He had been a good soldier – always willing to help, to defend the honor of any of the men or women that wore a uniform. He had even taken a bullet or two for Jack and went into a burning building to pull Carter to safety.
The medals he had received seemed to mean nothing to him. What mattered the most to him is when his team could sit back and rest after a long hard assignment and he knew each one was safe – at least until the next assignment. But as long as he was breathing, he knew they would always come back.
Now, however, he knew that was a concern. For his breathing was not as simple as it once was and he knew his time was growing short. He hated the fact that he may have to give up his post but he knew it happened to every living thing on earth. Everything that had life had to face death.
Jack stood in the corner of the infirmary, watching the scene in front of him. Some would have thought him too heartless to care but a soldier was a soldier and when they departed this life, it really did bother him. Good soldiers were hard to find and losing one cut the ranks too much.
He watched Sam. He had known for a long time how she felt about this soldier. And he knew why. She felt so close to him because they seemed to have one duty. They had made it plan when they had both met Jack that they had a common goal in life – to keep Jack alive.
And they had, so far. No matter what stupid stunt he attempted. No matter who decided to try to kill him or even if he decided to try to kill himself. He had to admit he had tried a couple of times, both times because his heart hurt so bad he thought he was dying anyway.
Jack came back from his thoughts as he watched Janet checking her patient. When she looked over at him with tears in her eyes, he knew the end was here. He walked towards Sam just as she looked up and ran towards him. He would hold her tonight and for the next couple of nights as she shed tears for the soldier they both loved and lost.
The ceremony was simple – just the regular service for every soldier that had died for their Country. The flag was draped over the coffin and would be given to Jack, since he was the soldier's leader and the only family the soldier knew. It would look could on the shelf next to the flag that had belonged to Sam's father. Sharing a home had its benefits.
He would be buried in a special part of Arlington Cemetery – a part that had just become opened last month after the government realized that soldiers like Jack were not going to allow the special soldiers that worked with them to just be buried anywhere.
Jack stood there as the last shovel of dirt was being laid and the headstone was being placed. In front of the cross, he placed what he had held in his hands since Janet had announced the death of the soldier.
Sam watched as he struggled to squat and place the item, turning it so everyone could read the inscription carved into the leather.
"Flame, Canine Soldier, service date 1990, Special Service and Black Ops"
He had been beside Jack since the day he was trained to be a soldier and as Jack wiped his eyes, he knew that he had just buried a piece of his heart. For he would never forget "Old Flame"