Sabrina
Copyright© 2026 by The Outsider
Chapter 34: Desert Flower
13 January 2025 – Spangdahlem Air Base, Spangdahlem, West Germany
Tom looked at his wife as she gazed across the snow outside their townhouse. They returned from the US a week ago.
“What are you thinking about, Babe?”
“Still trying to wrap my head around Ryan’s life for the past five years.” She glanced at her husband. “Makes what I had to deal with at the Academy seem pretty silly by comparison.”
“It’s not silly while you’re going through it, Sabrina. Don’t make what you went through sound insignificant. The cultures at USAFA and the other service academies are changing because of your actions. And for the better. That’s causing ripples across the armed services, though those changes will take longer.”
“How many thousands of us are there in the military, Tom? There are lots of us, but Ryan was going to play professional baseball! There aren’t that many people who get to do that!”
“And how many who were ‘going’ to play pro sports have their dreams derailed by injury, too? How many people who want to be pilots can’t afford lessons, can’t take the time to train, or have medical issues that prevent them from passing even an FAA Class III flight physical? Forget about the testing you and your colleagues go through.”
Tom paused.
“Someone losing their dream isn’t something to be brushed off lightly, nor am I doing so in Ryan’s case, Sabrina. Your brother has to overcome several hurdles to live an ‘average’ life. His addictions are the main ones. He’ll fight to stay clean and sober every day for the rest of his life. Learning to trust himself again is one hurdle, and learning to trust others is still another.
“His ankle will never allow him to play high-level sports again. But he can still coach, umpire, and run a league. Ryan needs to be brave enough to try, not to allow his past experiences to keep him out of the life he’s trying to rejoin.” Tom gathered Sabrina into his arms again. “Ryan’s not as weak as he thinks he is. To survive five years the way he did is remarkable, Sabrina. People underestimating your brother might be the advantage he needs.”
Sabrina stood at attention during the change of squadron command ceremony at the end of January. After the speeches, people were allowed to sit. Then, everyone stood again, and military members went to attention for the thirty-second transfer of the squadron guidon.
“I hope you enjoy your retirement, Sir,” Sabrina said hours later.
“Tim, Sabrina. I’m Tim now,” Tim Doherty told her as he shook her hand. His retirement party ended fifteen minutes ago, after being delayed by six months due to personnel issues. “It was a pleasure having you in my squadron. Best of luck to you, and keep in touch.” He handed Sabrina a card with his cell phone number and email address. “And keep kicking ass.”
Sabrina fired him one last deserved salute before he left.
The 22nd stood at attention again as the new CO inspected his command the following day. The squadron wasn’t in ranks like yesterday, but in their office areas as Lieutenant Colonel Hudson Stark wandered through. Lieutenant Colonel Matos showed him around. Colonel Stark stopped outside Sabrina’s office.
“Is she the one I’ve heard about?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Colonel Stark stepped inside and held out his hand. Sabrina dropped her salute now that Colonel Stark returned it.
“At ease, Captain. A pleasure to meet you. Colonel Matos tells me you’re the one to beat.”
“The Colonel exaggerates, Sir. I have less than a thousand hours in my book and plain wings. No star, no wreath. Just another Raptor rider, Sir.”
“About what you said she’d say, Butter,” the CO mentioned to his operations officer.
The colonels had known each other since their first squadron assignment, and Colonel Stark loved to cook. ‘Butter’ came from ‘ghee’ (another name for the spread without the milk solids), which sounds like ‘gee.’ ‘Gee’ is a contraction of ‘Portagee,’ itself a corruption of ‘Portuguese.’ That was Colonel Matos’ heritage.
“That’s because I’m smarter than you, Iron Man.” Matos scratched his chin. “Of course, you’re the one who commands a squadron, not me, so there’s that.”
“I’ll buy you a drink later to soothe your hurt feelings, okay?” Stark promised Matos and then refocused on Sabrina. “How are you holding as deputy flight commander and squadron training officer, Captain?”
“And online SOS student...” Matos added.
“Seriously? Do you have any free time?”
“Yes, Sir,” Sabrina assured her CO. “My husband and I make a point to take every weekend off if I’m not on duty.”
“That’s good thinking. Too many young officers, including Butter and me, back in the day, forget to enjoy life. What does your husband do while we have you tied up?”
“He’s a CPA, Sir. Tom works for Legal Aid as an accountant or tax professional for the folks here. Whichever they need.”
“I look forward to meeting your husband at some point.”
“Got wait-listed at TPS again, Raikou?” Colonel Matos asked. “Who did you piss off?”
“I wish I knew, Sir. Maybe I’ll get in before I make major.”
“Well, I hope you get in soon, Captain,” Colonel Stark said. “Not that the 22nd would welcome your departure.”
“My time’s up here soon anyway, Sir. It’s probably back to the States for me by year’s end.”
Stark nodded before he left with Colonel Matos.
Sabrina coasted through the rest of winter, spring, and into the summer. Time passed with patrols, training, and way too much paperwork. It was near the end of June before she heard anything about Test Pilot School again. Another waitlist letter.
“They must not like me for some reason,” Sabrina sighed when she saw the thin, regular-sized envelope.
“You can be a bit of a hard-ass,” the man behind her in the post office said.
“Stop staring at my ass, Griff.”
“I always stare, Sabrina, but relying on visual inspection alone can be misleading. Touching will get me into real trouble, however, so I won’t go that route!”
“Sounds like a wise decision on your part.”
“Yeah, I don’t want Tom angry at me. That would be bad, too.”
“You!” Sabrina squawked as she lunged at Griff and tried to put him in a headlock.
Martial arts work better when you’re not laughing.
By July 2025, Sabrina had garnered quite a reputation across USAFE and their fighter squadrons. Sabrina joked that people were double- or triple-teaming her fighter during training exercises. Which, of course, led to more inappropriate humor from her fellow pilots in the 22nd.
August finally brought a change.
“Sir, Captain Knox-Jones reports!”
“At ease, Captain,” Colonel Stark said while gesturing to a chair in his office. “How’s life as ‘just’ my Charlie Flight lead?”
“You mean since I’m no longer taking online classes, Sir? Pretty good.”
“Well, I’m afraid life is about to change.”
Stark tossed a paper across his desk. Sabrina noticed the Air Force logo and ‘HQ, USAF’ at the top.
“Nellis?” Sabrina would transfer to Nellis Air Force Base outside Las Vegas and report no later than October 1st.
“It’s not Edwards, though it’s in the same geographical area.”
“Southwest CONUS, Sir? Same general climate, too.” Sabrina looked at the designation of her new unit. “I thought the 65th was an F-35 squadron, Sir?”
“It is, but they’re adding a flight of F-22s and want the best of the best as an aggressor pilot.” She gave her boss a look. He smiled back. “People who fly with you aren’t letting you forget how good you are, Sabrina. Even if you don’t want to admit you are.”
“Bragging bites you in the butt, Sir. There’s always someone better waiting in the wings.”
“Well, send them my way to help fill the gap after you transfer, would you?”
Tom only nodded when Sabrina showed him her orders that night. He turned back to his ebook.
“That’s it? Only a casual nod to acknowledge our life will change again when we move out of here in a month?”
“Babe, you’re an Air Force officer. Change is expected. You’re late, honestly, because you should be finishing TPS right now.”
“Don’t remind me!” she growled.
“I will remind you that you were worried about only serving in one operational squadron before TPS. This is a solution to that problem!” Tom tapped his tablet. “It’s only one hundred degrees there today. I hope they have good air conditioning in the on-base housing units.”
“Tom,” Sabrina said in exasperation. “I’ll be the one roasting in an open cockpit. Forget about when it’s closed!”
“So negative, Sweetheart! Focus on the positives!”
“Like I’m positively going to hurt you later?”
“If it’s the kind of hurt I’m thinking about, I hope so!”
“You’re incorrigible!”
Sabrina smiled at her husband. This teasing was typical during their time together, and she enjoyed it. It was similar to when they were in school together in Massachusetts, and they picked right up again when they started going out in Colorado.
Their closeness was one of the reasons Sabrina told Tom she’d rather keep their queen-size bed than ‘upgrade’ to a king. Their queen was infinitely better than the government-loaner twin beds they would have for the last week of their stay in Germany.
At least the military thought of a loaner kit containing beds, dressers, tables, and nightstands. Service members were issued loaner kits before their personal belongings when reporting to new bases and after those items were packed and shipped at the end of a tour.
“On-base housing, or should we look for a place off-base?” she asked him.
“I’m fine with either,” Tom shrugged. “The on-base housing offers a bit more security. The off-base housing offers a bit more freedom.”
“A bit,” Sabrina agreed with both assessments. “The on-base might offer more floor space for the same amount.”
“We don’t pay for on-base housing,” Tom reminded her.
“Right!”
“I’m the sarcastic one, remember? Plus, on-base housing will be a moot point depending on what the housing office tells you the waiting period is.”
The Nellis Air Force Base housing office told Sabrina she’d wait eighteen months, minimum, for on-base CGO housing. CGO is a ‘company-grade officer,’ which includes both of the lieutenant ranks and captain. She and Tom decided to buy a house near Nellis instead.
“Glad you’re a trust fund kid,” Tom muttered as they browsed house prices in the North Vegas area. Sabrina gave him a dirty look.
“How have you forgotten about the Base Housing Allowance already? For North Vegas, we’re talking over twenty-four hundred a month at my rank and during my time in service!”
They made a list of viable candidates and began packing.
Friday, August 15th, was Sabrina’s last day in the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron. She stood in one final formation with her friends and received one more Air and Space Commendation Medal from Colonel Stark. It was over all too soon.
“Thanks for taking me under your wing when I arrived, Ma’am,” Zeke Bradley said while shaking Sabrina’s hand following the formation. Griff Hebert stood with him.
“Guys, when have I ever insisted on the ‘Ma’am’ thing when it’s just us?”
“If there’s anyone I’ve served with or under who deserves it, it’s you, Sabrina,” Griff said. ZeeBee nodded from behind Griff.
“You boys keep your noses to the grindstone. Don’t slack off now that there isn’t a fire-breathing thunder demon looking over your shoulders.”
Packing and cleaning their townhouse occupied Sabrina and Tom’s final weekend in West Germany. Housing inspected the property and retrieved the household loaner kit on Monday. Sabrina and Tom spent their final night at Spangdahlem in an Eifel House transient room. They flew Lufthansa first-class out of Frankfurt, trying to hold on to one last piece of Germany for as long as possible.
“Um, this doesn’t look like any Air Force temporary lodging facility I’ve ever seen,” Tom commented as he stepped out of the taxi two weeks later.
“It’s for officers with too much money.”
“I’d say so.”
From this angle, the fountain looked taller than the building. A bellman hustled up with a luggage cart before Tom could reach for a suitcase.
“I’ll take care of these for you, Sir,” the young man said, nearly pulling a bag from Tom’s hands.
“Thank you, Jesus,” Sabrina cut in before her husband could say anything. ‘Hey Zeus,’ is how she pronounced it after reading the man’s name tag. “We’ll go check in.”
“Very good, Ma’am,” Jesus said with a nod.
“I could have gotten the bags,” Tom grumbled as Sabrina led him inside.
“Let him do his job, Tommy,” she admonished him. “And, give him a good tip when we get to our room.”
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