Chapter 10 - The Face on the Tape
Daniel appeared on screen smiling.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
He was alive again.
Not dying.
Not bleeding.
Laughing.
“Okay,” he began, “this is weird.”
Thomas sat beside me.
Dad sat across the room.
Daniel continued.
“If you're watching this, Vivian, either I finally got brave enough to introduce myself or something went very wrong.”
I smiled through tears.
“I’m Daniel.”
Dad covered his mouth.
Daniel told the camera about Elaine.
Thomas.
Robert.
Then he laughed.
“I saw you yesterday. You scared the hell out of three senior officers without raising your voice. Definitely my sister.”
Thomas laughed.
So did I.
Then Daniel grew serious.
“I don't know what Dad told you about me.”
Dad bowed his head.
“But don't hate him because of me.”
I looked at my father.
Daniel continued.
“He was a coward when he was young. Maybe he still is. But people are more than the worst thing they’ve done.”
Dad began sobbing.
I hated how much those words affected me.
Because Daniel had given our father mercy before receiving any himself.
Then he said:
“If I get home, I want us all at one table.”
He smiled.
“You. Me. Thomas. Dad. Whoever else we've collected by then.”
The video ended.
Silence filled the room.
Thomas finally said:
“We can still do that.”
Dad looked at him.
Thomas swallowed.
“Not exactly how he wanted.”
A week later, we gathered at my house.
Mom.
Dad.
Lillian.
Nathan.
Thomas.
Samuel.
Daniel’s empty chair sat at the table.
On the plate rested his photograph.
Dad raised a glass.
No jokes.
No speeches about success.
He simply said:
“To Daniel.”
We repeated it.
For once, nobody needed more words.
Then Lillian suddenly gasped.
Nathan jumped up.
“What?”
She stared at him.
“My water broke.”
Nathan went white.
I stood.
“Commander.”
He looked at me helplessly.
I pointed toward the door.
“Move.”
And within sixty seconds, Rear Admiral Vivian Morgan was running another emergency operation.
May you like
Only this time, everyone was laughing.
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