3rd POV
After calling the nurses back in to fill out both birth certificates, Bradley asked, "When are you being discharged?"
"Tomorrow morning." Rachel answers absentmindedly, memorizing the faces of her babies.
Knock, knock, knock.
Bradley called, "Come in!"
He's promptly wacked by his wife, not wanting to deal with two awake screaming babies.
Maverick steps in. Penny probably left to close up the Hard Deck, and Hangman would come tomorrow with Bob, Phoenix, and the others.
"Visiting hours are over." Rachel dead panned.
"When have I ever listened to the rules?" Maverick said with a large grin on his face.
"And how many times have you gotten in trouble because of it?" She quipped back.
"You are not holding back today, honey." Bradley said, before she would run her mouth even more.
"It's fine. I just came to check up on you guys. Phoenix sent me pictures of Isabella's drawings, and I thought you guys would want to see them."
Maverick pulls out his phone, and presses on the cute, crayon drawings that little Izzy has done.
They're all drawings of their family, Rachel and Bradley, Theo, Isabella herself, and her new baby sister and brother.
It's absolutely adorable.
"I want to check up on them." Rachel says, reaching for the phone.
Bradley, moved it out of her way, relaying, "I already did, and Bob said they're fast asleep. You'll see them first thing tomorrow, okay Rach?"
"Okay, fine." She said. "Dad... do you want to hold him?" Hurricane asked, trying to read her fathers expressions.
Maverick held out his arms to Rachel, and she handed over their son, "Hi, I'm your Grandpa Mitchell. Welcome to the family."
Rachel's eyes watered. "Bradley's holding Carole."
"After your mom?" He asked Bradley, and he nods back to his father-in-law. "Who's this?" Maverick asked rocking back and forth, holding the baby.
Tears start falling down Rachel's face. "That's Charles. We thought we'd call him Charlie, after mom."
"She'd love that." Maverick said, also getting emotional.
Rachel wiped away her tears, and Bradley stood so he could hold Carole in one arm, and hold his wife's hand in the other.
★★★
Rachel was elated to finally leave the hospital.
She hated being there, it always reminded her of her mother dying.
Charlotte Blackwood died when she was a young girl, but Rachel still had bits and glimpses of her in her memories.
But the one she remembered the most was the most recent of them all, when she visited her mother for the last time in the hospital.
Even though the hospital held some hard and horrible memories, it was also the place where her children were born.
On the ride home, she had been antsy. She wanted to make sure Theodore and Isabella were okay.
And Rachel was tired.
Charlie and Carole had a pair of lungs.
They had woken up late in the middle of the night, hungry.
Rachel knew that twins would be especially hard, but luckily Bradley would be there every step of the way.
She's just wasn't sure if she was brave enough to put on a face for her friends, who were probably waiting for them to get home.
Bradley reached over the center console of their car, grabbing her hand, instantly reading her mind.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, honey." He said, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles, still paying attention to the road.
"I know. I'm just—I don't know." Rachel admitted.
"You don't have to know everything Rach."
"I know that."
Rooster pulled up into their driveway, and parked the car. He turns to his wife. "I can kick everybody out today if you just want peace and quiet."
"No I want to see everyone." She assured him.
So with a twin in each other arms, they returned home.
They didn't even have to get their keys out or knock, the door was flung open the second they stood on the porch.
"Momma!"
"Daddy!"
"Theo! Izzy! Get back here!" Phoenix hissed.
"Shhh!" Bradley put his pointer fingers against his lips and mustache. "You're going to wake you siblings."
"Ohhhh." Izzy said, while Theo covered his mouth.
"Come back inside, and then you can give mommy the biggest hug after she gets the twins to bed, does that sound alright?" Bradley asked them.
Rachel giggled at their interaction, and they all entered the house.
Maverick was there with Hangman and Bob, talking about whatever pilots talk about in their down time.
Rachel slipped to go put Charles to bed, while Bradley rocked back and forth with Carole in his arms. Phoenix hustled the other two to the kitchen, to distract them with coloring books.
Maverick gave his son-in-law an awkward side hug, careful not to crush the baby.
Bagman said, "Congratulations man."
"They're so cute." Bob offered.
"Thanks guys." Bradley said, his heart beaming about his family.
"So Phoenix is Theo's godmother, Penny is Isabella's godmother, why can't I be a godfather? I was your best man at your wedding!" Hangman grumbles.
"You're Carole's godfather, Jake. I was going to ask you later, but with all you're whining, I thought I'd tell you now."
"What about Charlie?" Jake asked.
Bradley instantly replied, "Bob."
"I'd be honored." Bob said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"I know, when I asked Natasha about it, she freaked out about it for you." Bradley reminisced at the memory.
Rachel came back out, and grabbed Carole out of his arms.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" He asks.
"I can handle these two if you take care of Izzy and Theo."
Rachel tiptoes down the hallway, cooing at her baby.
"Whipped." Hangman teased.
"I could've told you that years ago. Rachel crushed on him so hard in middle school." Maverick revealed.
Bradley was about to say something back, but was interrupted by his oldest.
"Why was Aunt Tash kissing Uncle Bob in the kitchen this morning?" Theo asked obliviously.
Phoenix and Bob both turned a shade of red, while Maverick, Hangman, and Rooster dropped their jaws.
Phoenix looks at Bob and nods.
"Natasha and I are dating." He reveals.
Phoenix walks over to him, and kisses him on the cheek. Hangman and Rooster congratulate them both.
Finally.
"What did I miss?" Rachel asked, bewildered at their reactions.
"Natasha and Bob are dating." Bradley said.
Rachel punched him in the arm, "And I missed it!"
"Ouch!" Bradley rubs where it hurts.
"You didn't tell me Tasha?" Rachel asked, ignoring her husbands whining.
Natasha blushed, "It just barely happened!"
"Gimme something juicier. I can't believe it took y'all almost a decade to get together." Rachel says out of frustration.
Maverick, slipped out of the house, letting his daughter and son-in-law talk to their friends about all of their happy news.
He had a beer in each hand, and settled down on their back porch, looking off into the sunset.
He opened both beers, yet he put one down on the coffee table in front of him, taking slow sips from the other.
"Well Goose. We did it."
Maverick takes a deep breath in and then releases it.
"To catch you up, Rachel just had twins yesterday. Charlie and Carole. They're adorable, and Theo and Izzy were in heaven when they saw the babies today. You'd be so proud of our kids and what they're doing with their lives. Somehow Rachel and Bradley managed to name the oldest two after us." He says with a chuckle, and then becomes somber. "I haven't told anybody yet, but... I'm retiring in a couple of weeks. It's time to move on. I don't know how much more my body can take. But I can tell you one thing. Thank you for always being up there with me. It was an honor to fly with you, Goose."
Maverick knew that the pilot program would be extinct one day. He had been reminded of this fact many, many times.
But as he looked at Rachel and Bradley, and their children, he knew the future was bright.
And there would be more pilots, always pushing the limits of the skies.
There would always be Top Gun.