Flashlight
Title and chapter loosely inspired the song “Flashlight” by Hailee Steinfield.
Summary: Sometimes, family and friends are the people you look for even in the darkest times.
Warnings: Mentions of previous incident
Word Count: 3.3k
A/N: I'M BACK FOR A CHAPTER UPDATE!
I'm so sorry it took so long, I wasn't planning on a break, but because of my new job I've been busy. And I've been going through some things.
This story is almost finished, but I do plan on continuing Bradley and Aurora's story after this! Thank you so much for your support, for sticking by this story, and loving it as much as I do. 💜
Shoutout to @reginleight for editing this chapter, espeically now that she is also a working gal now. 😘
As always, likes are great and all, but comments, reblogs, and feedback are highly appreciated and loved! 🤭
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Aurora still hadn’t woken up. It had been three days since the bombing and she still was deep in her coma. The doctors said that her wounds had healed properly and that she should be waking up soon, but nothing had happened since.
She was transferred to a room out of the ICU since she wasn’t in critical condition anymore. All they were waiting for was for her to wake up.
The training for the mission had been postponed, especially since Maverick wasn’t in the right state of mind to train them as well as giving Coyote, Bob, and Phoenix a few days to rest.
Speaking of the rest of the squadron, they all had dropped by at least once a day to check in on Aurora, as well as Bradley and Peyton who spent most of their days at the hospital never wanting to leave her side.
Aurora’s NCIS team unfortunately had left to go back to DC, but not before exchanging numbers with the family so they would still receive updates on her condition. Ziva left the charm bracelet with Bradley, just as Aurora wanted.
He shed a few tears when receiving it because that had meant Aurora still thought of him even in her probably final moments. It broke his heart.
Today was the first day Maverick would be going back to base to talk to the Admirals, and training would be starting back up the next day.
At least, that’s what they had thought.
“What do you mean they took you off the mission?” Penny nearly shrieked at hearing the news.
Penny and Maverick were in Aurora’s hospital room. Peyton, Amelia, and Bradley had left to go home for a bit while Carole and Goose left to bring dinner to Penny and Maverick.
“It means I’m done, Penny. Officially. There’s nothing I can do!” Maverick sighs as he sits in his chair.
“But, what about Ice-”
“There’s nothing Ice can do.”
“So, what? You’re just going to give up?”
“What else can I do, Pen?”
“You fight! If you had lost your wingman, you’d keep fighting. Just like when Goose left.”
“Pen-”
“If anything happens to them, you’d never forgive yourself. You know that.”
Maverick exhales. “I don’t know how to fight anymore Pen. They told me that I should take this time to be with Aurora. Maybe the admirals are right.”
“You and I both know that they’re not. Aurora would hate that you just gave up!”
“She’s right.”
Penny and Maverick quickly turn to the bed that Aurora laid in, which was a sight they were used to.
Except this time, her eyes were open.
“Oh, Rory!” Penny exclaims, rushing to hug her daughter. Aurora grunts from the hug, as Maverick rushes to press the call button for a nurse.
Aurora coughs a bit before Penny hands her a cup of water that was on the table next to her. After taking a chug of her water, Penny gave her another big hug.
Soon, all the emotions hit Aurora and she began to cry.
“I’m so sorry mom, I’m sorry I-”
“Shhh, sweetie, it’s okay, you’re safe now. It’s okay,” Penny assures her. Maverick stood on the other side of Aurora so he could hold her hand.
“We were so worried, Rory, but when we heard what you did, we couldn’t be more proud of what you had done,” Maverick tearfully told her as he brushed her hair out of her face. “It was stupid, but we’re just glad you’re okay.”
Aurora’s eyes bore into her dad’s as it filled with tears. “I fought, dad, just like you wanted me to.”
“I know, princess, I know.”
Aurora took a few seconds before asking him the question that hit him hard. “So why aren’t you fighting to go back?”
Maverick breath hitches. “B–Because maybe it’s time to turn in the wings, Ro. I’m getting old, and I should be spending more time with you.”
“Screw what the admirals say!”
“Rory, language,” Penny warns her daughter.
“You have to keep fighting, because if you give up, you won’t forgive yourself for what happens on that mission. We’re Mitchell’s, it’s in our blood. We keep fighting, no matter what,” Aurora affirms.
Penny chuckles before kissing her daughter’s forehead. Maverick smiles, softly.
“I don’t even know what to do.”
“You’ll find a way, you always do,” Aurora smiles before she squeezes her dad’s hand. “Most likely, something illegal, but you’ll find a way.”
“Aurora Benjamin-Mitchell, don’t encourage your father!” Penny exclaims.
“Oh, please! I bet you he’s already thinking about it! It’s not like I told him to bomb the base or steal a plane!”
“Bomb jokes, really? This soon?” Penny gives her a worried look.
“Then you don’t want to hear any of the jokes Tony and I make when we’re on the field. We got head slaps from Gibbs so many times. I can feel one right now, it’s like Gibbs can tell I made a stupid joke,” Aurora winces, putting her hand on the back of her head as if Gibbs had just head slapped her. Penny rolls her eyes, as Maverick chuckles.
Soon a nurse comes by to take Aurora’s vitals, while Penny and Maverick leave so Aurora can have a bit of space. Penny rushes out to give Sarah a phone call, as Maverick calls Gibbs and the team about her being awake.
A few seconds after the call ended, Peyton, Amelia, and Bradley burst through the double swing doors that were used to enter the wing Aurora was staying at. Bradley was clutching a bouquet of flowers Maverick knew was meant for Aurora, as he liked to replace the flowers every day so Aurora would “wake up with a fresh bouquet” according to him.
Today, the flowers he had in his hand were pink carnations and white roses, symbolizing love and appreciation.
“S-she’s awake? The receptionist, they s-said, h-hold on, give me a second to breathe, I haven’t ran in s-so long,” Peyton bends over panting from running.
“Dude, we just ran from the front desk, which was not even that far,” Amelia gave him a deadpan look. Peyton ignores her and just keeps puffing out air.
“She’s awake?” Bradley looked hopeful at Maverick. Maverick smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, but right now she’s getting checked up on by the nurse, so we’ll wait until she’s done with the assessment. Wait, where’s Goose and Carole?”
“Here!” Goose bursts in dramatically through the double swing doors, holding a bag of takeout in his hands and almost hitting a nurse from the force of it, with Carole shaking her head behind him.
“Goose, careful!” Carole scolds him.
“It’s fine honey, if someone gets hurt, it’s all good because we’re already at a hospital!”
Carole sighs before turning to Maverick.
“We heard what happened. They pulled you out of the mission?”
“Wait, what?!” The trio of children exclaim at the news.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to figure it out,” Maverick reassures them.
The nurse soon walks out of Aurora’s room, saying that they were able to all visit her now. Everyone piled in, with Amelia and Peyton leading the group in, and were the first to hug Aurora.
Amelia and Peyton start tearing up, while Aurora holds them tightly.
To occupy himself, Bradley put the flowers he had in his hand in an empty vase that sat next to Aurora’s hospital bed side, as he already took the older flowers and left them at their house.
The dining table was filled with an older bouquet of flowers that Bradley had gotten for Aurora every day. Peyton complained when he started doing it because he kept sneezing from the amount of flowers, but he stopped complaining after day two.
Carole and Goose were the next ones to hug Aurora next, Carole telling her how worried she was, while Goose kept trying to get Carole to stop nagging her. Aurora soon laid eyes on Bradley, and she started tearing up.
Bradley took that as a sign to rush to his best friend’s side and hug her tightly.
“I’m sorry, B. I’m so sorry,” Aurora whispered.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe now,” he shushes her, as he combs his hands through her hair. She sniffles and they separate from the hug.
“You gave us quite a big scare there little star,” Goose sniffles as he and Carole come to Aurora’s side.
“Sorry, Uncle Goose,” Aurora cringes, knowing she had worried her family and friends.
“We’re just glad you’re alright,” Carole assures her, brushing some of Aurora’s hair back in a motherly gesture.
“Your team had to leave, but I gave them a call and they’re all happy that you’re doing okay and awake,” Maverick told her.
“And,” Amelia spoke up. “They told us about the case.”
Aurora looks at her confused. “What case?”
“You know…the case about…your scars,” Peyton hesitantly tells her. Aurora pales at that and almost starts going into a panic attack if Bradley didn’t rush to hold her hand.
“Hey, hey, you’re alright. No one’s going to hurt you now,” he assures her. Aurora hesitantly looks up into Bradley’s eyes, her eyes filled with tears.
“You all know?”
“We all know now.”
Aurora’s lips quiver thinking back to that case, where she barely had escaped with her life if it wasn’t for her team finding her and saving her.
Amelia and Peyton rushed to Aurora’s side, not only to comfort their sister, but to let her know that they were always by her side. Aurora cries and keeps whispering ‘I’m sorry’ to them, to which they kept telling her it wasn’t her fault.
Aurora was awake, and physically okay. The demons of her past haunt her on her darkest days, but with her family by her side, she was going to be okay. Because they were her light in the dark of everything, her flashlight when she’s lost.
—
It was about two days since Aurora woke up and right now, she was sitting alone in her hospital room. She was to be discharged soon, and she was grateful for it.
The doctor told her that she just needed a few days of bed rest, and that she should be okay, after they took a few vitals and scans of her. She had a few visitors after she woke up, one of them being Lucille.
“I can’t believe you almost got blown to pieces!” Lucille first said when she stepped into Aurora’s room before launching into a hug.
“Luci, I can’t breathe. Too tight,” was all Aurora could breath out when Lucille latched onto her.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry,” Lucille lets her go before sitting next to her.
“Besides, it’s not like I could have stood there and done nothing. I had to save the hostages,” Aurora adds.
“And yet, you almost got blown up in the process. I know your job is dangerous, and you probably had gone through worse, but I really thought I lost you RoRo,” Lucille leans on Aurora’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry I scared you, Luci. I promise, you’re not losing me anytime soon.”
“Good, because you owe me donuts for what you put me through.”
Aurora chuckles, before also leaning on Lucille. “Deal.”
And when she didn’t have any visitors, she was able to video call Gibbs and the team.
“We’re so glad you’re doing alright!” Abby exclaims as she smiles at Aurora.
The team had video called her from the NCIS HQ bullpen, and Aurora stares wistfully at the background, missing her old office space.
“Did you hear about the award ceremony that’s going to be happening in a few months?” McGee asks Aurora. Aurora looks at him confused.
“Award ceremony?”
“Director Vance is awarding you the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award for your service at NCIS as well as the actions during the bombing case.”
Aurora stares at them. “What?”
“You saved a lot of Navy dependents, plus your work at NCIS. Director wanted to-”
“But I couldn’t save Adam Lewis,” Aurora interrupts. She couldn’t save him, she didn’t believe she should earn an award.
“Artemis, there’s nothing you could have done. He entered that coffee shop knowing his end game was to kill himself,” Ziva assures her.
“I still could have done something.” Aurora whispers, as a tear falls down her cheek.
“Rule #11.” Gibbs reminds her.
“Gibbs,” Aurora pleads.
“Artemis.”
Aurora bites the inside of her cheek before answering him, “‘When the job is done, walk away.’”
“We’re all glad you’re doing alright kiddo, but you need to walk away from the case. It’s done, it’s closed. You need to focus on yourself now.”
Aurora sighs, before nodding about what he said. Abby and Ziva soon start gossiping about what she had missed, with McGee and Tony joining in as Gibbs leaves them to chat.
She had another visitor that she was expecting, which was Jake Seresin.
“I was so worried. You scared us all half to death,” Jake ruffled her hair, and sat down next to her. Aurora had full mobility of everything, so she sat upright in her hospital bed.
“It wasn’t like that was my intention. I had to do my job.”
“Well, your job sucks.”
“My job also happened to save your life, remember?”
“Like you’ll ever let me forget.”
A lull hits in their conversation before Aurora speaks up.
“Have you talked to Peyton?”
Jake shakes his head. “Not really. I think he’s a bit mad at me for knowing about what happened to you and your PTSD before even he did.”
“He’ll get over it. I’m talking about you and him.
“There is no us, Rory. he’s made that very clear.”
“No, what he’s made clear is that he doesn’t want to go through heartbreak again if you’re just going to leave him how you always leave your wingman, hanging,” Aurora insists.
“Ro-”
“Jake, I nearly died. Life is too precious to waste, if you love him, what’s holding you back?”
“I-I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You’re hurting him now by not saying anything. What happens when you both go on the mission? What happens if you don't come back? You really want the last words you ever said to him to be something in passing?”
Jake looked at Aurora. This mission was already something he was nervous for, and now that Maverick was taken off as instructor, the parameters of the mission, although possible, probably would not work if they didn’t stick to the ones Maverick had set for them. They needed Maverick, whether the Admirals liked it or not.
“Just tell him, Jake. It would do you both a lot of good. And maybe he’d stop complaining so much about you,” Aurora snickers.
“We’ll see Ro,” was all Jake could promise her. “Maybe I’ll talk to him after the mission, or maybe even when they tell us who’s flying the mission. I guess we’ll just have to see.”
“When do they decide who’s flying the mission?”
“In 2 days, the day before we leave.”
It was already the next day, which means they will be deciding who flies the mission tomorrow, making Aurora feel even antsier.
From what Maverick had told her, he was going to try and win back his place at Top Gun today, but what was the plan? She had no idea.
Soon she heard running in the hallway and they stopped at her doorway, it was Peyton and Amelia.
“Dad stole an F-18!” Peyton exclaims as he catches his breath.
“HE DID WHAT?!”
“You should have seen him, Ro! He flew through the course like it was a breeze! It was so awesome!”
“Wait, can you go back to the part where he stole an F-18?!”
“Well, not stole, per-se. More like borrowed to prove to the admirals that they couldn’t just kick him off the mission.”
“And?”
“And now he's the team leader!” Amelia exclaims as she sat next to Aurora in the hospital bed.
Aurora’s jaw dropped.”What?!”
Peyton smirks. “My reaction too.”
“I was joking about him stealing an aircraft, but I didn’t know he’d actually do it,” Aurora shook her head, chuckling. Then she realizes her parents were nowhere to be seen.
“So wait, where’s dad now?”
“With mom. They wanted some ‘alone’ time together, as if we don’t know what that means,” Amelia tells her, making air quotes on the words alone.
Peyton and Aurora grimace at the thought of what Amelia was insinuating. But soon Aurora smiles.
“Mom and dad are together…again.”
“We all knew it was going to happen eventually,” Amelia smirks.
“Yeah, but now, it’s real. Like something about right now feels like it’s going to be “it” this time, you know?”
Peyton nods. “Yeah, I’m glad they finally came to their senses.”
“Which means, since dad or mom isn’t here, we are in charge of getting you home.”
Aurora pales. “Uh, I don’t know if I like that.”
“Oh c’mon, we’ll get some tacos on the way home and Amelia can sleepover!” Peyton assures her.
“Okay, that does sound good.”
“And, we can even let Amelia drive!”
“Yeah!” “No!”
Amelia looked sad as her sister shot down the idea.
“But, I need practice,” Amelia whines.
“Ami, when you get your permit, and when I’m not coming from the hospital, you can drive. But for now, we’re going to have to suffer through Pey’s driving.”
“What’s wrong with my driving?!”
“Let’s just say, I’m so glad you didn’t become a pilot with your driving skills, you would be a danger in the skies.”
Peyton scoffs before looking to Amelia for support, but she nods along at Aurora’s statement.
He rolls his eyes before he goes to sign the papers releasing Aurora while Amelia helped her sister get her things together as there were quite a few things people had sent and brought Aurora while she was in the hospital.
Aurora pauses packing staring at today’s bouquet of flowers, provided by Bradley of course. Today they were pink and red roses. She smiled as she touched the delicate petals.
Pink and red, colors that symbolized both Aurora and Bradley, Aurora being pink, and Bradley being red, which also suited him since they were also his helmet colors. She also knew it symbolized love and affection.
“Bradley got so many bouquets of flowers, they’re all waiting for you at home. He didn’t throw any out and he would bring a fresh one every day he came to visit. All meticulously picked out by him,” Amelia interrupts her thoughts as Aurora looks over to her sister who was smiling at her.
“He was really worried about you, Rory.” Amelia continues. “I mean, we all were, but Bradley was distraught. Your boss had to give him a talking to. I don’t think I ever saw Bradley that terrified and scared, even when Auntie Carole got cancer. He truly loves you.”
“I know,” Aurora gives her a small smile before turning back to the bouquet of flowers.
“So, what’s holding you back now? I mean, you should tell him. I overheard what you and Jake were talking about. It seems like it’s time for you to take your own advice. Before it’s too late.”
Aurora stares out the window. “You’re right, Ames.”
Her being in a coma definitely changed everything for her. It made her think about what she could have lost if something did happen to her. She didn’t want to live her life full of regrets anymore. She was ready to leave her past behind.
She was ready to move on and tell Bradley everything.
- - -
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Disclaimer: This story is fictitious. All works are written by me and only posted here. Please do not copy, repost, or plagiarize on any other platform without my permission!