The Captain's Daughter (Bradley Bradshaw)

Chapter 21

The group all sat in their seats as they listened to Cyclone and Warlock. Apparently the plant was going to be up and running earlier than expected, and that we were going to be leaving for this mission in a week.  They also deemed Maverick team leader. No one was really surprised by that after yesterday when he flew the course and got a bullseye like it was nothing. 

Katie and Maverick stared at each other as Cyclone briefed everyone on what was going on. She looked at him with sad eyes. He looked like he wanted to run up to her, hug her, and apologize for everything she had to go through because of him. She snapped back into reality when Rooster gently squeezed her thigh. She looked at him and he quietly asked if she was okay. She smiled and nodded and looked back up at Cyclone. She could still feel him looking at her, so she grabbed Rooster's hand under the table. He looked at her and then looked over at Maverick. When their eyes met, Maverick immediately and abruptly looked at the floor. Rooster stared at him for a few minutes before looking back up front.

When dancing last night, Rooster knew the person on the bike was Maverick. He didn't have to think "What if it was someone else?" No. He had a feeling it was Maverick. After the car honked, Bradley stared out window and the bike didn't move. When Katie's head moved to look out the window, that's when Maverick sped off. 

Katie was still processing the fact that her father was 10 feet in front of her and not 6 feet under the ground somewhere. She so badly wanted to ask her mom why. Why did she keep him from her? Why did she not want Katie to ever know about him? All the questions of "why?" played out in her head. Even on her deathbed, she didn't mention a single word to her at all. She died knowing she was lying to her only child...and that her life would have been very different if she simply had told the truth. 

Being up in the air made Katie happy. She didn't have to think about her personal life up in the air. Anytime Maverick spoke to her, he called her by her callsign and only spoke professionally. You can tell there was an awkward tension between them, but they buried it far enough to finish training. 

Training went later than usual. The sun was already almost done setting by the time they were dismissed. Katie hadn't felt well at all. She's felt off since waking up this morning. She also barely talked to Rooster today, and as much as she loved him, she really just wanted to be alone for the night. 

"Do you wanna go get dinner tonight? Or come over so I can cook for you?" Rooster caught up to her walking towards the door. 

"I really just wanna be alone tonight, Rooster." She told him as they walked out the door.

"Are you okay? If it has something to do with Maveri-" She cut him off. 

"Why does everyone keep asking if I'm okay? Of course I'm not fucking okay! I have to sit in a room and train with my father of all people, not to mention this damn mission is so awful, someone could die! We could die. You could die. I do not know what will happen if you die. And now there's a chance my father might actually die. And I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact he told me a few days ago that he was my father. I can't do this, Bradley. I just need to be alone tonight." She snapped at him with tears in her eyes. It all was hitting her. 

"Okay. Just go home then. It's okay. If you need me, you know where I am. I love you." He kissed her forehead and walked off to his car. 

She cried her whole way home. She knew she hurt him when she snapped at him. She didn't mean to snap at him...it just came out of nowhere. She didn't know what was going on with her. She felt off when she woke up this morning, and it carried out throughout the day. The times she was content was when she was up in the air and when she was holding Bradley's hand. 

When she got home, she sat in the shower and cried. She remembered the last time she was in the bathroom crying, he came to rescue and helped her talk about what was wrong. Part of her wished he would come running through that door to hold her and tell her it was all okay, and that she was gonna be okay. But she scared him off with her outburst. When she got out of the shower, she changed into one of his shirts and some sweatpants. She turned on her phone to check her notifications and saw her wallpaper. It was her and Rooster on the beach. It was when they played dogfight football. It was a goofy selfie she had took. She smiled at how happy they looked. She saw she had a missed call from Rooster. She smiled at seeing his name on her phone. She figured she would call him back, so that she can apologize. 

It rang for a little bit before he picked up. 

"Hey, baby." He said tiredly.

"Did I wake you up?" She sniffled.

"I had just laid down ten minutes ago. Why are you crying?" He asked.

"I'm so sorry for earlier. I don't know what my problem is. I've felt off all day, and everything was finally getting me today during the briefing. And the tension Maverick and I had up in the air was just so awkward. And then I yelled at you, and then you walked off and I just knew you were upset. I wanted to go to your place and talk things out but-" She was cut off by him.

"Kat...breathe. I was upset, but I knew you needed your space. Really, babe. It is okay. Just breathe. Maybe you're getting a cold?" He asked.

"I cannot be getting sick before this mission. Especially if I could be flying on it." She toldmhim.

"If you don't feel any better after training tomorrow, go down to the doctors and see what's up. Really, Katie...you are okay. I can't stay mad at you forever." He chuckled.

"I love you so much, Bradley. You know that right?" She asked. 

"Of course I do. And I love you just as much, if not more. Now, it is very late. You should get some sleep. Goodnight, I love you. See you tomorrow."  She could tell he was smiling. 

"See you tomorrow, my love. I love you." She smiled and hung up. 

She passed out right after that. She was so drained in every aspect. It made her question if she was actually capable of flying on this mission.