Our Bruised Bodies | Bradley Bradshaw

ACT FOUR - PART EIGHT

Cheers!

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To say that Bradley was thrilled about this whole ordeal would be a blank lie, but Grace delivered said lie so easily upon meeting Doctor Simon, Bradley nearly did believe himself that he was thrilled about being here in that rehab centre. Thanking the doctor kindly but still with a certain distance which came from years of serving in the Navy, for getting them into the program at such a short notice and expressing how ready Bradley was to put in the work and get back to his feet, which wasn't a lie, he would do anything to get back into an F-18, but he was so not thrilled of being here. Of being put into this program, only for Grace to drop him off and pick him up later again as if he was a toddler back at school while she went off to be an aviator, TOPGUN instructor and Navy Commander. He wanted to live that life with her.

He wanted to be anything but a liability. But that meant facing the journey which lay ahead of him. Learning to stand, to walk and then to fly again.

Letting his nails pinch into the palm of his hand for a moment, Bradley tried to keep himself calm. Tried to ignore that Grace found it necessary to push him around in his wheelchair, as if he couldn't move on his own at all, with Doctor Simon by their side, as he showed them around the facility. The head of the whole program took the time to do so, because Grace was a Kazansky and it was Iceman himself, who picked up the phone and called Doctor Dwight Simon about a spot in the program for Bradley. Of course, magically a spot opened for Bradley right away, because when you get a call from a Kazansky asking for a favour, you do it without asking questions.

The sterile scent of disinfectant hangs in the air, instantly triggering memories of Japan. Memories of Grace looking down at him, tears running down her cheeks, her eyes reddened, her skin wet as sobs tore through her body. She was shuddering with the power of them.

"Lieutenant Bradshaw?" The Doctor addressed, according to the worried look on Grace's face for at least the second time already, which had Bradley glance at the man for a moment. He must have been their parents' age, before he let his gaze wander through the room again.

There are rows of exercise machines, parallel bars, and therapy mats, making it all seem so real. The journey ahead of him suddenly taking form and Bradley wasn't sure if he was ready for that just yet. Maybe he should have stayed home with Grace for a while longer, ignoring the elephant in the room and just trying to get on with his life, which he knew won't happen if he's not facing the struggle ahead but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Would you give us a moment?" Grace asked the doctor, her eyes already on Bradley and he couldn't tell if she was displeased about his behaviour or just worried, but the Doctor seemed to understand, which irked Bradley even more. He watched as the man reached out and friendlily placed his hand on Grace's shoulder for a moment before telling her to take all the time they needed and that everyone here understood that things will take some time before everything is running smoothly. Grace just gave a sharp nod, military trained after all, before she watched the Doctor step away and talk with a nurse, which had been hovering around them the entire time, waiting for the doctor to have a moment to discuss something.

"We had a ruff morning." Grace pointed out, which had Bradley snort. Ruff was the understatement of the year, it was a fucking disaster, but he knew Grace won't address the reality just yet. She was babying him, hulling him into a soft blanket of cotton candy and clouds, afraid he might break if she would tell him the truth, brutally honest like she used to do. Now, he felt like she was lying to him with every word spoken, even though he knew Grace just tried to shield him.

"Listen, B. If today is not the right day to start this, then that's okay. I can drive you back home and we will just try tomorrow again. It won't be a big deal." She offered and for a moment Bradley wanted to take her on about the offer to run back home and hide away for another day, but he knew Grace. He knew she would lose all respect for him if he didn't at least try.