CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Elusive Dreams – PART III"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #9 in the Salvation series. The bonds of family bring the Five-0 ohana even closer.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: March 17, 2013
A/N: I would like to give a huge "Thank You!" to Runner043 for the main idea for this chapter. Runner and I have been exchanging private messages and her idea was WAY, WAY, WAY, better than mine! Thank you very much, Ma'am; you are awesome! I hope I can do justice to your suggestion! Michelle
(The flight from Denver to Washington goes as smoothly as the one from Honolulu to Denver and there is a rental car waiting when they arrive in D.C. They head out to Ft. Meyer and find that, once again, Mike has done his job well. The McGarretts have a suite and Lt. Cmdr. Monroe has a very nice, large room and they get settled in relatively quickly. When Sam unzips their hanging bag and starts moving the clothes to the closet in their bedroom, she pauses a moment when she finds Steve's service dress blues in the bag and further investigation finds his cover at the bottom. Puzzled, she turns to walk into the living room of their suite to ask him why he brought his uniform and finds that he's standing in the doorway of the bedroom holding their daughter with a somewhat serious expression on his face.)
"I brought it because your dad was a naval officer, your parents are buried at Arlington, and, well, I just wanted to pay them the proper amount of respect, Sam. Joe brought his, as well. If you keep digging, you'll find yours in there, too, and your cover is beneath mine, although, as their daughter, I think the black dress you put in there will work. It's up to you what you decide to wear when we go out to Arlington."
(Sam is deeply touched by Steve's thoughtfulness and she has to take a moment to compose herself before she can speak. Walking over to him, she first kisses Emily and receives a smile and a kiss in return. When she looks up to meet her husband's eyes, she sees the love he has for her there and reaches up to gently touch his face.)
"What did I ever do to deserve you, Steve?"
"I'm the one who should be asking that question, Sam. My life was pretty messed up before I met you. You've made it possible for me to know that I'm not alone in this world and won't ever be. You and Emily are my life, and I will love you forever and then some."
"I love you, too, Steve; always and forever."
(And Steve leans down and kisses Sam in a manner that leaves no doubt in her mind that she is one lucky woman. Their moment is interrupted by a knock on the door to their suite and Steve and Emily let Joe Monroe in while Sam continues to hang up their clothes. A few minutes later, Sam joins them and they discuss their schedule for the day. Sam takes Emily from Steve and is so involved with playing with her beautiful little girl that she misses the look he and Joe Monroe exchange.)
"I think the first thing we should do is decide where we're going to eat lunch. Emily's going to be getting hungry in an hour or so and she's one cranky young lady when she gets hungry."
"No, Sam, Emily does not get cranky; she gets down right difficult. How about we grab some lunch, come back here and change, and head on over to Arlington?"
"Sounds like a plan. That okay with you, Merlin?"
"Yes, Ma'am, that works for me."
"Okay, first of all, none of us are on duty so drop the 'Ma'am', and, secondly, I agree with Steve. While we're on this trip, it's 'Sam'; not 'Commander', not 'Ma'am'. Deal?"
"Deal."
(All during lunch, Steve watches as Sam gets more and more quiet as the time to visit her parents' graves draws nearer; not even Emily's antics can keep her mother smiling for too long. Steve knows this visit is going to be very painful for Sam, but he also realizes that it is necessary and he's praying that what he has planned will help ease her pain somewhat. . .
A little before two o'clock that afternoon, Steve drives their rental car onto the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery and, having already looked up and memorized the route to the Murdock's graves, heads to that section. Even though he and Joe Monroe are wearing their uniforms, Sam opted for the simple, sleeveless, black dress she brought. Joe is doing a great job keeping Emily distracted in the back seat which is a good thing because Steve can practically see Sam getting more and more tense the closer they get to their destination. Sam is holding two long-stemmed white roses in her hands and her knuckles are almost white from gripping the stems so tightly. As they draw near to the section where her parents are buried, Sam sees that there are several cars parked on the side of the road and a group of people standing about twenty yards away. As Steve parks the car, she turns her head with a look of shock on her face. Turning off the ignition, he turns to face his wife.)
"Steve?"
"I knew this was going to be hard for you, Sam, and I wanted to do whatever I could to ease your pain. I asked our family to join us here today and the same Navy Chaplain who officiated at your parents' funerals is also with them. I thought that having a memorial service might help give you some closure. If you're upset about this, be upset with me; everyone here came here because I asked them."
(Joe Monroe has gotten out of the car and has unbuckled Emily from her car seat and takes her with him to join the group at the grave site leaving Sam and Steve alone in the car. Tears have pooled in Sam's emerald green eyes and are slowly sliding down her cheeks as she looks at her husband.)
"I'm not upset, Steve. I . . Thank you for this."
