Title Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Author Dawn
Rating PG 13
Spoiler Info: We all know the CIA was very involved in our defeat of Saddam Hussein, and who else is going to be in the middle of it but our favorite ex-marine.
Chapter 9
Everyone was getting anxious at CIA headquarters. Stiles should have been in Baghdad and they should have heard something. Gage was beginning to worry. He tried not to let it show during the morning meeting. "They probably just got delayed going in. We should hear something soon. Let's all get back to work. I'll let everyone know as soon as he checks in."
Terri was getting upset. Frederick went and talked to her. "It is not even close to panic stage. We are only looking at the check in being 1 hour late. That's nothing. I'll personally come down and tell you as soon as we hear." Terri hugged him and went back to her desk.
Terri was having a hard time concentrating. Joshua looked in his desk and found a note Stiles wanted him to give her just in case something like this happened. Stiles tried to think of everything.
"Terri, Stiles left this for you."
At first Terri hesitated, but then she opened it. "I must be late checking in. You know how I am about calling. You told me, once that I was the type of person who didn't like to use the phone. If I don't check in it doesn't mean you need to start worrying. I'm probably having too much fun. I love you." Terri smiled. She was feeling better.
"Thank you Joshua."
General Stiles came in. "No word yet. I didn't want to leave you waiting too long without checking on you."
"I'm fine Dad, I know Stiles asked you to look after me. I'm ok. I miss him and I love him. There really isn't anything you can do about that."
The work day ended still they hadn't checked in. Then the official word came down from Central Command.
Gage called Terri into his office. "Terri sit down. We just got word." a look of panic came over Terri's face as she shook her head no. "The area Stiles was in, there was heavy fighting. Central Command has listed Stiles missing in action."
"No, Sir there is some kind of mistake. There has to be." She looked at Frederick and could see there wasn't
"I'm going to get Vicki to drive you home. General Stiles is going to call your parents and have his wife meet you at your place. We will find him. I promise you."
Frederick held Terri in his arms. "You go home, I will be there as soon as we have word."
While they were telling Terri upstairs Jackson was telling everyone else. "We have to try to hold it together for Terri. This is going to be hell for her." he put his arm around Vicki. "Vicki pull yourself together, Gage wants you to take Terri home. Her parents and Stiles mom, when they are notified we're going to tell them to go to Terri's. Stay with her."
Terri walked in the room, she was in shock. General Stiles was helping her to walk in. Vicki walked up and hugged her. "Come on Terri, lets get you home."
By the time Terri got home her parents and Kevin were waiting for her. Terri just sat on the couch in disbelief. She turned on the news and stared at the TV she really had no idea what they were saying. Dorothy sat down next to her and put her arms around her.
The doorbell rang and Terri jumped up, she was hoping it was news about Stiles. It was Hannah, Kathleen and the kids. She looked at Pat and he smiled at her, she started to cry and hugged him. "Thank you." she whispered to him. Everyone remembered what Stiles said to Pat about smiling for Terri. She needed to see that smile.
The doorbell rang again Terri answered it. Jeff was standing there. "Are you ready to go Terri?" he realized something was wrong, he never saw that look on her face. "Terri, are you ok?" Terri just walked into the living room.
Vicki was the first one to recognize the voice. "Jeff what the hell are you doing here?"
"Terri and I were supposed to have dinner." he looked around the room he saw Kevin and Terri's parents, and some people he didn't know. He walked up to Terri. "Terri what is going on?" She started to cry. "What happened to Stiles?" he put his arms around her. He looked at the TV there was a special bulletin that Major A. B. Stiles was listed as MIA. "Terri that doesn't mean anything. He is probably someplace where he can't get word to you. That's all. You told me yourself he would be back." Terri looked at Jeff and half smiled when he quietly called her "Mrs. Stiles."
Jeff walked in and Terri sat back in front of the TV. He walked up to Terri's parents. "Dorothy, John I'm really sorry about Stiles. I know how much Terri loves him." Dorothy couldn't believe this Jeff usually called her Mom just to aggravate her. "You must be Stiles' mother. I'm Jeff. I'm sorry about your son." She nodded a thank you. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not right now. All we can do is wait." Hannah told him.
"Why don't I go get something to eat. Pizza, sandwiches what does everybody want?"
Vicki walked up to Jeff. "Can I talk to you outside?" They walked out to the front porch. "Why are you really here?"
"I took a job in New York. I told Terri about it a few days ago. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. She said she would have dinner with me tonight."
"Just forget about trying to get her back, she al.."
"Already married Stiles, I know she told me. I also know that Dorothy and John don't know. Look Vicki, I'm not trying to give Terri a hard time. I hope Stiles is fine and I hope they have a wonderful life together. Tonight is about good bye and Terri forgiving me. That's it. I want to move on with my life too." Vicki and Jeff walked back in the house. Jeff really felt bad for everything he had put Terri through.
Author Dawn
Rating PG 13
Spoiler Info: We all know the CIA was very involved in our defeat of Saddam Hussein, and who else is going to be in the middle of it but our favorite ex-marine.
Chapter 9
Everyone was getting anxious at CIA headquarters. Stiles should have been in Baghdad and they should have heard something. Gage was beginning to worry. He tried not to let it show during the morning meeting. "They probably just got delayed going in. We should hear something soon. Let's all get back to work. I'll let everyone know as soon as he checks in."
Terri was getting upset. Frederick went and talked to her. "It is not even close to panic stage. We are only looking at the check in being 1 hour late. That's nothing. I'll personally come down and tell you as soon as we hear." Terri hugged him and went back to her desk.
Terri was having a hard time concentrating. Joshua looked in his desk and found a note Stiles wanted him to give her just in case something like this happened. Stiles tried to think of everything.
"Terri, Stiles left this for you."
At first Terri hesitated, but then she opened it. "I must be late checking in. You know how I am about calling. You told me, once that I was the type of person who didn't like to use the phone. If I don't check in it doesn't mean you need to start worrying. I'm probably having too much fun. I love you." Terri smiled. She was feeling better.
"Thank you Joshua."
General Stiles came in. "No word yet. I didn't want to leave you waiting too long without checking on you."
"I'm fine Dad, I know Stiles asked you to look after me. I'm ok. I miss him and I love him. There really isn't anything you can do about that."
The work day ended still they hadn't checked in. Then the official word came down from Central Command.
Gage called Terri into his office. "Terri sit down. We just got word." a look of panic came over Terri's face as she shook her head no. "The area Stiles was in, there was heavy fighting. Central Command has listed Stiles missing in action."
"No, Sir there is some kind of mistake. There has to be." She looked at Frederick and could see there wasn't
"I'm going to get Vicki to drive you home. General Stiles is going to call your parents and have his wife meet you at your place. We will find him. I promise you."
Frederick held Terri in his arms. "You go home, I will be there as soon as we have word."
While they were telling Terri upstairs Jackson was telling everyone else. "We have to try to hold it together for Terri. This is going to be hell for her." he put his arm around Vicki. "Vicki pull yourself together, Gage wants you to take Terri home. Her parents and Stiles mom, when they are notified we're going to tell them to go to Terri's. Stay with her."
Terri walked in the room, she was in shock. General Stiles was helping her to walk in. Vicki walked up and hugged her. "Come on Terri, lets get you home."
By the time Terri got home her parents and Kevin were waiting for her. Terri just sat on the couch in disbelief. She turned on the news and stared at the TV she really had no idea what they were saying. Dorothy sat down next to her and put her arms around her.
The doorbell rang and Terri jumped up, she was hoping it was news about Stiles. It was Hannah, Kathleen and the kids. She looked at Pat and he smiled at her, she started to cry and hugged him. "Thank you." she whispered to him. Everyone remembered what Stiles said to Pat about smiling for Terri. She needed to see that smile.
The doorbell rang again Terri answered it. Jeff was standing there. "Are you ready to go Terri?" he realized something was wrong, he never saw that look on her face. "Terri, are you ok?" Terri just walked into the living room.
Vicki was the first one to recognize the voice. "Jeff what the hell are you doing here?"
"Terri and I were supposed to have dinner." he looked around the room he saw Kevin and Terri's parents, and some people he didn't know. He walked up to Terri. "Terri what is going on?" She started to cry. "What happened to Stiles?" he put his arms around her. He looked at the TV there was a special bulletin that Major A. B. Stiles was listed as MIA. "Terri that doesn't mean anything. He is probably someplace where he can't get word to you. That's all. You told me yourself he would be back." Terri looked at Jeff and half smiled when he quietly called her "Mrs. Stiles."
Jeff walked in and Terri sat back in front of the TV. He walked up to Terri's parents. "Dorothy, John I'm really sorry about Stiles. I know how much Terri loves him." Dorothy couldn't believe this Jeff usually called her Mom just to aggravate her. "You must be Stiles' mother. I'm Jeff. I'm sorry about your son." She nodded a thank you. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not right now. All we can do is wait." Hannah told him.
"Why don't I go get something to eat. Pizza, sandwiches what does everybody want?"
Vicki walked up to Jeff. "Can I talk to you outside?" They walked out to the front porch. "Why are you really here?"
"I took a job in New York. I told Terri about it a few days ago. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. She said she would have dinner with me tonight."
"Just forget about trying to get her back, she al.."
"Already married Stiles, I know she told me. I also know that Dorothy and John don't know. Look Vicki, I'm not trying to give Terri a hard time. I hope Stiles is fine and I hope they have a wonderful life together. Tonight is about good bye and Terri forgiving me. That's it. I want to move on with my life too." Vicki and Jeff walked back in the house. Jeff really felt bad for everything he had put Terri through.