Seduced by a SEAL

Chapter 1

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                -Sun Tzu

A loud ear-deafening blast filled the air as the seven guns were fired off in rapid succession of three times. Twenty-one gun salute for the fallen soldier. The one who was one of them and their brother in arms and was now no longer. Their faces were carved out of stone, they were so emotionless when the honour guard stood their lining the cemetery with their guns. Chris was no more with them and none of them would get to hear his jokes any longer.

But that did not matter any more. Lieutenant Nathaniel Lane stood in straight attention with his eyes squinting at the bright harsh morning sun which was coming from the side of the oak trees. The Rear Admiral was giving a speech, talking about honour, commitment, integrity and sacrifice while he could only think that one of his best friends was gone. He was there no longer and the death had happened right in front of his eyes. There had been nothing he could do to save him and Nat knew that it was true but still he could not chase this emotion out of his mind that he could not save him.

Well if he had been able to then he could have probably held his new-born baby girl in his arms today once they came back from their mission. The speech that was being given with all the words rolling off in the air, could not really make an impact on Nat.

Life was short, Chris used to say and they needed to live every single moment to the fullest. Like he did. Carrying a rubber snake and rubber tarantula onto missions just to break off the tension was something that only he could have done. Even just a moment before he died he was happy. Chris did live his life to the fullest but that did not mean that it made the pain any lesser knowing that it was a life well-lived and full-lived.

Their Captain did not know that they would hit McDonald’s the moment all of them were stateside to get one of their chocolate milk-shakes and a bag full of French fries. Chris used to say that they did not really hit the spot like his wife’s fries did but at the least that was something which reminded him of her. When Cathy went into surgery the entire team had been on video-call to see Christina get delivered. That was the one time he had seen Chris extremely worried. After all, even when he was in Iraq, and his wife was back in the States, he still was becoming a father.

No matter where they were posted, no matter what their assignment was the moment he was off duty he would come back home and hit the beach, go surfing and then he would say that he would go home and make love to his beautiful wife. Once he had met Cathy, there was no other woman for him ever. But nothing of that really mattered now. Nat could see Cathy standing there with the baby stroller in front of her. She was trying very hard to keep her face a mask of indifference and seriousness but she wanted to bawl her hearts out and it was natural. It could be seen in her eyes and Nat also wanted the same thing. Either cry or go somewhere and drink himself to a stupor so that he did not feel the pain any longer.

But that wasn’t the Chris they were honoring right now. Here, at Arlington National Cemetery, Lieutenant Chris Hawkins was a soldier. Here, the sacred tradition of honoring the noble warrior focused on service, dedication and sacrifice to country. The entire SEAL platoon in attendance, Nat stood shoulder to shoulder with his team. His squadmates. The men he served with, fought with, trained with. Prepared to offer up the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Later only tonight when they were going to be at their own watering hole, they were going to celebrate the life of their buddy Chris, the one that always made them laugh and one friend that they knew that they could always count on.

He clenched his jaw, his eyes glancing off the flag draped casket, then shifting to the distant trees again when the captain began the ritual of folding the red, white and blue material. As the chaplain offered his final words of comfort, the captain gently placed the folded flag into Mrs. Hawkins’s hands. Nat’s focus locked on that triangle of fabric and didn’t waver as the funeral finished. The people around him moved, shifted, left. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He had no idea what could be said to the widow of a fallen soldier who was alone with a few months old child. What could be really said to her when she had lost her husband at the prime of his life when she knew that the man she had loved and lived for was no longer going to come home and there was nothing she could tell her daughter except stories of her father. The one that she would never see.

His heart clenched at the thought as he remembered that they had all gone to their training together. It was something that had made them inseparable from the very first moment that he had met. And nothing could change that fact that they were all permanently separated now. But he could not focus too much on his own thoughts as a large beefy man joined him for a conversation. Nat was grateful for the distraction provided. He focused his attention towards the Admiral who was watching him carefully with scrutinizing eyes. The Admiral had a head full of white hair, gleaming just like his uniform.

“Lieutenant,” greeted Admiral Night softly,” I know this a hard loss for you personally and also for the team. You have my deepest condolences and my sympathies.”

“Thank you Admiral,” replied Nathaniel as he felt at that moment that he wanted to get the hell out of there.