Hello :) Thank you so much to those who have reached out about this story. It truly means a lot! I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. I had some questions after the last chapter, and Chapter 3 here will definitely clear some things up! You'll notice some bouncing around between two places from here forward. I hope you enjoy!

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Bethesda, M.D.

Maryland wasn't much warmer this time of year. Although compared to Chicago, Bethesda MD did not have quite the amount of snowfall yet this year. The residents here were thankful, even though they knew that winter weather was coming. Rarely did they ever go without having a white Christmas. Most of the houses in town were decorated. The town square had its massive tree set up in the center with all its lights and fake metal gifts in different colors and sizes around it. There was no avoiding the holiday season even though they come quicker and quicker every year. Even the local hospital was decorated with Christmas trees in every waiting room, lights and garland on staircases, and big wreaths on the front doors. Everyone was starting to get into the Christmas spirit. It was supposed to be a happy season. Children were excited to see what was under their tree and to see what Santa would be bringing them. People just seemed more friendly in passing, wishing each other a happy holiday, just due to the spirit being in full swing.

First Sergeant Steven Blake did his best to smile at these overjoyed people as he made his way towards the front door of the hospital. The voicemail he had received that morning had summoned him to an emergency meeting with Command Sergeant Major Parsons and some of the head staff of the hospital. Blake had served many years now with the Rangers alongside Parsons and considered him a good friend after multiple tours in Afghanistan. But any time you were asked to meet with the CSM for anything work related, especially at a hospital, it was never to be given good news. Blake walked through the doors of the hospital and was greeted by the front door staff.

"Welcome to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center," the young woman greeted. Blake waved as he passed by straight for the elevator. Walter Reed was one of the most prominent U.S. military medical centers. It was a quick ride up to the fifth floor where the mystery meeting was taking place. The fifth floor held mostly conference rooms and offices for the more prominent members of the hospital. As he walked down the hall he found his CSM and friend waiting outside an office at the far end of the hall.

"Sir." Blake saluted the higher ranking officer, who turned to face him.

"First Sergeant. Thanks for coming."

Blake stood uneasily looking at him. " What's this about?"

"Don't worry. We're going to fill you in." Parsons said as he knocked on the door. A faint "come in" could be heard from behind the door. As the men entered the office they noticed a gray haired man sitting at the head of the long table wearing a suit. Next to him was a man looking over documents in a vanilla folder, wearing navy colored scrubs and a white coat. Next to him was a young brunette woman in green scrubs. The man in the suit rose from his seat as the two officers entered.

"Gentleman, my name's Lawrence Hill. I am the CEO here at Walter Reed. Thanks for meeting me here. I wish it were under different circumstances. I'm sorry I couldn't make it down to your headquarters today as requested. The hospital is a busy place and I was needed here."

"That's quite alright Mr. Hill. I am Command Sergeant Major Parsons, and this is First Sergeant Blake. I am just glad we could meet today so we are all on the same page," Parsons told him, extending his hand. The men shook hands briefly before Mr. Hill came around also to shake hands with Blake. Blake looked between all the faces in the room trying to get an idea of what this could be about, he hadn't heard of any of his men being hurt, as they moved to the table to sit down.

The man in the doctor's coat closed the folder he was looking at and greeted the men. "I am Dr. Daniel Grady. Head of trauma. Nice to meet you both."

Mr. Hill leaned forward in his seat. "I know we all have busy schedules. Let's get to it. I know you and I spoke briefly early this morning, Sergeant Major. I have been filled in by Dr. Grady from a medical standpoint. I was also on the phone for a bit this morning with the head of patient services from a hospital in Chicago. It's my understanding that you both have great interest in the well being of a patient who was brought in last night?"

"Yes he needs to be moved to protective custody immediately. His name is Jay Halstead. The plan was to make contact next week with him directly. Things went sideways so to speak, before he could be contacted about a threat." Parsons answered.

"Wait, Jays here now?" Blake asked confused.

Parsons could only briefly look his way before Mr. Hill spoke up. " What threat exactly are we talking about? My staff needs to know full details to be able to help this patient."

"Well it's a long story. Jay did several tours with the 75th Ranger Battalion about twelve years ago at Benning, before deciding to get out and move back home. He actually served alongside me, and First Sergeant Blake here. He has since then been working with the police department in Chicago. It was brought to our attention recently that the members of his unit he served with had been receiving threats from a former Ranger who was dishonorably discharged around the time Jay was still enlisted. The man's name is Paul Wade. He was discharged after using intentional deadly force on friendlys in Afghanistan. He went to court and told the judge he thought they were hostels. Later pleaded that his PTSD from several tours had affected his mental health. Jay and two other Rangers on the team that he worked with directly, gave a statement to the judge, testifying that it was intentional use of firearms and explosives. Wade was never arrested, stating they had no real proof, but he was dishonorably discharged from the Army and he was admitted to a mental health facility to receive mandatory help. He was angry he was kicked out of the military. We haven't heard much about him since, until recently when the other two people who testified against him were admitted to the hospital. Jeffrey Stolpa had retired at Benning, and still lived in the area. He was shot outside his home. Luckily he survived and is in protective custody in another state. Mason Mcgarrett wasn't as lucky. He was still enlisted and stationed at Fort Hood Texas. He passed away three days ago from a gunshot wound. Cameras on post caught the shooting and were able to identify Wade. We knew he'd be looking for Jay next so we contacted his precinct in Chicago and were placed in contact with his Deputy Superintendent Sam Miller. We were in the middle of trying to figure out a plan and fly down there to meet with him, when we received a call that he had been injured yesterday and was in the hospital in Chicago. We conferenced with the head of patient services there at Chicago Med and explained to them the magnitude of the situation and got him flown here immediately."

Blake was speechless. He had booked flights to leave for Chicago in a couple hours to speak with Deputy Miller and Jay. But had no idea everything had taken such a turn.

"Was this incident in Chicago due to Wade finding him as well?" Hill asked.

"No sir. Seems to be a totally unrelated incident. We are unaware of Wade's location at the moment. His photo has been given to all main gates at each military installation here in the United States. The FBI is now assisting with the case. We'll find him."

Mr. Hill sat back in his chair letting everything he had been told process. "Well we will certainly do everything we can for him here. How do we know Wade isn't going to find his location here? If he found out locations somehow for the other two. Especially when he finds out Jay was sent here."

Parsons hesitated briefly, looking up at the ceiling before looking back at Mr. Hill. "He won't find out about any transfers. We thought it was in his best interest to make it look like he passed away in Chicago. So Wade would stop looking for him. We have everything listed for him under a different identity."

"Right. Brandon Lewis." Mr. Hill confirmed, looking at some documents on the table.

"That's correct."

"My team will be sure to keep his identity safe. Is his team and family aware of him being in protective custody?"

"Not yet. Only a select few people know at this time. We are still flying out to Chicago tonight to go down there." Parsons turned and made eye contact with Blake.

"Well the life flight helicopter brought him in a couple hours ago. Dr. Grady, how is the patient?" Mr. Hill asked, everyone turning towards the doctor.

"You do realize moving him in the state he was in was dangerous for his health. It was reckless." Dr Grady spat out towards them.

Parsons was taken aback by his forwardness. " We didn't have much choice. We were told he would be stable enough to be moved."

Dr. Grady huffed opening his folder again. "Stable enough doesn't mean it's a good idea. This man is in critical condition. The surgeon in Chicago was able to stop the internal bleeding. He's far from out of the woods. He had lacerations to his liver and his kidney on the right side. The kidney was removed in Chicago, but his liver will still have to be monitored. We will keep running tests to be sure it's functioning properly. He's on medication for now to assist its function. Images they sent over showed some bleeding around his brain. Luckily it hasn't worsened and we haven't had to do anything invasive, but we are having to keep a close eye on it. His blood pressure is still dangerously low. With that alone I wouldn't have moved him states away. He's been receiving blood transfusions in flight and since he arrived here. He still needs another major surgery when his blood pressure stabilizes. You realize his medical report states he fell four stories?" He paused to look up at Parsons, who didn't know what to say in response. Dr. Grady took the silence as his opportunity to continue. "He's got a severely fractured pelvis that's going to require an extensive surgery and a lot of metal screws and plates. The doctors in Chicago's main focus was controlling the internal bleeding, before he was whisked away up here. The chances of nerve damage is high from these types of injuries. The femur in his right leg was also broken in a few places that still needs repairing. As well as damage to his shoulder. Everything seems to be centralized to the right side. It must have been how he landed. I'm quite shocked he survived a fall like this. I guess we can thank the snow for something. " Each sentence was punctuated with anger. He was a great surgeon. One of the best in Maryland. But the stress on Jay's body from flying 2 hours after already going through one big surgery, was only going to prolong things.

"Dr. Grady, is he going to be okay?" Blake finally spoke up.

"It's going to take months of rehab for him to hopefully be able to walk again. IF he makes it through to rehab. I hope you both understand this man is in rough shape. I've got my nurse Riley here who is a part of my team, who is going to be looking after him." He paused to look at the brunette sitting next to him. Taking a deep breath to control his frustration." We will know more once he wakes up and we can run some keep the care circle small to help keep everything in house. He's got a long way to go. His doctor in Chicago forwarded the initial scans they took, but he should be going up for additional scans soon so I can plan this surgery and see what else we might be looking at. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a critical patient I need to tend to. " Dr. Grady didn't bother sticking around for anything further. Giving a brief nod to Mr. Hill, a quick smile to his nurse, and barely an eye roll to Blake or Parsons before he was headed out the door.

His nurse took a deep breath as she rose from her seat. Flashing a warm caring smile to the 3 men in the room. A great contrast to the doctor's demeanor. "It's nice to meet both of you. I'm sure your contact info is in his file. I'll be sure to keep you updated on his condition. I'm sorry to run but…." she trailed off, pointing in the direction the doctor had just stormed off to, " i better get going." They watched as the nurse practically speed walked out the office.

The three men sat in silence for a moment before Mr. Hill spoke. " Well, gentleman. I wish I could apologize for Dr. Grady's frustration. But this is one of those situations where I find myself understanding both sides. Dr. Grady is our best trauma surgeons here and he takes his job to heart. I can assure you your friend will receive the best care here at Walter Reed. " Parsons was confident they were leaving Jay in qualified hands. The meeting had been quick and to the point. Leaving them with plenty of time to prepare for their flight to Chicago.

….

-Chicago-

The first couple days following the accident had been a blur for the Halstead family. Both of them only moving throughout the day on a ton of caffeine. That first night that the emotional toll took them out, was the only rest they had gotten since leaving the hospital. If any normal person would truly consider it rest. They woke up to Will's phone going off that night five hours after leaving Med, still as tired and worn out as before. It had been a quick text from Sharon, letting them know everything had gone as planned, that brought them back down to reality. That night before had really happened. Will didn't bother asking for details about the donation, knowing there would be time for that in the future.

That following day was spent putting on a fake facade. Both trying to stay strong for the other. Will didn't tell Hailey how he noticed all the times she snuck off to the bathroom while they were discussing funeral arrangements, or the red puffy eyes and sniffling he pretended to not notice when she'd come back. Hailey had secrets of her own. Never telling him the number of times she saw him huddled in the kitchen or in the hallway with his phone to his ear. Never saying a word as he listened to something 2-3 times, pinching the bridge of his nose, while his head and shoulders hung. He'd always answer his phone when it rang. The first day was full of calls from his coworkers sending their well wishes. So she knew it couldn't be new voicemails. He had not yet told her about his new habit of dialing Jay's number. Just to convince himself that this was his new life.

Planning the services and getting things scheduled went a lot easier than planned. Will took Hailey to the same funeral home they used for both his mother and father. After the initial shock from the owner remembering him and Jay, and somber hugs were passed around, he was able to go over their open schedule and get them squeezed in that Tuesday. Exactly 3 days since the accident. They were both shocked, yet relieved that things were moving so quickly. Will didn't necessarily want to check out any other funeral homes and prolong the inevitable, since this funeral home was on the same grounds as the cemetery. They were able to find him a resting place not far from their parents. The owner walked them through getting everything set up to provide the best services for Jay. They opted out of having a viewing. They knew Jay would hate to be on display that way. With the services being the next day, and there truthfully not being a lot of family and friends other than them, his team and a few select people, they decided to keep it simple. Will and Hailey agreed they wanted to remember him happy, and smiling. The image in the hospital was bad enough. So they agreed on having a closed casket at the services. The team would understand and respect their decision. Little did they know at the time, that that decision just helped keep the big secret in motion. He was to be buried with his military honors wearing his police blues. Since his last years were spent as an honorable member of the police department. Neither of them had ever sat down with Jay or asked what exactly he'd want in this sort of situation. Too busy living life to ever think the unthinkable would hit them. Between the two of them they decided on what they thought would be the best way to honor his memory. They had been able to reach Mouse that first day after the accident. He would be flying in that morning before the services, and standing in with the rest of the Intelligence Unit and a few officers Trudy hand selected, as pallbearers for the funeral.

Will's apartment was full of flowers, cards, and dishes of food from people at the hospital and at the district. Will had ran out of room in the fridge. Things were now scattered across the counter. There was no kitchen table anymore. It was now full of different flowers and plants. A big stack of cards was stacked between them all. None of them had been opened. Will and Hailey were beyond grateful to see the amount of love and support they were receiving. But they just weren't ready to go through and read those. Stevie stopped by daily to check on them. Trudy had made sure Intelligence wasn't made available for any cases coming in. Giving them at least a few days to just be together. They would come by each day and hang out for an hour or two. They'd bring up old, happier stories about Jay. Hoping to lighten the mood. Stevie told Will about the cases she had that day. It was a nice escape to hear about what was going on outside that apartment. Hailey stayed at Wills, still refusing to go home. Will was more than happy to have the company. Kim had gone back to Jay and Haileys house, and got extra clothes for her and Jay's uniform so Hailey didn't have to go back over there at least for a while. She had taken refuge on his couch under a blanket. Spending most of her day when they were not planning anything, just staring blankly out the living room window. Later in the evenings he'd insist she go get some rest in the guest bedroom. But she never stayed there long. Always coming back out to find Will in the same spot on the couch. That's where they ended up spending most of their time when they didn't have company.

When the doorbell rang later in the evening that second day, they fully expected it to be something else being catered or more flowers. When Will answered and found Vanessa at his door, he was ecstatic for his sister in law. He knew if anyone could cheer Hailey up, it would be her. Hailey hadn't seen or spoken to Vanessa in over a year. She had transferred departments. Went undercover a lot. Between the both of them working with very busy units, they had lost touch. Not willingly. Vanessa had been the one to push for Hailey to open up to Jay about her feelings for him. They had lost touch right before her and Jay started dating. So imagine the shock her best friend was in. She missed the exciting times in Haileys life, and she wasn't going to miss being there for her during her darkest days.

It had been exactly three days since Will and Haileys' world came crashing down. Today was the day of Jay's services. Hailey was holding up a simple black dress under her chin in front of the guest bathroom mirror, watching as it fell down past her knees. The reflection that came back to her was of a woman who screamed miserable. Tired. Worn down. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her hair had been in a messy bun since after her shower last night. And after tossing and turning the whole night, it certainly added to her miserable look that morning. She had been going back and forth a lot that morning trying to decide if she should wear the dress Vanessa picked up for her that morning. Or wear her uniform. The voices in her mind reminded her she was more than just a detective that day. She was a wife mourning the loss of her husband. She dreaded the day when people started referring to her as a widow.

"It'll look great Hailey."

Hailey's eyes turned quickly to the bathroom door where Vanessa stood. Letting out a heavy sign.

"I just…i don't know."

"It's whatever you feel comfortable in. Seriously. There's no right or wrong thing to wear. Just be you. " Vanessa told her as she came in to share the mirror. Beginning to pull her hair back into a bun. She was already dressed in a black dress of her own.

"I guess a part of me is still in denial. Just doesn't feel real ya know?"

Vanessa's hands dropped from her hair, turning to face Hailey. "I know. Those feelings are completely normal Hailey. It's only been three days."

Hailey bit her bottom lip as she looked over to her friend. "I'm just waiting for him to walk through the door. Snap out of this crazy nightmare."

"He loved you Hailey. More than anything. I know this sounds very cliche. But he's with you. Is going to be with you. Always."

"Yea." Hailey said with a sad chuckle. " He'd always tell me that too. " She paused trying to fight back the emotion that was eating at the back of her throat. "But now look. He's not here, Ness." Hailey's voice was beginning to crack as she spoke. No longer able to keep her emotions at bay. Vanessa instantly wrapped her friend in a hug. Holding her tight as she let it all out. "I'm sorry, " Hailey apologized a few minutes later. " I promised myself I wouldn't cry today."

Vanessa stepped back grabbing her by the shoulders. " There will be no apologizing today. Crying is ok. You can't just keep your feelings in. It's going to eat you up inside." Vanessa paused to wipe at a few tears of her own. " I know I haven't been here for you for the last several months. But I'm here now. And will be until you get back on your feet." Vanessa leaned in giving Hailey another tight hug before they went back to getting ready.

"How long do you have off exactly?" Hailey asked as she started brushing through her hair.

"They gave me 4 weeks. Since I used to work with you guys. With him. They gave me extra time." Vanessa gave Hailey a reassuring smile through the mirror. Hailey knew Will would eventually have to go back to work. Work had been the furthest thing from her mind. She knew she had a lot of time saved up. She had been saving it up to use with Jay. She planned to put in as much as possible when she got back to the district.

"Here." Vanessa said, grabbing the brush from Haileys hand. "Let me do your hair." Hailey didn't realize she had been absent mindedly brushing her hair this whole time. A couple loose braids tied in the back , and a quick change into her black dress later, and Vanessa had Hailey ready to go. They linked up with Will and Mouse in the living. Both dressed in black suits of their own. The team would be meeting them at the funeral home. A couple understanding nods were passed around the living room, confirming they all understood the emotionally heavy day that waited for them across town.

…..

Blake and Parson were huddled together at the back of the tent at the funeral home, watching as people dressed in different variations of dark colors and police uniforms arrived and claimed their seats. A lot of the snow from the day of the accident had melted, but the remaining snow that was left blanketed the cemetery a perfect layer of white. Leaving the air at the gravesite crisp and cold. They had gotten into Chicago two days prior. Their plans of heading straight to Jay's family was quickly halted when the FBI called with recent sightings of Wade outside of Chicago. Those days were spent at the local FBI office, going over camera footage across town. They hadn't been able to find any more sightings or evidence of him in the big city. It was like he'd come out of hiding and then disappear for days. Sometimes weeks. They had called in Sam Miller to keep her in the loop,as well as the funeral home since they still needed everything to go smooth, but the FBI promised they had everything under control. A few unmarked cars were parked out front of the cemetery. Trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. The guests arriving paid no mind to a couple black SUVS parked amongst the growing number of vehicles.

"You don't think he'd actually come here do you?" Blake whispered into Parsons' shoulder.

"Hard to say with someone as revengeful as him. "

"Gentleman." They both looked to the right for the sound of a woman's voice, seeing Sam Miller approaching them. Both nodding as she came to stand in front of them. She glanced over her shoulder before speaking again. "Any updates?"

"No ma'am. He hasn't been seen since. But I can assure you the team they have working on it, won't stop until he's found."

"I hope you're right." Sam said, turning to see the car everyone was looking for, pull into the marked spot at the front. " That's his family. You owe it to my detective to keep them safe until he's back home. " With a stern look in both of their directions, she left to go greet the family getting out of the car.

"How exactly are we going to do this?" Blake asked as he watched Sam giving the blonde who stepped out of the car a hug. "Telling them the truth I mean?"

"We don't." Blake frowned looking up at his friend. "She's right. We owe that to him. We need to keep moving forward as planned. Until Wades off the streets." Parsons looked over to see a shocked face still looking back at him. "It'll only be a few weeks. Tops."

Blake was still trying to make himself believe what he had just been told, as Parsons walked off to greet Jay's family. Relaxing some instantly when he recognized a familiar face.

"Greg!" Mouse quickly looked around Will to see who would be calling him by his real name. Shocked to see some old faces from the past.

"Didn't expect to see you guys here." Mouse responded with a smile, extending his hand.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything" Parsons greeted back with.

Mouse turned to make introductions. "This is Will. Jay's brother. This is Jay's wife Hailey. And this is Vanessa Rojas. She worked with Jay for a while. His current team is over there." Mouse pointed out the rest of the team huddled together at the front of the tent. "Jay and I were actually in the Rangers with these guys at Fort Benning."

"I'm so sorry for what your familys going through." Blake spoke to the group. Leaning forward to give Hailey a hug and shake Will's hand.

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Parsons said to the family.

Will smiled at both men. "Thanks for coming." Will turned, wrapping an arm around Hailey to go find their seats. There were a lot of hugs and handshakes given to the family and Jays team. A good portion of the 21st that was able to get off were there. As well as a lot of Will's closest friends from Med. Including Dylan and Stevie. Sharon wasn't there but did send Will a text that morning. Trying to not look too suspicious by not attending.

There were a lot of tears and a lot of laughs as people shared their fondest memories. Each member of intelligence shared some of their funnest memories over the years. Hailey was a mess of emotions listening to everything. Vanessa had her arm around her, holding her tight. Hailey was trying her best to keep the anger, disbelief and overwhelming sadness in as she listened to Will, who was now standing to address the crowd. She was thankful for him, and jealous of his strength and ability to hide pain. Knowing she'd never be able to control her emotions long enough to put anything into words.

"I'd like to thank everyone sincerely for coming today. For sharing your stories about my brother. It amazes me how someone so hard headed, so stubborn and set in his ways- could have such an effect on so many people. I knew since we were little that he would make a difference one day. He was a scrawny kid growing up, but he always wanted to help people. He was never a popular kid in school. He always stuck to himself and his little green army men. Or tried to stay under me. He'd come home from school at least a few times a month starting in middle school, with bruises on his face and clothes dirty from the school bully pushing him around. Me and my friends would be more than ready the next day to find the kid and put him in his place. But Jay would never let us. He'd say "stop Will. He's my friend." He was far more forgiving than I ever was. Always saw the good in people. Even when sometimes they wouldn't deserve it. As he got older, and even until recently, that's just how he was. "

Will paused briefly to take a deep breath to continue. "I wasn't there for him like I should have been when he went through some of his most difficult times as he became an adult. When he joined the army, coming home after two tours struggling with PTSD. When our mother was fighting cancer and eventually passed. Or even when he joined the police academy. Yes he was angry at me for a while. But he forgave me. He shouldn't have, but that's who Jays was. And I am so thankful because that gave me the best last several years with him. I know a lot of his getting back on his feet had nothing to do with me. A lot of it came from some of the faces sitting here today. Some of you I have considered part of my family the last few years. I can't thank you enough for being there for him, when I wasn't.

Even with all of us driving him crazy, I've never seen my brother truly happy until he met Hailey. I saw his whole world shift when she came along. My sister in law. " Will looked over to smile at Hailey. " My brother was a very private person. But when Hailey went to work in NY for a little while, he was on my couch pouting every night. He was texting me in sheer panic when he thought she was actually going to move up there. Then they snuck off and got married. Didn't tell anyone. Hell, I didn't even know they were engaged." Will paused as he laughed with the group. " That's just how love is sometimes. He loves that woman.

Jay loved helping people. He loved being a Ranger. Loved being a detective. And absolutely loved being a husband. I know he wouldn't regret a single thing from that day. He wouldn't be pointing fingers or blaming anyone. He had always said if something happened to him on the job or out helping someone to not mourn for him." Will sighed as the emotion became raw in his voice. "I know he's mad at us for crying today and having this fancy funeral for him. Try to remember my brother out there kicking ass and doing what he loved. That's what he'd want. That's what I'll be trying to do. Thank you for coming."

The services ended quickly after that. Hailey was silent clutching her folded flag the men had given to her. People were approaching them giving their final goodbyes and condolences. Hailey wasn't hearing any of it, it was like the world went silent around her. She was trying to focus on her breathing, fighting off the impending panic attack she had felt coming the last several minutes of the services. Now that they were over, things were feeling more real than ever. She peered over the flag she was still clutching tightly and looked over at the front of the tent, at the large, framed photo of Jay in his dress blues. At the bright green eyes that felt to be looking right at her, and the bright smile just like the one he had always given her. The truth was becoming more and more overwhelming as her hands shook. Her bottom lip was quivering as the tears she had been holding back the whole time finally fell. She glanced over to Will who was getting a hug from Dylan. Vanessa walked in front of her, noticing the troubled look on her best friend's face. Placing her hands on the sides of Halley's face to get her to look at her. "Come on, let's go wait in the car." She was never more thankful for her best friend, pulling her away from drowning in that moment. Will noticed the girls quickly walking to the car and waved his goodbyes to follow after them. Most of the people had left at that point anyway. Vanessa closed the door behind them and turned to wrap her arms around Hailey. Will got in the car and turned slowly to face them, reaching back to place a supportive hand on her knee. Not saying a word as Vanessa talked softly to her, helping her calm down the best she could. Mouse silently got in the car, letting everyone have their moment. They all took a moment in the silence of the car to let out their own emotions that they had fought back the last few hours. After several moments, and as the tears started to slow, Will started the car to head back towards the house. As the car pulled out of the cemetery they felt like they were leaving a part of themselves behind. They all felt the pain of the realization of what the new normal would be like after today, without their special person. They just never would have imagined their person was actually several states away, in a battle of his own.

...

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Thank you so much for reading! Hoping to have chapter 4 up soon. :) I just wanted to point out that i don't have a lot of military knowledge. Although i did grow up an army brat. Same with medical knowledge. So if things don't quite add up correctly, especially in the coming chapters, i apologize. See you guys soon!