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maverick never thought he would be a dad. so maybe thats why he made this horrible decision when faced with becoming a father. of course he thought it was what was right. this beautiful little baby girl could never be happy being his daughter. he didnt know how to take care of another human. his whole life he'd always done whats best for himself and he didnt know how to do any different. nobody had ever done any different for him.
nobody but goose, he thought to himself, but goose is dead. standing here in the rain with a little bundle of sunshine in his arms he made the worst decision of his life.
"mav, what are you—" the man standing in tho doorway cut himself off as he looked down to see what his friend was holding "what is that?"
"i cant do this ice. i need you to—"maverick let out a deep sigh, he usually wasnt one to cry but right now he cant tell if those are tears streaming down his face or if it is just the rain. "i need you to take her from me."
"what? i-i-i dont understand. whats going on?"
"you and sarah already have a daughter, you can take care of her, you can give her a life i cant, a family." he lets out a quiet sob that doesnt go unnoticed by the man in the doorway. maverick takes a small step forward, holding out his arms to kazanzky, silently asking him to take the baby out of his hands.
"is she—is she yours mav?" kazansky responds, taking the small girl from maverick, cradling her in the crook of his arm.
"yes, she was left on my doorstep this morning. i dont know who her mother is. ice, promise me she'll be okay with you?" his shaky voice giving away all the emotions hes tried for hours to keep concealed. all his nerves releasing in just the one sentence.
"she will be fine. but, mav?" pete looks up from the baby now in his friends arms, lifting an eybrow at kazansky in question. "is this really necessary? i know the love i feel for my daughter already, dont you feel the same? how can you do this?"
taking another deep breath and turning around to face the ocean in front of toms home pete contemplates leaving without an explanation. they deserve one though. she will deserve one. "im doing this because i love her ice. she deserves so much more than i could ever give her." walking quickly down the steps of the porch, maverick hurries to his motercycle and starts it. "tell her im sorry will you?" and with that pete mitchell drives away, leaving his sunshine in arms of a confused fighter pilot in the rain.
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