Sorry to keep you all waiting. Here's Part II
Just Like His Father, Part II
People died in war. It was the simple nature of things. Even a small conflict such as the latest insurrection was no exception. People died, and whenever that happened, somebody somewhere lost a friend or family member that they cared about. Even those on the other side had people that they loved, and they felt the pain when they died.
It seemed even worse when a person saw someone die right in front of them. People continued to die, and yet that person would just keep wishing and praying that they would not be next, that they would somehow survive the fighting and go back home. And when they got hurt, it would seem like an immense shock, as if they had been reminded of their own mortality, the fragile nature of their very existence. And they would wish to live, if not for themselves, then for their friends and family, just so they would not have to go through the pain and trauma of losing a loved one, and the lingering hurt of knowing that they would never see them again.
But for those who had a loved one being seriously injured, and waiting to know if they will even survive, the wait is just as painful…
John paced up and down the hall. Dimly he wondered if it was indeed possible for someone to wear a long, narrow hole in the floor from constant pacing. Sure, they may have shown that on cartoons and comedies, but that was different. Shaking his head, he realised that such thoughts were simply distracting him from the matter at hand. He turned to his wife.
Cortana was sitting in one of the chairs, her body as stiff as a board, her hands twitching from extreme nervousness, and her face seemed frozen into one of intense worry. It looked as though she would only relax when somebody came out and gave her good news. If the news was bad… well, John simply did not want to think about it.
As if to answer his question, the door opened and a doctor stepped through. Cortana whipped her head around to face him. Her intense face relaxed into one of relief when she saw the smile on the doctor's face. John felt himself start to relax too.
"Sam is fine," the doctor replied. "The bullet just grazed his jugular, and we were able to fix it. We also removed all the pieces of shrapnel. He's recovering well and he's awake now."
Cortana gave the biggest sigh of relief in her entire life, and John went to put his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "Can we see him?" he asked.
"Of course," the doctor replied. "In fact, he asked if he could see you." He gestured into the room, and John and Cortana entered.
Sam lay in the bed, his neck and other parts of his body wrapped in bandages, and an IV drip was in his left arm. Despite his obvious pain, he managed to give his parents a reassuring grin. "Hi Mum, hi Dad," he said somewhat cheerfully.
Cortana sat down next to her boy and held his hand comfortingly. "How are you feeling, dear?" she asked softly.
"Better than before," Sam grunted. "Damn sniper got me in the neck, and I'm on the ground. Some guy comes over to help me and a grenade takes him out. I got some of the shrapnel, but he shielded me from the rest." He sighed. "He gave his life for mine. It's a debt that I'll never be able to repay." Sam seemed very sorrowful about that.
"You'll find a way, son," John said, as he placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.
Sam nodded. "How's Joy? Does she know?"
"She does. She's on her way down, and will be here tomorrow," Cortana answered. She felt herself start to get choked up, and she reached over to brush some of Sam's hair off his face. "You know, you really are lucky, Sam."
Sam grinned. "What can I say? I'm just like my dad!"
Cortana laughed, and all John could do was grin proudly.
Chip off the old block, ain't he? Don't worry, Sam will be just fine. He's tough like his old man.
Well, I've got just one more chapter to go. It's sad that this is coming to an end, but I'd like to think I've had a good run with this.
