Chapter 59

The impromptu concert went on for about another hour with Sandra playing with several different people. The cook came in with refreshments when it was over. Sandra climbed into my lap and promptly fell asleep. I think everyone in the rec room came over and just touched her with smiles on their faces. They all said I was to thank her for all the fun and the great playing she had done all evening. Butter came over and said our room was ready if I wanted to put her to bed. I got up with her in my arms and followed him to one of the double occupancy rooms that some of the staff had evidently given up for the night. There were still personal pictures on the walls. I noticed there was fresh clothing for both of us on the footlocker at the end of the bed. There was a private shower and then it hit me this was Butter's and his exec.'s room. They had given it up for us for the night. I got Sandra undressed and tucked in and she never moved the whole time. I sat down on the edge of the bed and ran my hand across her hair getting it out of her face. I watched her sleep like I had always done with her mother, wondering how I had fallen in love with this little bundle of beauty so fast. I felt like I had always been with her.

I sat there wondering about the lives we would have down the road and I swore to myself then and there she would always come first before anyone or anything from now on. Then I realized that since she had found me I had always been putting her first instead of myself like I had always done before. I sat and thought about how close she and Jimmy were and hoped they would always be that way. Those two shared a love for music like no others I had ever met before and they complimented each other when they played the music they both loved. I got on the cell and made a call to Floyd and we talked for about an hour, making some arrangements and getting a few things straightened out. All of our things he was holding for us would be sent out immediately to the package holding company that I had an account at. I would make sure the things that Sean had put in storage would also be sent as soon as possible. We never did open that little safe that had been recovered as Sandra had Sean put it in storage too. She decided she would wait till we got home to open it so we didn't take it to the island like we started to.

I finally turned in and was asleep within a few minutes, still fully clothed. I was still a little worried so I figured it would save time if an emergency came up during the night.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of reveille being piped throughout the base. I looked at my watch and saw it was five thirty and I just groaned. I looked over to Sandra's bed and it was empty. I got a bit of a scare until I heard her singing in the shower then I smiled at my foolishness. I sat up on the edge of the bed wishing I had a cigarette while I waited to take my turn in the shower. She came out barefooted with a green T-shirt on and fresh fatigue pants in the desert camouflage colors.

"Morning Grandpa, are we going home today?"

"Just as soon as we visit Sean in the hospital. I don't know about you, but I've had my fill of this hiding crap."

"Me too! I had fun last night and enjoyed playing with all the people here. I don't know about you but if you get your shower maybe we can eat 'cause I'm starving."

I just laughed at her and headed for the shower. I got mine and dammed if I didn't cut myself shaving again. I would be glad to get home to my electric shaver. I brushed my teeth and went back out, dressed in the same fatigues she was wearing. I had a pair of the desert boots waiting for me to put on that matched hers. I felt kind of foolish wearing these but it was all I had so they would do until we got home where I could wear my jeans and flannel shirts I had grown to like so much. I put the shoulder holsters on under the shirt and to my surprise they didn't show at all because the shirt was big enough to cover them completely. I put the nine in my back and put the holster for the fifty on, making a note to be sure to get it back this morning. I put the extra mags in the lower side pockets of the pants, making sure I separated them, remembering where they were by weapon. When we were both ready, we headed out the door to find the chow hall. There was a guard outside of our quarters and he led us to the chow hall. I figured this was to keep us from seeing too much in case we started to wander around. I didn't mind because this was for security reasons and if I were here I would do the same thing. I did notice Sandra had her rank on along with the medal she had been given last night.

When we walked into the chow hall and were seen, almost everyone stood and clapped, welcoming Sandra. We were given our own table and were soon joined by the team after we got our food and sat down. They kept up a steady stream of conversation with Sandra and me as we ate. I had to smile at her because she was giving as good as she got with these men. I could tell she felt at ease with them just from the way she was acting. The fact that she was being treated like royalty seemed to make her and the men happy as they waited on her hand and foot. She had been seated at the head of one of the tables with the team all sitting around her while I was exiled to the far end by myself. I didn't mind at all because this would be a memory for her to always keep as she grew older. Even though she was only ten years old, she would be able to do anything with her life because she was so smart and talented. The whole team was dressed the same as we were so she fit right in with them. Butter came in and sat next to me. He dug into his food without saying a word until he was finished eating and was sipping his coffee.

"Harry, we have been ordered to go with you to your home in Nevada and make sure you get there with no problems. The men are all looking forward to it so they can spend some more time with your granddaughter. All I heard all morning is how talented they think she is. I was asked by the team if some of them could visit with you after this deployment. Sandra had told them about how you had fishing ponds they could fish in and how big the trout were supposed to be so they decided they would come and camp on your place, if it was ok with you. Harry, I have never seen any of these men take to someone like they have taken to her. I think to a man they have all pretty much adopted her as one of their own even if she is only ten years old. She told them about what happened and how she went through all the hardship she endured to find you. She is the unofficial commander of this whole base as far as the troops here are concerned. I hope this doesn't offend you in any way."

"Butter she is smart enough to make her own decisions and if they want to visit, then they are all always welcome at my home. I am sure she would give me holy hell if I did have a reason to object. They think she is talented but wait until they hear her and her adopted brother play one of their concerts. Those two are geniuses on any instruments they play. Their IQ's are higher than any four people here but they both have common sense, unlike most highly intelligent people you meet. I have plenty of room at my place for any of them that want to visit and you as well as your team are always welcome to come out and unwind anytime. Butter, I was a very bitter old man until she came into my life and now I depend on her like she is my right arm. I spent years beating around this country and she has given me more help and love than I can ever remember knowing for all my fifty-seven years. I think she has come to love and feel a part of your team in a very short time and would be very hurt if she lost contact with them."

"Not to change the subject Harry but the Director called today and we are supposed to take you to the hospital to visit your friend then escort you to your home. Harry, I have never been married but if I ever do and have kids, I just hope they are half as down to earth as she is. I have been the commander of this team for five years and they have never taken to anyone like they have to her. They are as proud of her as I have ever seen them with anyone. The two that are married and have their own kids are already planning some kind of reunion so they can introduce their families to her. The armorer is done with your fifty and is in the range doing the final adjustments to it. He spent the whole night working on it and I think you will be very surprised with what he has done with it. He asked me to ask you if you could get him some of those Carswell silencers for our Berettas. I think he was the most shocked at Sandra's little demonstration last night. He said she was the most gifted shooter he had ever seen."

"Well Butter, tell him I think the silencers might be arranged but I won't guarantee him anything. I will need to know if he wants the screw in or the outside lock-on type. I have a connection in Germany who can lay his hands on about anything and if I can, I will arrange to see if he can have some made with the refillable chambers in them. This way if they start to get too loud your armorer can refit them and quiet them back down. With a nine like your people use it won't take many shots to burn the filler out. He will be able to refit these in the field and it might save a life when you need the silence. I think I can get him a set of ten with the material to repack them but it won't be cheap as they are always made to order. I can have them made in gunmetal blue so they won't shine in the night but it's up to your armorer. I can mail them directly to him or you if you give me an address before we part company."

"We have a blind drop we all use for important things we can't get on the outside and I will give it to you later. Harry, I was not snooping on you but I got my hands on your service record, or at least most of it that wasn't classified, and I couldn't believe half of what I read last night. How come you never became an officer? I saw it was offered and you always turned it down. A field commission is a great honor in times of war. I know it's none of my business but I am curious about it. I know you old guys don't like to talk about it but if you would tell me I promise I will never repeat our conversation to anyone."

I took a deep breath, thinking about his question, trying to answer it in such a way that he could understand my reasons. He was right. I hated to talk about it but he had earned my respect in the short time I had known him. I decided to answer his question but I didn't know if he would be able to understand it all. But, I would try, if for nothing else but to try to get it off my chest after all these years. If I would admit it to myself it would probably do me good as I had never talked about it to anyone.

"Butter, I never took it because it would tie me down with too many rules. As an NCO and squad leader, I felt I could bend, twist and even break the rules if it would save one of my men. Officers just have too rigid of a code and too many superiors they have to answer to. I worked in the field behind the lines on most of my three tours over there. I only lost one man because I didn't move fast enough to save him. If I had been an officer, I wouldn't have been able to even make the attempt because of their rigid orders. In Nam anything you did in the field was subject to change by the minute or hour. They sent several butter bars out with us for training but out of all of them I only met one who was worth a shit, and that was cause he was a former NCO and was willing to learn. Most of them were fresh out of West Point and gave commands that made no sense. They tried to turn my people into cannon fodder, which I couldn't allow. I had three article fifteen's over this because I countermanded their orders. I had to threaten to shoot one who later pissed himself the first time a bullet came near him. He told me and my men to charge into an ambush that would have gotten us all killed. That's why I never accepted it and never had a high opinion of officers. No offense intended."

"None taken," he said as he busted up laughing.

"I was just curious, Harry. It's not like that now, thank God. We have the last word when we're in the field. We may have our asses chewed when we get back but there is no interference during a mission."

I didn't say anything else, just sat and watched Sandra chatting back and forth as she ate her food. We were escorted back to our quarters where the armorer came in and handed me back my fifty with a smile on his face.

"That's the first time I have been able to handle one of those since they came out. I will be buying myself one when we go home this time. That is one of the sweetest shooting pistols I have ever fired. I made a few changes to it to make it better to handle but overall there wasn't much I could do to improve it. I did make the slide and trigger pull a lot better by doing a little milling on them. I was at the range trying out a few ideas but I really didn't have any time to follow through. I hope it handles a little better for you now. I would love to get my hands on those two little Walthers of yours too but since we are leaving in a few minutes, I won't have the chance. Maybe if when we come to visit you will let me work on them a little? Sandra, you are a better shot than any person I have ever seen in your age group and I hope to have the time for you to show me just how well you can do."

"Thanks from the both of us. If you should come out for a visit I have a machine shop you can play around with a little. I also have some World War Two era forty fives that have already been reworked that you might be interested in looking at."

He just gave me a big grin as he went out the door. I was getting our stuff ready to go when I noticed a sea bag with Sandra's name on it at the end of the bunk. It was full of the fatigues and had an extra set of the jungle boots in it. I had to smile, thinking she would love this. She came back out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and came over to me. I handed her the sea bag and she looked at me in surprise. She set it down and started going through all the stuff the team had given her with an ear to ear grin on her face. She picked the sea bag up and threw it over her shoulder and looked at me.

"Well, come on Grandpa, I don't wanna miss my ride."

I followed her out, chuckling at her enthusiasm. We went to the helo pad which was about twenty yards from the chow hall. The team was waiting on us and she got helped in. They buckled her in while I was climbing into the chopper. It lifted off silently and headed back into the city. We landed at the same airport we had started from and there were two humvees waiting on us. They took Sandra's bag saying they would load it on the jet with our other stuff. I wondered what other stuff as we pulled out heading for the hospital. We were all dressed the same except the team all had pistols on under their shirts like I did. I noticed there were several M-16s in wall racks in the humvees. I would hazard a guess they were ready for anything but I didn't feel we were in any danger on this trip. When we got to the hospital we were accompanied by two men while the others stayed with our transportation. I went to the desk and asked what room Sean was in. It wasn't until I showed my ID that they finally told me what room and floor. At least they were following basic security I thought and I saw the receptionist get on the phone as soon as we walked away. I figured she was warning his team that we were on our way up. We were meant by an agent as soon as we got off the elevator.

"I will need you to give up your weapons before you can go any further, Sir."

I looked at her in a searching way as I didn't like her smart attitude.

"We don't give up our weapons for anyone, Agent. I outrank you and I suggest you better call your immediate supervisor before you try to push your weight around here. Here's my ID and these are my escorts."

She looked at my Id and immediately backed off with the attitude and said to go down the hall to room three twenty. She handed me back my folder saying "Sorry Sir for any misunderstanding". We went down the hall and saw another agent sitting outside the room. He didn't say a word as my team sat down while Sandra and I went in the room. Sean's wife was there and immediately got up and hugged Sandra, speaking a mile a minute in Spanish to her as I went over to the bed.

"'Bout damn time you got here Harry. Will you tell these idiots I am fine and to let me go home?"

"Hey buddy, I have no control over your doctors. Besides, I think you better stay and make sure there are no problems. I have a feeling your wife would kill you if you screwed up her vacation."

He busted out laughing and grabbed me in a hug, asking if we were ok. I said we were fine and was on our way home as soon as I left here. He looked at me a little funny and the grin and good nature went away as he settled back in the bed.

"What's wrong Sean? You look like somebody just stuck a pin in your balloon. Ok buddy, what's going on?"

"I tried to tell you yesterday Harry and now I wish I had. Mark is dead."

"What! How the hell did that happen, Sean?"

"He went back to Florida to bury his wife and after he had her cremated, he went looking for the ones who killed her. I don't know the whole story but he was killed in a gun battle with some of her bosses and the bouncers from the strip club she worked in. According to the report I got, he didn't start it but they tried to keep him from talking to her boss and one of the bouncers, not knowing who he was, pulled a gun and all hell broke loose. Three innocent bystanders were seriously wounded but none by Mark's weapon. He killed both bouncers and her boss by the time it was all over. He was cremated and his and his wife's ashes were sent back to Nevada. Harry, the girls are now yours as he had a will stating that they were to be given over to you if anything happened to him. They are with Tran at their home waiting for you to come back. The judge there has all the paperwork for you. I tried to tell you yesterday but you didn't want any more bad news. I'm sorry Harry; I know he was a close friend. If it's any consolation he died instantly and he took those assholes with him."

I just stood there trying to absorb what he was saying when Sandra started sobbing and ran over to me. I bent down and took her in my arms, still in shock myself. Poor Dina and Dana. They have lost their mother and now their dad in a very short time. I wondered if they thought I had abandoned them too as I had been gone for so long. My God, I now had three kids to raise. I wondered why Floyd hadn't told me about all of this when I had talked to him last night? He probably figured I already knew since me and Mark were so close. God Dammit, I had lost another friend to a bunch of cowards. Now I wondered how I was going to take care of all three little girls when I hadn't even got to know Sandra as well as I wanted to. I turned to Sean with tears in my eyes and told him we had to go and if he needed anything to make sure he called. I got a hug from his wife as I walked out the door in shock. Butter saw my face and immediately took charge, hustling us onto the elevator and getting us back in the humvees headed back to the airport.