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Unconditional Love 16: Goodbyes Monday Evening UVA Hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia Harm and Mac had sped up to the hospital after hearing Mrs. Talbert's news. Gibbs had to stay behind and finish processing the evidence. They walked down the hall to the Neurological ICU wing, and saw Brenda Talbert standing there. Mac enveloped her in a hug and wiped the tears from her face. She took them down to his room and they all sat down. "How did this happen?" Harm wanted to know. "Didn't he have brain activity when he was at Norfolk?" Brenda replied, "Apparently the damage was far worse than any of us anticipated. Even though they were trying to get the poisons out of his body, some of them still made it to his brain and ... and ..." She broke down into sobs. Harm took one of her hands in his and squeezed. "You don't need to tell us any more." She took a deep breath. "Yes, I do. The hospital has asked me if I want a 'do not resuscitate' order put on him. Meaning that if, no when, he codes, they will not do anything to revive him. I've got the paperwork here, I just want you to review it before I sign." She gestured to a plain manila folder. Mac picked it up and read through its contents. "Everything seems in order. It's all right to sign it, if he's brain-dead and you think there's no hope of him regaining consciousness." Her tone made that more a question than a statement. Brenda wiped more tears away before replying. "There's no hope. His body is already starting to shut down. It's just a matter of time." "There's nothing we can say that's going to make this better, Mrs. Talbert," Harm said, "but we do want to tell you that we got the guy who did this." Mrs. Talbert looked up at them. "Eric Matheson?" Mac nodded. "And given the current circumstances, it looks like the charge will be uGSraded to murder." "And he won't get away with it this time," Harm assured her. "Then Ron's death won't be in vain." Harm and Mac looked at her quizzically. She explained. "It's given me the answers on what happened to Nathan. Now I don't have to keep wondering. And Matheson can't do this to anyone else's child." Monday Afternoon (a week later) JAG Headquarters Mac's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and her breath caught. It was Brenda Talbert. "Hello, Mrs. Talbert." "All right." "We'll come down tonight." She ended the call and walked over to Harm's office, shutting the door behind her. "Mac, if you want to be alone-" Harm started in a joking manner. Then he saw her face. "Mrs. Talbert called?" She nodded. "They don't think Ron will make it through the night. She'd like us to come down tonight after work." Friday Morning Funeral Home, Hampton Roads, Virginia The day of Ron's funeral was bright and sunny. Though the burial would happen in his hometown in Ohio, Mrs. Talbert had opted to have the funeral service near Norfolk so as many of his shipmates as possible could attend. Harm and Mac managed to get the day off to come down as well. They were surprised to see Gibbs standing in the back as they walked into the funeral home's chapel. "So the tin man has a heart," Harm whispered to Mac. They took their seats as the funeral service began. Several of his friends from the ship got up to speak about Ron Talbert - funny stories, touching stories, sad stories. Seaman Richardson was the last to speak. "As I was driving here, I was trying to figure out what I would say. You don't expect to give a eulogy for your best friend when you're 20. I had the windows down, and I was praying for inspiration, when a butterfly flew in and landed on the dashboard. It sat there, like it was resting after a long, tiring journey. After a few minutes, I picked it up and let it out the window, so it could continue on its way. "Next thing I know, the butterfly is back in the car - it must have flown in the back window - and now it's resting on the front seat next to me. This may sound crazy, but I started talking to the butterfly. Telling it all the things I never got to tell Ron when he was alive. Things I wished I had had the time to say. "The butterfly sat and listened, and I felt a sense of peace come over me. When I pulled into the parking lot, I went to let the butterfly out, but sometime on the trip the butterfly had died. And then I knew. God sent the butterfly to let me know Ron was safe, and to let me say all the things I needed to. "So God bless you, Ron. I know part of you will always be with me." He held up a piece of paper and began to read.
The End. Dedicated to Tommy - may you fly on eagles' wings. |