by David Archer
Neil sobbed as he accepted the box from her hand, and stepped back. Queen Elizabeth looked at Sarah.
“I saw that you also fired your weapon at the assassin, doing all you could to draw his fire yourself. This tells me that you are equally as brave as the fallen man, and so...” She took another box from the tray, opening it to reveal a diamond brooch. “I have this for you. It was given to me by Diana, the Princess of Wales, shortly after she gave birth to my grandson, William. Let it always remind you that you are a jewel among women, and remember that Diana, no matter how we may have quarreled, never displayed anything but the greatest courage in her life.”
Sarah accepted the gift with a smile, but her own tears were still in evidence. The Queen turned to Noah.
“What can I give the man who led the mission to save us all? I thought about this for a long time last evening, and I decided it must be something that reflects the courage of a man who undertakes missions that seem impossible. For that reason,” she said, reaching to the tray for a larger box, “I chose the one item in my possession that reflects that courage.”
She opened the box to reveal a pistol, a Walther PPK. “This is the pistol that was carried by Ian Fleming during a number of missions that remain classified as unrevealable even to this day. Less than twenty people in the government knew that he was active in those missions, but I can tell you that our nation might well not have survived without him. His personal weapon strikes me as the best reward I might give to you.”
Noah accepted the box from her hands, and then looked the Queen of England in the eye. “Your Majesty, we are all honored to have been of service, both to your gracious self and to the United Kingdom. If my fallen comrade were alive, he would express the same sentiments.”
The review ended then, and the three of them followed the cross and its bearer out of the room. They were taken to a garage where a limousine awaited them, with their luggage already inside, and driven to Heathrow, followed by a hearse. They stood by and watched as Moose’s body was loaded onto the plane, and were then escorted up the ramp and seated in the plane, which took off only a few minutes later. The flight lasted slightly more than two hours, and then the plane touched down on the aircraft carrier.
The coffin was removed and transferred into yet another airplane, and the three of them were ordered to board it as well. This time they were told the flight would last far longer, so they all ended up sleeping for the majority of the ride home.
They were met at Denver by Allison, Don Jefferson and Dr. Parker, and driven home in one of the biggest limousines they had ever seen. Moose rode back to Kirtland in the back of another hearse.
Noah, Sarah and Neil were met by Lacey and Elaine when they were dropped off at home. The five of them went into Noah’s house, where they spent a long night getting completely drunk and remembering the man they had loved and called a friend.
“Why?” Elaine asked. “Why did he have to die?”
Neil was sitting beside her, with Lacey on his other side, but neither of them spoke. Sarah was opposite them, one hand resting on Elaine’s shoulder, but even though she tried to say something, nothing would come out.
Finally Noah leaned toward her. “Elaine, Moose was a soldier, and he died doing his job. I know that isn’t any consolation, but it’s likely that both Neil and I would be dead if it hadn’t been for him. None of us are ever going to forget him, and we’ll never stop missing him, but he did what had to be done. He was a hero, and sometimes a hero is called on to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
Elaine looked at him and nodded, but it was obvious she was only trying to avoid saying anything herself. Noah realized it, and said nothing more. They all sat in silence for another hour until Elaine had drunk enough that she passed out on the couch.
Moose was buried two days later, in a special ceremony. It was attended by Allison, Don Jefferson and his wife and daughter, the Jacksons, both of the other active teams and dozens of E&E staff and trainees. Moose had not been the first to fall in the line of duty with the organization, but he had been popular throughout the outfit.
Because he had no other family, Elaine was given his posthumous Medal of Valor and the flag that had draped his coffin.
Noah, Sarah and Neil all thought that was a good idea.