Once again, tissue warning! Thank you all for the reveiws and messages, they mean the world to me. They keep me writing for you, as well!
At 0940, Bobby pulled the car to a stop on the tarmac next to what seemed like half of Trenton's vehicles. After helping Stephanie and Adrian from the car, they walked to the front of the line and waited. Stephanie was greeted by all of RangeMan, Ranger, Tank, Binkie and Hal all in Army dress blues. There were on and off duty police and firemen, paramedics, friends, and family. Bobby kept a hold of Adrian's hand as they watched the plane descend from the sky.
Stephanie held Bobby's free hand and her other was clasped by Ram. As the plane began to taxi up before them, they all watched in amazement as the fire engines, two on each side of the plane, began showering the plane with four powerful streams of water. This was their way to show their respect for the fallen soldier.
Somewhere from the distance, Stephanie could hear God Bless the USA playing on speakers. Her knees began to buckle as sobs racked her body. Ram grabbed her just before she sank to the ground. As the song played, the fire engines kept their spray on the plane. Towards the end of the song, the plane moved forward and stopped just in front of the crowd.
Bobby, with tears in his eyes, looked around and saw Frank Plum standing there in his Army dress, holding the American Flag and wiping his eye. As the plane stopped and the under belly door opened, Ranger, Tank, Binkie, and Hal stepped forward in formation and proceeded to the plane.
Bag pipes began playing Amazing Grace as the flag covered coffin slowly slid out of the plane. The four men each grabbed a corner of the coffin and, once again in step,turned to march toward the awaiting hearse. As they turned, they saw a fifth man in Army dress blues; someone they'd not been expecting. Zip stepped forward and grabbed the front of the coffin and began walking with them. After loading the coffin, they each took a moment to say a silent thank you to the man who gave his life for their freedom before turning to Stephanie.
Binkie walked over, taking Stephanie from Ram's arms and hugged her to him. He didn't know her very well, but he felt the urge to tell her, "Thank you for your sacrifice. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me."
Stephanie nodded, but before she could reply, she was Hal's arms, "I'm sorry for your loss, Steph." Another nod and she was handed off to Tank who engulfed her with his massive arms. Tank didn't know what to say, so he just held her while he got his emotions under control.
Last was Ranger. He walked up to Stephanie, tucked a loose curl behind her ear, and wrapped her in his warm embrace. "Take all the time you need, just know if you need anything, all you have to do is say it. We are all here for you and Adrian."
Stephanie pulled back, dried her eyes, and nodded, "Thank you. Thank you all."
Zip stepped up to Stephanie and took a hold of her hand, "These are for you," he told her as he took her hand and placed Lester's dog tags on it. Closing her hand around them, he said, "He wanted you to have them if something happened to him."
As his words registered, she looked at Zip, "Were you there? When it happened?"
Bowing his head, he nodded, "I was. I saw the whole thing. I fired back, but I'm not sure if I hit anyone. I tried to cover him, take care of him, but I couldn't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered. As he lifted his head, she could see the tears swimming around in his eyes and knew he was blaming himself.
"Zip, it wasn't your fault. I know you did everything you could," she told him as she pulled him in for a hug.
Zip hugged her for a moment before pulling away. Looking at Bobby, he saw the little boy next to him and knew immediately who it was. "This is your son?"
Nodding, she smiled at Adrian and reached out for him, "This is Adrian Michael Santos."
"God, Steph. He looks just like his daddy," Zip told her and he took in the looks of the little boy.
The driver of the hearse stepped out and alerted everyone they were ready to depart. Zip rode in the SUV with Bobby, Stephanie, Adrian, and Ram. As they headed through town, Stephanie noticed there were no vehicles on the roads; instead, the streets were lined up and down both sides with members of community; soldiers, veterans, civilians… anyone who could make it was there. They either saluted the hearse as it drove past or had their hands covering their hearts.
It was such a surprise to see the outpouring of support and thanks, that Stephanie let the tears fall freely as the SUV followed the hears to the funeral home. The viewing would be the next morning with the funeral the following day.
As they rounded the corner before the funeral home, Adrian said, "Mama, dat lot pepo."
Running her hands through Adrian's hair, Stephanie smiled at him, "Yes, sweetie. That is a lot of people. They are all out there paying their respects to your daddy."
"Waspec?" he asked.
"Respects; they are offering their thanks and gratitude to your daddy for all he did to keep them safe."
As they pulled into the funeral home parking lot, Zip helped Stephanie out of the SUV. She looked up at the men that stood before her, "Can you three please stay here with Adrian? I think this is something I need to do on my own."
Bobby wanted to be with her when she identified the body, but knew if she wanted to do it alone, there was nothing he could do to change her mind. "Sweetheart, if you need me, just holler; I'll come running." He bent down and kissed the top of her head before watching her amble up the sidewalk to the front door.
Zip looked at Bobby, "How close are you two?"
Knowing where his line of thinking was, Bobby only replied, "This is not the time or place," before climbing in the back to sit with Adrian.
Zip looked over at Ram and raised his brow in question. Ram shook his head, "You heard him, man. Not now."
Stephanie walked through the front door and felt her heart begin to pound harder. Part of her wanted to go see the body and be able to tell the director it wasn't her husband's body. However, a larger part of her knew that wouldn't happen; Zip had been there when Lester was shot and killed. She knew in her heart of hearts that it was her husband in the casket.
"Mrs. Santos," came the soft voice behind her.
Turning around she saw the funeral director and shuffled over to shake his hand. "Thank you for allowing me to do this now."
"Of course. I'm sorry that this has to be done, but I know you want to make sure it is him," he said as he led her to the back room.
Stepping into the room, Stephanie saw the flag covered casket and she stopped mid step to catch her breath. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit for a moment?"
"No, I'm fine." Stephanie took a few more steps inside the room and placed a hand on the flag.
The funeral director waited until she moved her hand before pulling the flag down. When the top lid was uncovered, he looked at the weeping widow. "Are you ready?"
Stephanie nodded and clutched Lester's dog tags tightly in her hands. As the lid was lifted, Stephanie stared at her husband's handsome face; it looked like he was sleeping. The director saw the look of confirmation on her face and stepped back from her, "Take all the time you need. I'll be in the hall."
Stephanie stepped forward and ran her fingers through Lester's buzz cut. It was shorter than the last time she'd seen him, but she loved running her hands through it. She noticed he had on his Army dress blues with his medals. She made a mental note to ask Bobby who had the medals and how they'd gotten them to whoever prepared Les. "You look very handsome," she whispered as she touched his fingers which were interlaced on his chest.
Looking down at his face, she could see he'd aged a little in the two years he was gone, but he was still as handsome as the day they met. "I'm sure you know by now, hell, you've probably already looked in on us from above, but you have an amazing son. He's almost two. His name is Adrian Michael. He knows all about you and he couldn't wait to meet you."
"I'm working at RangeMan now. The company I was working for, Delgado's, was raided by the FBI. Bobby got me an interview with Ranger; he never told them who I was. I think you'd be proud of me; at least I hope you'd be."
"Bobby kept his promise to you; he was there for the rest of the pregnancy. He's helped with Adrian and anytime I've needed a shoulder to cry on, he's been there. He takes Adrian out to play, he teaches him manly things, and he talks to him about you. He's been my rock, Les."
Stephanie placed her hand on top of Lester's and closed her eyes, "God, I wish you weren't lying there. I wish I could hold you one more time just to tell you all I've waited to tell you for two years. I love you. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love."
Leaning down, Stephanie placed a chaste kiss on his lips, "Thank you for fighting for our freedom. You'll never know how much of a hero you truly are; not only to me, but to millions of others."
Standing up, she wiped her tears and took a deep breath, "I best go for now. I'm sure Adrian is wondering where I am. I hope you won't mind if I come visit you from time to time, just to talk to you. I love you, Lester. I always will."
Running her hands through his hair one last time, she turned and walked from the room. The director was sitting in a chair across the hall and stood when she entered. "Are there any special requests?" he asked.
"No, he looks wonderful. Everyone else will be here tomorrow. Thank you for allowing me this private time," she solemnly said. "I appreciate the time to say my goodbyes."
The director shook her hand, "We'll see you in the morning. If you need anything, or if you think of anything you'd like done differently, don't hesitate to call."
Making her way outside, Stephanie stood against the building filling her lungs with fresh air. Seeing her body start to slide down the wall, Bobby jumped from the SUV and ran to her. "I've got you, Sweetheart. I've got you," he whispered as he picked her up and carried her to the vehicle.
Climbing into the back, he kept Stephanie on his lap and held her tight. "One of you two drive us back to her house. She's not staying alone today or tonight."
Ram climbed in the driver seat and started the engine while Zip took residence on the passenger side. Looking back, Zip couldn't help but wonder just how close Bobby and Steph were.
The emotional drain from the day had Stephanie passed out before they turned the corner from the funeral home. Bobby held her the entire way, whispering to her every now and again to make sure she knew she wasn't alone.
Bobby knew he needed time to grieve as well, but for now, his first priorities were Stephanie and Adrian. He had to keep his promise to his best friend and nothing would make him break it.
Pulling into the driveway, Bobby noticed some of RangeMan vehicles were parked along the curb, "What the hell?" he muttered as the back door was opened by Ranger.