It Has to be Fate Pt. 02

"Whiskey Romeo 6, Rescue one, good show! We have dropped a smoke canister and a dye pack on your spot. What is your fuel state? Over."

"Whiskey Romeo 6 is good on fuel for another twenty minutes. I will climb a little and remain on site if you think it will help, otherwise I will return to base and land, over."

"Roger Whiskey Romeo 6, I think you have done all you can do, Thanks! Rescue one out."

"Rescue One, WR 6, I see some white objects behind you about ten yards, it appears to be something your down wash stirred up, over."

"Roger WR 6, We'll check it out. We see what you are talking about and we are dropping a crewman to check it out. Over." Mica watched as the Sikorsky S.55 helicopter lowered a man on a cable to the ground. Mica lost sight of the man as he entered the trees. Mica circled above trying to see what was going on. After a short wait he heard, "WR 6, our man on the ground reports that he has found papers from the pilots knee pad, one was a chart of the Atlantic Field Target site showing where the targets are located and notes on the charts are dated today. Rescue one out."

Mica climbed a bit and turned towards the base. He flew a downwind leg and requested a clearance to land from that position. His request was granted and he started a left turn dropping his gear and adjusting his flaps. He made a good landing and taxied back to the flight line.

As he shut the engine he noticed a group of people walking towards his plane. He saw Melissa first, then Billy Marker and the Wing Commander. He climbed down the steps and pulled off his helmet just as Melissa threw her arms around him and hugged him and rained kisses on his face. He kissed her back, and then looked up to see the men quietly watching. He walked towards them.

Billy Marker said, "Captain, is there any chance Lieutenant Richardson survived?"

"Sir, I do not think there is much chance that he made it. I never saw a chute. He fell about 700 feet into trees, I would guess he had to be still moving at 90 to 100 knots horizontally. Not much of a chance of surviving that." He felt Melissa clutch at his arm and patted her hand. He said, "that makes number five between the two squadrons flying the FJ-2. They will have to ground them now."

The general looked at Melissa, "Lieutenant McDermott, are you ready?" he asked softly.

Melissa straightened her shoulders and stood at attention, "Aye, Aye, Sir, I am ready in all respects Sir. Please forgive my lack of control."

"Girl, we all forgive you, I assure you we feel like crying over the loss of a good man too. Now we have the onerous task of telling his wife she is now a widow. God I hate this."

A sergeant ran up, "General Hansen, Sir, they found the pilot Sir, he is dead."

Billy Marker said, "SHIT."

The General bowed his head for a moment then said, "Let's go. We need to get there before she hears it from somewhere else." Mica looked at his squadron commander.

"I would like to go too, Sir." Billy looked to the Wing Commander and the General nodded his approval.

"Captain McDermott, you may come as you are, we need to go now." Melissa got in a car with the General and the Air Group Commander. Colonel Marker and Mica followed in another car with the base Chaplain, a Navy Commander.

Mica looked at Billy, "I hope Melissa can handle this, she is on the notification team and has to inform the widow of her options and benefits. I know there is a baby too. God I hate this."

"Mica, you underestimate your wife, she is much tougher than you think. She will do a great job in every way. She will pay a steep price to do it though, make sure she lets it all out when it is over. I notified Dawn, she will be there to help soon, along with a team from the Officer's Wives Club. They are very good and the squadron wives have a group who will have someone to stay with her for as long as necessary. It is something pilot's wives fear more than anything, but they prepare for it."

The group arrived at the door to the quarters of Lieutenant David Richardson. Melissa turned to Mica, "Get ready to grab her if she faints." Mica moved up beside the General as he raised his hand to the doorbell. When the door opened a smiling girl answered, "Hi!" Then her face turned white and her eyes rolled back as she screamed, "NOOOOOO!" and collapsed. Mica caught her and carried her into the apartment. A baby giggled at them in a playpen then started to cry.

Dawn Marker picked the baby up and comforted it. Melissa found a washcloth, wet it with cool water and then bathed the girl's brow. Her eyes opened, she looked around at the people watching her. "Is he dead?" she asked. Mellissa nodded.

The girl looked up at Mica, "He was just home for lunch, he was so excited to be flying with you Captain McDermott, he said he learned more from you than from any other pilot. I can't believe he is gone forever." Her eyes filled with tears. "Davy, Oh! God, NO, not my Davy. Whyyyyyyyyyy MY sweet Davy?" Melissa sat beside her, and took her in her arms and tried to comfort her. Melissa didn't know what to say, she was in internal conflict with the situation again in that she was very happy that Mica was alright and very sad that this poor girl had lost everything. She knew how she would feel if it were Mica, lost to her forever. The child was the difference, the girl had Davy's child to care for. She had part of Davy that she had to remind her of him every day.

Melissa shuddered, feelings of fear, no, of terror washed over her. She looked at Dawn and mouthed 'Help Me'. Several of the other wives were there now. Melissa stood and walked slowly to the door. Mica saw her distress and followed her but Dawn waved him back while she followed Melissa out the door. Mica slowed but kept them in sight. He saw Dawn stop and pull Melissa into her arms. She held his wife in her arms and he could see Dawn's lips moving as she talked to Melissa. They embraced for what seemed to be an hour to Mica.

Then Melissa looked up and saw him quietly watching them. She whispered in Dawn's ear, Dawn turned and they both smiled at Mica. Melissa beckoned him over and he walked slowly to them. They each pulled away leaving a space and held their arms open for him. They each held the others as tightly as they could while kissing each other. Mica looked into Melissa's eyes, "Honey, are you feeling better now? Do you need to talk to Dave's wife?"

"Yes, Dear, I need to talk to her later. I don't think I will be able to get her attention right now. I am going to leave my card and have her call me whenever she is ready. I will leave her some pamphlets that explain what benefits and resources she has as a widow."

Mica shook his head, "No, what I really want to hear is how you are coping with this, I know it scared the hell out of you. Are you alright now?"

"I'm fine now, Dear, Dawn straightened me out and I know how to handle it now."

Dawn grinned at Mica, "I told her the same thing you told me that time in flight training when Billy had an engine failure on takeoff from a carrier in an SNJ trainer. Somehow the carrier missed running over him and he survived. I fell apart later when Mica took me home from seeing Billy in the hospital. I fell apart just like you did sweetie. Your dear man told me everything I just told you. He told me that Billy was a very good and very careful, well trained flyer. His chances of surviving a failure of an aircraft were much greater than for the average pilot because he would not make the mistakes that compound a problem. He told me that Billy loved me and would do everything in his power to come home to me, but that if he didn't, I was still a lucky woman to have had the love of one of the finest men in the world.

"I still feel that way, I pray that we can grow old together, but if God calls him to join Him in Heaven I will cherish the wonderful years we have had together. I am already a very, very, lucky woman."

Melissa looked at her husband, "You told her all that?"

"Yeah! I guess I did."

"Where did you learn it?"

"From my mother, she told me how she felt about Dad one time when he was in a shipboard accident. He was hurt but survived because he did exactly as he had been taught to do in a fire aboard a ship. She said you have to count your blessings and realize how fortunate you are to have had so much time with your soul mate. Many people never even find their soul mate.

"And Dawn, you do not give Billy enough credit, the reason he survived that crash is because before that engine missed a beat he had started a turn to get from in front of the carrier. He wasn't lucky, he did it right and made his own luck. Do you know he had the balls to enter that in his flight log book as 0.17 minutes of flight time, 1 takeoff, 0 landings." They all chuckled.

Melissa looke up at him, "Do you think Davy screwed up?"

"I hate to say this, but yes, I think he forgot step two of the ejection drill. He was borderline on having enough altitude for a successful ejection. Step two after you eject is to unfasten the seat harness buckle and kick the seat away before you pull the ripcord. I'll bet they found him still strapped to the seat with the ripcord pulled. Some of us have recommended that there be a lanyard used to unlatch the seat belt as the seat leaves the aircraft. They haven't done it yet."

Melissa placed a little hand on each side of his face and pulled him down for a sweet kiss. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, "I want you to carefully consider becoming a full time fish farmer, my love."

"I will do just that, Dear."

End, Part 2.