A.N. This is off from historical time but I wanted Jack to still be young. He doesn't have his daughter in this one I might write another version on this where he's married to Katherine and has his daughter but for now it's just Jack.
Jack walks into the lodging, fresh back from his date with Katherine. The house seems to be unnaturally quiet. Jack knows it wasn't lights out, so there should be boys running around everywhere, and it's not like everyone single one of them went out.
"Guys where are ya?" Jack calls.
"We's in the kitchen." He hears Specs call back.
Jack goes to the kitchen and sees all the boys gathered around the small round table, solemn expressions on all of their faces.
"What's wrong boys?"
"Y-ya ga' mail Jack." Crutchie stutters handing Jack an envelope.
"I get mail a lot boys it's-." Jack stops when he sees the military seal on the back of the envelope.
He heads up to his 'penthouse' needing time to think and be alone. How could this happen? Of all the guys in the country why did it have to be Jack? He had the boys to take care of and things were getting serious with him and Katherine, everything was going right. Jack guessed that was just how his life went, when things seemed to be going fine was the moment everything came crashing down.
"J-Jack?" Crutchie says from the ladder.
"Yeah Crutch?"
"Can I sit with ya?"
"A course."
Crutchie slowly moves and sits next to Jack, "A-are ya scared?"
Jack chuckles, "When 'ave I eva been scared?" Judging by the look on Crutchie's face Jack could tell he was seeing right through his face smile. "I'll be fine Crutch, don' worry."
"Wh-wha' if ya don' come back?"
"Don' think like that."
"Bu' what if it 'appens, ya me brudder Jack." There are tears formimg in Crutchie's eyes.
" 'll be fine Crutchie. It'll be jus' like when I went ta the Refuge."
"Wese knows tha' ya was gonna get outta there though."
"I promise it'll be fine Crutchie. Ya an' Specs know wha' ta do when 'm na' 'ere."
"I guess so." They hear a sound of someone climbing the ladder. "Oh yeah, we 'ad Elmer go an' get Les an' Davey."
"What about Les and me?" Davey asks sitting on the fire escape.
"Jus' tha' we 'ad Elmer get ya."
"Oh, so is it true; are you really leaving?"
"Yeah, bu' is fine youse guys 'ill be fine without me."
The two others look down not knowing how long they'll be without him.
"I don' know 'bout ya two bu' 'm gonna go ta sleep." Jack lays down and stared up at the sky wishing it was Santa Fe. No, wishing it was anywhere but New York. After a while Davey and Crutchie leave and Jack drifts off to sleep.
