"Ribs still bruised, ain't they, Sarge?" Smoke laughed.

Scream reached down and put his arm on his ribs. "Yeah, but at least they don't hurt as much."

Captain Callahan looked at Scream. "Let me take a look at them, Staff."

"They're fine, Sir."

"Now, Staff."

"Yes, Sir." Scream lifted up his shirt, now acutely aware his chest hurt and it hurt to breathe.

Captain Callahan listened carefully. "You're not breathing well, Staff."

Scream looked around to his men. "Just a little winded from the explosion, I'm sure."

Callahan shook his head. "No, Staff. We need to give you a better examination."

"No disrespect, Sir, but why wouldn't you have done that in the first place?" Angel looked at Captain Callahan.

Callahan smiled. "A little distracted, I'd say, Soldier."

Dim and Tariq sat on their cots, waiting for Scream. Angel and Smoke popped in and took their seats as well. "Think he's going to be okay?" Dim sighed.

"He's too much of a bastard to die, Dim." Smoke snorted.

"What would we do without him, though?" Tariq asked. "Remember how we felt when we thought he was going to leave? All of us felt scared shitless, save Smoke. What would happen if he..."

They all looked up as Scream slowly entered the tent. "What?"

"How you feeling, Sarge?" Dim stood up.

"Like I was hit by a ton of bricks." Scream slowly lowered himself on his cot.

"You were, Sergeant." Tariq smiled.

"You mean it was just a ton?" Scream managed to smile back.

"Yeah. Just a ton." Tariq went over and helped Scream remove his DCU jacket. "Thought for a moment we might have lost you."

Scream laid back and heaved a painful sigh. "I'm too much of a goddamned bastard to die."

The room was now clear except for Scream and Captain Baron. In a couple hours, Dim would be on his way to Landsthul. Scream didn't like the fact that Dim would fade in and out of consciousness. One minute he'd be talking and smugly grinning and the next, he'd close his eyes and his vitals lowered.

Captain Baron shared Scream's fears. "He's going to be fine, Scream."

"You promise, Sir?"

Baron sighed. "I wish I could."

Smoke sat outside, looking at the stars with the rest of the group. "Why does Dim go in and out, man?"

DoubleWide shrugged. "We all knew Tariq's death would be a huge impact on him. Maybe he's trying to deal with that."

Angel softly sighed. "Any of you fear losing him too?"

Mrs. B wiped a tear. "Yeah. He's the only one that can decide to live, the Captain said."

DoubleWide played with a stick she found. "What will life be now without Tariq? I mean, when I needed to talk about Sergio, he was there. He wasn't married, but he seemed to know."

"He was going to marry his sweetheart." Mrs. B's voice was soft.

"How ya'll know this?" Smoke asked with disdain. "He never said anything."

"You didn't ask." Mrs. B looked at Smoke. "He spoke often of her, if you'd listened. I can't remember her name, but I do know he loved her deeply and couldn't wait to get home to her."

"Her name was Adiva." Angel spoke, his voice audible. "According to Tariq, she lived up to her name."

"She was a diva?" Smoke laughed.

Angel rolled his eyes. "No."

Dim picked up the other picture by Tariq's side as Smoke left. "She's even more beautiful than the other one."

Tariq snatched the picture back. "That's the girlfriend."

"What's her name?" Dim asked.

"Adiva."

"What's the meaning?" Angel asked before Dim could say any smart-ass remark.

"Pleasant or gentle."

"What does your name mean?" Dim asked.

"My name?" Tariq looked up.

"Yeah. Most American names don't have meanings, but other nations names do. What does your name mean?"

Tariq sighed. "It means 'Morning star.' I was named for an 8th century Islamic military leader who conquered Spain for the Moors. Go figure." He smiled.

"So you were sort of destined to be in the military, then?" Dim joked.

"Yeah, so it would seem." Tariq stared at the picture. "I'm going to marry her when I get back."

"She planning it then?" Angel sat up.

"Nah, man. I ain't asked her yet. See, there's this place in Chicago that we met at and I'm going to take her there and ask her."

"Don't forget an invitation for us, pal." Dim smiled as he patted Tariq's shoulder.

"Nah, man. I couldn't forget you." Tariq laughed at Dim.

Dim sat cleaning his weapon. He looked over at Tariq, who was on his cot, writing a letter. "What's up, Tariq?"

"Nothing. I'm just writing a letter." Tariq softly replied.

"What's bugging you?"

"You mean why does it rub me wrong to be working with amateurs?"

"Something like that."

"Why do I hate incompetence and stupidity in circumstances where it could easily get me killed?"

"Sorry I asked, okay." Dim sighed.

"I like being alive."

"I got it." Dim was sorry he brought the question up.

"I prefer breathing."

"Okay." Dim was now frustrated.

"These people are as two faced as they come. They want what you have, but they hate what you are." Tariq turned back to his letter.

"These people?" Dim was shocked.

"That sound like prejudice to you, Dim? Am I not being politically correct? I'm Iraqi. Did you know that?" Silence let Tariq know Dim didn't. "My parents left this primitive shithole thirty years ago."

Dim was taken by surprise. "Geez, I thought you were Persian or something."

"Nah, Persians speak Farsi. I speak Arabic."

"Guess I didn't know that."

"No, why would you? We're only fighting a war here."

"Sorry."

"Look, they ran away from stupidity and violence and they, uh, settled in Detroit." Tariq laughed a small laugh. "You know stupid and violent you have to be to make Detroit look like a step in the right direction? After 9-11, my, um, my dad, he got beat up pretty bad and my mom, she, uh, she tried to come to my father's defense and she, um, she wound up in the hospital too." Tariq looked sadly at the letter he was writing. "I'm embarrassed to be Iraqi. Those are savages, man."

Dim felt a twinge of guilt. "They're not all savages."

"No, you don't know what they are..."

"Kambashir is just like you."

"In what way?"

"His parents left. He came back."

Tariq looked intently at Dim. "I came back to kill people."

Dim woke up and looked around. The memory of his conversation with Tariq was so real, he expected to see his best friend sitting next to him. Sleep was heavy in his eyes and he fought the urge to close his eyes. "Sergeant?" He whispered.

Scream shifted in the seat. "Yeah, Dim?"

"Where's Tariq?"

Baron and Scream exchanged looks. "He died on the helo, Dim. Angel told you that." Scream was a little concerned.

"I don't remember Angel saying anything, Sarge." Dim closed his eyes. "I can't remember...All I can remember is him..."

"Do you remember what Smoke told you his last words were?" Scream's voice was soft and gentle. He looked at Dim.

Dim shook his head. "No, I don't." Tears filled his eyes. How could I forget someone telling me that? He looked up at Captain Callahan, who was checking in him. "How could I forget?"

Captain Callahan smiled. "You've just been through something very traumatic. You'll remember bits and pieces. They'll all..." he looked down at Dim. "Don't you fucking dare!" He yelled as Dim's pulse weakened.

The part where Dim and Tariq are having the conversation about Tariq being Iraqi is actually taken from the show. Credit to the OVER THERE writers.