Young Love (Gabentine Fics)

Home Sweet Home

Clementine's POV

"Gabriel Garcia was a hero. He was a loving brother, son, and husband. He served his country and paid the ultimate price with his life. Let us give him a moment of silence as we play the taps."

The trumpet starts playing and I'm numb. Sobs and screams are heard from Kate and Javi as the song plays on and I just sit there.

He's dead. My husband is dead. Gabe is dead.

As the soldiers give a 21 gun salute, I break. Tear after tear rush down my face and I can't breathe. I barely hear the preacher finish his speech and one of the soldiers approach me with a flag folded up.

"On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's service to Country and Corps."

I start shaking my head and hold the flag to my chest. People rise and head up to the casket to say goodbye and I'm the last one up. I rise on wobbly legs and walk towards it. My hand runs up the side and rests on top of it. I wish to see his face one more time but, they couldn't find his body. They only found his hat and it was halfway burnt. I couldn't even say goodbye to him. I fall to my knees and cry out in agony.

"GABE! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME! What am I going to do without you?"

Kate appears behind me and leads me to the car. I give one last glance at his casket before saying goodbye one last time.

Gabe POV

It's been almost 4 months since a grenade rolled into the room I was staying in. Damn thing nearly blew me to pieces but, I jumped out my window just in time. I've been trying to get a ride home ever since but, people aren't too friendly in Iraq. I had to work for days just to get a ride to the thing they call an airport and then work some more for a ride on the plane. Everyday I think about Clementine and holding her. They probably already claimed i was K.I.A and had a funeral too. I grimace at the thought of my family grieving.

I gotta get home. Gotta get to Clem.

Thinking about seeing Clementine motivated me and I worked every hour of everyday, only leaving 4 hours to eat and sleep. But, it was worth it because today I'm going home.

Clementine's POV

4 months. It's been 4 months since he's been gone. I've tried moving on and getting my life back together. I go out with Kate on the weekends and have fun, cook and eat dinner, and read books. The worst part is when I go to bed. I reach for his warmth and come up empty every time. I don't hear his loud snores that lull me to sleep, his wandering hands that touch me as if I'm a fragile doll, and his body that warms me on the coldest of nights. I'll never feel him again. Tears stream down my face and sobs shake my body. My alarm clock screams and I take a deep breath before getting up for another long day without him.

Gabe POV

The plane ride is a bumpy one and I can't say that I'm not afraid because I'm scared shitless. It takes 5 hours to reach the U.S and I want to kiss the ground as I get of that death trap. I enter the airport and request to speak with the police so they can contact my commanding officer. It's no more than two hours when I'm greeted by my Sargent and put on another plane to get home. He gave me another uniform to change into and wished me safe travels. It's nearly 8:00 pm when my plane touches down in Baltimore and I give a smile at my welcoming taxi that will take me to Clem.

I'm coming, Clem. I'm coming home.

Clementine's POV

I finish dinner and start washing my dishes when I hear a car door. I assume it's Kate coming to check on me or Javi coming to bug me so, I don't go check who it is. I'm wiping my glass cup and hear a knock at my front door. I furrow my eyebrows at that because they never knock and walk towards the door. As I open it, the glass cup falls to the floor and shatters.

"I'm home, Clem. I'm home."