Chapter Text
Ron Witwicky opened the front door of his home and found two men wearing Army dress uniforms standing there.
"Yes?" Ron stared at the two soldiers in confusion.
"Mr. Witwicky?" the young Captain whose nametag identified him as Lennox asked.
Ron nodded looking at the men in curiosity.
"Ron?" a voice called from in the house moments before the owner of the voice appeared. The woman looked at the two soldiers before saying, "What's going on Ron? Is it about Sam? Have they released him?" Pushing past Ron and the young soldiers the woman stepped into the yard and looked wildly around for Sam.
"Judy," Ron said as he tried to grab his wife and drag her back into the safety of the house only to have her avoid his grasp.
"Ma'am. Sir. I'm Captain Lennox and this is Sergeant Epps," the Captain said as he nodded to the man next to him. "Could we please talk inside?"
Judy turned on Captain Lennox. "Where is my son?"
"Please ma'am. Could we speak inside?" Lennox asked once again.
Judy seemed to pull everything inside of herself and to take upon her an air of royalty who was being forced to deal with a commoner. "Would you care for some tea, gentlemen?"
The two soldiers looked at Mrs. Witwicky in confusion then over at Mr. Witwicky who nodded his head at them before they turned back to Mrs. Witwicky.
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am," the men replied as they watched Judy pass them to reenter her home.
~*~
"How do you take you tea, gentlemen?" Judy asked as she poured the hot liquid into fine china cups.
"Two sugar please ma'am," Epps replied.
With two soft plops, Mrs. Witwicky handed the young soldier his tea. "And you Captain?" she asked a she poured the second cup.
"Two sugar and a touch of lemon, ma'am," Lennox said with a soft smile.
With efficiency born of years of practice Judy prepared the Captain?s tea and handed it over before preparing two other cups of tea.
Taking a sip of her tea, Judy turned her attention fully to the soldiers. "Now why don't you tell me where my son is and when the government will be releasing him."
Lennox and Epps shared a look before the Captain cleared his throat nervously.
"I don't know how to tell you this but your son, Sam?" Setting the china teacup onto the saucer, Lennox looked up at the Witwicky, sorrow filled his eyes. "I'm sorry he's dead."
"I'm sorry," Ron replied as he looked back and forth between the two men. "Could you repeat that."
"Sam is dead," Sgt. Epps stated as he set his cup of tea down. "He died while saving lives. He died a hero."
"No, you're mistaken," Judy said, her hands shaking so much that the tea sloshed out of the cup. "My son? my son isn't dead."
"Perhaps you'd care to explain," Ron?s normally cheerful tone had been replaced by a dangerous growl.
"I'm assuming you heard about the attack on the military base in Qatar," Lennox said. "My men, Sgt. Epps and I were the only survivors of that attack. We were brought to the same military base that your son had been taken to for debriefing. The base commander realized that your son and his girlfriend had been detained because of a case of mistaken identity and to try to make amends he had my team take them into the city to?" Lennox shrugged his shoulders, "to just be kids."
"I'm sorry but I not following what you're saying Captain," Ron said.
"It was Mission City," Epps supplied. "We took the kids to the city to look around, do some shopping just before it was attacked. Sam?he died in the attack."
"H? How?" Judy asked as all the blood drained from her face.
"A building collapsed on top of him," Lennox said with a haunted look in his eyes. "I had ordered him to run. I ordered him to that building. I though he would be safe there."
"With all the fighting going on around us, we couldn't get to Sam," Epps stated. "And by the time we were able to? it was too late."
"Why weren't we informed of this before now?" Ron demanded. "The attack on Mission City was days ago. Why are you only telling us now?
"They wanted to? they wanted to find Sam first before notifying you," Lennox replied with lowered eyes.
"You blame yourself for Sam's death don't you Captain," Ron asked as he stared out the window that was just to the left of where Captain Lennox and Sgt. Epps sat.
"I was the one who told Sam to run," Lennox replied. "I bear sole responsibility for what happen to your son."
Mr. Witwicky eye's snapped to the young captain. "Don't," he growled at the young soldier. "Don't you dare dishonor my son. I know my son. Sam? Sam would have helped no matter what, it's how we raised him."
Ron looked down at his cup as if the cooling cup of tea held all the answers. "When we? when will we get Sam?"
"A few more days," the Captain replied. "After the DNA test are completed."
Judy's head snapped up her eyes filled with a desperate hope.
Seeing this Sgt. Epps shook his head. "I'm sorry ma'am but there is no way that he's alive. I saw it happen. I tried to get to him but couldn't."
Mrs. Witwicky stood up suddenly, to which the soldier as per their training rose from their chairs. "You'll have to forgive me," Judy said in a strained voice, "but I feel one of my headaches coming on. I'm going to lay down now."
"Ma'am," Both Epps and Lennox said almost simultaneously as Judy turned and walked out of the room. With Mrs. Witwicky gone they returned to their seats to face Mr. Witwicky.
"You said he was a hero," Ron turned his cup in his hand, studying the fine design on it.
"He was," Lennox replied. "He was able to evacuate people but when the fighting came to close... that when I ordered him out of the area."
A sudden anguished cry came from upstairs; and all eyes jerked to the ceiling.
"I think it's time for you gentlemen to leave now," Ron stated, staring at the ceiling.
Lennox nodded his understanding. "Yes sir," he replied as he and Epps got up and headed for the door.
Standing the doorway Ron asked one more question. "Sam's girl, Mikaela?"
"She's safe. Probably home right now," Lennox stated. "Sam ordered her out of the area. Sam had her transport a badly injured solder out of the area."
Ron nodded his head accepting the answer and his son's heroics. "Do you have any children?"
"Three girls," Epps replied.
"A daughter," Lennox said softly. "Haven't meet her yet. She was born while I was overseas."
Ron nodded his head once again. "Go home," Ron said his voice cracking as he spoke. "Go back to your children. Go back to them? and never let them go." With tears running down his face, Ron shut the door.