After confirming with Bradley the night before that there was a doctor on base, Cecelia decided to try her luck with them.

Leaving with Bradley to the base that morning, she made her way around with him. Having had to sign forms before they even arrived in California, Cecelia had her special clearance to be on base.

With a parting kiss, she left Bradley to his morning lessons while she was escorted by another officer to the doctor's office. Thanking him, she opens the door and enters.

Smiling at the receptionist, Cecelia walks up. "I was wondering if the doctor had any time for a quick consultation?"

Before the receptionist can reply, the doctor herself walks out. "What can I do for you Miss...?"

"Cecelia. My fiance Lieutenant Bradshaw is here for a special detachment," she quickly explains. "I tore my ACL a few months back, the surgery went well and I've had physical therapy since. When Bradley got the call to come back, I came with him and missed my last few appointments."

The doctor nods, taking in all the information. Gesturing for her to continue. Cecelia carries on. "I spoke with my doctor yesterday and he said I could get a consultation from someone around here and send him the results. That way I could be officially cleared, like planned and he would have all my records. Is that something you would be able to help with?"

By the end of her semi long explanation, Cecelia gets a bit nervous, causing her to start rambling a bit. "If not, that's completely fine. I can find another doctor. I know you are here for military personnel, I don't want to cause any trouble by requesting anything."

The doctor waves her concerns away. "Well, you are in luck because I don't have anything pressing this morning, and as of now, there have been no accidents in need of my attention," she continues. "Why don't you fill out these forms and we can go from there."

Cecelia sighs in relief. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate this." Grabbing the forms from the receptionist, she sits down and fills them out. All basic forms asking date of birth, allergies, medications, etc.

Handing the filled out forms to the receptionist, she waits for the doctor to call her back.

Getting the X-ray takes no more than a few minutes and from what the doctor can see, everything has healed up properly. Asking Cecelia to do some basic movements and stretches she has been doing in physical therapy to ensure no tightness is the final test.

And she passes with flying colors, as far as the base doctor is concerned. Sending out an email to her doctor with the results and signed paperwork from the base doctor, Cecelia sets her sights on the gym facilities within the building.

This is where she spends the rest of her morning until she gets a response from her doctor, giving her the official all clear.

☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾

Rooster was not having the best morning. Yesterday hadn't gone well, and that track seemed to be staying steady today as well.

Maverick wanted to repeat the exercise, to see what all they had learned from all their failures. Much to his disappointment, it wasn't much. Switching up teams seemed to help in some respects, allowing him to see who worked well together, and who he should under no circumstances put together again. *cough* Hangman and Rooster *cough*.

By the time lunch rolls around, all of the pilots had done another set of 200 pushups and were in desperate need of food. Checking his phone for the first time since this morning, Rooster sees a text from Cecelia saying she was gonna hang out in the gym until his day was over.

After getting food, the pilots were ordered to return back to the mission room. They were finally getting briefed on what this mission was really about.

Maverick stands at the front of the room, a clock set to 3 minutes on the wall behind him.

"Time is your greatest enemy," he begins pointing at the screen. "Phase One of the mission will be a low-level attack with 2 flank teams. You will be flying along the narrow canyon walls to the target. The radar guided surface-to-air missiles defend the area; these SAMS are lethal."

At this, everyone looks around at each other, wondering the same thing. What exactly is this mission?

"But they were designed to protect the skies above, not the canyon below," Maverick continues, pointing to the animated graphic of the course.

Without hesitation Rooster calls out "that's because the enemy knows that no one is insane enough to try and fly below them." A point which many of the other pilots agree with, if the looks on their faces are anything to go off of.

"That's exactly what I'm going to train you to do,'' Maverick immediately replies. Now everyone is highly intrigued.

"On the day, your altitude will be 100 feet maximum," he continues. Phoenix and Bob look at each other skeptically and a little worried. "You exceed this altitude, the radars spit you, you're dead. Your air speed will be 660 knots minimum." Fanboy and Payback look at each other, concern written on both their faces.

Maverick continues, looking at the screen "Time to target, two and a half minutes, that's because fifth generation fighters are waiting at an airbase nearby. And a head-to-head with these planes in your F-18s, you're dead. That's why you need to get in, hit your target, and be gone before these planes have a chance of catching you."

He pauses, looking at each of the aviators to make sure they understand the severity of what he has just said. His goal is the bring everyone home alive, and he can't make that happen if they don't understand.

"This makes time your greatest adversary," Maverick leaves off, everyone getting ready to fly the course.

"You'll fly a route in your nav system that simulates the canyon. The faster you navigate this canyon, the harder it will be to stay under the radar of these SAMS. The tighter the turns, the more intensely the force of gravity your body multiplies. Compressing your lungs, forcing the blood from your brain, impairing your judgment and reaction time."

The tension in the room is palpable. No one was expecting this when they were called back to Top Gun. Regardless of the fact that they are the best of the best, this mission seemed impossible.

Without giving them too much time to think and dwell, Maverick finally gives them that day's assignment. "So for today's exercise, we're gonna take it easy on you. Max ceiling 300 feet, time to target 3 minutes."

Everyone looks at each other, trying to comprehend what they are about to do.

"Good luck."

☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾

After everyone had run the course, and failed quite terribly, Maverick decided to call it a day.

Rooster, knowing Cecelia can't get home without him, gathers his stuff and is about to head to the gym when Phoenix stops him.

"Hey, where are you going? Parking lot's that way," she gestures in the opposite direction.

Rooster gives her a look. "I'm well aware of where the parking lot is Phoenix. Cece came with me this morning so she could talk to the base doctor. She's in the gym right now."

"In that case, I'll join you. I want to catch up with her a bit anyways," Phoenix invites herself along, knowing neither would care.

They begin to head towards the base gym. Rooster just hopes whatever the doctor told her was good. She has been so down lately, being so close to fully healed at 100%, but being just out of reach. All Cecelia wanted to do was dance again. Performing had always been her life, whether she was singing, dancing, acting, it didn't matter. And to not be able to do at least one of those for the past few months, it had been hard for her.

Nearing the gym, Phoenix heard a song playing, one she couldn't identify right away. Rooster, too lost in thought, didn't hear anything until they stopped in the doorway.

Cecelia, being given the 100%, fully recovered report from the doctor, had been dancing all day. Starting with some old routines that would ease her back in, she gradually upped the difficulty level until she got to her favorite point.

She began to choreograph her own routine, finally having that creative freedom again. And boy was she going all out.

Rooster and Phoenix watched from the door as she moved gracefully across the floor, hitting every beat and note gracefully. Flowing along with music like she was water, never messing up. (Of course there had been plenty of that while she was coming up with it all, but we won't mention that.)

Finishing her dance, Cecelia was startled by clapping. Turning around, she broke out into a smile. "Hey, how long have you been standing there?" She asks both of them.

Rooster walks over to her, quickly landing a kiss on her sweaty forehead in greeting. "Not long," he responds, "only got to see that last minute or so."

Phoenix, who's bouncing on the balls of her feet, comes over after that. "I've seen you dance before, but never like that. You were so in control of your body and I don't remember the last time I saw you so calm." She took a breath, "like nothing could go wrong in that moment."

Cecelia smiles brightly at her, but you can see the exhaustion in her eyes. "Well I haven't been able to go full out like this since my injury. Small things for physical therapy and to keep my strength up, but that's about it." Grabbing her water and taking a long swig, she continues, "I kinda just wanted to go all out and not think, just do. I know what my body can handle, I've been training my entire life. And it was just fun."

"One of these days, you are gonna have to teach me some moves, because I can barely walk straight some days," Phoenix jokes around.

"That is not gonna be today," Rooster chimes in before anyone says anything else. "I can see how tired you are. Let's go home and rest for the night."

Without missing a beat, despite how exhausted everyone is, both Cecelia and Phoenix turn to Rooster, their hands to their heads in a mock salute.

"Yes sir."

Rooster just rolled his eyes, before grabbing Cecelia's bag and heading out to the car, not even waiting to see if the women were following him.

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Word count: 1,789

I am fully aware that the doctor situation would more than likely never happen IRL. I know bases are strict on the people there, and who is allowed in base buildings, depending on clearance level. But we are taking creative liberties here people!!!

I also have no true knowledge of how the process of healing from a torn ACL actually happens, only accounts from friends who have done that. I've sprained an ankle/foot and fractured both pinky toes, but that's as far as I go, lol.

I'm not a medical professional, nor a med/science major. I'm a design major. I design houses, not study the human body. Biology was my worst science, don't be too hard on me.

That is all, bye for now!