"Shit, Rooster!" I shouted from the back of the jet as my head knocked harshly into the side of the canopy before hitting the back of his seat. "Ah fuck" I muttered next when blood dripped put of my nose and onto my gloves.

"Sunshine, what's going on back there?" He asked, eyes focused ahead as we evaded a bogey and his panic spiked at my curse of pain.

"Just keep flying and try not to get us both killed" I shouted up to him with frustration as I tried to keep my focus through the blinding pain that flashed through my head.

"I can do that" he nodded with determination to get us both back to the ship safely.

~~~

"Medic! I need a medic!" Rooster shouted as he got onto the wing of the jet and unbuckled me from the jet, seeing me wince in pain at the sunlight and blood still dripping from my nose.

"Move out of the way, Lieutenant." the medic ordered as they climbed up to get me.

"Is she going to be okay?" Rooster called after them but they were rushing me towards the med bay. "Will she be okay?" He demanded answers but was held back by another medic who was ordered to check him over as well. He had been walked into the medical bay on the ship, getting checked over by the nurse while his mind was fully focused on me and if I was alright.

"You are all good to go" she told him, stepping towards the door to leave when he called her back.

"Excuse me, am I allowed to go visit Lieutenant Danvers?" He asked, his care for me clear in his worry.

"Yes, she is right this way" the nurse led him out of the room and down the hallway towards my room. "Lieutenant Danvers" she knocked on the door. "You have a visitor" she smiled gently, stepping away to let Bradshaw in. He was by my bedside in seconds, looking at me in the darkness of the room.

"I am so so sorry that I hurt you and didn't bring you back to the ship sooner, I shouldn't have risked you out there like that" he rambled on and on apologetically.

"Rooster" I tried cutting him off as I held my eyes closed tightly.

"If there is anything I can do for you—"

"Bradshaw" I cut him off sternly with my voice slightly raised.

"Yes?" He gulped, looking down at me as I peeked my eyes open slightly.

"I'm alright, you did what you had to and I don't blame you" I reassured him carefully. "I have a concussion and had a slight nosebleed" I explained the situation to him, easing his nerves.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Can you stay with me?" I asked gently, not wanting to be alone.

"Always" he promised. He hummed 'here comes the sun' next to me as I drifted off to sleep, having to be woken up every thirty minutes by the nurses orders.

The next morning I was released to my own bunk. I was put off duty for the next week which meant no flying for Rooster and I. Rooster walked with my towards my bunk, wanting to make sure I got there safely. When I stepped out of the dark medical room the lights on the ship caused me to wince, pulling my sunglasses out of the chest pocket of my flight suit and putting them on to ease the brightness.

The week went by slowly, sitting around all day waiting for the go ahead to start flying again. After I was up in the air with Rooster the deployment flew by and we were on our way home once again.

"Got any plans tonight Sunshine?" Rooster asked me as we walked off the ship together, past the family's greeting their loved ones who had been away for six weeks.

"Nope, I'm going to sit back and watch movies all night" I claimed casually, duffle bag hanging over my shoulder before I threw it in the back of my car. "What about you, got any plans?" I asked back, wiggling my eyebrows and insinuating a date teasingly.

"Im supposed to meet up with some old friends of mine from high school, so we'll see how that goes" he laughed it off.

"Alright, well you enjoy that" I pointed to him as I moved around towards the door of my car. I had gone to open the car door to get in, trying to beat Rooster before he had the chance to get it for me but his hand was already on the door handle as I sent him a glare.

"Ma'am" he smirked, holding the door open teasingly for me.

"Asshole" I flipped him my middle finger as I got in my car. He shut the door once I was inside and waited for me to roll down the window so he could lean over and continue talking to me. "I'll see you in a few weeks" I waved him off.

"I'll be looking forward to it." He patted my car door as he took a step back, giving me room to drive away. "Drive home safe!" He called after me with a wave.

~~~

"Home sweet hell" I sighed when I pulled into my parents driveway to see my boyfriends car was already there. I got out of the car, taking my bag in with me and walking inside as I braced for impact.

"There you are" my fathers grumpy voice sounded from the couch where he was sitting with my mother and boyfriend. "How nice of you to finally join us after running away for a month"

"I didn't run away, I had a deployment and I was gone for six weeks" I corrected, unamused with where this conversation was going already.

"A deployment only a man should be going on" my father made his own correction to my statement. "How are you ever going to settle down and have kids and become the perfect little housewife like your mother if you are always running off to play with planes?"

"Jets, father, I fly in fighter jets"

"Whatever, it's not what you should be doing" he grumbled back, standing in front of me in a challenging way. "We found you a nice man yet you still run off with that other boy, what's his name? Chicken?"

"Rooster"

"Hold on, you are talking to other men?" My boyfriend stood up next with anger.

"Great, look what you started" I told my dad, gesturing to my upset boyfriend.

"Look what I started? This is your fault, if you weren't so difficult maybe you would already be married like your brother"

"Who is this, chicken you are talking to? Huh?" Daniel demanded harshly, grabbing my wrist as I raised it, about to speak again. He held it in a tight grip, maintaining glaring eye contact with me, both of us refusing to back down.

"Rooster is my pilot, I trust him with my life which is a lot more than I can say about the two of you" I stated, ripping my arm from Daniel's grasp and turning to storm upstairs.

"That's not fair, Nicole" Daniel called after me.

"Come back down here and apologize" my father called up next, my only response being the slam of my door.

I had locked the door from my room, sitting back on my bed frozen in fear for my actions. The hours passed by and I had fallen asleep until I heard the doorknob twist in attempt to open the door. I sat up quick, knowing I was going to be in a lot of trouble now.

"Shit" I muttered, climbing out of bed as fast as I could, stumbling and falling ungracefully to the floor.

"Nicole, open up before I kick this door down" Daniel ordered as though he was in charge. I rolled my eyes and flipped my middle finger to the door before opening the window and looking out at the rain.

"I'm coming in" he tried the doorknob again only for it to still be locked.

"Idiot" I commented before pulling myself out of my window and leaving it open a crack behind me. A loud thud came from the other side of the door as I stifled a laugh at how he couldn't kick it down like he said he would. Shaking my head I had carefully made the slippery climb down the house, landing in the yard.

I began walking, knowing he wouldn't even know where to begin looking for me. I didn't know where I was going, just that I needed to get away, anywhere safer. A car drove past me with its high beams on in the dark night. I kept moving forward, still not knowing where I was going but knowing I needed to get out of there fast. The car came back around as I turned onto a side street, picking up my walking speed and keeping my head up looking ahead.

The rain started to come down harder than before as I realized who's house I had stopped in front of. Rooster Bradshaws house.

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Question of the day: what are your opinions on Daniel?