September 2138

"Thank you for helping me" Alicia said to Boylan, she winced as he gave the front of her jacket a sharp tug. Her body was still incredibly tender and would be for a few more weeks but it was not going to stop her from going to Ayani's Funeral or the other funerals of their comrades and their spouses. She just needed help getting herself presentable. While a nurse had helped her fix her hair and get into her dress uniform, the kind woman didn't really know how to ready the uniform and Alicia didn't have the strength or energy to do it herself which was why she had swallowed her pride and called Guzman to help her but he said he was ordered not to help and that she needed to stay in bed and rest. So she called Boylan knowing the man would not say 'no' to her and he hadn't.

"You know, people would understand if you don't go today" Boylan told her and by 'people' he obviously meant Taylor.

"I know but" Alicia stopped closing her eyes for a moment as a wave of nausea and grief rolled over her. She was in no shape to be going anywhere but she needed to go to the funeral. But she needed to go, it was Ayani. A woman that had been a force of nature, her mentor and friend. she had needed to pay her respects and have the funeral for closure.

She also needed to see those who survived from their platoon as she had read reports on what had happened in her absence. She needed them to feel her presence, to know they had her support and that she cared for them and their loss even in her current state. "I need to do this" she told him.

"Have you heard from your father? Is he coming back for the Funeral?" Boylan asked.

"One phone call, he's still in Mogadishu and can't get away" Alicia lied, she didn't want Boylan to know the disgrace and shame her father said she had brought onto her family months ago. She wasn't expecting him to call anytime soon either. So it was easier to lie to Boylan because even if he knew the truth which she assumed he did as the man knew everything. He wouldn't call her out on it.

"How's Taylor?" Alicia asked him.

"He's keeping it together pretty well" Boylan said, as he stood back to inspect her dress uniform "But sometimes he gets this look in his eye" he said.

"What look?" Alicia asked.

"You know that look a person's gets when they're about to" Boylan made gun gesture with his hands and cocked at his head. " But don't worry, we're keepin' a close eye on him." he reassured her. Alicia nodded glad that Taylor wasn't left alone. She knew how devasting it was to lose someone you loved but she was sure her loss and grief paled greatly in comparision to Taylor's.

"Now, let's get you into the wheelchair and roll out" Boylan said. Alicia inwardly groaned as one of the compromises for being allowed to temporarily leave the medical centre was that she had to be wheeled around.

A few seconds later Boylan came back into room rolling a wheel chair. "Your chariot, Ma'am" he said with a smile. Alicia shook her head as only Boylan could keep his sense of humour in such dark times. She carefully sat down into the chair and gave a sigh as if was a relief to get off her feet and she'd only been on them for less than 10 minutes. If anything it told her she had a while to go before she fully recovered.

"Now, the kind nurses told me that I'm to wheel your backside around the place all of today. You are not to get out of this chair except for getting in and out of the car. So no standing up or running marathons or leaping across high building etc. or the nurses won't date me" Boylan told her.

"Gee I guess for the sake of your love life I'll remain in the chair" Alicia said sarcastically.

"Always knew you had a soft spot for me Ma'am" he told her and with a chuckle as his own humour he rolled her out of the ward.

Half an hour later,

They sat in traffic, unsurprisingly Boylan had been talking non stop as soon as he had sat behind the wheel and started driving. He told her everything that was happening on the base from food shortages to new recruits being trained to fill the vacancies in their platoon. All the while she stared out the window just vaguely listening to him, she watched they passed through several dome cities until finally hitting an underground tunnel.

"It's pretty lucky we were all transferred to the base closed to Ayani's home city. Taylor's having the funeral in the Historical district and the wake is at Ayani's mother's place. Heard Lucas has been staying with her" Boylan said, Alicia turned to look at Boylan as the lights turned green and their car rolled into motion yet again.

"How is Lucas?" She asked. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about Ayani's son. She had been so wrapped in herself and the loss of yet another of her closest friends outside of the military, the loss of her mentor and how she was going to miss Ayani's presence in the world. She had forgotten about Ayani's legacy; Lucas.

"He survived, like the rest of us but he's not coping well. He throws a fit everytime Taylor goes near him, screaming the usual teenage melodrama of 'I wish you were dead', 'it's all your fault' etc. It's why Taylor shipped off to Ayani's mother. I think it was wise on Taylor's part, I know I wouldn't cope well with that if I was in his place" Boylan said as he kept his eyes on the road as he continued to drive.

"He lost his mother, it's never easy losing a parent" Alicia said how well she knew that from experience.

"Yeah, I guess in time he'll temper out though I'm no expert on kids" Boylan said diplomatically.

"Tell me how far away are we from the place?" Alicia asked.

"Just a couple more turn offs and don't worry we still got an hour to get there" Boylan told her.

"Ok"

"And if you're really good and behave yourself, I'll get you a coffee" He offered, Alicia shot him a petulant look.

"Don't tease me, I can't drink coffee for another month at least" Alicia told him as it was cruel joke in her opinion to taunt her with the promise of things she couldn't have.

"But it's so much fun" Boylan said playfully.

"Yeah well at least you get to drink coffee. you have no idea vile tea is" Alicia grumbled.

"Hey, I won't have you mocking my motherland's nectar" Boylan said in defensive manner.

"Aren't you Australian?" Alicia asked as she recalled Boylan spent a lot of time mocking his ancestors and the British in general. As far as she knew Tea was a favourite pass time in the UK not Australia.

"Yes, and England is my Motherland as my family's roots date all the way back to the convicts who were British" Boylan informed her in an amused manner.

"Right and when was the last time you had a cup of your motherland's nectar?" Alicia asked mockingly.

"Not for a long time but only because I refuse to drink that synthesised shit. It's nothing compared to a true cup of tea brewed from hydroponically grown leaves. It's rare to find that these days" Boylan said rather forlornly.

"Right" Alicia said turning to look back out the window.

Hours later,

Alicia woke up to feeling of her being watched, when she opened her eyes she expected a night nurse doing her rounds but instead found Taylor sitting in a chair by her bed staring off into space. He was still dressed in his dress uniform with the tie loosened and the to button undone as he uncharacteristically slouched in the chair. He looked despondant and incredibly grief stricken it hurt to look at him as it only reminded her of her own pain and grief.

"Sir?" she murmured, Taylor's eyes snapped to hers. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" she asked. Taylor sat up in his chair and cleared his throat, he looked surprised to see her there which seemed rather ridiculous as it was her hospital room.

"Yes" he said but then shook his head "No, nothing is alright. My wife is dead, Wash." he ran a hand down his face and frowned as if he couldn't believe what was happening to him before he looked at her. "And my son hates me because it was my fault" he told her as he looked away from her not able or willing to put up with the pity she would feel for him.

"Sir-" Alicia started but stopped as Taylor waved a dismissive hand and continued to talk.

"He's staying with his Grandmother, he refuses to speak to me. Won't even acknowledge I exist. You saw how he was at the funeral" Taylor said in a dull tone, in the darkness of Alicia's hospital room he found a sense of peace, a small sanctuary he didn't know why. Maybe it was that she had been a constant in his life for the past years, that he had watched her become the woman she was, that they had saved each other's lives so often that he felt a connection to her. there were so many reasons he could think of but right now he needed her, he just needed her quiet presence, her strength to keep grounded.

"My home- " he stopped it wasn't his home anymore. Home was where Ayani was, where his son was happy and since she was gone and Lucas was no longer happy in his presence what was supposed to be their home was just an empty space. It was just designated housing, there was nothing special about none of special yet temporary touches Ayani would have made to the place, there wasn't even an hint of her scent. Nothing, just nothing. "no my living quarters" he corrected. "They are too quiet" he said.

"I just needed to get out" he said, but the way he said it, it was like he was talking more to himself than her.

"Sir-"

"Just go back to sleep" he told her. He didn't want to hear anymore sympathy from people or how sorry they felt for him and his son. He just wanted to sit in the chair he was in right now and pretend for just a few more hours that Ayani and his son were at home. Happy, whole, alive and getting on with their lives waiting for him. The fantasy it would always remain.

"Sir, you remember when you found me in that hospital in Morrocco?" she asked speaking up, he wished she had taken his order and gone back to sleep.

"I'm not likely to forget it anytime soon" he told her, wondering what she was getting at but still wishing for the silence between them. To just sit in the quiet and listen to the steady beep of her heart monitor.

"You told me you needed me to survive" she said to him.

"I remember" he said, he heard the beeps from her monitor grow closer to one another. He looked to her and saw the same wild pain in her expression, the grief reflecting back at him as it mirrored his current state. Tears built themselves into her eyes.

"Well now I need you to do the same for me" she told him in a husky voice as she tried to keep the frail control she had left on her emotions. He had seen her struggling with her emotions earlier at the funeral. He hadn't expected her come, but she did, in her dress uniform standing tall and proud with the remains of his platoon who came to show their support.

It had angered him to see her there, he wanted to pull her aside and shake her for jeopardising her health as she should have been in the hospital recovering not testing his patience. But then during the service, he realised just like he; she needed to be there and having her stand there as a testiment of how Ayani had touched all their lives felt like the honour. A silent but undeniable recognition of Ayani's greatness, her profound love and ability to bring so many people together and make them feel like a family.

He just wished that her death hadn't torn apart his life, but if it hadn't then what would it have said about him and their relationship. He closed his eyes and looked away from Alicia, not able to bear the pain and grief that twisted deeply within him. He wasn't supposed to bury his wife, it wasn't right neither was Alicia's request.

"You should get some rest" he said, rising from his chair. He needed to leave before he said or did something wrong again.

"Sir, don't go" Alicia pleaded. He looked down at her, taking in how frail and small she looked wishing he could hold her. Not comfort her but for himself as no one had touched or comforted him since that day in Somalia but somehow he knew it wasn't wise as he would certainly breakdown and he refused to allow anyone see him as 'broken'.

"Please, just stay. I'll say nothing and I'll go to sleep but just stay with me Sir" Alicia pleaded, she couldn't stand the idea of him disappearing him. She could still remember Boylan telling her how they were concerned for Taylor and it tore at her to see him so fragile and not be able to do anything for him. But then he had come to her, he was here. She might not know the reason but she'd prefer him to stay with her than be alone with his thoughts.