Disclaimer: Italicized lyrics belong to Kenny Chesney.

Someday's the sky's so blue

I feel like I can talk to you

And I know it might sound crazy

WHO YOU'D BE TODAY

by Kenny Chesney

Angel looked up at the blue sky and wiped a tear. He found it hard to believe it had been a week and they were going home for Tariq's funeral.

"What type of funeral do you think it'll be?" Smoke's voice broke through Angel's thoughts.

"I suppose Muslim." Angel sighed.

"What's that like?" Smoke sniffed.

Angel shrugged. "I suppose we'll find out."

Scream sat next to his young Soldiers. "It's, uh," he coughed. "It's a nice day."

Angel smiled. "Yeah, it is. Tariq would have like the day."

DoubleWide and Mrs. B joined the small group. "I guess his family's washing the body right now." Mrs. B spoke softly.

"Washing the body?" Smoke adjusted his beret.

"I guess that's tradition." Mrs. B shrugged. "Then I guess they'll wrap him up and we'll follow the precession to the cemetery."

"How do you know what the traditions are?" Smoke asked Mrs. B.

"We've been here a couple days. I looked it up on the Internet." Mrs. B smiled. "I may be blonde and from West Virginia, but I ain't all that stupid."

"How do you think Dim is?" DoubleWide asked.

"Probably hating that he's not here." Angel made sure his beret was straight and the Irish Pennant on his uniform was gone. "He was the closest to Tariq."

They all waited silently for someone to come and get them. As Scream, Angel, and Smoke walked with Tariq's father and brothers to the cemetery, Mrs. B and DoubleWide drove behind. Mrs. B's voice was quiet when she looked over at DoubleWide. "Are they upset that we wanted to go too?"

DoubleWide shrugged. "Maybe, but I'd rather them be mad at me than live with the regret of not breaking rules."

"It's funny how they didn't use a coffin for his body." Mrs. B's voice was still soft.

"Yeah. I should read up on this on the Internet." DoubleWide smiled a pain filled smile.

Vanessa looked at Dim. "You okay, Frank?"

Dim continued to stare out the window. "I'm fine, Vanessa." His voice was flat and he never faced her.

"Talk to me, Frank." Vanessa pleaded.

"About what?"

"Whatever it is that's going on inside you."

"There's nothing, Vanessa, going on inside me." Dim continued looking outside.

"Frank, it's been a week and a half and all you've done is look out that window and..."

"He was fucking 24 years old, Vanessa." He looked sharply at her and snapped. "He was my best friend. He's dead, Vanessa. How the FUCK do you think I'm doing?" Vanessa's eyes filled with tears. Dim hung his head. "Jesus, Vanessa. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay, Frank. Sort of." Vanessa sat next to him. "I understand how angry you must be."

"Survivor's guilt." He took her hand. He had made a choice to work on his marriage after talking to Tariq. "Tariq and I were hit pretty bad in that ambush and it really could have been either of us. The fact that it was him and not me makes me...I..." His eyes filled with tears. "I feel like I betrayed him. Like I let him die.

Dim tapped his pen on his lap. He was trying to write home, but couldn't think of what to say. He looked over at Tariq. "What do I say?"

"Try 'Dear Eddy' for starters." Tariq smiled as he continued to write his letter.

"I mean, do I tell Vanessa about our ambush or let her hear about it on the news and leave her wondering."

Tariq shrugged. "The choice is yours, Dim. Only you know how she'll respond."

"What did you tell your girlfriend?"

"About the ambush." Tariq stopped writing and looked at Dim. "She's Army Reserve, so she understands the danger I'm in."

"Why is she back home in the States?"

"She's not."

"Where is she?"

"Afghanistan." Tariq looked back down at the letter. "She went there just about the time I came here, so we're both really anxious to get back to the States to our families and our daughter."

Dim coughed. "Daughter? You have a daughter?"

Tariq looked up. "I didn't tell you? I thought I did. I know I told Angel."

"No, I never knew you had a daughter. I saw the picture of the little girl and thought she was your niece." Dim shifted.

"It's okay. Her name is Zaiba and she's three. She's got me wrapped around her finger." Tariq smiled.

"Daddy's little girl?"

"Yeah. Most definitely. She's my pride and joy. Though, fortunately for her, she looks like Adiva." Tariq joked.

"She's cute."

"Yeah. Good thing I've got a nice collection of guns and grenades to keep the boys at bay when she reaches the age where she's more interested in boys than Sesame Street." Tariq laughed.

Dim laughed. "So, you're a strict father, eh?"

"Nah. I don't discipline her. She'll...she'll look up and, uh, she's got these big brown doe eyes and, uh, she'll say 'Daddy' and I'm gone. I melt." Tariq sighed while smiling. "I can't wait to get home to her and I can't wait to see Adiva again.".

Scream entered the tent. "Your turn, Tariq."

Tariq looked up. "My turn?"

Yeah. Captain Baron has arranged a videoconference for all of us. He's got your family on hold and your niece is cute." Scream winked.

Tariq dropped his letter and ran to the tent. He looked at the communications man. "Okay. I'm ready for my close up." He attempted to crack a joke, but the videographer didn't smile. He merely pointed at a stool and Tariq sat. "Okay."

An image came on the screen and Tariq felt his eyes well up with tears as he saw his family. "DADDY!" The youngest member cried and Tariq laughed as she made her way to hug the camera. "I miss yew, Daddy! Tum home?"

Tariq wiped some tears. "I miss you, too, baby. Daddy's only got a couple more months here before he and Mommy come home." He continued to laugh and cry as Zaiba kissed the lens. He blew a kiss back at here. "She's fine, Momma." He said as his mother ran to pick Zaiba up.

"You are missed terribly around here, Tariq." His mother's voice was shaky, but she shed no tears.

"I miss each of you too. I'll be home soon. I promise."

Adiva's mother, Qadira, smiled. "We have talked with Adiva and she is also well, but missing you."

"I miss her too. I'm taking her back to Chicago when I get home, and I would like to have your permission to marry her." Tariq felt the nervousness as he asked.

Adiva's father, Emir, smiled. "But of course. You have already given us a beautiful grandchild. It is time you are a proper family."

Tariq smiled. "Thank you, Sir." He looked at the videographer. "I'm told I need to go now. I love all of you! Especially my little princess, Zaiba!"

"I love yew too, Daddy." She kissed the lens again and Tariq blew her a kiss. "Tum home now."

"Shortly, princess. I love you loads!"

Angel, Smoke, and Scream didn't know what, if anything, to say. Adiva held her daughter close and looked at Scream. She approached him and stuck a hand out. "You must be the Sergeant Scream I heard so much about."

"Yes, Ma'am." Scream lightly smiled.

Angel looked at her. "He spoke often of you, Adiva. He loved you more than he loved life." He was impressed at how well she held herself together.

"He'll be missed greatly. Which one of you is Dim?"

Smoke coughed. "Ain't none of us Dim. He got ripped up pretty bad in the blast himself. He still over in Germany, I believe."

"Why do you ask?" Scream's voice was soft.

"I just wanted to meet the man who Tariq called his best friend and who saved his life." Adiva adjusted Zaiba on her hip. "Tariq spoke so fondly of him and of Angel."

Angel held out his hand. "We loved him."

"You must be Angel. He always said you were the one that always had the right thing to say. He told me of the time you and that medic went into a house to save a young boy. He said you were a Soldier and that he wasn't good enough to hold your coat."

Smoke smiled. "I think he also said that to Dim."

"You are Smoke then?" Adiva took a step back.

"Yeah, I'm Smoke." He suddenly wanted to hide.

Adiva smiled. "He spoke often of you."

"He did?" Smoke was surprised.

Adiva quietly laughed. "He said you were the ONLY one who could call him 'Ahab' and not get an ass whooping."

Zaiba looked at Scream. "When's my daddy tumming home?"

Scream turned his head so that the little girl couldn't see his tears. Adiva put her free hand on Scream's shoulder. "Daddy's not coming home. Not like we want him to, princess. He went to be with Allah."

"I want my daddy." The young girl screamed. "I want my daddy!"

Tariq sat in the airport, wishing his two-week R & R didn't have to end so soon. Zaiba was asleep on his lap and his older brother, Amir, sat quiet next to him. "Say something, Amir." Tariq softly played with the soft brown curls of his young daughter's hair.

"I don't like you going back. You have a family now, Tariq. You must be here for your family. For your daughter. For Adiva." Amir looked at his younger brother. "Think of them."

"I am thinking of them and that's why I'm staying in the Army." He looked at Amir. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"The look Poppa gives us when he thinks we're doing something stupid and crazy."

"Well, you are. Why stay in the Army? It'll only take you from the ones you love and who love you."

"It is because I love them, Amir, that I'm staying in the Army. The benefits are good and it gives me a chance to make a better place for Zaiba to grow up in and that, my dear brother, you'll find out when you have kids, is love. I don't want her to grow up being beat up like Dad and Mom were. I want her to have a better life and that's why I'm staying in." Tariq heard his flight. He softly woke his sleeping princess. "Daddy's got to go."

Zaiba wiped her eyes. "No. Tay here, Daddy."

Tariq wanted nothing more, but he kissed her forehead. "Daddy's got to go back so that he can make the world safe for you." Zaiba started to cry. "Don't cry. You know how that bothers Daddy when you cry."

"I want you tay." She bawled.

"I want to stay too, but I can't." He hugged her. "Don't ever forget how much Daddy loves you, Princess." He stood up and Zaiba kept her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his neck. "I have to leave, Princess."

He tried to hand her over to Amir, but she refused to let go and she howled at the top of her lungs. Amir reached around and loosened her grip on Tariq's neck. He shook his older brother's hand and giving Zaiba one last kiss, headed off through security, his heart breaking with her every scream.