The Day of Blood

Chapter 17: A Ticket Home

I was running around a field of flowers with Cali's hand in mine. I looked at her and she was smiling. I smiled. Her face suddenly changed to sadness. The flowers melted away to reveal her in a black dress kneeling over a coffin. I looked into it and couldn't believe what I was seeing. The person in the coffin was me. I looked at Cali and she looked directly at me, "It's time to wake up DJ! You're going home!" She yelled. I reached forward to grab her hand but she faded away. I stood out in the rain staring into my own coffin. Everything faded to black until it was just me standing in a pit of nothingness.

I opened my eyes and was blinded by the sun. I tried to sit up but couldn't move. I looked to my left. There were crates and jeeps and soldiers running all over the place. I looked to my right. There were a few soldiers that I recognized from training camp sitting on a crate near me. One soldier in particular was looking at me. He stood up and put something in my hand. I reached up and opened my hand. It was a piece of paper. I carefully unfolded it with one hand and read, "Levi's dead. Don't send him back to America. He deserves to die in the country he stole from the French." I dropped the paper on the ground and let my arm slowly fall back to my stomach. I was wrapped in bandages and my legs were propped up on a sack.

I closed my eyes to try to go back to sleep, "You can't go to sleep before you get on the boat," I heard the deep voice of the commander but I couldn't see him. I looked left and just as I was about to close my eyes again he walked into the tent, "I'm sorry to say this Donald. But you're getting sent home. You've done enough. Go back to your family. Trust me. With what you've prevented today their future is safe. Thanks to the sacrifices of you , Grace, and Claire. German forces are slowly being driven back with no good intel on our plans. In a matter of months we'll have taken back France and most of Europe. I looked at him. Tears formed in my eyes, "Thank you sir. I did what I thought was right," I said. The commander sat down next to me. He put his hand on my arm, "And what you thought was right is proof of why you graduated top of your group at the academy. He patted my arm and stood up, "Tell Cali that someone will be stopping by within the next week with your medal of honor," He said. I nodded, "Yes Sir!" I said in as stern a voice I could manage. With a slight nod he turned around and walked out. I closed my eyes again and drifted to sleep.

I opened my eyes and the commander was telling two of the soldiers sitting on the crate to help me up. They both got on my sides and lifted my arms over their heads. They pulled me up carefully, "You ready DJ?" The soldier on my left asked. I nodded and they started walking with me down towards Omaha Beach. When we got to the beach I hardly recognized it. The bodies were gone and the beach was cleaned of the military equipment. They hustled me onto the boat and helped me into bed. The soldiers asked me if I needed anything and once I told them no, they went to their own beds. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

I opened my eyes to the two soldiers waking me up. They helped me off the ship and onto the train. They sat next to me on the way home, but I slept. When we made it home the soldiers helped me off the train and onto the station platform. We walked out into the parking lot with the soldiers carrying my bags. I stumbled walking down the steps and almost fell. The soldier to my left caught me and held me up as I made my way down the rest of the stairs, "Oh my god! DJ!" I heard someone yell. I looked up. It was Cali. She was running toward me. I could see tears dripping from her eyes. She hugged me and let the tears flow. "I told you I'd be back," I said to Cali. The soldiers helped me into the car and Cali got in. She started it and went home.