I heard this song the other day (the other little soldier by Josh Gracin) and this story came to mind. It kinda AU- Lucas is in the army and has a son. I dedicate this story to all the children whose parents are in the army. Enjoy.
He used to play in Daddy's uniform
With the stripes across the sleeve
And he knew when he was all grown up
What he was gonna be
Peyton bit back a smile as she watched her four year old son struggle to walk in the adult sized uniform. Yes Keith Lucas Scott was a mini version of his father, from his blonde hair and deep blue eyes to the army shirt he was currently wearing. To say that Keith adored his dad was an understatement; he practically worshipped the ground he walked on.
"Daddy, do you see, I look just like you!" Keith shouted at his father who was sitting on the couch, smiling at him.
"Yeah, I see you little man" Lucas told his son "you look better in that than I do" he joked as his son ran around the room, pretending to fight the bad guys.
"Daddy, when I grow up I want to be just like you!"
He used to like to ambush
Every careless cat and dog
That had the nerve to cross
Battle lines that he had drawn
"Peyton. Come look at this" Lucas called to his wife as he gazed out the kitchen window.
"What?" came her reply from his side. Lucas didn't respond and instead pointed to the window that overlooked the backyard.
Little Keith, dressed in his own army uniform (a present his Aunt Brooke had made for him), had built himself an army base and was patrolling it, being watchful of any enemies that approached.
"Uh-oh. Murphy's a goner" Lucas chuckled as he watched the neighbour's cat strolling across the lawn towards Keith's army base. Peyton laughed as the cat walked along, unaware of the attack it was about to receive.
Their son had spotted it too and he crouched down into the grass. He waited for a moment, allowing Murphy to get closer, before jumping up with a scream and chased the poor cat out the garden. He marched proudly back to his base, happy that he had saved it from enemy attack.
He didn't notice his parents in fits of giggles at the window.
And even though he didn't know
What his dad was fighting for
He was proud to be the other
little soldier
in this war
Keith didn't really understand why his Daddy went away to fight. When he asked him about it, his father pulled him onto his lap and explained as best as he could.
"Some people did bad things to our country. I'm helping to stop them from doing it again" his father told him. "and I'm doing it to protect my little soldier" he finished.
Keith smiled at his dad's nickname for him, he had always called him it and it made Keith proud.
Many people had been shocked when Lucas had announced that he was joining the army. His family had begged him not to, but Lucas was adamant about doing it, saying that he was protecting his country and giving others the gift of freedom.
The phone rang in the middle of the night
When they called his dad to go
Kissed him and his mom good-bye
He said 'God I love you both'
he remembered when they had called his Daddy away. He was woken late at night by the phone call that told them his father's unit was being deployed. He remembered going into his parents' room and snuggling in the bed with them. His mother was holding back the tears as the family cuddled together. His father simply gazed at them, studying every little detail and locking it in his memory.
The next day, they were at the airport and Lucas was saying his goodbyes. He kissed Peyton and held her tight and then picked up Keith to include him in the hug.
"I love you both more than life itself" he heard his father whisper quietly as he buried his face into his neck, missing his dad already.
Now I know that it's a lot to ask
Of such a little man
But hold the fort and I'll be home
As quickly as I can
Before Lucas left, he kneeled in front of his son and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"I know I'm asking a lot of you here buddy, but you need to hold the fort while I'm gone. I will be home soon ok little soldier?"
Keith nodded firmly at his father's words, desperately holding back his tears. He needed to be strong. He leaned over and gave his dad one last hug.
"I love you daddy"
And even though he didn't know
What his dad was fighting for
He was proud to be the other
little soldier
in this war
He sat in his mother's arms as he watched his daddy board the plane with all the other soldiers, not knowing why he had been called away again. But his daddy had asked him to hold the fort while he was gone and that was exactly what he planned to do, for he was the other little soldier.
A wall could not begin to hold
The names of all the kids
Who gave the greatest sacrifice
That any child could give
As the plane prepared to take off, Keith looked around the terminal and saw all the other little boys and girls that were saying goodbye to their Dads and Moms. They were children just like him, letting their parents go off to fight for others. It was then he realised that there were many other little soldiers involved in this. Far too many.
It was the first time he'd ever seen
A flag from up that close
And he watched them as they folded it
So careful and so slow
He sat there quietly in his little uniform, as he had insisted that he wore it saying that his Daddy would have wanted him to.
He had never seen the American flag this close before and he watched the soldiers, his Daddy's army friends, as they neatly and efficiently folded it up, taking great care with it, as though it was going to break if they moved it too fast.
He looked over at the people sitting next to him, seeing his uncle Nathan, aunt Haley, aunt Brooke, Jamie, his grandma Karen and many others who had come. Their faces showed the same expression of sadness and slight disbelief.
After a moment he turned his gaze back to the flag as he saw it had now been folded and passed to another soldier, who began to approach them with it.
As they gave it to his mother
He knew what he should do
He raised his little hand
And gave his dad one last salute
He watched as the soldier knelt down and handed the flag to his grief-stricken mother. She accepted it as tears fell from her eyes and he knew in that moment what he needed to do.
He slowly slid off his chair and moved over to the now flagless coffin which had soldiers either side. He heard his uncle quietly call his name but he didn't reply. He needed to do this.
When he reached the coffin, he stopped, stood straight, and saluted his daddy.
Watching him as he stood there, his little hand raised to his forehead, made Peyton and the others shed even more tears. Then, to their amazement, they saw all the soldiers follow his actions, mirroring the little boy's proud stance.
Keith stood as still as he could, proudly saluting his hero. After a moment, he slowly lowered his hand, noticing that the soldiers only followed once his hand was back at his side. He then kissed the palm of his little hand and reached up to place it on the top of coffin.
"I love you. At ease Daddy" Keith whispered before turning round and returning to his mother's side, receiving a proud smile when he got there.
And even though he didn't know
What his dad was fighting for
He was proud to be the other
little soldier
in this war
When Keith Lucas Scott was a small boy, he never understood what his father fought for. Only when he joined the army himself and had a son of his own did he truly understand. Standing at his father's grave with his four year old son, named Lucas; he once again gave his father a salute. His son mirrored his actions.
Keith looked at him and whispered softly "You're the other little soldier now."
Hope you enjoyed reading it. Please review and let me know what you thought.