Lt. Taylor (Swift) Grace has known Bradley (Rooster) Bradshaw since they were just two years old. They had done everything together since, she even moved herself back four years when Rooster's papers were pulled out of nowhere in the academy. But, w...
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I sat on the floor, sobbing. He was really gone. He went back to save Maverick and his jet was shot down. The possibility of never seeing the face of Bradley Bradshaw again was hanging off the ledge of being a reality, and it was ripping me apart limb for limb. For some strange reason the only person in the entire room at the moment I wanted to comfort me was Hangman. Looking back on it I realize that that had become the moment that I dropped the grudge and felt comfortable in his presence enough to accept a hug. After we had moved past this grudge he truly became a good friend, and I mean that with the deepest sincerity I can imply. I wasn't sure how many minutes I was sobbing before the foxtrot teams arrived back. Phoenix burst into the room frantically searching for my face. Jake stopped hugging me so she could get to me, knowing that her Embrace would comfort me more than his in this moment.
"Shhh, shhh," she cooed as she rubbed my back. I hugged her shoulders, hanging on for dear life. "Look he's not gone yet," she reassured me "I was there long enough to see that he ejected safely. We're going to get him back to you, ok?"
I nodded, not wanting to let go, but after a while I let go, feeling that I could pull myself together for a couple of minutes. Bob came over to console me for a bit, seeing Natasha had finally let go. I felt the brotherly love radiating through him, like I was truly family. I exhaled deeply as he hugged me.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"You don't have to be it's not your fault."
"Do you wanna know what he said to me before we took off."
"Yes," I said, my voice lowering a significant amount.
"I asked what you had wanted and he told me 'She wanted me to promise to make it back for her, but that's going to be an easy one to keep. Loving Swift was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't throw that away'."
His speech brought tears to my eyes, I pulled away from his arms, wiping the tears away slowly.
"He's going to be fine," Bob finished pulling me back into a hug and rubbing my back gently. It was almost as if his words had worked magic. Something deep in what he said that gave me hope, and after about thirty minutes my inner hope had finally clawed its was back up the legde.
"Lieutenant Grace!" Admiral Bates yells from across the room.
"Admiral."
"Prepare your aircraft. You will be in the air in less than ten minutes. Maverick and Rooster have somehow managed to get an enemy aircraft to fly back in, but they're out of ammo and they need backup, fast." My heart started racing a million times faster. He's alive, but he wouldn't be for long if I didn't get out there.
"You're a miracle worker," I say giving Bob a quick squeeze before sprinting full out to the runway. "Dagger five, up and ready." I yell into the comms as soon as my F-28 is fully ready. Most of my take offs are nit picky, I make sure everything is intact, testing it all out a minimum of two times. My take off today, however, was the closest I've ever to breaking the record of fastest take off of all time. "Dagger five, in the air." I barely spoke on my journey to where exactly Maverick and Rooster were at, trying my best to focus on my speed. As I approach flying under the radar of both the jets, I pay more attention to their words.
"Mav, why aren't you shooting?!?" Bradley yells distraught.
"We're out of ammo and bombs! I can't shake him!" Maverick responds.
"Fuck!"
I watch as Maverick helplessly maneuvers, trying to shake the enemy aircraft. "Come on!" I mumble to myself, sharply twisting and turning my jet, not being able to get a target on him. I followfinally I line up my targeting system and aim. I hear a muffled 'I'm sorry, Goose' from Maverick as I press the trigger causing the jet to spiral towards the water.
"Taylor Grace I don't think I've ever been happier to see your F-18 in my life." Maverick said with a slight laugh through the comms.
"The feeling is mutual Mav," I respond "The carrier has the nets ready for you when we land."
I don't think I had ever been one to want to leave a jet, but today I was itching to get out. I shut the F-18 off the second I move out of the middle of the runway, violently grabbing at my straps so I can crawl down the ladder. I frantically go into a full out dash, itching to see Bradley. I come to a hault next to the F-14 and at was as if my time was moving in slow motion. The second I locked eyes with him tears started running down my cheeks. All that had happened in the past hour or two flashed in my mind. Almost loosing him, bawling my eyes out, everything Bob told me, finding out he was alive and then nearly loosing him again. This was surely something I would have nightmares about for the rest of my life, but for once the future trauma didn't matter because as long as he was here, holding me in his arms, I have the ability to heal. It was in that moment that Bradley and I ran for each other. Moving too slow, neither of us being able to reach each other's arms fast enough. He picked me up in his loving embrace, spinning me around as our lips crashed together. I didn't think kisses could get better than the first one Bradley and I shared, but I was dead wrong. This one was from a whole other galaxy, and the Big Bang seemed relatively small compared to this. We kissed each other like our lives depended on it. We ignored everyone's comments, and honestly we're too wrapped up in each other to hear them. It was me and him, him and me. Us against the world, and I hoped and prayed for the rest of my life it stayed that way.
