Promise Me // Bradley Bradshaw x OC

Ten.

It was going on a little after 8 p.m., and I hadn't yet heard anything from Bradley. Missions were usually an all day thing, but he'd let me know when he made it back safely. This time, though, I hadn't heard anything, and I was starting to get worried.

I started with calling his phone, which was still turned off because it went to voicemail, so there was no point in me leaving one. I also tried Phoenix, Fanboy, Payback, Bob, and even Maverick, and everyone went to voicemail.

It was no use in tracking anyone's location either since their phones were off, but I found it impossible to stay still. Slowly, I got up off the bed and just started pacing around my room. It was odd that everybody's phones were off, but maybe they were still on the carrier.

"Everyone's safe on the carrier, and they're on their way home," I repeated to myself, holding my cell phone to my chest. "Bradley's okay. You'll see him in the morning."

My legs felt restless so I couldn't bring myself to sit down. Instead, I decided to take a quick shower, just to give myself something to do. As I was getting dressed, a number I didn't recognize with a San Diego area code came up across my screen.

"Hello?" I answered with a hint of confusion in my voice, waiting for the other person to respond.

"Hello, is this Jordan Bradshaw, wife of Bradley Bradshaw?"

My heart sank all the way down in my stomach, and I swallowed a small lump growing in my throat. This is what I was afraid of.

"Yes," I answered slowly. "What's going on?"

"This is Dr. Ramsey with the acute critical care unit at Scripps Mercy Hospital," She began. "Your husband Bradley arrived here about an hour ago unconscious, and his captain said we needed to call you first. He said they were a part of a strike team recruited by the Pentagon for a mission, and during that mission, his plane was shot down by an opposing plane. His captain said he ejected from the plane and hit his head on the canopy, and it was quite a while before they were able to rescue him."

Tears were welling up in my eyes as I leaned against the bathroom counter. I couldn't help but start to cry.

"Is...is he okay?" Was all I managed to stammer out. "How bad is it?"

"Our initial MRI of the brain showed some damage to the hippocampus and amygdala, which are associated with memory, but there is not a sure way to tell without doing a neurological exam," She said as I felt a tightness in my chest. "For now, he's stable and resting in the ICU. He has a couple of broken ribs and is banged up, but we are focusing on the head trauma for now."

"Can I come see him?" I whimpered as I had a hand on my bump. "I need to see him. Please."

"Yes, ma'am, of course, you can come see him. His captain and some of his other pilots are in the family area. They wanted you to be the first to come see him," She said as she tried to give me a sense of comfort. "I will talk to you in more detail when you get here."

The call disconnected and I slid down the wall, sobbing into my hands. People would tell me that I should be thankful he's alive, but knowing there's a chance his memory might be impaired is just as hard. I don't know what I'm going to do if he doesn't remember me or our daughter.

I tried calling Maverick and Phoenix again, but their phones were still off. They were either still on the carrier, or in the midst of everything, they didn't have time to grab them.

The whole ride to the hospital in his Jeep, I couldn't stop thinking about what Dr. Ramsey was talking about his memory, and how he hit his head on the canopy just like his dad had done. It was scary how history has repeated itself.