The pieces of my puzzle.

Seventeen.

A/N: I love quotes and I'm running out of gif's so from now on I'll put a quote at the top of each chapter.

~Mike❤️

(Azara's POV)

"And then he spun in circles!" Coyote laughed as the group of pilots listened to his story. We were all getting a drink at the Hard Deck.

Except for my dad, who was on a mission and Rooster, who was late for some reason. Other than that, everything was here.

Suddenly the bar's door burst open and Bradly storming into the bar, wearing an unreadable expression.

I stood up to meet him halfway and frowned when his expression changed to devastation at the sight of me.

"Bradly?" I questioned, confused. He just stood there. Not coming any closer but not moving away either.

"Azara, I'm so sorry..." He trailed off before clearing his throat and proceeding in a formal manner.

He looked around the bar, pausing on Penny and settling his gaze back on me.

"Captain Mitchell." He began. His eyes glazed over as if he was thinking about something out of reach. "I regret to inform you...of..of the passing of Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. He heroically sacrificed himself for his wingman during his recent deployment. He truly was an amazing pilot and a true hero. His legacy will be eternally remembered."

I felt my heart stop and an icy dread fill my chest. It can't be...,right? I looked up at Bradly. He didn't make eye contact, his eyes were misty. He was trying to control his emotions.

I realized I was the highest ranking officer in the bar so I regained my composure and began to speak. "Thank you, Luitenant-Commander for informing me of this development."

And then the next thing I knew, I was standing at my father's grave, being handed his flag and not letting any emotion show.

I put the flag down on a chair and headed to his casket. I took his wings and placed them on his casket before waiting for the trumpets to stop and using my fist to slam the wings into the polished wood.

Then there was the missing man formation.

And then everything went dark.

I shot up in bed, my sweat soaked sheets clinging to my body and wrapping around my legs.

I tried to take a breath but found that my chest only tightened further despite my desperate attempt.

I grabbed my phone off of my bedside table and checked the time. It was 3:07 AM.

I tried tapping my fingers on the bed but didn't succeed in grounding myself. I quickly realized that this was not a panic attack but a PTSD episode.

I was desperately searching through my contacts for anyone to call but felt too guilty to wake anyone up.

'Call me. I'm here for you'

Bradly's words echoed in my head and I only hesitated slightly before clicking on his contact.

(Bradly is in underline and Azara is in normal.)
Phone call:

'The phone ringed a few times before a sleepy voice answered.'

"Hello?"

"Hi, Brads....could you..um" My sentence was cut off by my voice cracking.

"Az, are you okay?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.