*HAPPY NEW YEAR! I really hope that 2022 is a lot better than the last 2 years haha. What better way to ring in the New Year than with a new chapter! Please enjoy!*
"San, it's me. It's Quinn" Quinn said as she knocked on the door. It was pretty late but Santana was still on medical leave and Quinn knew that her best friend hadn't been sleeping well. "Can I come in?" Quinn asked loud enough so she knew San could hear her. Santana still didn't say anything, She just laid there wrapped in her blankets and clutching her boyfriend's pillow that was starting to lose its scent. Quinn waited another minute before she decided to just open the bedroom door. Quinn walked over and took a seat behind San on the bed. She reached out and rubbed her back. Quinn knew that she was awake and in any other circumstance she would call her out but now was not the time.
"I know it's late but the hospital just called me. I guess a patient woke up during surgery and remembers everything. They want a lawyer there right away to access the situation." Quinn explained. Santana still didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. "I won't go if you need me to stay," Quinn said quietly. That's the thing, Santana wanted her to stay. She didn't want to be alone but she also didn't want Quinn to sit there watching her. San found comfort knowing her friend was just in the other room if she needed her. The only person that she could possibly want to sit there holding her was missing. "I'll be fine," Santana whispered. Quinn nodded, happy that her friend at least answered her. She bent down and kissed her head, "I'll be home soon. I love you San" she said before leaving the room.
Santana sat there in the dark. Her hand wandered down to her abdomen every few minutes. The doctor explained that her bump would go away in 6 weeks. It's only been 2 and her bump is basically gone. One part of her is excited that it shrunk so quickly because it meant that she didn't have to see a constant reminder of her lost baby. Another part of her was more upset that her little bump that she was finally getting used to was gone because it meant her baby was really dead, their baby was dead. Santana took another deep breath when she realized something. Just to make sure, San took another sniff. The pillow…. It smelt like her. It didn't smell like Brett.
Santana felt like her chest was getting tighter and tighter. Her breathing got heavier and heavier. Santana clutched her chest. She's felt like this before a few times. The first time was when Puck told her that Brett was missing. She was having a panic attack. "You need to calm down," Santana said out loud. The tears were still freely flowing down her face. She started counting her breaths. In for 3 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and out for 4 seconds. Santana saw it on some website when she googled panic attacks after the 3rd one. This was the only thing that seemed to help her. After what was probably a minute but it felt like ten, Santana could feel her breathing start to even out. She finally got control of it again.
Santana needed to feel close to him. She needed Brett right now and there was only one place she could think of. Santana quickly got up and got herself dressed in some sweatpants and a big sweatshirt. She slid on her slippers, grabbed an overnight bag, and made her way out the front door. Santana's feet never moved so fast other than when she would go on a run. She made it to the apartment building in record time. San just hoped that Puck was home and that hopefully, he would wake up. It was one in the morning so it could go either way. Santana ran up the stairs and made it up to the door quickly.
Santana started banging on the door desperately. She bent down and checked under the mat where she found the spare key last time but it wasn't there. Quinn must have yelled at Puck again so he didn't replace it. She went back to banging on the door, over and over. "I AM COMING" Puck yelled from the other side. She could tell by his voice that he was definitely asleep and she woke him up. "What the hell" Puck said as he flung the door open. At first, he looked beyond pissed but when he saw who was on the other side, his face instantly softened. "San…..It's one in the morning, is everything okay?" Puck asked.
Santana wrapped her arms around herself. "Quinn….. She had to go to work. I was home alone. I….I tried to sleep but I can't smell him anymore. Brett's pillow doesn't smell like him. Then I kept running my hand over my bump, but there isn't any bump anymore. Our baby died and his pillow doesn't smell like him Puck" Santana said, shaking and crying. He reached out and wiped the tear from her cheek. "San do you want to come in and sleep in Brett's bed?" Puck asked. Santana looked back at him like he just offered her a million dollars. She nodded quickly, "Please" she whispered. Puck held the door open so she could walkthrough.
Puck shut and locked the door after her. "I didn't bother you, did I?" San asked. "It is never a bother Santana," Puck replied. They both walked down the hall and stopped outside his door. Brett's bedroom door was just slightly ajar. "I never go in there. The only reason that the door is even open is so Tubbs can go in and out. The cat is obsessed with him and won't sleep anywhere else" Puck explained with a chuckle, hoping to make Santana laugh. "You can go in San" Puck whispered. "I know I just need a second you know" she replied "Last time I was here was with him, the night before he left" San added.
Puck completely understood it. He waited with her, Puck would stand there all night if she needed him to. Waiting gave him time to think. He should tell her. Ever since they found out that Brett was missing, the decision to tell Santana was racking his brain every second. When Santana miscarried, that basically made the decision for him. Puck had decided to tell her but first, he told Quinn and Mercedes. They were the ones who discouraged him from telling the Latina. They said it would be another punch to the gut for her and that she wasn't strong enough to deal with it. Puck didn't really agree but he was outnumbered so he just went with it. But now standing here alone with her would be a perfect time. Puck promised Brett and he had to follow through with it.
"San" Puck whispered. Santana made a humming sound that indicated to Puck to keep talking. "Brett made me promise him something before he left" He said. "I really don't need to hear about how Brett asked you to look out for me again. He asked everyone too and I just can't take everyone being all over me right now" Santana said, extremely frustrated. "That's not it," he said. "Then what is it?" She asked, looking at him. Puck looked at her eyes. She looked so dead inside. Those big brown eyes solidified it, she needed this right now.
"Brett had me promise him that I would give you something he put together if he didn't come home. Now I am not saying that he isn't going to come home but I think at this moment he would want you to have it" Puck explained. "Where is it?" She asked without skipping a beat. "Brett told me that he left it in his closet. I never checked if it was there but I don't think he would lie. If you need anything then I'll be in my room. Take your time Santana, you can stay as long as you want" Puck answered. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Then he walked toward his bedroom. Before he could close the door, Santana spoke, "Thank you Puck" she said. Puck just nodded and closed the door. He knew that she needed to do this alone.
Santana took a deep breath before slowly pushing open the door. His scent flooded her sinuses. It was the smell she was searching for and it instantly made her smile. "Meowwww" Tubbs yelled from the bed when he saw her. Santana shut the door and walked over to the cat that was cuddled up on the bed. "I miss him too" she whispered as she reached out her hand. Lord Tubbington took a sniff of her hand and immediately started purring and rubbing his head against her hand. "I am sorry I didn't come to see you earlier. I just couldn't come here" She said looking around the room.
Brett's room looked exactly how they left it that morning. He had a few sweatshirts hung behind the door, his star night light was unplugged in the corner and their picture was still perched on the nightstand. Santana gave the cat one more scratch before getting up and walking over to the wall. She plugged in the light and watched as the ceiling turned into a constellation. This brought her back to the night they had sex under the stars, as Brett called it. After Santana basically told her father to fuck off. It was a pretty amazing night.
Santana walked over to the closet and opened the door. There, situated just above her head on a shelf was a small red bag with a gift tag on it. Santana grabbed the bag and saw that her name was written on the gift-tag in his handwriting. Santana walked back over to the bed and sat down. Lord Tubbington got up and walked over to her. He laid down next to her thigh and leaned against her, placing his head on the bed. He really is a service animal, Santana thought to herself.
Santana reached her hand inside the bag and pulled out a piece of paper. She opened it up...he wrote her a letter.
Dear Tana,
I didn't want to have to write this but I knew that I had to. I know that leaving you behind is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. A close second is writing this letter. But I know that anything can happen when someone goes overseas to fight in a war. You deserve everything and the least I could do is sit down and give you something to remember me by. I don't even know where to start, so I am going to just write. Let my heart lead the way.
When I met you, I was instantly upset. Quinn had told me about her best friend and roommate. She said that the girl was completely off-limits. When I found out that you were her, I thought 'damn it, I am screwed'. You were beautiful, sexy, and adorable all in one. I knew that you were the person that I was meant to be with. There was just something about you that drew me in. Santana, you made me want to disclose every secret I had. You forced me to confront the demons of my past. You were the best thing to ever happen to me. Because of you, I got to have a relationship with my sister that was completely honest. Because of you, I got to confront the man who abused me which I needed to do to move forward. Because of you, I got to have a relationship with my father even if it was just for a few weeks. And lastly, because of you, I got to know what love was.
I love you so much, Santana. I would do anything to be able to come home and live the rest of my life with you. Sometimes on the days that the nightmares didn't plague my dreams, you would. One of my favorites was our wedding. I dreamed about you walking down the aisle. Your curls cascaded down your back as the white dress flowed at your feet. You looked stunning. Just like I know you would if it was our wedding day. I am sorry that I couldn't give you that. All I wanted to do was give you the life you deserved. Full of fun, love, and family.
If you are reading this it means something really bad happened to me. I am sorry I didn't keep my promise, I am sorry that I didn't come home to you. Please don't be made a Puck for keeping this from you. I told him to. I only wanted you to have this if I was gone because if I came home, I would have wanted to give it to you myself. I saw this one day when Puck and I were out walking back from the gym. It's kinda funny, I bought this before I even said that I loved you. I guess I really did always know that I loved you, I was just too scared to say it.
Puck told me that I was crazy but something told me that if I didn't do it then I was going to regret it. I am so fucking glad I didn't listen to him. I love you so much, Santana Marie Lopez. You are everything to me. I will always thank god that I met you and was loved by you. Again, I am so sorry that our time together ended so quickly but I am so thankful that we got to be together that short time. I am going to miss dancing in the kitchen while we cooked and cuddling on a Sunday morning because neither of us wanted to get up to start the day. Or those cute snores you do when you're sleeping and don't even deny it, we both know it's true.
I want you to live your life. Get married and have kids. Do what makes you happy. I know that one day we are going to meet again and I can't wait. The only thing I ask is please don't forget me. I'll be dead but I don't want to be forgotten. Now look in the bag baby. Please don't look at this gift as a sad thing. Think of it as a look into my mind. At how much I loved you. This isn't a goodbye, I'll see you again, beautiful.
Love, B
Santana saw the dried water stains at the end of the letter. Brett was crying when he wrote this. And now her tears would stain the bottom too because, by the time Santana got to the second line of the letter, her tears were already falling too. She hugged the letter close. There is no way Santana could ever forget him. He is the love of her life and nobody could replace that. Santana placed the letter on the bed.
What could Brett have bought her that could make her upset but show his love for her? Santana reached into the bag and pulled out a little black box. No, no, no, no it can't be this, it can't be. There is no way Brett bought what she thinks this is. Santana opened it up and her thoughts were confirmed. Sitting right in the middle was a ring. Santana gasped. She couldn't believe it. Brett bought her an engagement ring. And she knew it was an engagement right because written in cursive print on the inside of the top was 'Will You Marry me?'
He wanted to marry her before he even confessed his love. He kept this in his closet for weeks just waiting for the time to give it to her. Santana pulled the ring from the holder. It was beautiful. It is exactly what she would have picked out if they went to go look at engagement rings together. A titanium band with a round diamond center, encased with smaller diamonds that sat on the band. Santana ran her fingers over the entire thing. She couldn't believe this was happening right now. She thought she was going to come over, spray some of his cologne on a pillow, and hopefully fall asleep.
This was so much more than she could have asked for. The smooth surface of the band was interrupted by something ruff. Santana bought the ring up closer to her eyes. There was an engraving on the inside. She could help but smile as she read it, 'You are my Everything, Tana' The tears fell more. Why did the universe do this to her, to them? She should be engaged and pregnant right now. Brett should be home not lost in the desert. "Meeooowww" Lord Tubb yelled. It's like the cat knew her anger at the universe was starting to build. The cat stood up and rubbed his head against the hand that held the ring. "You knew about this didn't you?" She asked. Lord T just purred and stared back at her.
Santana spun the ring around one more time before sliding it onto her ring finger on her left hand. It fit absolutely perfectly. This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life but now it turned out to be the worst.
Santana placed the box back in the gift bag and placed both the bag and the letter on the desk. She pulled off her sweatshirt and pulled one of Brett's shirts on her body. Then Santana crawled into his bed. Lord Tubbington cuddled up to her legs while she clung to Brett's pillow. Being here made her feel better. She felt close to Brett again. In his room under his stars, Santana could smell him again. She could smell her fiance. Brett is her fiance. They were going to find him, they needed to find him. That way she could accept his proposal. This was not going to be the end, it can't be. They have both lost so much. They deserve their happy ending.
Luckily when Santana woke up, the ring still sparkled on her finger. Santana didn't know if she was going to wake up and this was going to just be a dream. She took her time getting changed. Santana pulled out the change of clothes that she brought. She got changed into black jeans and a gray sweater. Then she pulled on her black heels and made her hair look presentable in a high bun. She loved these pants and hadn't been able to wear them since getting pregnant since they were just too tight. Santana finished her look with some light makeup. She was going to find Brett.
Santana left the bag in his room and walked out into the living room. "Hey, San" Puck said, straightening up at the kitchen counter. "Hey" San mumbled as she went through her purse. Puck caught the bling that now adorned her left hand. "It looks beautiful, do you like it?" he asked. Santana stopped and looked at the ring again before she looked at Puck. Santana genuinely smiled, "I love it, I just want to have the chance to say yes to him in person" she admitted. "Did Aaron find anything else out?" San asked. "No the General is refusing to talk to him but Aaron is meeting with someone from Brett's platoon to see if they have any answers." Puck explained. "Well I am going to see if I can find anything out," Santana said. "Where are you going?" he asked. "If the General won't talk to Aaron. Maybe he will talk to a sad fiance" she said, holding up her left hand. "Santana I really think you should just leave this for Aaron" Puck argued.
"No Puck, I am done just sitting around. I need to find Brett. From the moment this guy decided to send Brett's team overseas I knew something was up. Then he called Quinn and I, telling us that Brett was being declared dead. The entire thing was completely sketchy, that man has something to do with it. My Mexican third eye is sure of it." Santana explained. "Listen I believe you, I just think this whole thing could get really messy and it's best to just wait," He said again. "I want nothing more than to lay in my bed and never get up. I feel like my life has fallen apart. Brett is gone and my baby is dead. But this" Santana said, lifting up her hand and pointing at the ring. "This right here is why I can't just crawl into bed. He wanted me to be his wife. I need to find him so I can tell him that I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else. So I am going to do my part and go down to this guy's office. I will play the sad fiance or the bitch attorney, whatever it takes to get some answers" Santana added.
Puck picked up his coat and put it on. "What are you doing?" Santana asked. "You're not going alone so I guess I am playing the sad best friend or the guy that is going to carry you out as you scream shit in Spanish that no one understands" Puck replied, making her smile. "Thanks, Puck" she said. Santana doesn't know what she would do without her people, she really does have the best friends.
"So what is the plan?" Puck asked as they walked into the building. "I don't really have one. Just go along with whatever I do" Santana replied. "You got it boss" Puck whispered as they got closer to the desk. "Hi, may I help you?" the woman said. Santana started sniffling and acting like she was going to cry at the drop of the hat. "My name is Santana Lopez '' She choked out. "I was wondering if General Kennedy was in?" she asked. The woman's face told the two that she felt so bad. "Yeah he is, do you have an appointment?" The woman asked. "I don't but…. My fiance is dead" Santana said as she started crying. She quickly turned and flung herself into Puck's arms. Well done Lopez, he thought.
"I am really sorry, she is barely holding herself together these days" Puck explained. The womens face softened. "General Kennedy called her personally to let her know her fiance died overseas" Puck explained. Santana's cries got a little louder. "She just has some questions and was hoping to speak to him," Puck added. "I lost my uncle in Vietnam, I am so sorry for your loss," she said. Santana turned to look at her, "thank you" she managed to get out. "I am not supposed to do this but I feel awful. General Kennedy is on the 73rd floor, suite 736. Good luck sweetie, I hope you get some answers" The woman said as she pressed the button to let them through the turnstiles to the elevator. Puck walked with his arm still wrapped around Santana. Once they were out of sight, the two pulled away from each other. "Nicely played," Puck said. "Thank you, I could have been an actress if I didn't go to law school," Santana said smiling. Puck just laughed and pressed the up elevator button.
They rode the elevator together to the 73rd. They walked down the hall checking every door until they found the correct suite number. Santana knocked on the door. She heard someone yell come in, so they both walked into the door. A man in a button-down and dress pants sat behind a large oak desk. "I am sorry, I don't have any meetings so I think you may have the wrong room," he said. "Are you General Kennedy?" Santana asked. The man nodded, "yes I am" he said. Santana closed the door and both she and Puck took a seat on the chairs in front of the desk. "Then I have the right room," She said.
The General crossed his arms, "you seem to know who I am but I don't know who you are" he said. "I am Santana Lopez, Brett Pierce's Fiance," Santana said, an attitude clearly taking over her voice. "And I am Noah, Brett's best friend," Puck added. "What do I owe the pleasure?" the General asked. "I have some questions about Brett and you are going to answer them," Santana said. The General's eyes rose in surprise, "I am glad you came because I also have some questions for you" he said.
"Where is Brett?" Santana asked, getting right to the point. "I told you, Brett died in a helicopter accident" he responded. "We both know that isn't true," Puck said. "The only body that was found was the pilots. I know that Brett was going to check out a compound where 2 very dangerous men were living. Did you even check there?" Santana asked. "You are not supposed to know about any of that" Kennedy said."Well, I do so tell me what you know" Santana demanded. "All I know is that Brett has been declared dead. And you have my promise that if he is ever found alive, I will have him arrested" General Kennedy said. "Why the hell would you arrest him?" Puck asked. "Brett broke the law. Ms. Lopez here is not supposed to know any of that. Brett told her and that is against everything special forces is about" The General said. "Who gives a fuck why I know, you know something and you are keeping it from Brett's family" Santana yelled as she stood up.
Puck reached out and pulled her back down in the chair when she stood up. "Do not yell at me because you are angry at your fiance's profession" The General said with a straight face. "I am not angry that Brett is in the military. I am angry at the fact that his General sent him overseas on a death mission. Now he is missing and you are hiding something" Santana exclaimed. General Kennedy laughed, "You can think whatever you want about me but in the long run I needed to keep the entire platoon safe even if it means losing a soldier," he said. "So you are the one who decided to just leave him out there," Puck said, connecting all the dots. "It's the hardest part of the job," Kennedy said, leaning back.
"You fucking asshole" Santana spat. General Kennedy slammed his hands on the desk, "if you are going to speak to me like that, then you can get out" He spat back. "Tell me where he is!" Santana yelled again. "He is gone so move on," The General said. Santana took a deep breath. She needed to calm down because one more thing out of that man's mouth is going to cause her to jump over this desk and strangle the man. "Do you know what I do for a living?" Santana asked. They could tell that General Kennedy was not expecting the question, he shook his head no. "I am a district attorney for the Manhattan Special Victims Unit which means I have a ton of connections. One of those connections is the media. If you don't tell me where the hell Brett is then that is where I am going." Santana threatened. Puck couldn't believe that she was really sitting here threatening a General of the United States Marines who is also Brett's boss.
"If you say anything to the media about this then you will be sorry" The General threatened back. "Do not threaten her" Puck said through his teeth. The door behind them opened and 2 large men wearing suits walked in. "Get these two out of here and make sure that if they even try to come back, arrest them for trespassing" General Kennedy said. One of the loons grabbed Puck while the other one grabbed Santana. "Don't fucking touch her" Puck yelled trying to get out of his grasp. The guy was just too strong and pulled Puck out the door. "Santana," General Kennedy said. The guy who was holding her stopped and faced her toward him. "I suggest you move on from this. Brett is gone and he isn't coming back. If you keep snooping or this ends up in the news, bad things are going to happen" The General said. Santana knew it, he had something to do with this. "I will kill you, '' Santana spat. "Very professional ADA Lopez. You can escort her out now" General Kennedy said. He waved at her as the man carried her out and to the elevator.
"Put me down you asshole!" Santana yelled. The man held her as she struggled against him. "¡No puedes hacer esto, déjame!" she yelled again as he walked her out of the elevator. Santana saw that they were at the back exit of the building. Most likely so nobody saw the commotion. The guy threw Santana out the door where her body collided with Puck's. Santana charged at the door as the men started to shut it. "¡Que te jodan, cabrón!" Santana yelled as Puck pulled her back. The men locked the door and left the two on the outside. "What did he say to you when I left?" Puck asked. "He told me to move on and that bad things were going to happen if I kept snooping," Santana disclosed. "Fuck" Puck yelled.
"I texted Aaron and we are all meeting at yours. We need to tell them what we know. Hopefully, Aaron found something out when he met with Brett's buddies" Puck said walking back toward the street. "So we are just going to leave?" Santana asked. "Yes because he is not going to tell us anything and if we go back in there then he will have us arrested. We can't find Brett if we are in jail San" Puck explained. Santana knew he was right even though she didn't want him to be right. "Fine let's go" Santana groaned and followed him.
They walk into Santana and Quinn's apartment. Aaron and Quinn were sitting in the living room with another man then Santana nor Puck recognized. "Um hi?" Santana said. "This is Puck and Santana. Brett's roommate and his girlfriend." Aaron said introducing them. "San and Puck this is Sergeant Debrow," Aaron said. "You can call me Tom, it is nice to meet you guys. Brett told me all about you" he said with a smile. "How do you know Brett?" Santana asked, taking a seat. "I was deployed with him on his last mission" Tom disclosed. "Wait!" Quinn yelled, making everyone look over at her. "San, what's on your hand?" She asked. Santana looked down at the engagement ring. She was already so used to it that she forgot it was even on. It was like she was made to wear this engagement ring."Brett got it for me. He was going to propose and asked Puck to give it to me if anything happened" San explained.
"Brett was so excited to ask you," Aaron announced. "You knew?" San asked. "Of course I did, he had to show Carrie and I. He needed to get her opinion to make sure you were going to love it" Aaron laughed. "It is even more beautiful than the last time I saw it!" Quinn said. There was something about the way she said it that made Santana think that she knew something. "You knew too?" San asked, looking at her best friend. Quinn nodded, "Who do you think he ask for permission? He would have asked your parents but we all know what they would have said." she said. Santana couldn't help but laugh, her parents would have definitely said no. "Thanks for saying yes," She said. Quinn laughed, "I wouldn't want anyone else to be my sister in law" she smiled. Santana watched as Quinn looked at Puck and gave him a look. Quinn definitely knew something she didn't.
"As much as I would love to talk about the engagement, we need to find Brett in order to have one" Aaron said, pointing it out to everyone. He was right, Santana wasn't engaged if Brett was dead. "He is right, I am sorry. What did you find out?" Santana asked. "Tell them about that night," Aaron said. Sergeant Debrow looked kind of concerned. "I know what you are thinking but trust me. They can handle anything, I showed them the pictures of the crash. They just want to know what happened to Brett" Aaron explained. "I need to find him, please we need to know everything that happened" Santana begged. Tom took a deep breath and nodded.
"I don't know what Brett told you but we made our way to the secure location. We had plans to infiltrate a hideout that we believe was housing some very dangerous terrorists. Brett had a plan and it was a really good plan but someone changed it" Tom explained. "What do you mean?" Quinn asked. "General Kennedy requested a meeting and informed us that he wanted us to do a recon mission. It was a good suggestion but the General demanded that we use the helicopter. Brett called him out on it, saying that if the terrorist hear the engine then they may retreat or attack. General Kennedy disregarded Brett's concerns and made the call. There was nothing that Brett could do. The only thing Brett requested was that he go alone. I tried to talk him down and we offered to go with him but Brett didn't want to put anyone else in danger. I watched Brett load into the chopper with the pilot and take off. It was the last time I saw him" Sergeant Debrow said.
Santana just shook her head, of course, Brett wouldn't do anything to put anyone else in danger. "So that's it?" Puck asked. "Keep going Tom," Aaron said. "We were in constant communication with Brett. He was relaying back to us what the compound looked like. That's when we heard the commotion over the radio. Brett replayed to us that they were taking heavy fire. We thought they were in the clear because Brett was able to shoot the snipers but I guess more came. Brett called in a mayday call, the chopper was hit and it was going down. We asked Brett to relay his coordinates but they never came" Tom said sadly. Santana wiped the tears that escaped, hearing what could have been Brett's final moments from a friend absolutely killed her.
"We assembled the team as fast as we could. Brown and I didn't even let the General know right away. We just got everyone together with all the medical supplies we had and went toward the compound. We got close enough that we could see the wreckage. I didn't even care about the potential threat, I yelled over and over for Brett but he never yelled back. We tried to get to the chopper to access the injuries but we were met with heavy gunfire. Brown made the decision to retreat far enough that the enemy also retreated back. We were going to wait there so we could go back for Brett and the pilot but General Kennedy ordered us back to the base. He made us leave the enemy territory, we never went back." Sergeant Debrow explained. "I am so sorry we left him there. This is all my fault, I should have made him let me go with him" Tom said, tears falling down his cheeks.
"This isn't your fault Tom, you were doing your job and keeping the other soldiers safe" Aaron said, patting him on the back. Santana reached out and grabbed his hand. Tom looked up at her. "I don't blame you. Brett is too stubborn and would have never let you aboard the helicopter. Even if he did, you might be dead. The only person I blame is General Kennedy" Santana explained, squeezing his hand. Tom nodded and also squeezed her hand before they let go. "Yeah that man called Santana and I saying that Brett was declared dead" Quinn announced. Santana explained to the group what happened when Puck and she went down to his office.
"That's not true," Tom said. "What isn't?" Aaron asked. "Brett wasn't declared dead. They can't declare him dead unless they find his body or evidence of remains. And to declare a soldier presumptively dead takes years. They haven't even declared some Vietnam MIA's presumably dead." Sergeant Debrow explained. "So what does this mean?" Santana asked. "General Kennedy is lying about something. If Brett was dead the news would come from the casualty affairs office, not Kennedy" Tom disclosed. "I knew it" Santana yelled. "So what the hell are we going to do about it?" Quinn asked. "Think about it. If Kennedy is keeping Brett's whereabouts a secret, where would an injured soldier go?" Tom asked. It was like a light went off in Aaron's brain. "He has to be at a United States Military base hospital near where they were stationed. There is no way that he wasn't injured in the crash" Aaron announced. He watched as Santana flinched. "I'm sorry San" Aaron whispered. "Don't be, you're right" She said.
"But we don't know where Brett was," Puck pointed out. "I know where," Tom said. "You could get in trouble if anyone found out that you disclosed confidential information," Aaron exclaimed. Sergeant Debrow scoffed, "I don't give a shit, Brett is out there. We were in Saudi Arabia, right near the borders of Iraq and Kuwait." he announced. "So that is where we start?" Quinn asked. Tom nodded, "I'll look up the closest military hospitals that have connections to the United States. Then we just need to call them all" he suggested. "We can each take a list" Santana added. "I think you need to leave this to Aaron and I," Tom said. "Why? We'll be able to get through the list faster if we all call" Santana pointed out. "That is true but officials are more likely to give information to one of their own. Aaron and I are marines, we can sympathize with them because I have a feeling General Kennedy is not going to make it easy to get answers." Sergeant Debrow explained.
"I can't just do nothing" Santana cried. "You already did something. Your information from the General solidified what we thought. Leave this to us San. I promise if we find out anything then I will call you first, Okay?" Aaron sympathized with her. Santana looked in his eyes and then at Tom's. They both looked extremely sincere, this was their only shot. Santana knew that if she called the right one and they tipped off the General, she would never find Brett. Santana nodded, "Okay, okay just please find him" she begged. "We will" Aaron promised. "We won't stop until we find him. I know that the only thing Brett wanted to do was to come home. He told me all about you Santana. I've known Brett for years and I've never seen him so happy." Tom disclosed. Santana couldn't help but smile, "I love him" she whispered. Quinn wrapped her arm around her best friend. "We are going to find him," Quinn said to which everyone nodded.
*I promise answers are going to come soon also I can't believe I am almost at chapter 50! I hope you guys are still interested in this story! Please comment, I love reading your thoughts. Be safe! See you next time.*
