Fallen Heroes, Furry Healers

Chapter One - Fallen Comrade

Silence filled the room. Some looked down, others just stared. One or two opened their mouths, then shut them. Next to me, the chaplain shifted, head turning to look at the commander, standing in front of everyone. The scene was interrupted by only a single sound: a dog's whimper.

At my feet, Groot knew something was wrong and he didn't like it. He wanted to move, to get into action. He wanted to do his job. They needed him to do his job. His legs quivered with excitement, his head swiveled around, first at me, then the chaplain, then the rest of the room.

"I can't tell you anything more," the commander continued, "because we don't know anything else. When we do, I'll tell you."

With that, he left, the chaplain following him. Groot resisted, but followed as I left with them.

"Come on, boy," I whispered, patting his head. "We've got a lot of work to do."

For hours, Groot and I walked around with the chaplain, offering our services to a building full of pilots and students who all knew something had happened, but no one knew the details. No one except the commanders. The burden weighed on them, even those who kept a perfect face on. A mask that fooled most. Groot wasn't fooled.

Time and again, he saw through their masks. Time and again, he guided us to them, offering himself as a distraction. Some he simply sat for, others he licked their face or chewed on their fingers. All of them he let them know one thing: you're not alone.

In one hallway, a commander came out from his heritage room where his pilots all sat waiting for word. He smiled, said all the right things, and did his job. The chaplain assured him of our presence, for which he was thanked. Groot sat perfectly still, eyes never leaving the commander's face. When the commander turned to leave, I spoke with the chaplain a moment.

Suddenly, Groot pulled me hard down the hall. I looked to see the commander turning out of sight, Groot tugging me to follow him. I tapped the chaplain.

"I think we should follow him."

"He's fine. I've known him for years."

"Groot disagrees."

He did indeed, pulling me nearly to the point of falling. The chaplain nodded, and we let Groot lead the way. Moments later, we stood in the command suite, the commander smiling at us in greeting.

"Sir, Groot here insisted we come after you," I told him. "He wouldn't take no for an answer."

The commander knelt down and smiled at Groot, who licked at his face but otherwise sat still. The man's eyes watered as he smiled and rested his hand on Groot's back.

"It's hard, you know?" he said. "Knowing and not being able to tell them, yet."

And we did know. As the Chaplain Corps, we knew and understood the burden. He stayed there a moment, petting Groot and talking with us.

"Thank you, Groot," he said, finally standing and looking up at us. "You both of you."

We left, returning to the first room. To the pilots we'd started the day with, still gathered in their own heritage room. Their commander had returned.

We stood and watched as he gave them the news. That one of their own had fallen the day before, dying doing what he loved. Emotions shifted through the room like an unwelcome breeze. The commander fell silent, looking down. His jaw clenched, his eyes damp.

After a moment, he gave them a few details, affirmed for them that help was available, then left. We remained for a time, the chaplain, a team of counselors, and myself. Groot lay on the floor, eyes watching the pilots. They spoke among themselves, some leaving the room, others entering. Occasionally, one would stop and pet Groot. The chaplain traded words with a few, but most avoided him and the counselors.

A few moments later, the chaplain beckoned and we left, the doors closing behind us.

"Let's leave them for now. Let them grieve."

A few hours later, he went home and I made to leave myself. Groot had other plans. He pulled me back to that building and down the hall to their room. There he sat, staring at the doors and me in turn.

"I can't open them, buddy," I told him.

He refused to move, so I knocked. Inside, I could hear people talking, but nothing more. I was about to turn and leave when someone opened the door a crack.

"He insisted I bring him back," I told the pilot.

At the sight of Groot, the pilot broke into a huge grin and pushed the door open, beckoning me in. Groot leaped ahead, pulling me with him. Everyone cheered when they saw him, some coming to pet him.

Groot wagged his tail, whipping my leg as pilot after pilot came and knelt to play with him and talk to him. Some spoke to me, sharing stories about their friend. Others remained quiet. For several hours, this pattern continued. I moved around the room, Groot nudging people in the legs to get their attention. Each time, they broke into a grin and greeted him and me.

After a while, I noticed one pilot, a major, standing off to one side. He wasn't talking, wasn't drinking. He just stood there, watching the room. He never moved from the spot. I made my way around the room, letting Groot interact with whomever came to see him or me. Eventually, I ended up behind their bar, listening to more stories. Groot sat behind me, resting during a momentary reprieve from the near constant attention.

As I listened, I felt him move behind me. Glancing, thinking someone might have dropped some popcorn, I saw him shifting into a perfect sit, ears forward, looking at the lonely major as he approached. The major knelt before Groot, resting a hand on his head and petting his side. Groot sat perfectly still, eyes locked on the man's face.

For several moments, the pair remained like that, Groot sitting perfectly still, ears forward, the major talking quietly to the dog. I couldn't hear what was said, and I didn't need to. I was glad to see the major talking.

Finally, the major reached up and pulled a patch off of his flight suit: the squadron patch. He hugged Groot, placing the patch on his vest as he did so. Then he stood, nodding once at me before turning to the bar. He grabbed a drink and joined his fellow pilots. A moment later, I heard him laugh at some story I couldn't quite make out.

A few hours later, Groot and I left to go rest. Several pilots came to say goodbye to both of us, thanking me for being present, thanking Groot for being Groot. They invited us back, saying we were always welcome in their room. And we did go back. Several times.

Little did we know we'd be back 4 months later for the exact same reason.

----

Chapter Two - Fallen Student

"Activate the Chapel Command Center."

"Is this an exercise?"

"Negative."

The text messages repeated in my head as I raced down the highway, the ambulance ahead. Groot whimpered in the seat behind me. I took a deep breath, calming myself. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it couldn't be good. I didn't know what I'd need to do, but kept going anyway

When I saw the jets lying on the runway, I knew.

"I'm going to the pilot building," I texted the wing chaplain. "I know I'm not on orders, but I'll be there anyway."

With that, I parked and Groot and I went to work. When I walked in, the same chaplain greeted me as he stood outside the same commander's door.

"Glad you're here," he said.

"I wish I weren't," I replied.

He nodded. "I know. Did you see?"

I joined him at the window and looked down the runway. There, I saw the medics moving something on the tarmac. A body.

"I saw the planes when I came on base," I said.

The chaplain explained what he knew before beckoning I follow him. Soon, the commander came out, a look of relief on his face.

"Chaplain, glad you're here," he said, shaking the man's hand. "And you, too." He looked at me. "I need to go meet another commander with the chaplain. Can you go take care of my pilots?"

I nodded and Groot and I left, heading for their heritage room. When we arrived, the pilots all stood around the bar, talking and eating. As I watched, more pilots arrived, carrying crock pots and other food trays. The community was responding.

"Groot!" the cry went up as the pilots all welcomed us in.

We hung around a few moments before the commander returned.

"We don't know what we don't know," he said. "So, you'll have to stay here without your phones. I'm here if you need me. Groot is here. Do you need anything else?"

The pilots shook their heads and the commander left. I began to mingle, listening to them talk. Some knew more details than they let on. Others knew next to nothing. Every one of them was nervous, but every one kept up a good face. Until they heard anything worse, all they knew was two planes had crashed and they weren't going to jump to any conclusions.

"Help!" someone called out from the hallway. "Chaplain. We need a chaplain."

Someone ran into the heritage room, waving at me.

"We need a chaplain," he said again.

"They're gone," I told him, having just received word they were off doing notifications. "What's going on?"

Groot, meanwhile, had gone into action. He tugged me forward, getting ahead of the pilot that had called me. We rounded a corner and found several pilots in the hallway, most standing, two collapsed on the ground in tears. Groot pulled me directly for them.

"Look out," I called ahead. "Groot's coming."

Everyone knew him and what he could do, so they all got out of the way.

"Groot's coming to take care of you," I told the pair. "He's probably going to lick your face and hands. He's trying to get your attention on him."

As I spoke, he did just that. The pair, a set of student pilots, smiled, petting him as he turned back and forth, licking each in turn.

"He just wants to take care of you," I continued. "Pet him and take deep breaths."

After a moment, they fell silent, absently petting Groot as he nudged at their hands and occasionally chewed on an available finger. Each would smile at him as he did.

"I can't believe this is happening," one whispered, tears starting again.

Groot turned and licked his cheeks.

"He wants to clean your face for you," I told him as he laughed and ruffled Groot's ears.

It was an empty laugh, however. I looked up at the pilot I'd followed.

"Is there a place we can take them?"

Moments later, we sat in a briefing room with a few other students keeping them company. One held a pen tab patch in his hand.

"Is that what I think it is?" the other asked.

He nodded. "He turned it in before he flew today." He paused, eyes watering. "I found it on the floor."

Groot nudged his leg, sniffing near his face. The pilot leaned over and let Groot lick his face.

We remained with the pair, listening to them as they talked to each other. Eventually, we followed them up to the command suite where they stayed. Groot and I escorted them until they were with their own commander, then left to make our way around the building, tending to other pilots and students while we all waited for word.

A few hours later, we stood in a large classroom with all of the student pilots. Their commander walked in and greeted them. He reminded them of the help available, petting Groot as he did so. A few moments later, a chaplain returned and I saw the two students get up and go to talk to him. I led them all to an office where they could talk and Groot curled up at their feet while they spoke.

"Chaplain, he was our roommate," one said. "Can we pray for him?"

A prayer followed, and the pair then kept talking. They started sharing their story, absently petting Groot as they spoke. One had practiced with their roommate the night before, talking him through his flight plan. The other had just landed and was taxiing down the runway when he saw the crash happen. Both had a hard time speaking, their feelings overwhelming them.

All the while, Groot sat at their feet, letting them pet him as they spoke. Occasionally, he would sit up and nuzzle their face. Other times, he would paw at their legs to get their attention. Still, they spoke, trying to work through what had happened.

Looking at the clock, I realized the next briefing was soon. We left, racing back to the classroom. I walked in with Groot to see the commander just leaving. The room, still full of students, was eerily quiet. I knew before anyone told me that the commander had just told them all what had happened.

Behind me, I could hear the two roommates becoming angry that they still hadn't been told. I rushed back with Groot, who pushed at their legs, getting their attention on him. As the chaplain spoke with them and Groot distracted them, their anger calmed. An instructor soon arrived to take them to the commander.

The chaplain looked down at Groot and thanked him for his help, earning a face licking of his own. He laughed and told me he was returning to the chapel for the time. Groot and I stayed, going inside the classroom to hang out with the other students. A classmate of the fallen student came and hugged Groot, placing a class patch on his vest. The students slowly trickled out, having been released, and Groot and I returned to the starting point: the heritage room of the instructor pilots.

When we arrived, the pilots remained, although now they had their phones and could go home. None wanted to leave, however. They had too much to work through. Anger, frustration, pain. I let Groot loose and watched him work. I walked around, listening to them talk, hearing their stories. Listening to their feelings and watching Groot help them process them.

Several hours later, Groot and I left, going home for a well-deserved rest. I promised them we'd be back.

After a long absence thanks to holidays and quarantine, we finally returned last week. The fallen student's class received their plane assignments that evening at the officer's club, his surviving wife present to celebrate with them. Groot met her, as well, and I told her of how he'd help his classmates the day of the accident.

Then we went to the pilot building to go to the instructor pilots' heritage room. I paused outside and let Groot off his leash. He bolted inside ahead of me.

"Groot!" they all exclaimed, clamoring around to pet him.

I walked in a moment later. On my left, I saw a memorial shelf, a tribute to the first pilot they'd lost that year. I smiled as I watched Groot race around the room chasing pilot after pilot.

Several hours later, we left and headed home, but not before promising we'd be back. Next week, the fallen student's class graduates.

Groot will be there, patches in place, ready to celebrate with them