Sincerely, Yours

Chapter 7

Ria grunted as she landed harshly, collapsing to the ground as her shute drifted down behind her. She checked herself over and only found a few scrapes but knew she would definitely be sore later. "Elliot!" She yelled as she took off her helmet and began looking for where he landed. When she heard no response she untangled herself from her shute cords and walked a little ways away from it. "Elliot!" she yelled again. "Ria!" he called out climbing up and over a hill to where they finally spotted each other. Elliot raced down the slope, taking her into his arms. The two felt like they could breathe again now that they were holding onto one another. "I'm so sorry Eli," Ria cried into his chest. "Hey, hey, Ria- look," he said, brushing the hair that had come loose from the bun she'd had it in back from her eyes. She wouldn't look him in the eyes. "Indira Kazansky! Look at me. I am right here. We are both alive and we are both ok. You did your job." Tears ran down Ria's face but she looked at him. "You did your job," he told her again and she nodded, burying her face into his chest again. Elliot pressed a kiss to her head as he held her tightly. A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk soars over the landscape toward the two aviators. It landed on the desert floor and a crew member came to check them out and help them to the helo. Soon enough Ria was strapped in beside Elliot and one of the rescue crew members and laying her head on Elliot's shoulder, exhaustion setting in.

They are brought to the base hospital to get checked out, per protocol. The flight medic found nothing life-threatening but wanted to be completely sure. They weren't allowed visitors until their commanding officer had been briefed on exactly what had occurred. The nurse was in the middle of applying a butterfly closure to the cut on Ria's forehead when Admiral Simpson walked in. "Admiral," Ria and Elliot greeted the latter wincing as a nurse prodded at one of the more noticeable bruises on his wrist. "At ease, I just have a few questions to ask." The head nurse turned to look at the Admiral. "They're pretty banged up, we'd like to keep them overnight for observation, just in case something changes." The Admiral nodded before dismissing them. Ria motioned for him to ask away. "In the course of training, have you felt Captain Mitchell was forcing you beyond your natural abilities?" he asked and Ria furrowed a brow. "No, sir," she responded immediately. "Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" he asked. "We suffered a double engine failure at low altitude. We had no choice but to eject sir," she replied. The Admiral turned to Elliot. "Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" The two aviators share a look. "Don't look at her. Answer the question. Would you say that his training left you no margin for error?" the Admiral demanded. "I know what you want me to say, sir. I'm not going to say it," Elliot said firmly. "We did what the mission calls for. It was a bird strike that cause engine failure. Captain Mitchell is not responsible for what happened out there," Ria told him, not backing down.

Maverick waited anxiously in the waiting room. Cyclone emerges from the room and approaches him. There is a long, uncomfortable pause as Cyclone ponders what to say. "Admiral." Maverick and Cyclone turn their heads to see Warlock and Hondo approaching. "At the request of Hondo here, I've just been down to inspect Captain Mitchell's plane," Warlock tells the other Admiral. Cyclone looks to Hondo. "Well?" he asked. "Bird strike, sir," Hondo tells the man. "Come again?" the Admiral asks. "There's bird guts all down the starboard side of Mav- Of Captain Mitchell's plane, sir. Lieutenant Kazanksy was flying in tight formation with him. I'm guessing the wreckage will show she took a flock of birds head-on." Cyclone looks at Maverick for another beat, then walks away. Warlock follows, leaving Maverick and Hondo to share a look. "Go check on them, see for yourself that they're ok," Hondo advised, seeing the almost haunted look in Mav's eyes. Maverick nodded before turning down the hallway where their room was. He knocked gently on the door twice before he opened it to see Ria and her wizzo talking quietly. Elliot stiffened, immediately shutting up. "Captain," he greeted. "At ease Lieutenants," Maverick said, not moving further than the doorway. "I'm so glad you both are alright, you did good," he said after a moment. "I should have seen them coming," Ria said, looking down. "I hardly saw them until they hit my canopy, you did absolutely everything right, there was no fault today," he reassured. "I'll leave you guys to get some rest now. Good work today," he told them before turning and leaving the pair alone once again.