Harrison Fletcher kicked at one of the puddles at the end of the driveway, a growing sense of frustration at how his family seemed to view him. Like a child. No more mature than Carson, Preston, or Addy.
"You know, my kid, Charlie, used to get frustrated with his mom and me, too."
Harrison's head snapped up as he looked over at Jack. "I'm not frustrated with you."
Jack lobbed a basketball in Harrison's direction, nonverbally challenging him to a game of one-on-one. "No, but you're frustrated with your parents. Just wanted you to know you weren't alone."
Harrison caught the ball before he stole another look at the Air Force general who had been the closest thing to a grandfather he'd had on his mother's side. "Charlie died, right?"
Jack's face was almost stony as he nodded. "A long time ago."
Harrison didn't know what to say next, and the silence stretched between them before Jack sighed. "I miss him everyday."
Harrison bounced the basketball back toward Jack, who caught it almost without thinking. "What kinds of things did Charlie get frustrated about?"
Jack shrugged as he bounced the ball off the headboard of the driveway basketball hoop. "Lots of things. But there was this one time—I think he was about nine—and we were literally getting into the car for a little league championship when I got the call that I had thirty minutes to report to base for a mission."
Harrison winced. "So, you're telling me to be grateful that I've never had that problem?"
Jack shook his head. "Of course not. Life can be hard for everyone. Not just military families. From what I heard in the house, it sounded like you were a little frustrated that your mom's not in a position to be with the family right now."
Harrison caught the rebound and angled the ball so he'd get a good swish. Sure enough, nothing but net.
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "See, that's the way you use physics. I keep telling Sam, but she thinks stars are cool or something..."
Harrison offered Jack a distracted smile. "Do you think my mom still loves us?"
Jack, who had gone to grab the basketball, turned and let the ball roll to the side. "Of course she still loves you. What makes you think she doesn't?"
Embarrassed by the moisture that stung his eyes, Harrison ducked to pick the ball back up. "I don't know. Before Addy was born, we used to do things just the two of us. We'd go bowling or she'd ask me if I wanted to grab a burger with her. Sometimes, we'd just sit and I'd tell her all about my robot. Then, COVID happened, and Addy was born, and it was like all my mom cared about was Addy and if I was done with my schoolwork."
Jack's expression seemed to show that he understood Harrison's feelings. "Sounds like you've missed her a lot longer than just today."
Harrison wiped at his eyes. "And I can't hang out with my friends, and there aren't even any fun things about school anymore..."
"Come here."
Harrison didn't even look up before he barreled into Jack's arms.
There was a long moment before Jack spoke again. "Sam was right. This isn't going to last forever."
"Are you sure?"
Jack offered him a thin smile. "Yeah, but in the meantime, while you and your family are in town, if you're feeling lonely or ignored, you can call me. Deal?"
The fog of loneliness started to lift as Harrison pulled away from Jack and looked up. "And when you miss Charlie, you can call me. Deal?"
Jack swallowed before he squeezed Harrison's shoulder. "Deal. Now, how about that round of driveway hockey, I promised. I got the stuff in the back of the truck. Thought maybe you could teach your brothers after I head home tonight."
Harrison grinned. "I'm in."
Almost an hour later, Harrison and Jack walked back into the house. Though it hadn't been terribly cold outside, the tip of Harrison's nose seemed to sting when the warm air of the house first wafted his direction.
"There's hot chocolate over here if you want it."
"Mom." Harrison's mood lifted even more at the sight of his mother sitting at the kitchen table beside two steaming mugs. It didn't even bother him that baby Addison was on her lap, chomping on that ladybug teething ring Jack and Sam had brought this morning.
He hurried over and crushed her in a hug, and she twisted the arm closest to him so she could pat his arm. "Hi, sweetheart."
He pulled away and studied her as closely as he could. "Are you feeling better?"
Mom's lips lifted in an attempt at a smile, but there was something haunted about her eyes that betrayed whatever she might say. "A little, yeah. But since I'm still not quite a hundred percent, I was thinking maybe I'd spend the night at Jack and Sam's."
Harrison's heart dropped to his stomach as he turned to his side where Jack was blowing on a cup of hot chocolate before taking a sip. "You knew about this?"
Jack looked up, apparently hesitating when he saw Harrison's expression. "I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't know for sure—"
Harrison shoved at the general. Hot chocolate splashed out of the cup and onto the tile floor.
"Harrison!" Both of his parents tried to call him back, but he just raced to the room Mom and Dad let him use when he needed a minute alone.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he slammed the door shut. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Christmas time, and his mom was leaving. And nobody would tell him why.
There was a knock at the door, and Harrison hid his face against the pillow. "Leave me alone!"
The door opened anyway, and Harrison sniffled. "I don't want to talk to you, Jack."
"I'm not Jack."
Harrison turned back to look at his mother, who looked tired and sad. Like the last day had been as hard on her as it had been on him. "Mom..."
She motioned to the bed. "Can I sit for a minute?"
He shrugged. "I guess."
"It's not Jack's fault that I'm taking a couple of days off from being a mom and a wife, Harrison."
Harrison swallowed. "I know that."
Mom sighed and played with the edge of the bedspread. "Frankly, it's not anybody's fault. Not you. Not your brothers and sister. Not your dad. It's just something I need to do if I'm going to be the best mom I can be."
"How can you be a good mom if you're not going to be here?"
Mom flinched, and Harrison almost felt bad about it. Not enough to say I'm sorry, but enough to think that maybe he wouldn't say something like that to her ever again.
Instead of answering his question, though, his mom really looked at him. "Your dad says you want to know why I'm out of sorts today. Says you think we're treating you like a kid by not telling you."
Harrison's heart pounded in anticipation. "Yeah?"
Mom clasped her fingers in her lap and studied them like there were instructions written there that Harrison couldn't see. "You know Janet Fraiser was my adopted mom, right?"
Harrison frowned. "Yeah. How's that important to the story? I mean, my friend Jeremy was adopted, and he's fine."
Mom nodded, slowly. "Jeremy was adopted as a baby. I was about your age when I was adopted."
Harrison's heart squeezed. "My age?"
"In fact, Sam told me just today that she almost adopted me."
The idea that Sam and Jack would have really been his grandma and grandpa shook the foundations of everything he thought he knew. He'd known they'd been friends with Grandma Janet, but he'd assumed they'd become almost like his grandparents because of Grandma Janet's death. Not because Sam had almost adopted his mom...
He shook his head. "Wait a minute... If you were adopted when you were my age, what happened? Didn't your mom and dad want you?"
Mom reached up and brushed Harrison's hair behind one ear. "I was very loved by my parents. By my grandparents. By my brother. By my sister."
Dread settled over Harrison as he blinked at his mother. "Then, why—"
She shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world. "They got sick. They died."
Harrison's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "All of them?"
"All of them," she confirmed.
"But—" Harrison's mind reeled. "But how?"
Mom waved the question away. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is that every once in a while, I remember why I came here. How I met Sam and Jack and Daniel and Teal'c."
"And you get sad."
Mom caught his chin between her thumb and forefinger. "I love my life here, Harrison. I love you, your dad, your brothers, your sister. I love Sam and Jack. I love all of it."
Everything felt heavier than it did a few minutes ago. Harrison looked up at his mom. "But—sometimes, you get sad, right?"
Mom looked like she was going to cry. "And mad and scared and a whole lot of things I don't want you kids to see. At least, not until you're a lot older than even you are, sweetheart."
Harrison bobbed his head, his thoughts still lingering on the idea that he had a whole family he knew nothing about. His mom had lost a whole family she'd never told them about. And she'd only been his age when she did.
Mom's voice was gentle. "That's why when your dad offered to let me go to Sam and Jack's house for a couple of days—after Sam offered to take me there today—that's why I said yes."
There was pain in Mom's eyes as she looked for Harrison's approval. "Do you understand?"
Harrison leaned in for a hug, taking care to squeeze her a little more tightly than ever before. "Can I help?"
Mom sniffled as she pulled away, giving his cheek a gentle pat. "See what you can do to help your dad while I'm gone, okay? Remember how much I love you, and maybe tell Preston, Carson, and Addy, too."
Harrison stood tall. "I can do that."
The tears streaked Mom's cheeks as she studied his face. "Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, sweetheart. The biggest gift I could give you is to let you be a kid a little longer. Even right now where you don't get to do the same fun things you're used to doing, and you don't get to hang out with anyone other than your brothers. Try to enjoy this time, and let your dad and me worry about the other stuff."
Harrison considered not only his mother's words but what had changed in him in the last few minutes. Maybe Mom had a point about staying a kid a little longer.
He leaned in for one last hug, and with his cheek pressed against her chest, he whispered. "Can I at least send you a video while you're gone?"
His mom kissed the top of his head as she held him close. "Of course, sweetheart. I think I'd really love that."
