He was wide-awake when he saw the clock on his nightstand near the bed, it was 4:30 am in Glen Oak, 3:30 pm in Baghdad. He lay back down; thoughts ran through his head about what he saw while he got a bad gut feeling.

Does this mean dad is gone? Am I going to have to take care of everyone now? I hope Lou is at the church in a few hours, I can talk to him see what he knows. He thought to himself.

He never went back to sleep, just looked at the ceiling, tossed and turned. He sat up and turned on the light from the lamp on the nightstand.

He thought about his dad as to if he was gone or it was his imagination that he saw a ghostly figure.

The next day at lunchtime—

Annie, Simon and the twins were home; Lucy, Ruthie and Kevin were out to lunch. Simon had not told his mother about how he feels about his dad or even what he thought he saw the night before. The doorbell rang, Simon went to get it but his mom followed behind since she was worried about something.

Simon opened the door, saw Michaels and Lou, he gave a scared look on his face then closed the door. Lou and Micheals looked at each other while MIcheals scratched his head at what happened but they both understood. Simon had his back to the glass when his mother gave him a curious look and asked who was at the door.

"Come here, mom." he pulled his mother close to him then hugged her while she hugged him back not knowing what is going on.

I keep getting a bad feeling all day and when the doorbell rang, I wanted to see who was at the door. But Simon closed it and is now hugging me, I think he knows something. I'm going to have to tell him to open the door even though I'm worried about the bad news that might come. Annie thought to herself.

"Simon? What's wrong?" She asked her son in a worrisome tone.

"I've been having a bad feeling about dad today and um... Michaels and Lou are at the door."

"Well you will have to open it son, we won't know what is going on if you don't." She tells him even though she really did not want him to.

"I know mom," they moved away from the door, Simon opened it.

Michaels and Lou had a very grimed look on their face when they said hi to the Camdens. Lucy, Ruthie and Kevin came home when they see the assembled people in the living room. Michaels sat next to Lou on the couch, Lucy and Ruthie sat next to their brother while they asked what was going on since they got a bad feeling when they walked in.

"Last night our time, yesterday Baghdad time…" Lou started then tears started to fill his eyes, "a body was found on a street near a mosque in downtown Tikrit. The U.S. military personnel examined the body, and saw it…." He stopped.. hi lips quivered.

They looked at him with worry; they felt like the weight dropped on them.

"Is he dead?" The now widow Camden asked. She stifled tears as Simon rubbed her back. She had her elbow on her knee, hand on her forehead, not looking at Michaels or Lou.

"They discovered the body…to be of Eric's." Lou cried.

Simon and Annie told the twins about what happened to their father then family came from all over the country. All the Camden kids, Eric's sister, brother in law, his parents came for the funeral.

A week after his body was flown to Glen Oak, they had a memorial service for him and it was televised since he did so much for the people of Glen Oak who cried.

Eric's father consoled Ruth, everyone consoled each other as they cried. Finally, Eric was laid to rest near Jenny and Charles.

He looked down; saw his family in mourning shaking his head.

"I really shouldn't have gone to Iraq. Please take care of my family."


Sorry to make this so short, I just wanted to get it over with.