Entry 2: [ Original Fiction] Heading West
Title: Heading West
Entry Number: 02
Author: lovefujitez
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: T/PG
Genre: Gay Romance
Word Count: 3081
Summary: Aidan waits for Julian to return home to him, but fears the unthinkable.
The plane carefully aligned to ready passengers’ exit after the four hours flight from Boston to Detroit and finally Charleston. Deena watched the accordion walkway connecting to the entrance door located at the front area of the plane, while Aidan stood up to stretch and gather their carry-on bags from the baggage bin above them. The captain’s voice resonated throughout the plane apologizing for the slight delay in exiting from the plane.
Deena noticed Aidan turn his focus to the front area of the plane and she turned to check the cause of his interest. Two uniformed Marines stood at the front giving the flight stewardess a note. Within a minute, the captain appeared from the front cabin and with the noted handed to him immediately, read the contents, looked at the Marines, shook their hand and nodded. The Stewardess addressed the passengers already busy with their own carry-on retrieval, crowding the aisles as they waited to alight from the plane.
“Ladies and gentlemen, kindly take your seat for a moment. We apologize for this added delay but we are requesting for your cooperation.” The entire plane silenced as standing passengers noticed the soldiers next to the stewardess. One by one, people sat back on their seats.
Aidan released a sigh, “I think they’re here for us.” Deena looked at Aidan and nodded. She noticed the soldiers approached them and stopped a couple feet away from Aidan. They stood in attention and saluted.
“We are here to escort you to base Sir!” All eyes focused on Aidan, Deena’s as well.
“At ease soldier, I am a civilian now. It is not necessary for the official greeting.” Aidan reached his hand to Deena to help her out of her seat.
“We have our orders Sir!”
“It can’t be helped then. Deena let’s get going. We don’t need to cause added delay to the other passengers.” Aidan sounded just like he would, when giving out orders as if he was still a Marine Lieutenant.
“Permission to carry your carry-on bags Lieutenant Fischler, Sir!” One of the soldiers requested so loudly, to the surprise of the now ogling passengers around them. Aidan glared at the soldier as he handed his and Deena’s carry-ons.
“Let’s go soldiers!” Deena noticed Aidan getting pissed at the unnecessary display made by the Marine and she couldn’t help but giggle. She missed seeing Aidan in his stoic like officer comportment. She is so proud of him. Unlike Aidan, she enjoyed the attention centered on them but her smile froze though her eyes still gleaming when Aidan glared at her as well.
“What?” Deena chuckled as she moved towards the aisle and began walking towards the exit at the front. All eyes still watching them, she could hear the murmurs from passengers, curiously wondering who they were and why the Marines were escorting them out of the plane. The captain of the plane shook her hand and saluted Aidan before offering his hand.
“It’s my honor and pleasure to meet you Lieutenant Fischler,” the Captain stated.
Aidan had no choice but to accept the salute and offered hand, curious though for the unnecessary display by the soldiers. “What was written on the letter, if I may ask?”
“Nothing but accolades in your honor and we were requested to afford to you nothing less than a hero’s welcome, something I believe must be well deserved.”
Aidan smiled as he impressed a query look towards Deena. Deena remained smiling at him. “Well we’ll find out about that within the next few hours or so,” Aidan noted as he turned and nodded Deena to start moving out of the plane.
The escorting Marines waited a few feet away at the accordion walkway and once they both alighted from the plane, they proceeded to lead them out to the entrance of the airport.
“We have reservations at the Marriot Courtyard Aidan and our car rental,” Deena reminded Aidan. The soldiers stopped and turned to face them as soon as they heard Deena.
“We have orders to take you directly to base Sir!” the Marine stated. “The Commander and his Staff are waiting for your arrival.”
“Alright then, take me to the base then you will escort Ms. Kramer to the Marriot Courtyard,” Aidan’s instruction succinct and beyond the soldiers questioning, all they could do was follow his order. He turned to Deena, a little perturbed by the idea of keeping her out of the meeting.
“You will let me know if there’s news about Julian?” she asked.
“Most definitely Deena. You will be alright waiting at the hotel?”
“I’ll call Auntie and bring her up to date. I will call mom as well. Expect them later if ever. They’re not the type to stay away from this one,” Deena warned Aidan. “I reserved a suite, so there’s going to be room for all of us.”
As soon as they retrieved their luggage, they followed the soldiers to the waiting military car parked right in front of the exit doors from the arrival area.
Once in the base, Aidan alighted from the car with one of the soldiers. “I will call you as soon as I hear something.” Deena nodded and within minutes Aidan entered the Administration Building of the US Marine Corps. Deena settled in the car as she watched the familiar surroundings. She hoped it wouldn’t take long for Aidan to call her and tell her the good news.
~0~0~0~
As soon as Aiden entered the conference room, he was greeted by the Staff Secretary and led to an empty chair next to the Marine Commander. Three other uniformed staff officers Aidan recognized and exchanged salutes and handshakes greeted him as he passed by them. He stalled momentarily to engage them in a brief conversation before he proceeded towards the empty spot next to the base commander. He noticed the two wide tele-screens all ready for the afternoon’s conference.
Aidan saluted to the Commander and shook his hand before he took his seat next to him.
“We have the Army team and Marine team situated in Mosul joining the meeting this afternoon.” The Commander informed the group. “I invited former Lieutenant Fischler to join us this afternoon as he initiated the investigation which brought to my attention that one of our Marines listed as one of the casualty of last year’s attack in Mosul, is still alive. Corporal Julian Santiago-Chen was identified by team leader of the Task Force Thor two weeks ago. Santiago though goes by the name of Aidan and noticed to be with injury. He’s been with the company of a nomadic tribe crossing deserts and country borders all year round. As it appears the group is currently somewhere in the Northern area of Iraq and heading west towards Turkey.”
Aidan noticed Julian’s picture popped up in a smaller screen on both the wide screens indicating that it was just transmitted to the on site locations.
“Last night at exactly zero twenty-one hundred, a joint order was sent to Mosul for the Task Force Thor and Marine Infantry team to work together in a search and rescue of Corporal Santiago. Early this morning, five teams deployed to begin the land search while an aerial probe flew over the Northern Iraq area, mainly around Kurdistan to check group movement outside the main cities. Based on the notes Lieutenant Fischler gathered, the tribe rarely enter the main cities and stay encamped at nearby settlements. The probe identified five such settlements. The five teams were each given the locations about three hours ago and we are waiting for status reports.” The Commander turned as glance towards Aidan, “I am just curious why Santiago goes by your name?”
Aidan eyed the screens, seeing the officers looking at him as well as the other officers in the room. He looked at the eternity ring he wore on his ring finger before taking it off and handing the jewelry to the Commander, pointing at the inscription of Julian’s name inside the ring. The Marine Commander stared at the inscription then glanced at Aidan, nodding at him as he handed back the ring.
“Corporal Santiago is suffering from memory loss. His ring which is similar to this one I am wearing has my name inscribed in it. My ring has Julian’s,” Aidan explained without openly declaring their homosexual partnership. Even though Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy is no longer enforced, acceptance to this day of homosexuality in the military remains questionable.
Murmurs of conversation were heard coming from the tele-screen and one Marine officer openly showing some disgust blurted, “We are sacrificing our troops to rescue your boyfriend Fischler?”
Aidan eyed the Commander who nodded to him to address the query. His temper began to seethe inside him as he glared at the screen showing the rude officer. As expected, the pockets of bigotry and prejudice still remains in the military.
“This is to correct a blatant error in judgment. Let me remind you that Corporal Santiago’s family buried an empty casket when he was placed as a casualty of war without DNA proof or evidence of death. The evidence gathered confirmed he is alive, barely with injuries in his brain and God what else that may be a risk to his life. This is a soldier who proudly served his duties as a Marine. He made sure all his team members were alive and away from harm’s way. These soldiers came home alive thanks to Marine Corporal Santiago. The Marines have a rule, semper fidelis, we do not leave a brother behind. You tell me if I am wrong not to address this situation and ask for Santiago’s return after discovering he is alive.”
The room silenced, Aidan listened to the humming of the heating system. He kept his gaze on the screen and watched the officers looked at one another, avoiding his direct glare.
“Explain to Dr. Santiago, Julian’s mother why the Marine Corp wouldn’t right this wrong.”
The Marine Commander stared at the questioning officer on the screen with an obvious frown. “You are to present your apologies to Lieutenant Fischler and Corporal Santiago’s family for your inappropriate action soldier! Be as it may that Corporal Santiago maintained decorum as a Marine officer and served the outfit with courage and dignity. He is a Marine. He is alive. We bring him back home alive and that’s an order. He will require medical attention immediately, bring him home.”
The screens logged-out and the meeting concluded, the Marine Commander turned to Aidan and shook his hand.
“You could still take your commission back Fischler if you want. I apologize for the inappropriate comment.”
Aidan shook his head. “Julian is my partner Commander, I am not denying that I want him back home with me. I am happy where I am at now. I am teaching at Cambridge University in Boston and I much prefer to remain as a civilian from hereon. I am more than happy to stay in touch, if you need my services as a Consultant.”
“That might be a possibility. You trained our soldiers well. I am proud of you for all these data we are using to bring Santiago back and we will.”
Aidan saluted the Commander as he stood up. “Smith will handle the medical arrangements in the hospital, they will be ready as soon as we fly him home. We will take care of his medical needs.”
Just then Aidan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, Deena sent a text message to him which he opened to read.
“Aunty is livid. He wants Julian as soon as he comes home. No one touches Julian for medical attention. She will take care of him. Mom and Aunty flying in, they demand to see the Commander, they are very angry and consider setting a meeting to avoid litigation. Uncle flying in from Detroit as well, he wants to sue!”
The Commander waited. Aidan looked at him with a scowl on his face. “You might want to prepare a good meal for the Santiagos, they demand a meeting with you. They will take care of Julian’s medical needs. Let’s hope you have answers for them tonight.”
“How about staying for lunch Aidan and help me prepare for this evening’s meeting?” the Commander sounded close to pleading with him.
~0~0~0~0~
Six hours later a communication from the team in Bardarash confirmed location of the tribe and identifying Julian. The communication continued stating dissent among the nomads and locals over the presence of the soldiers with armed locals threatening to fire on the soldiers. Task Force Thor Leader Kramer addressed the elders of the nomadic tribe who was familiar with the leaders and convinced stand down of weapons. Rescue of Santiago was met with refusal from Santiago and a young local named Hakim. Hours of discussion with Santiago and the elders concluded with Santiago and Hakim agreeing to return to base in Mosul. A warning however came with the confirmation of anthrax epidemic in the area and the risk of contamination. Medical team alerted in Mosul to immediately prepare for decontamination procedures for returning group. Airlift orders confirmed search and rescue a success and completed. Decon protocol to complete. Santiago de-brief scheduled at 15:00 hours. Departure to Germany pending but carrier waits leaving Baghdad as soon as clearance confirmed for accompanying local.
Aidan called Deena right away to inform her of the good news.
Julian’s parents with Deena and her mom arrived at the base an hour after the communication from Bardarash was received. Aidan greeted the group who were equally happy to see him.
“Tell me when my son is coming home?” Julian’s mother asked almost in tears, upon hearing the good and bad news about his son.
“He is in Mosul. Under decontamination protocol because of the confirmed anthrax in Baldarash. The medics in Mosul were alerted of Julian’s condition and they will identify risk. They will also go through decontamination and safety confirmation before they could leave the base in Germany. The Commander is working on the entry clearances for Julian and Hakim. There might be some delay with Hakim’s papers, since he is an undocumented minor, but I think the Commander wants them in base by tomorrow morning.” Aidan reported happily. He glanced at Deena who smiled widely with tears of happiness trickling down his cheeks. Aidan reached to clear the tears. “No need for that now right?”
Deena hugged him and began to cry more. “Shhh, we will see him soon. You don’t want Julian to see you with puffy red eyes, you might scare him.”
“Aidan!” Deena exclaimed.
“Can we do a live feed?” Julian’s father asked.
“I will request for one as soon as he’s cleared of the anthrax and completed the medical check in Mosul. A de-briefing attempt is scheduled around 11:00 this evening ” Aidan replied, “He suffers from memory loss. He was identified as Aidan at first, that’s the name on the ring I gave him.”
“Did you marry Julian without letting us know?” Deena’s mother teased.
“No ma’am, more like proposed,” Aidan answered with gleaming eyes. “We were supposed to ask for your blessing when he returned last year.” Aidan almost choked his words, fighting his emotions and almost tears from taking over his calm comportment.
“Oh Aidan, ” Julian’s mother hugged him. “Thank you for getting him back. Deena told us about what you did and how this came about. But why didn’t you tell us.”
“I wanted to be sure first. I didn’t want to plant any false hopes.” Aidan looked at Julian’s parents. “I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark.”
“Understood son,” Julian’s father smiled, gently patting his shoulder. “We are proud of what you did. This goes without saying that you have our blessing. But first we need to bring him back to health and we would like to take care of his medical needs.”
“The Commander has informed the hospital in base. Don’t worry the veteran’s hospital here is quite equipped and they already know that they will be working with both of you on Julian’s procedures. We will get a pre-op report from Mosul once the doctors see them over there.”
The Marine Commander joined them and invited the family for dinner. The happy demeanor quickly disappeared from the faces of the group as they all stared at the officer. The Commander stood silenced, quite uncomfortable with the unwelcoming glares.
“I deeply apologize for our error and let me assure you that we will do everything to correct our mistake. We are prepared to cover all the expenses of your son’s medical needs and we are willing to handle any other matters or demands you wish to present.”
“Our lawyers will be in touch with your office after we deal with our son’s medical needs.” Julian’s father stated sourly, “This will not be going away easily, just to let you know. You have made my family suffer, Deena and Aidan as well.”
“We are prepared to accept responsibility Dr. Santiago.” The Commander stated. “Your son will be properly honored for his exemplary service as a Marine.”
“Of course, this goes without saying that the other soldiers who risked their lives in finding Julian will be recognized as well, especially my nephew’s team,” Deena’s mother stated.
“The search and rescue was a success and all thanks to Aidan and the troops for working together on this endeavor,” the Commander stated, “We have dinner prepared for all of you and after that we shall have the live feed ready from Mosul.”
Aidan eyed the Commander, nodding to him to let him know he did well with Julian’s family. The Staff Secretary ushered the visiting family to the Officers’ Dining room for their meal. The Commander stayed behind with Aidan, releasing a sigh of relief. “They’re a tough one Aidan but we will take care of everything I promise you a Marine officer’s commitment.”
“Thank you. Let’s hope for his quick recovery,” Aidan smiled, his happiness beaming but with his hesitancy lingering at the back of his mind.
In a few hours he will be face to face online with his Julian once again. His fear of Julian’s lack of recollection about him or anyone in his family worried him. He needed to prepare for anything that would shake his comportment when they meet again online.
“Please let him remember me.”
Entry Number: 02
Author: lovefujitez
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: T/PG
Genre: Gay Romance
Word Count: 3081
Summary: Aidan waits for Julian to return home to him, but fears the unthinkable.
The plane carefully aligned to ready passengers’ exit after the four hours flight from Boston to Detroit and finally Charleston. Deena watched the accordion walkway connecting to the entrance door located at the front area of the plane, while Aidan stood up to stretch and gather their carry-on bags from the baggage bin above them. The captain’s voice resonated throughout the plane apologizing for the slight delay in exiting from the plane.
Deena noticed Aidan turn his focus to the front area of the plane and she turned to check the cause of his interest. Two uniformed Marines stood at the front giving the flight stewardess a note. Within a minute, the captain appeared from the front cabin and with the noted handed to him immediately, read the contents, looked at the Marines, shook their hand and nodded. The Stewardess addressed the passengers already busy with their own carry-on retrieval, crowding the aisles as they waited to alight from the plane.
“Ladies and gentlemen, kindly take your seat for a moment. We apologize for this added delay but we are requesting for your cooperation.” The entire plane silenced as standing passengers noticed the soldiers next to the stewardess. One by one, people sat back on their seats.
Aidan released a sigh, “I think they’re here for us.” Deena looked at Aidan and nodded. She noticed the soldiers approached them and stopped a couple feet away from Aidan. They stood in attention and saluted.
“We are here to escort you to base Sir!” All eyes focused on Aidan, Deena’s as well.
“At ease soldier, I am a civilian now. It is not necessary for the official greeting.” Aidan reached his hand to Deena to help her out of her seat.
“We have our orders Sir!”
“It can’t be helped then. Deena let’s get going. We don’t need to cause added delay to the other passengers.” Aidan sounded just like he would, when giving out orders as if he was still a Marine Lieutenant.
“Permission to carry your carry-on bags Lieutenant Fischler, Sir!” One of the soldiers requested so loudly, to the surprise of the now ogling passengers around them. Aidan glared at the soldier as he handed his and Deena’s carry-ons.
“Let’s go soldiers!” Deena noticed Aidan getting pissed at the unnecessary display made by the Marine and she couldn’t help but giggle. She missed seeing Aidan in his stoic like officer comportment. She is so proud of him. Unlike Aidan, she enjoyed the attention centered on them but her smile froze though her eyes still gleaming when Aidan glared at her as well.
“What?” Deena chuckled as she moved towards the aisle and began walking towards the exit at the front. All eyes still watching them, she could hear the murmurs from passengers, curiously wondering who they were and why the Marines were escorting them out of the plane. The captain of the plane shook her hand and saluted Aidan before offering his hand.
“It’s my honor and pleasure to meet you Lieutenant Fischler,” the Captain stated.
Aidan had no choice but to accept the salute and offered hand, curious though for the unnecessary display by the soldiers. “What was written on the letter, if I may ask?”
“Nothing but accolades in your honor and we were requested to afford to you nothing less than a hero’s welcome, something I believe must be well deserved.”
Aidan smiled as he impressed a query look towards Deena. Deena remained smiling at him. “Well we’ll find out about that within the next few hours or so,” Aidan noted as he turned and nodded Deena to start moving out of the plane.
The escorting Marines waited a few feet away at the accordion walkway and once they both alighted from the plane, they proceeded to lead them out to the entrance of the airport.
“We have reservations at the Marriot Courtyard Aidan and our car rental,” Deena reminded Aidan. The soldiers stopped and turned to face them as soon as they heard Deena.
“We have orders to take you directly to base Sir!” the Marine stated. “The Commander and his Staff are waiting for your arrival.”
“Alright then, take me to the base then you will escort Ms. Kramer to the Marriot Courtyard,” Aidan’s instruction succinct and beyond the soldiers questioning, all they could do was follow his order. He turned to Deena, a little perturbed by the idea of keeping her out of the meeting.
“You will let me know if there’s news about Julian?” she asked.
“Most definitely Deena. You will be alright waiting at the hotel?”
“I’ll call Auntie and bring her up to date. I will call mom as well. Expect them later if ever. They’re not the type to stay away from this one,” Deena warned Aidan. “I reserved a suite, so there’s going to be room for all of us.”
As soon as they retrieved their luggage, they followed the soldiers to the waiting military car parked right in front of the exit doors from the arrival area.
Once in the base, Aidan alighted from the car with one of the soldiers. “I will call you as soon as I hear something.” Deena nodded and within minutes Aidan entered the Administration Building of the US Marine Corps. Deena settled in the car as she watched the familiar surroundings. She hoped it wouldn’t take long for Aidan to call her and tell her the good news.
~0~0~0~
As soon as Aiden entered the conference room, he was greeted by the Staff Secretary and led to an empty chair next to the Marine Commander. Three other uniformed staff officers Aidan recognized and exchanged salutes and handshakes greeted him as he passed by them. He stalled momentarily to engage them in a brief conversation before he proceeded towards the empty spot next to the base commander. He noticed the two wide tele-screens all ready for the afternoon’s conference.
Aidan saluted to the Commander and shook his hand before he took his seat next to him.
“We have the Army team and Marine team situated in Mosul joining the meeting this afternoon.” The Commander informed the group. “I invited former Lieutenant Fischler to join us this afternoon as he initiated the investigation which brought to my attention that one of our Marines listed as one of the casualty of last year’s attack in Mosul, is still alive. Corporal Julian Santiago-Chen was identified by team leader of the Task Force Thor two weeks ago. Santiago though goes by the name of Aidan and noticed to be with injury. He’s been with the company of a nomadic tribe crossing deserts and country borders all year round. As it appears the group is currently somewhere in the Northern area of Iraq and heading west towards Turkey.”
Aidan noticed Julian’s picture popped up in a smaller screen on both the wide screens indicating that it was just transmitted to the on site locations.
“Last night at exactly zero twenty-one hundred, a joint order was sent to Mosul for the Task Force Thor and Marine Infantry team to work together in a search and rescue of Corporal Santiago. Early this morning, five teams deployed to begin the land search while an aerial probe flew over the Northern Iraq area, mainly around Kurdistan to check group movement outside the main cities. Based on the notes Lieutenant Fischler gathered, the tribe rarely enter the main cities and stay encamped at nearby settlements. The probe identified five such settlements. The five teams were each given the locations about three hours ago and we are waiting for status reports.” The Commander turned as glance towards Aidan, “I am just curious why Santiago goes by your name?”
Aidan eyed the screens, seeing the officers looking at him as well as the other officers in the room. He looked at the eternity ring he wore on his ring finger before taking it off and handing the jewelry to the Commander, pointing at the inscription of Julian’s name inside the ring. The Marine Commander stared at the inscription then glanced at Aidan, nodding at him as he handed back the ring.
“Corporal Santiago is suffering from memory loss. His ring which is similar to this one I am wearing has my name inscribed in it. My ring has Julian’s,” Aidan explained without openly declaring their homosexual partnership. Even though Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy is no longer enforced, acceptance to this day of homosexuality in the military remains questionable.
Murmurs of conversation were heard coming from the tele-screen and one Marine officer openly showing some disgust blurted, “We are sacrificing our troops to rescue your boyfriend Fischler?”
Aidan eyed the Commander who nodded to him to address the query. His temper began to seethe inside him as he glared at the screen showing the rude officer. As expected, the pockets of bigotry and prejudice still remains in the military.
“This is to correct a blatant error in judgment. Let me remind you that Corporal Santiago’s family buried an empty casket when he was placed as a casualty of war without DNA proof or evidence of death. The evidence gathered confirmed he is alive, barely with injuries in his brain and God what else that may be a risk to his life. This is a soldier who proudly served his duties as a Marine. He made sure all his team members were alive and away from harm’s way. These soldiers came home alive thanks to Marine Corporal Santiago. The Marines have a rule, semper fidelis, we do not leave a brother behind. You tell me if I am wrong not to address this situation and ask for Santiago’s return after discovering he is alive.”
The room silenced, Aidan listened to the humming of the heating system. He kept his gaze on the screen and watched the officers looked at one another, avoiding his direct glare.
“Explain to Dr. Santiago, Julian’s mother why the Marine Corp wouldn’t right this wrong.”
The Marine Commander stared at the questioning officer on the screen with an obvious frown. “You are to present your apologies to Lieutenant Fischler and Corporal Santiago’s family for your inappropriate action soldier! Be as it may that Corporal Santiago maintained decorum as a Marine officer and served the outfit with courage and dignity. He is a Marine. He is alive. We bring him back home alive and that’s an order. He will require medical attention immediately, bring him home.”
The screens logged-out and the meeting concluded, the Marine Commander turned to Aidan and shook his hand.
“You could still take your commission back Fischler if you want. I apologize for the inappropriate comment.”
Aidan shook his head. “Julian is my partner Commander, I am not denying that I want him back home with me. I am happy where I am at now. I am teaching at Cambridge University in Boston and I much prefer to remain as a civilian from hereon. I am more than happy to stay in touch, if you need my services as a Consultant.”
“That might be a possibility. You trained our soldiers well. I am proud of you for all these data we are using to bring Santiago back and we will.”
Aidan saluted the Commander as he stood up. “Smith will handle the medical arrangements in the hospital, they will be ready as soon as we fly him home. We will take care of his medical needs.”
Just then Aidan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, Deena sent a text message to him which he opened to read.
“Aunty is livid. He wants Julian as soon as he comes home. No one touches Julian for medical attention. She will take care of him. Mom and Aunty flying in, they demand to see the Commander, they are very angry and consider setting a meeting to avoid litigation. Uncle flying in from Detroit as well, he wants to sue!”
The Commander waited. Aidan looked at him with a scowl on his face. “You might want to prepare a good meal for the Santiagos, they demand a meeting with you. They will take care of Julian’s medical needs. Let’s hope you have answers for them tonight.”
“How about staying for lunch Aidan and help me prepare for this evening’s meeting?” the Commander sounded close to pleading with him.
~0~0~0~0~
Six hours later a communication from the team in Bardarash confirmed location of the tribe and identifying Julian. The communication continued stating dissent among the nomads and locals over the presence of the soldiers with armed locals threatening to fire on the soldiers. Task Force Thor Leader Kramer addressed the elders of the nomadic tribe who was familiar with the leaders and convinced stand down of weapons. Rescue of Santiago was met with refusal from Santiago and a young local named Hakim. Hours of discussion with Santiago and the elders concluded with Santiago and Hakim agreeing to return to base in Mosul. A warning however came with the confirmation of anthrax epidemic in the area and the risk of contamination. Medical team alerted in Mosul to immediately prepare for decontamination procedures for returning group. Airlift orders confirmed search and rescue a success and completed. Decon protocol to complete. Santiago de-brief scheduled at 15:00 hours. Departure to Germany pending but carrier waits leaving Baghdad as soon as clearance confirmed for accompanying local.
Aidan called Deena right away to inform her of the good news.
Julian’s parents with Deena and her mom arrived at the base an hour after the communication from Bardarash was received. Aidan greeted the group who were equally happy to see him.
“Tell me when my son is coming home?” Julian’s mother asked almost in tears, upon hearing the good and bad news about his son.
“He is in Mosul. Under decontamination protocol because of the confirmed anthrax in Baldarash. The medics in Mosul were alerted of Julian’s condition and they will identify risk. They will also go through decontamination and safety confirmation before they could leave the base in Germany. The Commander is working on the entry clearances for Julian and Hakim. There might be some delay with Hakim’s papers, since he is an undocumented minor, but I think the Commander wants them in base by tomorrow morning.” Aidan reported happily. He glanced at Deena who smiled widely with tears of happiness trickling down his cheeks. Aidan reached to clear the tears. “No need for that now right?”
Deena hugged him and began to cry more. “Shhh, we will see him soon. You don’t want Julian to see you with puffy red eyes, you might scare him.”
“Aidan!” Deena exclaimed.
“Can we do a live feed?” Julian’s father asked.
“I will request for one as soon as he’s cleared of the anthrax and completed the medical check in Mosul. A de-briefing attempt is scheduled around 11:00 this evening ” Aidan replied, “He suffers from memory loss. He was identified as Aidan at first, that’s the name on the ring I gave him.”
“Did you marry Julian without letting us know?” Deena’s mother teased.
“No ma’am, more like proposed,” Aidan answered with gleaming eyes. “We were supposed to ask for your blessing when he returned last year.” Aidan almost choked his words, fighting his emotions and almost tears from taking over his calm comportment.
“Oh Aidan, ” Julian’s mother hugged him. “Thank you for getting him back. Deena told us about what you did and how this came about. But why didn’t you tell us.”
“I wanted to be sure first. I didn’t want to plant any false hopes.” Aidan looked at Julian’s parents. “I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark.”
“Understood son,” Julian’s father smiled, gently patting his shoulder. “We are proud of what you did. This goes without saying that you have our blessing. But first we need to bring him back to health and we would like to take care of his medical needs.”
“The Commander has informed the hospital in base. Don’t worry the veteran’s hospital here is quite equipped and they already know that they will be working with both of you on Julian’s procedures. We will get a pre-op report from Mosul once the doctors see them over there.”
The Marine Commander joined them and invited the family for dinner. The happy demeanor quickly disappeared from the faces of the group as they all stared at the officer. The Commander stood silenced, quite uncomfortable with the unwelcoming glares.
“I deeply apologize for our error and let me assure you that we will do everything to correct our mistake. We are prepared to cover all the expenses of your son’s medical needs and we are willing to handle any other matters or demands you wish to present.”
“Our lawyers will be in touch with your office after we deal with our son’s medical needs.” Julian’s father stated sourly, “This will not be going away easily, just to let you know. You have made my family suffer, Deena and Aidan as well.”
“We are prepared to accept responsibility Dr. Santiago.” The Commander stated. “Your son will be properly honored for his exemplary service as a Marine.”
“Of course, this goes without saying that the other soldiers who risked their lives in finding Julian will be recognized as well, especially my nephew’s team,” Deena’s mother stated.
“The search and rescue was a success and all thanks to Aidan and the troops for working together on this endeavor,” the Commander stated, “We have dinner prepared for all of you and after that we shall have the live feed ready from Mosul.”
Aidan eyed the Commander, nodding to him to let him know he did well with Julian’s family. The Staff Secretary ushered the visiting family to the Officers’ Dining room for their meal. The Commander stayed behind with Aidan, releasing a sigh of relief. “They’re a tough one Aidan but we will take care of everything I promise you a Marine officer’s commitment.”
“Thank you. Let’s hope for his quick recovery,” Aidan smiled, his happiness beaming but with his hesitancy lingering at the back of his mind.
In a few hours he will be face to face online with his Julian once again. His fear of Julian’s lack of recollection about him or anyone in his family worried him. He needed to prepare for anything that would shake his comportment when they meet again online.
“Please let him remember me.”