After the grand tour, Tracy thought that Alex may have been warming to the idea of letting her sibling's live at Elm Tree. Alex was even getting along with Tracy, telling her a story from training;
"We were sleeping in the cabins at basic training when, surprise surprise, kit inspection. Its three in the morning, everyone's running to get everything ready in the two minute time limit. Except one guy. He's still tucked away in his sleeping bag, snoring quite merrily to himself. Now when a sergeant comes in the cabin you stand at the end of your bed straightaway, no exceptions."
Tracy was listening intently to see what was going to happen to the snoring man. She had also heard stories about a place she knew nothing about. She had heard of strict punishments and cruel sergeants.
"Anyway, so we are all pretty much ready when the sergeant bursts into the cabin with a face like a smacked arse, to be frank. He was pissed. Our very own sleeping beauty was working on autopilot and had jumped up to the end of his bed. Sergeant goes up to him to see why him kit isn't out and just looks him up and down subtly. The guy looks down, hes still in his sleeping bag." Tracy and Alex erupt into laughter. "You should of seen the sergeant's face. It was hilarious and we couldn't laugh. The guy was made to do laps of the courtyard, still in his sleeping bag, and we got to go back to bed."
"What happened to that guy after that then? Is he still in the army?" Tracy asked. He didn't sound like the best soldier.
"Oh yeah, we call him green bean, he prefers Jay though. And hes a bloody good soldier now, and always makes sure to get out of his sleeping bag before getting up.
Tracy and Alex were still giggling when they arrived back at the kitchen, receiving questioning looks from Mike and Gina (who had arrived while they were up stairs) Tracy headed to the sink.
Alex set sights on her mother, now in deep conversation with Mike and Gina. Alex knelt next to her mother and kissed her cheek. "This is a good place Mam." Mrs Young smiled and thought her daughter had finally come to terms with her decision.
"Before my next round of treatment, the kids can come here to give us both some respite." She paused, taking a deep breath, "Then when I go, the kids will be familiar with this place and can ... settle ... in ... easy?"
Mrs Youngs voice trailed off as she watched her eldest daughter shaking her head. "No, this is a good place but its not family. Its not home. I've made a decision, I'm leaving the army. I'll work as many hours as I have to to support them but they are not becoming care kids." Alex said this quietly but with enough power for her mother the know that she was serious and that she needed knocking down a peg or two.
"You are not leaving the army! That has been your dream for too long.."
"But.."
"I'm not finished. Have you talked to these kids? They are still happy even though they don't have the conventional family that you were very lucky to have. With your father your very lucky not to have grown up here yourself, useless prick." Mrs Young was slowly standing herself up so she could talk, no shout at her daughter at eye level. "And finally they are my children, until you gave birth to them, you do not get to decide where they live after I die." Mrs Young was standing now and could see the hurt that her daughter had been hiding from her by never meeting her eye, at the work die Alex flinched.
"I'm sorry Mam, I only want the best for them." Alex paused, now she was coming to terms with the facts;
1: Her mother was going to die.
2: Her little brother and sisters where going to live at Elm Tree.
3: There was nothing she could do about it.
The facts were terrifying, but so was life and so was her upcoming war zone.