Mind the Gap: a Spy School Collection

A Mother's Love

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS BASED ON THE UNIVERSE SET UP BY OHC.

United States of America

May 13, 2018

Mrs. O'Shea POV

To be one hundred percent frank, I never expected this to happen on Mother's Day.

Jawa—to nobody's surprise—had finished all the requirements for his bachelor's degree while at St. Smithen's in Washington, DC. Moreover, he had decided to join the Navy, following Seamus's—his father's—footsteps, which again was not terribly shocking.

What was shocking, however, was that my 21-year old son, a lieutenant junior grade and Navy SEAL, was now lying in his old bedroom "sick as a dog," as Seamus said. Jawa was on leave for two weeks when he suddenly fell ill, forcing us to cancel our plan for a brief trip.

Now, I was cooking while Seamus was taking our daughters out for a daytrip, after I insisted that they go take advantage of the day, especially since he was going to deploy in a few weeks alongside Jawa. I removed the pot lid and after stirring it, tasted the dal I had just prepared. After a pinch of salt, it was perfect, reminding me of my own mother's.

Like she and my father alway told me: "remember Dharuna, it does not need to be complex, just good." I smiled at the thought while ladling the dal into a bowl and placing it on a plate along with a spoon, bhakri, and some cooked vegetables. After some maneuvering out of the kitchen and up the stairs, I made it to Jawa's bedroom, where he was sitting up, a mug of hot chai in his hands as he glumly sipped from it.

"Hope you're hungry, Jawa."

"Hello Ai," he coughed as I walked in and set the plate down on the bed tray. He seemed to perk up slightly at the sight of the food, but he was still overall looking very low.

"What's wrong?" I asked while pulling up a chair and sitting at his bedside, putting the back of my hand to his forehead. "Hmm... still running a temperature."

"I feel terrible, Ai."

"I can tell that much."

"It's not just that."

"Let me guess: you feel terrible because your leave is wasted by you being sick."

"That and... well, I'm not supposed to be laid up in bed like this, needing my mother to wait on me hand and foot. I'm an adult, for crying out loud!"

"Putra," I sighed, shaking my head. "It does not matter how old you are or how elite of a sailor you become. You're still my son and I will help you when you need it 'til the day I die. I would be failing my duties as a mother if I didn't."

"I know," he mumbled. "It just feels stupid. 'Specially on Mother's Day."

"Well... you want to know a secret? I wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of you joining the Navy, becoming a... what's it called, a SEAL?"

"Yeah. SEa, Air, and Land."

"Well, from what I understand, they're some of the toughest men in America and they handle some of the most dangerous assignments the government gives them. They went to Abbotobad and killed Osama, after all, something that could've cost them their lives."

"Well... yeah."

"And remember, your father's job as a SWCC is nerve-wracking enough. I'm not fond of the fact that the two of you could deploy and never return. And yet... you seem happy with what you're doing. And you've found a brotherhood, and those men will keep you safe... far better than your father or I ever could. You coming home is the best gift you could give me."