Farewell

As the last rifle fired it's shot in honor, the sound of Taps filled the air. A few quiet sobs could be heard in the group that was standing around the grave site. There was a good crowd and he would have been happy to see so many of his friends and fellow soldiers had been in attendance. She was sitting in one of the chairs set up in front of the casket. Behind her was a wall of military uniforms and men in black, as it seemed that everyone at RangeMan had shown up. A good portion of the RangeMen were former military and dressed to show their respect to a fallen soldier. Lester stood off to the side in his full uniform, as his part of the service was coming up next.

As Taps ended and the flag was folded in front of her, Steph let out a small sob. She started to shiver and then felt a man's suit jacket get draped over her shoulders After the flag was folded it was handed off to be presented to her. She looked up as she saw him approaching. He knelt down in front of her and held the flag out to her. She reached her shaking hands out and he put her hands on the flag and then put his hands over the top of his own. He looked at her and said the words that he had said far too many times over the years. He dropped a kiss on her forehead and she clutched the flag to her chest, tears streaming down her face.

The ceremony ended and people passed by the casket one last time, leaving a flower on the top before stopping to offer one last condolence to Stephanie. Before too long, she was the lone person sitting in front of the casket. She gave a small smile at the amount of flowers on top of his casket. He was truly loved by all in the community. He'd given so much back to the community, whether through his work at the American Legion, riding with the Patriot Guard, volunteering at the local after school program for kids in need of a role model, or volunteering at the veterans hospital in Newark.

She didn't realize how long she'd been sitting there until she heard someone walk up behind her. "Babe, are you ready to go? The car is ready whenever you want to leave and go to the luncheon at the Legion." Steph looked up at Ranger and smiled. "Give me a minute?" He pulled her up and into his arms. He adjusted his jacket over her shoulders and gave her a gentle kiss. "Sure Babe, take your time." He walked a short distance away and stood with Lester.

She stood up and walked over the casket. She was holding a yellow rose in her hand and gently laid it on the top of the other flowers. Yellow was his favorite color and she tried to incorporate it into as much of the funeral as she could. He had planned the majority of the funeral once they had received the news that nothing else could be done for him. He didn't want Steph to have to deal with any of the planning.

She ran her hand over the top of the casket and started talking. "You had a good turnout today. The weather was perfect, well, as perfect as it can be for a funeral. Lester did a great job presenting the flag, you'd have been proud of him. He told me that of all the times he's had to present the flag to a fallen soldier's family, this one was going to be the worst one since he looked up to you. I'm glad you got to know him better these past few years, he's truly a great guy. I know you were worried about me handling everything once you left us, but I have Carlos by my side and he'll take care of us. I wish you could be here when the baby's due, but I'll make you proud. This little guy will know everything about you and between me and all of the guys, he'll never have to go far to learn about you. I know you told me not to spend much time here afterwards, but I don't think I can go too long without talking to you."

Steph reached up to wipe the tears that were falling down her face and felt the tingle on the back of her neck. She turned around and saw Ranger standing about five feet behind her. She reached out to him and he walked over and took her hand. "Ready to go Babe? We can come back after the luncheon if you want to spend more time here." "Ok, we can go and I'll see how I'm feeling after the Legion." Ranger reached down and rubbed his hands over her ever growing baby bump. "Is the little guy doing okay?" "Yeah, he's doing good. Kicking me every so often to remind me he's there."

Steph reached out one last time to touch the casket. Ranger pulled something out of his pocket and placed it next to the yellow rose that Steph left. She looked at it and saw that it was one of his Army Ranger Challenge Coins. She smiled and reached down to touch the coin. "Rangers lead the way, Babe." She grabbed his hand and started to walk away. They got about five feet away, and she turned around one last time. "Goodbye Daddy. I love you."

The End