Rock Her by Liz Thomas

helicopter was nose down toward the open water,
heading straight for it. Then it pulled up at the last second and skimmed
across the surface. Annie could see when tears weren’t obstructing her vision,
the water ripping by just feet below the skids. The helicopter zoomed at high
speed, and Annie was pinned tight back into her seat.
    “And then there are times like this, Annie. Shear, Stark,
terror! And it happens just as fast as that. From peace and happiness in
knowing that you are seeing the world and making a difference to the people in
it, to shear horror and helplessness with your life in the hands of others, and
there is not a damn thing you can do about it.”
    “Kip, Please!” Annie screamed between clenched teeth. Blood was
being drawn from kips hand by her nails. Kip just beamed into her eyes, trying
to gauge her reaction. Then he realized he’d made a mistake. He made his point.
But he feared he’d gone too far. “Okay Sam, that’s enough,” he said to the
pilot.
    The helicopter slowed and pulled up gently. In seconds they
were at a higher altitude and a more moderate speed. The pilot was an expert
and handled the craft with a sure hand.
    Kip could see Annie relax, then look embarrassed.
    Kip leaned forward and hugged her. “I am sorry, Annie. I didn’t
know you’d take that so hard. Please forgive me.” Annie hugged him back and took
a deep breath. “I was trying to make a point and show you how I felt sometimes.
I didn’t intend to scare the shit out of you as much as I did.”
    Annie pushed back and looked kip in the eye. “My God, Kip, I am
not cut out for that kind of shit. I would never have been a good soldier.”
    “Warrior.” Kip corrected her. “We call ourselves warriors in
the Marine Corps. Not Soldiers. Soldiers are in the army.”
    Annie shook her head.
    “I would have never realized things could be like that,” she
said. “I mean, I have seen war movies. But always from the comfort of my couch.
I would never have realized the terror that you have experienced.”
    “Oh, it is much, much worse, Annie,” Kip said, looking back out
the window.
    “I can’t imagine how things could have been more terrifying
than that,” Annie said.
    Then without looking at her, Kip said, “Well, that’s because we
didn’t actually crash.”

 
    Annie held Kip’s hand as they trotted across the roof of the
McNamara building toward the lobby. Once inside, the doors closed automatically
behind them and the wash from the helicopter stopped buffeting them around.
Someone with a Sampson Flight logo on his shirt ran toward them and unhooked a
cue rope, allowing them to bypass the people milling around the lobby. He
nodded as Kip walked by, leading Annie by the hand.
    “Kip,” Annie said. “How do you do that?”
    “What is that?” Kip asked.
    “Just get what you want anytime you want it.”
    Kip smiled and exaggerated smile at her. “I’m charming!” he
proudly exclaimed.
    Annie laughed. “You are that!” she said. “But I mean it. You
just got us on that flight without any reservations or anything. And I don’t
think Sammy the Pilot was susceptible to your charm when he agreed to nearly
dive us into the water, probably breaking all kinds of FAA rules that would cost
him his license.”
    Kip blushed. “Yeah, he probably did break a few rules there,
huh? But hey, don’t we all?”
    Annie put her hands on her hips and cocked one to the side.
“Really?”
    “Eh, Sammy and I go way back,” Kip finally said.
    “Old friends?” she asked.
    Kip looked down again. Damn,
I hate admitting this stuff.
    “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he said. “More like
an employment relationship.”
    Annie narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly. She was at
a loss.
    Kip shrugged. “Sammy works for me. In fact, everyone here
does,” he waved his arm around the lobby. I own Sampson Flight.”
    Annie’s eyes widened. Well,
that certainly explains a lot , she thought. She shook her