Darlin and Stud | Bradley Bradshaw

Fights and Comfort

Was it my fault that the plane's engines went out? No, the birds were the ones to mess with the plane. It doesn't ease my guilt. I worked on that plane. Anything that goes wrong is my fault. I shake my head at my anxious thoughts.

It was working perfectly, everyone is okay. I close my eyes and pinch myself to ease my thoughts as my dad and I walk to where Bradley is waiting. He insisted on coming with me to see him, mainly so he can check up on him, too.

As my dad tells him that they're fine, I move to sit with him, grabbing his hand.

"That's good. I've never lost a wingman." He says indirectly to my father.

"You're lucky. Fly long enough it'll happen." My dad says, sadness taking over his features. I sigh, about to say something, when Bradley comments.

"Easy for you to say. No wife, one kid that you haven't even known until recently. That's hardly anyone to mourn you when you burn in." He spits. I move away from him, appalled at his words.

"Bradley!" I say. He ignores me, moving to stand suddenly when my dad begins to leave.

"Why did you pull my papers?! Why did you stand in my way?!" He yells, suddenly overcome with emotion. I become emotional myself.
"You weren't ready."

"Ready to what?! To fly like you?!" He keeps his voice up, moving to get into my fathers face. Tears start to form in my eyes from the stress of everything going on today.

"No. ready to forget the book. Don't think, just do. You think up there you're dead, believe me." My dad says, harshly, but his words come from a good place, an experienced place. Whereas Bradley's comes from a hurt place, irrational. Tears start to leak from my eyes.

"My dad believed in you, I'm not gonna make the same mistake." He says, almost completely walking out. He stops at the door, waiting.
My dad looks at me, a sad frown on his face, nodding to my pissed off pilot, silently telling me to go to him. I stay put, crying even more.

"What wrong, sweetie?" My dad asks as he notices my tears, his sad expression turning worried. I keep crying as Bradley approaches, awkwardly side stepping my dad, walking up to me.

"Darlin?" I feel stupid crying, but the stress of my responsibility as an AT, daughter, and girlfriend has caught up to me at an unreasonable time.

"Take her home." My dad says simply as he's dragged out of the room by Admiral Bates. Bradley doesn't answer him, but he kneels in front of me,

"What's wrong?" He asks. I shake my head, close to sobbing. He picks me up and starts walking. He makes it to his jeep as my crying slowly stops. He sits me in the passenger sideways and he stands in front of me, waiting for me to talk.

"You're a dickhead, Bradley." I say. He furrows his brows.

"My dad wasn't at fault today. I get you're stressed but you can't say things like that, to anyone, no matter who it is. My dad did something stupid to you, yes, but he didn't deserve any of those comments." I say angrily. He sighs, shaking his head.

"I know you're angry, and you've been hurting ever since your father died. I know you miss him. But my dad was apart of his family, too." I finish, turning in my seat. He stays there for a minute, contemplating my words, before getting into the driver seat, taking me home.

He gets out of his car with me, not saying a word. I walk up to my room and he follows me. I take my shirt off, staying in my sports bra and leggings. I lay in my bed and Bradley kneels next to me, kissing my lips.

"I know. What I said was stupid. I'll apologize to him tomorrow." He doesn't say anything else. I pull him to lay next to me. I nod into his chest as he cuddles me to him.

"It wasn't your fault, baby." He says. I sigh, nodding.

"I just- I got emotional, Ya know? I'm in charge of the tarmac, the planes. I get anxious. It's a lot of pressure." I feel his head nod along with my words.

"I'm sure didn't make it any easier with my outburst. I'm sorry." Suddenly, his phone pings from where he set it on the night stand a few seconds ago and I reach for it, gasping at the text he receives.