lyn-js

[lyn-js]

Katie has now a 2nd found family!!!!

This was a cute(hot) chapter, I can’t wait to see the drama unfold with the Seresin.☺️☺️

Awesome Kay!❤️

Undiagnosed // Ch.26

Mature Content 18+

Jake Seresin x Neurodivergent OC

Summary: Katie Blair grew up trying to be the perfect daughter. She always struggled to be the prim and proper little girl her parents wanted. Big personality as a kid, but now at 25, she's the shy admiral's daughter who just keeps her head down and tries to get through law school. So what happens when she's had enough and with help from a certain Lieutenant, she gets out.

Warnings: Emotional abuse, trauma response, abusive parents, smut.

Word Count: 3.7k

Chapter 25 | Masterlist

“Fuck.” I moaned. Jake lifted my leg higher over his hip as he thrust up into me. We were both on our sides, facing each other. Jake had one hand around the back of my neck, the other wrapped around my waist as I dragged my nails down his back. “I love you.” He huffed into my ear. A shiver ran down my spine at his words and I moaned. “Jake.” I whined as he rolled me onto my back, pushing my leg back towards my chest. “Oh god.” He groaned. “Taking me so good, baby.” My face was flushed, sweat on my hairline as my brain went fuzzy. All I could feel was his body weight on mine and him inside me. He leaned down, taking my left nipple between his teeth and pulling. My back arched and pushed me into him. “Ah!” I yelped as he rammed his hips into mine. “We better hurry,” He said breathlessly. “Rooster will be here in half an hour.” I grinned and rolled him onto his back and straddled him. “Then I guess we better turn this into a quickie.” I said as I rolled my hips, and it felt so damn good. He laid still for a minute as I rode him. I reached down and grabbed one of his hands behind his head, leading him to wrap his fingers around my throat and I used his arm for leverage. “Shit. You always look so hot like that.” He sat up, pulling me down to kiss him as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “Come on. You’re so close, baby. I know you are.” I felt the knot in my stomach tighten as he leaned back again, hand on my throat. “Fuck! Jake!” I cried as I felt my orgasm wrack my body. Legs shaking as I squeezed his wrist of the hand on my throat. “That’s it.” My body practically went limp as he chased his own high, finishing as his lips pressed against mine. 

We relaxed against each other as his lips pressed against my temple. “You okay?” I nodded. “I’m great.” I muttered, falling back to sleep when suddenly he sat up with me in his lap. “No, none of that. We have a flight to catch. Now come on.” I hissed as he carefully slipped out of me and he stood, removing the condom he had on. “We need a shower before our flight.” He hauled me up with him and into the bathroom. We showered together and as we got out I dutch braided my wet hair and slid into a tan crew neck knitted dress with a tie around the waist. “Cute?” I asked as I stepped out of the bathroom. “I love it.” Jake said as he kissed my forehead. The doorbell rang and we both looked at the bedroom door. “I’ll get that. You put your shoes on.” I nodded as Jake walked out. I slid on some low heeled ankle boots and went down stairs. “Hi!” I said as Jake was talking to Bradley. “Hey.” Bradley said as he looked at me. “Ready to go to Texas?” Bradley asked and I nodded. Jake took our bags out to Bradley’s bronco and I sighed. “I’m nervous.” I said and he furrowed his brows as Cayenne rubbed against my leg. “Why?” I shrugged. “I’ve never even spoken to Jake’s family. He says they’re nice, but what if they actually hate me? I can’t really blame them.” I said, tugging on my thumbs. “Look. They’ll love you, I can’t think of a person who wouldn’t.” I glared at him. “Your parents aside, they’ll love you and if for some reason you wanna come home, call me and I’ll pick you up. But between you and me, I don’t think you’ll wanna come home.” I smiled at him. “Thank you, Bradley.” I said as Jake came back in. “Alright, we better get goin’ if we wanna make it to the airport on time.” I nodded and we all filed out the door. The drive to the airport was quiet and slightly chilly. As Rooster dropped us off, Jake tried to take all six bags himself. “Jake-” “You’re my girlfriend. I got it.” I huffed and took my backpack, carry on and checked bag from him. “No. I will get my stuff. You have to juggle your own backpack, carry on duffle and a suitcase.” I said and he sighed. “I mean, she’s more than capable of carrying everything on her own.” Bradley said and shrugged as Jake glared at him. “Thank you for dropping us off, Bradley. C’mon, we got a flight to catch.” I said to Jake as I nodded towards the inside of the airport. 

I just walked inside, knowing Jake would catch up with me eventually. I slowly made my way towards security when I heard loud footsteps behind me. “Did you really leave me outside?” He asked and I chuckled. “I sure did.” I said as we walked up to get our bags checked once that was done, we joined the line for security. There was only a handful of people in front of me and the agent was screaming about taking electronics out of bags and putting everything in bins. I went ahead and slipped off my belt and as we got closer I started feeling anxious. As soon as we got to the belt I set my suitcase on it. “Come on! Keep the line moving!” A gate agent yelled at me as I had Jake hold me up to get my shoes off. “Hey man. Give her a second.” Jake glared at the agent and he glared back. “She should’ve moved faster. Hurry up!”  He yelled again and I managed to toss everything in a bin and step through the scanner. The female agent gave me a small smile as if she was apologizing for her male counterpart and when I stepped out I quickly got everything off the belt and went over to slip my shoes and belt back on. “Are you okay?” Jake asked as he came over and slid his own boots back on. “Very stressed. Pretty sure I can feel my high blood pressure.” I said as I stood. 

“When was the last time you flew?” He asked. “I think I was like eight.” I answered as we walked through the airport. My entire body felt like an over filled balloon, ready to explode. “Let’s get to our gate so we can just sit for a few minutes.” Jake rested his one free hand on my back and led me along the hallways and bridges until we got to terminal one. “Coffee?” He asked and I shook my head. “Will you get me some water?” He nodded before walking me to some seats at our gate before he went and got coffee. I stared out the window, attempting to calm myself. I don’t want to already be stressed out when we arrive in Texas. Meeting Jake’s family is nerve wracking. If I'm overstimulated when I get there I won’t make a good first impression. “Here.” Jake handed me a very large starbucks cup full of water and I was grateful. “Thank you.” I said as I took a sip. “How are you feeling now?” He asked. “I can still feel my blood pressure. I don’t quite know how to explain it other than I feel like my veins are going to explode, they’re pushing against my skin. It’s making me feel very swollen and stiff.” He raised his brows. “I don’t think that’s your ADHD.” I shook my head. “Me either. I’m starting to wonder if all this court stuff is giving me cardiac issues.” I said and he tossed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to kiss my temple. “Don’t say that.” He muttered into my hair and I sighed. “Just being honest.” I said as I took another sip of water. “Well I don’t want to think about you having some kind of health issue that puts your life at risk.” He said as he dug into his backpack for the book he brought. “We are working through your ADHD and depression. Let’s try to get this squared away before you worry yourself into a new health issue. I want you to try and relax on this trip, okay?” He asked, turning my face to look at him. “Can I be honest?” I asked and he nodded. “Course, darlin’.” 

“I don’t like when you tell me not to say stuff like that.” He seemed surprised and just stared at me. “I don’t know why it bothers me.” I admitted, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I guess I’m just a realist. I can’t sit here and pretend that as soon as everything is said and done I’ll be perfectly fine.” “I don’t expect you to be perfectly fine, darlin’.” I sat up and looked at him. “I know that. I would just rather accept the fact that things can happen and be prepared, than be naive and caught off guard.” He raised his brow and sighed. “I can understand that.” He said as he opened his book. We sat in silence, my head on his shoulder as I slowly started dozing off. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin boarding for flight 232 to Austin soon.” I slowly sat up and closed my eyes again. I was suddenly exhausted and standing from this seat sounded like torture. “Come on. We’ll be first to board.” Jake stood and grabbed my backpack and helped me slide it on after I stood. We made our way over to the gate and waited until they announced that military could board first. Jake got our boarding passes taken care of and we walked down the gangway. I followed as he turned left and I furrowed my brows as he stopped just before first class. He put his suitcase in the over head bin and held his hands out for mine. I handed it to him and he put it away. He motioned for me to slide in first and I did till I was against the window. “I figured we would be in economy.” He nodded. “I originally bought them for economy but about a month ago I got a chance to upgrade to plus for free.” 

“Whatever works I guess.” I said as I put my backpack under the seat in front of me. I was surprised by the leg room, I don’t have long legs or anything but I noticed how much more comfortable it was. The plane engine was running and of course it was loud and as we waited both Jake and I had our noses in our respective books. As more people got on it got louder in the cabin and I read the same sentence a total of thirteen times before I gave up. I huffed and closed my book, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. I heard Jake rummaging around in his backpack before he leaned close to my ear to whisper. “Here.” I opened my eyes to see a little black case in his hand. I gently took it. “What is it?” I asked as I opened it. “They’re ear plugs.” I furrowed my brows as I pulled them out. They looked like earbuds but the outside had a hole in it. “This switch here,” He said as he pointed at the little tab like mechanism. “If you put it all the way at the top, it’s good for sleep. The middle will help protect your ears during concerts and things like that and the bottom will help block out background noise while you’re working or studying but you can still talk to people and hear them.” I just stared at the little white ear plugs as tears brimmed my eyes. “How did you know I’d need something like these?” I asked as I turned to look at him. “Darlin’. We’ve lived together long enough. I know what makes you overstimulated.” He said before kissing my head. “Try them out.” I picked one up and slid it in my ear before doing the same with the other one. I turned the tab till it was midway and it was like this massive relief settled over me. “Oh my god.” I said as I could feel myself slowly calming down. “Like them?” He asked and I nodded. “Love them.” 

The rest of the boarding process was peaceful without all the noise. I was able to listen to the safety briefing without feeling overwhelmed and as we took off I squeezed Jake’s hand tightly. “I would like to keep my fingers, darlin’.” He said as we leveled out and he pried my fingers from his hand. “Sorry. It’s been a long time since i’ve been able to hold someone's hand on a plane.” He furrowed his brows. “What do you mean? Didn’t you and your parents move a lot and fly?” I nodded. “We did. Until I was twelve I sat with my parents. My first flight after I turned twelve, they put me back in economy and they sat in first class.” “What the fuck?” He asked, leaning away from me and looking at me with anger in his eyes. “Sh!” I said as I noticed multiple heads turn our way. “Everything alright, sir?” A flight attendant asked as she walked over. “No-” “Nothing that can be fixed. He’s fine. I promise.” I said, resting my hand on his far shoulder and turning him back to me. “That was years ago. That is not a problem anymore. Because they are no longer in my life besides this trial and it is me and you, okay?” I asked and he took a deep breath before nodding. “You’re right. I am sorry.” I nodded. “Apology accepted.” We sat in silence for a few minutes before I turned to him. “Can you tell me a little about what I should expect?” He nodded. 

Finally we landed and we got all our bags before making our way to pickup the rental truck Jake ordered. “Okay, so your niece is ten.” He nodded. “And your oldest nephew is two.” He nodded again. “And I know your brother and sister-in-law just had their first a few weeks ago.” He nodded again. “Correct!” He shouted and I laughed. “So you’re going to get along with everyone, except maybe my younger sister. It’s not you, I promise. She has never liked anyone Tyler or I have ever dated and she absolutely loathes Chelsea, Tyler’s wife.” I furrowed my brows. “Why?” I asked and he sighed. “She had Hadley when she was fifteen and our parents did everything they could to support her and because of that she was able to finish high school and got her college degree which is great. But she’s never put it to use, and even though she has her own place, she’s at our parents every day. Because my mom takes care of the kids, so she doesn’t have to do it. But they won’t back off and make her do it herself.” I was still confused. “So why does she hate anyone you date?” I asked. “Our parents have always liked anyone Tyler or I have brought home. Never really disliked any of them but every time we bring someone home, it takes their attention from her and the kids.” I raised my brows. “So then she has to do it herself.” He nodded. “She’s also been the center of attention and she likes it. I love my sister, don’t get my wrong, but Hannah had a lot less boundaries than Tyler and I growing up. She got away with a lot more and it shows.”

“Not sure if that makes me grateful to be an only child or not.” He gave me a small smile. “Did you ever get lonely growing up?” I shrugged. “Occasionally. But I also didn’t know any different.” I said as I looked out the window. We’ve been in the car for an hour and we’ve been on the same road for twenty minutes and all I’ve seen is the same fence for miles. “How far out are we?” I asked. “Well if you want to know we’re technically on my parents property. But we’re about forty minutes from the house.” I furrowed my brows and looked at him. “How many acres do your parents own?” I asked as I turned to him. “Three hundred thousand.” I just gaped at him. “I’m sorry. Repeat?” He just laughed. “It’s a lot, I know.” I was still shocked. “Uh yeah! Are your parents also oil tycoons?” I asked and he laughed loudly at that. “Nope. Just ranchers. My great something grandfather founded the ranch in eighteen sixty-three.” I shook my head. “Damn. So this place is well over a hundred years old?” I asked and he nodded. “The house has had some renovations. You know, bringing the plumbing inside, attach the kitchen to the house finally.” “Y’all had a detached kitchen?” He nodded. “My grandparents did for a while. They were the ones who expanded and attached it to the house.” I nodded. 

Suddenly he pulled the truck to a stop and got out. I was confused as he raced around, opening my door and helping me out. “What are you doing?” I asked as he pulled me over to the fence. There were a bunch of cattle a ways away out in the pasture. “ELI!” I jumped as he screamed, being startled by how loud he was. “What are you doing?” I asked and suddenly there was a loud bellow out in the field. I looked over to see a black bull rushing towards us. I stared for a second and when he wasn’t stopping I immediately got behind Jake. He just laughed and reached behind him, his hand landing on my waist. “It’s okay.” I watched as the bull ran full speed over to the fence, sliding to a stop in front of Jake. “Hey, buddy.” He said, reaching out and rubbing his nose. The cow groaned and leaned into his hand like a dog. “Yeah, I missed you too, Bud.” He turned to me. “Come here.” He pulled me around, grabbing my wrist and holding my hand out. Eli sniffed it for a second before licking it. I smiled and started scratching behind his ear. “His eyes are actually rolling back in his head.” I said and Jake laughed. “Yeah. He’s always been very calm and loving. Most longhorns are very docile, but he is extremely docile. Dad originally put him in the rodeo for team roping and he would just walk out of the gate and stand there.” I laughed thinking about this massive bull just standing there as multiple horses ran around him. 

“When he didn’t work out dad put him out to pasture with the others and he’s been living his best life since.” I nodded as I continued to pet him. “So, how did you two develop this bond?” I asked. “Farm chores. Every morning I go out, muck the stalls, feed the pigs and chickens and water the cows. And as soon as he could get out, he was following me around. We’ve been attached ever since.” I smiled at him. “That’s nice. I wish I got to grow up with animals.” He laughed. “They definitely keep it interesting.” He pet Eli’s nose one last time before stepping back. “Come on. Let’s get to the house. Mom will have lunch ready soon.” I nodded and he opened my door and helped me in. After he started back on the road we were quiet for a few minutes before he glanced at me. “Feel better?” He asked. I furrowed my brows. I felt a little more relaxed, not as anxious. “Yeah. How’d you know?” I asked and he just grinned. “I’ve been doing research. How animals and spending time with them can help ADHD.” “So you purposely stopped to ease my anxiety?” He nodded. I sat up and leaned over the console, kissing his cheek. “You’re amazing. I love you.” I said and he grabbed my hand, kissing it. “I love you too.” 

The rest of the way he was pointing out familiar things and I listened intently to the stories he told me and soon, we pulled up into a dirt driveway and in front of us stood a very large ranch house. “Oh wow.” I said as Jake got out of the truck and he walked around to my side just as the front door opened. “UNCLE JAKE!” He helped me out just before he was tackled by a little girl who I assumed was Hadley. “HI KIDDO!” He yelled back before picking her up in his arms and swinging her around. I smiled at them as he put her down. “Oh!” I yelled as I felt a hand go up my dress. I turned to find a toddler grinning up at me with a pacifier in his mouth. “Lucas, bud. You can’t do that.” Jake said as he grabbed him up. “I’m sorry, darlin’.” He said and I shook my head. “It’s okay.” I responded as a blonde woman raced out of the house, a taller man behind her at a slower pace. Jake set Lucas down just as his mom grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. “Hi mom.” He said as he buried his face in her hair and I had to hold back tears. “Oh I have missed you so much!” She said as she essentially rocked back and forth as she held him before letting go and locking her eyes on me. “And you must be Katie.” She said before I was suddenly grabbed and she yanked me into her body. “I am so happy you’re here, sweetie! Jake just goes on and on about you.” I immediately felt relaxed in her arms and slowly managed to hug her back. “I’m glad I came.” I muttered and she pulled away, keeping me at arms length. “Us too. I’m Audrey. Now come on. I’ve got lunch ready and I’ll bet you’re hungry.” She immediately threw her left arm over my shoulder and her right hand held my arm closest to her. “Plus, you have to meet the rest of the family!” She said as she led me towards the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[lyn-js]

We’ve got it ALL Kay!!

Receipts, Proof, Timeline, Screenshots, EVERYTHING!!!!!

Such a great chapter!

Undiagnosed // Ch.25

Mature Content 18+

Jake Seresin x Neurodivergent OC

Summary: Katie Blair grew up trying to be the perfect daughter. She always struggled to be the prim and proper little girl her parents wanted. Big personality as a kid, but now at 25, she's the shy admiral's daughter who just keeps her head down and tries to get through law school. So what happens when she's had enough and with help from a certain Lieutenant, she gets out.

Warnings: Emotional abuse, trauma response, abusive parents, smut.

Word Count:

Chapter 24 | Masterlist

“How can you prove that?” The judge asked. “We have a recording of a phone call from Katie to Lieutenant Seresin.” She raised a brow. “And how will this prove she’s lying on the stand?” Tom just smiled and motioned for the bailiff to do something and he used a remote to play something.

“Hello?” I immediately recognized Kelly’s voice. “Kelly?” Jake told me Kelly pressed record when she answered, just in case and this was the first time I was hearing the fear in my own voice. “Katie?” I remembered the hot tears streaming down my cheeks. “Katie, sweetie. Where are you?” “My parents' house.” “Hang on. JAKE!” “Katie?” I was crying through the whole exchange and just like that day, Jake’s voice made me feel calm. “Jake, I’m so sorry. I never should’ve left.” “Hey, no darlin’. It’s okay. Just-just tell me where you are and we’ll come get you.” “My parents' house.” “We’re on our way.” “Jake, there’s a key under a rock in the front flower bed.” “Okay. We’ll be there soon.”

As soon as the call ended I turned back to look at the judge who had a look on her face I couldn’t decipher. The court room was silent for what felt like hours. “Do you have a time stamp?” She asked and Tom nodded and pulled out a paper, taking it up to the stand. She looked at it and nodded and he came back. “Mrs. Blair. What was the date Katie went missing?” She asked. “May twenty-seventh, your honor.” She nodded. “She’s not lying Mr. Sterling. That’s the same date as your time stamp.” I looked at Tom who had an angry look on his face. “That call clearly states that Ms. Blair is in distress. Why would she ask for her friends to help her if she could just willingly leave?” He questioned. “It says here in these papers I was given by Mr. Strande-” She started and flipped through some papers. “The day before Katie left, her parents took the keys to her car as punishment. She couldn’t drive, so she called her friends to come get her.” My eyebrows flew up in shock. “Why are they punishing their twenty five year old daughter? She is an adult.” Tom said. “I agree. She’s an adult who should have been out of her parents house, taking care of herself but she wasn’t. She was too dependent on her parents. She lived in their house, ate their food, and supplied her with her car, phone, laptop, and a warm bed to sleep in. Mr. Sterling do you have anything significant to add to the case at the moment?” She asked and he stood quietly. 

“Very well. Sit down and let us handle the assault charges first.” Tom did as she said and I grew more nauseous as time went on. “Mrs. Blair,” Jackson started. “Were these outbursts common in your house?” He asked and she nodded. “More as a child. She would throw these awful tantrums and she would throw things and hit us and we did our best to discipline her and take care of her outbursts but truthfully, she was a badly behaved cold and we couldn’t get a hold of her.” Mom said as she faked cried some more. I sat there, fists clenched on top of my thighs as I ground my teeth together. Lies. They were all lies. “Now they have places where you can send poorly behaved children. Residential treatment centers, even wildlife camps where they spend time outside and they are taught to obey their parents-” “Oh no!” Mom interrupted him. “I couldn’t send her to any of those. She may be poorly behaved but… she’s my baby and I don’t trust anyone else to discipline her. What if they hit her? Hurt her?” My whole body tensed and tears flooded my eyes. 

“Your honor. As you can see Mrs. Blair loves her daughter very much and she’s tried to make her a productive member of society but she was just too much. But Katie has such an unwarranted hatred for her parents but especially her mother that she came back to harm her and that can’t go unpunished.” The judge nodded. “I agree. Now let’s get on to pleading.” Tom turned to me. “Not guilty.” I just gave him a slight nod as the judge asked me to stand. “Ms. Blair. How do you plead?” “Not guilty, your honor.” She raised her brow at me. “Are you sure about that?” I nodded. “Yes, your honor.” I responded. “Ms. Blair. You do realize that everything that has been said in this courtroom today implicates you to the highest degree. There is no way a jury will find you not guilty.” I nodded. “Yes, your honor. I realize this. I will maintain my decision.” She pursed her lips and looked at my mother. “Mrs. Blair. I am so sorry you have to put up with this young lady. I can’t imagine what an embarrassment it must be to have such a hateful child.” I was gonna explode. “She’s still my daughter, your honor and I love her more than anything.” “You’re a wonderful person, Meredith. We will reconvene the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Dismissed.” As soon the gavel banged I flew from my seat and rushed out of the courtroom, numerous voices calling after me.

I rushed into the bathroom, throwing a stall open and releasing all the contents of my stomach. I heard the door open and a hand on my back just as I retched one last time. “Katherine.” I flung myself up and shoved myself as far back in the stall as I could. “Get away from me!” I sneered. “You listen to me-” “Get out!” I was relieved to see Natasha  behind my mother. “Excuse you-” “You can step away from her. Now.” That’s when I noticed Natasha had her phone in her hand, camera angled right at us and my mother noticed too. She took three large steps away from me and I rushed out the door and behind Natasha. “You need to leave her the hell alone!” She snapped before wrapping her arm around my waist and guiding me out the bathroom door. “Katie!” Jake rushed over, taking me from Natasha. “Katherine Scarlett.” As I turned to face my mother I noticed just how empty the hallway was aside from my parents, my friends and I. “You better enjoy your last holiday. You’ll be spending the rest in prison.” She hissed at me, stepping forward to put her nose to mine and just as Jake put his hand out to push her back I ripped myself away from him and reared my fist back. I let it fly and clocked my mother in her left cheek. She screamed and fell back just as my father came running over with multiple officers. “Meredith!” He knelt down next to her as she cried and I was immediately grabbed by three officers and slammed into the wall next to us. “Hey!” Jake lunged forward but was immediately grabbed by Rooster and Coyote. 

“Katie Blair, you are under arrest for battery. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law-” “STOP!” My mother said and the officer stopped, stunned by her. “Please. I shouldn’t have gotten in her space. I should’ve left her alone.” Mom cried. “Ma’am. She can’t hurt you anymore.” An officer said. “Please. She’s my baby. It’s stressful enough going through all this. I don’t know if my heart can physically handle the sight of her getting arrested.” The officer pursed his lips, and stared at her for a minute. “Alright. Let her go.” The officers immediately removed the cuffs they barely got on me and let me go, causing me to stumble back into Jake who I clung to. “You are one lucky little girl.” The officer said. “I don’t want to see you near them again. Escort her out.” An officer nodded and walked towards me and Jake immediately turned us around and we walked out of the courthouse and the officer watched as we stopped by the truck. 

“They have the judge in their pocket.” I muttered. “Darlin’. I promise we’ll fix this.” I shook my head. “We can’t.” I said. “It’s too late, Jake. Everyone has already made up their minds and it will be too easy to sway the jury.” I leaned against the truck. “I’m going to jail.” Tears welled in my eyes at the realization. “This was all for nothing.” “No it wasn’t.” Tom said as he walked up. “Look. I am going to fix this, Katie. I swear.” I shook my head. “I appreciate it, Tom. But there’s nothing we can do. We’ll see you when we come back.” I said. “Katie. If you give in, they win.” He said and I laughed. “They already have.” He shook his head. “No, they haven’t. When you come back, we’re going to turn this around, okay?” He asked and a small part of me wanted to believe him. “Okay.” I said just to satisfy him. “Alright. Time to go.” An officer said as he came over, ushering all of us to our cars. “C’mon darlin’.” Jake said as he walked me around to the passenger side of my truck. I climbed in and watched as my parents were escorted out by multiple officers while Jake walked around the truck. He got in and started it up. 

Jake drove us home in silence, but it was almost comforting, like he knew there was nothing he could say in this moment to make me feel better, but his presence alone comforted me ever so slightly. When we got home Jake helped me out and unlocked the front door, allowing me to walk in. I slowly walked into the house, my eyes never leaving my feet on the floor and I didn’t stop till I reached my room. I stopped between my bed and dresser that I haven’t had anything in in a few months now. The only sound being from Calypso’s tank that I’ve been meaning to move to another part of the house since I wasn’t in here anymore. I heard Jake come up the stairs and I knew he stopped right in front of the door. “Katie?” Everything hit me. It started as deep breaths, which turned to gasps, then to sobs. I dropped my purse as I cried in the middle of the room and I didn’t downplay it. I cried loudly and openly. Part of me wanted Jake to hold me and the other part wanted him to stay away because if he touched me I’d just cry harder and longer. 

“What the hell did I do to deserve this?” I asked out loud. “Was I really that bad of a child?” I asked as I brought my hands up to wipe my eyes and I slowly turned, just trying to breathe and calm down. “How come they don’t love me?!” I asked as anger started to settle in my chest. “I hate them!” I grabbed the picture frame off the dresser and chunked it at the wall behind the bed and it shattered, like every part of me finally was. “I hate them!” I yelled again as I kicked the dresser. “THEY CAN BOTH BURN IN HELL!” I screamed as I grabbed my purse by the handle and swung it/ The sound of glass shattering and my feet getting wet broke me out of my rage and I watched as Calypso was carried out of his tank by the water. “NO!” I screamed, reaching to grab him as quickly as possible. I scooped him off the floor and held him in my palm and I was about to rush for the bathroom as Jake came in with the glass from the bathroom, filled with water. I quickly dropped calypso in and watched as he sank to the bottom. “No! No. No. No.” I muttered as I held the glass up to eye level and watched him closely. “Dammit! Come on! Swim!” I yelled and started sobbing again, and through my tears I saw him start to move and soon he was swimming in circles around the tiny glass. 

My back hit the wall and I slid down it as I hugged the glass to my chest. Jake moved to sit next to me as I cried and he pulled me in tightly to his side. After about twenty minutes I managed to calm down to just sniffling. “I’m an awful person.” I muttered as I looked down at the little fish. “No you’re not.” He said and I shook my head, sitting up from his shoulder. “Yes I am. I’m no different than my dad. I almost killed Calypso.” I said as I rubbed my finger up and down the glass. “Not on purpose. Your dad knew what he was doing when he threw that textbook into your fish tank. You were blinded by rage-” “Just like he was.” I finished for him and he went silent. “No matter what, they’re my parents and I can never truly escape them.” I muttered. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean you have to turn out like them.” Jake said. “Here.” I handed Jake the cup and he furrowed his brows. “I don’t think I should be in charge of any more animals.” I said as I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them. After a moment Jake unwrapped my arm from my leg and put the glass back in my hand. “No. You should. No one can take care of this fish like you. If I take care of him he will be dead. He needs your vast fish knowledge to take care of him. I stared at the cup for a minute before I offered him a small smile. “We need a new tank.” I said and he smiled. “You leave that to me.” He said before kissing my temple.

Bradley and Natasha picked up the kittens from Penny and brought a new tank that Jake asked them to pick up. “Okay, tank and kittens.” While waiting Jake and I cleared off a spot on a table next to the staircase for the new tank and I spent some time cleaning up the gravel from his tank so I could put it back in. “You’re a literal life saver Rooster.” I said as I took the large tank from him in a hurry. “Need some help?” Jake asked and I nodded and about that time the kittens started crying to be fed. I stopped and turned to them and Jake looked at me as I stepped away and I turned back. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. “How about you set up the fish tank with Rooster and Phoenix and I will feed the kittens.” Her head snapped up. “Me?” She questioned and I didn’t miss the look on Jake’s face when she said it. “Yes you.” She raised her brows and just grabbed the crate with the kittens and followed Jake as Rooster and I got set up. “So what happened?” He asked and I quietly got everything together. “I had a blow up. Just like my dad.” I answered. “I was angry. I threw a picture frame and shattered it. I kicked the dresser and almost put a hole in it. Then I screamed that they can both burn in hell, swung my purse around and broke the tank and Calypso just flowed out and almost died.” I said and he sighed. “Look at me.” I did. A doubtless look on my face. “You are not your father. You have ADHD and you struggle to regulate your emotions and you are going through… one of the most stressful things I can imagine and it makes sense that you’d have a moment where you lose it. That doesn’t make you anything like your dad.” I gave him a small smile, feeling a little better. “Thank you, Bradley.” 

We worked and got the tank set up and I slowly put calypso in as Jake and Nat finished feeding the kittens. “You know,” Jake started. “I think it’s about time they find their own homes.” My heart clenched a little. “They’ve finished the last of the formula and now they start on solid food.” I tried not to pout but my face gave me away. “What if they don’t go to good homes?” I asked. “Don’t worry.” Bradley said. “I kinda got attached to this one.” He said as he picked up the orange one and he climbed onto Bradley’s shoulder. “Aw!” I cooed, reaching up and petting him. “So who are we keeping?” I asked. I was sure Jake would say none. “Well. I can’t pick between these two.” He said as he lifted the black one and the white one. “Why not both?” I asked and he smiled. “I like that idea.” He said. “So what about the other three?” I asked. “I think we could talk some of the team into taking a few.” Natasha said, taking the orange kitten from Bradley and snuggling him. “I’ll never get him back now.” He said and I laughed. “Okay. How about y’all go get what you need to take him home tomorrow and you can come over with the rest of the team tomorrow.” Jake suggested and they agreed. Once they left Jake turned to me with a small smile. “Feel better?” I nodded. “Yes. But I’m still insanely stressed out.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close. “That’s understandable. Come on. Let’s go figure out what’s for dinner.” He said as he led me to the kitchen.

The next day everyone arrived and Bradley immediately grabbed the orange cat. “Have you thought of a name?” I asked as he sat on the chair, waving his fingers in front of the cat and he latched on. “Cayenne.” He said and I raised a brow then the cat bit his finger and he didn’t flinch. “Because he’s spicy.” Nat said as she pinched him and he turned to chew on her. “Well that’s accurate.” I remarked. “Did you find a name for your two?” Bradley asked and I sighed. “The black one is Smudge.” I said and looked at her white brother. “And her brother is Alaska.” Everyone raised their brows. “Who came up with that name?” Javy asked and I pointed to Jake. “What?” He asked. “It’s fitting!” He defended. “So you're finally getting rid of them?” Reuben asked and I nodded. “I wish we could keep all of them. But it’s just not possible. Especially right now.” I said and they nodded. “So…” I started. “Who wants a cat?” I asked and Fanboy put his hands up. “I can’t do a litter box man. I can’t clean it.” I chuckled. “Well I can.” Bob said before getting up from the couch and sliding on the floor with the cats. We all watched as the kittens wandered over to him they all climbed on him but the male tabby used his claws to climb Bob and wander into Reuben's lap. The kitten cried and reached up to him, wanting his attention. “Oh, are you mine?” He asked and the kitten cried again and Reuben picked him up and the kitten made himself at home nuzzled into his neck.

“That’s so adorable!” I said, shaking Jake’s arm and he just smiled at me as Smudge dug her claws in the couch to climb up to us. I set her on the couch and she plopped down next to my leg and rolled onto her back. “Coyote?” Jake asked and Coyote just stared down at the little Calico who was curled up in the middle of the floor, trying to sleep. He reached down and scooped up the tiny kitten. It was so small in his hands and he held it to his chest. The calico just cried out and snuggled into his chest. “Welp.” Nat said. “I think you just found homes for all these kittens.” I smiled wide. “Thank god!” I said and they all smiled. “Coyote? Man are you crying?” Bradley asked and Coyote glared at him. “Men can cry! I can cry over my cat if I want. I love her.” He said firmly and I raised my hands. “The man has spoken. You all have cats.” 

Everyone left with their own cats and as I turned, the house felt kind of empty. “It hasn’t been this quiet here in a while.” Jake said as he got up and went into the kitchen. “It’s kinda weird.” I said. He was gone for a minute before he came back, beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. “So I wanna ask you something.” He said as he sat next to me on the couch. “What?” I asked. “Come home with me.” I raised a brow. “You mean Texas?” I asked and he nodded. “I’ve had plans to go home for Thanksgiving since before we even met. I want you to go with me.” I pursed my lips. “Jake. There’s just a lot going on and I think I’d rather stay home. But you go, see your family. You haven’t even met your new niece yet.” I said, hand reaching out to run through his hair. “Mm, but I want you to go with me.” He whined and I laughed. “Jake. I cost you your career. I’m sorry if I don’t feel like meeting your parents. If they hate me they have every reason too.” I said and he sighed. “They don’t.” I raised a brow. “Did they tell you that?” I asked and he nodded. “My mom wants five minutes alone in a room with your mom with a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat.” I wasn’t sure what to say or feel honestly. “I don’t know Jake.” I said. “Have you ever spent a holiday alone?” He asked and I sighed. “Basically. Other than pictures and if we had guests over my parents wanted nothing to do with me.” I said and he gave me a sad smile. “Then come with me. You’ll have fun and you won’t be alone.” I bit my lip. I don’t mind being alone but at the same time I don’t wanna be. “You know what. I’m not giving you a choice. We leave Saturday morning at six twenty.” He said and stood up. “Now hold up. What makes you think you can just make me go with you?” I asked and he shrugged, a smug grin on his face. “Since I kinda already bought the ticket.” My eyebrows shot up. “You did what?” I asked. 

“I didn’t think you’d say no, so I went ahead and bought yours.” He said and I glared at him. “And when did you buy it?” I asked. “A month ago.” I nodded. “So before I smacked the shit out of my mother and before you lost your job.” He nodded sheepishly. “Yeah.” I sighed and leaned my head back. “I guess I can’t say no now.” He smiled and came over, pulling me off the couch and into his arms. “But what are we gonna do about the cats and calypso?” I asked. “Rooster agreed to house sit for us.” I leaned back, my brows furrowing more. “You already asked him?” He nodded. “I didn’t think you’d say no.” He said and I laughed. “Okay. Well I guess I need to start packing.” I said and started towards the stairs, wine glass in hand. I heard footsteps and noticed Jake was right behind me. When I got to the top of the stairs I looked back to him. “Can I help you?” I asked and he just smiled at me. “Maybe.” He said as he topped the stairs. “Why are you looking at me like I’m some sort of prey?” I asked and he laughed. “Come to bed and find out.” I grinned widely. “Oh,” I started walking backwards towards the room. “Then why don’t you show me.” I said as I dipped back into the room. “Damn.” I heard him mutter as I sat my wine down. “I love when you do that!” He said before rushing in and grabbing me and dropping me on the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[lyn-js]

E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!!

[lyn-js]

Actually sobbing right now Emily. This was so sad!!

Bradley why!!!

Aim for the Sky Part 34 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Maverick makes time to have a conversation with Bradley, but you've already lost faith in him. Your words hurt him more than anything else could. 

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, pregnancy, jealousy

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

When the mattress dipped and you felt the bedding shift around your legs, you opened your eyes to find Bradley climbing out of bed. The room was still dark, but his face was illuminated by his phone screen. The baby was thumping against your tender insides, making you wince, and your husband was playing around on his phone in the middle of the night. Or texting someone.

"What are you doing?" you croaked. Bradley's gaze snapped toward your face, and he leaned down to pull the covers to your shoulder.

"Uh, I need to head to base a little early," he whispered, tracing your cheek with his thumb. "To meet with Mav."

"What time is it?" you asked, rolling toward him to see his phone.

"Almost six," he replied, kissing your forehead as he tipped his screen away. "I love you. Try to get some more sleep."

You swallowed hard, rolling away from him as he started pulling his uniform from the closet. The rustle of fabric set your nerves on edge, and you squeezed your eyes shut as he got dressed. Maybe he thought you fell asleep again, because he didn't say another word before he left the room. But you were pretty sure you heard him stop in Rose's nursery before leaving the house.

Now you were wide awake and alone. Your phone told you it was 5:28 which was completely absurd. Neither you nor Bradley ever got to base before 8:00 unless you were working your ass off on a project.

He used Maverick as his excuse which seemed ridiculous. Bradley wasn't in the middle of training for a special mission which would require extra hours before daylight. And he had to know Maverick would only cover for him for so long.

You sat up and laughed miserably. Your husband was lying to you. And you thought you knew what he was lying about. Tears filled your eyes as your hand rested on your belly where your younger daughter was moving around. Why was Bradley doing this to the three of you? 

It wasn't like you couldn't tell how bad you looked at the moment. You knew it. You were bloated and chunky and broken out, but it was at least half his fault you were pregnant again in the first place. And you would make it a priority to get in shape after she was born. You would.

Your fingers were curled around the sheets, trying to keep yourself on your side of the bed, but you crawled toward Bradley's nightstand anyway. The lamp was too bright, taking your eyes a beat to adjust. You yanked the drawer open which offered almost no insight to anything except his Nugget Notebook with the pink and blue striped cover. But then you saw something underneath it.

You grabbed the second notebook, this one bright pink, and pulled it from the drawer. Only the first few pages were covered in his writing, but you soaked the words up greedily.

To my second daughter, you are the third love of my life. I realize that sounds a little unfair, like you're coming in third place, but I promise that's not that case. It's only because I met your mom and your sister first. You're not even here yet, but I already know I love you just as much as I love them. And I can't wait to meet you, too.

Before I get carried away, let me introduce myself. I'm your dad. It's my job to love you and take care of you. I'm not perfect, but I love you so much, I'll always try my best to be here for anything you need. To be honest, I never expected to have a family at all. And to be extra honest, you were a bit of a surprise. But a very good surprise. My favorite kind of surprise. I can't wait to teach you everything I know, which isn't much, but I do know how to love my three girls. 

"How?" you gasped, dropping the notebook back into the drawer. You sobbed into Bradley's pillow, unable to make sense of this. How was the man who wrote notebook passages to his children the same man who was sneaking around behind your back. With Indigo. It simply did not make sense, but both versions of him seemed to exist at the same time. And somehow you were the one who was more at odds with yourself than he was with himself.

You could feel the love he had for his daughters. It was so obvious. He was so good with Rose, and he seemed excited about having two kids.

You weren't sure if you'd be able to kick him out. You didn't know if you could leave him. If push came to shove, you didn't know if you could be that strong. You wished he wasn't making you consider it at all. 

--------------------------

"Oh, God."

Bradley was awake as soon as Maverick replied to his text at five in the morning. He'd barely been able to sleep anyway, but when Maverick told Bradley he was heading to Lemoore in a few hours for a meeting, he begged his godfather to meet with him first.

Now Bradley was sitting in his office in a silent building waiting for any help he could get. As far as he had worked out, Indigo had been devouring his extra attention for weeks for a less savory reason than he originally thought. All the times she invited him out for a drink left him shaking his head while he stared at the wedding photo perched in his desk. 

He never tried to hide the fact that he was married. He fucking flaunted it. You were perfect; why wouldn't he? If someone else thought they had a gorgeous wife? Ha, Bradley could lay it down in spades. Someone else claimed their wife was smart? Well, his was a goddamn genius. Someone wanted to brag about their kids? All he had to do was pull up a photo of Rose, and he had everyone around him swooning.

He found it easier to make small talk about his family than anything else these days, and he was sure Indigo knew he was married before he even left Texas to fly back to San Diego. It still seemed unlikely she wanted to sleep with him, but he wasn't going to deny that Nat was usually right about these things.

"Oh, God," Bradley groaned for probably the tenth time since he woke up. He wanted to rewind and go back to Texas and never select Indigo in the first place. 

But would that have been fair? To leave her behind when she was the best? When she was clearly one of the pilots who should be moving forward with new programs? It wasn't like she ever touched him. Other than persistently inviting him for drinks and showing up for all of his office hours, she never made an advance. But now he was uncomfortable. There was something about the way she always looked at him that.....yeah, Nat was right.

But if Bradley couldn't handle his first assignment in his new position, how was he supposed to prove he could do this going forward?

There was a knock on his already open door, and Maverick stood there looking perplexed. "Bradley? What did you need that couldn't wait until later this week?"

Bradley groaned again as he stood. "Can you shut the door?"

"Sure."

Maverick let it slip from his fingers, and Bradley waited until the echo of the door closing gave way to silence. He could feel his godfather's gaze on his face as his eyes closed. He swallowed hard, not wanting to waste the other man's time, but now that he was here, he felt so stupid. 

"I need your help," Bradley rasped, voice hoarse as his eyes opened. "It's work related."

"Okay," Maverick replied, voice between a statement and a question. "What can I do?"

Bradley's fingers curled around the edge of his desk as he looked down at his phone sitting there. "Uh...Mav, this is embarrassing."

When Maverick took a step closer, he reached across the desk to cuff Bradley on the shoulder. "Just hit me with it."

Bradley took a long breath and let it out slowly. "There's another officer who... well, it's been brought to my attention that she..." He let go of his desk and rubbed his fingertips against his eyes. "There's a chance my wife thinks something's going on between me and another officer on base. One who reports to me."

Maverick's expression gave nothing away, but he shifted his weight from one foot to the other before taking a step away from Bradley. "To be clear, Bradley, are you asking me to help you hide an indiscretion from your wife?"

Bradley's head tilted slightly. "Huh?" he grunted, thoughts already swirling around his mind so rapidly, it took him a few seconds to catch up. "What the fuck, Mav? No!" he gasped. "An indiscretion?" He could barely even say the word as he shook his head. "No. God, no! Nothing happened! Nothing is ever going to happen!"

He realized he was shouting when Maverick's hands flew into the air in surrender. "Okay. Alright. I hear you loud and clear. I just needed to be sure I understand what we're dealing with here. Why don't you have a seat and explain everything to me?"

Bradley was raking his fingers through his hair as he dropped down into his chair. "It's Lieutenant Jeffries. Indigo." Her intense blue eyes filled his mind as he shook his head. "Phoenix and Hangman pointed out that she..." He paused and glanced at the ceiling. "This is so embarrassing, Mav, but they said it seems like she wants to sleep with me."

"Hmm."

When Maverick hummed and went silent, Bradley said, "I know how ridiculous it sounds."

"It doesn't," his godfather replied immediately. "This sort of thing happens sometimes. You said nothing happened? You should keep your distance moving forward, and if she contacts you outside of work or does anything inappropriate, we can write it up."

Bradley groaned miserably, unlocked his phone, and pushed it across the desk with his messages open. "She did text me outside of work."

While Maverick reached for the phone, he said, "Did you give her your number?"

"No. Why would I do that?" he replied. "But honestly, it's not hard to get access to that kind of information. I didn't think much of it the first time."

Maverick shrugged. "Well, what did she text-" His eyes grew wide when he looked down at the phone, his cheeks turning pink as he was surely looking at the photo that had been in Bradley's messages for less than twelve hours.

"Yeah," Bradley croaked. "She sent that last night."

"But she texted you before that. When you never explicitly gave her your number." Maverick looked up at him, shaking his head. "Bradley, what were you thinking? She seems to have some sort of agenda. You should have come to me immediately after the first message."

Bradley stood, stomach lurching. His marriage, career, and reputation were somehow all on the line, and he hadn't even done anything. He couldn't help but think of his parents and the fact that his dad probably never put his mom through this kind of shit when she was seven months postpartum.

"An agenda?" Bradley whispered. "Shit, Mav. This is the kind of thing that happens on carriers. Not on base. I thought this was something men did way more than women when they wanted to cheat."

Maverick handed his phone back across the desk with the photo of Indigo open. Bradley swiped out of the text thread immediately, sick to his stomach. 

"You work in a high stakes field where women routinely outperform men. They are capable of anything you are."

"I know that!" Bradley snapped. "But I'm married! I'm not looking for that shit. I never let on that I was."

"Oh, you sweet summer child," Maverick sighed, checking his watch. "Literally," he added as he dug his own phone from his pocket. "If Lieutenant Jeffries is sending you photos and playing coy, she doesn't care about your wife."

Bradley winced. "Fuck."

"Yeah," Maverick grunted, taking a few steps toward the door. "And your wife is pregnant and vulnerable, and now I'm going to have to tell Admiral Simpson that I'll be late getting to Lemoore. Follow me. And bring your phone."

-------------------------------------

Bradley was late getting home. This was happening almost every night now, and you were hanging on by a thread as Rose screamed in your arms. She was fed, but she always seemed to prefer the way Bradley burped her over your technique.

"He's not here," you said through gritted teeth. "I don't know where he is or when he'll be back. I just need you to burp so you can go to sleep."

Your texts had gone unanswered. You weren't sure if Bradley had been in the cafeteria at lunchtime, because you hid in your office. Dinnertime had come and gone, and his cold plate of food was currently sitting on the kitchen counter.

"I don't know where he is," you repeated to your daughter while her younger sister did somersaults against your bladder. Rose's sobs finally started to taper off as you rubbed your hand firmly against her back. She finally burped, and that seemed to do the trick. Her fists curled up next to her face as she yawned. You barely had enough time to change her into a clean diaper and pajamas before her eyes were closed.

You were mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. You stood in her nursery, watching her sleep while you decided you needed to say something to your husband tonight. There was no way you could keep punishing yourself for not being enough. If he wanted someone else, you deserved to have him say it to your face.

But when you heard him open the front door thirty minutes later, your heart lurched into your stomach at the sight of him. You'd known how handsome he was since the day you met him, and he only seemed to get better looking with age. Each year added more silver to his hair and laugh lines to his face, but he was undeniably sexy.

Today, however, he looked exhausted, and your brain went wild with awful ideas. What had he gotten up to? Why was he so late? The top buttons of his uniform were undone, and his hair was mussed. He was staring down at his phone in his hand while you stood silently at the end of the hallway, terrified of what he was looking at.

Suddenly everything you'd been holding inside for weeks was bubbling up to the surface, and you were done holding it back. You cleared your throat, and his gaze snapped up to your face, phone hanging in his hand by his side.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Is Rosie already asleep?"

You nodded, taking each step slowly until you were standing right in front of him. When he reached for you, his fingers skimmed your shoulder before you pushed his hand away. Those beautiful, brown eyes you loved so much went wide, but he didn't look surprised. Not at all.

"Why are you so late?" you snapped. "And don't feed me some bullshit about office hours, because I know your schedule. Or, at least, I know what they are supposed to be."

Bradley licked his lips, gesturing between the two of you with his phone. "I had to take care of something important with Maverick."

You wanted to laugh in his face. "You're really going to use the same excuse as this morning? Another meeting with Maverick? What, one was at the crack of dawn and the other was after dinnertime? I've been texting you for hours, Bradley."

You watched his Adam's apple bob. "I didn't have my phone with me for part of the day."

"You have it now!" you laughed sardonically, pointing at his hand just in time to see his phone light up. 

It was her. You saw her name there. Indigo. She was texting your husband well after work hours, and you could already feel the tears stinging your eyes.

You grabbed his phone before he seemed to realize what was happening. Your fingers shook as you entered his passcode to find it was still your birthday. He wasn't even trying to hide this from you. He wasn't trying to take his phone back. As you braced yourself for what you were about to see, you whispered, "What the fuck is going on with her?"

His brown eyes were so sincere, and once again, you couldn't understand how this was the same man who wrote journals for his unborn children. "Nothing," he replied, voice taking on a tone of defeated exhaustion. "There's nothing going on."

Your eyes dipped down to his phone to find not one, but two flirtatious selfies. One new one, and one that was sent last night while he was working out in the garage. Indigo's eyes stared back at you from the screen, mocking you, making a fool of your family.

You were crying. You didn't want Bradley to see you cry right now, but you couldn't stop. "This doesn't look like nothing. And you didn't tell her to stop."

Now he looked panicked, eyes wide as he saw the photo on his phone in your hand. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but I reported it, I swear! I've never been alone with her behind closed doors. You can call Mav!"

Violent sobs shook your body, and when Bradley slowly let his hand settle on your arm, you shook him free. "You expect me to believe nothing is going on? When you get home late every day? When she told me that it's no wonder you prefer her since I let myself go?" you gasped, swiping at your tears.

"What?" Bradley barked as you blindly handed his offending phone back to him. "She said that to you?"

You nodded miserably, taking a step away from him. "I don't want to know if you said that to her, or if she formed her own opinion after spending time with you. And I don't want to know if you're fucking her or just considering it. But I want you out of the house."

Bradley looked like you just slapped him. His mouth was hanging open, brow creased while you sobbed. "You want me out?" he whispered, hand going up to rake his fingers through his hair.

"Yes," you squeaked, trying to stay strong not just for yourself, but for your daughters as well. Every word hurt as you forced them out of your mouth, but you had to say them. "Go. Until I can talk to my parents about canceling the sale of their house. I'll transfer to Annapolis. Take the girls with me."

Bradley closed the distance to you, tears already pooling in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. His lips found your belly, and you sobbed harder as he wrapped his hands around your hips. "No. You can't," he said so softly, you could barely hear him. When he looked up at your face, you almost believed he would never be capable of hurting you. "Baby Girl, you can't leave me. I need you. I need my girls."

When you stepped out of his grasp, his arms fell limply to his sides. You'd never seen him look so miserable before, and you had to stand firm instead of reaching for his hands.

"Find somewhere else to sleep."

The implications of your own words stung your heart, and you had to watch him slowly get to his feet. He kissed your forehead, and your eyes blurred with fresh tears when he went down the hallway to Rose's room. Less than a minute passed, but each second felt like a day. You had plenty of time to tell him the truth. That you didn't want him to leave. That you couldn't blame him for wanting someone else, and you still needed him as much as he said he needed you.

When he reappeared, you pressed your lips together even as he kissed your damp cheek. "I love you," he rasped. "I'm never going to stop loving you. I'll figure out some way to make you believe me."

You watched him retreat to the front door with his keys, shoulders sagging as he gave you one last lingering look before slipping out into the darkness.

------------------------------------

Ouch. Ouch. Okay. I want BG to believe Roo beyond any doubt, and I think I know how to make that happen. Please stay tuned. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[lyn-js]

One Step at a Time | Chapter 3. Stars Aligned

Calvin Evans x OC Reader

Summary: Everything in Ava Mason's life was what you call normal. She has a steady job as a lab tech at Hastings, has a beautiful bungalow in Sugar Hill, and sometimes babysits her friend Harriet's kids. But that all changes when social services show up at her doorstep with, her 2-year-old niece Delilah. Ever since then, it has been keeping you from your job, going to work late, and leaving when everyone else has gone home. But a certain chemist wants to know why a lab tech is staying late.

Warning: Angst, swearing, mentions of drug & alcohol abuse, dysfunctional family, mentions of adoptions & being put into foster care, and a whole lotta fluff. (Bold Letters mean flashbacks)

(This story is kind of based on what actually happened in Lessons in Chemistry. But no dying. We need to keep one of Lewis's characters alive.)

You try to make sure everything is cleaned and tidy for when Calvin comes over, You're just picking up some of Deliah and Poppy’s toys and putting them away.

Hopefully, she gets to sleep a little bit so you can talk to Calvin and finally tell him the truth about what’s been going on in your life. 

You finally put Deliah down for her nap without a fuss, even though she wasn’t in her room, but big, puffy pillows surrounded her so she wouldn’t fall off your bed. After this past week, she wants to be around you all the time, which isn’t a bad thing. You just hoped she wouldn't be upset when you tried to go back to work, the sick days are running out, and the little excuses aren’t fooling Fran or Donatti.

When you check once more to see if anything is out of place in your new shiny, pristine home the doorbell rings, and you hear Poppy’s pad her way from your room over to the front door wagging her tail in excitement wondering who the visitor is. You try your best to calm the jitters racking through your body. You take a big deep breath in and open the door. The first thing you see when looking at Calvin is the bright bouquet of blush-pink Poppy flowers in front of his face. Luckily he didn’t get to see the heat rush to your cheeks so fast. He steps in and hands you the flowers. 

“I’ll put these in water, make yourself at home.” You walk into the kitchen grabbing a vase to put the flowers in. You could see him looking around, seeing the colorful walls and Polaroids of you, Delilah, Harriett, and the kids. Drawings that were framed and hanging anywhere you could find on the wall.

You can see him enter the living room to find the “Magic tent” you and Delilah made together one night. When you return to the living room he is sitting on the couch, he is still looking around, getting to everything. You place two cups of tea on the coffee table and start talking.

“Ever since I was little, I was obsessed with science. Just knowing how we can be sitting here, talking to each other is a level of extraordinary work. On the other hand, I grew up in a small town in Arizona, and not many people cared. My… My parents never really paid attention to what I was interested in, they only cared about my sister Isabella, who was always in pageantry, going out with the wrong people, doing drugs, and making the wrong decisions. I wanted to change something in the world, make something matter. So, as soon as I graduated high school I made my way out to California. Packing up anything I had and never looking back.”

You try your hardest not to cry, keeping your emotions in check when talking in front of him. You count to ten a couple of times and continue.

“I didn’t have that much money saved for college so I worked as a waitress, and worked at a little bakery up the road from the diner. When I had a little money saved up I went to UCLA, it was the best time I had in my life. But One day my sister showed up at my door saying she was pregnant, that our parents kicked her out and she had nowhere to go but here.”

As you tell him about everything, when you look up to see his reaction, all you can see is his blue irises, not even giving an expression. He’s just sitting and listening.

You have also noticed he was scooting towards you when you were explaining everything, but you just might be in your head about this too.

“Everything was fine up until a couple of months ago. I woke up early to see a social worker with my two-year-old niece saying that the police found Izzy roaming around on the streets for a couple of days looking for drugs. Del was home alone for those couple days without anyone.” You couldn’t help letting a tear shed from your eyes and fall onto your cheek.

You tell him about one of her neighbors finding her alone, screaming and crying, and later on CPS picked her up. I showed up here and told him you would change anything any other way. “I just… I just feel so terrible for what that little girl had to go through. I feel so terrible-”, You feel yourself being cut off by the sobs that are wraking your body. But you feel a pair of strong hands engulf your tiny ones and rub his thumbs on the backs of your knuckles. “None of this is your fault. You did the right thing by taking her in. If she was my niece I would do the same thing.” When you look up you already see his eyes on you.

“Is this why you had to leave in a rush the other day?” he asks you, you try to block the question and move your face away, but he keeps right where you were. You just give him a little nod telling him the truth. 

“Harriet called me and said there was a drunk woman in front of her house and was screaming Delilah’s name. I got out of there as soon as I could. When I got there it was Izzy, she was making a scene and making all of this nonsense up. She said she was clean and had a custody hearing about Delilah, and said she was going to take her away from me.” You wipe some of the tears away and look back up at him. 

”Did anything happen to her, or you? Are you okay?” You can also see him clenching his jaw, and taking a few deep breaths trying not to get enraged with what you had just said.

But for some reason your stomach flutters at the thought of someone caring about you, as for your niece’s well-being. You can hear Calvin saying he was going to go to a local courthouse and file a restraining order against her, and Harriet is going to help us and assure you that we were going to be okay. But we both look up at my bedroom door opening and see Delilah’s small frame hiding behind Poppy’s body.

When you see her staring to peek her body out from the dog, you smile “Hi Ducky?” then she toddles over to you and immediately sits in your lap snuggling into you. But you feel a wet spot on your chest and you look down at your niece and see a few tears trickling down her little rosy cheeks. You look over, give Calvin a quick concerned look, and then turn back to Delilah.

“What's wrong Ducky? Did you have a bad dream?” hoping it was just that and nothing else. She gave a quick nod, not wanting to speak yet and not forcing her to give you an answer. She snuggled back into you and leaned back into the couch, Calvin following your movements, and started rubbing Del's back hopefully giving her some comfort. You see Poppy come up and lay her head next to your knee, you see out of the corner of your eye, Clavin’s hand comes up to pet Poppy’s head.

Suddenly you want to stop time and have an out-of-body experience to see this loving moment.

You all sit like this for a few minutes, in peaceful silence, hoping nothing would disrupt this moment. Trying to mend your niece with the sweet comfort her mother couldn’t provide. Trying to provide and let her grow up in a warm and loving home, and have a good childhood. Something you and Izzy didn’t have, you would never wish that upon any child or human being with the way you were brought up. Even having to think about your terrible past, all of the yelling, screaming, pushing, and fighting. It made shivers run up your spine. 

Your bubble pops when you feel a hand on your leg, you look up to see Calvin has moved closer to you as a couple of seconds ago being a foot or two away, you both are now shoulder to shoulder. You could hear your heartbeat and you wouldn’t be surprised if he heard it too. Without a second thought, you lay your head on his shoulder finally letting your tears fall, and finally letting everything go.

“Everything is going to be alright. We’ll go to the court, and we’ll get them to sign full parental rights over Delilah, and it will all be good. We are going to take this one step at a time, love. " You turn to look up at him but see that he is already looking at you. You don’t know what overtook you both, but in that moment, you both lean in. But the moment breaks when you hear Del whispering your name.

“I don’t want that lady takin’ me. I wanna be wif you and Poppy,” you can see the tears forming in her eyes again. You try and calm her down again and make sure you don't cry yourself. But you push that aside and finally speak up.

“I promise you Ducky, I won’t let her take you away. I want you to stay here too. Who will help me with their magical decorating skills, or going on walks with me and Poppy. Who am I going to go in your magic tent with?” you start tickling her sides to bring out a bubbly laugh from the little girl. Thankfully it worked just fine. “You are not going anywhere Duck, you're staying right here,” when you say that to her you can see her turn around in your lap to face you and whisper “I wuv you Aunty Ava” almost made you cry again. “And I love you too, Ducky.”

“How about we have a family night in, plus Cavlin? Whadya think Ducky?” You didn’t even have to ask without Del's eyes popping open with excitement. She scrambled off your lap to go to the kitchen and try to grab ingredients even though she was too small to reach the countertop. Family nights were the absolute best in Mason’s household.

You and Del would cook dinner and then go to Harriet's house. Then, we would make dessert and have a little sleepover. It was such a good time, having the kids all together and catching up with Harriet. It was truly the best. 

But having one new addition wouldn’t hurt. Especially if you already kissed him. Also to know where both of your feelings towards each other lie, plus it would be nice to have one new addition to the little celebration.

After the dinner and festivities die down at Harrteit’s, you’re in the kitchen with her cleaning the dishes and baking lemon bars while Calvin entertains the little ones with some dancing and magic tricks. You loved how he interacted with Linda and Junior, especially with Del. 

Even though they only met for the first time a couple of hours ago, she's starting to warm up to him more and more. It melts your heart a little bit when you see from the kitchen that she waddles her way to him and asks to sit with him. He gladly accepts and sits in his lap, and you can see her patting his smooth cheek.

“You got a little drool right there,” you turn to see Harriet trying to hide her laughter and move away without getting caught. Luckily you tossed the dish rag at her before she was out of your reach, you both started laughing and trying not to get distracted by burning the dessert. “I didn't know you were catching feelings for a world-renowned chemist. What has gotten into you Ava?”

“I don’t know Har, the first couple of weeks were normal, we were both getting to know each other. Then the next he’s sitting on my couch comforting me and my niece, and the next thing I knew I kiss him!”

I look back over to see her eyebrows raised, and mouth slack. “I know, I was thinking the same thing… but I’m scared Har. I’m afraid he’s going to up and leave when he knows about all of the past, sure I told him about some, but I don’t want my mess of a life to come crashing down on him. Plus, I don’t want to hurt Del, she’s the only real family I have left.” You feel like your heart is about to jump out of your chest with how much you're overthinking, it’s making you go mad right now.

You feel Harriet wrap her arms around you and hug you, you don't say now and you give it right back.

“Has he picked up and left when you told him about what is happening with you and your sister?” you look up at her and of course she has that knowing mom look in her eyes, you shake your head no. “So he didn’t leave then, he’s not going to leave now, you can tell him on your own time Ava. It’s not going to be the end of the world, he is going to accept you for who you are and the same goes for you.” 

“You always know the right thing to say,” you go up and hug her again. Even though you and Harriet aren’t related, you truly see her as a newfound family.

“I’m always going to be here for you and Del. Plus you are stuck with us forever, now why don't we get ready for the sleepover and treat ourselves to some dessert?” She read your mind, you grab the kids and get them ready for bed, so when they are done with the lemon bars they will get their teeth brushed and ready for bed. You’re just very happy that you had this night with your new family, and it seemed like everything was falling into place. Hopefully, this is the start of something fresh and new.

After dessert and getting the kids down from the short sugar rush,  we all gather in the living room and watch a little movie. Not even into the halfway point of the movie all the kids were passed out, so we got them down for bed. The guest room with the largest and comfiest bed calling your name from a mile away.

But of course, there was a problem. There was no place for Calvin to sleep. All three kids were sharing Linda’s room, so the only places left to sleep were the couch which was just taken by Poppy, and that left the guest room. Calvin offered to just go home, but the kids refused to let him go. So this is how you wind up in the middle of the night, laying beside Caviln in bed while you both are still awake and everything is starting to become awkward.

Thankfully he breaks the ice first and asks if you are awake, you turn around in the middle so you can talk to him already seeing him facing you.

“Thank you for the lovely day today, I haven't had this much fun in a long time,” you hear him whisper, feeling his soft breath across your face.

“Anytime, you can always come over and have a dinner and movie night. Plus, it wasn’t bad having an extra edition. The kids really loved dancing with you. I liked your moves, Mr. Evans,” you both start to giggle but die down after a couple of seconds.

But he can see your face fall, wondering where the little moment had gone. You just decide to lay everything out.

“Even though I’ve only known you a couple of weeks, it seems like I’m starting to fall for you Calvin Evans, and it scaring me.” you hear a beat pass, already feeling embarrassed by what you have just said. “Never mind, let’s just go to sleep.” but you feel his hand on yours, not letting you turn over so you can let the tears fall.

“And I feel the same way Ava Mason, and to be honest, it scares me a little bit too.” You feel like your heart is about to explode with fireworks. You really can’t believe that just happened.

“I’m scared that if I tell you everything you’re going to up and leave. A lot of people have done that to me in the past, and I just don’t want it to happen again… especially if it involves Delilah.” you start to let the tears fall again, and feel so ashamed that you just put that all on Calvin. You wouldn’t be surprised if he went to Donatti tomorrow and got papers to have you removed from his lab.

But you feel a pair of hands and your cheek, and see Calvin wiping away any stray tears that were left.

“No matter how bad it gets…no matter what bad things happen, I’m not going anywhere. You hear me, plus I’ve grown too attached to Ducky. You both are too sweet for me.” Your belly dips for how much he has already grown fond of the little girl. So thankful that she is also starting to find love from a newfound family, hopefully, a permanent one for that matter.

After the tears have dried, you both connect for a kiss, putting the cherry on the tip of a perfect night.

With your bodies intertwined and listening to each other's heartbeats, you both finally fall asleep. Hoping for Brighter, and happier days ahead.

Hopefully, everything will fall to perfection soon.

I'm back Baby!!! hoped you liked this chapter. Juicier chapters ahead.

Reblogs are always welcome. Unless you're under 18. I will block you. and comment if you want to be added to the taglist. If I forgot anybody message me and let me know. You will be added.

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dividers are by @saradika

[lyn-js]

Shit is definitely going to hit the fan, and I can’t wait for it!!’

Aim for the Sky Part 32 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You're struggling through your pregnancy, trying to stay calm as your worries about Bradley grow as quickly as the baby. Bradley wants to put his best foot forward at work, making himself available for office hours, but maybe he's made himself too accessible.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, smut, pregnancy topics, lactation kink, jealous

Length: 3400 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Bradley's new office was coming along nicely. Everything was standard issue Navy grade, but he started adding some touches here and there to make it look more personal. The file cabinet was covered in ultrasound photos, one column of Rosie and one of her younger sibling. 

He glanced at the wedding photo on his desk before adjusting it and wincing. You were still mad this morning that he overdid it at the Hard Deck last night, but he wished you would just let it go. It's not like he drove home drunk or anything. Nat and the guys were just excited to learn he was going to have another kid. The drinks just kept coming.

There was a knock on the door, and then Maverick poked his head inside. "You have a minute?"

"Yeah," Bradley replied, waving him inside. "It's not like I can tell you no. You're my commanding officer, Mav."

The older man chuckled, setting some folders on the desk. "I need you to keep all of the forms updated for each of the pilots. It's best if you work on it every day and then update the hard copies. You should have time to do this between visits during your office hours."

Today was the first time Bradley was holding office hours, and honestly he felt a bit like a college professor: the aviators were kind of his students, and he was responsible for making sure they were prepared to fly.

"Not sure how busy my office hours will be," Bradley muttered. He should probably send a text to remind you he'd be home a little later than usual tonight. While he didn't want to make a habit of missing dinner with his girls, this was a far cry better than being deployed. 

"You might be surprised," Maverick replied with a smile as he backed toward the door. "You've got a lot to show the others, Lieutenant Commander."

Then he was gone, and Bradley could feel the warmth rising in his cheeks. He just wanted to prove himself, but the first time someone had him up against the wall, scrambling for an answer, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He'd only started to advertise his extra hours during today's lecture, so it would probably be another week or so until someone came to him for any sort of guidance on a Monday evening. But he would try to be ready.

He was just opening one of the folders from Maverick when there was another knock on his door. This time when he looked up, he was met with a flight suit complete with a Golden Warriors patch identical to the one he wore. That would have been enough to let him know it was Indigo, but then he met her eyes as he stood up behind his desk.

"Lieutenant Jeffries," he greeted with a smile as she strode inside. "How can I help you?"

She studied his face with a knowing look for a few seconds before breaking out into a smile of her own. "Sir, I can think of so many ways you could help me. It's not even funny."

Bradley blinked, brow furrowed as he examined her. "Well, why don't you start with an easy one? It's been a long day. And something tells me you might be regretting the late start you got at the Hard Deck last night."

Her laughter filled the room. "I could never regret finding the officer hangout before the rest of my peers from Texas. I need to keep the edge I have over Rex and Spice." When she started to close the door, Bradley frowned.

"Keep it open," he said casually, reaching out to catch it before it shut. He didn't want anyone thinking he was playing favorites, and the little pout on Indigo's lips convinced him she wanted to be his favorite aviator. But she didn't argue. She simply sat down on the edge of the couch and looked up at him.

"The easiest way you can help me is by telling me where I can improve," she said, fingers toying with the zipper at her neck. "I want to be the best you've ever seen."

------------------------------

You couldn't tell if Cat was actually annoyed with you or if she was just teasing, but you were too exhausted from a restless night to care.

"I can't believe Bradley told Jake you're pregnant before you told me yourself! I just saw you last night!"

Her gaze dipped down to your belly as you stood before her in the lab. You knew you were showing. There was no denying it now. You had a bunch of appointments coming up with Dr. Morris, and you were just going to keep getting bigger until you had to wear the maternity tent again. You knew you were already huge and that you'd probably never be your normal size ever again. And the last thing you wanted was Cat Coleman of all people scrutinizing your appearance when she always looked pristine.

Everything was made worse by Bradley's interactions with Indigo. She was everywhere on base, but now she had taken over your bar, too. You saw her this morning but managed to duck out of the way before those piercing eyes landed on you. She knew what you looked like now, and Cat's gaze lingering on your belly was doing nothing to give you a boost of confidence.

"Please make sure you're eating and drinking enough," she told you. "We don't want another repeat of Annapolis where you could barely give a presentation. Or a repeat of the day you fell at work."

You gritted your teeth. "This pregnancy doesn't even feel like my last one. Okay? I'm eating just fine. Too well, actually."

You turned on your heel, boot squeaking on the floor and headed out to collect Rose from daycare. Everything was just a reminder of your size right now. Visions of candy bars danced in your head as you told yourself you'd go home and eat a sensible dinner while Bradley held his office hours. But you already knew... you just knew Indigo would squeeze her way in there with her pretty eyes and her perky tits. And your husband seemed to be oblivious to her. At least you'd tried to convince yourself he wasn't actively looking. But you knew she found him attractive. You could smell it on her a mile away.

Tears filled your eyes as you approached the daycare facility. If he was looking at her, you couldn't blame him. Indigo was beautiful, her body stunning even in her flight suit. Meanwhile you looked like an exhausted, lumpy, khaki-covered potato with acne and zero energy.

"Let's go home," you whispered to Rose, trying to smile at the daycare staff as you pushed her out in her stroller.

You were absolutely fine. You were totally fine. Or at least you would be. Or at least that's what you kept telling yourself.

But all week long, you heard the same collection of call signs spilling from Bradley's lips, and Indigo's was always the first one. She was the fastest, most cunning, smartest, most decisive pilot he'd ever flown with. Any time you asked him a question about work, she was the answer. And he was late coming home almost every day.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Sorry, I had to stay in the infirmary with Spice after she strained her shoulder," he said, rushing inside on Friday night as you made dinner. "She couldn't even raise her arm to get her helmet off."

He kissed your cheek, letting his hand rest on your belly for a beat before he ended up on the floor next to Rose's play mat where she was trying her hardest to crawl to Tramp. As soon as Bradley showed up, she changed her mind and tried to get to him instead.

You pressed your lips together as you turned off the stove burner. "Did anyone else stay with you and Spice?"

"Yeah, Indigo hung out," he replied easily, brushing his fingers along Rose's hair with a smile. You swallowed hard, watching him on his hands and knees in his khaki uniform. He looked so good. Like ridiculously good. Broad shoulders and big biceps and a handsome smile.

"Why am I not surprised?" you muttered, turning away from him.

"I think they're friends," he said. "It's kind of amusing getting to experience the love and hate dynamics amongst the group. The women tend to stick together on the ground, but anything goes in the air."

Your stomach ached with hunger pangs, and the only thing you wanted to eat was ice cream. When you realized you'd eaten a frozen burrito barely an hour ago, you desperately wanted to go to bed hungry, but you started to feel guilty about the baby.

"My parents listed their house today," you announced, trying to change the subject before you started to cry.

"Did you hear that, Nugget?" Bradley scooped Rose up in his arms and carried her into the kitchen where you were plating two meals. "Your grandparents are moving here to spend more time with you. And next summer, we'll take you and your little brother or sister back to Virginia to see where ol' Goose and Carole used to live, okay?"

He peppered her face with kisses until she was giggling wildly, and every negative thought started to get fuzzy around the edges. When his brown eyes met yours, you nodded toward the table, and his arm slipped around your waist.

-----------------------------

Bradley came home from his office hours on Monday to find you wearing only his old UVA shirt. The soft cotton was hugging your bump and showing off your legs, and he was ready to get on his knees and beg for you.

After he put Rose in her crib for the night, he met you in bed where you were wearing your glasses, your face freshly scrubbed. He was plainly getting hard in his gym shorts the more he looked at you. It was so obvious. When you stood on your knees and coaxed him closer with your finger, he met you there.

"I hope you know how good you have it, Roo," you whispered against his lips.

He knew. He knew all about it. He let his hand slide down over your belly, keeping you in place when you tried to scoot away. Then his fingers slowly yanked up the hem of his shirt until he was touching your pussy. 

"Of course I know it, Baby Girl." He circled your clit with his middle finger before slipping it inside you. "I've got my Rosie. And my hot, pregnant wife with her perfect pussy." When you whimpered, he kissed your nose. "I've got it all."

You dragged the shirt up over your belly and chest, tossing it aside. For a beat, Bradley went completely dizzy at the sight of your tits. Then you made everything better by placing your hands on your breasts, working them until beads of milk appeared. Your head was tipped back, pussy squeezing his middle finger, and Bradley almost lost his mind.

His kisses were rough. He knew it. But you were whining Roo as he got undressed, and then you were guiding his lips to your tits. He had to have it dirty. His cock was so fucking hard, he needed to make you scream.

"Oh, fuck," he growled as his lips grazed your nipple, lapping up your milk until he thought he was going to pass out. Every inch of your body was so sweet and supple, but he wanted you babbling and begging.

Bradley meticulously cleaned you up until you were clinging onto him, then he pushed you onto your back. Without hesitation, he started fucking you. When you needed a hand over your mouth to keep from waking Rose, he was all too happy to help. When you spread your legs wider, he watched his cock glide inside your welcoming body over and over again until he felt his orgasm in his balls.

"Shit. I'm gonna cum," he groaned, waiting until you nodded against his palm to lose himself. Hips thrusting, filling you with shallow strokes, he fucked you until your pussy was dripping. He watched the mess he made dribble down your ass before catching it with his fingertips. "I swear I don't think I can keep my cock out of you long enough for you to not be pregnant ever again."

You snorted before reaching for his hand and bringing it to your lips. "After this one, I'm going right back on the pill. No more slip ups," you whispered. Bradley watched as your tongue darted out, licking his sticky cum and swallowing every drop.

"No more slip ups," he echoed, smiling at your belly. He'd never consider this a mistake. Not in a million years. A surprise? Absolutely. But not a mistake.

Bradley's phone lit up where it had been discarded on the floor when you slipped into the bathroom. He had a text from an unknown number with a Virginia area code. At first, he thought it might be his cousin Brenda letting him know she had a new phone number, but when he opened the message, his brow creased in confusion at first.

Lieutenant Commander, thanks for spending so much time with me today in your office today.

Only three people had been in his office with him earlier. One was Maverick. One was Forrest who he had to reprimand. The third was Indigo. Bradley hadn't been giving out this number, but it was readily available if anyone wanted to look through the registry in the lobby of the building where his small office was housed.

He scratched the rough stubble along his jaw, contemplating if he should respond after nine in the evening. He saved her number under her call sign and tossed his phone on the bed when you walked back in with a smile on your face. He should wait until the morning to respond if at all.

You yawned when he passed you. "I'm ready for bed, Roo."

"Give me a minute to brush my teeth, and I'm right behind you."

---------------------------

By the end of the week, your parents had two offers on the house where you were raised. They were officially downsizing to a cute bungalow a few streets over in Coronado, and you were excited. Or you wanted to be.

But every time you let your heart fill with happiness over your parents or the baby, you remembered that Indigo was texting your husband. You saw it for yourself. Right after he fucked you so good, you could barely walk, you glanced down at his phone on your bed. He had her number saved in his phone, and you wanted to cry.

You could ask him for permission to look at his phone. You could see what his reaction was. That would give you a good gauge of what exactly was going on between them. But Bradley had never once asked you to hand your phone over to him. He'd ever insinuated that there would be a reason he didn't trust you. 

Unsure what else to do, you sat in your office during your lunch break and cried. The tears were hot and miserable on your cheeks, and a headache instantly started brewing behind your eyes. It took you almost ten minutes to get yourself under control, and by then you didn't even feel like going to the cafeteria for food.

When someone knocked, you looked up at your door. Maybe it was Bradley. Maybe you could get his phone from him somehow and check it yourself. "Come in," you called, voice soft from all the tears you'd shed. Instead of your husband, Jake strolled inside. "Did you get lost? Cat's probably in the lab."

"Aww, come on, Angel," he drawled, dropping down into your extra chair. "I came all the way up here to see you."

"Oh." You were a little surprised. Everyone was so busy as the last quarter of the year was beginning, you felt like you hadn't seen much of him.

"Why do you look so sad?" he asked, already leaning forward to stand again. "Want me to grab you and the baby something to eat and bring it up here?"

"No," you told him quickly. "I'm fine. Just a little stressed." You tried to smile, but you felt like you could cry again. "Are you having a slow day?"

"Nah." He leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Just had to get away from your annoying husband and his band of misfits clogging up the comms with their exercises."

"Band of misfits?" you asked with a soft laugh.

"Bunch of children," he replied with an eye roll. "Look like they just graduated from high school." His eyes went wide. "Oh shit, that probably means I look old now."

"You don't look too bad for someone older than me," you promised with a smirk. "Hey, do you know anything about any of those new pilots?"

"I know they like to hog the line in the cafeteria. One of them took the last slice of pizza yesterday, and I had to wait for a new pie to finish baking. Food should be based on seniority. I outrank all of them."

You were laughing at his smile now. "Hey, maybe I should get something to eat. And it might be nice to get out of my office for a few minutes."

"I'll walk you down." Jake stood and helped you to your feet. "Can't hang out too long though. Mav has a fire under his ass about getting Phoenix, Bob and I in the air this afternoon."

You headed to the cafeteria with Jake, getting a chance to hear his side of the wedding plans after listening to Cat for weeks. They wanted something small and simple, but he assured you there would be room for the Bradshaws on the guest list. Once you had a tray piled high with a salad, breadsticks and once slice of pizza, you took a seat while Jake headed back out to the tarmac to get back to work.

Your lunch tasted incredible. The cheese from the pizza was practically melting in your mouth. When the cafeteria started clearing out, there were only a few tables occupied, and you started stacking the plates on your tray. You could have a calm, reasonable conversation with your husband. He'd let you look at his phone, and everything would be fine.

"Okay, but what's up with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?"

Your eyes darted up from your tray to find two officers sitting a short distance away. The one facing you had a patch on her flight suit that said SPICE, and you recognized her call sign from conversations with Bradley.

"He's hot, but he's wearing a wedding band," she added.

You swore your heart stopped at her words. Then you realized that the woman with her back to you was Indigo. Her jet black hair was wound up in a tight bun that accentuated her long neck even from behind, and her laughter set your teeth on edge.

"I already told you," she said, and you had to stop breathing to make sure you heard every word. "His wife is a civvy. I saw her at the bar the only night he showed up. They have one kid, and apparently she's pregnant again. At least that's what I heard Lieutenant Trace saying."

"What does his wife look like?" Spice asked, casually taking a sip of her drink as if your world wasn't crumbling to pieces.

"It was hard to tell in the dark, but her face seemed okay. Nice-ish body, but come on..." Indigo gestured to herself. "The man's only human, and his wife is definitely older than me. That much is easy to tell. And she'll be huge again soon."

You tried to get up from your seat quickly, fighting with yourself to get out of the room, but it was too late. Both of them were standing now, still chatting as Indigo turned your way. As soon as her eyes landed on your face, you saw them widen. That pretty blue color looked terrifying as a smile of recognition spread across her lips.

Indigo absolutely knew who you were now. Her eyes dipped down to the hyphenated name pinned against your chest, and now she knew you weren't a random civilian. She knew you were an officer who worked on North Island. She knew way too much as she took in every inch of your body. And she looked really pleased by what she saw.

-----------------------------

He has his sweet moments, but Roo doesn't see the bigger picture here. Next chapter will reveal if Rose is going to have a brother or a sister. Any guesses? Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[lyn-js]

Laughed out loud when I saw the elf was named after the honorable Skittles, amazing job on that.

I missed Bradley, Princess, Noah, and Noelle so much, this was such a cute Christmas story Em!!

(I imagine Bradley like this waiting for the ten years to be up already.)

You're on the Naughty List, Rooster | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley knows no limits when spoiling his family, especially for his daughter's first Christmas. When he's down to the wire getting everything ready, he lands himself on the naughty list. He'll do whatever it takes to fix things, including calling on one of Santa's helpers for backup.

Warnings: Fluff, adult language, smut, oral sex

Length: 3000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This is a The Younger Kind one-shot, but it can be read alone! Check out my masterlist for more!

"What is this?" you asked, holding up a receipt that trailed from your outstretched hand all the way to the floor. "Because I know you didn't spend eight hundred dollars on toys on your way home from work today."

"Uh," Bradley replied, brow puckered. He looked up from his spot on the living room floor next to the Christmas tree where he was putting batteries into a remote control dinosaur. "It's, uh.... well, yeah, I did stop for a few more toys on the way home, but I only spent like seven hundred and sixty bucks..."

"Daddy!" you gasped. "Noah and Noelle already have way too much stuff! And we agreed to put money aside to go to Disney World next summer!"

Bradley rolled his eyes and waved his hand casually in the air. "Don't worry about that. This is Noelle's first Christmas, and I really wanted to spoil her."

You shook your head, balled up the receipt, and threw it at his head. But you were smiling. "Where are these toys?"

"In the Bronco," he muttered. "I was going to sneak them under the tree after you went to bed and hope you didn't notice that I got a few more things."

You deadpanned. "You don't know how to wrap gifts. They would have stuck out like a sore thumb," you muttered, sliding your feet into your slippers and pulling on Bradley's discarded sweatshirt. 

Without another word, you slipped out into the crisp, cool night to retrieve everything. To your dismay, it took you several trips back to the living room before you got all of it.

"You are in so much trouble," you warned, pulling his sweatshirt off and crawling across the floor toward your husband. "You're on the naughty list."

"I'm not," he whispered. "I've been really good all year."

You pointed to the Elf on the Shelf which was perched on the windowsill next to the front door. "That's not what Skittles Junior told Santa. I saw the note he sent to the North Pole. Everyone was on the nice list except for you."

"Including Skittles Senior?" he asked, pulling you close until you were sitting halfway on his lap. The Yorkshire Terrier looked up from her napping spot under the Christmas tree, annoyed that they kept saying her name without offering a treat.

"Especially Skittles Senior," you confirmed.

Bradley wrapped his hands around your waist and whispered, "What if I bought my way onto the nice list?"

"How?" you asked, chin jutting into the air, playfully haughty.

Bradley leaned in, pressing his lips to the side of your neck. You had the softest skin, and he let himself indulge in some kisses before saying, "Maybe I already booked the trip to Disney World."

You gasped softly. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Did you pick a nice hotel?"

"For my family? The nicest."

"And we get to go for a week?"

"A full seven days, Princess," he rasped, brown eyes reflecting the lights on the tree as you tipped his head back to examine his face.

"Let me check with the Elf," you whispered with a wink. You turned toward the window and asked, "Hey, Skittles Junior? You think we can let the old man slide this year? He wasn't too bad."

But Bradley was already easing you onto your back, right next to the snag in the area rug, while you laughed. "I know for a fact you're on the nice list. You're so nice, in fact, I'll let you have one of your presents early," he murmured. You bit your lip as he started to tug your pajama pants over your hips. "This is something I definitely wouldn't be able to figure out how to wrap." He kissed below your belly button, tossing your pants on top of his hoodie. "But I know it's something you like."

The tip of his nose tickled the waistband of your underwear before he started to pull them down as well. Then he kissed his way along your thigh, mustache prickling you as you shivered, pussy completely bare for him. "Daddy," you moaned softly, fingers grabbing at the rug while he held tight to your thigh and dragged his index finger along your slit.

His face was handsome in the glow from the multi-colored lights, gaze fixed on where he was stroking you. "You're so fucking pretty like this," he grunted, collecting your slick and circling your clit until you whimpered. His lips found the inside of your knee before he set your legs gently on his shoulders. You watched as he licked his finger clean, eyes closed in pleasure. "You taste like a Princess."

"I am a Princess," you replied, eyes flicking to the collection of paper crowns which your son added to the Christmas tree. Then your eyes slid closed as Bradley's tongue traced you from hole to hole before his lips sealed around your clit with just the perfect pressure. 

"Oh, god," you whined as your fingers sunk into his thick hair. His broad shoulders kept you planted against the floor, pussy already fluttering with need as you tried to roll your hips for more.

"Just wait," he whispered, mustache dragging through your wetness. "Don't rush it."

"But it feels good," you whined loudly, tugging him by his hair. "More." 

That's when he lifted you slightly off the rug, his big hand landing on your butt, spanking you one time. You sucked in a deep breath, enjoying the sting as he kissed the inside of your thigh. "I said don't rush it. Want you to make a mess."

"Oh." He was going to make you squirt. That was the gift he was giving you. Even now, you weren't sure how he managed to make it happen every time he put his mind to it, but you weren't mad about it. You tried your best to keep your hips still as he worked you up while his hands made their way to your waist. 

He drew little circles against your skin where you were most self conscious after being pregnant with Noelle, but he never seemed to mind your stretch marks. He just kept at it, licking you up and down your slit with a steady pattern until you were starting to get loud. Then Bradley shoved two fingers inside and circled your clit with his thumb.

"Don't wake up the kids," he scolded playfully, guiding his body over yours while his hand worked at your pussy. The sounds were wet and indecent as he finger fucked you while you licked yourself from his lips and mustache. "God, you're so fucking sweet," he crooned, making you whine for him as he pulled away again.

As soon as his face was back between your legs, his lips took over for his thumb, and you knew you were close. His fingers felt thick and unrelenting, giving you the most delicious friction as he sucked on your clit. When his tongue swiped you, your back arched up from the rug, and your legs started to shake. When his fingers slowed, your vision blurred, creating a colorful mosaic from the Christmas lights as you clenched around him, your body trying to keep his fingers inside.

"Jesus," you gasped, riding his fingers, looking down at his face, lips still all over your pussy. "Daddy!"

You gushed on his face, and he moaned in pleasure, lapping up everything from your ass to your clit as you gasped and giggled, fingers pressed to your lips as you shakily rode out your orgasm.

"Merry Christmas, Princess," he crooned, teasing you with his fingers before removing them. He kissed your chin and your parted lips before letting you suck on his fingers while he sprawled out next to you. Your tongue cleaned him up, enjoying the taste of yourself on his rough hands before you rolled onto your side.

"You want me to wrap all of the extra toys you bought, don't you, Bradley?" you asked, voice shaky as he nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, I thought that was a given."

You laughed, but a few minutes later, you were once again dressed, wrapping presents until well after midnight. Bradley handed you the tape and scissors when you asked for them, and he made both of you mugs of hot cocoa when you needed a break. He told you his plans for the summer vacation to Florida, and you lined up the mound of toys for Noah and Noelle under the tree until you couldn't stop yawning.

"I don't know if I'm more tired from my orgasm or wrapping. Or both?" you asked, kissing him before standing. "But I'm going to bed."

"I'll be in after I put the mugs in the sink, Princess. I love you."

You stood and arched your back in the most alluring way before running your fingers through his hair and kissing his forehead. "Don't forget to move Skittles Junior to the tree for Christmas morning."

"Right. I'll take care of it," he grunted as you walked away, Skittles Senior trailing behind on her way to her puppy bed. 

After straightening up the kitchen, Bradley took the time to clean up a few wrapping paper scraps and adjust some of the ornaments. The tree looked beautiful covered in homemade art projects you and Noah crafted together. The whole house had taken on a new life since he met you, and if you wanted to go to Disney World in the summer, he was going to make it the best trip ever.

"Get over here," he told the Elf on the Shelf, picking him up and searching for a good spot on the tree to hide him. "And I better be on the nice list tomorrow, Skittles Junior. There are a lot of things I want from my wife next year, if you catch my drift, buddy."

But Bradley took a wrong step trying to avoid the huge pile of presents that he bought. His eyes went wide as he reached for the tree, somehow managing to keep it and himself upright while the presents scattered noisily across the floor. He stood there silently, trying to regroup, but then he heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Daddy, did Santa come?"

Bradley turned in time to see Noah peek into the room, his brown eyes wide as he took in the scene before him. Then he burst into tears.

"What's wrong, Bub?" Bradley asked, scrambling around the presents to get to his son.

"You touched the Elf!" he wailed, tears streaking down his cheeks. "Now Skittles Junior won't be magic anymore!"

Bradley tamped down the string of obscenities on the tip of his tongue and winced, throwing the Elf at the tree. "He's okay. See? He's in the tree now. He's just fine."

"No!" his son cried, dropping to the floor where Bradley joined him, trying to keep him quiet so he didn't wake you or Noelle. "He's not magic anymore!"

Fuck. Bradley had been setting up elaborate scenes involving the elf leaving flour footprints in the kitchen and dangling from dental floss in the bathroom for the entire month of December. He knew he wasn't allowed to get caught touching the damn thing.

"I'm pretty sure there's a way to fix his magic," he said, collecting the sobbing child against his chest.

Noah gasped for air as he said, "Someone at school told me the only way to get an elf to be magic again is if Santa sends a helper to sprinkle new magic on him. That's the only way."

Bradley tried to think of a solution to appease Noah, but he was beyond exhausted. "How about I take you back to bed, okay? Santa was clearly already here, but Mommy and Noelle are still asleep. We can open presents in a few hours-"

"No!" Noah protested, looking up at him. "I want to stay here with Skittles Junior until Santa sends a helper to give him back his magic!"

Bradley gritted his teeth. It was four in the morning. He wanted to be curled up next to your warm body in bed. He didn't know how the fuck to fix the elf as it dangled helplessly from the tree. But it was Christmas, and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his son.

"Right," Bradley agreed, scooping Noah up and settling onto the couch with him as a plan started to take shape. "How about you and I wait right here? I'm sure it won't take long."

------------------------------

When you woke up, the bed was cold. You could hear Noelle starting to fuss in her crib, so you went to her room before investigating where your husband could possibly be.

"Hey, Noelle," you whispered as she giggled and reached for you when you walked to her crib. Thankfully she was finally sleeping through the night now after getting a rough start. You kissed her forehead and changed her into a fresh diaper. "Merry Christmas," you told her, tickling her tummy, making her coo. "Let's find Noah and Daddy and make breakfast."

When you walked into the living room, you froze. The wrapped presents were all over the floor, Skittles Junior was dangling from the Christmas tree, and Bradley looked miserably tired with Noah pouting on his lap.

"What's going on?" you asked, and they both turned to look at you and Noelle.

"Daddy touched Skittles Junior, and now he's not magic anymore."

Noah's lips quivered as Bradley rolled his eyes behind him. "It was an accident," Bradley replied through gritted teeth. "And Santa's helper should be here shortly to remedy things."

You looked at him like he had two heads. "What are you talking about? Santa's helper?"

"It's the only way!" Noah insisted, his little fists clenched on his lap. "It's the only way to get his magic back!"

You looked from one pair of brown eyes to the other. "I'm still confused," you whispered, but then there was a knock on the front door. "Who could that possibly be at this hour?"

Noah launched off Bradley's lap. "It has to be Santa's helper!" he exclaimed, racing for the door and opening it. You nearly choked when you saw Natasha standing there, dressed as a life-sized Elf on the Shelf with heavily rouged cheeks and her hair hidden under the pointy hat. She was also wearing oversized glasses which she pushed up her nose as Bradley stood.

"Hi! My name is Pip! I'm an elf!" she squeaked.

"Did Santa send you?" Noah asked hopefully, opening the door wider for her.

"He sure did!" she told him with a smile while you took in the events before you with Noelle in your arms. This had to be the most insane thing you'd ever witnessed as your husband's best friend walked into the living room with a canister of gold glitter in her hand.

"Did he tell you my elf lost his magic?" Noah asked, pointing at the tree.

"Oh, yes," Natasha squeaked. "He said your dad was very, very naughty." She glared at Bradley who just shook his head. "He's going directly onto the naughty list for the next decade or so. Everyone knows you aren't allowed to touch the Elf on the Shelf. Only a complete moron would-"

"Okay, Pip," Bradley barked. "Can you fix the elf or not?"

She adjusted the glasses and opened the glitter. "Of course I can. Just a little sprinkle," she said, dousing the elf and half the tree in gold dust, "and he'll be good as new."

"Yay!" Noah shouted, jumping around the room. "He's magic again! He's magic again!"

You gaped at Bradley and whispered, "Do I even want to know?"

"Absolutely not," he replied, taking Noelle and giving her a kiss while Noah plopped down to open aone of his presents like all was right in the world.

When Natasha turned to quietly sneak back out the front door, you followed her to the porch, closing the door behind you.

"What in the world is happening here? I thought you and Javy were coming over later for dinner?"

She waved her hand in the air in clear annoyance. "I don't know exactly what your husband did to fuck up enough that I got texts in the middle of the night and had to drive an hour each way to the only Walmart that opened at seven in the morning on Christmas to buy this outfit, but he owes me dearly. I'll be back at a normal hour, and you can tell him he better be ready to start kissing my ass."

The elf stormed across the yard to her SUV, tossed her hat in, and drove off. You scratched your head, still confused as you went back inside. Skittles Junior was practically dripping with gold glitter as you passed the tree to find your husband and both of your children were wearing their paper crowns.

"Mommy, put it on," Noah said, handing you the purple one as you took a seat on the area rug with them.

Bradley leaned in and kissed your cheek while Noelle reached for one of the wrapped gifts. "I'll explain everything later," he whispered. "The important thing is the elf is magical again, and everyone is happy."

You shook your head and pursed your lips. "Everyone except you. Ten years on the naughty list? You better hope Pip changes her mind before she gets back to the North Pole."

Bradley groaned and sprawled out on the floor while the kids opened their presents, but there was a smile on his face the whole time.

------------------------------

It feels good to check in with them! I'm so obsessed with elf Natasha, if you couldn't tell. Thanks for reading! Happy holidays! Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[lyn-js]

This chapter was so cute and funny. But it feels like indigo is starting to become a problem for BG.

Please don’t let anything happen to Roo and BG Em. I need this to be a happy ending!!

Aim for the Sky Part 30 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Even though Bradley isn't as nervous this time around, his excitement for the baby overflows at your first appointment with your doctor. After he surprises you with something at work, you get hit by a wave of jealousy.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, smut, pregnancy topics, lactation kink, jealousy

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Bradley sat in the familiar waiting room at Dr. Morris's office. Just like before, your hand was held tight in his with your cheek resting on his shoulder, but now he also had Rose curled up against his chest. She was sound asleep, her tiny body rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm that he was obsessed with. Even her fuzzy hair was starting to get a little longer now that she was over five months old. He couldn't be near her and not kiss the top of her head. It was actually impossible.

"I hope both babies look like you," he whispered.

When you tilted your head back to look at him, you rolled your eyes. "Rose looks like you."

"Nah. She's too cute."

You looked sleepy, like you could close your eyes and drift right off. "You're a DILF, Bradley. It's so annoying that you don't listen when I tell you that."

He was just alternating kissing Rose's head and yours, making you laugh, when a nurse opened the door and called your name. Bradley wasn't as nervous as he had been when you and he were here a year ago, antsy to find out more about Rose. He had the hang of this parenting thing by now, and he was just excited to hear a heartbeat today. The rest would sort itself out. You and he would figure out which room would become the second nursery. He would open a second college savings account even though both kids would get a full ride. He wasn't worried.

But you still were. He did his best to keep his enthusiasm at a normal volume when you started to stress about money or how exhausted you already were, but inside he was elated. Two kids! Two! If you would have asked him five years ago if he thought he'd ever buy a house, he would have told you no. Now he had a whole fucking family and a dog in the Craftsman.

Two kids under two would be a breeze. He just knew it.

"Right this way," the nurse said pleasantly. "You can wait in here. Dr. Morris will just be another minute or two."

Bradley let you get changed and settle onto the exam table while he bounced Rose in the chair. She was fresh from her nap, and she'd start bugging to eat soon enough. "I must admit, Nugget, I'm a bit surprised you're meeting your little sibling while you're still so tiny."

"He's lying, Rose. He planned it out this time," you replied, laying back with your eyes closed while he reached for your hand. "Your dad is a con artist."

The door opened, and Dr. Morris strode in, looking from you to Bradley and back to you. "I thought you were using the pill? What happened?"

You glared at Bradley. "Yeah, Roo. I thought we were using the pill."

He didn't want to point out that you were the one who left the birth control at home over the July Fourth weekend. "Well, you see, we were using the pill, but then plans changed." He cleared his throat and tried not to grin. "Dr. Morris, are you aware that the pullout method is not foolproof?"

She cradled her head in her hands before looking at him. "You know, I've heard that. Which is why I prescribed the pill."

"I missed one when we were away for a weekend," you whispered, drawing her attention your way. "And I'm really nervous that I didn't give my body enough time to heal after the last pregnancy," you added, gesturing to Rose. "And I'm still a little... heavy... from having her. What if I end up with high blood pressure again because of my weight?"

Bradley's eyes went wide. "You're worried about that? You're not even heavy, Sweetheart."

You shrugged, barely able to meet his eyes as Dr. Morris placed a soft hand on your arm. "Let's just give you a full exam, okay? There's no reason to assume the worst right now."

"Okay," you whispered, letting Bradley wrap your fingers up with his. He didn't understand how you could think you were anything other than perfect as you answered the doctor's questions while she turned on the ultrasound machine. Your blood pressure and heart rate sounded like they were perfect, and now it was time to find out more about the baby.

"Since you didn't menstruate after your daughter was born, it might be hard to pinpoint the exact due date."

Bradley cleared his throat again as the ultrasound wand disappeared beneath your hospital gown, making you wince as it was inserted. "Uh, actually, I can probably tell you the exact date and time of the... impregnation."

"You're not helping, Roo," you said, but a smile broke out on your lips. "God, I can't believe we fucked this up."

Then the baby was suddenly visible on the screen, and Bradley rocketed to his feet with Rose. "Look, Baby Girl. Another Nugget! There's the heartbeat!"

"Oh," you whispered, tugging him closer by your connected hands as you stared at the monitor. Tears shimmered in your eyes. "Okay, so maybe we didn't fuck up too badly."

"Everything looks great," Dr. Morris said, taking a few measurements. "You're about eleven to twelve weeks along. Let me narrow it down for you."

But Bradley already knew. He'd already done the math in his head. He was not at all surprised when she said the due date was April Fool's Day.

"That's not funny," you told Dr. Morris, gasping before bursting out laughing.

"I'm not joking," she replied. "Next year, April first. That's your due date. I'll see you back here in a few more weeks."

"Thanks," you whispered, holding tight to the ultrasound images that had been printed out for you. Dr. Morris gave Bradley a stern look as she walked past, and he had to fight the urge to salute in response. He was probably on thin ice with several people right now.

"I have to call my parents later. I wonder if we should tell them now?" you mused.

Oh, shit. He hadn't even thought about how your mom and dad might feel. They would love another grandchild, of course, but two so close together?

"Whenever you want to tell them is fine with me," he replied, taking the ultrasounds in his hand. The fridge at home was still covered in Rose's, so now there would be more to add to it. He examined the little nugget shape before showing it to his daughter. "Do you think it's a brother or a sister? Daddy doesn't care either way. I just love Nuggets."

She held the photo in her tiny hand as Bradley helped you get dressed again. He thought maybe it looked like you already had a bump growing, but he wasn't about to comment on your size, even if it did look cute.

"We have so much to do," you sighed. "You've got your new recruits turning up at work soon, and I'm about to start a fourth quarter project next month." A yawn overtook your sentence. "I don't know how we're going to handle things."

He didn't know what else to say, so he said what was becoming his new motto. "We'll figure it out, Sweetheart."

--------------------------------

Jake was perceptive, but Cat made you feel like you were transparent. Entering code while sitting next to her in the lab was tedious. Every time you breathed, it felt like she was going to figure out you were pregnant again. You swore she already knew.

You were past twelve weeks along. It wasn't like you couldn't start telling people, but you were still apprehensive to do so. But why? It wasn't like you were going to get smaller instead of bigger. Your pants were already fitting a little tighter, and you were absolutely dreading wearing that sad excuse for a maternity uniform again.

"Not the tent," you groaned softly, picturing the hideous, khaki monstrosity in the back of your closet.

"What did you say?" Cat asked, and your fingers froze on the keyboard.

"I said, I am intent on finishing this up today."

"Same," she agreed, her engagement ring sparkling in the fluorescent lighting. "I'm sick of looking at this project. We've been working on the same thing for months. You ready to get lunch?"

You were about to agree when you glanced at your phone and saw a text from your husband. "Um, actually, Bradley asked me to stop by and check something out."

"No worries," she replied, closing her laptop. "I'll see you in an hour."

"Right," you agreed, reading the text again as she walked away.

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: can you meet me in the outbuilding next to the tower? wanna show you something

"This better be good." 

It was hot outside, and the asphalt smelled like it was burning before you got to the tarmac. The sun beat down on your back as you power walked your way to the building in question. It was just a bunch of offices, nothing else, so you weren't sure why he wanted you to come all the way over here. When you ducked inside the air conditioning again, you were sweaty and even more tired than before.

But then you saw it. A staff member was changing the names on the directory in the front foyer. One of them jumped out at you immediately, and your belly swooped with excitement.

LCDR Bradley Bradshaw (Room 117)

You rushed along the hallway, going nearly to the end before turning a corner. Room 117 was on the left, but the door was closed. When you knocked, it opened a few inches, and you saw his smiling face.

"You got an office!" you shouted, and the door swung all the way open to reveal a nice, quiet space a little bigger than your own. "Oh, Roo! It's swanky!"

"Swanky?" he asked with a laugh as your boots squeaked across the tile floor. "I wouldn't go right to swanky."

"You have a window! And a little couch!" you exclaimed, peeking out through the blinds to the tarmac. You spun around and looked at everything stacked up on his desk. There were aircraft manuals and clipboards, but there was also a framed wedding photo which was taken in the beach parking lot. And there was a photo of Rose trying to crawl next to Tramp which must have come from his locker. "I'm so proud of you."

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him while he chuckled, but his hand slid lower on your back to your butt, giving you a little squeeze. "Not gonna lie, the first thing I thought of this morning when Mav told me was how cool my dad would have found this."

"Oh, Roo," you whispered, heart clenching.

"The second thing I thought of was fucking you senseless on my desk."

"Bradley!" Your voice was a needy whine, surprising even you. It had been at least a week since you had enough energy for sex, simply passing out in bed as soon as Rose fell asleep each night. But right now, your head tipped back, teeth sinking into your lip as you thought about how good he could make you feel if you let him.

One eyebrow was raised as he asked, "Do you want to? I have thirty minutes until I need to show my new pilots around."

Your hands were already on the fly of his khaki pants. "Yes." You didn't know what came over you, but you were horny as hell and absolutely needed this.

"Yeah?" he grunted, sucking in a deep breath as your hand delved into his underwear to wrap around his heavy cock. "Shit, Sweetheart."

You staggered backwards when he pushed you toward his desk, but he was gentle as your rear end met the edge. He'd be careful with you, that much was certain, but you were so horny, you wanted him immediately.

Bradley's fingers fumbled with your zipper as he said, "You know, this would be a lot easier if you were wearing your maternity tent."

"I was just thinking about that thing earlier!" you replied, laughing as you kissed him. 

"Ugly but functional," he whispered, mustache rough against your skin when he mashed his mouth to yours. 

You were left a moaning mess as his fingers stroked your tattoo before yanking your pants down to your knees. Then he was on his knees in front of you, looking up as he kissed your chubby belly, pushing your shirt out of his way. His lips were so soft, but his voice was raspy.

"The first quickie in my new office. Hopefully the first of many."

"Once upon a time, you promised you'd keep your hands off me at work," you whispered, his lips kissing along until his nose was rubbing your clit. "Pretty sure you lied about that one, Roo."

When his tongue dragged the length of your slit, his fingers tightened on your hips, digging in until you gasped. "You know when to take me seriously and when I'm full of shit. And right now, I'm so serious about making you scream."

He was. You could tell he was. Your husband was ready to go at a moment's notice all the time, and even a few days without fucking made you feel like he had some pent up energy that was going to make this explosive. Your nipples were tender and leaking into your nursing bra, but he didn't let you have a second to yourself before he turned you around and shimmied his pants lower.

"You ready for me?" he grunted, cock tapping your butt with excitement as he stroked your clit. Your hands were braced on his desk, and he nudged your boots further apart before guiding himself to your opening.

"So ready," you whispered. "Fuck me, Daddy."

Your body jerked forward, making you hang onto the desk for dear life as he fucked you hard and deep with one stroke. "If you weren't already pregnant again, you would be after this," he swore, withdrawing before plowing into you again. "Let's have ten kids."

"Bradley!" But he wasn't listening. He was fucking you rough, desk rattling against your knees and hands as he jerked the furniture across the floor a little more with each thrust.

"You look so good when you're pregnant. I wish you could see your ass. My god." He moaned your name. "Go ahead and scream for me."

That's when you realized your gasping breaths had gotten loud enough that they were echoing around the room over the sound of the desk moving. Bradley was relentless, his movements almost too much, but the steady stroke of his fingers on your clit kept you on your feet. A loud, long keen escaped your lips when you tried to breathe.

"That's it," he coaxed, rolling your clit between his thumb and index finger. "Just... a little louder."

His voice was breathless in your ear as his palm landed on your ass, the loud, stinging slap making you scream his name. 

"Perfect," he whispered, cupping you with his palm, grinding the heel of his hand against your clit while you came. "Let me cum in your pretty pussy, and you can wear it to lunch with your friends."

That thought alone had your eyes rolling back in your head. You'd smell like him for the rest of the day, his sticky mess teasing at your thighs whenever you walked around. He did as he promised, fucking you until you were filled up, and then he dragged your underwear up your legs, keeping you full of him.

Bradley was kissing along your sweat-slick neck as he zipped and buttoned his uniform pants. But now you were standing there, so exhausted, you just wanted to curl up on his couch and take a nap.

"You're not eating lunch?" you asked, stifling a yawn as he helped you squeeze into your pants. "I'm starving."

"I don't have time," he replied, kissing you as he tucked your shirt in. "I've got ten new pilots to attend to, and I want them up in the air by the end of the week."

You held back another yawn. "Okay. Do you want to get Rose from daycare later or should I?"

This wasn't the kind of sexy post-fuck discussion the two of you usually had, which made you feel very conscious of the fact that you couldn't stop yawning. Bradley was adding pages to his clipboard as he said, "Can you get her? I'm not sure when I'll be done today. There's so much damn paperwork. I swear to god, the US Navy hates trees."

"Yeah, I can get her."

You started to head for the door when he looked up and asked, "Want me to walk you out?"

Yeah, you kind of did, but he already looked like his focus had moved on. "No, I'm fine on my own. See you at home tonight."

"I love you." He kissed your cheek and patted your butt with one big hand, and you were off in search of lunch. When you walked back along the sidewalk in the bright sunlight you considered just going home and sleeping for the afternoon. Would anyone even miss you? Perhaps you should just turn toward the parking lot.

"Hey!"

When you looked up and actually focused, you realized you were about to run into Cam. "Oh, hey."

"Want to split one of those super cheesy pasta bowls that we always say are bad for us but get anyway?" he asked, guiding you inside to the cafeteria as you laughed. 

"Yeah, why not?" You wanted to tell him you were about to gain a ton more weight anyway, so it wouldn't make much difference. But you didn't.

"Perfect," he replied, loading one tray with enough food for both of you. "Then you can tell me how Rosie is, but first I need to tell you who showed up on one of my dating apps."

"Who?" you asked, covering your mouth as you yawned again.

"Guess!"

You started eating food off the tray before you even got to the table. "I don't want to guess. I'm too tired to guess."

"Fine," he sighed. "Ryan."

"No," you gasped. "From the Academy? Your ex?"

"Yep," Cam replied with a grin. "And he looks terrible."

You got to spend the next fifteen minutes indulging your friend in his gossip session. It helped that Ryan from the Academy did in fact look awful now, and you helped Cam swipe through his app options as you ate more than half of the pasta yourself. You were just finishing things off with a breadstick and telling him about Rose when you saw Bradley walk in.

Your hand was in the air, ready to wave him over and laugh at him for his inability to skip a meal when you realized he wasn't alone. There were several officers with him, none of which you could remember seeing on base before. You assumed they must be his new pilots from Texas. But one of them pushed her way to the front of the group, and your hand slowly lowered back down to your side.

She was beautiful. Young and slim with dark hair and the brightest blue eyes you'd ever seen. And she was walking next to your husband and laughing like he'd just told her the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard in her life. Bradley nodded and smiled down at her, his expression merely polite. At least that's what you thought. Now you weren't so sure. He knew you came to the cafeteria, so why wasn't he looking around for you? Why wasn't he checking to see if you were still here? 

"So is Rose crawling yet?"

You turned to look at Cam in confusion, heart pounding at a sickening rate that made you want to throw up. "Huh?"

"Rose," he repeated, chewing up his breadstick. "Is she crawling?"

"Oh. Um, no. Not yet."

You couldn't look away as the other woman's smile seemed to light up the area around her, and you wanted to cry when Bradley handed her a tray before the whole group got in line for lunch. Maybe you really were going to throw up.

"Hey, Cam, I have to run," you whispered, voice harsh as you stood.

"Brunch on Sunday with Maria?" he asked hopefully, but you could only nod as you headed for the far exit as quickly as you could move. 

You stumbled along, thinking about the way Bradley fucked you against his desk barely thirty minutes ago. He'd made you feel so good, but now you were outrageously jealous over some unknown woman, and you had to get back to work. You couldn't control it. Why were you reacting this way? This wasn't even like you.

But somehow you could just tell that something wasn't right.

----------------------------

Why do I have the urge to send Bradley to jail? Someone needs to be locked up for poor behavior, and it's not Rose. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[lyn-js]

I would like to do something, but it would be my first writing challenge and your girls a little nervous.

Got any tips??

Who is doing a Christmas writing challenge? I wanna do one but I haven't seen any! Someone point me towards one!

@roosterforme @lyn-js y'all know of any?

[lyn-js]

4 minutes of comedy gold.

Chefs kiss

Okay, "Out Of That Truck" by Carrie Underwood is giving me Rhett vibes (especially after seeing Lew in person & realizing he probably does drive an older truck) Like he breaks up with you but you're not worried because it's kinda like an emo phase and you know he'll come back, he just needs to have his moment.

[lyn-js]

Sooo good Kay!!😂😂

Okay, "Out Of That Truck" by Carrie Underwood is giving me Rhett vibes (especially after seeing Lew in person & realizing he probably does drive an older truck) Like he breaks up with you but you're not worried because it's kinda like an emo phase and you know he'll come back, he just needs to have his moment.

[lyn-js]

Baby Bradshaw #2 is coming!!!!

So happy for them, but you’re right. Bradley needs a happy wife and a happy life. Get your head in the game man!

This was so good Emily, can’t wait for the next chapter.❤️❤️

Aim for the Sky Part 29 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley returns home to good news and an exhausted wife. Making plans for the future is something he lives for now, but thoughts from his week in Fort Worth seem to linger.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, masturbation, oral sex, smut, pregnancy topics, lactation kink

Length: 3100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

"Sweetheart," Bradley sighed. His heart rate finally calmed down after trying several times to reach you by phone. "How are you? How's the Nugget?"

You were quiet for a beat before saying, "We're okay." You did not sound happy, and it was probably because he'd missed several of your calls over the past few days. It wasn't like he meant to, there was just a lot of work and other distractions for him here. 

"Yeah? Not amazing?" He couldn't tell if your laugh was one of annoyance, so he plowed on as he stood from the steps outside the barracks, still sweaty from his run. "I'll be home the day after tomorrow, and then I'll take care of Rosie and everything at the house."

You sighed. "First thing we need to do when you get home is talk."

Bradley froze, brow creased in concern as his hand froze on the door handle. "About what?"

Another soft beat of silence. "We'll figure it out when you get back."

"Figure what out?" He didn't know if you were intentionally being vague, but it was irritating him a bit. "Can't we just talk about it now?"

"Shit." He could hear Rose starting to wail in the background, and it sounded like you dropped your phone. "Roo, I need to go. She had another blowout. I love you."

"I love you, too, Baby Girl."

The call ended before he got to tell you about his week. He was hoping you'd ask him about work, but you didn't even check to see if his first few days fully engrossed in his new role were going well.

You were either stressed close to your breaking point, or something else was bothering you. He went back inside to hit the shower, but his thoughts lingered even when the hot water streamed along his skin. Like there was something he was supposed to remember. He couldn't focus on any one thing, which was irritating in itself. He was ready to head home and get back to work in North Island, but he also wanted to make sure he left Texas with everything in order. He and the admirals needed to make their final selections tomorrow, and then he would know who would be joining him in San Diego in a few weeks.

In his opinion, there were ten exceptional pilots here that would be a good fit at Top Gun. Indigo and Rex were at the top of the list with very promising careers ahead of them, and Bradley was looking forward to eventually joining them in the air.

He really wanted to get home to you and Rose, but he had to get through a dinner in his dress blues first. The young pilots would probably be surprised when he finally joined them for a drink.

When he eventually got into bed, he looked through all of the pictures of his daughter on his phone. There were hundreds of them, which seemed impressive for someone just a few months old. Then he scrolled through wedding photos. And then honeymoon photos, not all of which were rated PG.

"Oh, I remember that night," he murmured to himself when he got to a beautiful collection of pictures of you with your ass in the air, looking back at him over your shoulder. "I remember it very well."

Jesus. You looked so good in these photos, it was absolutely insane. Even the PG ones were hotter than hell. But when you wore that red bikini? Perfection. And now he was hard and already searching for the video you and he made together many, many months ago.

He jerked off in the extra long twin bed, getting harder as he watched the recording of him spanking you and calling you his filthy slut. Then he came all over his abs, thinking about how many times he took you rough in his barracks room in San Diego early on in your relationship. When he thought about the Craftsman house he bought for you more than for himself, he couldn't stop smiling. You made it the first home he had since his mom died. And now he had a daughter.

Counting his blessings was pointless when he knew they all came from you. One more long day and he'd be home with his family. He couldn't stop yawning as he cleaned himself up, and he passed out for the night as soon as he was under the covers.

The next day was a flutter of activity. There was a classroom session in the morning that Bradley had to lead. He wasn't used to talking so much and actually found it exhausting. And everywhere he looked around the room, he could feel indigo eyes on him.

Then the afternoon was filled with flight analysis which solidified in his mind the pilots he wanted to select. After a quick conversation with the admirals when everyone else was dismissed, they were all in agreement.

Later that night at dinner, Bradley got to announce to everyone who had been chosen. There were definitely some unhappy expressions, but he was met with Indigo's smile as she shook his hand after the champagne had been served.

"Congratulations," he told her, juggling his champagne flute to his other hand. 

"Lieutenant Commander," she replied. "You'll have to let me in on the secret of the best bar in Coronado so I know where to hang out in a few weeks. You found the best one here on your own, after all."

He had to chuckle. He hadn't been back to that bar since his first night in Texas, despite the best efforts of some of the officers. "I have no doubt you'll find it without my help."

She released his hand, eyes roaming his face before settling on his mustache. "I'm sure I will. Are you sticking around for another drink?" she asked hopefully when he set his empty glass on a passing tray.

"Early flight tomorrow morning," he shrugged. "And I'm still not used to this time zone, so I shouldn't. I don't want to miss it."

She nodded once as he turned to leave, and her parting words stuck in his mind. "I can't wait to see you at Top Gun, Lieutenant Commander."

Bradley was going to have to keep an eye on her. He didn't want her trying to gain any sort of advantage over the others. Her gaze was warm on his back as he headed to the silent barracks alone.

--------------------------

The flight to San Diego was turbulent. You would have hated it, but Bradley slept the whole time like a pro. He should have spent the time reading his notes for work on Monday, but he decided it was more important to get a nap in so he could let you rest for the weekend. He had everything planned out on his mind, including making dinner tonight and taking Rose and Tramp for a beach walk tomorrow. That would give you sufficient time to rest.

He was expecting you to look worn out, but when he rushed through baggage claim to find you, he was still surprised by what he found. Rose was crying in your arms, and you looked on the verge of tears yourself. You were wearing one of his ratty shirts he reserved for days he was doing yardwork, and you had on his sweatpants which were rolled up and tied at your waist.

"Baby Girl," he called out, drawing your gaze to his. There was spit up on the burp cloth draped over your shoulder, and Rose seemed to cry louder the closer he got. "Are you okay?"

When you started nodding, it quickly turned into you shaking your head as he got close enough to wrap his arms around both of you. Bradley was immediately lost in the sweet smell of his daughter as he buried his nose against her fuzzy hair and inhaled. He let his lips trail soft kisses along her forehead before taking her from your arms.

"Tell me what's wrong," he whispered, kissing your lips. "Tell me so I can fix it."

He hushed Rose and kept his face close to yours as you cried softly. "Nothing's wrong. Or maybe... I don't know, Roo. I'm fucking pregnant," you sobbed.

Surely he'd misheard. "What did you say?" he gasped, arm wrapping around your waist, pulling you in tighter as you cried and nodded. "You're seriously pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit." A dizzying smile curled along his lips. "Hell yes!" This was incredible news as far as he was concerned, but you were still crying as your face came to rest against his chest. Then his stomach lurched, because he'd missed several of your calls this week. You must have known for days as you'd been trying to reach him.

He bounced Rose gently in the crook of his arm, listening to her cries soften until she settled against him as well. "Sweetheart. You're not happy about this?"

Your tear streaked cheeks drew his lips as you looked up at him. "I don't know, Bradley," you whispered, voice harsh. "I just don't know what to think at all. I'm sure it happened in La Jolla, when I was supposed to be on the pill."

When your voice broke on a fresh sob, Bradley led you toward his duffle bag which had appeared on the baggage carousel, and he scooped it up seamlessly. Somehow he kept both of his girls close all the way to your red Bronco, his heart hammering the whole time. He was obsessed with his role as a father, and to him this was a best case scenario. He just needed you to understand how he felt about this.

After buckling Rose into her car seat, she was immediately asleep. Then he laced his fingers with yours, leading you around to the passenger side door, kissing your forehead.

"I love you, Sweetheart," he promised, tipping your face up to meet his eyes. "And I'd love another baby. Is this what we needed to talk about?"

"Yeah," you whispered. "This week was so long, and Rose has been miserable. And I could barely reach you on the phone, and-"

"I'm home now. Let me take care of my family." He let his hand trail down to your belly as he kissed you hard.

Once you were buckled in as well, you were sound asleep before Bradley had the Bronco out of the airport loop. By the end of the weekend, he would have your doubts about baby number two erased, replaced with the joy he felt over growing his family. 

-----------------------------

You weren't sure how he managed to get both you and Rose inside the house without you waking up, but he did it. Hours later, you rolled over in bed, eyes cracking open when you heard Bradley playing with the baby in the living room. Your whole body ached from exhaustion, but it was your tender breasts that sent you to find them so you could get some relief.

The fact that you still didn't know how you felt about the positive pregnancy test now that Bradley knew about it as well just added to your fatigue. It was almost too much to consider at the moment. Another baby. Another smaller baby crying at night. A chorus of cries, and two babies spitting up.

When you found your shirtless husband laying on the floor with Rose giggling as she balanced on his chest while Tramp licked his face, you couldn't help but smile. He was singing a ridiculous song and tickling her sides. You felt guilty for being so scared about having a second child when you let your fingers rest on your tummy and watched him. He was a natural. Sometimes you felt like you were struggling through parenting, but Bradley made it seem so easy.

"I know it's a lot of responsibility for someone so small, but you're already getting your first rank promotion," he murmured, leaning up to kiss her cheek. "Big sister Bradshaw, you need to report for duty next year."

When you found yourself laughing, Bradley met your eyes and smiled. "How was your nap, Mommy?"

"I feel a lot better," you replied, yanking your shirt over your head, drawing your husband's gaze to your chest as you unhooked your bra. "How did you get her to calm down?"

Bradley looked a bit dazed as he stared at your bare chest. "The Nugget just missed me," he murmured, breathing a little heavy. His cheeks were tinged with pink as you reached for Rose to feed her. "Holy fucking shit, Sweetheart. We're having another baby." You nodded a bit helplessly, feeling so overwhelmed as your daughter latched on to eat as soon as you were sitting on the couch. "Two Nuggets," he said, petting Tramp as he stood. "And another year or more of my wife lactating."

You were dreading the weight gain and nausea and lack of sleep, but when he looked at you like this, it was hard to feel unappealing. Bradley's eyes were absolutely fixed on the beads of milk rolling down to your belly as Rose eventually switched sides.

"Can I have a turn when she naps?" he rasped, adjusting his gym shorts, absolutely unashamed. "It's been a week. I need it."

Soon enough, you had him in bed, practically curled up on your lap with his lips all over your breasts. "We're supposed to be talking about plans for another baby," you whispered, loving the scrape of his mustache against your skin. "I have a lot of concerns."

Bradley moaned, releasing you with a soft pop. "We can talk while I enjoy you," he promised. "What are you concerned about?"

He ran his nose along your taut nipple, and you moaned his name. "Bradley. One baby is expensive. How are we going to manage two? And we'll need to get another crib. And I have to make an appointment with Dr. Morris. And I can't believe you got me pregnant again while Rose is still a baby."

His lips grazed along your sensitive skin, and you were helpless to do anything but let your fingers thread through his hair. "What's so hard to believe?" he whispered. "We worked at it for months to have Rose, so this seems fair. And it's not like I can keep my dick out of your pussy. It was bound to happen whether you missed a pill or not." His tongue was warm as he lapped at you, his big hand splayed low on your belly. "I couldn't be fucking happier."

"Bradley," you gasped, back arching at his touch.

"We'll figure it out. I promise," he crooned. "Two babies. I'm so in love, Baby Girl. And you'll be nice and round again soon. Holy hell."

You didn't want to point out that your belly was still chubby and your hips were still round. Not when he was praising everything about you and the situation the two of you were caught up in. Two babies. Two. He was whining your name and rubbing himself against you, and next thing you knew, he had you on your back, legs flung over his shoulders. 

He ate your pussy, taking his sweet time about it while his thumb traced your tattoo. He drew out your orgasm slowly. His lips were latched onto your clit as his big hands kept you spread wide. "Missed you. Love you," he hummed, kissing his way along your slick. "Making me a Daddy all over again, Sweetheart."

"Roo," you whispered, keeping him where you needed him with your hands in his hair. "Daddy."

You came on his face, pussy needy and clenching at nothing before he shoved his cock inside you. The feral sound you made as your orgasm intensified, gripping him as he groaned and grunted in your ear, was loud enough to wake Rose from her nap. But you couldn't stop when he made you feel so good you nearly blacked out.

"I love you. And Rose. And our perfect baby we haven't met quite yet."

--------------------------

By the end of the weekend, you were smiling more. The naps you were afforded by having Bradley back home definitely helped, he could tell. But you seemed more at ease with the idea of two children close in age the more you and he talked about it.

"We have some options," he whispered, kissing you as you snuggled up with him on the couch on Sunday night. The episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was playing in the background, but he'd lost interest in it before it even started. "We can move Rose to the bedroom by the stairs, or we can turn that into nursery number two."

You crinkled your nose. "That's so far away from our bedroom."

"But we can't move Rose upstairs yet."

"No way," you agreed. "Maybe they can share a room?"

"Hmm. That would make it easier for Tramp to nap with both of them at the same time."

Your laughter made him feel so much better as he snuggled you closer. He could happily fall asleep like this until it was time to go to work tomorrow.

"Oh," you murmured, "I didn't even ask about your time in Texas."

Bradley immediately pictured startlingly blue eyes as you laced your fingers with his. "Was good," he replied, realizing just how much busier his life was about to become. A new role at work and a new baby. Students to teach and two kids at home.

"Tell me all about it," you murmured, stifling a yawn.

He found there wasn't much to talk about other than Indigo and Rex, and he didn't want to bore you. "Maybe I was a bit stingy, but I only invited ten pilots to come to Top Gun. Two will more than likely make it through the program. The rest... we'll see."

"Who are the two that will make it through?" 

Your yawns grew in intensity as you closed your eyes, and he knew you needed to get plenty of sleep. Bradley kissed the tip of your nose, figuring you would be asleep before he finished his sentence. "Rex and Indigo, but Indigo is the best."

---------------------------

Baby number two! The Nuggets are multiplying! Roo needs to keep his head in the game if he wants a happy wife. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[lyn-js]

Love you Kay, and I loved this story when it first came out. But it made me cry my eyes out. I woke up the next morning looking like a jet puffed marshmallow.

(This is what I pictured my marshmallow self.)

Right Here Waiting // Bob Floyd

A/N: This is my first reader insert story and I'm quite proud if I say so myself. This is also the longest story I have ever written! This is for @roosterforme's #Love is in the Air challenge! I wanted to have this out in February but life prevented that but it's here now and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Warnings: Major character death, mentions of cancer,, mentions of Alzheimer's, postpartum depression, mentions of cheating, smut, angst and overall sadness!

Synopsis: Your life with Robert Floyd from start to finish.

Word Count: 25.8k

Masterlist

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I met Bob Floyd when I was in college. Him at the Naval Academy, and I was at the University of Maryland in College Park. "Come on! It'll be fun! There will lots of cute guys from the Academy!" I shook my head as I laid back on my bed. "Annette, I'm not really feeling it tonight. I'd rather stay here." This was the fourth week in a row she invited me out with her. Her boyfriend was attending the Naval Academy and she went down every Friday to see him. "So, lame." I sat up, raising a brow at her. "Did you just call me lame?" She nodded, just barely glancing over her shoulder at me. "I did." She knew I couldn't stand that. "I'll show you lame! Give me twenty!"

Soon we were at a bar at Annapolis. I had on a silver party dress, heels, the whole nine yards. "That last stop at the tanning bed this morning really did it for you." Annette said and I smiled. "You think? I almost double dipped and got a spray tan too." She rolled her eyes. "What? Tanning is not just a style, it's a way of life!" I said as she led us up to a group of guys. "BABY!" She squealed, rushing up to one of the tall guys, jumping into his arms. I smiled as I watched them, high school sweethearts who were still so in love. "Luke, this is my friend!" He shook my hand as I gave him my name. "Nice to meet you." The night went on, and we partied but I noticed one guy at the bar, drinking water and sitting alone. "His name is Robert Floyd." Luke said as he came over. "He's in the Academy with us. Tends to keep to himself." I smirked. "Then I guess I'll change that."

So, I did. I walked over to him and decided to take up the seat next to him. "Wanna buy me a drink?" I joked and he looked to me, wide eyed. "M-me?" I nodded, resting my chin in my hand. "Why me?" I giggled at his question, a little tipsy. "Why not you?" He seemed confused by my question. "You've sat here all night, while your friends are drinking and dancing. Figured you could use a friend." He smiled at me. "That's very kind of you. I'm uh, Robert Floyd." He said, holding out his hand. I shook it, giving him my name. "That's a beautiful name." A blush crept up my cheeks. "Thank you." He chuckled, liking the way my cheeks heated up. "What would you like to drink?" He asked, standing to go to the other end of the bar. "An Ultra, please." He smiled, turning to leave but turned back, furrowing his brows. "You'll be here when I come back, right?" I nodded. "I'll be right here waiting."

And I was true to my word. I did wait. I was still sitting there when he came back. We hit it off, and soon we were dating. He would drive to me or I to him. Soon summer came and he asked me to meet his parents, so I booked a flight out to Oklahoma. "You're picking me up, right?" I asked as I stood at my gate, waiting to board. "Yes, honey. I'll be right here waiting." Sure enough, he was. I ran towards him, launching myself into his arms. "Oh, I missed you." I muttered into his shoulder, he chuckled, letting me down till I was steady on my feet. "It's only been three weeks." He said, a smile on his face. "Three weeks too long." He leaned down, capturing my lips with his. Once he pulled away, he pulled me close, a smile on his face as his glasses slid down his nose.

"Come on. Ma and Pa are excited to meet you." He said as he guided me over to baggage claim. "Can we stop and get some flowers before we get there?" I asked as he grabbed my suitcase from the conveyor belt. "Flowers? Why?" He asked, surprised by my request. "I'm not showing up to your parents’ house empty handed! My own mother would be angry if I did!" He chuckled, taking my hand as he led me out of the airport. His parents were amazing people, owning a small ranch in Oklahoma and raising three kids. Robby being the middle child, and one of three boys. His older brother Zeke was a chemical engineer, and his younger brother Michael was in his junior year of high school. "So dear, Robert tells us you attend the University of Maryland. What are you in school for?" His mom asked as we sat down for dinner the first night. "Oh, education. I want to be a teacher." She grinned at me. "Elementary?" I shook my head. "I love kids, but I think I'm better suited for high school. I hope to be a college history professor one day!" His dad nodded at me. "Big dreams, stick with them. Robby tells us you work hard so I have no doubt you'll achieve that goal."

His parents took me in as their own, loved me like the daughter they never had. My parents on the other hand, took a little convincing. They were worried about Robby being in the Navy, my dad feared he'd break my heart, my mom worried something would happen to him and leave me crushed. But, once they met him, they loved him. I grew up an only child. They wanted more but after me, mom couldn't have any more kids. My dad loved him like a son, taking him out to the garage to work on his cars with him. My mom stuck to embarrassing me with childhood pictures, which Robby loved.

But soon we went back to school and stayed together. Upon his graduation, I pinned his gold bars to him as he graduated second Lieutenant. It was a wonderful week for him, seeing all of his success. Pride swelled in my chest, seeing him in his dress whites. "I'm so proud of you, Robby." He grabbed my hand, kissing it. "That means a lot to me, coming from you."

I graduated the same year and soon we were separated. He went to Pensacola, and I got my first teaching job at a high school in Maryland. "You'll be here when I come visit?" I nodded. "I'll be right here waiting." He smiled, kissing me before boarding his flight for Florida. It was hard. There were times I questioned if we would make it, but after his graduation from flight school he was sent to NAS Pax River, right here in Maryland. He lived on base, and I had a tiny, one bedroom apartment not far. We spent so much time with each other, as much as we could spare, because I knew, soon he'd ship out.

That came about two months after he was stationed. Orders came and took him from me. "Keep this safe while I'm gone?" He asked, placing his class ring on my thumb, the only finger it'd fit. "I will. I won't take it off." He smiled, kissing me fervently as we stood on the docks, tears running down my face. "I don't want you to go." He gave me a teary smile, and I took his new glasses from him, cleaning them off before sliding them back on his face. "I'll always come back to you. I promise." He held me close as I nodded, my hands resting on his chest. "I'll be right here waiting. Always." He held me until he was forced to board. I sat there for the rest of the day, wishing the ship would turn around and bring him back to me. I was a wreck. My students noticed, my parents noticed, and his parents noticed when they called. I cried and cried. The facetime calls didn't help, as soon as he hung up I cried some more. My chest ached and I felt like it would never end. He never told me when he was coming home. So, I screamed when my apartment door flew open and pointed the knife in my hand at whoever came in.

But I dropped immediately as I saw Robby standing there, huffing with his hands on his knees. A cry escaped my lips as I rushed him, throwing myself into his arms. "You're home!" I cried into his shoulder. Once he caught his breath he all but dropped me, and I stumbled back as he fell to one knee. He grabbed my hand, taking his class ring off my thumb in a rush. "Marry me." It wasn't a question and I was baffled at the suddenness of it all. "I don't have a real ring; this is all I can offer you right now. But all these months apart have made me realize, more than ever, I don't want to, and I can't live my life without you by my side. So, will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Floyd?" I had to catch my breath, tears streaking my cheeks. "Yes. Yes!" I squealed as he pulled me into his arms, his lips finding mine. That night we called our parents and his mom sent his grandmother's engagement ring. It took a while but when it arrived, I was in love. A simple gold band with an oval cut diamond with a halo of smaller diamonds around it. Soon we were planning a wedding. He was still stationed at Pax River, so we opted for a wedding in Annapolis. In the chapel of the naval academy. Why not get married in the place it all started?

Our wedding day was hectic as everyone rushed to get ready. Annette was my Matron of honor, and Luke was Robby's best man. They got married right out of college, not wanting to wait any longer. I wore a ballgown style dress, long lace sleeves with a veil that trailed behind me. I always joked that if my husband-to-be didn't cry as I walked down the aisle, I would turn around. But I never told Robby that, and I didn't have to as tears rolled down his cheeks behind his glasses. He stood there, handsome as ever in his dress whites and I almost couldn't wait to get to the end of the aisle. My dad gave me away and Robby and I both cried through the ceremony. "I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." He grabbed me, pulling me into a passionate kiss before letting go. "I now announce to you, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Floyd!" I couldn't help the squeal that escaped me, and I leapt back into his arms, kissing him again before we made our way back down the aisle and out the door.

"I think I know what song our first dance will be to." He told me that months ago, but never told me what it would be. He just pulled me to the dance floor for our first dance and I started crying as the opening keys of Richard Marx's 'Right Here Waiting’ played. "I will always be waiting for you, Robby. Wherever we go." I said before resting my head on his chest as he slowly spun us around the dance floor.

Our first year of marriage was bliss, he moved off base with me and stayed stationed at Pax River until orders came. Once again, I had to let him go and it wasn't any easier than the first time. "I'll be right here waiting for you." I said as he kissed me. "And I'll always come home to you." With that, he was gone and all I could do was work and wait. But Robby was different when he came home this time. More closed off, more reserved. I never pushed him to talk but soon he started getting up in the middle of the night, leaving and coming home early in the morning and immediately showering. He wouldn't hardly touch me anymore. All the signs pointed to another woman, but I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't. The Robby I loved would never do that to me, but I didn't know this Robby. So one morning after his shower, I cornered him before he could get dressed for work.

"Are you okay?" He just hummed, nodding. "Where do you go?" He stopped, turning to me. His pants were unzipped, unbuttoned, and he had no shirt on. His jaw was slack, as if he couldn't believe I'd ask. He ignored my question, getting dressed as tears rolled down my face. "Is it another woman?" I asked as he walked by me, and he stopped. "I don't want to believe it. But every sign points to it." He just stared at me in shock. "If you're struggling, I want to help you. But if there's someone else, you have to tell me." He shook his head, rushing over and taking my face in his hands. "No. Honey, I would never. I just- this last deployment was hard. We lost some good people and I’m struggling to process it."

My heart broke for him. I was so stupid to think he'd ever do that to me. I took his glasses off, running my thumbs under his eyes to wipe away tears before holding his face. "Let me in, Robby. Let me help you." At my words, he broke. He sunk to his knees, holding me close and burying his face in my stomach. I just shushed him, running my fingers through his hair as he cried. I let him cry until he was done, standing and holding him close. "Don't shut me out again? You shouldn't have to carry all of this alone." He kissed my head before resting his cheek on my head. "Thank you, darlin. You don't know how much that means to me." I smiled, pulling away, keeping my hands on his ribs as I looked up at him. "I'm right here, Robby. Always waiting for you."

A few more years down the line, Robby was called up for Top Gun. We cheered as he hoisted me into his arms. "I always knew you were the best, honey!" We celebrated until he left for San Diego and while it was hard for us to be separated, it was a little easier knowing what an achievement it was. I was unable to get off work for his graduation, which hurt but he knew I was right here, waiting for him. He got orders for a mission immediately after and he would be gone another two weeks and had to be completely dark. But once he docked back in San Diego, he called me. "We're moving." I furrowed my brows as I sat at my desk once the school day finished. "Moving?" He hummed on the other end. "Lemoore, California." And with that we got to packing. He moved out there before me, it was three weeks from the end of the school year, so I decided to crash with a coworker until I finally left for Lemoore.

I launched myself into Robby's arms at the airport, just happy to be with him again. "You ready to see our house?" My eyes widened at his words. "House?" He nodded, carrying me over to baggage claim. "No more apartments! We have a house, with a large porch and a big yard. Perfect for little feet to run around." I leaned back as he held me, my hands resting on his chest. "Wait. Are you saying you're ready to try?" We had talked about kids, but we wanted to enjoy being married for a while first. "I am if you are." I smiled widely, resting my forehead on his. "I say we start as soon as we get home." He kissed me passionately, holding me so close. "We'll christen every room of the house." I squealed, kicking my feet in excitement as he set me down to grab my bags.

Of course, when we got home, he kept his promise. "Fuck, Robby." I cried as I bit into his shoulder. He had me up on the kitchen counter as he thrust into me. "That's it, Darlin." He moaned into my neck. It was almost animalistic, the way he fucked me. I was never left unsatisfied, unless he did it on purpose. In the midst of my thinking, Robby pulled out. I gasped as I heard the familiar pop and the empty feeling that followed. "Robby, please." I whined as I tried to pull him back in. "Nope. I said every room, darlin." His voice was husky as he chased his breath. He wrapped his arms under my thighs, carrying me to the living room which was lacking a couch. He laid me on the floor under the large picture window before slipping back in again.

"Fuck me, Robby. Please." I begged. "You're so pretty when you beg for me." He said as he ran his finger down my cheek, fucking into me again. He kissed across my chest, taking one of my nipples in his mouth, making me moan loudly. "I can't wait to see you pregnant. Swollen with my baby." He said as his hands rested on my waist. His words alone were enough to send me over the edge, making me cry out as I came. My legs locked around his waist as he finished, making sure he came inside me, keeping him there. "I love you, Mrs. Floyd." He said as he tried to catch his breath. "I love you so much more, Mr. Floyd."

We tried and we failed many times. "I'm sorry, Robby." I cried into his chest as he held me on the couch. "Don't apologize, darlin. It'll happen when it's our time." He said as he kissed my head. Soon I quit sobbing and only had a few hiccups here and there. "I just want to give you everything." He chuckled, playing with my hair. "You're everything I could ever need, darlin'. I'll always be right here." Once again, another deployment came though, a shorter one. Twelve weeks in the pacific. I scored a teaching job on base, which kept me busy during his deployment, and so did the puking. I had been getting sick since two weeks after Robby left and I immediately grabbed some pregnancy tests from the pharmacy on my way home. I threw everything in the floor by the front door as I rushed down the hallway to Robby and I's room. I went into the en suite, peeing on the sticks before letting them rest on the counter. I waited in the bathroom floor , twiddling my fingers as I waited for my phone to go off. Once it did I scrambled for the tests, dropping them into the floor before flipping them over. Three positives stared back at me.

I squealed loudly, jumping to my feet as I bounced around the bedroom. I rushed over to my full length mirror, lifting my shirt. There was nothing there, nothing to be noticed. But I felt it, my whole body filled with joy, and I could feel the little baby inside me. "Your daddy is gonna be ecstatic." After that I went to see my gynecologist, struggling to keep still as they did the ultrasound. "There they are!" He cheered, pointing at the screen. "There's your baby." He printed off pictures and I kept one on me at all times. I wanted to tell Robby, but he had to go dark for the entire mission, so I wouldn't be able to talk to him till he came home.

But soon, the twelve weeks were up and now I was just waiting for him to show. I was in the middle of teaching when I heard my class start whispering and giggling. "I didn't think the Civil War was funny." I said as I turned around, eyebrows raised. My students were all facing the door to my right, and I turned. A gasp escaped my lips as Robby stood there in his dress whites, flowers in hand. I rushed forward, launching myself at him, wrapping my arms around him. "Your home!" I cried as he held me. "I'm home." I gasped again, fighting my way out of his arms and rushing for my purse. I grabbed the ultrasound, running over and holding it up. "I'm pregnant." He was shocked, gently taking the picture, staring at it through his large glasses. "You're pregnant." I nodded and he set the flowers down on my desk, swooping me into his arms again. "How long?"

"Twelve weeks as of two days ago." He cheered, spinning me around. "YOU'RE PREGNANT?!" One of my students yelled, making everyone else get excited. "Yes, I am!" They all cheered as Robby took me in his arms again. "I love you Mrs. Floyd. More than anything in the entire world." He muttered against my lips as his hand drifted down to my stomach. As the months went by, Robby was a champ at dealing with me. Midnight cravings, he was up and getting it. He even took me to McDonalds at two a.m. because I wanted their fries. So, we sat in the truck, fries resting on my small belly as devoured them. As I got bigger, he slid my shoes on my feet for me, he helped me shave, he made my food. Anything I need, he did. Until he had to leave again.

"Back to Top Gun?" I asked as I sliced some radishes. "Has that ever happened before?" He shrugged, taking a radish slice from the cutting board. "Beats me." I sighed, setting the knife down and looking at him. "How long?" He smiled at me. "Three weeks." I laughed. "That's a cake walk compared to any other deployment you've done!" I looked at him again and he kept his head low. Looking at me through his glasses. "Darlin." He took my hands, leading me to the couch and setting me down as he kneeled in front of me. "This... is the most dangerous mission I will probably ever go on. It's likely someone isn't coming home, and that someone could be me." "Don't say that." "Hon-" "No! Don't put that out in the universe! I don't want anyone to die, but especially not you!"

I grabbed his cheeks, running my thumbs under his eyes. "Robby, I can't go through life without you. Me and ducky, we need you. I can't do this by myself. Don-don't say that because if something happens I-I can-I won-" "Okay! Okay, I'll be fine. This mission will be fine, and I'll be home before you know it." After seeing how upset he made me, he made sure not to say something like that again. So, the day he left for Miramar, he kissed me on our front porch and cradled my swollen belly. "I love you. So much and I'll be home before you know it." I nodded as he kissed me again. "Stay right here, Ducky. Don't even think about making an early debut." He said to my belly before placing a kiss on it. "I'm just barely seven months pregnant and the doctor says everything is normal. By the time you come home we'll be gearing up for the delivery." He smiled at me, kissing me and my belly one more time before he walked out to his car. "I love you!" He waved. "We love you too! We'll be right here waiting!" I yelled as I waved back.

But I wasn't waiting. Two weeks later I was in the middle of class when my phone went off. I ignored it but it immediately rang again. "Um, excuse me for a second guys." I told my senior class as I grabbed my phone. "Hello?" I answered the unfamiliar number. "Is this Mrs. Floyd?" My heart sped up. "This is she." "Mrs. Floyd, I'm sorry to report that your husbands plane crashed during a training exercise. A bird strike occurred and took out their engines." My chest tightened at her words as I leaned over on my desk. "He'll be transferred to Sharp Coronado Hospital." I opened my mouth to ask a question, but she beat me to it. "I'm afraid I have no information on his condition as search and rescue are still looking for him and his pilot." "Thank you." I wheezed out before she hung up. "Oh god." I cried as one of my students, Cassidee came over. "Mrs. Floyd you need to sit down." She helped me into my chair as she sent another student next door.

Soon, my coworker Miranda came in. "What happened?" She asked as she rushed over. "His plane went down! They haven't found him yet; I don't even know if he's alive!" I squalled. All she could do was hug me, holding me as I soaked her dress. I was sent home, which killed me. I called the hospital, looking for word and no one had one. I waited for another call, but no one ever did. So, I did the next best thing. I packed a duffel bag and hopped in my car, driving down to North Island. I cried the entire five-hour drive, showing my ID to get on base and immediately went to the hospital. It was ten o'clock by this point and I walked over to the front desk in the ER. "Hi, I'm Robert Floyd's wife. I was told he was being brought here but I haven't been told anything else." The nurse nodded, typing in the information I gave. "Oh my, he's been here for a while now. He's up on the ninth floor. Go through these doors and take the first elevator on your right up to the ninth floor." I nodded and rushed through the doors, taking the elevator up to the ninth floor.

Once I arrived, I saw a nurses station and rushed over. "My husband is here. I just got here, and I don't know what state he's in, can I see him?" "Ma'am, I need you to calm down." I took a deep breath, knowing she was right. "Visiting hours are over. You can come back at eight." My eyebrows shot up. "Eight?! I just drove here five hours from Lemoore because no one can even tell me if my husband is alive! I want to see him!" I said as I slammed my hand on the counter. The girl just raised a brow at me. "You can't see him. Visiting hours are over." I scoffed. "Can you at least tell me if he's alive?" Surely she could, if he was on a floor, he had to be alive right? "Come back at eight a.m." What the hell? "I'm his wife! I have a right to know if he's alive or not!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Look, those doors aren't going to open for visitors until eight a.m. You can either leave, or I can call security and have you escorted out!" If I wasn't pregnant, I'd come across this desk. "No! I'm going to park my pregnant ass in a chair, and you can stare at me all night! Then, at eight a.m. you're gonna open those fucking doors for me!" I said before marching towards a chair and settling in it.

"Does she want me to feel bad for her?" She remarked. The other girls looked uncomfortable, but never said anything. Soon I drifted off from exhaustion, with tears soaking my cheeks, and laid in the chair, waiting. "Mrs. Floyd?" My eyes fluttered open to see an older gentleman looking at me. "Whose asking?" I groaned, rubbing my belly as a small cramp passed through. "I'm Captain Mitchell. I've been training your husband." At the mention of Robby, I jumped up as best I could. "I'm so sorry, Captain." He grabbed my arms, steadying me. "Bob wasn't lying, you are pretty far along." I nodded, my hand running over my belly. It was a comfort at this point. "Robby. Is he okay?" Captain Mitchell furrowed his brows. "Has no one called you?" I shook my head. "I got the original call saying his jet went down. I don't even know if he's alive. He has to be, right?" He nodded quickly, reassuring me. A cry escaped my lips, realizing he was alive. "He is. They kept him overnight for observations, but he did get a few scrapes and bruises. Have you not seen him?" I shook my head. "I got here at ten last night and she told me I could only see him at eight. Is it eight?" I asked, looking down at my watch.

His face contorted in to anger before he stormed away from me, over to the nurses station. I couldn't tell what he said, until he yelled. "SHE'S HIS PREGNANT WIFE AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN TELL HER HE WAS ALIVE?!" It startled me, making me jump slightly. My watch said nine-thirty, and I sighed, walking over. "Come on. I'll take you to see him." I nodded, following Captain Mitchell as his hand rested on my back. It was aching from the chair, so the pressure was nice. "He's in here." I looked through the sliding glass door to see him in the bed closest to the window and a girl in the bed closest to the door. A whole group of people stood around them. Captain Mitchell opened the door, alerting everyone of our presence. "Holy-Darlin, what are you doing here?" He asked as I cried and pushed past everyone to get to him. I sat on the bed as I pulled him into my arms. "You're alive. Thank god." He held me as I cried into his neck. "Of course, I'm alive. Why would you think otherwise?" He pulled away, holding me a few inches away. "I only got the first call. They hadn't found you yet and no one called to update me."

His face hardened in anger, something I don't see often. "I'll set it straight, honey. Don't worry." He said as he kissed my forehead. "I can't believe you drove down here." I nodded as another small cramp went through me. "Can barely get behind the wheel but I made it." Someone cleared their throat and we turned to see his team staring at us. "When were you gonna tell us you were married?" The short guy with a buzz cut asked. "Yeah, and with a little rugrat on the way." The one with a mustache remarked. "Keeping me a secret, huh?" I smirked at him. "Wasn't my plan. Guys this is my wife." The way my name rolled off his lips always made a warm feeling settle in my belly. "Do you know what you’re having yet?" The girl in the bed next to his asked. We shook our heads as Robby grabbed my hand. "We want to be surprised." She grinned as Robby introduced me to everyone.

"Honey, this is Natasha Trace or Phoenix. She's my front seater." I waved at her before turning to everyone else. "This is Payback and Fanboy, Fanboy is a WSO like me. Then you have Coyote, Hangman and Rooster." I waved at everyone before the nurse came in. "Well good news. You both have clean scans and are free to be discharged." Natasha sat up, looking to the nurse. "Are we allowed to fly?" The nurse nodded enthusiastically. "Sure are!" Everyone cheered and I stood, a sharper cramp shooting through my belly and I winced slightly. "Hey, you okay?" Fanboy asked and I nodded, before another cramp hit, making my hand fly to my swollen belly. "You okay, honey?" I nodded but cried out as another cramp hit, the sharp pain making me bend over slightly, resting my hand on the bed.

"Hey, darlin. You gotta talk to me here, what's goin' on?" He asked as I sat back down, his hand slowly rubbing my belly. "I think it's Braxton hicks, but god it hurts!" I said as tears welled in my eyes. "Should she be seen?" Rooster asked and I shook my head. "No, you're getting seen." I shook my head as a sob escaped me. "No, my doctor is in Lemoore, we can't have this baby here." Robby stood, grabbing my hand in his. "Well, you can't have it out in the parking lot either. Come on, mama." The nurse said as another young nurse brought a wheelchair in. "No." I said and Robby sighed, standing and saying my name with a stern tone. "Get up, we're going to get you and Ducky looked at." I couldn't argue in my state, so I let him and the nurse help me up and get me into the wheelchair. "I'm gonna get changed and I'll be there." I nodded as the nurse wheeled me out.

They got me in a room and started doing exams when Robby burst in. "Shouldn't you be in training?" He shook his head. "I'll go after this. Maverick said I needed to be here." I nodded as he took my hand, kissing my wedding ring before we turned out attention to the doctor. "So, it looks like all the stress has pushed you into early labor." Both of our eyes widened. "Wh-what?! We don't have my hospital bag packed; we don't have any of the babies stuff!" The doctor quickly shook his head. "I'm not comfortable letting you go into labor at twenty-seven weeks. So, we are going to stop the labor but you will have to be on bed rest until you give birth." I sighed but nodded. "We are going to keep you here for a while for observations, and if everything goes well you will be discharged this evening." I nodded as he walked out. "Where are you staying?" I bit my lip, knowing he would be very upset with me for sleeping in the waiting room. "I don't know. I slept in the waiting room last night." "You what?!" I leaned me head back, looking up at him with doe eyes. "Why would you do that, darlin?"

"I didn't know if you were alive, and the girl at the nurses’ station was a grade A bitch. I wasn't leaving till I saw you." I crossed my arms over my chest, looking out the window. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my head. "I love you, Mrs. Floyd." I turned to face him, his lips softly landing on my own. "I love you too, Mr. Floyd." His hand rubbed my belly, bringing me a little comfort. "I love you too, Ducky." He said leaning down and kissing my belly. "Okay, go. You need to train if you're gonna come home to me. No more accidents." His gorgeous blue eyes stared into my own. "You know, you two were the only things I could think of when we burned in. The thought of leaving you two alone, it killed me." I gave him a teary smile as he kissed me again. "That's why you're training, so you don't leave us alone." He nodded, kissing my head before standing in his flight suit. "I will figure out where you're going to stay until I get back. You're on bed rest and I don't want you too far." I nodded and pointed to my purse. "And I guess I will find a sub for my class." He handed me my purse and kissed me one more time before, begrudgingly, leaving.

I found a sub and relaxed the rest of the day and soon, as I was getting dressed to be discharged, Robby came back in after his day of training, showered and in a fresh set of jeans and a white t-shirt. "Hi, honey." I said, taking his face in my hands and placing a kiss to his lips. "Help me?" He nodded, clipping my bra and helping me pull my leggings on. I groaned as I sat on the bed, leaning back so he could slip my shoes on me. "I'll be glad when I can dress myself." He chuckled as someone knocked on the door. "Come in." The door opened and I turned, surprised to find Rooster there. "Oh, hi!" I said, attempting to sit up. Robby chuckled, taking my hands and pulling me up. "Sorry. I'm just a little big to be sitting up without rolling off the bed." I said and he laughed. "Honey?" I turned to Robby who looked nervous. "I didn't feel comfortable putting you in a hotel room. But Rooster has a spare room in his house and said you're more than welcome to stay with him." I bit my lip, nervous. It wasn't that I didn't trust Rooster, he seemed kind and caring but I would be invading his space, and a lot of it.

"Oh, Rooster. I appreciate it but I don't want to invade your space." He shook his head. "No problem, it was my parents’ house and honestly, it's a little quiet in there. If it makes you feel any better, my roommate in college got pregnant and I helped her through the entire pregnancy. So, I have some experience." I smiled at him but opened my mouth to protest. "I'm not giving you an option on this one." I raised a brow at him in surprise. "I never tell you what to do, but I am now. You need someone there with you when I can't be, and I trust Rooster." I sighed, knowing there was no point in fighting with him. "Okay." He kissed my forehead before helping me stand. We took my car, following Rooster to his cute little bungalow about a mile off base. Robby grabbed my bag as Rooster helped me inside. "Okay, guest room is upstairs. I'll show you." Robby and I followed Rooster upstairs and into the medium sized room. It had a bed, a dresser and a small chair in the corner. "Okay, it's not huge but the bed is really comfortable, and the sun keeps the room warm." I smiled as I sat in the chair, finding it was comfortable. "Thank you, Rooster. I really, really appreciate this." I said as my hand fell to my belly.

"No problem, I'll let Bob help you get settled. How does chinese sound?" I moaned as my head fell back. "Heavenly." He chuckled, turning to Robby. "You staying for dinner?" He nodded as Rooster stepped out and Robby helped me get settled. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep." I said as I refolded a shirt before handing it to him to put in the dresser drawer. "I know, and I'm sorry, honey. I am just more comfortable with you being here than in some hotel farther away from base. I'll be here every evening after training, until I absolutely have to be back on base." I smiled, leaning up and kissing him. "And I'll be right here waiting for you."

I was, Robby came by every evening and only left when he had to. As for me, I wasn't sleeping. "Hey." I jumped slightly, turning to see Rooster leaning against the kitchen door frame. "I'm sorry, Rooster. Did I wake you?" He shook his head. "No, I got up to use the bathroom and noticed the light from upstairs." I nodded, eating the croissant I pulled from the container I got from the grocery store. "How do you feel?" He asked, leaning against the stove, drinking his water. "I'd be better if ducky would get off my bladder and stop rolling around." He raised a brow. "Ducky?" I nodded. "We don't know the gender and we got tired of saying 'it' or 'they'." Suddenly, Ducky rolled around, making me groan. "Ducky is also upset Robby isn't here. He's the only one who can calm ‘em." Rooster grinned at me, coming closer as Ducky stuck their foot in my rib. "Wanna feel?" He nodded and I grabbed his hand, placing it on the left side of my belly. "Hang on." I said, shifting his hand before we both gasped, mine in pain and his in amazement. "That always amazes me." He said as Ducky kicked his hand again before stopping all together.

"Ducky stopped." He said and I nodded. "Sure did. Your hands are about the same size as Robby's, probably thinks your him." He removed his hand, and thankfully, Ducky stayed still. Rooster finished his water and turned to leave before I stopped him. "Rooster?" He turned to me, a soft smile on his face. "What are the odds Robby doesn't come home?" I asked as tears gathered in my eyes. "Well, I can tell you they're choosing two teams and with his and Phoenix's accident, their chances of being chosen are a little slimmer. But Phoenix is one of the best pilots I know, and Bob is an amazing WSO so it's not impossible they'd be picked. But I can promise, we'll all do their best to bring him home." It made me feel a little bit better knowing he had a team who would do their best to bring him home. "Thank you, Rooster. That does make me feel a little better." I said as I stood. "Now, let's go back to bed before Ducky decides to wake up and roll around some more." He chuckled, helping me back upstairs and into the guest room. "Goodnight, Rooster." I said as I sat on the comfy bed. "Goodnight."

"Our mission was moved up." Robby said as we sat on Rooster's sectional, my feet in his lap as he rubbed them. My eyebrows shot up in confusion. "What?" They nodded. "A whole week." I groaned, my head falling back. "Well, at least that means this is all over faster. Then we can go home." He nodded, kissing my forehead. That night, with a lot of help, Bob and Rooster took me to the Hard Deck. It was so odd being pregnant and in a bar. "Here, mama." Penny, the bartender and owner said, setting two glasses of water down in front of Robby and I. "Thank you, Penny. I hate to be a bother, but can I also get an order of those loaded tots?" She nodded, putting in the order. "Bob, come on. Play a round." Hangman called and Robby kissed me sweetly, before getting up and going over to the pool table.

Penny came back, setting the basket of tots down in front of me. "So, how are you feeling, having to be on bed rest and all?" I sighed, leaning back. "It's killing me. I'm a busy body. I'm used to getting to work at seven and staying till four, then I'm usually bustling around the house until Robby and I go to bed. Now, Rooster gets me set up on his couch before he leaves for work, and I stay there most of the day." She gave me a small smile. "I was on bed rest with Amelia. We were high risk, so I spent most of my time on the couch as well." I sighed, resting my chin in my hand. "And now their mission was moved up and I'm worried. What if something happens while they're gone? I'll be all alone." She smiled, resting her hand between my shoulder blades. "You're not alone. You can call me any time, day or night. If you have a question, or if somethings wrong. I live ten minutes from Rooster, so I'm close by if you need me." I smiled at her.

"That makes me feel so much better, thank you Penny." She nodded. "Stop by the bar before you leave, and I'll give you my number." I nodded, and she rubbed my back before standing and walking back to the bar. "Everything okay?" Robby asked as he came over, pool cue in hand as he picked up his water. "Yeah, Penny is gonna give me her number before we leave. She said she would help keep an eye on me while you guys are gone. Which makes me feel a lot better." He visibly relaxed, his head tilting slightly. "That makes me feel a lot better too, darlin'." He said before leaning over the table, kissing my forehead. Everything would be okay, it had to be.

The end of the week I stood on the docks, Robby holding me close as his lips rested on my forehead. Penny standing behind us, ready to take me home when they left. "We'll be back before you know it." His words caused me to sob as I wrapped my arms around him. "Come home to me." He sighed as one hand drifted down over my belly. "Honey, you know I can't promise that." I stood straight, looking into those blue eyes that I fell in love with. "No! You promise me this time Robby! Please!" I begged as I fisted his shirt. "Darlin-" "Robby, please!" I was a wreck, burying my face in his chest. I had been upset saying goodbye before, but my gut didn't feel right. I wanted to beg him to stay, but I knew I couldn't. He would've been ripped from my arms anyway, so this was the next best thing. "I can't promise you that." His words broke me, my shoulders shaking violently as he held me. "I can't live without you, Robby."

He swayed us back and forth as he held me. I'm sure I was attracting a lot of attention, but I didn't care. The horn on the ship blew, saying it was time for them to board. "No. No!" I yelled as Penny gently grabbed my shoulders. "Honey." Her grip was firm, but not harsh. "He has to go. He'll be home soon." Robby nodded, taking my hand and kissing my ring. "Here." He said, slipping off his class ring, sliding it on my thumb. "Keep this safe till I come home." I barely managed to nod, the memory of his first deployment playing in my mind. Penny held my head against her shoulder as Natasha came over, resting her hand on Robby's bicep. "Time to go." She muttered. I lunged forward, grabbing her hand. "Natasha. Just, watch out for him and please, try to bring him home." She nodded. "I'll do my best; you just keep Ducky safe in there till we bring him back." I nodded as her hand brushed my large swollen belly before walking away with him. "Are you usually this tore up about him leaving?" Penny asked as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "No. Not since his first deployment." She nodded. "What's different?" I sighed, resting my head on her shoulder.

"Him and Natasha were picked to fly this mission. Since his accident I've been betting on them getting made spares, but they aren't." She squeezed me but we were both caught off guard when we saw Robby shove past Hangman and Coyote, rushing towards us. "What's wrong?" I asked when he got within earshot. He never stopped, grabbing my cheeks and pulling me into a searing kiss. "I didn't kiss you goodbye." He said, kissing me again before getting on his knees, kissing my belly. "And you. No more surprises, you be good for your mama." He muttered against my belly, and Ducky decided to kick against his hand that stayed attached to my belly as he stood. "I love you, Mrs. Floyd. More than anything in this world." He said before kissing me one more time. "Lieutenant Floyd!" A tall man yelled behind him. "Better go, Cyclone can be a hard ass." Penny said and he nodded, kissing me one more time. "I'll miss you two." I nodded. "We'll be right here waiting." I said before he sprinted back towards the ship.

Penny and I stood there waving as they set off, the ship growing smaller and smaller as it drifted. After a few minutes Penny turned to me, "Do you want to stay a while?" I shook my head immediately. "It won't do me any good. My back is killing me anyway." I said as I pressed on my lower back. Penny smiled at me and took me back to Rooster's. The rest of the week dragged by this bed rest was killing me. But what killed me more was the no contact rule Robby had. I could only wonder what was going on out there, in his world. Halfway through the week Penny called, telling me she forgot she promised her daughter, Amelia, she would take her on a sailing trip this week. I told her to go, but she decided to wait until the day everyone came home. I was buzzing that morning, excited and nervous. I wanted to hold Robby in my arms, but what if he doesn't come off the ship?

Soon, I couldn't stand it and decided to go to the docks an hour early. When I arrived, there were only a handful of people there, milling about, making conversation with each other. I stood in my sundress, hair hanging down around my shoulders, and sunglasses covering my eyes. The sun beamed down as I wrapped my hands under my belly, ducky rolling around, making me groan. "Ducky, please. Your daddy will be home soon." I started swaying in hopes it would soothe ducky, but no such luck. "Do you want to sit?" I turned to see who spoke, seeing a woman around my age with a little girl in her lap. Normally I would say no but sitting sounded too good right now. "Yes, please." I said as she slid over, allowing me to sit next to her.

"How far along are you?" She asked, nodding to my belly. "Twenty-nine weeks. She tried coming two weeks ago, but the doctor stopped my labor." She smiled at me. "Grace here came at twenty-five weeks. We spent a while in the NICU, but now, she's the happiest baby." I smiled as the little girl reached out, resting her hand on my belly. "I'm Maria." I smiled at her, giving her my name before looking back at Grace. "How old is she?" I asked as she wrapped her hand around my finger. "Eight months." She said as Grace leaned forward, resting her head on my belly, making us laugh. We sat there talking for a while until finally the ship docked. I knew it would be a little longer before his group would deboard, so I sat there with Maria until her husband rushed forward, gathering both of them in his arms. Maria introduced me to her husband before they left.

With that, I was alone. I decided to stand, wandering through the crowd as I held the bottom of my belly. After another twenty minutes, and his group started stepping off. Rooster stepped off first, looking rough. Mav almost matching him as far as cuts and bruises went. My heart rate sped up as his team filed off, Hangman, Phoenix, Coyote, and the rest of the team. My breathing became labored as I didn't see him, that is, until he came rushing off the ship. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I saw him attempting to look over everyone, looking for me. I put my hand up, catching Rooster's attention who grabbed Robby's shoulder, turning him to me. His smile lit up his face as he rushed over. He dropped his bag just before he got to me. "You're home!" I cried as he gently wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. His hands rubbed my back as he buried his face in my neck. "I'm here. I'm here." He reassured me. Soon he pulled back, lifting my sunglasses to rest on top of my head and brushing hair from my face. "Oh, I love you." He whispered before he leaned in, his lips pressing against mine. Our lips molded together, warm and familiar as my hands rested on his neck as his wandered to my belly. He held me as close as he could with my belly in the way. He pulled away, resting his forehead on mine.

"How was Ducky while I was gone?" He asked as he rubbed my belly. "Fine. But honey, Ducky is gonna have to play a sport. They've spent a lot of time rolling around in here." He chuckled, getting on his knees, kissing my belly. Ducky kicked his hand, making his bright smile cover his face. "Oh my god, I have missed you two." He chuckled as he stood, kissing me again. "I told you; we'd be right here waiting for you." He smiled, kissing me again, stealing my breath. Soon we went back to Rooster's where the boys showered as I tossed some sandwiches together for them. "So, I got orders to relocate." Robby said as he held me. "What?" I asked as my face fell. "We're ten weeks out and Ducky will probably be here before that. Where?" I rushed out as he tried to calm me down. "Here. Miramar." I groaned, resting my head on his shoulder. "When does it go into effect?" I asked as he rubbed my back. "For me, immediately."

"What are we gonna do? All our stuff is still in Lemoore, including all the baby stuff. We finished the nursery, I mean, Robby we had dreams of raising kids in that house! It'll take forever to get base housing; we'll have to stay in a hotel until something becomes available!"

"What about living off base?" Rooster asked as he came in, rubbing his hair with a towel. "There's a house just down the road that's been on the market for a few months. You guys are also more than welcome to stay here as long as you need." My shoulders slumped, feeling defeated. "Hey," Robby said, pulling me into him. "It can't hurt to look at the house. Who knows, we may fall in love with it." I nodded my head slightly as I wrapped my arms around his midsection. "Okay." And we did. We met with the realtor and fell in love with the two story bungalow. It had four bedrooms, three and a half baths, large kitchen that I couldn't wait to get in. But what sealed it for us was the enormous backyard that had a white privacy fence around it. We put in the bid and now we could only wait.

"We still have to get all of our stuff. That's gonna take time." I said as I laid my legs across Robby's lap. His strong hands immediately found my feet, making me moan in pleasure. "Fuuuuuuck." He chuckled as he massaged my feet. "We can hire movers." I bit my lip. "Yeah, but that will cut into the cost of the house, if we get it of course." He hummed before we sat there in silence. "You think your parents would come out and help?" I groaned, my head falling back on the couch. "Probably, but then they won't leave until Ducky arrives. I love my mother but seven to ten weeks of her is too much." He chuckled and nodded. "What if the team helped you guys move?" Bradley said as he sat on the other side of the sectional. "We couldn't take up your leave like that." I said and he shrugged. "I really don't think anyone is going to mind. Even if everyone else says no, I'll help." I smiled at him before turning to Robby. "We're keeping him around." I said, making them laugh.

That night was the first night we shared a bed in weeks. Robby laid his head on my chest, his hand rubbing my belly as mine played with his hair. "Have you thought about if they're a boy or a girl?" He asked me. "I'm set on a girl." I said and he smiled. "Me too." I bit my lip, looking up at the ceiling. "So Violet Marie Floyd for a girl." He nodded. "And Zachary Robert Floyd if it's a boy." My heart pounded at the thought of our baby being named after him. "I love you Mr. Floyd." He grinned, placing a kiss to my collar bone. "I love you, Mrs. Floyd." He still made my heart flutter, and I had a feeling he always would. That weekend the team went with us back to Lemoore to get all our stuff. We rented a U-Haul and hit the road. Once we got there I was exhausted, only wanting to sit on the couch. "Where do we start first?" Hangman asked. "I would start with the kitchen. We'll leave the bedroom furniture and couch for last that way if we have to stay the night, we have places to sleep." They nodded and set off. "Hey, honey!" I called from my spot on the couch.

"Yeah?" He asked, coming to stand next to the couch and running his hand through my hair. "Could you bring me some of our clothes, or the baby’s clothes? I'll fold them." He sighed, squatting down and resting his hand on my leg. "Are you sure you should be here? You seem exhausted." I nodded. "I am, and my back kills. But our obstetrician cleared me for this, so long as I don't lift anything heavy." He pursed his lips but nodded. "Okay." With that he kissed my head and went to get me some clothes. By the next day we were home, and within two weeks we closed on the house down the road. "We'll get out of your hair, Rooster." I said as I carried a small bag in my hands, Robby not letting me carry anything else. "I'm actually gonna miss you guys being here. I've gotten used to the noise." Rooster and the team helped us get the nursery set up, painting, hanging curtains, setting the crib up.

And just in time too. Two days later I was lying in bed, staring at the clock. A harsh cramp shot through my belly, and after a minute it went away. Five minutes later another and after thirty minutes of contractions I turned to Robby. "Robby." I said and before I could reach for him, he sat up. "Are you okay? Is it time?" I nodded. "It is." His grin lit up his face before he leaned forward, his lips landing on mine as his hands cradled my face. "It's time. Oh my god." I could see tears welling in his eyes. "It is, we have time but let's not wait too long." He nodded. "Okay, let's get you changed into something warmer, and I'll get dressed." He leapt up, getting us dressed before we made our way downstairs. Robby drove us to the hospital, and soon we were in a room. "Get some sleep Robby, it'll be a while." He shook his head, pulling a chair up and grabbing my hand. "No, you get some rest. I'll be right here waiting when you wake up." I leaned down, kissing him softly before closing my eyes and attempting to get some rest.

There was no rest, even after my epidural. After eighteen hours, my legs were in the stirrups, and Robby held my hand, his other hand wiping sweat from my forehead. "Come on honey, just a little more." He said as I was mid push. "I see the head!" The doctor called, but I eased up as the contraction ended. "I can't. Robby I can't." I cried as he brushed loose hairs from my sweaty forehead. "We can't back out now. Ducky is almost here." He said as he knelt on the bed next to me. "You are strong, and brave. Now, we're right at the end here. So, on this next contraction, you have to push darlin." I took a deep breath and nodded as the next contraction hit. "Okay, mama. We need you to push." I did as the doctor said, a scream ripping from my throat. "IT'S A GIRL!" The doctor yelled, but it was quiet. "Why isn't she crying?!" I asked in a panic. Anxiety shot through me as I sat up, squeezing Robby's hand. I watched as a nurse suctioned something from her mouth and soon, a noise more beautiful than anything else I'd ever heard echoed throughout the room.

"Here mom." A nurse said, opening my gown to lay her on my chest. "Oh my god." I said as tears rolled down my face. "Hi, sweetie. Hi Violet." Robby said, running his hand over her head, little tufts of hair covering it. "Darlin', she's perfect. Thank you." He said as he kissed my lips softly. Robby changed that day, in the best way. I knew he loved me, but his love for Violet was beyond comprehension. Mine was as well, but they immediately formed a bond that made them inseparable. "I love you. Yes, you're perfect." He said as he cradled her in his arms. She had to stay in the hospital for a few days, as her bilirubin levels were higher, and she became Jaundiced. Robby and I stayed with her as much as possible, rotating out when we were there but soon, we got to bring her home.

That was terrifying. No one else there to monitor her except Robby and me. But it was a breeze, she was an easy baby, not giving us many problems. I waited till the next school year to go back to work, wanting time with Violet and Robby. But finally, the time came, and I started at a school on base, Violet going to daycare just up the street. I was excited to go back, ready to be back in a classroom and teaching. But that first day, I realized something. "I want to go back to school for my PhD." I told Robby that evening. "Hm, Dr. Floyd. I like it." He said as he wrapped his arms around me. "So, you're okay if I go back to school?" He nodded, kissing me sweetly. "Anything you want, honey. I'll be there to support you." I squealed, wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you!" He chuckled, swinging me around until a scream from the floor caught our attention. Violet sat on the floor, her bottom lip wobbling as she looked at us. "Oh, did we leave you out of the love?" Robby asked, swooping her off the ground. Seven months old and she was a daddy’s girl through and through. I walked over as he held her, wrapping my arms around him. We both kissed her cheeks, making her giggle as she sat in her father’s arms.

With that I started on my PhD and poured myself into work and my family, and on Violet's second birthday I walked up to Robby. "I have a present for you." He furrowed his brows as he hung streamers along a wall in the living room. "It's Violet's birthday, not mine." He said as I held out the little box to him. He kept one arm around my waist as he opened the box. "You're serious?" He asked, looking to me with teary eyes. "You're pregnant again?" I nodded as he kissed me. "Yes, we're having another baby." I said as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing him sweetly. That evening once both of our parents and the dagger squad arrived, we announced it. "OH MY GOD!" My mom screamed, rushing me as I stood next to Robby. Throughout the nine months I was pregnant, it was fairly easy, much like my pregnancy with Violet, without stress sending me into early labor. But soon we welcomed Zachary Robert Floyd into the world. He's the one that pushed our boundaries, seeing just how far we could go. He was also, of course, Violet's little brother and the one she'd tease constantly.

But a year after Zach was born, I finished my PhD, and scored a job at a university on base. "You're going to kill it today." Robby said as he took my hand, helping me out of the car. "I love you, Mr. Floyd." I said, kissing him softly before pulling away. "I love you too, Doctor Floyd." He annunciated, making me grin. "Okay, go. I can't have you being late. Maverick will humiliate you if you are." He nodded, getting back in as I walked inside and into my office. I had been here a few days prior setting it up, but I had one last thing to add to the shelf above my desk. A picture of Robby and I, both holding the kids. Him with Violet in his arms and me with Zach. I smiled at it before heading into the lecture hall. Many of my students were already here, scrolling on phones or laptops, not paying me any attention. After ten minutes almost every seat was full, and my heart was pounding with nerves. I picked up my phone, texting Robby.

I'm shaking, what if I screw up?

I set my phone down, pulling up my syllabus on the screen before looking back at my phone.

You won't. You're Dr. Floyd, a kick ass history professor and my amazing wife and beautiful mother of my children. You know your lecture in and out, there's no doubt in my mind you'll do great.

Tears welled in my eyes that I had to wipe away. 'I got this, I can do it'. I told myself before standing in the middle of the floor. "Good morning." I said and got a mumbled response back, something I wasn't used to as my high school students would echo back loudly. "I am Dr. Floyd. My degree is from the University of Maryland, where I'm from. Also, where I met my husband who was in the Naval Academy at the time. We are now stationed here permanently on North Island, and we have two kids." I was trying to personalize myself with them, maybe make them more comfortable. First days are uncomfortable for everyone. "College history is a little different from high school. There is no sugar coating the horrors that took place. It can make you feel uncomfortable, which is good, that's how we prevent these things from repeating. But history isn't all bad, we had great things happen. The discovery of DNA, signing of the Magna Carta, the development of CPR, discovery of Vaccines, the Suffrage Movement. We hear a lot about the bad, I also want to highlight the good. Now, before I go over the syllabus, any questions?" My smile took over my face as many hands shot up. Maybe I would be good at this.

A few years later, Robby and I celebrated ten years together. Of course, we celebrated when I handed him another pregnancy test. "Really?" I nodded as he took my face in his hands, kissing me fervently. "Baby Floyd number three!" We cheered. Little did I know, this pregnancy would be much different. I was sick the entire pregnancy, up until the last few weeks of it. But my back killed by that point, I was so big I could barely waddle. I was twelve days late and if I didn't go into labor the next two days, I would be induced. "I can't anymore." I cried as I sat on the edge of the bed. Robby held me close as I cried. The kids were at school and daycare while Robby and I were at home, hoping I would go into labor. "I know, darlin'." He said as he kissed my head. "We've done everything we know to induce labor." He said as I continued to cry. Until it hit me. I sat up straight, looking up at him. "Have sex with me." He furrowed his brows. "You sure? You haven't wanted me to hardly look at you this whole pregnancy." I nodded, scooting back and laying on the bed, attempting to push my shorts down my legs. "Yes, now get your pants off and come on!" I demanded. He stripped before helping me to get my own clothes off.

"Hey." He said as he grabbed my thighs, hiking them on his hips. I looked up at him as he leaned down, kissing my cheeks, cleaning them of the tears. "No matter what, we'll be okay." He said and I stared up at him. He gave me a small smile and I reached up, my hand resting on his cheek before slowly traveling up into his hair. My other hand grabbed the stem of his glasses, pulling them off and setting them on the bed side table. "I know we will, we always are." He smiled, leaning down and kissing me gently. His hands held my hips gently as my fingers entwined in his hair. He kissed from my lips, down my cheeks until he got to my neck, where he paused licking under my ear. A moan slipped through my lips, making his cock twitch between my legs. "You're sure about this?" He muttered against my neck before he kissed his way down, taking my nipple in his mouth. "Yes." It was a high-pitched whine. The sight of him leaned over me, nipple in his mouth, cock ready for me had me soaked. "Robby, please." I begged, my nails raking across his shoulders. "Whatever you want, honey." He said as he grabbed his cock, nudging my entrance.

I gasped as he entered me, it's been months since we've had sex, so I had to readjust to his size. "Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?" I shook my head, my arms wrapping around his shoulders as he kissed my neck. "No, Robby move, please." I could feel him grin against me, thrusting into me gently. "Fuck, darlin'. God, I've missed you." He moaned out. He sat up, sitting back on his calves as he held my hips. "You look so pretty beneath me, so full of me." He had a raging breeding kink and at almost forty-two weeks pregnant that shouldn't turn me on, but it did. His hand ran over my belly before his hand slid up, grabbing my breast as he fucked me. Soon I felt a cramp ripple through me, but I didn't want to stop. I had missed him, and it would be weeks before we could be this close again. He had a glow to him, a thin sheen of sweat covered his body, making him glow. "Robby." I cried as he rolled my clit in his fingers. "Come on, darlin'. I know what you need." He mumbled as he continued to thrust into me. His hair was a mess from where I had my hands in it, his lips swollen from all the kissing we've done. "I love you." I moaned as he rubbed my clit, making my core tighten. "I'm gonna cum, fuck Robby, I'm close." I cried as he smirked at me before he leaned down, taking my nipple into his mouth again. The stimulation was enough to push me over the edge. "Fuck!" I cried out as I came, clenching around his cock, legs shaking. His jaw dropped as he came inside me, making him look almost ethereal.

He laid next to me, laying his hand on my belly. "Anything?" I nodded as another contraction hit. "Yep, contractions started not long after we did." He shot up as his eyes widened. "What?! Why didn't you tell me?!" I giggled, pulling him into my kiss. "I wanted a little more time with my husband." He just sighed, resting his forehead on mine. His hand rubbed my belly. "I love you too." I smiled at him, and we laid there, waiting on my contractions to get closer together.

And they did, but ducky number three was difficult, not wanting to come out easy like the other two. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Floyd. You need to have a C-section." I was breathing heavily as I looked up at Robby. "Is that the only way?" He asked as he held my hand, swiping my hair from my forehead. "If she keeps up her chances of losing her or the baby or both increase exponentially." We both nodded immediately. "Do it." He nodded and soon I was rolled into an OR as Robby stood next to me, holding my hand. "It's gonna be okay. You both are going to be okay." He said as tears welled behind his glasses, as he held my hand. I cried when they laid our baby on my chest. "Hi." I cried as he looked at me, eyes matching his daddies. "Hi, Michael." Michael William Floyd was our third baby. He was the perfect baby like Violet was, generally happy most of the time, even when you'd expect him to be upset. Four weeks after Michael was born, Robby got deployed for an entire month. "NO!" Violet screamed as she held onto her father. "Baby, daddy will be back." I said as I crouched down next to her, holding onto her so she wouldn't chase him down. Michael and Zach were sitting in the double stroller thankfully, I couldn't handle all three loose.

Robby came over and crouched down in front of her, her little arms going around his neck as he did. "Daddy, don't go." She mumbled into his shoulder. He looked at me, tears running down his face at her little voice. "Baby, I have to go. But I'll come back, I'll always fight to come back to you." She cried as he pulled away, clinging on to him as best she could. "Here, I want you to keep this safe for me." He said as he held out his class ring to her. Her sobs turned into little hiccups as her head rested on his collar bone, her little fingers wrapping around the ring. "You ring?" She asked, toying with it. "Yeah, you know I used to give it to mommy when I went away. It was my way of telling her I would be home soon." Violet looked up at him, her eyes that were an exact replica of his, showing the love and adoration she had for him. "I'll be back, baby. I promise." He said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, taking her into his arms and standing. "Can you be good for mommy while I'm gone? Help her with your brothers?" She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't feel good leaving you alone here. You're still recovering from your surgery, a major surgery." He emphasized. "I'll be fine. I will just have to take it easy for a while, and that means you'll have to walk on your own two feet little missy." I said as I tickled Violet's belly, making her giggle. It was still the most beautiful noise I'd ever heard. "Bobby!" Hangman cheered as him, Coyote and Rooster walked over. Violet grinned, reaching for her uncle Jake. Those two get into all sorts of trouble together, making him her favorite uncle, but Rooster was Zach's favorite. "TOOSTER!"

Rooster reached down, plucking him from the stroller. "How's my little buddy?" Zach pulled his thumb from his mouth, looking at him. "Tired." He said as he laid his head on his shoulder. Soon the boat signaled it was time for them to board, Hangman handed Violet back to Robby who squeezed her tightly. "I'm coming home, okay?" She nodded but the tears running down her face told me she still wasn't happy. Rooster set Zach back in the strolled and Robby set Violet on the ground as I crouched down, taking her in my arms. "DADDY!" She screeched as I held her. Robby had tears streaming down his face as he boarded the ship. Violet flailed in my arms as we watched the ship set off, I tried to give her a few minutes but soon half an hour went by, and she was still inconsolable. I wasn't supposed to lift her but as she laid on the ground, I knew she wouldn't get up any time soon.

"Vi, come on baby. Let's go home and get you some lunch." I grabbed her under her arms and as I lifted her, I felt the pull in my belly, but she decided to kick her feet. Landing a kick right to my incision, making me yell out. I was already stressed about Robby leaving and she wasn't helping. Wrangling the kids while recovering from surgery was so hard, and I felt like a failure most of the time. Violet cried most of the week, in turn making her brothers cry. The only relief we got was when we all piled into the bed at night, little feet in my side as Michael slept in his bassinet next to the bed. The day Robby came home the kids had been awful and I wasn't handling it well. When he walked through the door, I was breastfeeding Michael, almost falling asleep as Violet and Zach fought with each other over toys.

I barely managed to give him a smile before he came around the couch. He kissed my forehead before our oldest two tackled him to the floor. The noise didn't go away, but now, it was easier to deal with and everything felt right in the world. Soon he managed to come around and sit on the couch with me, taking Michael when he was done eating. "I got him, honey." I shook my head. "You just got home, why don't you go shower?" He shook his head. "I just want to hold you both for a while." He said as he held Michael and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. That night after we ate dinner, Robby attempted to pull me into the shower with him. "No, Robby. You shower in peace. I should stay out here so if one of the kids wake up-" "They won't. Come on, I just want to be close with my wife." I wanted to, but after having my C-section, I didn't feel like myself and I didn't want him to see me. "No." I shook my head, pulling away.

He let me go, and I closed the door behind me. I checked on Michael in his bassinet before deciding to just go ahead and lie down. I was exhausted and in pain. I haven't had proper downtime since a little before Robby left and I was paying for it now. So, I laid in the bed, covers pulled up to my chin, darkness laying over me like a blanket. Robby came out of the bathroom, turning the lights off before walking down the hall to the kids’ rooms. It's what he always does, he goes and watches them for a few before coming back. I was comfortable and warm when he came in, but not asleep. I felt his hand brush some hair off my forehead, back into the bun I've had in for a week.

"Mommy's not herself, huh buddy." I opened my eyes to see him bent down into the bassinet, his finger brushing Michael's cheek softly. "I guess I wouldn't be either if I'd done all the things she has. She gives me you and your brother and your sister. You kids and your mama make my life complete." Michael gave a yawn in response, making Robby's shoulder's shake in a chuckle. "Goodnight, little buddy. I love you." He leaned into the bassinet, kissing his chubby cheek before coming around to his side of the bed. I shifted closer to the edge as he laid down on his side of the bed. I wanted more than anything to roll over and curl into him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I looked even worse than when he left. My shirt was covered in milk stains, my hair was all kinds of knotted, I haven't had a proper shower in a week, only able to get in long enough to rinse off. So, as we laid there in the dark, I felt more distant from my husband than ever. The thought gutted me, tears streaming down my cheeks as I silently cried.

"Okay!" He jumped up, turning on the lamp on his side of the bed. "I can't take this. Darlin', please, just look at me." I didn't until he reached across me, his hand cradling my cheek and coercing me to roll over. "I need you to talk to me. I can't help you if you don't and to be honest, you're scaring me right now." Sobs racked my body as his blue eyes gazed down at me. "I'm such a bad mom!" I cried and he sighed, pulling me into his lap as he sat back against our headboard. "You're an amazing mom-" "No I’m not! Every time I turned around, I was just yelling at the kids because they just wouldn't behave! I let them eat candy for breakfast, watch as much tv as they wanted. I just couldn't handle it! How can I be a good mom if I don't make them eat healthy, or make them play outside?" He sighed, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Stop. You're a good mom and you were put in a situation you've never really been in, and you've also been recovering from surgery. You did what you could." He muttered against my forehead, his hands holding me close as his thumb rubbed my side.

"There's more to it though. I can tell." My eyes were locked on Michael's bassinet. "I hate myself." It was barely a whisper, but he heard it. His hands stopped and his hold loosened. "What?" It was as if he couldn't believe me. It's hard to see how we couldn't believe me. "Look at me," I said as I sat up, pushing myself away from him. "I'm a mess, and I've gained so much weight. I look like shit; I feel like shit. How can you even stand to be around me?" I asked as I stood from the bed, pacing next to it. "Honey-" "I'm so fucking gross, Robby. Why don't you feel the same way I do?" I stopped, finally. Standing before him as more tears fell and my body slumped. "Okay first off," He said as he crawled to his knees on the bed, taking my face in his hands. "You're not gross. I don't feel that way about you because I love you. I don't care what you look like. Because to me, you will always be my gorgeous wife and I will always view you as the woman standing at the other end of the aisle looking like a literal angel." He finally sat, pulling me down next to him as he did. "You had a surgery and Michael is our third baby. Your body is going to need time to heal and recover and it's not going to happen overnight. But I don't care about any of that, because this body. It gave me some of the greatest gifts I have ever received. It has given me three more reasons to live, to fight to come home."

He had tears streaming down his own face now, and I felt bad for making him cry. "I think you're gorgeous, and I will never view you as anything less." He was silent for a moment before standing, pulling me with him into the bathroom. "What are you doing, Robby?" He lifted me onto the counter, grabbing the bottom of my shirt, my hands flying out to stop him. "I'm making sure that you never view yourself like this again. We're gonna get you back in the right headspace, honey. I promise." That night I finally let him undress me, his lips placing soft kisses along my body as he did so. A shudder flew through my body as he kissed the curved scar on my belly. He helped me into the shower, joining me as he took my hair down, knots tugging on my scalp as he did. He gently picked out what he could before washing and conditioning my hair and taking his time to wash my body. Once we were done, he carried me back to bed, but I sighed as soon as we laid down because Michael woke up.

"Stay. I got him." I shook my head, sitting up. "Robby-" "Honey, in all honesty I really just wanna hold him and feed him." I couldn't help but nod and lay back down. "Is there any milk downstairs?" I nodded. "I put some in the fridge the other day for you." He smiled, leaning down and kissing my forehead. "I'll be right here waiting." He nodded before taking Michael downstairs. I laid there thinking about how lucky I am to have such an amazing husband, wondering what I did to deserve him. I tried to stay awake, but I was exhausted and soon drifted off, but I woke up just enough to feel his arms wrap around me and a kiss being placed on my forehead. It got better after that. He spent time with the kids like he wanted and even invited Annette to visit so I could have some time to feel like an adult. He said, "You need time to remember you're a person outside of being a mother and my wife." After talking to my doctor, he put me on some anti-depressants which made a tremendous difference in how I saw the world. I had more patience and was able to be a better mother and wife.

We made great strides as parents and in our careers. "Yo-you wanna make me head of the history department?" Dean Lowden nodded. "We do. Your work has proven that you're one of the best we have and we want you to head up the department." I accepted of course, and as I rushed home I was surprised to see Robby still in his flight suit, which was unusual because he liked to come home clean for the kids. "What's-" "They wanna promote me to Commander!" My jaw dropped before I rushed him, launching myself into his arms. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" I screamed as he held me. "I have news as well!" "Please not another baby, not right now!" I shook my head with a laugh. "The Dean appointed me head of the department!" His jaw dropped as he yelled out. We were both jumping around and yelling as Violet came downstairs. "What's wrong with you two?" She had sass now, at eight years old. "Oh!" Robby said as he swooped her up. "Great things are happening baby girl!" He said as he squeezed her, making her giggle. Soon our other two came downstairs to see why we were all yelling. Zach at six and Michael at four. Things seemed to be right in the world at the moment. "You know, you said something about a baby." His eyebrows shot up. "No, but I think we're done. I think these three are all I want." He grinned, leaning down and kissing me sweetly. "If that's what you want, I'm happy with it."

"Thanks for having us over, guys!" Jake said as he grabbed another beer as he held Violet. "You're welcome, we love having you guys over!" I said as I followed him to set the charcuterie board on the coffee table. The past year since we both got promotions has been great. We were spending so much time with the kids, and each other, we were thriving. As I set the tray down everyone reached for it and I managed to barely get out of the way. I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around Robby, his own holding me close. We watched as the team watched the football game and played with the kids, their own kids joining in. I watched as Michael squealed when Coyote tossed him across his shoulder. "Are we sure we're done having babies?" I asked and just after that, Zach got sick in the hallway. "Yep. We're done." He said as we both grabbed Zach to clean him and the floor.

A few months later I got sick and felt like I was dying. So much so Robby called Rooster and Phoenix to watch the kids while he took me to the ER. I was constantly puking; I hadn't eaten in two days and I was severely dehydrated. Once they got me in, Robby sat with me as they ran tests. "Dr. Floyd. We're going to take you in for an X-ray. Is there any way you could be pregnant?" I shook my head no. Once we decided we were done having kids we went back to birth control and using condoms. "Alright, let's get her in." A nurse grabbed my bed as I looked at Robby. "I'll be right here waiting for you." He leaned down and kissed my forehead before they wheeled me out. They laid me on the table as I felt nauseous again and just as they were about to do the scan the door blew open. "STOP!" I was so confused and growing nervous. "She's pregnant!" "WHAT?!" I yelled, almost rolling off the table.

That was a really hard time for us. We wanted this baby, but our hearts were set on enjoying watching our kids grow without starting over. "It takes two to make a baby!" I huffed as I stormed out into the garage, not wanting the kids to hear us arguing. "No shit sherlock! But you're the one who forgot the condom!" I said as I whipped around to face Robby who followed me out into the garage. "And how do you know you didn't forget a pill? Huh?" I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him a smug look. "Because I checked when we got home from the hospital." He scoffed. "Not hard enough because I also checked and you missed a pill, the same night I forgot the condom!" I furrowed my brows. "There's no way." I pushed past him and rushed up to our room. I pulled the pack from my bedside table, cursing when I saw the pill still in there. "Oh my god." I groaned, sinking down onto the bed. It wasn't that I blamed Robby for this, I should've noticed he didn't grab a condom, but we were all over each other and rushing to get out of our clothes.

"This is on both of us. The blame doesn't fall to just one of us." He said as he sat next to me, but I just jumped up, going into the bathroom. I was mad at myself for letting this happen, mad at our situation. I stayed mad throughout my shower and after we put the kids to bed, as a couple like always, before we silently went to bed ourselves. I'm not sure how long we laid there, both on our backs, staring at the ceiling but soon he spoke up. "I love you." I couldn't help how the corner of my lips twitched upwards. "I love you too." After a moment, his hand found mine under the covers, intertwining our fingers. "We're gonna love this baby just like we love Vi, Zach and Michael. Right?" I could only nod as tears welled in my eyes. "Robby?" "Yeah honey?" It took me a minute to reply, my throat feeling thick as I started to cry. "Hold me?" He rolled over, pulling me into him and I buried my face in his bare chest to cry. The very next morning he told me he scheduled a vasectomy. I was a little surprised, but I wasn't complaining.

Nine months later we welcomed another boy, Alexander Thomas Floyd. The recovery from this c-section was harder physically but easier mentally because Robby got to stay home longer. Violet was older and dying to help as much as possible and so was Zach. Michael wasn't too happy about no longer being the youngest, but he soon grew to adore his baby brother. Not long after Alex was born, Robby's parents came to visit, which was a big help in my recovery and gave Robby and I some time together. In fact, about six weeks after, while his parents kept the kids we went out to the hard deck. "HEY!" Everyone cheered as we walked up. "How you feelin', Mama?" Rooster asked, pulling me into a hug. "I'm sore. But I'm happy to be here." He chuckled before letting me go and I hugged everyone else, saving Phoenix for last. She squeezed me before pulling back, tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She shook her head before reaching back into her purse, pulling out an all too familiar stick. "I'm pregnant." She said it so quietly, but I couldn't help but scream. Soon everyone knew and the question came. "Okay, but who’s the baby daddy?" Hangman asked, his arm around his own girlfriend.

Rooster sneakily slid a little closer, his hand on her back. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" I yelled, smacking his shoulder. "Are y'all dating?" She nodded quickly. "We have been for about eight months. We wanted to keep it quiet for a while, but then this happened." I could tell by the look in her eyes, she was scared, terrified. "Were you guys planning on having a baby?" Rooster shook his head. "That was pure accident." Robby chuckled. "We know a thing or two about accidents." I chuckled, tucking myself into his side. The rest of the night was filled with questions from Natasha and Rooster who both were scared shitless. Once the night was over, Robby drove us to the hotel room he booked. We were giggling like teenagers as we rushed into the elevator and up to our floor. As we approached our room, he lifted me into his arms, bridal style, and carried me into the room before he carefully sat me on the bed, leaning over me. "I love you, Mrs. Floyd." He said as he leaned down to kiss me, but I stopped him with a finger on his lips. "I have a title, Mr. Floyd." He just grinned against my finger. "I love you, Dr. Floyd." I laughed, pulling him into a kiss. "I love you, Commander Floyd."

Soon he pulled us up, dragging me to join him in the shower. His lips were attached to my neck as his hands wandered my body. "Fuck, Robby." He chuckled against my skin as his fingers brushed over my scar. "You keep that up and I'll have to ignore the doctor." I moaned out as he nipped at the space just behind my ear. "No, you won't." He said as he pulled away. I whined as he did so, but he just smiled, and we finished out shower before curling up in the fluffy bed together. "We're really done having kids this time." He said as his hand ran across my belly. I still had baby weight, but I have to remind myself I wouldn't lose it all right away. "Well, I hope so because you got snipped. If I get pregnant, we have a problem!" He chuckled and we laid there in the quiet before finally drifting off.

We made sure to do things like that often, reminding each other we have lives outside of our children and our jobs. It rekindled that spark we had at the beginning of our relationship, not that we ever lost it, we just make time to enjoy it now. As the kids grew, they all formed their own interests. Like Violet, she picked up softball and she fell in love. When she wasn't training, she was working with Bradley who offered to train her in his down time. Zach picked up a fascination for aviation. He loved going on base and seeing the jets take off. But one thing he loved even more was when he turned ten, Mav's gift to him was taking him up in the Mustang. Seeing a smile like that on his face was one of the best feelings as a mom. Michael was super into dinosaurs and every chance he got he was telling us whatever new facts he learned. Alex, well he was still pretty young, so he was into whatever his siblings were into.

When Violet was thirteen, I started noticing differences in my own body. My hormones were raging, and I was constantly upset with Robby even when he did nothing wrong. Then my periods became sporadic. I went to the doctor expecting them to tell me it was just menopause. But I came through the door with a blank look on my face which caused worry to flash across Robby's own face. "Hey, darlin'. What's wrong? What'd the doctor say?" He asked as he took my face in his hands. I shook my head, and he took my hands, leading me to the couch. "Honey, you gotta tell me what's wrong." My mouth opened and closed a few times before I finally pushed the words out of my throat.

"I'm pregnant."

His hands slowly let go of mine, falling into his own lap. "What?" I shook my head. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." He pushed off the couch, pacing in front of the fireplace. I watched him for a few minutes before he turned to me, tossing his arms out. "What?" I asked, getting irritated. It took him a moment before he asked a question that sent me reeling. "Are you cheating on me?" I could only stare at him in shock. "No. Absolutely not. I can't believe you'd even ask me that!" I said as I stood up. He scoffed. "I've had a vasectomy and you’re pregnant!" "They don't always work a hundred percent!" This rocked our marriage. We were hardly talking to each other, once the kids went to bed he went to the couch. We didn't want the kids to see it, but they all sensed we were tense with each other.

A few weeks later Robby came in, a sad look on his face. "Can we talk?" I nodded, following him out to the front porch, sitting on the swing we had on the porch. "I want to apologize. I um, went and got tested and the surgery was not one hundred percent successful." I pursed my lips, not really knowing how to respond. "Even if it was, I know you never would cheat on me and I was just so thrown off by the news, that was the first place my brain went to." I nodded, looking down at my legs which were tucked under me. He pushed off the house, coming over and taking my hands in his. "Hey, look at me." I lifted my head, his crystal blue eyes catching my own. "I'm sorry, and I'm excited for this baby." I nodded. "I'm getting a hysterectomy after this one." He chuckled, capturing my lips in a kiss. "I love you, Dr. Floyd." He whispered as he pulled away. "I love you too, Mr. Floyd." I said before pulling him into another kiss. "It is going to be a while before I can forgive you, because that hurt." He nodded, kissing my forehead. "Whatever you need."

Things slowly started getting better, and crashed back down when we told the kids. "You're what?" Violet was now thirteen and took after me when speaking her mind. "I'm pregnant." She scoffed, standing from the couch. "Vi-" "Don't you know what causes that?! I mean isn't four kids enough?!" She yelled before storming upstairs. "Violet Marie!" I called, attempting to follow her before Robby grabbed my arm stopping me. "Just let her cool off, we'll talk to her later." I nodded and we turned to the other three. Zach was eleven now, Michael was nine and Alex was five. They were all whispering to each other before turning to us. We just raised our brows at them, and Zach smirked. "We all agree that we want another brother." All I could do was groan and rest my forehead on Robby's shoulder. "There's too much testosterone in this house." Robby could only chuckle and kiss my head.

As time went on, Violet was still upset with us, and she wasn't letting up. We tried to talk to her, but it never worked. "Violet?" I called. After a minute she padded into the kitchen. "What?" Her tone was snippy, and I wanted to say something but it would be no use. "Could you help me clean the kitchen, please? I'll do dishes while you wipe down the counters and the table?" She huffed but did so anyway. "Done." She said, tossing the dirty rag into the laundry room before rushing up to her room. I sighed and finished the dishes before going up there. I was already starting to show, and my back was feeling it. Robby was kind enough to massage it and I'll have to remember that when we go to bed. "Vi?" I knocked on her door. It was quiet for a moment before I heard her quiet voice on the other side. I opened the door, the darkness taking me by surprise. I walked over to her bed where she was laying down, facing the wall.

I sighed, leaning down and rubbing her arm. "Make room?" I thought she would tell me no, but she just quietly slid closer to the wall. I smiled, grabbing her covers and crawling in, pulling her back into me and placing a kiss on her head. I was trying to think of what to say, but I didn't have to as she started sobbing in my arms. "Oh, baby." I held her as she cried, letting her get it out before I questioned her. "You wanna talk?" I asked. "Why did you guys have to have another baby?" I sighed, pulling her closer. "We didn't plan on any more after Michael. But we were careless, and we got Alex. After your dad's surgery, it was supposed to be impossible. But I guess when they say nothing is impossible, they mean nothing." Her sniffles broke my heart, knowing that a new addition to the family had her this upset worried me. "Why does this have you so upset?" I asked, brushing some hair away from her face. "You'll think it's stupid." I kissed the back of her head as her hand found my arm. "I would never think that anything that has to do with your feelings would be stupid."

Another beat of silence and she spoke up, her voice almost a whisper. "I feel like you have less and less time for me." My heart shattered at her words. I sat up, leaning on her headboard before turning her over, her head on my chest. "I'm sorry that we've made you feel that way, and your feelings are totally valid." She sniffled as her arms wrapped around me. "We can't take this back, and we don't want to. But you are my oldest, my first baby. I love your dad, but you made us realize what love really was. You changed our lives, even before you were born." I held her close, hoping she'd listen this time. "You know, we wanted to be surprised if you were a boy or a girl." She furrowed her brows. "Then what did you call me till I was born?" I giggled. With the boys, we always found out, so we called them their names during my pregnancies. "Ducky." She snorted out a laugh as she held onto me. After a few minutes her hand drifted to my belly, rubbing slightly. "Can we be surprised this time? And call it ducky?" I smiled at the memory of my first pregnancy. "I think that'd be nice."

Things got better after that, and she was fully invested in this pregnancy. The kids loved kissing my belly and talking to ducky, Violet especially. About seven months in, Robby got deployed for a mission. "Be thinking of baby names while I'm gone." Robby told Violet as he squeezed her on the docks. "I will, daddy." She kissed his cheek before he took me by the waist. "This feels too familiar." I muttered after he kissed me. "Reminds me of your pregnancy with Violet." I nodded. "Well, just be careful and I won't be stressed into labor this time." He nodded. "You'll be here when I come back?" I smiled. "Maybe not this exact spot. But we'll be right here waiting." He kissed me again and him and the team headed out. That week at work was when I noticed all the stares. You'd think they would've started when I began to show, seeing as I only told necessary people instead of a department wide announcement. A few women in the department would walk past my office, looking in, pointing and whispering. I knew what they all thought, and I didn't give a damn. At least that's what I told myself.

"Hi." Melissa, another professor in the department said as she knocked on my door. "Can I come in?" I had a class in fifteen minutes, and I really didn't want to talk to her. "No, I- Oh, you're sitting down anyway." I huffed as she clasped her hands together, resting them on her knees. "I just wanted to talk to you about your pregnancy." I raised a brow, curious as to what she thought she had to talk to me about. "Don't you think you're a little old to have another baby? Plus, you have four other kids who need you." I stared at her in shock. I knew she just spouted things off, but this is crossing a line. "I mean, after your pregnancy with Alex, are you sure you want this baby? Is your husband forcing you to keep it?" My hand flew out, smacking her clean across the face and knocking her into the floor. A squeal escaped her as I stood, coming around my desk when people crowded around my door. "Get up!" She scrambled to her feet, not meeting my gaze. "Get the fuck out of my office, and don't come back. How dare you say those things to me. My family and my marriage are none of your business." It was basically a growl, and she ran out of my office as fast as possible. Everyone continued to stare at me which pissed me off even more. "What are you staring at?! Go! I have a lecture to teach!" Everyone ran as I walked out, rushing for the lecture hall.

"Bye daddy!" the kids all screamed as their time on the video call ended, now it was my turn. "Hey, darlin'. How you feelin?" I shook my head. "Like shit. I'm still puking, my back kills, and I'm so damn tired." He gave me a sad smile. "Well just think, eight more days and then I'm home." I nodded. "I also got put on maternity leave early." His brows furrowed in confusion. "What? What happened?" I sighed, trying not to tear up. "Do you think we're too old to have this baby?" I asked as tears started streaming down my face. "What?" I wiped my eyes, trying not to full on sob on this call. "Melissa came into my office and started asking me if I was too old to have another baby. She said I had four other kids who needed me and then she said we weren't too excited about Alex." I stopped to wipe my tears again, hoping my makeup wasn't running. "She even asked me if you were forcing me to keep it! Who thinks that way?" My voice was just growing louder and louder. "I don't even remember reaching across my desk, but I smacked her so hard she landed in the floor." He just stared at me in shock.

"I just feel like maybe she's right." I said feeling defeated. "No honey. Sure, it was a huge surprise, but I don't think you are. The doctor says you're perfectly healthy." I groaned. "I'm forty-two Robby! This is literally considered a geriatric pregnancy!" I said as more tears streamed down my face. "Fuck what she says, and you were right for smacking her!" He exploded. I jumped, his loud voice startled me, taking me by surprise. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Honey, I know this is hard. But you’ve gone through four other pregnancies, some of which were harder than this one. Tell me, would you trade this baby in for anything else?” I immediately shook my head, but he knew my answer. “This baby is gonna be just as loved as the rest of our kids.” I nodded, feeling a little better. “You’re the most badass mama I know. I can’t think of anyone else who could handle a pregnancy at our age.” I chuckled, cleaning my face off. “Don’t tell Phoenix that.” He laughed. “I think Caroline will be all her and Rooster have.” I nodded. “She sure is a handful.” Caroline was almost four now, her birthday almost exactly nine months after Michael’s and she was the perfect mix of Rooster and Phoenix, in looks and personality. “Time’s almost up, darlin’.” I gave him a sad smile. “KIDS! DADDY’S CALL IS ALMOST OVER! I love you, and we’ll be right here waiting for you to come home.” He smiled. “I love you too.” The thunderous sound of four kids rushing me was enough to make me feel better. Michael crawled into my lap as the other three leaned over the chair waving. “Bye daddy! We love you!” He managed to say one more ‘I love you’ before the screen went black.

“Can we order pizza and watch a movie?” Zach asked. “That sounds great.” Violet snatched my laptop, ordering the pizza for us as the boys tried to agree on a movie. This was what I loved. The kids didn’t always get along, but they surprised me sometimes with how they loved and cared for each other. A few more weeks went by with Violet and the boys helping me get the rest of the nursery set up as well as my hospital bag. We moved Zach and Michael into the same room, and Alex will share with the nursery. Seeing as we only had a four-bedroom house, we had to make room and it has been quite the adjustment. “Mama.” I rolled over, looking past Robby’s side of the bed to see Alex standing in the doorway, blankie in hand as he rubbed his eyes. It was so adorable I thought I would combust. “What is it baby?” He walked over, looking at me from across the bed. “I don’t like my new room.” I sighed, pursing my lips. “This has become a nightly thing, especially since Robby left. “Can I sleep with you?” I nodded. “Come on.” He managed to pull himself into the bed and tucked himself into my side. “I miss daddy.” I sighed. “Me too, buddy. Me too.” His little hand rested on my belly, and I rubbed his back, slowly soothing him to sleep. “Mama?” I looked over to see both Zach and Michael standing in the doorway. “Come on.” I scooted Alex over as Zach came and laid on my other side as Michael laid next to Alex. We all slowly drifted off, but I woke up later feeling something shift the bed.

I looked at the end of the bed, seeing Violet had joined us, laying across our feet with one of her blankets over her. All my babies in one bed? It was cramped but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Finally, I fell back asleep, but woke up once again when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I sat up, leaning against the headboard, wondering who the hell it could be? I was ready to throw myself out of bed when the figure stopped in the doorway. “Hey darlin’.” I immediately relaxed when I saw Robby leaning against the doorway. He quietly walked over, around to my side of the bed, leaning down to kiss me. His lips were soft against mine as he tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “God, I missed you.” He muttered against my lips. “I missed you too.” He smiled at me, kissing me again before he pulled away, opting to kiss my forehead. “I’m gonna shower really quick.” I nodded as he walked into the bathroom. Once he was done, he came over, looking at the bed. “I’m sorry.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I can fix this.” He gently grabbed Alex, holding him against his chest as he scooted Michael over before he slid into the bed as he decided to lay down. He held Alex on his chest, running his hand through his blonde curls. “I miss when they were all little and would lay on my chest.” I nodded. “Soon you’ll have another little baby to snuggle.” He nodded. Robby always loved snuggling with the kids, he’d take them, go crawl in bed and take a nap whenever he could. “I love you.” He whispered as he tossed his hand on top of my belly, his thumb rubbing me gently.

That morning the kids piled on him, and he ate it up. I know it’s hard on him when he’s gone so these moments are the ones he cherishes. He made sure to spend as much time as possible with the kids in the weeks leading up to ducky’s birth. But soon, we were in the hospital, and I was going in for my c-section. The doctor also did a cesarean hysterectomy for me, so he took my uterus and ovaries in the same procedure as my c-section. I was a train wreck when they handed me another little boy. I was in pain, and I was overwhelmed. Baby number five and it was another little boy. After a few hours Hangman brought in the kids, they all rushed the bed, Robby stopping them all. “Slow guys. Violet.” He motioned our oldest over, and she stood on the side of the bed staring down at the little boy in my arms feeding. “What name did you come up with?” She stared at him for another moment before looking up at her dad. “Liam James.” It was a perfect fit, and I couldn’t imagine naming him anything else. “You like it?” She asked me and I nodded. “It’s perfect baby.” I pulled her down so I could kiss her forehead and soon, he got passed around, all the kids holding him. Alex struggled even with his dad helping him, once Liam started crying, he handed him off. “I don’t like him. He loud.” It was hard not to laugh at that and over time it didn’t get much better. Poor Alex was having a hard time no longer being the baby, and not too keen on taking on the position of big brother.

Time went on and five years later things changed drastically. Violet was eighteen and she had offers from a few schools to go play softball on a scholarship, and she was struggling on which to choose. “I don’t know which to choose.” She whined as she sat at the island. “Well, you need to look at who has the better biology program.” Violet had taken an interest in Marine Biology and planned to study it wherever she went. She had offers from University of Texas, San Diego State University and University of California at San Diego. She just groaned, looking like she was ready to pull her hair out. “I just wish you could tell me what to do.” I huffed, turning to her. “You want my opinion?” She nodded. “Go to UT. It’s a great way to get a grasp of living out of the house, you can always come home and go to one of the other two after you finish prerequisites if you want.” She nodded. “I needed that.” I knew she’d take it into consideration. That Friday, she had to decide who she would sign with, and I watched as my oldest sat at the table, looking at the different National Letters of Intent in front of her. Robby and I stood by her as Rooster and Hangman stood on her other side. Rooster continued to coach her well through high school and is helping her condition for college ball, Hangman was just dying for her to sign with UT. She took her time, before slowly sliding the UT hat closer to her and signing their contract. “YEAH!” Jake yelled, shaking her shoulders. She stood and I expected her to hug Rooster, but she clung to me. “Thank you for believing in me.” I squeezed her tightly as Robby rubbed her back. “I will always believe in you baby.”

Before we knew it, we headed out to Texas to ger her setup. We took the day and stayed in a hotel that night, the next day we stopped on campus to see her one last time before leaving. “Remember to check the oil in your car every so often. Can’t have it messing up all the way out here.” She nodded, hugging me one last time. Soon she let go and hugged her dad. “You’ll let me know every time you deploy?” Robby nodded. He was now a Rear Admiral, and even though he isn’t in the air as often as he used to be, he still deploys on the ships. “I will. You have my email so you can email me when I ship out.” She pulled away, tears streaming down her face. “We love you, and if you need us, we’re a call away.” It was hard leaving, Robby and I both crying for a few days. But as soon as the tears dried, it was Liam’s first day of kindergarten. It was weird, realizing we just sent our oldest off to college and we’re sending our youngest to kindergarten. “Bye mama!” Liam said before running off. “Wh-what? No! He’s supposed to cry and hold me and beg me not to leave!” Robby pulled me close, a few tears of his own slipping. “He’s always been more outgoing and independent than the others.” I choked back a sob, watching him turn into his classroom. “Come on, honey.” Robby said, turning us around. We were halfway to the front doors when I heard a little voice behind us. "MAMA! DADDY!"

We turned to see Liam sprinting for us, throwing himself into Robby's arms, allowing his father to pick him up. “What is it buddy?” I asked, brushing some hair out of his face as he squeezed Robby’s neck. “I forgot to hug you and say I wove you.” He said turning to me, clinging to me like a Koala. “We love you too, Buddy.” I held him for another minute before he wanted down. I put him on his feet, looking at how small he really was. He stared down the hallway, children and adults filling it to the brim. I could see the hesitation in his eyes, so I crouched down next to him. “Do you want us to walk you back to your classroom?" He nodded, squeezing my hand. He took Robby’s hand, and we led him down the hall, me giving a fist pump as Robby laughed at me. Once we arrived at his classroom, he looked up at us. “Will you be here to get me?” I nodded. “We’ll be right here waiting, buddy.” Robby said before kissing his chubby cheek. He gave us a toothy grin before rushing inside. We thought it would get easier after that, until we were called into the high school principals office for Michael. He was a freshman this year while Zach was a junior. Once we walked in, Michael was sitting in the chair across from the principle, his head lolled back. “Rear Admiral.” The principal shook his hand. “Doctor.” He said before shaking my hand.

We took a seat, Michael between us. “So, Mr. Floyd here was caught purchasing not only marijuana, but also Adderall.” My jaw dropped as I looked to him. “Michael William!” I scolded as Robby shared my shocked look. “The other student has been expelled.” I crossed my legs, very mad. “Michael is an exceptional student, one of the best we’ve had. He even tutors other students during lunch. I don’t want to expel him. So, I wanna give him the chance to redeem himself. I think out of school suspension will be a good way to go, and he continues to tutor students.” We nodded. “I think that’s fair.” He sighed, putting his head in his hands. “His teachers will email him his work and I think being here at five-thirty for tutoring is good.” We agreed wholeheartedly. Soon he was dismissed, and we all walked out. “Mom I-“ I held my hand out. “We will talk when we get home. You are coming with me, and you will sit in my office and do your schoolwork every day, then I will bring you back here for tutoring.” He just nodded, following me out the door. It was frustrating, knowing your child did something that they knew they would be in major trouble for, and even more frustrating because he was mad at Robby and I for how we punished him. “Really Michael?” We were sat out on the back porch, away from his other three siblings. “It’s weed! It’s legal in California!”

“For adult recreational use. You are fourteen, you are not an adult. But that doesn’t matter because not only are you under eighteen, but you also live under our roof, and smoking anything isn’t good for your lungs. Whenever you are over eighteen and out from under our roof, you can do as you please.” He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Roll them eyes one more time and see if they don’t roll down the street!” I snapped, Robby grabbing the finger I pointed at Michael. “Okay, mama. Take a breather.” I was raging, trying to calm myself. “It wasn’t just the weed, Michael. You bought Adderall-“ “It helps me focus!” “You think it does. You have no medical need for it. It’s doing you more harm than good.” Robby said, trying to get him to see reason. “Is that why you haven’t been eating?” He raised a brow at us. “Or why you haven’t been sleeping?” He seemed to fall back, like he’s been caught. “I only started the Adderall two weeks ago. I haven't slept right in months.” My face fell into one of concern. “Why?” He just shrugged, leaning his head back. “I don’t know. I just haven’t been sleeping. I try and try, and I’m lucky if I can be asleep by four or five a.m.” And all the kids are up by six to get ready for school. “Okay. Well, is there anything going on that may be keeping you up? Stress about school? Adjusting to your sister being gone?” He shook his head, not meeting my eyes. “No.” I sighed. I wanted to help him, but it was hard when he didn’t know what was causing it. “Do you want to see a doctor?” He shook his head. I looked to Robby who looked as stumped as me. I looked back to Michael to see his eyes glazed over and it tugged on my heart. “Oh, baby.” I got up, crouching down next to his chair and laying my hand on the arm that was holding his chin. “Talk to me, please.” I was begging at this point. A tear slipped down his cheek, and he mumbled something. “What? I couldn’t hear you.” It was like a damn broke, he leaned over, practically putting his head between his knees. “I don’t wanna be alive.”

I was scared shitless.

I gathered him in my arms, holding him as Robby came over, holding us both. “We’re gonna get you help, buddy. We promise.” Robby said as he rubbed his back and kissed his head. We got him in with a doctor who referred us to a psychiatrist. He started on antidepressants and even started therapy, which he asked to do all on his own. It took a few months, but I started to see parts of my little boy again. The one who loved spending time with his father, cooking with me in the kitchen, and enjoyed watching movies with his siblings. “Mama?” I turned to Michael who was smiling at me from the other side of the island. “Yeah?” I asked as I flipped the burger on the stove. “Thank you. You and dad both for helping me and not judging me.” I smiled, walking over and pulling him into a hug. “I’d do anything to help you. I’ve been in your position before, just after you were born.” He raised a brow at me, looking for an explanation. “Your dad was deployed right after you were born, it was my first c-section, and I was with three kids all alone. It was hard. I didn’t feel like anything other than a mom, I felt like I had nothing outside of that. But your dad came home and bless that man. He got me up, he took care of me and helped me get back to who I was before I had you kids.” I heard a throat clear behind us and we turned to see Robby. “Are you talking about me?” He asked, walking over and tossing his arm over my shoulder. “All good things.” He pecked my lips as Michael leaned away. “God, you two are so gross.” We laughed, looking at each other. “It’s okay. If you have kids, they’ll say the same thing to you.” He shook his head, mumbling something about not having kids and walking away. “I’m glad he’s doing better.” I nodded. “Me too, it’s a relief to know he feels better.”

Two years later, and Zach had graduated high school. He decided to join the navy like his father and wanted to be a pilot, so he applied for the Naval Academy. “Anything yet?” Rooster asked as he walked in. The entire team came over to hear the results, eager to see if Zach would be part of the next generation of fighter pilots. “Not yet.” Robby said as Rooster joined the crowd. Zach was sweating bullets, nervous for this email, so much so he called his sister to have her on facetime while he opened it. Robby rubbed Zach’s shoulders as he refreshed his emails. “Just remember, if you don’t get in, it’s not the end all be all.” Robby uttered to him, and Zach shook his head. “I know.” He groaned. “Oh my god. It’s here!” We all jumped to stand behind him, staring at the screen as he opened the email. He stared at it for a second, the tension building. “Congratulations, you have been accepted to the Naval Academy based in Annapolis, Maryland!” He screamed, standing up and hugging his father. Everyone yelled and congratulated him before he turned to me. “I am so proud of you.” It was terrifying when your kids join the military, especially when you yourself know what it’s like to stand on the other side. But there’s also a sense of pride that flows through you. A few weeks later we all packed up, heading out to drop him at Annapolis. “We love you and we’ll be right here waiting.” He nodded, kissing my cheek before hugging his dad and his siblings. It was hard to watch him go, but he had to start his Plebe summer and he was eager to do it. “You think he’ll be okay?” Robby nodded. “He’ll be fine. He’s our kid.” I laughed at that. “We are pretty resilient.”

And that proved true a few years later. It was Violet’s last year of college, Zach’s sophomore year at the academy, Michael’s senior year of high school, Alex was starting his eighth-grade year and Liam was eight and just loving his little life. “Um, can you go to the doctor with me tomorrow?” Robby asked when he came back from telling Liam goodnight. “Um, sure?” I asked as I rubbed lotion on my legs. “He’s called me back in, wants to talk to me about my CT scan.” I stopped, looking up at him. “Did he say why?” He shook his head. “Nope, he wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone.” That was never good, we both knew that. But we looked on the bright side anyway, having a quiet, passionate night with each other. The next day we sat in the doctor’s office, two chairs across from his desk as he looked at some paper work. “We found something abnormal in your scans, and upon closer look we found it is lung cancer, stage two. So far it is only in your right lung, which is good, that means it hasn’t spread.” I gasped, my hand clutching his tighter than ever. “What are my chances?” Robby asked, both of his hands clutching my one. He voice never wavered, but I could tell by the way he held my hand and spun my wedding ring he was scared and so was I. “Given you are fifty, and age does play a factor, we usually give around a sixty-eight percent chance of survival for five years after remission.” The numbers made me feel slightly better, but those numbers only matter if he makes it to remission.

We worked out a treatment plan and soon went home. We had to tell the kids, and we needed to tell them together, so we waited the additional week before Violet came home after graduation and Zach came home for summer leave. Once they were home Robby didn’t want to wait, so we sat them all down on the couch as Robby and I took a seat on the coffee table. He was scared to tell them, and nervous about their reactions, which was totally understandable. I rubbed his back as he held back tears. “Daddy, what is it?” Violet asked, leaning forward and grabbing his hand. He took a deep breath, Violet’s simple action almost sending him over the edge. “I had to go to the doctor not too long ago and had a few scans done. They found something abnormal, and they determined it was lung cancer.” All at once, I saw five little hearts shatter on the ground. Violet immediately broke down into tears, Michael not far behind her. Zach and Alex were barely holding it in, and poor Liam looked so lost. “Is it terminal?” Violet choked out and Robby shook his head. “No, baby. It’s not. The doctor thinks that if I go through with the chemo and radiation therapy, I have a good shot at going into remission.” Violet leaned over, her head on her knees as she held Robby’s hand. That alone broke him. Tears fell from behind his glasses as he squeezed her hand. “Make room.” He said, separating Violet and Michael and sitting between them. I opted to sit between Alex and Liam, but Liam decided to crawl into my lap. “You’re almost too big for this buddy.” I whispered as I brushed some of his hair back and kissed his forehead.

“So, daddy’s sick?” I nodded as I wrapped my free arm around Alex who was crying. “He is. This isn’t going to be easy on daddy.” He laid his head on my chest as I rubbed his back. “Is daddy gonna die?” God, kids are blunt. How do you answer such a question? “The doctors are gonna do everything in their power to keep that from happening.” He just nodded before climbing out of my lap and walking over to Robby, leaning over his legs and laying his head in his lap. That night we spent some real time together as a family, we ate dinner together, played cards at the table and finished the night all knocking out on the couch. Liam curled up against Violet, as Violet’s legs were tossed in Michael’s lap, the other three boys were all leaning against each other. Robby and I laid on the other side of the sectional, his arms around my waist as he pulled me back into his chest. “We’re gonna be okay, right?” He asked and I nodded. “You are, we are. Everything will be okay. I’ll be right here with you every step of the way.” He kissed the back of my head, squeezing my lightly. “I love you Mrs. Floyd.” Even after twenty-five years of marriage, that still makes me giddy like a little school girl. “I love you too, Mr. Floyd.” Soon after, we told the team and it was just as bad as telling the kids. Lots of tears, poor Phoenix was beside herself. I couldn’t handle anymore tears, walking away to the kitchen where I was preparing lunch. I was chopping some celery when there was a knock on the door frame. “Hey.” Rooster whispered as I looked up. His hair had started greying not long after Caroline was born, and even more after him and Phoenix got married. “Hi.” I whispered, going back to chopping the celery. He came over, grabbing my wrist. That’s when I realized not only was I aggressively chopping the vegetable, but I was about to slice my fingers.

“How are you feeling?” I planted my hands on the counter, my head hanging low. “Fine.” He scoffed. “You’re lying. And I know you are because you said the same thing that first night you moved in with me before the uranium mission. You had a complete breakdown that night.” The fact he knew me so well made my throat feel thick and more tears welled in my eyes. “I just- I can’t lose him.” Finally, the dam broke. I hadn’t really cried once since we got the diagnoses, so this was everything escaping me. “I can’t live without him, Bradley.” He pulled me into him, holding me as I cried. He rubbed my back, a few tears of his own landing in my hair. “You know he’s not giving up without a fight.” I was gasping for breath at this point. “But what if he doesn’t win?” I cried and he squeezed me a little tighter. “If that happens, then we will be here. You and the kids won’t be alone.” He held me till I calmed down, handing me a kleenex to clean my face off. “What’s going on?” Robby was standing in the doorway, looking confused. I rushed past Rooster, throwing myself into his arms. “I’m so scared, Robby.” He buried his face in my neck as he held me. “Me too, darlin’. Me too.”

Soon he started chemo, me taking time off work to go with him. “Mama, go to work. I’ll take him today.” Violet said as I got up that morning. “Are you sure?” I didn’t want to miss it, but we couldn’t afford all of our bills as well as the medical expenses if I kept missing work. “Positive. Zach, Michael and I have all agreed to rotate out.” My bottom lip wobbled as I pulled her into a hug. “God, how did I get such amazing kids?” She chuckled as she rubbed my back. “We’re just that good.” I laughed, pushing her out of my bedroom. Violet got a job in San Diego after graduation and started right away, Zach was still on summer leave and Michael is in a local trade school for diesel mechanics so they’re all local and dying to help. While it wasn’t their responsibility, they made it so much easier to juggle everything. Even Liam was more than happy to get his daddy anything he needs, water, glasses, blankets, you name it and he’s got it. I saw the effects the chemo had on him, making him sick, and soon his hair started falling out. “Dammit. The one good thing I had going.” I laughed as he sat in the kitchen as I held the clippers in my hands. “Nah, you got a lot going for you that I love.” I said as I kissed his cheek. “You’re sure?” He nodded and I clicked the clippers on, gently running them over his scalp until soon, there was no hair left. “All done.” I said as I wiped what little hair was left off his scalp. He was taking everything in stride, but soon it caught up to him.

After nine months we didn’t see much improvement and it broke my heart, because soon the chemo started causing pain. So much so he would curl up in bed and cry. “It hurts.” He sobbed and all I could do was hold him, rubbing his back as he cried into my chest. “I know. I know and I’m so sorry Robby.” My own tears slid down my cheeks, wanting nothing more than to take the pain away. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” I quietly gasped, trying to catch my breath at his words. I sat up, rolling him onto his back as I leaned over him. “Hey. Look at me.” Those crystal blue eyes stared back into me, into my soul. “If you want to stop. I will be right here by your side. As much as I want to spend the next thirty to forty years with you, I don’t want you to spend them suffering.” I said as my hand fell to his cheek, holding it. “This is your choice, and I want you to do whatever you feel like you need to do. I love you so much and it's killing me to see you in so much pain.” He continued to sob as I kissed his forehead, a sob escaping me as I did so. I didn’t want to lose him, I couldn’t but seeing him in pain wasn’t worth the time I so selfishly wanted with him.

We had talked about it, and he decided to quit treatments, until we went to his doctor appointment and saw he was improving. “It’s hard, but I can’t quit now.” Were his words, and with that he carried on with treatments and it paid off. Another nine months go by, and he received his last treatment, officially going into remission. Violet had dragged him with her to run some errands while the dagger squad and I got everything ready. “Get that banner up higher Javy!” He threw his hands up at me as his wife laughed. “It’s gonna be okay.” Hangman said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “It has to be perfect!” I said as I set the bowl of dip on the table. He just laughed, watching as I blew by Rooster who was watching Alex and Caroline sitting on the couch. They’ve grown close over the years, being so close in age. “He’s here!” Fanboy yelled, and I rushed into the living room with everyone else. We heard them walk up on the porch and as the door opened, we all screamed. “Congratulations!” Robby was caught off guard, almost stumbling back into Violet. A smile cracked on his face, as he turned to Violet, seeming to ask her if she knew about this. She nodded and he pulled her into a hug before coming over and hugging everyone else. When he got to me, he pulled me close grinning at me. “I love you. You are amazing.” He said before kissing me sweetly. “You have no idea how relieved I am.” I said as I laid my head on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I’m gonna be here for a long time.”

And he was, we got to see all of our kids get married. Violet married a boat captain that worked for a local motor yacht company, and her wedding was probably the hardest for Robby to deal with. She was his only daughter and our oldest, so giving her away was so emotional for him and it was hard to let her go, but she stayed local, giving us three grandkids. Zach married a catapult officer in the Navy, and she kept him on his toes. Michael and his girlfriend had a baby before they got married, but he was the sweetest little baby. Alex went to med school, getting married to Caroline in his last year of his residency, which everyone saw coming. Liam decided to go to culinary school, getting married to a local school teacher when he was just twenty one. Over the course of those years, we got older, and greyer. Arthritis setting in, joints locking up. But it was okay, because even though our house was now empty most of the time, I had Robby. We spent those years after he went into remission enjoying ourselves and traveling. We took a few family vacations a year, and quite a few solo trips. We saw Hawaii, Greece, Italy, Scotland and many other gorgeous countries. We made the most of our golden years.

We lost friends along the way. I found out Annette had passed after she developed sepsis from a hip replacement surgery and that was hard. Over the years we kept up with each other and Robby and I even went on trips with her and Luke, rekindling that friendship we lost after a while. Fanboy had developed heart disease some years ago and he passed when his heart finally gave out. Javy had gotten pneumonia and he just couldn’t kick it. It hurt me to lose them, but it hurt Robby so much more. He put his life in their hands, he trusted these people, spent his days with them. So, it hurt to see him hurting. I wrapped my arms around him as he cried, kissing his head. “I’m sorry, honey.” It was all I could say, all I could do. It was part of aging, you start losing those close to you, and it hurts but it’s sadly part of life. Another few years later, we were seventy-eight and laying in bed together. “What do you think our lives will be like when one of us is gone?” He asked, making me furrow my brows. “Why do you ask?” I asked as I took off my own glasses and laid my book in my lap. “I don’t know.” He seemed very confused as to why he asked. “I was just curious I guess.” He said as he picked his own book back up. It was quiet for a minute before I spoke up. “Miserable.” He looked to me. “What honey?” I sighed, laying my book down. “Miserable. When you had cancer, I knew I couldn’t live without you, just because we got older doesn’t mean that changed. I don’t know if I could go through the rest of my life without you.”

He grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly before bringing it up and kissing it gently. “I couldn’t live life without you either.” I smiled at him before leaning over for a quick kiss. “Goodnight, Robby.” I said as I shifted down in the bed, him following. He tossed his arm over his waist, just like he’s done since we got together and kissed the back of my head. I was almost asleep when I heard him behind me, whispering oh so quietly. “I love you, darlin.” I smiled, intertwining my fingers with his. “I love you too, Robby.” With that we fell asleep. It was odd for Robby to ask things like that, he didn’t really focus on living life without each other. He always talked about our next trip or what plans to make with the grandkids that weekend. So I have to wonder if a part of him knew before he was consciously aware of what was happening. The next morning, I woke up I was surprised to see him still in bed. Even in our old age, all the years in the navy still had him getting up before me. “Robby? You okay?” I asked as I stretched in bed, my arms raising up over my head before I rolled over to face his back. “Robby.” I said as I placed my hand on his arm. I immediately knew something was wrong, I rolled him onto his back, shaking him. “Robby?” My heart sped up as I reached for his neck. As soon as I felt how cold his skin was, it was like the ground was ripped out from under me. “Robby?” My hand was on his chest as I shook him, my voice breaking. “Robby?” This wasn’t happening. We had a trip with the kids in a few weeks and he was so excited to see all of our grandkids on the beach together. “No. No!” I cried as I buried my face in his chest.

A pulmonary embolism in the middle of the night is what took him. I felt numb. The world wasn’t as bright as it usually was, I couldn’t find joy like I used to, even with the kids or my grandkids. When the funeral came around I just sat in the chair by his casket, shaking hands and giving fake smiles as I listened to people tell me how they knew Robby. “Mama. You need some water.” Violet said, holding out a bottle to me. “No, I’m fine baby.” She sighed, grabbing the hand held out and pushing the bottle into it. “You haven’t had water since yesterday morning and I know you haven’t eaten since then.” I sighed, taking the bottle just to please her but she was right. I wasn’t taking care of myself, and Robby would give me the scolding of a lifetime. So, I gave in and ate something as well as making sure I drank plenty of water. I held it together through the funeral for the most part, only breaking down as the jets flew overhead performing the missing man formation. I approached the casket for the last time, leaning on it as I cried. “Mama.” Liam said as he came over, hugging me, and soon so did all the others. All five kids and all eleven grandkids came up, comforting me. “I don’t know how I’m gonna do this.” I gasped out. I stayed like that for who knows how long, but eventually Zach and Michael helped me up. “It’ll be okay, mama. We’ll make sure of it.”

It was never truly okay. You never get over losing your best friend, your other half. It’s a pain you simply make room for. The days seemed longer, the winters were colder, and the house was lonely. Not long after I turned eighty-three Violet moved into the house with her husband and kids. The house was lively again, just like it was when the kids were younger, but there was still this gaping hole that could never be filled. Rooster and Phoenix came over often, Hangman and his wife would take me out, the team was trying to make sure I knew I wasn’t alone. But these days that’s all I wanted. To sit alone and flip through photo albums and reminisce on our life together. I did it sometimes, other times I would spray his side of the bed with his cologne or go through old videos or voicemail’s. I was so scared that I would forget what he smelled like, or the sound of his voice. Then one day it did slip my mind. “Mama? Do you want to go down to the beach with the kids and I?” Violet asked as she stood in my bedroom doorway, watching me fold laundry. “Sure, go ask your father. You know he loves to see the kids play in the surf.” It was quiet for a minute and I looked up. Violet had tears streaking her cheeks as she stared at me. “Mama.” She said as she came over, sitting on the bed next to me. She took my hand, squeezing it. “Daddy’s been gone for a few years now.” Suddenly everything came rushing back, all the painful memories of losing Robby. “Oh my god.” I cried, my head falling down to my hands. “I’m so sorry Violet.” My words reminded Violet of one of the worst days of her life, and I felt like an awful mother for reopening those wounds. “No, mama. It’s okay, it happens.” Except it doesn’t. Lab tests and imaging proved it to be Alzheimer’s and slowly it got worse. I was forgetting who my kids were, constantly forgetting Robby was gone. Life becomes hard when you don’t understand the world anymore.

At the age of ninety-two I went into the hospital for aspiration pneumonia. Too much food and liquid going down the windpipe and allowing infection to settle in my lungs. “There’s nothing we can do?” Liam asked as he sat by my bedside. “I’m sorry. We’ve done everything we could, but sadly this is what happens with most Alzheimer’s patients.” Liam nodded, squeezing my hand as I tried to pull away. “It’s okay mama. It’s me, Liam.” It was like everything became clear again. “Liam?” He nodded, his eyes glassy with tears and for a minute I saw my baby boy. “Yeah. It’s me.” Soon all the kids were in the room, sitting around my bed. “I’m so tired.” Zach nodded, patting my arm. “We’ve all talked, mama and we agree. If you’re ready. So are we.” It was like the world lifted off my shoulders in that moment and a sense of peace washed over me. “We love you, mama.” My eyes flashed to Michael who spoke and as I did, I caught a figure in the corner. The figure was leaned against the wall, faded jeans, white t-shirt, hair styled and large frame glasses resting on his nose. He pushed off the wall, stepping into the light, making me gasp. “Robby?” He looked just like he did when we met, so young and bright. “Hey, darlin’.” He said as he came over, his fingers running through my thin, gray hair. “What are you doin’ here?” It was a mumble as I stared up at him. He stood next to Violet, looking at her before looking at me. “I’m right here waitin’ for you, honey.” I nodded as he squatted down, leaning his arms on the bed. “They’ll be okay. We did good with ‘em.” Tears ran down my cheeks as I looked at him, still in shock that he was standing next to me. “Go to sleep, darlin’. I’ll see you when you wake up.” I nodded, watching as he walked out of the room. My eyes grew heavy as the kids held onto me in some way. “We love you, mama.” I barely heard it, but it made me smile. “I love you too.” With that, I drifted off.

When I opened my eyes later I was standing on a beach, which was so confusing. I looked down, seeing my white painted toes in the sand and I looked at my hands. Same nail color, but my hands were so soft, and all the wrinkles were gone. My wedding ring gleaming in the sunlight, making me smile. I had on a white halter top, backless sun dress which allowed me to feel the warm breeze. I looked around, seeing palm trees across from the endless ocean. As I turned my head I saw a figure in the distance, I couldn’t make out any discerning features except for the white shirt and faded jeans. I took a few steps closer and a grin threatened to split my face in half. I took off in a sprint down the beach throwing myself into Robby’s arms when I reached him. My legs wrapped around his waist as my arms squeezed his neck. He smelled just like his cologne and I could’ve drowned in it, burying my face in his neck. His hands splayed across my back and I missed the feeling of him on my skin, the way his cologne would linger on me for a while. I pulled back, looking into those crystal blue eyes that I adored. “Is this real?” He nodded. “So real.” I grinned at him, my forehead resting on his as my fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck. “You were waiting?” He nodded. “For too long, honey. I’ve wanted nothing more than to hold you in my arms since the minute I got here.” My grin never faded. “Kiss me honey. I’ve waited too long.” He whispered and I giggled. “Anything you want, Mr. Floyd.” I said before my lips pressed against his in one of the most passionate kisses we’ve ever had. He held me tightly against him as our noses lightly bumped each other’s, his hands drifting over the expanse of my back, my fingers buried in his hair. We pulled away forehead’s resting each other’s again as we caught our breath. “I can’t believe you’re finally here.” I giggled as he set me on my own feet. “What is this place?” I asked as we looked around. Robby shrugged his shoulders. “Heaven? Valhalla? Who knows, I just call it paradise, and it really just became paradise with you here, darlin’.” He said as he tilted my chin up, kissing me again. “I just hate we had to leave the kids.” He smiled, tugging me along to follow him. “Come here, I wanna show you something.”

He led me to a little tide pool between some rocks. “Look.” I looked at it, and after a moment it showed me all the kids sitting in a waiting room, Liam and Zach with their heads in their hands as they cried. My heart shattered, realizing what I left behind. “Mom would tell us we don’t need to cry because she’s with dad and they’re probably picking on each other.” All the kids broke out in giggles at Michael’s words. He wasn’t far off; Robby and I do enjoy picking on each other sometimes. “Picking on me, huh?” Robby asked, arms crossed over his chest. “Yes. Because I love you.” I said as I wrapped my arms around his midsection, leaning up and kissing him. When we pulled away I rested my head on his chest as he held me. “You think the kids will be okay?” He immediately nodded. “They will be. And when they’re ready, we’ll be right here waiting for them.” I nodded, looking back down at the tide pool, seeing Violet shove Zach from his chair. Life is full of joy, and heart ache. It pushes your boundaries and shows you what you’re made of. “Yeah, we’ll be right here waiting.” He kissed my forehead one more time before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the beach as the sun set behind us.

[lyn-js]

Not today. Not taking a risk!!

[lyn-js]

Happy thanksgiving everyone!!

Thank you all so much for believing in me and my writing. I wouldn’t be writing if it wasn’t for you all.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

-Lyndsey❤️

[lyn-js]

Dancing under the Moonlight | Chapter 7. The Wrongful Act pt.2

Bradley Bradshaw x OC Reader (Nickname Honey)

Summary: After the Uranium Mission, Bradley Bradshaw decides he wants to settle down. Maybe even start a family at some point in time. But he felt so tired (and old) to be in the dating scene. That's until he sees a beautiful new bartender at The Hard Deck. Not only that; turns out she's Penny's niece, Beatrice. They both hit it off amazing, but for some reason, Beatrice isn't letting her walls down yet. But Bradley is going to get to the bottom of what Bea's big secret is.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, drinking, mentions of past abuse, fluff, eventually smut 18+, age gap (24 & 35)

this is short filler chapter before we get into the juicy stuff.

Check out the Masterlist

Waking up at 2 in the morning and getting a call from Pete was not what he was signing up for that day. But Hearing Penny’s harsh voice through the phone sends chills down his spine snapping up immediately in bed.

What could have possibly done to piss her off more? 

He thought Chantal or Bea could have called and told her about what he had said to Bea. He tried to go after her but was blatantly drunk and being held off by his team. Even when Nat dropped him off at home, he was trying to call her and was leaving drunk voicemails confessing how he really and truly felt. Trying to explain what happened that day and apologizing a lot. He should have after what he had said to Bea, he still couldn't believe that he had said those harsh, and cruel words out loud. His mom and dad would be rolling in their graves right now if they had heard what he had said, especially to a woman. He knows his mom raised him better than this. 

“What the hell have you done?” he hears Penny’s voice come through the call. He can feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. I sit up in bed trying to truly figure out what happened. 

“I don't know what you're talking about Pen, what happened?”

“Then why the hell do I have a note from Bea saying that she’s moved back in with her piece of shit ex!” 

The words that had just fallen out of Penny’s mouth made his whole body go numb. Bradley tells her that he’s on the way, and hangs up, he scrambles all around the apartment to get his clothes on and find the keys to the Bronco.

I might have broken a couple of traffic violations, but I couldn’t stop my mind from making these horrible and gruesome scenarios play out. I couldn’t imagine what Bea was doing. ‘Is she safe?’ ‘Is she hurt at all?’ I tried not to let the worst get to me. Before I knew I was in the driveway of the Benjamin residence. 

When I knocked on the door waiting for someone to let me in, I couldn’t get the ‘thump’ noise of my heartbeat out of my ears. Then I could hear somebody unlocking the door and swinging it open, ready to brace for impact whether it be Penny or Chantal to let their anger out on me. But I was a bit surprised to not see them… But Pete answers the door, and the only rhino that I see from him is shaking his head and looking down in disappointment while turning back to sit with Penny. When fully walking into the house I see Chantal and Penny sitting in the kitchen wiping their tears, looking at a ratty piece of paper which could be the note Bea left for them. Looking over in the living room and saw Amelia clutching a stuffed bear to her chest and wearing a sweatshirt that looked like it was going to eat her whole. It was probably one of Beatrice’s oversized sweatshirts she would wear to the bar when she had one of her shifts.

They all look up when they hear me enter the kitchen, and I can see Penny and Chantal staring daggers at me. The only thing I can do is put my head down in shame and mumble, and ‘I’m sorry’ to them. But I lift my head up the second I hear the chair scrape across the floor and get knocked over, Penny speed walking towards me with so much anger and hatred towards me, I couldn’t blame her.

“What have you done to my family?” she said in a slow but scary tone that sent chills down my spine. I speak up, trying not to stutter.

“I…I never meant to hurt Honey, I was drunk-” But I could react fast enough when I felt a heated pool through my cheek when I felt her hand connect with my face.

“You have NO right to call her that!” I can see Chantal and Pete trying to move her away from me and back to the table to calm down. But she would back down, she took steps closer until she was toe to toe with me.

“I made a promise to my sister. On her deathbed, I would protect and keep her little girl safe until the day I die… and look what’s happened! I lost her, so you know what Bradley, just take your half-assed apology and shove it up your ass and leave my family Alone!” She backs away letting out a full sob and walking away to go up the stairs. I look back up and see Pete following her, but not before I see Chantal in my face.

“Ya know, she was so nervous to go out with you. I told her you were nothing like Zeke. Even in the slightest. Turns out you’re just like that piece of shit.” The only thing I could do was shake my head no. I would never want to be compared to that asshole who hurt her, but the truth was I did hurt her.

“I think you should leave… you've already done enough.” she grabbed the ratty paper and threw it at me before calling for Amelia and going upstairs too.

I catch the paper before it hits the ground. Waiting until you go outside to respect their wishes to leave, I go into the Bronco to open and read the note.

Clearly, this is Beatrice’s handwriting, it looks like a two-year-old was trying to write. But what he can see from this is that someone was trying to act like her. I didn’t even realize that I was white-knuckling the wheel, while I was dumpling the paper again. I throw it to the ground and make my way back home. Trying to come up with a plan.

The only thing I need to do.

Save her.

I'm back... and I'm sorry. Don't hate me😁

Reblogs are always welcome. Unless you're under 18. I will block you. and comment if you want to be added to the taglist. If I forgot anybody message me and let me know. You will be added.

Taglist: @caitsymichelle13 @shanimallina87 @angelbabyyy99@callsign-magnolia @nerdgirljen @nervousnerdwitch

[lyn-js]

He batter be focusing on BG and Rose. Also leaving us on a cliffhanger with the test results Em, it doesn’t surprise me at their point. Master of secrets!🫣🫣

Aim for the Sky Part 28 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You start to realize there could be a reason to worry when your exhaustion won't let up. Bradley is so focused on what's happening in Texas, he doesn't even realize he's missing out on what's happening at home.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo

Length: 3200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Texas in August was hot as fuck. And the humidity left Bradley wishing he could jump in a pool. There was no cool, coastal breeze. There was no temperate climate. It was gross. It had him vowing to never move from San Diego for the rest of his life.

"How did I live in Virginia for so long?" he grumbled, getting dressed for his first day on base. He had the air conditioner blasting in his small room in the barracks, but he was still sweating at seven in the morning. He considered texting to see how you and Rose fared overnight without him, but it was even earlier at home, and he didn't want to wake you unnecessarily. 

He could picture you curled up on his pillow drooling, and it made him smile. But you had to do everything this week without his help, and that made his smile falter. He always tried to alleviate some of your stress by holding Rose when she fussed or walking around with her until she fell asleep. Mostly he was just in love with being a dad and wanted to spend as much time with his daughter as possible.

"Shit," he muttered when he checked the time, realizing he needed to get out of here before he was late. As soon as he stepped outside, the heat had him convinced he would sweat through his khaki uniform before he got to meet the rest of the recruits. Well, other than the ones he'd met at the bar the previous night.

LTJG Brooke Jeffries, call sign "Indigo", came to mind right away. It was no wonder how she'd earned her moniker. Her eyes were the most shocking shade of blue he'd ever seen. She tried to buy him a drink before insisting he meet several of the other aviators who were part of the program over at the pool table. Bradley stayed for a little while, careful not to let a single one of them buy him a drink. In fact, he only had the one beer with his dinner which would go directly to his expense report. The last thing he needed was one of them trying to get the upper hand or complaining that he was playing favorites.

With no clear idea of where he needed to go, Bradley wound his way along a few corridors before finding the classrooms. The facility was a lot smaller than those of North Island or even Oceana, but the rigorous training protocol at this particular airbase held a lot of promise. He was almost shocked at times that he'd been selected to decide who would advance to Top Gun.

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw!"

Bradley turned toward the voice and was greeted by a few Admirals. After some saluting and some chitchat, he was led to the appropriate classroom, the presence of superior officers silencing everyone in attendance. There were some more introductions before he was given control of the group, and if he was sweating because of the heat a few minutes ago, now it was because of nerves. Shit. He wanted to be as successful as possible in this role.

"Good morning. I'm Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, and I'll be spending this week observing you in the air as well as reviewing the extensive files that have been compiled for each of you. Out of three dozen aviators in attendence, a maximum of eight will be invited to join the training program at Top Gun in September. I look forward to working with you."

He could feel piercing blue eyes on him as everyone stood, adjusting their flight suits as they headed out to the tarmac to get started. Before making his way up to the tower for the duration of the day, Bradley took a few minutes to identify each aviator and answer some questions. It didn't seem to matter where he was standing, Indigo was always nearby, but her questions were pertinent. She seemed like a bit of a teacher's pet, which had never been his style, but to each their own.

Then he sent them up in the air individually and in groups so he and the admirals could take some notes as a group. It was obvious even very early on who the standouts were. After just one day, there was very little question who would be joining him in San Diego.

-----------------------------------

You felt terrible. Almost like you had the flu. But every time you checked, there was no fever accompanying the constant exhaustion. Of course Rose decided this week would be the opportune time to have a blowout diaper every hour all night long, leaving you in a state similar to a zombie at work.

"Come here," you whispered, picking her up at daycare after work and giving her kisses. "Your godmother is coming over for dinner, and I want you to be on your best behavior. No pooping," you told her as you pushed her through the parking garage in her stroller. She simply laughed at you in response, which was not a great sign.

It wasn't even hot out. It was beautiful weather, especially compared to what Bradley was enduring this week. Yet you still felt unbearably hot, and you had a headache. "Maybe it's a good thing we didn't go with him," you mused as you situated Rose in her car seat. "You'd be poopy and sweaty, and that's not a combination that I really feel like dealing with at the moment."

While you tried to drive home, your headache just got worse, and you really didn't now how you were going to handle making dinner. Perhaps you should just start taking some cold medication as a preventative. It wouldn't hurt anything. You changed direction to make a quick stop, because a snack sounded nice, too. Maybe you could coax Rose to go to bed right after Nat left, eat some candy and pass out yourself. At least Bradley wasn't at home to stress you out. Recently, he seemed to put you right on the edge of irritation a lot of the time, and it was nice to get a bit of a break.

You were pushing the stroller down the last aisle in the drug store when you saw something which made you freeze in place. "No," you whispered, palms starting to sweat along with the rest of you. The vague awareness that you still never got your period after Rose was born washed over you. As soon as you got back from La Jolla, where you were pretty sure Bradley pulled out, you started back on the pill again. But there was no way for you to tell if you were ovulating.

You grabbed some pregnancy tests and went straight for the registers, freaking out inside before you remembered to double back for some cold medicine just in case. Your fingers were shaking as you used your credit card to pay for everything, including two candy bars. The cashier was making a fuss over your daughter, but the sudden loud ringing in your ears was preventing you from formulating a coherent response. You grabbed your items and rushed back outside.

When you got home, Nat was already there, and tears stung your eyes when she walked across your driveway to help you carry everything inside. "How's my sweet Rose?" she asked, picking her up gently from her car seat and peppering her cheeks with kisses. Then her eyes widened briefly when she what you'd purchased at the drug store. But she didn't say a word about the pregnancy tests, and you didn't have the energy to mention it or try to make an excuse.

"I'm thinking of making spaghetti for dinner," you told her, settling on the easiest combination of pasta and store bought sauce.

"I didn't want you to have to cook for me, so I brought some hot sandwiches from the diner," she replied. "One roast beef and one turkey. You can pick the one you want, because I like both."

Your mouth was instantly watering, and when you opened the bag on your kitchen counter, it smelled so good, you could have kissed her. "Thanks for getting these," you said, quickly unwrapping both sandwiches and pulling out plates. "I'm really tired this week without Bradley here."

"I figured as much. You've got to keep this little love bug fed and played with and read to all on your own." She sat down on the couch with your daughter in her arms. "I don't understand how something that looks like Bradley can be so adorable. Logically, it doesn't make sense to me."

You snorted, cutting both sandwiches in half to share them evenly. "He insists she doesn't look anything like him."

"Oh, he's so full of crap. I mean, he's lucky your kids will also look like you, because you're beautiful."

You didn't miss the way she used the plural of the word, and you felt your anxiety spike again as you cleared your throat. "Do you want to sit in the dining room? Or at the kitchen island?"

"Whichever is easier," she replied, giving you a lingering look before shifting her attention back to Rose.

You knew it was better to take a pregnancy test first thing in the morning, but after Nat left, you couldn't stop looking at the packages on the kitchen counter. Since you bought several, you didn't see the harm in taking one of them before bed. What's the worst that could happen? You'd stay up all night in a state of nervous energy? You were barely getting any sleep this week regardless, so why not just take it?

Burping Rose and reading her bedtime story were two things your husband readily volunteered to do, but you fumbled your way through both tasks as your heart beat a little faster. You were about to take a pregnancy test. It wasn't that you didn't want to get pregnant again, you just didn't want to get pregnant again right now. Not while your firstborn was still so young, and not when you hadn't been feeling like your normal self again yet. The idea of two babies to care for was also so daunting,  you found yourself close to panicking.

You had to leave Rose in her crib to cry for a few minutes before she fell asleep, because you couldn't wait any longer. Not only did you want to pee on the stupid test just to see a result, you also felt like your bladder was going to burst if you didn't go now. You made a beeline back to the kitchen where you grabbed the boxes and your candy bars before running to your bathroom.

When you tore into the foil wrapper, you accidentally cut your finger. "Damn it!" you gasped, wrapping it up in toilet paper before you got the test ready with your other hand. You didn't know what to think as you finally let your bladder feel so much better. Chances were strong you'd need to take an additional test in the morning if you wanted to double check a negative result. You knew your hormone levels would be stronger then.

"This is pointless you whispered to yourself as you put the test on the counter and set a timer on your phone. You snatched up the candy bar, ripping the packaging open with your teeth and climbed into the empty bathtub to wait. The chocolate tasted delicious. Just as good as the sandwiches Nat brought. You wrapped the toilet paper tighter around your finger when you realized you could smell the metallic tang of blood in the air.

What were you going to do? Bradley would most certainly be pleased if it was positive. He indicated he that he couldn't care less if you were on birth control at all. If the test was negative, you wouldn't even tell him about it. You'd simply take everything out with the trash, and he'd never see it. Unless Nat said something. But you didn't think she would. Especially since you didn't metion any of this to her. That would be breaking girl code. But she was his best friend, so you weren't sure.

You took another big bite of your candy bar and thought about how long it took you to get pregnant with Rose. It was too easy to recall all of the months where you had yourself nearly convinced that it was never going to happen. How much anger and hurt you felt, wanting something your body just wasn't letting you have. And your daughter was perfect. She really was. But now you were scared for a different reason, and you only had yourself to blame for being so horny when you forgot to take your birth control pills away with you.

The fact that this candy bar tasted so good to you was becoming alarming. You could eat about ten of these in a row right now, no problem. You desperately needed to stop with the junk food and lose more weight, but you were starting to worry that there was a reason for this as you did some quick math. If you got pregnant in La Jolla, you would be about nine weeks along by now. You almost choked on the chocolate. That was practically the end of the first trimester. Maybe there was a reason you were so fucking bloated.

When your phone alarm sounded, you carefully chewed up the last of the candy as you eased yourself out of the tub to silence it. Your movements felt like slow motion as you unwrapped your finger to find just a small cut before tossing the toilet paper in the trash. You turned to look at yourself in the mirror, pausing to examine your expressionless face. And before you even looked down at the test on the counter, you knew what the result was.

--------------------------------

Being in a different time zone than you was annoying as hell. Bradley missed a call from you last night when he passed out as soon as he got back to his room after hitting the gym and taking a shower. Once again, he was afraid to call or text you too early and wake you this morning. Besides, he had to be in the tower soon to discuss some of his frontrunners with the admirals since he only had two more days before he flew back to San Diego. At that point, he would start planning the training exercises he would implement with these aviators come September.

Two pairs of Super Hornets were working through a dogfighting scenario when the radios in the tower crackled to life with voices. Once again, Indigo and Rex seemed like the top prospects for permanent roles at Top Gun. "They look really good," Bradley mused, scanning their list of accolades. "They're at the top of my list."

"Agreed," one of he admirals replied. "They are both a bit ruthless in the air, but they get the job done every single time."

The fact that it sounded like they were talking about Jake from five years ago almost made Bradley laugh, but that was probably the energy he needed to bring back with him. He could work some of the ruthlessness out of their systems.

"Who else do you think would fit with the program?" the other admiral asked, and Bradley was pleased to find that his notes and thoughts on all of the aviators were met with respect and agreement. His shoulders loosened, and a rush of confidence filled his veins. He'd been trying not to acknowledge how much this new role was filling him with anxiety. There was the fear of failing at his job, but he also wanted to be successful for his own personal growth. At the end of the day, knowing he was leading a well rounded team was important to him.

It was also important that he hit the gym again, or maybe go for a long run. The last few times you'd ordered pizza for dinner, he came home and inhaled half of the pie like it was nothing. When he looked in the mirror, there was definitely some more weight hanging around his middle. When he texted you, asking for some new pictures of Rose, you told him you were still at work but needed to call him as soon as you were done. He had about an hour, so he got changed and turned on his This is what a gym playlist should sound like, Bradley playlist that you made him so long ago, and he started a long run.

You were so much better at making playlists than he was, it was laughable. However the summer heat here was not laughable. Nobody else looked as beet red and sweaty as him. Maybe he was just conditioned for San Diego at this point. He wasn't really sure, but by the time he put a few miles in, he doubled back toward his barracks. When he sat down on some concrete steps at the side of the building, he held onto his phone, ready to answer your call whenever it came.

He was mopping his forehead with the hem of his UVA tee shirt when the door behind him swung open. 

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw."

Indigo's voice was now familiar to him from several conversations and the comms in the tower. "Lieutenant Jeffries," he replied as she stepped past him, also dressed for a run. He simply couldn't understand how these people weren't always pouring sweat.

"I meant to ask how you're enjoying Texas."

Bradley laughed and set his phone down on the step between his feet as she stood on the cement before him. "I'm ready to go back to San Diego and escape the heat. Not sure how you all manage here."

She smiled and ran her fingers through her jet black ponytail. "It's not so bad. I'm from Virginia, so it almost feels familiar." Her eyes slid down to his chest, reading his shirt before continuing to his left hand. "You went to UVA?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod. "I grew up between Norfolk and Virginia Beach."

Her vibrant eyes lit up. "What a small world, Sir. We would definitely have a lot to chat about. After I run my five miles and hit the shower, I'm heading to the bar with Rex and the others. You should meet me there."

Bradley's brow furrowed as he examined her face. She was young. He knew exactly how young from poring over the individual files all week. Her expression held no trace of uncertainty, like she was expecting him to agree without question. She was one hell of a self assured pilot, but he wasn't going to start playing favorites.

"Thanks for the invitation, but I'm waiting for a phone call."

One dark brow quirked up over her blue eyes. "From your wife?"

He nodded slowly, voice deep and raspy when he spoke again. "Yeah. Hopefully my daughter, too."

Her gaze lingered on his face as she backed away from him with a soft laugh. "I'll be looking for you at the bar later."

Then she was off and running, leaving Bradley squinting into the setting sun and her retreating form. When he picked up his phone, he realized he missed your call again. 

--------------------------------

Bradley, please focus on your family. One more chapter of him in Texas, and then we'll see what follows him home. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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