Been Here All Along

35| agony

"Life is scary. You could start your day off with everything you could ever ask for and then end it with less than nothing." - E.D.

*THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW*
*2 months later*

   The musty, early April air filled the sky on April 8th 2023. It was the afternoon by now, but the sun was covered almost completely by dark, sad clouds and the fog was still thick. No one knew it yet, but Massachusetts weather was only matching the mood of the news the world was hesitant to share.

   April 9th came along and the weather was no better. It could probably even be considered worse.

   Ella and James Miller were having a nice quiet afternoon spent indoors with their son, Hayden, and daughter-in-law, Penelope, when there was a soft knock on the door that kept them from going forward with their game of monopoly.

   "I'll get it," Ella offered, standing up. She was sure it was just her neighbors asking if they could borrow an egg or Girl Scouts trying to sell cookies. How was she supposed to guess it'd be what it really was?

   Ella opened the front door to her lovely home in Boston, Massachusetts to reveal two men clad in full army uniform. She's extremely familiar with the two men, Lieutenant Marlowe and Sergeant Nichols, from when Ian was a part of JROTC. She had no idea what brought them all the way to Massachusetts.

"I was not expecting you two!" She grinned.

"Hi, Mrs. Miller." The two men have always been rather serious, as it is their job to be, but their serious expressions were taken to a whole new level today. It was a mixture of solemnity and sadness. "I'm afraid we come to deliver some bad news," Lieutenant Marlowe said.

"I'm sad to say that your son, Ian Miller, lost his fight in battle yesterday, April 8th 2023 at approximately 3:56pm."

Ella Miller felt her world physically stop spinning. She had no words, no movements, no breaths to even take at the sound of the death notification of her 23 year old son.

"Who is at the door, Ella?" James asked coming up behind her. For only a moment was he confused, but when he was handed a box with Ian J. Miller written on it, he could infer what had happened.

Ian Miller died while at war.

Ella broke down after a few more moments of blank stares. She felt her knees buckle beneath her and, if her husband wasn't directly behind her, she would've collapsed. Luckily, he was there to catch her in his arms and hold her tightly.

He had no idea what to say or do to help his wife when he couldn't even help himself.

They lost their youngest son.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" Hayden approached the scene with Penelope in tow. They had heard a loud sob come from Ella and had no idea what could be the cause.

The scene explained itself. Ella sobbing in her husband's arms, who looked dejected and lost, and Ian's JROTC Lieutenant And Sergeant standing at the door with regretful looks on their faces. Hayden Miller knew it could only mean one thing, and he lost it.

"My brother... I—" Hayden took a seat on the couch and allowed tears to cloud his vision. Penelope sat down next to her husband and placed her hand on his back, tears falling from her own eyes.

"We are so sorry for your loss," Sergeant Nichols said, desperately attempting to maintain his strong demeanor.

The truth is, Ian touched the lives of Nichols and Marlowe. He was a cadet like no other: incredibly ambitious and dedicated. They had built a strong bond with Ian, and it pained them to hear about his death.