Maybe One Day

Chapter 1

1 YEAR LATER

Sergeant Jay Halstead stood at attention next to the casket that was propped up over the freshly dug grave at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery as the service began. The taps, or horns, blew and echoed on that cold Chicago morning. Jay's eyes didn't move even though he had become slightly distracted by the loud uncontrollable sob coming from the slain soldier's wife and children. The shots from the shotguns rang in the air causing the guests in attendance to jump, but Jay Halstead stood firm in his place. Sadly, he had been to too many military funerals to be startled by the noise.

Jay turned abruptly to his side to face the casket as did the soldier on the other end. They reached for the ends of the flag that was resting over the casket on their respective sides. Once Jay nodded, which was his signal to the other soldier to proceed to the next step without having to voice a command, they stepped to the side and began folding the flag. Once the flag was folded into a perfect triangle, Jay turned the flag over to place it between his palms. He raised the flag slowly as the other soldier saluted, and Jay nodded again dismissing him to return to his spot. Jay knelt down on the ground in front of the soldier's wife, someone he had gotten to know quite well over the years since Jay had served with the soldier personally for years before joining the reserves, and placed the flag into her lap his palms still resting on it.

"On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service." Jay whispered in a soft voice, locking eyes with the weepy woman.

Once she thanked him, he stood to his feet, and returned to his place next to the casket. The casket was then lowered into the ground, and the service ended. Jay watched as those in attendance left and once he was the only one left, he embraced his friend's wife in a hug to comfort her. After he embraced her, he hugged each one of the children who had just watched their father be buried.

"If you need anything, Jess, you let me know." Jay told her after he finished hugging and telling the kids that they should be proud of their father for his service, and that he was always going to be in their hearts.

"I will. Thank you for being here, Jay." She replied. He watched as she and the kids said some final words and began to leave the cemetery.

Jay looked over his shoulder at the grave one more time before following them out of the cemetery. Instead of attending the little get together in the soldier's remembrance that Jess was holding at her house for family and friends, Jay decided he'd make sure that he had all his reserve paperwork and post-duty paperwork filled out and filed which he was sure was going to take the rest of the afternoon. While he had pre-decided that he was going to head to the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department in the morning to make his reappearance, he knew that it was a Thursday night and the unit would be gathered at a local bar named Molly's after shift and would just make his appearance then.

XOXOXO

After spending four to six hours at the US Army Reserve Training Center off of Pulaski Road filling out and filing paperwork regarding his most recent deployment and the funeral of one of his dearest friends to make sure that Jess didn't have to stress about too much, he decided that it was time to call it quits. Jay exited the building, sliding his red beret over his head that went with the dress uniform that he had worn earlier to the funeral and was still wearing. He crossed the gravel parking lot and he hopped into his car the moment that he arrived at it. Staring it up, he reached for the heater and turned it up two notches holding his hands over the vents to warm them up. The small trek from the building to his car had made his hands feel like he stepped out of an icebox.