automatic stop, bradley bradshaw

twenty-six.

SKYE AND ROOSTER SAT OUTSIDE OF THE DOORS ALL NIGHT. BOTH OF THEM refused to leave katia at the hospital alone, and weren't surprised that she wanted to stay the night. she eventually joined them in sitting outside, her head dropping into her hands. 

"i don't know what to do." she confessed, avoiding eye contact with both of her friends. skye moved to put an arm around her, but katia flinched away. "i'm sorry." 

she kept apologizing for the rest of the night, and it was breaking skye's heart to know that there was nothing she could do to help her. 

when the morning came, ice's radiation treatment had officially been confirmed to have gone successfully. his vocal chords, however, were extremely damaged, and when he moved to talk, he winced. 

the entire room fell silent, all knowing that their fears had been true. he wasn't going to be able to talk anymore, and maybe not ever again. 

he grabbed katia's hand, though, and reached out for his phone, which his wife had been holding for him. he typed something into it, and squeezed katia's hand as he pressed the text to speech option. "i am so proud of you." the robot lady said, and katia broke down. 

skye and rooster were standing behind her, neither of them knowing what to do or say. they were still so completely shocked. skye hadn't even noticed that she'd grabbed rooster's hand until he squeezed hers, looking down at her tear-filled eyes. 

"you are going to be the second kazansky on the wall of fame." his phone spoke again, saying their last name incorrectly, of course. "and i am so proud of you." 

katia shook her head. "dad, i can't leave you."

ice shook his head, reaching out tot type on his phone again. "you have one more day of training until you graduate." the robot lady said. "you will not throw away what you have learned because of me." 

and so, after everyone had hugged ice for a considerable amount of time, and had shed plenty of tears, he was still encouraging the three pilots he'd watched grow up to go and graduate from top gun. and who were they to disobey orders from a commander?

the car ride back to nevada was silent for some time until skye's phone randomly connected to the bluetooth and started playing the last song she'd been listening to, which just so happened to be uptown girl. 

"is this the glee version?" rooster asked after a few moments, looking between skye's phone and the road.

she shrugged. "the warblers all have amazing voices. just listen to curt mega and be healed." 

the three eventually started laughing along to the music, and all of the tension left their bodies as they started singing along. ice was still alive. and they were about to fulfill the dream they'd had for their entire lives. 

"i wonder what my dad would say about all this." rooster said after one of the songs had stopped playing. 

"he'd be so proud of you, bradley." skye replied immediately, and he wiped his mouth with his hand, trying not to cry while he was driving. 

they arrived back in nevada after the sun rose, and felt immediately exhausted from the all nighter they'd pulled. the three got to the base at the same time, and panther immediately approached them. 

"there is no obligation for any of you to train today." the admiral said, ignoring the salutes that all three of them sent upon his approach. "i heard what happened with the commander, and he was very important to you three. if you need to take a day off-"

everyone had been truthfully looking at katia, who they expected to be an emotional wreck. she only shook her head. "no. i want to graduate this, and i don't want it to be because i was left off the hook easy."