chapter = 22

author = Dwparsnip

Rating = AP15

Type = Romance

fanfic = Max Sterling rapidly blinked his eyes several times to try to get them to focus. He was tired…very tired. The last few days had taken a physical and emotional toll on him, as it had on Miriya. The only thing that kept them from giving up was the fact that Rick and Roy needed them so much. The couple of times that he thought he couldn’t do anymore, he thought of Lisa and Rick and how much they had done for him and his family over the years. From the day that he and Miriya got married, to Dana’s birth, up to now and all points in between, Rick and Lisa Hunter had been there for him and Miriya. ‘What it all boils down to’, he reminded himself, ‘is that they would do the same thing for me if I lost Miriya.’

Max waited next to his Alpha, appropriately designated General One, and waited for his passenger to arrive. The tarmac of Base Delta was wet from the mist that had been falling since before he had arrived. He was tempted to go and check in with Captain Fredrickson to get out of the dampness, but the gray skies and falling mist suited his frame of mind perfectly.

It was a miserably overcast day, and he was in a miserably gloomy mood.

He leaned his head back to let the light rain fall onto his face, and for a second it almost helped to cleanse his mind of the task that was all too fast approaching. Any second now, his “nephew” would be coming out of the main building and it would fall to Max to take him to one of the most trying times of his life.

Max thought for a moment about Roy. Like Rick was the brother he never had, Roy was the nephew he could spoil, and much to Lisa’s consternation he did spoil Roy whenever he got the chance. The pall that had fallen over Max deepened as he thought of the three of them. He remembered seeing the three of them together for the first time in Lisa’s infirmary room aboard the SDF-3. Rick was the typical new father, beaming with pride and taking every opportunity to tell anyone who would listen that he had a son. The only other time Max had seen Rick so happy was the day that he married Lisa. Then there was Lisa. They say that women get an aura around them when they become pregnant, and while that was true with Lisa, the aura only strengthened after she gave birth. She sat there in bed, watching Rick hold their newborn son with the most serene look upon her face, and she just glowed. The reason for their blissful attitudes was the proverbial bundle of joy. He was the most pleasant baby that Max had ever seen, and the relationship between the three was incredible to behold.

Now however, the connection was broken.

Max loved the little boy deeply and hated that he had to go through this. While it pained Max all the way to the core of his soul to be the one to pick him up on this day and take him to the ship and the heart ache that waited for him there, Max wouldn’t dare let anyone else to do it. No…it was his responsibility and that’s all there was to it. It was his responsibility to do this just as it was his honor and privilege every time the sweet little boy called him Uncle Max.

“Uncle Max!”

Roy’s call woke Max out of his little respite, and when he looked towards the voice Max’s gloom lifted like a fog. Max couldn’t help but smile when he saw the surprised and happy grin on the boy’s face through his water covered glasses.

“I’m looking for a copilot”, called Max, as he took his glasses off and cleaned them. As he replaced his glasses he added, “Do you know where I could find one?”

“Me!”, shouted Roy as he started to run to Max. It was a game they always played, and Max was relieved to see that it was the same today. Despite how tired he was and how upset he felt he was determined not to show it to Roy. He grunted in pretend pain as Roy slammed into his legs and he picked the boy up and gave him a big hug, which Roy returned. A woman that Max didn’t recognize came up to them, holding a gym bag. She was wearing a medical uniform and had a smile on her face told Max that she was happy to see Roy so happy.

“General Sterling, sir”, said the woman as a greeting. “I’m Nurse Hobson, one of Roy’s counselors.”

Roy leaned back to look at Max and said with some confusion, “Uncle Max, I thought you were Captain Sterling.”

Max laughed and then said, “I was, Roy…but your old man gave me a promotion so he wouldn’t have to do as much work.”

Roy thought for a moment and then asked, “Did Auntie Miri get a… pr…a promo…a promonster too?”

Max smiled. “It’s promotion, Roy and yes, your Dad gave Auntie Miri a promotion too.”

Roy looked thoughtful for another second, and showing the wisdom Max had come to know that he possessed Roy said, “Wow…Dad don’t want to do any work, do he?”

Max laughed, and was joined immediately by the woman who had brought Roy out. ”Okay, little man…enough trashing your old man. Ready to go?” When Roy nodded, Max lowered Roy to the ground and took the bag from the counselor. As Roy gave the counselor a hug, Max put Roy’s bag in the Alpha’s storage compartment. When he closed the compartment, he turned and said, “All right, copilot Hunter, let’s go.”

Max climbed up into the Alpha, then reached down to help Roy up the ladder while the counselor held onto him from behind. Moments later, the canopy was down and Max began to move the Alpha to the takeoff position as Roy waved good-bye to the counselor through the canopy. They reached their assigned takeoff position and Max called the tower, which cleared them for departure. Max told Roy to hold on and he moved the throttle forward. As they raced down the runway, he could feel Roy laughing more than hear him. Max gently pulled the stick back and the Alpha began to lift off the runway. Several minutes later, the Alpha breached Tirol’s atmosphere and they were in space.

Roy looked to Max and asked, “Uncle Max, can we?”

Max looked into Roy’s eyes and said, “You know we can. Hold on tight.”

He felt the boy’s hold on him tighten, and he had no trouble hearing him laugh a few seconds later as Max did a series of barrel rolls.

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Almost an hour later, Max and Roy stood in front of the door to Rick’s quarters. Max knocked once and opened the door to find Rick standing in the middle of the living room, with Jean and Vince sitting on the couch.

“Daddy!”, yelled Roy before taking off in a dead run for Rick. When Roy reached him Rick scooped him up and hugged him fiercely.

“Hey buddy”, said Rick softly. “How was the flight up?” Rick leaned back to look at his son and asked before Roy could answer, “Did Uncle Max do any barrel rolls?”

Roy nodded his head and hugged Rick again. Rick closed his eyes, trying very hard to keep them from welling up with the tears that he knew were just inside there ready to drop at a moments notice.

Max, Jean and Vince remained silent as the father and son reunion continued on for another few moments. None of them wanted to intrude on the moment, and they savored the happiness that Rick and Roy were feeling at that moment. They were all too aware of the fact that the next day would bring very little happiness to their lives.

Rick placed Roy gently onto the floor and said to him, “Are you hungry buddy?” Roy nodded his head and Rick looked to Jean, “Auntie Jean will take you into the kitchen and get you something okay? Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Max and Uncle Vince for a minute.”

Before Roy could say anything Jean bounded up off the couch and had Roy up in her arms tickling him as she carried him to the kitchen.

Rick laughed a little as he watched them disappear into the kitchen, and when they were out of sight Rick turned to Max and asked, “How’s he doing, Max?”

Max stepped closer to Rick. “He seems to be doing fine, Boss, under the circumstances. He was joking and pleasant the whole trip…his usual chatty self, telling me about everything that he’s been up to. I never had a chance to talk to the counselor that brought him to the tarmac, but she didn’t seem to be concerned or anything.”

Rick nodded his head. “Thanks, Max.”

“Any chance I can get to spend with Roy, Rick, you know that.” He stepped closer to Rick placed his left hand on Rick’s shoulder and said, “It was my pleasure.”

It was then that Jean and Roy walked out of the kitchen, and as Roy went to the table with what appeared to Rick to be an peanut butter and jam sandwich, an apple and a glass of juice, Jean walked towards Rick with a smile on her face.

“I wonder where he gets that massive appetite from”, she said as she passed by Rick, unable to resist the temptation of irritating Rick a little by patting his stomach.

Despite himself, Rick laughed and said without thinking, “I guess. It’s a good thing he has Lisa’s metabolism.” As soon as he finished saying it he froze, not knowing if Roy heard, and if he did hear it if he was affected by it. He slowly turned to look at his son, and the relief that he felt when he saw that Roy didn’t hear his comment was immense.

Jean walked back to Rick and said quietly, “It’s okay, Rick. It’s only natural for you to talk about her, and expect him to talk about her too. It’s normal and it’s healthy…for you both.” She threw a glance over to Roy and added, “Lisa is his mother, Rick, and she always will be no matter what. It’s important for him to keep that bond strong; it can help him when he needs it.”

Rick saw the compassion in his friend’s eyes, and as usual Jean’s demeanor eased his mind. ‘Of course. She will always be his mother’, he realized, ‘just as she will forever be my wife.’

Taking Rick’s hesitation as their cue, Vince stood up from the couch and said to Jean, “We should be going, Jean. Rick and Roy should spend some alone time together.”

Jean nodded to Vince and then turned back to Rick. “If you need us…”

“I’ll call”, Rick interrupted with a smile. “Thanks, Jean. See you guys tomorrow.”

They started to leave when Rick remembered something he was going to tell them. “Hold on a second.” They stopped at the door and he walked up to them. “I want you guys to come here tomorrow, before the service and leave with us. I’d like you both to sit with us too. You guys, and Max and Miriya…you’re family.” He turned to look at Roy as he ate his apple and said added quietly, “You’re the only family we have left.” When he looked back he could see a tear rolling down Jean’s cheek and solemn appreciation in Vince’s eyes.

Jean reached over and hugged Rick, and as she did she whispered, “We think of you in the same way, Rick. We’ll be here.”

Rick released Jean and shook the hand that Vince held out to him. “See you tomorrow.”

A moment later, after saying good-bye to Roy, they were gone. When Rick turned around he looked at Max and said, “Why don’t you go home too, Max. I’ve got some catching up to do with my son.” Rick smiled and added, “Go home and spend some time with your beautiful wife, General…that’s an order.”

Max smiled. He got up and said to Roy, “I’m outta here, little man. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Roy nodded his head with the rapid energy of a four year old and said, “Good night, Uncle Max.”

“Good night, buddy.” Max walked up to the door, took the handle in his hand and said to Rick, “Be back in the morning, Boss.”

“See you then, Max…and Max. Thanks again.”

Max smiled and without another word he was gone.

Rick turned to watch his son, and as he walked towards the table he said, “So, my son…have you been staying out of trouble?”

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Several hours later, Rick looked with amazement at the papers he held in his hands. There were eight letter size papers, filled on each side with normal sized text that detailed the plethora of speakers, observances and protocols for Lisa’s memorial service.

It had gotten out of control.

When Rick had finished planning the service two nights earlier with his friends, Lisa’s friends, it was a simple service with a couple of speakers and minimal fanfare. It was the solemn and simple service Rick would have wanted for himself…the type of service he knew Lisa would have wanted.

Then however the protocol officers, public relations department, diplomatic service and politicos got their hands into it and it spiraled into something that Rick wasn’t able to recognize as the service he had originally mapped out.

Instead of family, friends and Lisa’s crew, there would also be ambassadors, planetary leaders and any number of other beings that Rick neither knew or cared to meet at this occasion.

He wasn’t really sure he was angrier with…the protocol officer in charge, Lt. Commander Kingsley, or himself. In the end, he decided he should be madder at himself.

Kingsley was just doing her job, and in the final analysis she was paying a wonderful tribute to Lisa. Plus, she was under pressure from almost everyone to pull off a special service, and she was doing her best to do just that.

No, he realized he was more pissed at himself. He was being selfish, trying to keep it simple and quiet and more or less to himself. No matter how much he didn’t like it right now, she was more than a wife, mother and friend…she was an officer, an Admiral, who touched more lives than just his own and their son’s. She affected so many people in so many ways that it was unfair of him to try to shut them out.

That had been the substance of Kingsley’s passionate argument for the full-blown ceremony. She meant so much to so many, that they shouldn’t be deprived of the closure that they needed and deserved. Besides that, Kingsley argued that Lisa deserved all the respect and honor that could be shown to a woman who had such an amazingly distinguished military career.

He looked through the papers again, doing mental sums to try to figure out the length of the service. It would be much longer than he had anticipated when he told Roy that he could be there, and Rick figured it would be a long time and a lot of emotion for his young son to endure. However, Jean lobbied for him to let Roy attend, arguing that it was important for Roy to see how loved and respected his mother was. More importantly, it was paramount that Roy feel included in Rick’s life and grieving process. He needed to be with Rick when he said good-bye to Lisa…they needed to do it together, as a family, and eventually Rick saw the wisdom in what she said.

Rick put the papers on the coffee table, stood up and headed into the bedroom, turning off the light as he passed the switch with a frustrated slap of his hand.

Rick slowed down by his son’s room and looked in through the half open door to check on Roy. Rick and Roy had just barely gotten caught up on Roy’s activities when it was time for him to go to bed. Max was right…Roy seemed to be his usual cheerful, almost five year old self. He regaled Rick with stories of his friends and the counselors at the camp, all of whom he seemed to have genuine affection for. From what he could understand from Roy, the camp was the greatest, and that was terribly reassuring to Rick. With Lisa gone, he would have a lot more on his plate work wise. If the camp wasn’t a good fit for Roy, or if he didn’t like there, Rick would have worked something out and kept Roy aboard ship with him, something that would enable him to be there for him.

Rick crept into the room and replaced the blankets over Roy that he had kicked off in his sleep…a habit Lisa always said Roy obtained from him. Rick knelt down and gently brushed the hair from Roy’s eyes, and then silently watched his son sleep peacefully.

As he watched his son he thought, ‘How do I do this without you, Lisa? How can I raise him to be the man we know he can be when the best part of me died with you?’

As he finished the question, Roy began to stir. Rick watched as his son tried to get comfortable, and when he finished Roy had his right hand underneath his right cheek, an image all too familiar to Rick.

‘Just like you, Lisa’, he said to himself. ‘What I wouldn’t give to see you sleep like that again.’

He got up quietly, bent down to kiss his son on his cheek and left Roy’s room and headed into his own room. He walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed, on Lisa’s side. From the very first time that they slept together in the same bed up until the night before the explosion, they both slept on their own side of the bed, deviating from that practice only when passion had exhausted them too much to move. But now, he wanted to sleep where she had slept…he needed to sleep where she had slept. Without getting undressed, Rick Hunter leaned back onto Lisa’s pillow, turned onto his side and cuddled his face into her pillow. When he finally closed his eyes he felt her next to him, if only for a brief moment…

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Three hours before the service was to begin, Max looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and for what he thought was the hundredth time he straightened out the wrinkles in his dress uniform. As he brushed down his sides with his hands he asked over his shoulder, “Is there anyone who actually likes to wear these things?”

“No”, came the uncharacteristic gruff response.

He turned to look out the bathroom door at the source of the response. Miriya was standing next to their bed, trying to do something with her uniform. He couldn’t help but smile. ‘She may not like to wear it’, he thought, ‘but she sure looks good in it.’

Obviously dissatisfied with something, Miriya asked tersely, “How much longer until the service begins?”

Max walked out the door into their bedroom, looked at the clock next to their bed and replied, “A few hours…what’s the problem?”

“Nothing”, she snapped loudly.

Max knew better. Miriya could be aloof sometimes, testy at others if the occasion called for it. When she was with their friends however, she was usually kind, funny and friendly. When she was alone with him, she was loving, sweet and even sexy. When she snapped at him something was wrong, and it was easy to tell what.

Despite Miriya’s life as a warrior, she had never had to say good-bye to someone as close to her as Lisa was. Sure, she lost subordinates in the ranks of the Quadrano, the RDF and the REF. She had even lost friends, like Sammie, Vanessa and Kim or Rico, Bron, and Konda, but that was different. Miriya and Lisa shared a special bond, a bond whose depth he didn’t fully comprehend until he saw Miriya so distraught over Lisa’s death. Since Lisa’s death, Max had come to realize that how Miriya mourned for Lisa was perhaps no different than how she would mourn for him.

She had taken Lisa’s death very hard, keeping her emotions at bay only because Rick needed her. Now though, she was going to have to say good-bye to Lisa. It never escaped his attention that whenever the mention of a memorial service was made she would derail it somehow. The first night Rick mentioned it and went into his bathroom, it was Miriya who suggested that Rick might not be ready for it. There had been a couple of times when he had mentioned it as well, and she would change the subject or…distract him.

Max watched as Miriya tried to fix one of the clasps on her uniform. After several attempts her frustration boiled over and she pulled at it violently. Max quickly moved to Miriya and took her hands in hands in his, holding them with a tenderness reserved only for her. He looked into her eyes and asked again, in a warm and loving voice, “What is wrong?”

Miriya looked down to the floor, but Max could see that she wasn’t focused on anything in particular. He released her hands and easily did up the clasp on her uniform that she had been having difficulty with. He took her hands in his again and waited with the patience that had made him a legend in his own time.

“Thank you, Max”, whispered the voice of his wife.

It was a heart-rending whisper, almost child like in its inflection and speed. Max gave her hands a gentle squeeze and began to gently rub them, trying to show her that he was there for her.

“I miss her, Max”, she said sadly. “I miss her and I do not want to say good-bye.”

Max brought his right hand up to her delicate face and used his index finger to gently lift her head up. When she looked at him he could see many emotions fluttering in her usually confident eyes…though confidence wasn’t one of the things he saw now. Even when they first began their life together and she was becoming use to the Micronian way of life, her eyes were always confident. What he saw in her eyes now was pain, sorrow, loss and most disturbing of all, uncertainty.

“We all miss her, Miriya, and that’s all right…”

“I know, Max.” Her face brightened a little. “I will be okay.”

Max was about to push the issue when she said, “If you are ready, we should go to Rick’s quarters.”

She gave Max a kiss on his cheek and headed for the living room, leaving him in the bedroom to wonder what he could do or say to make her feel better.

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Rick knelt down and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “How are you holding up, Roy?”

Roy looked at his father and said, “I’m okay Daddy.”

Rick smiled and fixed his son’s tie. Rick wasn’t sure about putting the suit on Roy so early, almost three hours before the service, but after everyone arrived it would probably get a little hectic. Besides, Roy liked wearing the suit and tie though Rick could never figure out why. While Rick didn’t particularly like wearing a suit and tie, it was better than wearing the dress uniform he hated so much. The main reason he was wearing a suit and tie however, was so that his son wouldn’t feel out of place. All REF personnel attending the service would be wearing their dress uniforms. Everyone else would probably be wearing some type of uniform or wear something that distinguished them from the human crew. So he decided that he and Roy would wear what Lisa liked to call their best Sunday suits: black suits, white shirts and ties; black for him and blue for Roy.

Rick stood up and said, “That’s my boy.”

He began to walk towards the kitchen when Roy said, “Daddy.” Rick looked at him and Roy used his hand to gesture for Rick to come back, which he did. When he knelt down again by his son, Roy looked at him and asked, “How are you holding up, Daddy?”

Rick was surprised by Roy’s question, and when he didn’t answer right away he could see a flicker of worry in the boy’s eyes. As Roy reached over and fixed his tie, Rick smiled and responded with, “I’m doing fine, buddy.” When Roy finished with Rick’s tie, Rick lowered his head down so that his forehead touched Roy’s. Father and son stayed like that for a moment. “Thank you, Roy”, Rick said, and then lifted his head up.

Roy smiled and said, “You’re welcome, Daddy.”

Rick returned Roy’s smile just as someone knocked on the door. Rick found Max and Miriya waiting on the other side of the door, looking very distinguished in their dress uniforms.

“Hi guys…come on in.” As they passed by him into the living room, Rick noticed the light shine on the numerous bars and ribbons pinned to their uniforms. There were just as many on his own, but it occurred to him that the number of bars and ribbons they each had was dwarfed by the number that Lisa had upon her dress uniform.

“Uncle Max!”, called Roy and ran to Max.

Max picked him up and hugged him. “Hey there, little man!” Max took a second to hug Roy, to let him know that he was there for him. He couldn’t help but notice that Miriya simply walked over to the couch and sat down without saying a word to Rick or Roy. With Roy still in his arms he turned and walked a couple of steps towards the kitchen and stopped.

Rick also noticed Miriya’s actions and followed Max. When he raised his eyebrows in a silent query, Max just slowly shook his head. Rick understood. Miriya was taking it hard, as they all were, but Miriya was especially vulnerable. He and Max for example had been dealing with the emotions that come with losing a loved one for all of their lives. Miriya on the other hand, hadn’t had nearly as much time learning how to cope with those kinds of intense feelings.

Max put Roy down, knelt down beside him and said, “So, have you been rough on your old man?”

“Hey!”, said Rick in pretend indignation and Roy laughed.

Roy shook his head. “No, not yet.”

Max and Rick smiled at the comment. “Roy, could you go into your room and bring out your shoes please?”

Roy nodded and began walking towards his room, and as he did Max stood up and regarded Miriya with concern.

Rick stepped closer to Max and said in a hushed voice, “She’s not doing too well?”

Max shook his head slowly. “She’s not taking it well at all, Rick.” Max looked to Rick and saw the sympathy in his eyes. “I just don’t know what to say to her. She won’t really listen to me when I try to talk to her about it.” Max looked to Miriya, and then back to Rick and continued, “It’s almost like she…”

Max stopped talking when Rick’s eyes narrowed and his attention apparently focused somewhere else. Max turned to see what grabbed Rick’s eye and found Roy heading straight for Miriya. Remembering Miriya’s earlier attitude, he wasn’t sure if Roy talking to her was a good idea. He moved to go to intercept Roy, but Rick stopped him by putting his hand on Max’s shoulder and whispering, “Wait.”

“Auntie Miri”, said Roy. When Miriya looked up to him, Roy held out his arms for a hug.

Miriya saw something in those big blue eyes of Roy Hunter, something she had seen many times before in the emerald green eyes of his mother. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly. It could have been compassion, friendship, concern, or love. ‘Or perhaps’, she realized, ‘it is all of those things.’ She smiled at Roy and held out her arms and Roy walked into to her embrace. She held the little boy tightly, as tightly as she would hug Lisa if she were to magically walk in through the door.

“Are you sad, Auntie Miri?”, asked Roy.

“Yes Roy, I’m very sad”, responded Miriya, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice.

“It’s okay, Auntie Miri”, said Roy softly. Roy kept his right arm around Miriya’s neck, placed his left hand on Miriya’s left knee and pushed himself up onto her lap. After Miriya realized what Roy was trying to do, she helped him up and got him settled.

Rick and Max continued to watch the scene unfolding in front of them with amazement.

The genuine concern and affection in Roy’s face and voice settled the maelstrom of emotions that had been churning inside of her, and for the first time in a long time she really felt like smiling.

When she smiled Roy asked, “Auntie Miri, you miss Mommy don’t you?”

Miriya’s smile faded just a little, and when she spoke her voice dripped with sorrow. “Yes Roy…I miss your mother. She was my best friend, and I will miss her very much.”

Roy cuddled into Miriya’s neck and said, “I miss Mommy too, but I can see her whenever I want.”

Miriya looked at Roy skeptically.

“When you really miss her, Auntie Miri, all you have to do is close your eyes”, said Roy quietly, as if sharing one of his deepest secrets.

Miriya’s smile brightened up again. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Max and Rick simultaneously turn to each other with profoundly surprised expressions on their faces.

“When I miss Mommy, I close my eyes and she talks to me...and then I don’t miss her so much.” Roy lifted his head from Miriya’s shoulder and looked at her. “When you miss Mommy, close your eyes and you can see her and hear her. I promise.” He smiled that Hunter smile that he inherited from Rick. “Then you won’t miss Mommy so much, and you won’t be sad anymore.” He cuddled into her neck again and added, “She’s still with me, and Auntie Miri she’s with you too. She’s with Daddy, and Uncle Max too.” He moved back to look at her with a great big grin and said in a hush, “I promise.”

She was going to cry and there was no way to stop it. She hugged Roy to her so that he couldn’t see the tears. ’Close your eyes and you can see and hear her’, she repeated in her mind. ‘As long as I can remember her and see her in my mind, she is truly with me, isn’t she? She will never really be gone. Whenever I need her…remember.’

“Thank you, Roy”, she whispered to him. “Thank you very much.”

He straightened up and looked at her, and when he saw her tears his faced became concerned and he asked, “You’re still sad, Auntie Miri?”

Miriya shook her head emphatically and smiled. “No, Roy.” She remembered something Max used to tell Dana a long time ago, “These are happy tears. I am happy that you reminded me that I can see your Mommy when I need to.” She placed her hand on Roy’s cheek and said, “Thank you for doing that.”

Roy’s smile returned as he said happily, “You’re welcome, Auntie Miri.”

Across the room, Rick and Max looked on in astonishment. It was Max who was first able to calm his emotions and gather his thoughts enough to speak.

“That’s one incredibly brilliant son you’ve got there, Rick”, he said, his voice almost cracking.

Rick took a deep breath before responding. “No Max”, he said with reverence in his voice. “That was Lisa’s son talking.”

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Lieutenant Commander Natalie Kingsley stood just inside the main doors to the observation deck and combed the stage for any imperfections in its design and setup. Her dark blue eyes found none, and finally satisfied she went to the nearest communications panel and entered the number for the bridge. She informed Captain Forsythe that the deck was ready, as per the orders of General Sterling. When she finished talking to Forsythe, she walked up to the stage and went around it one more time, finally stopping between the stage and the window. The window went from the floor up to the ceiling and was the length of the bulkhead. She watched as the Skull and Eagle squadrons ran through the routine for their part in the ceremony, and as she watched she couldn’t help but be impressed.

She turned around and walked to the front of the stage and looked down at the hundreds of chairs, visualizing where each delegation was to be seated. She had spent hours upon hours organizing the ceremony, with the help of the Diplomatic Corps and the rest of her protocol staff. It had been a daunting task, but all in all it had been a lot easier than she had thought it was going to be, a testament to the honor being bestowed upon Admiral Hunter no doubt. No one wanted to tarnish the solemn occasion by being difficult, petty or juvenile about where he or she sat or when they spoke. It seemed in many cases that just being there was enough. Even the Kabarans, with their notorious stubborn streaks were easy to get along with.

Her biggest problem, ironically enough, came from the place that she had least expected: Admiral Rick Hunter. She nearly had a coronary when she was told that Admiral Hunter had made his own plans for the service. Facing him down in his quarters was the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life, and it would probably be the only time in her military career that she would win an argument with an Admiral. He wanted a small, quiet service, and despite her insistence that a state funeral was what was required, she understood his feelings. Still, where would that kind of service leave the many people who had revered Lisa Hunter, who had joined the service because of her and for her? In other words, where would it leave people like Natalie Kingsley? She had been shocked and devastated by the news of Admiral Hunter’s death, even though she had only met her once. Then again, that was all it took to become enchanted by Lisa Hunter. Besides her military record and legendary escapades, Lisa Hunter was a caring and intelligent woman, and that one meeting was all it took to see it.

Kingsley had begun planning the service on paper almost immediately after the initial shock of the shuttle explosion wore off, and in hindsight she was glad she did. She had the preliminary schedule nearly completed when the calls started coming in from almost everywhere in the known worlds enquiring about the timing of the service, and requesting room for representatives and that sort of thing. She had been so busy with the preparations she hadn’t even been able to come to grips with her own feelings. It would have to wait until the service was over.

Kingsley glanced at her watch and noticed that the service was scheduled to begin in an hour, more than enough time for her to go home, freshen up and get into her dress uniform. She scanned the room one more time, nodded in satisfaction and headed out the main doors of the observation deck. Once outside, she turned to the security officers guarding the doors and said, “Everything is ready. No one enters this room until 1300 hours. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am”, came the simultaneous replies of the two guards.

Kingsley nodded and headed off to her quarters, extremely proud of the work she had done, and satisfied that Lisa Hunter would be touched by her tribute.

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Angie looked herself over in the mirror. ‘The last time I wore my dress uniform was on a trip with Admiral Hunter’, she thought with a sense of morbid irony.

A knock sounded on her door, and when Angie opened the door the first thing out of Sue Graham’s mouth was an incredulous, “You’re going?”

“Yes”, was Angie’s simple response, and after she delivered it she turned around and walked back into her quarters.

Sue held back the scream of frustration that wanted to escape her lungs and followed Angie inside, closing the door behind her.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Angie”, said Sue carefully.

“I have to go, Sue”, replied Angela. “Dr. Grant asked me on behalf of Admiral Hunter to be there.” Angie turned to regard her friend. ‘She thinks I’m going to lose it and spill the beans to everyone’, she thought scornfully as she sat down on the couch.

“And it’s not what you’re thinking, Angie”, said Sue, easily reading the look on Angie’s face. “I’m thinking about your feelings. I know you’ve been feeling bad about what we did.” She took a couple of steps towards the couch. Quietly she added, “There are going to be a lot of emotional things happening at the service, Angie. Emotions will be running very high. They will get to you.”

Angie looked at Sue with a mixture of appreciation and suspicion. A part of Angie heard the friend she loved like a sister saying that Sue was genuinely concerned about her well-being. Another part of her heard the mastermind of a wicked plot trying to do everything she could to keep that plot from being discovered. ‘Will the real Sue Graham step forward?’, Angie said to herself.

As if in response to Angie’s unspoken question, Sue sat down next to Angie and put her left arm around Angie’s shoulder. Angie didn’t move as Sue said, “I know you’re hurting Angie, and I’m so sorry for that. I never meant for anything to hurt you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt more by going to the service.”

Slowly, very slowly, Angie moved her right hand up to hold Sue’s left hand. Sue gave Angie a gentle squeeze and whispered, “It’s going to get better, Angie, I promise. Have I ever steered you down the wrong path before?”

“No”, whispered Angie.

Sue smiled and said, “And I never will…trust me.”

Sue stood up and headed for the door. “I’ll go and put on my dress uniform and be back here in ten minutes. We can go together.”

Before Angie could say anything Graham was gone. ‘Trust me’, Angie repeated to herself, and as the words echoed in her mind, Angie promised herself that she always watch her back around Sue Graham.

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As Sue headed to her quarters at a quick march, she noticed with some dismay that her lip had begun to throb again. It had been relatively pain free for the previous day or two, but suddenly, as if to remind her that it was still there it began to ache.

She had no desire or inclination to go to the service. In fact she would rather be just about anywhere than there listening to the emotional gush that was bound to happen over a woman she hated so much. Whatever her personal feelings on the matter, she had to go and be there for Angie. She had to be there to support Angie through what Graham knew was going to be a hard time for her.

As she went into her quarters and started putting on her uniform, she admitted to herself, ‘I have to go to make sure she don’t fall apart and tell Rick that his wife is still alive.’

On the upside though, it had been relatively quiet on the investigation front. Despite Woods’ constant prodding, the engineers were taking longer than anticipated in doing their preliminary work. While it aggravated Woods, it gave her some breathing room.

She gave herself a once over in the mirror and left her quarters. Ten minutes after leaving Angie’s quarters, she returned to go with Angie to the service. As the two women walked towards the observation deck, Graham thought to herself, ‘Rick always looks so good in his dress uniform…’

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Jean watched in quiet amazement as Roy sat on Miriya’s lap and talked to her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the frequent bursts of laughter and smiles on their faces, it was all good.

There was still half an hour left until the service. Max was talking with Vince in the kitchen. Jean was seated at the table with Rick, who had just quietly told her what Roy had said to Miriya about seeing Lisa when he wanted to.

“He’s a very bright boy”, Jean whispered to Rick. “He’s dealing with the loss of his mother better than a lot of children would, and he seems to know what works for him. That’s a very good thing.”

Without taking his eyes off his son Rick replied, “I never would have guessed he would be so calm about everything. I could sure take some lessons from him.”

Jean smiled and said, “I think we all could. He certainly seems to have helped Miriya.”

“She’s had him up on her lap like that for over two hours, just talking and laughing”, Rick informed her. “The only time he got down was to get a drink. Then he went back over and got back up there.”

“He amazes me every day, Jean.” Rick looked to Jean and smiled peacefully. “I don’t even have to be around him for it to happen. I could just be talking to him over a comm. channel and he’ll say something, or he’ll have a certain look that just amazes me.” He laughed a little and said as though he had just recognized it himself, “Just like Lisa used to surprise and amaze me every day.”

Rick felt a wave of sorrow begin to fall over him, and as he closed his eyes he felt Jean’s hand reach over to hold his on the table. He gently squeezed her hand in appreciation, and when he looked at her he saw support and strength in her eyes. The wave of emotion dissipated and Rick whispered, “I just wish she could see him, Jean.”

“I know, Rick…I know.”

Rick pushed the thought out of his mind, released Jean’s hand and stood up. “All right everyone, we should soon head upstairs before Kingsley sends a security detail to find us.” As Max and Vince walked out of the kitchen, Rick made his way into the living room. He noticed that Roy stayed in Miriya’s lap…in fact he seemed to be holding onto her tighter than before.

He waited for everyone to get into the living room, and when that was done he began. “Before we go, I just wanted to say something to you guys.” Rick took a deep breath and continued, moving his eyes from friend to friend as he spoke. “I’ve known all of you for a long time, and over that time, you’ve become more than just friends to us. You’ve become family to Lisa, Roy and me.” He paused for a second to find the proper words to express his feelings without upsetting Roy. “I just wanted to say that…without all of you, these last few days would have been unbearable. I will never…never…be able to tell you how much you’ve helped us, or just how much you mean to us.”

Rick looked to the photos of Lisa on the wall and said, “I will never be able to thank you enough.” When he looked down, he saw Roy was still cuddled into Miriya’s neck; Miriya was struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from falling; Jean never bothered to try to stop the tears and was letting them flow without inhibition; and Vince had his arm around his wife, trying himself to not to succumb to emotion of the moment. Finally Rick’s eyes fell to the man who had been more than a brother to him for so very long, and saw in his eyes the comprehension of what it was that Rick was trying to say.

Max stood up slowly and was about to say something, but a knock on the door stopped him.

When Rick opened the door, Lieutenant Commander Kingsley saluted him and said with somber military precision, “Admiral Hunter, sir. It is time, sir. I will escort you to the service at your convenience, sir.” Her message delivered, Kingsley stepped back to the wall of the corridor and adopted a relaxed stance with her hands clasped behind her back and waited.

Rick took a moment to regard Kingsley. She was tall and slender, with shoulder length blond hair that waved furiously the last time he saw her. Indeed, her hair wasn’t the only thing that was animated during their heated discussion over Lisa’s service. That Kingsley was very passionate in her argument for a big service, and Rick could remember at least once when she waved her fist at him. Now however, Kingsley was embodiment of military solemnity…quiet and subdued. He liked the other Kingsley better. “Thank you, Commander.” Rick turned to look at his friends and his son. They all stood up, and Miriya brought Roy over to Rick.

Rick looked at Miriya, and saw for the first time since they discussed Lisa’s memorial service a calm look in her eyes…a look of peace. Rick thought for a moment. “Roy”, he said softly, “would you like to stay up with Auntie Miri?”

Roy lifted his head from Miriya’s shoulder. “Yes, Daddy.”

Miriya looked to Rick, asking with a look if he was sure about it. ‘If it makes them feel better…’ Rick found Miriya’s eyes and nodded, adding a hint of a smile to his lips for her benefit. She mouthed a thank you to Rick and hugged the boy to her as she walked past him to the door. Rick then looked into the eyes of Vince, Jean and finally Max, finding strength, support and love of family.

Max nodded to Rick, who then nodded himself. He turned to face Kingsley who had remained silent and stoic throughout the exchange. “Commander”, he said quietly. “Lead the way.”

Kingsley came to attention. “Yes, sir.” She turned and headed slowly down the corridor, followed by Jean, Vince, Miriya and Roy and then Max.

Rick turned to close the door, and as he took the handle in his hand he hesitated and looked again at the assortment of pictures on the wall. He found his favorite photo of Lisa, taken during their first Christmas together in Monument. Before the memories of that joyous time flooded his mind, he closed the door and went to catch up to Kingsley…to say good-bye to Lisa.

State = Continuará/To Be Continue

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