Harry pulled up to the duplex and stopped his car. He sat for a moment with the engine running as he pondered looked over to his wife. On the drive over from their quarters he figured out what he wanted to do, what he wanted him and his wife to do.
"The driveway is empty except for his car. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I checked on it right after I found out about her. The team was scheduled to come by just after lunch time," Harry replied.
"So you're sure he knows?"
"Positive and look, I've figured out what we can do, what we can do to truly help him."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Something he hasn't had, not since she deployed, and now he has got to wonder if ever again."
"What do you mean? Wait a minute, you mean..."
Harry nodded, "Come on Julie, we even talked about it before."
"But that was with the two of them."
"So, you were okay with it back then, it's just we never found the right moment to suggest it. Now is the time."
"But what will you do?" she asked.
"Just like if Jackie was there, I'll watch. I just won't be busy while I'm watching," Harry replied.
"I don't know."
Harry reached up and turned off the engine. "Look, let's go see him and see how he is. If the opportunity comes up, we'll go ahead with it. I think it could do him a lot of good."
They got out of the car and walked slowly up to the duplex. There was a small porch with doors at each end. The porch was in need of paint and the screen on the door was torn. Harry pulled open the screen door and knocked on the entry door. They waited a few moments and he knocked again.
The door opened slightly and then, after the occupant saw who was there opened wider. "Hi Harry, Julie, sorry I was on the phone."
"That's okay John, we just heard," Julie replied.
"Come on in," John said, opening the door wider. He accepted Julie's embrace, wrapping his arms around her before turning and shaking Harry's hand. Following them into the living room he said, "Ya'll want something to eat or drink?"
"No, no we're fine," Harry replied.
Nodding toward the kitchen John continued, "You sure? I've got plenty, everybody's bringing food."
"Oops, I knew we forgot something," Julie replied.
"No, no, there's much more than I can eat right now."
They all settled into the living room with Julie sitting on the couch next to John while Harry sat in a nearby chair. After a few moments of silence Harry nervously asked, "Any word on the funeral arrangements?"
"No nothing yet, I mean everything goes through Dover, but otherwise I'm not sure yet. They told me someone from General Services or something will stop by in a day or so."
"Do you know how it happened?"
"IED, not five miles from the compound. It's all so odd, I mean it's a route they drove safely for nearly a year and then suddenly a poof, three dead, two more wounded. Sally didn't have a chance, the others made it back to the hospital before..." he began crying.
Julie leaned over and put her arm around him, "At least she wasn't in pain long."
"I keep telling myself that," he mumbled, his head buried in Julie's shoulder. "You know she was scheduled out in three weeks, just three weeks."
"I'm so sorry John," Julie replied.