Mazy woke up to her phone vibrating off her side table. The phone fell onto the floor as it continued to vibrate.
Mazy sighed and grabbed her phone taking it off the charger.
It was her father. God damn it was 4am what did he want? Why had he called her 8 times?
Mazy rolled her eyes and looked over at Bradley, he was still sound asleep.
Mazy groaned and grabbed her phone and got up.
Mazy walked out into the hall and answered, "Hello?" Sleep was still laced in her voice, sleep still sitting in the corner of her eyes.
"Mazy," Mav breathed out he sounded like he'd been crying.
"Dad what? It's 4am?" Mazy rubbed her eyes and looked at the picture frames hanging on the grey wall.
"It's uh Iceman...he passed." Mav sighed, "I'm sorry Mazy."
Mazy brought her hand to her mouth, Tom had been a big part of her upbringing. He was there for her when Mav would fly missions.
He had helped teach her to fly. He meant so much to her and she felt so so guilty. Mazy knew he was sick, knew he probably wouldn't make it much longer. Mazy had only went and saw him once, she should've went and seen him sooner.
"Funerals tomorrow, I think he would want you and Bradley there." Mav said his voice shaky, he knew he could've been a better dad and Tom sometimes made up for his lack of parenting when she was young.
Mazy hung up as tears came to her eyes. This was the last thing she needed right now.
Mazy let out a sob as she slid down the wall her phone clattering to the ground she brought her hand up to her face.
Mazy sniffed as she brought her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knees.
"Mazy?" Bradley called, he opened the bedroom door and saw her on the floor crying, "Darlin'"
Bradley fell to his knees next to her fiancé.
"What happened Mazy?" Bradley brought his hands to her face, "Are you hurt? Did you fall?" Bradley inspected her for any cuts or bruises. Mazy shook her head picking her head up. Bradley brushed loose hair out of her face and began brushing tears from her cheeks.
"It's Tom. He...he passed." Mazy bit her lip and clenched her eyes back shut hot tears spreading down her face.
"Oh Mazy," Bradley's eyes softened as he sat next to her and pulled Mazy into his lap. She was so much smaller than him as she literally curled into his alp. Bradley rubbed her back and laid his head onto of hers, "I'm so sorry little bird."
Bradley knew how much Iceman meant to her, he grew up without a dad and could somewhat agree with how she felt. Where she lacked a mother he lacked a father. Both being raised by a single parent both were familiar with other people stepping into help them out.
Eventually, Mazy was tired out and hiccuping. "Let's get you back to bed." Bradley sighed and picked her up bridal style carrying her back to their bed. they both heard their phones vibrate and they had canceled again for the day due to Iceman's sudden death. They were sitting at two more days after today and tomorrow.
"I'm sorry Bradley," Mazy sniffed as he got them both settled back into their bed. Bradleys muscular arm around her and Mazy laying his head on her chest.
"Mazy, I love you so fucking much. You have nothing to be sorry for hun." Bradley sighed and kissed her head.
"I love you too," she sniffed and kneaded her head a bit further into his chest. Both of them falling asleep in each others grasps.
Phoenix, Bradley, and Mazy sat at the couples dinner table in silence. Each had a cup of coffee in their hands, after Mazy had fallen back asleep that morning Bradley called Phoenix. Phoenix and Mazy had a friendship that nothing could break, Phoenix knew Mazy's life story. Phoenix knew her trauma, she knew Mazy's daddy issues, she knew the roller coaster of her and Bradleys relationship story.
Mazy sat with her knees pulled to her chest her coffee mug sitting on her knees her delicate hands wrapped around it. Her engagement ring the only source of shimmer on her right now. Her green eyes gazed out the window at the crashing waves against the beach. Her caramel brown hair down splayed around her face. Phoenix glanced over at Bradley then to Mazy. Bradley and Phoenix were both nervous to say anything to her.
"I'll be okay, I promise." Mazy broke the silence her head falling and gazing into her cup of coffee. She took a drink and set it on the table. She got up and walked over to Bradley. He pushed his chair back and let the small girl sit on his lap. She needed all the people she loved right now, she truly felt like she lost a father today.
The door opened and Mazy's heart skipped a beat? Why was anyone else here? Did Bradley ask for another person to come over? Maybe it was just Payback or Fanboy?
Mazy looked up as her father appeared before the three, "Hi."
"Sir," Bradley and Phoenix nodded. Mazy looked at Bradley with anger lacing her eyes but a pout on her lips. Bradley was coming to terms with Mav and he knew no matter how much Mazy wanted him she needed to talk to her father.
"Me and Phoenix are gonna go," Mazy got up off his lap and leaned a hand on the table.
"You want coffee dad?" Mazy felt foreign using that word with him.
"Sure," he nodded standing in the same spot in the entry way of the kitchen.
"I'll see you later darlin'," Bradley took him and Phoenix's cups to the sink and rinsed them putting them in the dishwasher.
"Okay," Mazy sighed and kissed Bradley wrapped his arms around her squeezing her gently.
"I love you," Bradley hummed hugging her tight.
"I love you too," Mazy pulled away, "Bye Nat."
"Bye," Phoenix offered a kind smile to her best friend and waved. The pair left leaving an awkward silence between the Mitchells. Mazy put on another pot of coffee as Mav looked around.
"Cute little house you two have here. It kind of reminds me of me and Charlies old house." Mav walked over to the table, there were pictures scattered of Mazy and Bradley everywhere. On vacations, on deployments, and with their friends.
"Penny's house," Mazy nodded. She loved going there to remember her late mother. She was too young to really remember Charlie but she heard stories and saw pictures.
"Yeah," Mav sat down in one of the dark blue chairs. Mazy poured herself another cup of coffee and added some creamer to it.
"Still take it black?" she asked.
"Yeah," Mav nodded to himself as Mazy poured him a cup bringing them over to the table and sitting across from him. The two sat in silence for a hot moment. Mav stared down into his coffee and Mazy stared out the window again.
"I know he meant a lot to you," Mav sighed taking a sip of the coffee.
"I know he meant a lot to you too," Mazy bit her lip.
"Tom and I weren't exactly friends when I was in Top Gun. Similar to how Rooster and Hangman are." Mav sat back in his seat.
"Do you regret your decisions?" Mazy set her mug down and sat forward in her seat. She was genuinely wondering, sometimes she wondered if really following her father and her grandfather footsteps was the right choice.
"Excuse me?" Mav furrowed his eyebrows.
"I sometimes think maybe I shouldn't have followed into the naval path. Hell, I love flying dad but sometimes I really wonder what it would've been like to just be a housewife? Or just to have a normal 9-5 job. All I've known is the military." Mazy rubbed her eyes and looked at Mav.
"I understand I sometimes think the same thing Mazy. I'm proud that you did follow after me. I'm going to be real with you Mazy, I was so proud when you graduated at the top of your Top Gun class. But if you want to be done I'll support you." Mav looked at her.
"I don't know if I do want to be done? You know? I want to have a family with Bradley but I also don't want to risk putting a child in the position we grew up in. Dad I love him so much." Mazy felt tears begin to prick her eyes. She was letting herself be vulnerable with him which was something she had a hard time being with him as a kid. Mazy never wanted to show her emotions to him because she never thought he cared.
"I know Mazy, I know. Everything is going to be okay. I know it will be." Mav frowned looking at his daughter, they never had conversations like this and he liked that they were finally talking.
"After the training accident I just wanted to separate myself from Bradley. I wanted him but I also just didn't want to be around him because the moments everything was happening. I was so scared I was never going to see him again and I was going to die the same way Goose did. I never want to leave Bradley the way he's been abandoned his whole life." Mazy wiped her tears away.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you growing up. I was scared of the same thing the whole time you were growing up. I shut you out because I didn't want to leave you the same way Goose left Bradley." Mav sighed getting up and taking the seat next to Mazy and hugging her. Both of them sharing pent up rage and emotions that had been building up year after year.
"I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry that I've shut you out I just didn't know how to actually voice my emotions." Mazy sighed as she pushed her tears away. Mav sniffed as tears were pricking his eyes as well. Both of the Mitchells embraced each other in a hug a thing neither had done in a long time.
"When I first saw you and Bradley at the Hard Deck I swore my heart stopped," Mav chuckled. He looked at Mazy and the house she lived in with Bradley and he was so proud of her. She had really built a life for herself with a man she loved. The whole time Mav was raising her he just wanted her to be happy and now she was, "How long?"
"Me and Bradley? Oh damn." Mazy sat back in the chair thinking, "Since I was 18 right after I graduated high school is when we really committed so thats gotta be?" Mazy started counting on her slender fingers. "15 years oh my god."
"Fuck, I'm old. Your birthday is coming up I can't believe you're gonna be 33." Mav ran a hand down his face.
"Yeah you tell me." Mazy sighed, she couldn't wait to marry Bradley. She couldn't believe it had been 15 long grueling years of them just dating and only being engaged for two years of it.
"Let me see the ring," Mav smirked. Mazy slipped off the silver band with the diamond ring on it. It wasn't anything special other than a pair of flight wings carved into the inside along with M+B, "This is gorgeous. Oh Mazy I will find you your mothers ring I still have it."
"That means a lot to me," she smiled as she slipped the ring back onto her finger.
The pair staid in the Bradshaw-Mitchell kitchen for another hour just talking about anything under the sun. She really did love her father and it was nice reconnecting with the man who shaped her to who she was today.