Are You Sleeping?
It was a beautiful day in Jericho. It was the kind were kids were supposed to be out playing and having fun. Even with everything that had happened the past year with the bombs, it was still a nice day. You could get a day of respite and the feeling that everything was going to be okay. However it was not especially at the Richmond farm.
The first skirmish was held off and Bill made an impressive shot with the tank's mortar round. He was stunned that he had managed to take out the mortar firing on the resistance that created a road block on the farm. Certainly it was worth a cheer in victory even though they were outnumbered against New Bern's numbers. It was short lived however when it was discovered that Johnston Green had been hit and bad.
Johnston had been taken into the Richmond home and laid on the table heedless of the mess that was being caused. That was a moot point. Johnston Green was shot and they had to try and save him.
Sari had seen gunshot wounds before on her own team members and civilians but it was different when it was someone close to you. She would know since that one ambush the Rangers got into over the winter and Jake took a bullet meant for her got to her. He was okay afterwards but it was… not like the old days and she knew why.
Seeing Jake and Eric holding onto their father, the blood all over the place… her heart cried as she saw the tears rim Jake's eyes. She tried her best even though she wasn't a doctor. She tried her best so that at least Gail could say good bye but… It wasn't enough.
She was the last to see Johnston after he shooed his boys away. It confused her at first but she obeyed. Johnston took her hand and said, "You are allowed an 'I told you so'."
Sari smiled and replied as tears welled up, "No. I'm the one who should apologize."
"Don't argue with me Sari. You told me I was too old and you were right. You were right."
"But even I know that no one learns anything without their elders," Sari replied. She sniffed as the tears started to slide. "I learned a lot from you and Mrs. Green." She clasped his hand and felt his tighten around hers.
Johnston looked at her and smiled, "Always so polite and so forgiving. Do you remember that one spring day when you were eighteen?"
Sari nodded, "It was a spring day like today and we were supposed to be quiet. It was your day off." She couldn't help but give a watery chuckle.
Johnston smiled, "And you got it into your head to sing to me."
"Eric dared me," Sari corrected, "and I did it."
"Can you… can you sing it… one last time?"
Sari realized that Johnston was giving up. She didn't want that to happen. She replied, "Don't talk like that. You'll hear me sing it plenty of times."
"Please."
Sari felt her throat hitch. It was useless to give false hope. The Greens were not like that and Johnston was once an Army man. She nodded, "Alright. My voice isn't the same though." She took a breath and began to sing the version of the old children's song she invented on the fly. Her voice choked with tears as she sang it.
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Mayor Green, Mayor Green
JJ stole the cow feed, Eric spilled the corn seed
In town hall, in town hall
She had made other verses at the time but that one she chose. It sounded like she was tattling but it just good fun since Eric was the goody two shoes. She glanced at Johnston and he smiled at her and held her hand. "Thank you."
That was the last she saw the man alive. His indomitable spirit had faded leaving a void. The void that had to be filled…
~0~0~
Jake was aware of a slight chill when he woke up in the middle of the night. He had forgotten that it could get pretty cold at the ranch but he didn't notice that since he was always warm at night. He sat up and realized why it was cold and saw that he was alone. He had to smile though since he noticed that care had been taken to make sure that he wasn't cold and he kept that in mind as he swung his legs out of bed.
He found her sitting on the couch and staring out the window watching the snowfall wearing that pensive expression she wore when she was deep in thought. Quietly he joined her on the couch and gave a half smile when she snuggled against him for warmth. "Bad night?"
"Nothing like the last two," Sari replied as she leaned into Jake.
"That's good though why it couldn't wait until morning…"
"Technically it is the morning," she replied before groaning slightly, "And Kenshi wants to see me."
Jake knew why she was groaning. All that work to foster independence in her when they were kids was coming back to bite him in the rear. She didn't like to be fussed over too much but he had his reasons for it. He hugged her and replied, "You promised."
"I know and I promise to be good," Sari replied in a teasing voice as she adjusted her body to be comfortable against Jake. She went into quiet thought.
Jake knew how to read her by now and knew that she had something on her mind. He asked, "What are you thinking of?"
Sari hesitated a moment before replying. She didn't want to bring up old wounds but while she had been in the bathroom suffering another bout of what Kenshi declared to be normal, she had started humming an old song. With that brought memories of the last time she actually sang for someone and it had her thinking. She finally replied, "The last time I sang a children's song."
Jake thought about it for a moment and his memory drifted back to the New Bern war and when… It was a shameless move on his part but he eavesdropped on her and Dad that day. It was after Dad told him that he had always known why he had been hostile towards her stepfather. When he listened to her sing, trying not to cry… he felt his own tears come.
"I don't know why but I haven't thought of that tune in years. At first when I did, I cried," Sari continued. "Now I feel regret that he won't be here when…"
Jake knew she was about to start with the tears. He replied, "You made him happy though. The mighty Johnston Green beaten by the sweetest and prettiest girl in Jericho."
"And how much of that is you trying to flatter me JJ?" Sari gave a slight laugh.
Jake chuckled. He continued, "I think he told people that you were his daughter. Certainly helped with everything we used to get into." His hand idly stroked her stomach as he watched her. He knew that she wished Dad was still alive. He was more a father to her than the bastard her mom married. "I miss him too."
Sari just smiled as she watched the snowfall with drowsy eyes since Jake was stroking her stomach. He did that once in an effort to soothe a rebellious stomach and it worked so he did it ever since. She knew Jake missed Johnston Green. Though the two butted heads at one point, they loved each other. She always told Jake that he was like his father in many ways and that was probably why she got along with him. It made her laugh when he would scowl at her since she knew he didn't mean it.
What started as a joke became something of a bonding thing between her and Johnston. True he scolded her but being the old softie he was, he made it up to her and asked her to sing it again. Sometimes when on a mission and to calm her nerves, she would whisper the song to herself and she would feel that he was there. When she came back to Jericho and the bombs went off, there was hardly time for that but she always had it in her mind and she suspected he did too. The Green men weren't big on saying exactly what they felt.
Jake looked down at Sari, the woman he had known all his life and now wife for a year, and smiled. She had fallen asleep with her head lolling on his chest. They both shared emotional and mental scars of events past but they lived through them and came out stronger for it. As he stroked his wife's stomach he felt a wave of contentment spread throughout his body at the thought that come October or November… He hummed a little as his own tune came to mind and he started singing it softly.
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Dear Sari, Dear Sari…
He watched as Sari smiled in her sleep. He adjusted himself to be comfortable on the couch since there was little chance of her moving. It didn't matter though since she needed the sleep. Gently he kissed the top of her head and pulled the throw rug that was on the couch over them and sank back into the warmth of sleep.
A/N: This came to me when I was watching the death scene in Why We Fight and I couldn't help it. Have fun and all reviews are welcome.