Goose survives the accident, barely. He lies in a coma covered un tubes to help him survive and Carole is almost used to it. Except one night, someone else sits by Goose's bedside with some interesting news to tell.
Words: 2250
Carole took a deep breath as she walked out of the bathroom. Looking at the clock, she realised visiting hours were almost over, not that that mattered with how many nights her and Mav spent curled up at Goose's bedside.
Bradley came out of the bathrooms shaking his wet hands. He rubbed his eyes and made grabby hands at her.
"Mommy, I'm tired." He stated with a yawn.
"Okay, baby, let's go home," She scooped him up and held him on her hip. He blinked slower and snuggled under her cardigan. "We'll just say goodbye to daddy first."
He was dealing with this as well as any four year old could. Part of him still didn't know what was wrong with Goose, the other was hyper aware of all the tubes and wires coming out of his dad's body.
She was just glad she had Mav. Sleeping was already hard and would've been impossible without him to talk to on all those lonely nights. There were far too many things to think about.
How much of the medical costs will the Navy cover? If there's long term effects, not really an if anymore but she could hope, will they support them? How much of a pension will he get? Will he be able to work? Will she be able to support them all on a library assistant's wage? Will she have to quit to look after him?
What if they can't make enough money to cover medical bills? What if they take the house? What if they take Bradley? What if Goose can't relate to her after the accident and leaves her? What if they can't take the stress and split up? Would he get Bradley? Probably, she doubted her abilities as a mother sometimes despite all Goose told her otherwise.
How will she cope alone? Her mother wouldn't take her in, surely not? She'll side with Goose, everyone will and she'll deserve it.
She can't do this. She can't do this. She can't do this.
Waking up from her thoughts, she realised she was at Goose's room already. That familiar weight was on her chest. Like a stone she couldn't shift.
Looking into the room, her eyes fell onto Goose's unconscious form. A tube came out of his mouth, two up his nose to help him breathe. A catheter came out from under the tightly tucked sheets. An IV was wedged in his arm, the bag was almost empty, the nurse would be there soon to replace it.
She wondered if it would be the nice one, who let her curl up at his side, or the harsh one who treated Goose like a porcelain doll in a museum. She practically knew them all by name now.
His neck was in a brace. A large bandage covered his head. His blond hair was shaved harshly and stood up in clumps. She wasn't allowed to brush it, the sticky pads measuring his brain waves couldn't be touched.
That had shocked her at first, them testing his brain, but she'd soon understood how much of a miracle Goose surviving was. Although no one was sure if he'd ever wake up, and she spent a fair amount of time wondering about that possibility too.
It was only once she'd assessed Goose's unchanged situation that she realised someone else was in the room. Slider.
She hadn't talked to him much alone, only with the other men from Top Gun. He seemed nice enough, a little cocky but genuine. Although she wondered if that was a facade like Mav or if he really was a bit of a dick.
She went to go in and talk but stopped when he sniffed. Perhaps she should leave him for a moment.
"Look, Goose, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need to get something off my chest-" he lent on his bent legs, "so maybe it's a good thing that you can't hear this, or can't reply."
He sighed, deeply. There was a shudder in his breath. His figure was silhouetted by the dark, nighttime lights of the room but she could see how his large frame looked small.
"And if you can hear me, and hate me for what I'm going to say, then okay. We'll probably never see each other again anyway."
He rubbed his face, "Let's just get this out of the way, I've got feelings for you, Goose."
"I think I'm falling in love with you," he sniffled. "And you're lying there in a coma and I may never know if you feel the same way."
She stopped herself from going in and comforting him. Because she knew that Goose reciprocated, she'd heard him blabbering about 'Slider this' and 'Slider that' in the weeks leading up to her and Bradley joining him out here.
Although, she didn't know if Goose knew that. And surprisingly she wasn't averted to the idea. Navy life was hard and if he could find some relief, with someone she liked, then why not? It would clearly be more than mindless sex, and her husband definitely still loved her.
But Slider didn't know any of that.
"And you've got a wife too," Slider continued. "So that kind of settles how this is all going to end, doesn't it?"
"You don't love me, you love your wife, like you should, and I'll just be heartbroken because I got too caught up in how whimsical you are,"
He looked up from his hands. For a moment he just stared at Nick, listened to the steady beep of his heart monitor and the regulated inhale and exhale the machines maintained.
"Remember high school?" He said. "Does Mav know we knew each other in high school? Does your wife?"
He shook his head, "High School Track Team, we took it so seriously, you ran the fastest 5000 metres in the school and I just couldn't beat it."
A beat went by. Slider was building up to something again but it took a little less time, perhaps the flood gates were well and truly open.
"I'm sure you remember our after practice 'rewards', god we really were desperate, weren’t we?" He said. "Horny teenagers, exploring ourselves with the only other person we knew we could."
"I expect that your wife doesn't know about those make out sessions behind the locker rooms."
No, she didn't know that. She knew they went to school together. Goose's mother had his class photos, Slider, or Ron as he was known then, was always listed underneath alongside the other names. Apparently they even went to the same church, although Ron wasn't in the church choir like Nick was.
"I thought for so long that's all we'd be, I think that's all I wanted, or thought I could have, for a while," he said.
"We had ideas of flying together, you'd be my RIO, but when we got to the Academy, we drifted apart. I met Iceman and little did I know, you met Mav and your wife. And that was that, we didn't meet up at all and I was left reeling for years because I realised how much I liked having you in my life."
He gestured at Goose. Carole realised how peaceful he looked, like sleeping beauty. She knew he wouldn't wake from a kiss.
"Because you make everyone feel like a friend," Slider continued. "Everyone's welcome when you're around, and back then, I was so insecure and having that presence in my life, even if it was just for make out sessions behind the locker rooms, did me good."
He ran a hand through his hair, "And I forgot about you, thought I'd got over you, but then you showed up in the O Club and, god, you looked good enough to eat."
"I mean, in your whites? Moustache filled out? More muscle on you? I had to make a joke or I would've gotten myself dishonourably discharged on the roughing you right up," he chuckled.
Carole agreed with him there. Whenever she saw Goose in uniform, she had to physically restrain herself from leaping at him. She sure showed him how much she thought a uniform accentuated his body when he was on leave, too.
"But it wasn't just that. You'd just gotten so much better than high school," he said. "You're confident in yourself, know yourself and you've got a life you're comfortable with now."
Sitting back in his chair, he sighed, "And I fell head over heels in love with you and just couldn't stop myself."
For a moment, he didn't say anything more. She didn't think much more needed saying. She knew she wasn't meant to hear any of this but couldn’t help but find herself endeared to him.
There was something about him she liked that she couldn't quite put her finger on. His confidence didn't seem to be making up for something like Mav’s was yet it wasn't all he was. From his speech, though, he hadn’t always had that balance. Him being easy on the eye helped also.
"But look what's happened," Slider continued, gesturing at Goose's unconscious form. "You almost broke your neck, or did apparently but survived? I don't know, I heard it all from Ice and even he's not sure."
"I can't help but feel like it's my fault. Because if I hadn’t been so smitten with you then maybe I would've thought about the jet wash and you wouldn't be here."
He broke down into tears. His head dropped into his hands and the silent room was made darker with his sadness.
"I'm just so sorry,"
With that, she stormed in. Bradley stirred on her shoulder but was still well asleep. It had been a full few days and they all needed their rest.
Slider jolted up with a start. He dried his tears with the back of his hand, "How much of that did you hear?"
She chuckled and sat next to him, "All of it."
His eyes widened. He gulped, not meeting her face at all. He settled his gaze on Goose's feet.
"I bet you hate me, then?"
"Hate you? What for?"
"For falling in love with your husband? Most people wouldn't be okay with that."
She rolled her eyes and pushed Bradley back onto her shoulder as he rolled off. He was slobbering, open mouthed and adorable. She pulled her cardigan further over him as a makeshift blanket.
"Well, I'm not most people." She said simply. "And I don't blame you for falling for Goose, I'm surprised I don't have to fight off suitors whenever I see him in uniform."
"You're right, there,"
They laughed together. Slider sniffed but still couldn't look at her.
"I think he feels the same way, you know,"
He perked up, "Really?"
"Yeah, whenever he's not saying how much he misses me and Brad, or how much of an idiot Mav is being or how stressful Top Gun is, he talks about you."
Slider shuffled in his seat, "What does he talk about?"
"'Slider's gotten so muscular since high school, he seems much more himself, he makes such a good RIO, I should ask him for tips, I should ask him what uses for his hair, it looks so nice,'" she said. "So all the usual things for a crush."
"How do you feel about him having feelings for me? You are his wife, after all, being okay with me liking him is different than the feelings being reciprocated."
She pondered for a moment and thought of them. Thought of Goose holding Slider's face like he held her's when they kissed, thought of him dragging him up to dance or chuckling on lazy mornings and it made her face warm. Warm because in each of them, she could picture herself there too.
That was unexpected. Maybe there was something more to the things she'd picked out about Slider than just noticing her husband's appreciation of him. Because seeing him close up was giving her butterflies, being here with him and Goose felt complete.
"I'm okay with it," she settled on. "Of course it'll take some getting used to if you both give it a go but I just want him to be happy."
She looked at him and her face dropped. All the wear and tear of the day caught up with her and her eyes felt heavy.
"I just want him to be happy."
Tears dripped down her face, her body shook yet she tried to suppress it so to not disturb Bradley, still sound asleep on her shoulder. Everything, all the worry, all the sleepless nights, couldn’t be held back.
Slider pushed her head onto his shoulder. His hand fell naturally on the back of her neck as the tears slid silently down her face.
"I'm so sorry," Slider whispered.
She shook her head, "It's not your fault."
"Yes it is. It was mine and Slider's jet wash."
"It was a mechanical fault, you can't see jet wash, apparently, so it's not you nor Ice nor Mav's fault, okay?"
He just gulped and nodded. His eyes were sparkly with tears. Settling his head on hers, she took comfort in the communal solemnity she'd found with him.
They sat, not talking for a while. She knew she had to get home, back to her sleepless nights. But for now she was happy staring at Goose with him while the monitors beeped and Bradley slept on her shoulders. It was almost perfect.
I originally planned for this to be part of a wider polyam au, a follow on from A Heart to Hold, but I wasn't feeling that, so this will be it's own separate thing from that. I think I'll still make that a whole AU, with gooslider later on but for now there's this.
These three have really taken a hold on me, thank @blurrwar for introducing me to the idea of them in this post, I may write more for them because there isn't much apart from @pollyna and @littleroosteruwu who are doing God's work. Also my friend @tophatcat459 is a major help for brainstorming various ideas and ships.
Carole and Slider are getting along well, bonding over their shared love of Goose. But when he wakes up, how will Goose react to Slider's love?
Words: 5257
Takes place after Almost Perfect.
Nighttime was inching in over the horizon. Not too close, it was summer in California so the sun was still burning orange and yellow across the sky. Clouds lay low, covered by the tall buildings of San Diego.
She missed being able to see the whole sky. Her childhood had been a strange mix of suburbia and country life. If ever she wanted to see the sunset, she could see the entire ombre just outside her window.
But here, in a stuffy hospital room outside San Diego, the sky's colours were dampened. They almost hurt her eyes with how bright they were. Her life had become a series of dark rooms. Hospital, family housing, hospital, family housing. A cruel cycle that she was almost beginning to love.
She was just proud of herself for going home. She had to, for Bradley. Had to eat so he would, shower so he would. Because to him this was still a holiday, kind of, so they visited the park and went out for lunch from time to time despite how much she wished to stay by Goose's side.
She pretended not to be falling apart and tried not to fall asleep. She supposed it was good for her not to be stuck in this room. Goose would scorn her for sitting there staring at his unmoving body.
But he was in a coma, he couldn't speak to her, or comfort her, or hold her when she couldn't sleep. So she could do what she liked, thank you very much.
Her eyes were drooping now but she knew she wouldn't fall asleep. Tonight, her mind was focusing on his recovery. The doctors wouldn't be able to tell how bad the injury was but after more scans and surgery they were a bit more certain.
He'd fractured his C7 and C8 vertebrae, at the bottom of his neck, near his shoulder blades. This fracture had damaged part of his spinal cord, part being the opulent word. Because some nerves weren't damaged, it meant he could recover, but to what extent they wouldn't know until he woke up. Or if.
They weren't exactly sure. Although, there was more hope now he could breathe by himself. They'd removed the tube from his mouth a few days ago. It meant she could kiss him now, at least.
Bradley was with Mav tonight. She'd needed some alone time with Goose after so long of visiting with Bradley or Mav or Slider.
She’d been getting closer to Slider. It was nice to hear him talk about Goose because he knew him before he became Goose, yet was also getting used to him again now, in whatever form that was.
Away from the pressures of the Navy, he relaxed. There was a softness to him. Despite the rage and muscles and glistening sweat, he was gentle too. Or at least he was with her.
He brought her coffee, drove her to the hospital even though he had to get to Top Gun, made Bradley laugh and held him on his shoulders. She’d fallen asleep in his car a few times too, and always woken up back at home too.
It was nice to be cared for like that. Not that Mav wasn't caring for her. He was dealing with his fear and grief right now. When he cared for her, it was to comfort himself as much as her. They found contentment in each other's sorrow.
That's why having Slider around was helpful, in a different way. He was suffering too, he’d been in the air with Goose when the accident happened, and they both knew of his feelings for him. But because he hadn't been around him for a while, wasn't quite in their little family yet, he was slightly more separated from the whirlwind her life had become.
But she needed to be alone with Goose on nights like tonight. The nights when her dreams felt too real and he was so close. Close enough to touch but she'd wake up so lonely because he wasn't there to fulfill all the thoughts she had in her head.
He was just lying there, she thought, looking at him again. She was getting sick of it. Sick of this greyish-blue room, sick of the beeping and clicking.
She wanted him to open those wonderful eyes of his, open them and smile to her. She wanted him to rip out those tubes and run to her, give her a soft hello and a hard kiss as he swung her in his arms.
But away from that fantasy, he was still lying there in a coma. And she won't sleep tonight despite the fatigue she felt in her bones, because all she'll see is him lying there, away from her, cold.
All she wanted to do most nights was curl up by his side and fall asleep. She knew she wasn't meant to due to all the wires and tubes coming out of him, but sometimes the nurses would let her, for a little while. At least the nice ones did.
Most nights she could resist, yet tonight she was just too damn tired.
She got up the scratchy plastic chair and shuffled over to him. This room made her skin come out in goosebumps. She always made sure to take an extra cardigan with her, just in case.
Tracing the dry, smooth skin on his arm, she moved away some of the tubes and stretched the bedsheets out. It wasn't very comfortable but it would serve her good, for now.
Just as she went to curl up by his side, one of the nurses walked in.
"Carole, good evening," Nurse Carrow said. "You going for a nap?"
She hummed, "I was thinking of it."
"Well, I will say that Nurse Withers is on her break now, got a good half hour before she finds and scolds you," she said. "Will twenty minutes do it?"
She blinked slowly and looked at her. They both had bags under their eyes but Nurse Carrow was a lot more put together. Dreadlocks in a bun behind her head, dark skin fresh and youthful. Nothing like the heavy, wishy washy figure Carole felt she was becoming.
"Thank you,"
"Anytime," she said and closed the door.
Carole slipped off her shoes and rubbed her eyes. Twenty minutes would be better than another sleepless night, or restless one wishing for a dreamless sleep.
He wasn't warm like he usually was. He didn't reach out and pull her along his body, let her use him like a cuddly toy or a comfort blanket. But here, by his side, she felt more normal than she had in a while.
~~~
Sunday mornings felt particularly weird now Goose was in hospital. She always expected to be woken up by him getting ready for church. But every time that drop of disappointment came when she remembered he wouldn't be getting ready for church. He wasn't going anywhere.
Bradley slurped his milk from the bottom of his bowl of cereal, multicoloured from his lucky charms, and it broke her from her trance. She hadn't slept much after her nap last night.
But Mav being next door helped her an ungodly amount. If she ever fell asleep, it was on his shoulder in the depths of night.
He was here now, too. He was practically living in their family housing with her and Bradley. She found him curled up on their sofa with a scowl on his face most nights.
A knock on the door woke her up from her thoughts again. She knew who that was. A sparkle of joy rose and pierced the cloud of fear and sadness she was encompassed in.
"Come in," she called.
Slider walked through the door with the same hesitant smile he always did. He wore a muscle t-shirt, accentuating his biceps in a way that almost made her blush, white shorts that made his tanned legs glow, and white high tops. There was a glisten of sweat on his skin, from exercise or the heat she didn't know.
"Morning," he said. "I brought coffee."
He looked at the takeaway cups in his hand, "Well, tea for you."
Hurring over, she grabbed the cup and took a sip despite the heat. She needed some kind of caffeine. She’d never liked coffee, too bitter no matter how much milk or sugar she added.
"Thank you" she said through the steam.
Mav raised an eyebrow, "Slider?"
"We're visiting Goose," Carole said.
"I know you are, just didn't know Slider was coming along,"
Slider shrugged and revealed his other hand from behind the door, "I bought pastries too."
Her eyes sparkled. Some kind of warmth rose from her gut as she considered the fact that Slider not only took the time to get her a drink she liked, but also considered if she'd eaten or not.
"You know her husband is just in a coma, right? She's not back on the market just yet," Mav said, coming to her aid like the little brother he was to her.
"On the market?" She exclaimed. "What am I? A shoe?"
Bradley giggled from the breakfast table. She didn't even need to tell him to get his things ready, he ran to his bedroom of his own accord. Although he came back with most of his toys, a colouring book, his goose and three pairs of socks rather than his shoes like she wanted.
After rolling her eyes, she helped him choose two toys, leave his socks behind and clutch his goose tightly by the neck as she put on his shoes. She hurried over to Mav after throwing some things together and gave him a peck on the cheek and ruffled his hair.
"I'll be back about lunchtime, probably,"
He nodded. The initial fun of Slider arriving wore off as they settled back into the morose atmosphere they were living in.
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" She asked.
"I'll visit him later," he whispered. "I'm going for breakfast with Ice later."
She chuckled, "Again?"
"Yeah, I-" he blushed and looked at his hands. "We actually get along quite well."
Slider barked out a laugh, "It's nice to know all my encouragement hasn't gone amiss."
They both turned to him, eyebrows raised. Mav opened and closed his mouth. Carole could see the cogs turning in his head.
"Your encouragement?" He repeated.
"Yeah, all I hear is 'Mav this' and 'Mav that', I had to do something about it or I think I'd go insane, "
Mav closed his mouth with a click. He gulped. Carole ruffled his hair again and said goodbye as she picked up Bradley and left the house.
~~~
The hospital was just as quiet as it was yesterday. Goose was in the critical care ward which reeked of the smell of people close to death. The nurses had soft smiles, the doctors rushed around silently and beeps thrummed almost in time.
Bradley ran into the room and settled on the bed. He dropped his bag somewhere on the glossy floor and brought his toy goose up to his face.
"Hi, Daddy," he said. "I got Mr Goose with me, he says hello."
Carole smiled as he made the goose's beak touch Goose's lips. He went on to babble about everything that had happened since he last saw him. His hair was ruffled again and sticking up all over the place even though she'd tried to smooth it down already, just like her's.
She collapsed into the same chair as last night. Her body sank like this room sank her mood. She sipped the dregs of her tea and sighed, she really missed him.
Slider settled next to her. The smile was gone from his face too.
"I'm almost sick of being here," she said. "I'm sick of sitting in this drab room everyday, sick of being so worried,"
"I just want to go home-" she started but Slider finished her sentence.
"But it won't be home without him? Right?"
She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. He was so strong, not only physically but emotionally too.
Tall and strong and tanned. She began to blush. Those thoughts had been coming more and more often recently.
And part of her was scared that maybe she was getting bored of Goose or this time in hospital had pushed her away from him. But thinking of her worry for him and the panic she felt in her chest when she thought of him dying told her otherwise.
But thinking critically, she realised her thoughts of Slider had Goose in there too. If they were kissing, she wanted to kiss Goose too, she wanted hugs from both of them, wanted to be surrounded by the love and security that having two tall, strong men would bring.
Slider pulled her closer onto his shoulder, his arm embracing her as she felt her face pull down in a frown.
"Did you sleep last night?" He whispered.
She shook her head, "Had a nap here before I left."
"It can't be healthy, getting this little sleep,"
"I know, I can't help it, just worry so much," She looked at Goose and swore she saw his head twitch, but put it down to being close to three days without a full night's sleep. "He's like my big teddy bear."
Slider gaze her a sleezy smile, "Maybe you need another one."
She giggled to herself. She had had to hide the images of her sandwiched between the two, but now they were resurfacing from where she'd safely stored them away.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she almost gave into the exhaustion. Slider rubbed her shoulder and held her tighter as she let out a long sigh.
Bradley's feet pattered across the floor as he raced over to them. With a slight heave, he crawled onto Slider's lap. Carole opened her eyes and watched him play with his toy goose. He bounced it along Slider's arm, making soft honking noises as Slider put his other arm around his middle to make sure he didn't fall off his lap.
"You three look cosy," a croaky voice broke the silence.
Carole and Slider looked at each other, then at Bradley. Neither had spoke. They looked at the door, no one was there.
"Over here?"
She looked at the bed and almost didn't believe her eyes.
Goose was awake.
Gently, she got up, taking tentative steps toward his bed. Tears pricked in her eyes. One fell down her cheek.
"Nick?" She whispered. "Are you actually awake?"
He smiled and she couldn't hold anything in anymore. She threw herself over him. He lent his head on her's as she peppered him with wet kisses
"I'm here, honey, I'm here," His voice was croaky from weeks without speaking.
She raised her head and stroked his cheeks. His skin was dry. She avoided the tubes coming out of his nose as she squished him. Her thumb rubbed the rough bandages on his head.
In the background, Bradley shot up from his seat on Slider's lap. He still had his goose in hand and lept up onto the bed, hitting Goose's body with an oomph.
"Daddy! You woke up!" He exclaimed.
"I did, chick,"
"D'ya like my stories?"
"I did," Goose smiled. "And I'm glad to see Mr Goose is alright."
Bradley beamed and held up the goose in question, "Did you hear that Mr Goose? Daddy's happy to see you!"
Goose chuckled and lay a kiss on the worn toy's head. Looking over his shoulder, he met Slider's eyes. His smile grew and spread.
"And Slider-" Goose said breathlessly. "It's good to see you."
A red flush grew over his face, "It's good to see you too."
They kept their gazes on each other. Carole jumped off the bed and swooped Bradley off with her.
"I think I'll give Mav a call, he was going for breakfast with Ice, wasn't he?" She said, looking at Slider.
Slider shook himself awake and looked at her, "Yeah, he should still be in."
"Mav and Ice going for coffee?" Goose said.
"Oh god, you've missed their endless pining for each other," he exclaimed, his head collapsing in his hands. "All I hear is how cute Mav is and how much Ice wants to hold his hand-"
Then he added, "Honest to god, I don't want to hear about how cute Mav’s butt is anymore."
"Don't worry, I heard a lot in that coma, I tried to make myself wake up just to make him shut up."
Slider's eyes widened. Carole smiled at him, a glow on her cheeks that made his stomach fill with butterflies. The way the light from the hall shone around her head like a halo made her platinum blonde hair shine. God, he thought, she was pretty.
She hopped up from the bed and picked up Bradley. He wiggled in her arms, whining as she took him away from Goose.
"Come on, we're calling Uncle Mav," she told him, giving Slider and Goose side eyes as she left for the hall. "I'll leave you two to talk amongst yourselves."
Slider flushed red and squinted at her. Sure, he'd been preparing how he'd confess his love to Goose since she'd found out. But he would’ve liked more than a five minute warning. Although, Goose had just woken up.
"So, Slider, you and Carole seem close," Goose said.
"Oh, yeah, there's a good reason for that."
He gave him a brief smile and gestured at him with his head, "Come over here, I'm not mad, it's nice that she had someone looking after her."
He settled on the bed and fought the urge to take his hand. Seeing him closer made that ache he felt in his chest grow. There were bags under his eyes. His skin stretched pale across his face.
"Look, I'll be honest with you so you can kick me out," he rubbed his hands. "I think I'm falling in love with you."
He cocked his head, "Well, not think, I know because you almost died and I was heartbroken that I never got to get closer to you or tell you I love you, and then Carole found out and helped."
He didn't look at Goose, couldn’t, it was too much. The words came out even though he knew he should stop. He had to get him to understand.
"And I just realised how much I liked having you around in high school, and how you wear the shit out of any naval uniform or Hawaiian shirt, how you're so gentle without being condescending or too soft," he sighed and looked down. "I just really like you, and I'm not expecting you to feel the same way but-"
"Slider, Slider, stop,"
Goose's eyes were soft. He seemed to be wanting to raise his hand, maybe touch his back or hand. But they had yet to hear from the doctors, and he realised in this moment that Goose had a lot of recovery to go, because he couldn't move his hands.
"I heard you when I was in the coma, like I said earlier," he said with genuine softness in his voice. "And I don't hate you."
Slider breathed a sigh of relief and saw Goose flush red. This soft moment made the long nights holding Carole as she lightly sobbed almost worth it.
And that was another thing too, he was growing feelings for her too. He'd noticed her the first night they met, when she practically drank him under the table while still remaining that sparkle in her eye.
"You don't?"
"No." Goose smiled. "Actually, kind of the opposite."
"Opposite?"
"I think, in retrospect, I've been falling for you too,"
They both smiled at each other.
"Carole was right, then,"
"She usually is,"
The cold room had now turned warm. Slider traced his hand across Goose's body. Felt the callouses in his hand, the hair on his arms. There were freckles on his neck, dulled from over a week out of the sun.
"I guess I'll learn that," Slider eventually said.
Goose shot him a confused look. He still, however, looked amazing, despite the chopped hair, bandages on his head and drab hospital clothing.
Slider hid his face. Would Goose want him to be with Carole? Or, probably the more important question, would Carole want him? What if he'd read the signs wrong and she just wanted friendship? He guessed he'd have to take the risk.
"Learn that?"
"Yeah, that's the thing, spending so much time with Carole, pining over you, it's got me falling for her too," he said.
Goose blinked at him for a moment. He hadn't reacted badly, or well, he hadn't reacted at all. Maybe that was a good thing?
"I don't blame you to be honest," he finally said, his eyes going misty. "There's a reason I married her, she's so-"
"Understanding? Adorable? Glowing?"
Goose laughed and nodded. The blush returned to his face as his eyes sparkled.
"Yeah, I think you've got it,"
Slider smiled smally, "So you're not mad about that either?"
"No," he said. "You should really have more faith in us, Slider."
Goose scrunched his face in a blink of pain. Slider placed his hand on his shoulder and met his eyes. He stroked his forehead.
"I should call the doctor," he said.
Goose nodded stiffly, "I think Carole will." He then added. "You should tell her, she'll get it more than you think."
He closed his eyes and bit his lip. He thought of how her hair framed her face, the quiet laugh she'd let out or how peaceful she looked when she slept in his car.
"Please," Goose pleaded. "For me? It might go better than you think."
With a sigh, Slider nodded. And just in this moment, Carole reentered the room, giving them both a smug smile as she sat on the other side of the bed.
"So-" she raised her eyebrows. "You two have talked, then?"
They both hummed, barely looking away from each other.
"Did it go well?" She asked.
Slider chuckled. He took Goose's hand in his and lay a kiss on his knuckles, not breaking eye contact.
"Yes, I think it did,"
Goose honestly giggled, "We'll have to arrange something, when I'm a bit more mobile."
"Hm, never been to Texas," he said. "That is where you Bradshaws reside, isn't it?"
"You're welcome to visit anytime," Carole said.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Bradley whined from his place on the floor and she picked him up. He smiled as he sat on her lap.
Slider could see Goose's joy at seeing his family. He understood why, his heart skipped a beat seeing how happy Carole looked holding her son.
"Well, I'll have to see how much time I get off now I'm going to be an instructor at TOPGUN," Slider said.
Goose's face froze with shock then melted into a smile, "So you and Ice won then?"
The passage of time suddenly hit him. It had been three weeks since the accident. Goose had not only missed the rest of their time at TOPGUN, but the mission afterwards.
"You missed a lot, there was a mission after graduation, Mav and Ice get along now-"
"Too well," Carole added. "I think all we've both been hearing from Mav and Ice is about the other."
Slider chuckled and nodded at her. Goose rolled his eyes with a smile as Slider continued.
"Mav’s also going to be an instructor, so god help the next round of Aviators who get taught by us,"
"Mav’s staying here in Miramar?" Goose said.
His face had dropped slightly. A sad glean was in his eye. He deflated against the thin hospital mattress.
"Yeah, I think he wants to try out something new that still keeps him in the air," Slider said, then grabbed Goose's shoulder to reassure him. "But there's a new class every twelve weeks, right? So you'll probably see him in between classes if he can visit!"
"You too." He added. "You can visit too."
That warm rush flooded through him, made his head go dizzy and the urge to smile almost uncontrollable. Today will probably be the best day of his life. Because Goose wanted him. The only thing that would make it better would be Carole reciprocating too.
"Of course I will, sweetcheeks,"
A red flush coloured Goose's cheeks and his blue eyes flashed with gold.
"No one's ever called me that before," he stammered.
Slider's glee shallowed. Had he overstepped the mark?
Goose evidently noticed because he added, "I like it, it's just new, makes me feel gooey."
"Gooey!" Bradley shouted.
They all laughed. Bradley wiggled under their attention as Carole pinched his cheek.
"Well, we're near two naval air bases so you could always get transfered," Carole said.
Slider pondered this. Thought of finishing his shift and driving home to them, kissing them both on the lips, hearing Goose's honking laugh and seeing how Carole's eyes scrunched when she giggled. The knots in his stomach eased, that's what they were, relaxation, calm and knowing it would all work out in the end.
"We'll figure something out," he settled on, saying all his thoughts out loud would be too much.
He lent over to kiss Goose's forehead when the door opened with a slam. All their heads snapped to see who it was but his loud cry told them.
"You're awake!" Maverick yelled.
He ran into the room, almost pushing Slider off the bed as Iceman cooly followed behind him. They embraced, Mav lightly sobbing and laughing in his shoulder. Slider took a step back and knew the moment was over.
~~~
Night had fallen over Miramar as Carole juggled with her keys. Slider held onto Bradley, sound asleep in his shoulder.
It had been a full day for all of them, let alone for a four year old. Once Mav arrived, the doctor appeared soon after with less than good news. If he got it correct, he broke two vertebrae in his neck and had no feeling in his legs, fingers and even some parts of his arms.
They'd made a recovery plan. Once Goose was well enough to leave bed, because they still needed to monitor his brain to see if there was residual damage, they'd transfer him to a rehabilitation hospital in Texas to work on walking again, although that wasn't certain to happen.
Carole opened the door and Bradley shook himself awake. He toddled in with the promise of a bedtime story, rubbing his eyes. She went in to follow him but Slider stopped her.
He thought of what Goose had said. Have faith in them, tell her about his feelings, she'll get it more than he thought.
"Carole, I have to tell you something,"
She turned to him with her face all honest and open to listening and he almost lost his willpower. Because if he got it wrong then he'd hurt her and he didn't want that.
"I've already told Goose about my feelings for him, and we both know that that went well, but there's something else that I told him, and he approves," he realised how that sounded. "Not that you belong to him, you're your own person but I thought you'd like to know I'm not hurting Goose."
She rubbed his arm and smiled, "Slider, just spit it out."
He sighed, tried to calm the swirling fear in his stomach. The kind of fear he never felt.
"I'm falling for you, too."
Her hand stopped on his arm. Her eyes widened and mouth opened slightly agape.
"Wha-"
"You're just so funny and understanding and resilient and kind, you know how to comfort people in a way I haven't been comforted in years, I love your smell, your fashion sense is so bright like you and your smile makes me feel gooey,"
He continued despite her growing shock, "And of course I fell for Goose first, I am still falling for him too, but then I met you and everything got so much better."
He clenched his hands and huffed. Looking at his feet, the rush of fear subsided to annoyance. He'd managed to get his feelings across to Goose, why was it so much harder to tell her?
"Look, can I just do something? I can't get the words out and I just want to show you how I feel,"
She blinked at him. Her eyes were sparkling, blue twinkles like the ocean. Rosy red sat on her cheeks under the porch light. Bags under her eyes didn't take away how magnificent she looked.
Dropping her hands to her sides, she nodded with a look of determined wonder. When their eyes met, electricity jolted through his body.
"Yes," she whispered. "I trust you."
He nodded and stepped forward. Running his hands up her arms, he felt the smooth material of her shirt, he thought it may be one of Goose's. Her skin was soft as he caressed her jaw and stroked her cheek.
He held her head in his hands, shuffled closer and watched her close her eyes. His own shut as they lent into a gentle kiss.
Everything inside him glittered. The same joy he felt when Goose said he shared his feelings. So many ideas of the future flooded his mind.
He wanted this, only this. Only wanted to stop if it meant kissing Goose. He never wanted this feeling to end, wanted to roll in it and wrap himself up in its blanket. She was wonderful, magical, he'd seen their love and wanted in. If he could show them how he felt, let these feelings out, he’d be the happiest guy in the world.
They pulled apart. A grin grew on Slider's face that he couldn't stop.
Carole gave him a ditzy smile that stretched across her face slowly. She let out a soft giggle and ran her thumb over her lips.
"You're good at that," she breathed. "Very good."
"So you liked it?"
She nodded.
"And you like me?" He tilted his head to the side.
Approaching him, she held his hand in hers and smiled, "Yes, I do."
He let out a breath and joined her in smiling. He squeezed her hand and lay his forehead against hers.
"You've helped me so much, with Goose in hospital," she said. "And now we all know about each other's feelings, we can get started, hey?"
He nodded, thought the conversation was over but Carole surprised him. She lay a kiss on his cheek.
Yet, Bradley called from the dark depths of the house and they realised where they were again, how late the hour was and their responsibilities. They sighed and pulled away. She turned to go to the house. Her hand laying on the door, she faced him again
"See you in the morning, Ron," she said and winked at him.
The door closed with a click but Slider couldn't move. That five minutes was the best of his life. Had they really happened or was it all a dream from the side of Goose's bed? He pinched himself but found that he was still standing outside the TOPGUN family housing.
With a heave, he returned to his car, fighting the urge to dance back to his barracks. And their faces lingered on his mind. That was definitely the best day of his life so far.
I've been writing this for a while, had the image of Slider kissing Carole in my head too. This relationship to me is just a Carole sandwich, her being looked after by two tall strong men who love her so much. Thanks for reading!
