Surprise - Jake Jensen

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I walked into the airport hangar knowing what I was there to do, what he and I always knew would be a possibility

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I walked into the airport hangar knowing what I was there to do, what he and I always knew would be a possibility. As I walked in, I saw another woman who I knew, Jolene, Pooch's wife.

"Will there be some kind of ceremony?" She asked the army officer who just handed her a folded-up flag and his dog tags.

"There won't be." I said walking up beside her. She saw me and pulled me into a hug, her pregnant belly coming between us. She then looked at the dog tags.

"Where's the ring? There is supposed to be a ring." She said and I sighed being handed Jake Jensen's dog tags and a folded-up flag.

"I want answers!" Jolene demanded and I just sighed.

"We won't be getting them from anyone. This was a secret ops mission. Come on, lets get you to your hotel. You shouldn't be on your feet." I said and she sighed as we walked out of the hanger and headed to the waiting rental car of mine.

I got Jolene loaded in and then I walked around to my side of the car.

"Where are you staying?" I asked her and she shook her head.

'I didn't get a hotel because I didn't know how long I was going to be here." Jolene said.

"Alright I got a double room, you can stay with me for the night." I said and she smiled.

"Thank you, Aria." She said and I just half nodded. I was just driving in a daze. Picking up his flag finally hit me, he was gone. There was no body to bury and all I had left were his dog tags.

"Do you know anything?" Jolene finally asked breaking the silence.

"All I know is what you know, they were on that mission and their chopper exploded, mechanical error. That was all I was told." I explained.

"It just doesn't seem right, something seems off." She said and I just shrugged as I drove.

'It's the government Jolene, we have to go with what they say. We aren't the government." I said and she just groaned but nodded.

We arrived at the hotel in silence, which is how we spent the rest of the night. Besides the normal conversation of what to eat for dinner.

The next morning Jolene and I arrived at the airport. We were both on our way back to New Hampshire where Pooch and Jake bought houses a few blocks away from each other. They couldn't be apart since they were friends. The only reason we didn't arrive together was I wasn't in Vermont when I got the call, I was in New York for work. I tried not to travel for work much anymore and now with Jake gone I wouldn't be traveling at all.

I walked in the front door of my farmhouse and heard the little feet barreling down the stairs.

"Mom!!" My 5-year-old twin boys, Cooper and Travis came running up to me and wrapped their arms around me.

"Hey boys, where's grandma?" I asked.

"In here." I heard the voice say as I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey." I walked up to my mom Debbie and kissing her cheek.

"How did it go?" Debbie asked and I sighed looking at the boys who were also looking at me. They were looking at me with the same blue eyes as their father and it damn near killed me to see right now.

"Can you boys go play in the living room please?" I asked. They nodded as ran into the living room. I looked at my mom and she sighed.

"That well?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, it's not that. It's just Jolene was there, I know she is my friend but I was hoping to get there and out without running into her. I don't know what to say to her. Holding in the fact that Jake called me on a satellite phone 2 days before he died and told me that he wasn't sure when they were making it home. Not something a pregnant woman should hear." I said and she nodded.

"Aria, Jake called to check on the boys. It makes sense."

"Right but she is pregnant, her kid will never have a father This is all messed up." I said she sighed.

"Well besides that, how did it go?" Debbie asked.

"I got the flag and his dog tags...that's all I get." I said and she hugged me.

"You know you got this right? I mean the whole single mom thing. You've been doing it the entire time he was gone, whenever he left, you got this." Debbie said and I nodded.

"I know. I just now have to explain to the boys that the father they barely knew is never coming home." I explained.

I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. The boys were playing with their action hero figurines. I knew I needed to tell them, and I didn't know how...this was not going to be easy.

"Hey boys, we need to talk." I said as my eyes were already filling with tears.

^*^*^

It was months later, and I was sitting at a t-ball game for my sons. Life over the past few months hadn't been easy but we were surviving and getting along with life. The boys missed their father and often asked if I was sure he was gone. I just usually nodded and would walk away because the tears I constantly cried for him would start to fill my eyes.

As I was sitting watching my one son bat my cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Aria, it's Maggie, Jolene's sister. She wanted me to call you to let you know she is going to labor."

"Oh okay, um...I will be at the hospital as soon as I can. My boys are almost done with a t-ball game." I said.

"Sounds good, I will let her know." Maggie said and we hung up. I knew I would have to take the boys with me to the hospital since my mom was out of town with some friends. I didn't mind though, the boys loved Jolene and her family so it would work out.

As the game ended, I rushed up to the boys, "Aunt Jolene is at the hospital having her baby, we need to go." I said. They both got excited, and we rushed to the car so we could rush to the hospital.

We arrived, I parked, and we rushed inside the hospital. Finding the maternity ward was easy, I had been there about 6 years ago pushing out my two humans.

"Mom, will Uncle Pooch be here to see Aunt Jolene have her baby?" Cooper asked as we got on the elevator.

"Coop I have told you and Travis before Uncle Pooch died with dad. They are both gone just like Uncle Cougar and Uncle Clay." I said and they both hung their heads. I knew realization sucked but it was the only way.

I got to the maternity ward floor and walked right up to the desk.

'I'm here for Jolene Short." I said and she smiled at me.

"She will be accepting visitors soon before the birth, you can wait right over there in the waiting room with the others." She said and I smiled.

"Thank you." We went to walk into the waiting room, the lady said others, I figured she meant other families. As we walked in, I looked for a good place to sit with the boys.

"Why don't you guys go over there and get out your coloring books." I said pointing to the small table. They walked over. I just started looking around. As I turned to look at the group of people who were standing there one caught my eye.

"Surprise." My husband, Jake Jensen said standing there smiling at me.

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