The Best of the Best | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Part 4

Y/n's POV

Last night, I got a message from Iceman which read;

I need to see you.

So I drove to the Kazansky residence. Once I got there, I was greeted by Sarah Kazansky.

"Hey, Sarah." I greeted her while giving her a hug

"Hey, Y/n. It's good to see you again." Then we broke apart. "Maverick already got here a couple of minutes ago."

"Thank you, Sarah." I thanked before I started to walk away.

"Umm, Y/n." I turned around to face her sad face. "It's come back. No one knows. There's nothing else they can do. Even speaking is painful now."

"Oh, Sarah. I'm so sorry." I went back and hugged her again. We stayed like that for a good minute before we broke apart again. "I best find Mitchell, now."

"Okay." Then I walked off to find him.

I found him looking at an old picture of him and Kazansky, smiling while shaking each other's hand in 1986. I came up next to him while looking at another picture that's next to it which is a picture of Mitchell, Kazansky and I smiling at each other while standing in front of my jet on the day I was ranked Fleet Admiral.

After we finished looking at the pictures, we looked at each other before we made our way to Kazansky's office. I opened the door slowly as we can hear him coughing, then when we both are in the room, I close the door behind us,

"Admiral," Mitchell said, gaining Kazansky's attention and turned to face us as we pulled up a chair. "How's my wingman?" Then Kazansky turns to his computer and types;

I want to talk about work.

"Please, don't worry about us. What can we do for you?" Mitchell asked, then Kazansky pointed back to the text on the screen. "Alright, well Rooster's still angry with me about what I did. I thought eventually he would understand why."

"You hoped he'd forgive you." I spoke up.

"Yeah." Then Kazansky typed something again.

There's still time.

"The mission is less than three weeks away. The kid's not ready."

Then teach him.

"He doesn't want what I have to give. Smile, maybe."

"Ice, please don't ask us to send someone else to die, please don't. Don't ask us to send him." I said.

"Send me."

"No." I snapped, making them look at me in confusion. "I will not allow that." Then there was a moment of silence. "Send me instead." Then Kazansky typed again.

It's time to let go, Maverick.

Then there was another moment of silence.

"I don't know how." Mitchell strained, fighting the urge to cry. "I'm not a teacher, Ice. I'm a fighter pilot, same with Smile. A naval aviator. It's not what we are, it's who we are. How do we teach that? Even if we could teach it, it's not what Rooster wants. It's not what the navy wants. That's why they canned me the last time."

"The only reason we're here is you. If we send him on this mission, he might never come home." A tear starts to fall down my cheek as I continue. "And if we don't send him, he'll never forgive either of us. Either way, we could lose him forever. I could lose him forever."

Then we both looked at the text on the screen again.

"I know, I know." Mitchell muttered before taking a deep breath.