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An, please read: Hi! So if you didn't know, I hate my writing lately, and I want the absolute best for this story. Bob deserves the best, so this chapter is very, very late.
Also, I will have my other OC, Ashley 'Osprey' Kasansky— *non cannon wife of ICEMAN*— introduced into this chapter. She has her own book on my page if any of you are interested.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy, even with my amazing— *sarcastic* Writing.
Bob and I wake up to Einstein screaming the next morning. I grumble, burying my head in Bob's neck. His arm lazily drapes across my shoulder as he groans, covering his eyes.
"It's like having a child." I groan, and he mumbles something illegible.
I climb out of bed, and Bob rolls over, immediately falling back asleep.
I slink out of the room, closing the door behind me. I pull open the blinds in the small living room, yelling.
"EINSTEIN!" I say, pulling the sleeping cover off his cage. The parrot seems to smile at me, tilting his head and shaking his cage door with a claw.
"'Einstein'!" He echos, and I sigh, opening the cage door and reaching my hand inside, helping him into his tree beach perch.
"You are a pain, you know that?" I say, and he seems to ignore me. I sigh, walking through the small house and opening the blinds to let light in.
I have trouble with the last blind as it jams, and I struggle frustratedly, shaking it and moving my hand, trying to get it too open.
"Come on," I say, blowing hair out of my face. I tilt my hand, using my thumb to keep one of the blinds straight, trying to fit it back into place.
My stiff prosthetic limb doesn't help, and I sigh, wiping the frustrated tears that have somehow manage to slide down my face.
Gentle arms reach around be as Bob straightens the blind, his large hands fitting it back in place with ease, before lifting the blind into its upright position. Sunlight filters in, casting a warm glow on my face.
"It's so stupid." I mutter, and Bob gently pulls me into a hug, his chin resting on top of my head. "I feel like I screw things up, and you just fix everything."
"I know." He says. "But that's what I'm here for. Too help."
We stand there a bit, before we hear claws trotting along the wooden floor. Einstein hops towards us, his blue and yellow wings splayed out too the side as he almost falls.
I laugh as Bob let's go of me, stepping to scoop up the bird. "Get your child." I say teasingly, moving towards the kitchen, wiping away at my eyes. The tears keep coming, and I silently cry.
***
Bob stands at the door before leaving, staring me in the eyes. I look away, knowing he can read me better than anyone else.
"If anything happens, call me, okay?" He says, referring to my increasingly frequent breakdowns. I sign, nodding, and he smiles.
"I need to hear you say it, Kale. I can't stand it when you cry, and I want to be here with you." He says, and I roll my eyes at him being so protective.
"I'm meeting Mrs. Ashley at eleven, so I should be fine." I say, twisting my bracelet around my hand. He nods.
"Still working on that kid's flight program, huh?" He says, smiling. I nod.
"It's slow going, but Ashley says she is willing to fly them. Her and Mr. Tom own an older fighter that she said she can take them up in."
Bob grins. "You know you are talking to living legends, right? The Osprey and Iceman?"
I smile. "To me they are just friends. You should come meet them."
"Maybe someday." He says, smiling. "Bye, Kale."
"Bye, Bob. Love you."
"Love you too."
***
I knock at Mrs. Ashley's door, listening to the sound roll throughout the house. I see her shape coming towards the door.
She opens it, a smile on her face. She is a short woman with slanted eyes, greying black hair, and many, many laugh lines. She gives me a hug, welcoming me inside.
"Come in, come in." She says, her voice nearing a whisper. "Sorry, Tom is still sleeping. His throat has been bothering him."
"Oh, no, it's totally okay." I whisper back, smiling. I hand her a pamphlet from my bag, a Flier for the kid's flight program that we are designing. She smiles as she looks at it, her face lighting up.
"It's wonderful." She whispers, before ushering me outside. Their backyard is beautiful and spacious, with a small pool and a lush, green lawn. A old, grey cat is laid out in the sun, her bushy tail twitching as she watches us.
"Okay," Ashley says, her hands clapping together. "I will grab my stuff and get you a lemonade, and then we can get started."
"I found a bunch of retired Airforce pilots who would be willing to fly for free." She gives me a smile, passing me a few resumes. "Tom would have loved to fly for this, but I don't think his health will allow it."
"I'll pray he gets better, than." I say, returning her smile. "We could use all the help we can get."
She shows me sites she found and other organizations that work on kids who want to become pilots, but don't necessarily have the fund. We talk for a long while, the lemonade in our glasses slowly receding. She sighs, tapping a pencil onto the table.
"We need funding to get started." She says. "I may have a bit of dough, but not nearly enough to get started."
I laugh at her language, struggling to open a binder with my hand. "I know some people, and my sister works for Bell helicopters... she can take fliers to her big events, and she offered to set up fundraisers, and flights in helicopters."
Ashley grins. "Your sister sounds like an absolute gem."
