love. Why the long face, Tom?” Goose smiled wearing an obnoxious Hawaiian print shirt.
“Hoooooly shit—-“ Ice hissed, covering his face with his hands. “Fuck!”
“Wow,” Nick raised a brow. “That’s a lot of Slider, there, bud. And here I was, happy to see you.”
“I—-Nick, tell me I’m not dead, I—-I have—-Bradley! And, and, God, Pete— please tell me I’m not dead!”
“Okay, you’re not dead.”
Ice looked over at him, glaring slightly. “I’m serious!”
“So am I,” Goose shrugged. “You’re not dead, at least not yet. I’m supposed to be helping you—-well helping you to decide what you want to do actually, and I gotta say, Tom, I—“
“I have to go back! I— “ Ice started pacing. “B, and—and Mav and Ron and shit , Nick—-I’m so sorry. I—you—-you deserved to go back—-they—-they’re your family and—I—-“
The mustached RIO pulled him into a tight hug. “ You deserve to go back, Tom. I need you to go back, hell, I want you to go back. Our boys need you.”
“I—I killed you, Nick,” the blond whispered. “And then—-and then I just—Bradley’s your son but I—-God I love him, I swear I—-“
“Hey, I know you love my boy, both of them,” Goose chuckled softly. “And you sure as hell didn’t kill me, Kazaroni. It was an accident, a horrible accident, but it wasn’t your fault, just like it wasn’t Mav’s, and I sure as hell don’t blame you. I am so grateful for you, Tom. And I really am glad to see you, bud. I—-God I’ve missed you, all of you—-but I also wish I wasn’t hugging you right now, because it means you’re in a pretty tight spot.”
“Can you—-can you see things that are happening back—I mean—-like—-“
“Bradley’s okay,” Nick reassured him. “Concussion and broken arm but the boys have him. You—-you turned the car, Tom. You spun to take the hit nearly head on so he was safer. Pete’s gonna kill you, if Ron doesn’t first, but I guess we all should expect that from Brad’s Pops, huh?”
Ice shrugged, pulling back from the hug. “I love that kid, Nick.”
“I know buddy, and I’m so grateful. Helps me rest a little easier up here, knowing someone’s looking after my boy, not to mention Pete. And I—-I’m gonna need to ask you to keep doing that for me, Tom. I—you can stay if you want. It’s—-I know things haven’t been easy and you’re gonna hurt , if you go back—-but—-“
“I have to go back, Nick,” Ice’s eyes widened again. “Mav’s—-I don’t care how much it hurts I—-“
“Okay, okay bud, we’ll get you back, I promise—“
“How? What do I do?”
“Unfortunately, we have to do a bit of waiting,” Nick slung an arm around his shoulders. “We need to find some sort of anchor for you. Thought it might be the boys, and Ron and Brad talking to you have both been really close to hooking you, as it were, but nothing’s caught yet. I think we may be waiting for someone in particular.”
“Mav.”
“He’s certainly stubborn enough,” Goose grinned. “So c’mon, let’s catch up a bit while we wait. I have a ton of questions for ya—how long do you think you and Mav can hide those tiny tattoos? I mean don’t get me wrong, the wings are a nice touch but the thigh, man, really?”
Ice reddened.
********************************************************************************************
“How bad does he look?” Mav said softly, following Ron through the maze of hospital hallways.
Both men had been quiet for the majority of their journey, each lost in their thoughts as they processed the reality of what was happening.
Ron sighed. “He’s pretty bruised, and on all sorts of monitors and things but—-he’s got stitches on his head too—he’s—-“
Maverick gently squeezed his arm as they stopped outside the door. “He—he’s going to be okay, Ron.”
The tall RIO nodded weakly, opening the door and letting the other man enter first. Rick stood when they walked in, pulling Maverick into a tight hug.
“Hey, brother,” Hollywood muttered. “Good to see you, Mav. The gosling will be thrilled—-“
Leo held a hand out to Ron who squeezed it gently.
“Any changes?”
“Doc said he’s maybe showing more signs of consciousness, but they—-they really need him to wake up in the next few hours, Ronny,” Leo whispered.
“Said he may be taking a turn the other way if he doesn’t,” Rick added.
Maverick shuddered, extracting himself from Rick’s hug. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Bradley’s forehead before slowing approaching the bed.
The other flyboys watched as the smaller pilot moved towards his motionless wingman, reaching a tentative hand towards Tom’s hand. He frozen when he saw the gauze wrappings.
“They’re minor, Mav,” Slider soothed. “Should be clearing up in the next day or so—“
Either way, he settled for gently squeezing Tom’s forearm, running his thumb back and forth as he bent to press a kiss to his forehead. He laid his head against his wingman’s, eyes squeezed shut as tears pricked the corners.
“C’mon, angel,” he whispered. “Don’t do this to me, Tom—-we’re wingmen—d-don’t go where I can’t follow—-I—-I don’t know if I’m strong enough not to follow you, Tom, please.”
Wolf held Bradley a bit tighter and Slider squeezed Maverick’s shoulder as the smaller pilot finally lost his battle with his tears, pillowing his arms on the bed next to Ice.
“We’ve got you, buddy,” the RIO murmured. “He’s still here.”
And God, he prayed he’d stay.
***********************************************************************************************
“Dad?”
The small, wobbly voice broke Maverick out of the dazed silence they’d all sat in for the last few hours. Instantly, he was moving towards the boy, pulling him up into his arms and hugging him tightly, one hand cradling his head to his neck.
“Oh, Bradley, oh baby—-“
“Dad! You’re home!”
“I’m home, sweetheart,” Pete pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “So sorry it took me so long.”
“Uncle Sli ‘splained it,” the boy shrugged, hugging him tighter. “Couldn’t call you ‘cause you was already headin—headin’ home—“
“That’s right,” Mav smiled weakly. “Was already on the boat.”
“It’s a ship— “
“— ship—“
Everyone in the room froze.
Maverick slowly turned towards the bed, Bradley still in his arms.
“Holy shit, Tom—“
“Pops! You’re ’wake!!” Bradley squealed.
“Oh thank God,” Slider sighed, collapsing in the nearby chair. Rick gripped his shoulder as Leo moved to alert a nurse
Maverick and Bradley were at Ice’s bedside, the pilot leaning over the bed, gently carding his fingers through the blond hair as the boy softly pat Ice’s cheek.
“God, you scared the hell out of us, angel,” Mav muttered. “You—-are you okay? How do you feel?”
“Pretty proud of our boy for remembering ship classifications,” Ice deflected weakly, reaching up to cover Bradley’s hand with his own. “I’m ’Kay, Pete, promise. Sore, tired, but—-“
“A doctor’s checking that,” Ron interjected. “Triple checking it. I—-you—-God, I’m glad you’re okay, Thomas—“
“I’m s’rry,” the blond tried to sit up a bit to better see his friend.
“Take it easy—“
Ron stood and moved to the other side of the bed, helping Mav lay him back down. Rick snagged Bradley, holding him on his hip easily as they resituated the pilot on the bed.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Slider frowned. “You—-it’s not your fault, you moron, but—- fuck this felt too close, Tom. Don’t—don’t do this to us again, okay?”
“It was close,” Ice winced, grabbing Maverick and Ron’s hands gently. “Nick says you still owe him the $20 for us getting together before the year was out, by the way. Says you can repay him by buying Brad his first beer.”
“You—-you saw—-“ Mav was pale, blinking rapidly.
“I’ll buy the kid a case, a keg , if it means he helps to keep you here ,” Ron swore, suddenly turning to look at the ceiling. “You hear me, you great honking moron? Keep them here , with me, and I’ll look after them, okay?”
“Ron—-?” Tom frowned, grabbing his hand tighter.
“Here, Bradley, sweetheart, cuddle with Pops gently, okay,” Mav carefully laid Bradley on the bed next to Ice before moving around to the other side and pulling Slider into a tight hug. “He’s—-he’s okay, Big Guy.”
Slider found himself shivering a little in the pilot’s hold, the last several days crashing into him all at once.
“I’ve gotcha, bud,” Mav promised, glancing at Ice.
His wingman was sitting up a bit more, holding Bradley close as he tearfully inspected the boy’s cast.
“We’re all okay,” Hollywood echoed, wrapping another arm around Slider as Leo moved to crouch by Bradley and Ice.
“Doc will be here in just a bit,” Wolf confirmed. “Gonna make sure Icy’s all good and then we’ll talk about who’s staying tonight. They think he could maybe come home tomorrow.”
“Am I goin’ home with you and Uncle Woody ‘gain?” Bradley asked, reaching a hand out to Wolf.
“Actually, baby,” Tom spoke suddenly. “I was wondering if Uncle Wood or Wolf would stay with me tonight? I think you and Dad should take Uncle Sli home with you. How’s that sound?”
“He needs some sleep,” Bradley nodded far too sagely for a 7 year old.
Ice ran his hand through the blond curls as he exchanged looks with Pete. He’d never seen Ron look so disheveled, and Pete wasn’t looking much better. He was honestly going to sleep a lot of the next several hours anyway, so—-
“He does, and so does Dad after being on the ship . Think you can help make sure that happens, B?”
The seven year old nodded again, pressing a sloppy sort of kiss to Ice’s cheek. “I can do it, Pops.”
Tom blew a playful raspberry against his cheek in response, smiling easily. “Thank you, baby.”
Mav looked torn but seemed to concede as he fisted his hand in the back of the RIO’s shirt. He’d look after Tom’s backseater and Bradley and then tomorrow, they’d be all together again.
“I’ll drive them home,” Rick offered easily. “ After we hear what the doc says. I’ll grab some food while I’m out too.”
“I’ll keep Ice company,” Wolf grinned.
“And you’ll—-“ Mav started, only to be cut off by Leo.
“Mav, I’ll keep an eye on him, I swear on my wings,” Wolf promised.
“Oh shit,” Ice’s eyes widened. “Mav!!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“What happened?”
Both Maverick and Slider turned towards the bed, hands outstretched towards the blond.
“Nick knows about our wings!” There was a blush tinging Tom’s cheeks and it brought a round of laughter to everyone else in the room.
“Oh thank God,” Slider chuckled tiredly. “At least that jackass is having the same experience I am when it comes to watching you two.”