Personal Justice

The Funeral

a/n: I know it's been a few years and I know none of you are still reading this but I took a break from writing that was supposed to be a few months max and it turned into a few years. But recently I realized how much it did for me and I'm in college now and really need something to keep me on track so I thought I would pick this story back up.

Todays the day; Scotty's funeral. I am a ball of emotions and I'm trying my best to hold it together but then I see his high school girlfriend and I fall apart. She reminds me of all the memories we shared growing up, all the times he saved me, and the time he saved me when I was grown. It hits me that I will never see him again and he will never come to my rescue again. He is my brother, or was, as much as Leo is. I look at Emily and it's like she can hear everything I'm thinking and she grabs my hand, looks at me and asks me if I'm okay. I don't know what to tell her. If I lie and say I'm fine I will fall apart but if I don't I will fall apart. It's bad enough that everyone is already looking at me with pity from my wheelchair and all my scars, I don't need their pity from being an emotional wreck. I just shrug and lean into her arm and continue listening. Elaina didn't know Scotty as well as the rest of us but she did know him and she heard a million stories about him growing up and this is the first funeral she's ever been too besides her fathers which she doesn't remember so it's hitting her really hard. Leo, Emily, Tristan Elaina and I are all in the front row with his parents and younger sister and anyone with eyes could see how hard we were all fighting to keep it together. The priest asks if anyone would like to say a few words and his mother stands up and talks about how good of a son he was, then his father talked about how kind and resilient he was. Then Leo stood up and immediately I could see him tearing up. He got on the stand and said, "Scotty was my best friend and the best person I could ever ask to be by my side. He was the best man at my wedding, the first person I told when I proposed to my wife, the first person I told when I got the job in the UK, the first person I called when I got out of bootcamp, and all around the person I wanted to tell all my firsts to." At this point he was pretty much speaking in between sobs, "And I-I, I just want to say how much I love him. The world will laugh far less and shine less without him. He didn't deserve to die, and definitely didn't deserve for his story to end. He wanted so much more out of life," Leo was sobbing so hard at this point that the words were becoming incoherent. I looked at Emily who was tearing up and I was doing my best to hold it together but failing. I look up at her and ask, "Help me over there."

"Y/n, you don't have to," she practically pleaded.

"Yes, I do," I responded. She helped push my wheelchair without bumping into anyone else and brought me up to Leo where I looked at him and nodded as I grabbed the paper he was reading on.

"When I met him, the world seemed to open up. I saw the light at the end of what I thought was a very dark tunnel and Scotty made me realize all the potential I had. I credit him with everything this life has granted me. He is the reason I am who I am, and without him, I feel lost. But I feel his spirit with me, it willed me to write this eulogy and it willed me to talk about how bright of a person he was. Scotty inspired me and continues to with his strength. He called me when he was getting stationed in Afghanistan and told me he was scared, so I told him what he told me when he encouraged me to enlist in the Navy, 'Balls to the wall dude, you got this'", I chuckled as I read that and so did everyone else through tears, "I know it's stupid and juvenile but that will stay with me forever and I will hear his voice until the day I die. And I will wake up every morning hoping to hear from him. Thank you Scotty." I finished and Leo hugged me and sat back down and I stayed up.

"I have a few words to say about him as well. When I first met Scotty he was my older brother's stupid friend who came to his dads house every week for outrageous bonfires where they did the most stupid high school stuff. I was 12 the first time I was invited to one of those bonfires and it was genuinely one of the best days. We played never have I ever and truth or dare and knew I was 12 but didn't make me feel like a little kid. I was going through alot at that time, and he was the one person who, for just a night, made me feel safe." I looked at Emily who was giving me a look of love and sorry, "Scotty was always there to protect me and save me, from when I was a kid to now, he was always there when I needed him. I will miss him so much, and I will miss him being there with a save when I need it, but he gave me the strength to save myself and I will always be greatful for that. Scotty was one of the most giving people I ever met, not of simply material objects but of morals, and if my 12 year old self would have known that when I met him, I would have taken him a lot more seriously and I would have appreciated our time together so much more. Thank you Scotty."

I started to roll back to my spot and Emily came and helped me. The service ended with a prayer and his old Army squad saying goodbye and Tapps playing. We all went back to the cars and drove back to Tris and Leo's where we sat in the kitchen in silence and processed what just happened. After a few minutes, Leo starts going through all the cabinets frantically looking for something, "What's wrong, what are you looking for?" I asked worriedly and curiously.

"I just remembered, Scotty gave me a bottle of scotch when he left for Russia, he said we would drink it when the job was done." He cried and we all started looking.

20 minutes and a torn apart house later, we found it and Leo started pouring glasses and left me out, "Hey, I want in on this action." I said when he skipped mine.

"You shouldn't be drinking on your medication," Emily reminded me.

"One small drink isn't going to hurt me, I want this last memory of him with my brother and Tris and everyone." I choked up.

"Uhhh, she can have mine." Tris said hesitantly.

"Why?" We all asked curiously.

Tris has never been one to turn down a drink so we were all confused, "I didn't want to tell you guys today..."

"Tell us what?" Leo responded with a curiosity and twinge of excitement.

"I'm pregnant" Tris responded with a smile.

We were all super excited and congratulated them.

"I'm gonna be a dad again?" Leo responded with a huge smile.

"You're gonna be a dad again," Tris responded excitedly, "It's still super early I'm only about 5 weeks but I have a feeling it's gonna be a boy. I have a name in mind." She looked at Leo who had a smile and was starting to cry.

Leo picked up Tris and spun her around with excitement and giggled, I've never heard him laugh like that. He was so happy but I started thinking.

"Wait, Leo's only been home like 5 and a half weeks." I said hesitantly.

"Yeah when we found out you were awake and after I talked to you, we may or may not have snuck off to a private bathroom." Leo said with a guilty smile.

"You did not!" I responded with shock, "I was at death's front door and you two were having the time of your life in the hospital bathroom!" I exclaimed and started dying of laughter, subsequently Elaina walked over right as I said that.

"And thats enough of life, I think I'm gonna go die real quick." She said as she fake gagged and walked back.

We all erupted with laughter and Tristan told her to come back and told her she was going to be a big sister and she was so excited she forgot about the whole bathroom conversation earlier. In this moment, for the first time in weeks, I was truly happy, and nothing could change my mood.

Until my mom walked through the front door.