Then everything funneled into black.
Groggy and disoriented, I came to under the parachute canopy, lungs burning, the sky spinning. Smoke smeared the horizon over the Ridgeway training range, which was miles of open field and nothing else until I spotted Tate. His chute drifted lower, too fast, too wrong.
A sharp pain drew me out of hell. “Fuck.” I blinked hard. “Easy, Doc.”
“I lost you for a second,” Dr. Hollis said as she lightly felt the area around my bruised shoulder. “You didn’t hear a word I said. Care to tell me if the G-LOC incident is still affecting you?”
“Absolutely not,” I lied. “Medical tests were fine. The flight surgeon thinks I was probably severely dehydrated before that training maneuver. But my case is still under review.”
Until the board cleared me, I couldn’t do a damn thing that involved flying. For now, I was stuck running whatever errands my flight commander needed.
She skimmed her tablet. “Right, the flight surgeon’s note says hydration and fatigue are listed as possible contributors. I understand you logged quite a lot of flying time that week.”
“You know as well as I do that I don’t have control over my schedule.”
She set her tablet on the counter. “Regardless, you need to stay hydrated and get some rest while you’re grounded. A low immune system can compromise your ability to fly. And as far as your shoulder, it’s only a minor deltoid sprain. No heavy lifting or rock climbing until you’re cleared by me or your flight surgeon.”
I wasn’t one to keep still. “Do you want me to take up a knitting class?”
She half smiled, snapping off her gloves. “I do need a new scarf for the winter.”
I chuckled. “Seriously, Dana, I need something to do in my off-duty hours. I’ve been going nuts for the last two weeks since the incident.”
I called her by her first name, and only because she and I rock climbed together when our schedules warranted it.
“Save it, Blitz.” Her tone was dry as her eyes softened with amusement. “You’ve got a reputation for charging headfirst into everything, but you’re not bulletproof. Sit still for once.”
I smirked. Blitz? The call sign had followed me from the football field to the cockpit, a reminder that I only had one speed. Fast. Reckless. All in. And right now, it was killing me to hit pause. If I couldn’t rock climb, then what the hell was I supposed to do? Tate, who was still laid up in the hospital, was getting sick of me dropping by every day. He didn’t blame me, but I sure as fuck blamed myself for his injury.
She threw her gloves into the trash. “I hear Coach Perry at Pine Valley High needs an assistant coach. Maybe you could volunteer in your free time. You played in high school, if I remember correctly.”
Captain Dana Hollis, sandy-blond hair always tied into a tight bun, treated a lot of the students from the high school and elementary school in Pine Valley. Most kids were military brats just like Dr. Hollis.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She picked up her tablet again and typed a few notes. “I’ll send this report over to the flight surgeon. He’ll update your medical file. They’ll want it on record while the review board finishes their evaluation.”
Swear words fired off in my head. But I couldn’t argue with protocol, and I certainly couldn’t buck the system. My blackout wasn’t anything to sneeze at. Still, Lieutenant Colonel Pierce would probably add another year to my do-not-fly status when he found out I’d busted my shoulder rock climbing. The flight surgeon didn’t tolerate risk, especially after my G-LOC incident.
She gave me her full attention, concern washing over her. “And Jace… if anything new crops up—flu, sinus infection, anything that messes with oxygen flow—report it.” Her tone softened into that professional caution I’d learned to recognize.
I sat there while she wrapped the sling around my shoulder. “Wear this. It should help. And no rock climbing.”
I wanted to protest like a whiny kid. Rock climbing felt like the closest thing to flying I had left. The risk, the adrenaline rush. Though none of that had been enough. Even when my body was beating the side of the cliff, all I could think about was what if I blacked out? What if I fell to my death?
She gathered her tablet. “Now, go home and relax.”
Home? Officer’s quarters were anything but, and on top of that, the small space felt suffocating. But today, I knew just the spot to kick back.
So I left medical with my shoulder aching and my sense of pride nonexistent. I couldn’t shake the thought that my life was grounded and sidelined with no sense of purpose anymore. At least up in the sky, I was protecting the country, feeling like I belonged to something bigger than myself.
Stop brooding for once. So you’ve had a couple of bad hits. Learn from them. Do something with both feet on the ground for once.
Maybe I could help out the coach at Pine Valley High. I loved football. I played in high school and college until a knee injury cut short my dream of pro football.
I was heading toward the hangar when I bumped into my flight commander, Major Lawson.
“Callahan.” His gray eyes flicked to the sling on my arm then back to my face. “You planning to tell me, or should I read about it in your medical report?”
