"Un, deux, trois." She held up her slim fingers as she voiced the words in text book perfect French to the small
gathering of children around her. Then she repeated in English "One, two, three." Listening to their chirping voices
gleefully mimicking her words. Trying to keep her mind on the children in front of her and not the one that was missing.
Her own baby.
The edges of her eyes were red and her face, under its African tan that set it a warm caramel color, was tight and
drawn. Thin so that the prominent cheekbones stood out even more, dominating the heart shaped face almost as
much as the dark, deep eyes did. Looking like her daughter in smaller, more petite, refined strokes.
Her head jerked up when someone approached. Hopeful and scared in equal measure. Part of her hoping they would
just pass by on other errands. Part of her praying they were looking for her. With news. This time she saw a young
man. Dark and tall and lean. But it was his eyes that had her heart jerking in her chest. Set her heart recognizing him
even before her mind registered a name for the stranger. It was those dark, dark eyes...
She stood up to greet him, touching the nearest child's shoulder to let them know class was over for the moment.
Knowing the proper greeting for every occasion and situation in seven different countries thanks to her training
growing up. And none of it mattered. Him with those dark, dark eyes...
Instead she just put her arms around him and held him close.
"Oh, bebe." She murmured. "We've been waiting for you."
Hector knew who she was as soon as she turned around. She was her daughter in miniature. And miniature was
exactly the word. She came up to the middle of his chest, and she was wearing shoes. Unlike him, but at least he
wasn't dripping wet. Between the towel and the African heat, any excess moisture had been taken care of, though his
shirt still bore some remnants of the wetness, and his short cropped hair was trying to curl.
But whether or not his hair decided to curl against itself or not was the least of his concerns, and not even a thought
as the petite woman wrapped thin arms around his bulkier frame. He sighed, half in frustration, half in grief, that he
hadn't been able to deliver Andi back to her worried mother before returning to base. That had been his goal, as
unrealistic as he knew it was at the time.
But he had tried, even if it didn't count for anything.
"I'm sorry." He said, with a sniff to regain some control. There was just something so maternal about this small woman,
and a maternal influence had been missing from his life for a long time. But that just hammered home that this wasn't
his maternal influence. This was Andi's. And the reason she was here was because Andi wasn't. "I'll bring her back."
"Shh." She soothed, stroking the damp hair at the back of his head. So much said with so few words. She'd learned to
expect that from him in the letters.
She'd been worried - when her baby had hinted at someone. She'd raised her daughter right but she knew first hand
what a broken heart and a broken dream felt like and she hadn't wanted that for her baby girl. She'd been nervous
about him. This American soldier that put the softness in her daughter's voice. And yet known there must be
something very precious about him too, if her little girl had opened her carefully guarded heart to him. She stroked his
hair now and thought 'precious' was a very good word for him. Shut her eyes against the bittersweet tears and
realized - that this was what having a son must feel like.
"I'm glad you're here." She whispered. "I'm so glad you're here now."
He didn't actually want to be here. He wanted to be out looking for her, finding her, and bringing her back. But that
had been taken out of his hands, beyond his control. Which left him in the same position as her parents right now, the
wondering of what was going on, was it enough? And until she was out of there, it wasn't enough.
As far as the SAS was concerned, he wouldn't be an easy man to deal with until this was over. Then, if they were well
behaved, he'd score them some aged whatever it was they drank. Or chocolate, whores, whatever the hell they
wanted. But until then, they were just in his way. Except them, he'd side step instead of plowing through.
But he was here, his choice or not. Her mother pulled away from him long enough to gently push him back onto a cot,
getting him off his feet, knowing in that way mothers could only know, that he was tired down to his bones. Well within
his bones, in fact. It was pure will power that was keeping him going at this point. He knew he had to sleep. But he had
some time before he had to crash for the next wave of the operation.
He hung his forearms over his thighs, his hands loosely clasped between his knees as he exhaled. "Josh says thank
you for the dirt." He said, since she hadn't gotten that letter probably. He had just sent it actually. And it was just
something to fill for now.
She gave him a quiet smile, still absently stroking his hair.
"Little boys and their dirt." She agreed. "And Sean's been having a wonderful time with the sauces you sent. Him and
half the village. Honestly, nothing's safe to eat anymore."
"Janette?"
She turned her head with the same hopeful/scared jump in her heart and her husband, knowing her better than he
knew himself, was already shaking his head as he straightened. Nothing. No new news.
He was a giant of a man and the red hidden in his daughter's hair lurked in his lighter brown shades too. So did the
long, lean length of her though on him it was solid and filled out. And the presence was there too. Filling the tent and
making him seem larger than he was. Janette's small hand stayed on Hector's shoulder, both claiming him and
keeping him from standing and the man's eyes focused on the young man in front of him. Picking up a thousand
details in the invisible things.
"Stealing both the women in my life." His voice was surprisingly warm and gentle for the frame that carried it and he
settled down on the cot directly across from Hector. "Stay down." He shook his head. "You look the way my heart feels.
Name's Sean. And its good to finally meet you." He offered a worn, long fingered hand.
"Just borrowing." Hector said with a tired laugh as he reached across and shook Sean's hand. "Hector." He said,
formally introducing himself, though he knew that Sean knew who he was, just from the comment. And Andi described
him right, Hector would have known him anyway and anywhere.
And Hector knew very well what he looked like. And it was more than a good nap and hot meal would cure. "Feel sorry
for your heart then." He said. "But I'll fix it." He assured both her parents.
"In a funny way, you already do." Sean stated. He offered a tired smile that was still sincere and real. "Go to bed, lad.
We'll still be here when you wake up. Anything happens, you know we'll let you know."
He sighed and nodded, and stood up. He wasn't sleeping in the med tent that was for sure. That was too much to ask
of him, and he was sure Andi would understand, even if no one else would.
His features tightened a bit at that thought, the thought of Andi. That he was letting her down by lolly gagging around
the camp, even if it wasn't by choice. He should be out doing something, anything.
But between William, Swanson, Mike, and now Janette and Sean, he knew he wouldn't be able to until he at least
pretended to get some sleep, since he already did the shower and eat part of the deal.
"Thank you." He said and left the med tent, over to the staff tent, where he all but fell into Andi's bed and despite
himself was soundly asleep, even as his mind and heart churned over themselves.
Sean looked at his wife as his daughter's Delta departed. "I honestly don't know whether to worry more, or worry less."
"I know." Janette rested her head on her husband's chest as he stood and he wrapped his arms around her. "Now
we've two lost lambs to worry about instead of just one."
"That's the man that's going to take our little girl away from us." He stated softly. Something they'd both already
realized and his wife nodded. He looked down at her with a quiet smile and gently rubbed her back with his large
hands before pulling her closer in an embrace. Voice thoughtful. "What are we going to do, Janey? What are we going
to do?"
She sighed softly and relaxed into her husband, shutting her eyes.
"Your favorite phrase. 'Put our faith in God and keep our powder dry'."
Sean let out a soft chuckle and kissed the top of his wife's head before sighing as well.
"You always did want a son, luv."
Her smile was bittersweet.
"I thought the same thing..."
"Shows what those bloody doctors know, yeah?" He asked, still rubbing soothingly along her back. Listened to her
exhale softly as he stared absently at the tent wall. They both knew that the stakes had just gone up for them. Their
daughter was out there in the African night somewhere. But she wasn't alone. She was never alone no matter what
Valley of Death she walked through. And he knew his little girl knew it and would find her strength and courage there.
But the man she'd claimed as her own... Sean had seen those eyes. And he knew Hector felt utterly alone in what he
was doing. Which was more than enough to grind a man's soul down to dust under the weight he was carrying. His
baby girl's life had extended to wrap around someone else's and now he worried about the outcome of this all for two
reasons instead of just one.
"We keep him. Come what may." His wife's voice, muffled against his shirt and he felt a swell of love for the tiny woman
in his arms. She still did that to him. Even after all these years.
"Yeah." He agreed calmly. "We keep him. Come what may."
And miles away, jets flew over the mountains in the darkness of the African night. Equipment storing away the
information they hoped would give them the clues they were searching for.
Janette stood outside the tent for a moment.
She'd been in earlier yesterday. When they'd first gotten here. Gone into that tent so full of the little bits of her Andi's
life. And she'd cried. Sometimes you had to let yourself cry. Especially over your baby. It wasn't a lack of faith to cry.
Jesus Himself had cried before He'd raised Lazarus. Sorrow - she thought He understood that pretty well. But she
wasn't going to cry this time. Which is why she paused long enough to take a deep breath and lift her pointed chin
before opening the door and stepping inside.
The lighting was dim in here but it wasn't as if a tent were so very hard to navigate. And she knew where her
daughter's bed was. It hit something deep in her heart that the young man was sleeping in it as if he belonged there.
He'd managed to twist her heart around him and she knew why her daughter had chosen him out of everyone else in
the world. Picking up her daughter's elephant and putting it in her lap, she settled down on the edge of the bed.
"It’s time to wake up, bebe." She stated softly. Absently reaching down to brush his hair smooth. "I'd let you sleep
longer but you need to eat something now."
He'd nearly started when he felt the bed give way to slight weight. Then Janette was smart enough to speak. He
exhaled as she brushed his hair smooth. "It’s surprising how I can do without both." He said, sitting up, since she had
decided he was going to get up and stretching his arms back. An eight day op, first chance at sleep rightfully
interrupted by Mike's phone call...nothing more than cat naps since then...then he realized that it was daylight, he
could see the edges of sunlight streaming around the window flaps.
He'd slept too long.
Andi wasn't back, so anything more than biologically necessary was too long. "Are the SAS back?" He asked. He'd go
straight to William if they were. Get an update. Move out. Get going. So much to do.
Janette put a hand on his chest to keep him in place.
"Calmly." She chided softly, somehow feeling a smile at the very corner of her lips. She would have let him sleep
longer than she had if the choice was hers. But - "Yes. They got in the photos from the planes and have been going
over them in a big knot with a lot of coffee, tea, and muttering going on. It looked like they'd finally decided on
something so I thought I would come and wake you up." She lifted a finger. "But you have time to get ready first. They
were just calling for another pot of coffee when I came here so I know they're not moving out yet. Suzette brought your
clothes back and left them on the locker." She gestured. "So I want you to take care of yourself first. And then you can
go talk to the crew in the command tent." And she was using the 'don't think of disobeying me' tone when she said it.
He chuckled. "If the missionary and teaching thing doesn't work out, should think of coming to the States and being a
boot camp sergeant." He said, shaking his head. "Okay, I'll eat, put more in my stomach than coffee, get dressed and I
promise...calmly....rejoin the group." Not that Baker would really relish his presence there. And not that Hector felt bad
about some of the cheap shots he had taken so far. In the scheme of things, it was all petty, minor bull shit.
If nothing else, Mike and Swanson would know the up and up to tell him, if the SAS decided at the last moment to cut
him out of their little covert loop.
"Only barbarians live in the States, dear." She told him with the same pert tone of voice Andi would have used before
giving his forehead a kiss and standing back up. "Come see us if you get the chance." She offered and set Mr.
Snuffles back in his spot on top of the footlocker. Then she let herself out of the tent. Feeling... better. Not good. But
better. Another of Andi's friends was heading for the tent, probably with the same intention she'd just had, and she
shifted her path to intersect with his and head him off. A bit of quiet time to himself wouldn’t hurt Hector before he had
to face the world. Mike, seeing Andi's mother headed his way, slowed down and waited for her.
Hector watched her go, she had sounded exactly like Andi there for a moment, and it hurt as he exhaled again and
changed out of the clothes he was given and back into his uniform. Checking it over for cockles and scorpions first.
Just in case. He wouldn't put it past her.
He sat quietly on the bed and reached for the letter she had been in the process of writing and began to read it.