I paused outside his office, straightened my flight suit, and knocked.
“Enter.”
I pushed in the door, and my heart damn near stopped.
Tate stood behind the two chairs in front of Pierce’s desk, bracing himself on a cane.
For a second, I forgot to breathe. I hadn’t seen him since the morning of Career Day before I’d left for Pine Valley High. That was when he’d told me he could wiggle his toes.
“You gonna stand there, Blitz, like a zombie? Or am I going to have to save your ass again?” His voice cracked with humor as he ran his free hand through his red hair.
“You’re always saving my ass, Frost,” I said, using his call sign, crossing the room in two strides. Then I examined him from head to toe. “Holy shit. You’re standing.”
“Walking too. Lieutenant Colonel says that I’ll be back in the navigator’s seat within two months once the inflammation in my spine is gone.”
I’d never heard better news.
Tate chuckled. “You’re pissing your pants right now, Blitz.”
“All because of you, man.” I cared about flying again, but at that moment, I was soaring into outer space that my good friend and WSO was upright, walking, and not in the least pissed at me for almost ending his life.
“Now that the reunion is over,” Pierce said, “I have the results from the medical board, Jace.”
I swallowed thickly. “Good news, I hope.”
Pierce’s expression was blank. “Tate, you can take your leave while I have a word with Jace.”
“Tate can stay,” I said. “As my WSO, he should know what happens to me.” Tate and I were a team, and we had each other’s backs.
“Agreed.” Pierce waved his hand to the two chairs. “But I needed your consent.”
Once Tate and I were seated, Pierce flipped a few pages in my file then rested his forearms on his desk, his brown eyes level as he began. “Callahan, your blood work came back mostly clean. Electrolytes normal, heart rhythm steady, neuro scans clear. But… you had a slightly low white-cell count, which could’ve been a minor viral bug. In addition, dehydration could’ve also been a factor.”
The tightness in my chest loosened once more. All good news. Tate was walking. And I didn’t have anything serious, like a neurological problem.
Pierce leaned back in his chair. “The board agrees you’re fit for flight, pending the centrifuge test. But before we even schedule one, I would like to do an MRI on your shoulder. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy when I read your recent medical report.”
“Always searching for the next adrenaline fix,” Tate mumbled. “It’s so Callahan.”
Pierce’s expression turned sour. “If I find out that you’re rock climbing or doing anything to jeopardize your chances of getting in that cockpit, I’ll ground you no matter what the medical board says. Are we clear, Callahan?”
“Crystal, sir.”
I had a better way to feed my adrenaline junkie side, and her name was Monroe.
“I’ll put the order in for the MRI.” Then he turned to Tate. “Since your inflammation is subsiding, I want you in physical therapy every day. I suspect you won’t be using the cane by next week.”
“Hallelujah,” Tate said. “I’m ready to get back to work.”
“Good to hear,” Pierce said. “Now, you’re both dismissed.”
Tate and I exchanged a one-arm hug as soon as we were out of Pierce’s office.
“When were you going to tell me you were walking?” I asked.
“When I saw you.” His grin widened like he couldn’t believe he was on two feet. “Where the hell have you been hiding?” His light-blue eyes cut right through me.
“Sorry, man.” I’d been apologizing to him every time I saw him. “Lawson assigned me to Career Day at Pine Valley High, and now, I’m teaching Major Braun’s F-15 class.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “And… I met someone.”
