Take me Home

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The day was gloomy as dark clouds hung low in the sky, waiting to share it sorrows with the weeping men and women that were on the ground below. They all stood tall and stoned faced dressed in their perfect neatly pressed uniforms trying to keep their own emotions at bay. The sorrows of crying women and families were the only other sound aside from the priest reading out prayers of safe passage into the kingdom of heaven.

The priest closed his bible and nodded towards the solider dressed in his ceremonial uniform holding his flugelhorn. Silence was the only sound that could be heard as the last post started to play as family members walked towards the coffin that was being lowered into the ground as they could say their final goodbye.

Marcus watched as a mother wept for losing her son as her husband tried to comfort her. His heart ached for the family and the young life that was taken from them all too soon. He didn't know how long he stood there until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Marcus it's time to leave." He looked towards his brother and nodded his head as he slowly made his way to the grieving family and he felt an ache in his heart.

"Mr and Mrs Taylor I'm sorry for your loss." He grabbed the women's hands knowing if Jade was here she would do this job, but she wasn't. Thinking about Jade made him feel sick and caused his chest to become tight so he gently pushed her aside and focused on the woman before him.

"He was so young." She all but cried and Marcus knew Corporal Tylor was no older than they were with his whole life and future planned out before him.

"His sacrifice was not one in vain." When Taylor's mother started to cry again Marcus knew this was his time to leave, so he nodded politely and took his leave.

Both the brothers said nothing as they got back into their car and drove back to their apartment. It was never easy losing a brother in arms whether you were best friends with them or only knew them in passing.

When they arrived back at their apartment, the rain had emphasised the gloomy day. Marco went to pour himself a drink while Marcus took off his clothes and took a shower wanting to get this horrible day over with. Standing under the hot shower he felt his heart sink wishing that he escaped with more than a few cuts and bruises because he would do anything to go back in time and stop the events that happened or even swap places.

He felt his heart constrict and his breathing picked up as his vision became blurry as a panic attack came over him so quickly he didn't have time to prepare. He stepped out the shower blindly and stumbled into his room with a towel around his waist clutching his chest in pain. He sat down on the edge of the bed trying to take deep breaths before he passed out. Once the panic had passed, he felt tears run down his face.

He sat there crying, something he hadn't done in a while. Tears ran down his face as he covered his mouth with his hand to keep the silent sobs contained. God, the pain that was eating away inside of him was worse than the bullet he had taken. That wound would heal, but this wound, inside his heart, would never go away and the aching that would make any grown man cripple in pain was constant every single day. It was the first thing he woke up to and the last thing he felt as he went to bed wishing that when he woke in the morning, it would all be a bad dream. However, each morning he woke to the same familiar aching pain that wasn't getting better, but worse as each day blended into the next.

He heard a knock at the door, but he was so surrounded by his pain he didn't hear as his brother came in.

"Marcus it will be okay." His brother whispered as if talking to a child. He wasn't the same after the tour. They had only been back for a week and his brother was becoming an unrecognisable version of himself. He tried to hide it, but Marco could see through him, losing Jade had destroyed his brother and he wasn't sure if he would ever be the same.