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While the Major was still in the hospital, Raphael went to visit his old friends – Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell but as the door opened, he noticed a little girl.
"Who are you sweetie?" the soldier knelt as he asked her.
"Mom, dad…" she called as she left the door.
"What a lovely surprise, my friend, it's good to see you." Catarina greeted him.
Raphael rose and followed his friend inside.
"What do we have here?" Ragnor called as he came closer to hug his friend.
Catarina felt a tug on her leg and collected the girl in her arms.
"Mama, who is it?"
"Madzie, this is Raphael, he is our friend." Catarina explained to her daughter.
"So, it seemed that you hid some information from me, my friends." Raphael grinned at them and sat on the sofa.
Before Ragnor could speak, there was a knock on the door.
Catarina, still holding Madzie, left them as she walked to the door and opened it.
"Magnus and Rafael, I heard that you had quite a day few days ago." Catarina greeted them, and then knelt so Madzie could get off and stand next to the boy.
Rafael nodded and said with excitement in his voice, "The Navy guy saved my life, daddy couldn't help me, but I'm glad that he did."
"I'm glad too, now go play with Madzie." Catarina told them as they ran to play in other room.
Magnus joined the others in the living room and spotted a soldier talking with his old friend Ragnor.
"I remember you, you in the unit with the Major, aren't you?" Magnus asked as he sat next to the soldier.
"Yes, and the Major still in the hospital, so the rest of our unit gets to enjoy some quality time with friends and family." Raphael replied.
"How is he?" Magnus asked.
"He can't wait to get out and go back to the field for the next tour or pick up another mission." Raphael replied.
"He risked his life to save my son." Magnus said.
"We saw that on TV, actually I think that I also have it recorded," Ragnor suddenly said and then he added as he asked the soldier, "Is the Major always like this? I mean this reckless?"
Raphael nodded before he replied, "Since I met him, he always put others before himself, even in the thick of battle he goes in first, he doesn't want anyone else being hurt if he can help it."
"Why on earth would he do that? Doesn't he have a family or someone that is waiting for him?" Catarina asked.
"No, he doesn't have anyone, that's what he told us as we asked about his life."
"I'm glad that your unit is there for him at least." Ragnor told Raphael.
"He told us that we are closer than any family he ever had, so I believe that we mean something to him." Raphael agreed with him, just as a message beeped on his phone
Come to the hospital, there's a meeting with the commanders and the Major, you are needed as well. – Underhill
Raphael read the message and rose, "I have got to go, I assume that I'll see you later then."
"What's the rush?" Magnus asked.
"Navy business, I assume." Raphael said and then rose and walked to the door with Catarina and Ragnor escorting him.
The couple embraced him and said their farewell, while Magnus kept sitting on the sofa.
When the couple came back, Magnus said, "I didn't know that you have friend in the navy."
"We know Raphael from high school, and what about you? Have you found someone yet?" Catarina replied as she asked him back.
"No, but I can't believe that Alec is alive, all these years I believed that I lost him," Magnus replied, and then he added, "He looked different, and I believe that he changed."
"But he has different name, and he acts completely different from the Alec you knew, how could he be that man?" Ragnor asked.
"I don't know." Magnus answered just as an out spill of laughter came from the room Rafael and Madzie were playing at
Hearing the laughs from the children brought a smile to Magnus face.
"I'm happy for you my friend, I'm glad that the Lightwoods took you in as their son, they love you, and even helped you to adopt Rafael." Catarina told him with a joyous smile.
"Yes, I am lucky to have all the family and friends I have." Magnus smiled at the couple.
They watched the news, and then it seemed that Magnus remembered something that slipped from his mind, "Maryse invites you and Madzie to a family dinner in about a week, so consider yourself invited, and don't worry, I'll provide you with the address."
"That's indeed a nice thing." Catarina said smiling.
Raphael reached the hospital and went up the stairs to the floor assigned for recovery. He entered the room where the major was sitting and talking to the commander of their outfit. After Saluting the commander, he found a chair and sat beside his friends.
"After your Major is out of the hospital, you are all invited to meet with president, and the Major will receive his medals in a ceremony which will be transmitted live on TV." The commander told them.
"That's quite an honour, sir." Underhill told him.
"We were only doing our job sir; medals are not needed." The major told to his commander.
The commander sighed heavily, the Major lack of care of medals and honours was a well-established fact, and his devotion to duty and to his unit were also well known to his CO, but in this case, even if he had been inclined to, he knew that the major would have no choice but to accept the accolades he so obviously deserved .
"It's final Major, even if I was opposed to it, and I am most certainly not, I had no say in this." The commander let him know.
"Oh, and before I forget, that boy you rescued came from a very influential family, and all of you were invited to a family dinner with them, that include you as well Major," The commander focused at the Major before he added, "You are allowed to bring plus one, and the family dinner will happen before you leave on another tour."
The commander left, leaving the four alone to talk.
"When are you due to be released?" Andrew asked.
"Soon, I hope, or I will check out myself." The Major replied.
"I wouldn't advise you to do that, my friend." Raphael told him.
"So, enough talk about me, have you seen your families, loved ones?" the Major asked.
"Lily invited me to meet her parents." Bat replied.
"That's good to know." Jonathan told him.
"I saw my boyfriend, God I missed him, it was good to see him again." Andrew told him with a smile.
"I saw my friends, found out that they have a daughter, funny they never mentioned it, but it was good to see them." Raphael said.
"That's good, now go out and enjoy yourselves, I'll see you all when we're due to go meet the president, then well do this family dinner , and then it's back to normal, I missed the tours." Jonathan exclaimed.
"So, this week, we'll be live on TV as the president give you medals." Bat smiled.
"Yes, I just want to get it over with." Jonathan told him.
A week passed without incident, Jonathan did not look forward to the ceremony, he had no interest in medals or honors, he was just doing his job, and his team was whole and safe, that was all that mattered to him.
At noon, exactly, He and his team were, for lack of a better word, packed into their dress uniforms and hauled off to the white house, once there, the president staff put them in a side office, brought in some trays of food, and then seemed to have forgotten all about them.
Eventually, just as the team started to get restless from the forced inactivity, a small man, dressed in a rich suit, came into the office and told them that the ceremony was about to start and went over the details of how their part of it would go, after going over the part and making sure everything was clear the man left and saying that he would be back in fifteen minutes to collect them. Once Jonathan heard that, he lined up his troops for one final inspection to make sure they all passed muster. And at exactly the fifteen-minute mark, the small man, who introduced himself as Hank, ushered them out of the office and had them follow him into the rose gardens of the white house.
There seemed to have been quite an event going on, with many men dressed in rich suits and women in gowns that Jonathan knew cost more then his monthly salary. Interspaced between them were the men and women in uniform, all of them without exception of a much higher rank then him.
Looking around, Jonathan could see absolutely no one he knew, the team closed ranks around a small table in the back and stood there uncomfortably out of place, this was not the sort of gig they were used to. As Jonathan looked about, for a second he thought he glimpsed a familiar face, but when he took another look the person he was looking at already moved away, just as he was about to move and see if he could find him, Hank showed up as if by magic at his side. "Major, please bring your unit and follow me, we are about to start".
They were led to the side, where a small flight of stairs led to a pre-built stage, and Hank passed them over to a girl from the press secretary's office who told them the ceremony was about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the President of these united states" they heard the announcement several seconds later, followed by the muted sound of clapping. There was a speech being delivered, which Jonathan tuned out after a few seconds, and then the girl motioned to the team to move up to the stage.
Jonathan stepped up into the stage, followed in a measured procession by his team, they were all neat in their dress uniforms, and all marched straight with head held high, they reached the planned spot, did a smart half turn, and then Jonathan saluted the president even as his company stood to attention. The president nodded at Jonathan, dismissing him from his salute, and then said, "well done, son, you have the thanks of a grateful nation for your heroic actions in both bringing a notorious terrorist to justice, and saving innocent lives in the process". With that he took a medal on a ribbon from a box held by an assistant, and reaching upward, put the ribbon around Jonathan's neck, saying: "accept this with the thanks of a grateful nation" and then shook his hand, before moving to each of the man in his unit to shake their hands in turn. Once he went over the whole unit, he returned to Jonathan, who gave him another salute, before leading his men off the stage and into the chairs that were assigned to them at the back rows.
The Lightwood family watched the ceremony on TV as the medals were given by the president.
"Good thing that the family dinner is planned for tomorrow." Maryse said smiling.
"And the best thing is, even if the Major didn't want to come, he has no say in this, I already saw to that." Robert uttered.
"We have everything ready for the unit and especially for the Major." Magnus said, he just hoped to see a sign of recognition from the Major.
On the next day at noon, the Major picked up Bat, Raphael and Andrew were already there, but Bat elected to come alone to the family dinner, hosted by the Lightwoods, no less.
There was a large table with white cloth on it, Jonathan waited for Raphael and Andrew to sit next to their loved ones, and then Bat sat close to the head of the table as Jonathan came to stand behind him and see that his men were all there and enjoying themselves.
Today he chose to use the cane the doctors provided when he left the hospital. The cane helped him to not put extra weight on his leg and would provide a convenient excuse to leave early, and besides it did help to reduce the left over pain, although he planned to lose the cane the minute he left New York and went back to the tour.
"Why won't you sit, Major?" Robert asked him.
"I'm good, besides, I won't be staying long." The Major replied to him.
"Why not?" Maryse asked him.
"Tomorrow we are going back to our duties, and I need to clear my mind before we do, and besides I'm still on medication so I could not enjoy your hospitality as you would like. Adios." The Major told them.
He leaned over to shake hands with the man while he nodded at the woman, "Thank you Sir, Ma'am, for inviting us." With that he left.
Catarina used the moment to say something to Magnus, "You were right, he has changed."
As he was at the door, the children ran to him to hug him.
"What are your names little ones?" the Major asked.
"I'm Madzie, and this is Rafael." Madzie introduces.
"I… I want to thank you for saving my life." Rafael told him.
"I'm glad that you are all right Rafael, now go back to your parents," Jonathan told him and then he told to Madzie, "You too darling."
He left the house and was standing on the sidewalk with the intention to get a taxi and then head back to the hotel, he was growing tired from all the pomp and ceremony of the last few days, all he wanted was to get some good sleep.
The Major didn't notice the children coming after him, only heard them screaming in alarm. Turning he faced a man with a gun aimed at him, as the children cowered in the background.
"Go to your parents, now!" The Major told them. He did not wish for them to get hurt.
"Spare the children, take me instead."
"It's you I want, and finally I've got you alone," the man told him as he added, "You killed my father, and therefore I will kill you eventually, but not here."
The children ran to the house in panic, shaken by the experience.
"What's wrong?" Magnus stood and walked to embrace his shaking son.
"A bad man took the Major, and the Major sent us here." Madzie replied as she handed the cane Jonathan dropped on the floor to Magnus.