April 10th, 2009

Dave ran out of the medic tent. People we screaming for help and it was his job to help them. A bomb had been dropped. It had felt like an earthquake. He had fallen to the ground. It took Dave a few minutes to realize what had happened. Dave pushed his gun out of the way and ran to the aide of his friend, Steven.

"God, man, it hurts." Steve groaned. Dave nodded as he picked him up.

"I know. You have shrapnel in you leg. I need to get it out." He said running back into the medic tent. He carefully lay Steve on one of the bed.

"Where is everyone?" He groaned.

"They left." Dave said cleaning Steve's leg. What could he say? All of them died for the two of them? He wanted Steve to get better not worry.

"Oh god. Drugs. I need drugs, Malucci." Steve groaned.

"I cant. We have nothing. I'm sorry." Dave said. Steven groaned in agony as Dave began to stitch up the wound. "I'm sorry."

"Just do it." Steven cried. Dave bit his lip as he stitched it up. He hated doing this to his friend with no drugs. He glanced up out of the tent and saw three soldiers from the enemy side coming to check out the damage. Dave's heart pounded as he sped up his stitching.

"We got to go." Dave said. Steve grunted. He was slowly loosing consciousness. Dave looked around him as he bandaged up the leg. There was barely any place to hide him. Dave tipped over one of the tables as quiet as he could and lay a blanket down. "Come on." Dave slowly picked his friend up and walked over to the blanket. He lowered him down, "Just stay still and make no noise."

Dave stood up and walked to the door. The soldiers were digging through a pile of body parts looking for jewelry. Dave edged his way along the tent trying not to direct attention to himself. His life and Steve's lives were in his hands. Dave raised his gun at them. They needed to get out of here. He began to shot. The two soldiers looked up as they were taken off guard.

"Die, mother fuckers." Dave cried as the bullets shot into the soldiers. Both of them fell to the ground, bleeding from everywhere. Dave stared at them. He frowned deeply. There were only two soldiers dead. Wasn't there a third? "Oh fuck."

Dave felt two hands grab him and he was thrown to the ground. He looked up into the eyes of his enemy. The other solider. Dave's heart raced. He would be shot and then Steve would be shot. His mother would be so upset getting that call.

The solider was saying something to Dave, but he couldn't understand the language he was speaking. A gun was being pressed to Dave's forehead. He was twenty-three and he was going to die. Suddenly, a loud shot rang out and Dave was covered in blood. The solider fell onto him.

"God." Dave grunted pushing the body off of him. He looked over to the medic tent and saw Steve standing there holding a gun.

"I couldn't let you die." He said as he passed out.

* * *

"Dave? Dave, where did you go?" Dave opened his eyes and looked at his therapist.

"Gulf War again." He said softly. His therapist nodded.

"Steve saving your life again?" She asked. Dave nodded.

"Yeah. Again. I thought these sessions were supposed to get rid of my nightmares from the kidnappings." Dave said.

"We're trying to get to the root of all your troubles, Dr. Malucci." She said, "I've seen so many men and women with dreams and problems after the war. It's not a rare thing."

"I don't want to remember the war. Do you know how long it took me to forget about it??" Dave sat up, "It wasn't until the birth of my first child nine years later that I could finally sleep at night, but now I cant! Charles still haunts me every night."

"He's not the only thing that haunts you." She said. "When you dream, is the solider Charles sometimes?" Dave looked away.

"This session is over." He said.

"Dave, please." The therapist said, "just answer my question."

"Sometimes." Dave said with frustration, "Sometimes the solider will fade into Charles and Steve doesn't get there in time."

"I see…"

"Can I go now?" Dave asked.

"Are you sure you want to go?" She asked. Dave ran his hand through his hair.

"Bye. I'll see you next week." Dave left the office as quickly as he could. He wasn't paying this woman to conjure up images he had long forgotten. He was paying her to get rid of Charles.

April 24th, 2009

Ireland's hands were shaking as Randi fixed her hair. Tonight was the big night. She was playing Linda in her school's rendition of Death of a Salesman. No one thought she could do it. Oh you're too young to play Linda, they all said, but Ireland would show them. She knew she was a good actress. Oh yes. She would show them. She looked at her mother.

"I'm nervous, Mom." She said quietly. Randi smiled softly.

"It's normal to be nervous, but I know you can do this, Ireland." Randi said.

"I wish the girls were here to see it." Ireland admitted.

"Elizabeth is video taping it. We'll show them the tape in the morning. They will love it." Randi smiled softly swatting Ireland's butt softly. "Go out there and wow them." Ireland nodded slowly.

"I need to get on stage." She said biting her lip. This was it. Her acting debut.

"Make me proud, Baby." Randi kissed her and went out to the audience. She sat next to Dave; "She looks fantastic."

"Of course she does." Dave whispered as the curtains opened up. There was Ireland and Cooper Johnson on stage. Ireland got out of a bed and put a robe around her. It was a little too big. She walked to a fake outdoor set looking at Cooper who was out there.

"Willy!" She cried.

"It's all right. I came back." Cooper said.

"Why? What happened?" Ireland narrowed her eyes at Cooper. "Did something happen, Willy?" Cooper shook his head.

"No, nothing happened." He said.

"Did you smash up the car?" Ireland asked. Her heart was racing but she was starting to calm down. Everyone was watching her. She could handle that.

"I said nothing happened. Did you hear me?" He asked.

"Don't you feel well?" Ireland asked. Randi smiled brightly at Dave.

"She is wonderful." She whispered. Dave smiled back. They sat there quietly as they watched the play proceed. They smiled brightly when Ella came on stage, stumbling with her lines slightly. Ireland was amazing. Randi was floored. When the final scene came up, Randi bit her lip. Ireland was dressed in a silky black dress that Randi had made especially for this play. She looked great.

"Go on, Charlie. I want to, just for a minute. I never got a chance to say good bye." Ireland walked up to the gravestone. She looked so sad. Randi's heart was breaking. "Forgive me, Dear. I can not cry. I don't know what it is, but I can't cry. I don't understand it. Why did you ever do that? Help me, Willy. I can't cry. It seems to me that you're just an another trip. I keep expecting you. Willy, dear, I can't cry. I keep expecting you. Why did you do it? I search and search and I search, and I can't understand it, Willy. I….I made the last payment on the house today. Today dear. And there'll be nobody home." A small sob rises in Ireland. "We're free and clear." Tears streamed down Ireland's cheek. "We're free….We're free…." Jeremy Austin comes up behind her. She starts sobbing freely. Jeremy helps her off stage and the curtain falls. Randi stood up and started to cheer.

"That's our baby!!!!" She cheered. Dave clapped rapidly.

* * *

Ireland ran into her father's arms backstage after the play was all over with. Dave smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around his eldest daughter.

"Did you see me, Daddy?? Did you see me??" She hugged him.

"Yes, baby. I saw you." Dave hugged her tightly, "I'm so proud of you. You were fantastic." Ireland's eyes twinkled with happiness.

"We got you roses." Randi handed Ireland a dozen white roses. Ireland's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm so happy." Ireland said. Randi chuckled softly and hugged her daughter.

"I can see that, Baby." She said. Ireland looked at her parents.

"I want to do this for the rest of my life." She said.

"And you can." Dave kissed her head. Little did they know, there was a scout sitting in that crowd that night and he wrote Ireland's name in his little black note book of up and coming stars. Ireland's future was bigger than any of them expected.

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