A Brother's Homecoming

A Brother's Homecoming

At it's heart, A Brother's Homecoming is a romance story. But with one of the siblings being adopted, I felt I needed to move the story into the Incest/Taboo category since most states in the U.S. deem an adopted sibling the same as a blood sibling (according to law). Even if it weren't so, it would still be a taboo relationship to many people. Also, one of the siblings is in the military, and never having served myself, I hope I got the army 'stuff' correct, as my knowledge comes from what I've read in books, seen in movies, and from my own research. And for those reading who have served or are currently serving in the military, thank you for all you do to keep our country free and safe. And to the families of those serving, thank you for the sacrifices you make as well.

Thanks for reading. Votes and constructive comments are always welcome. Enjoy!

Major David Ross sat at his desk, engrossed in the latest intelligence reports, when a knock on his office door interrupted his train of thought.

"Enter."

Standing in his doorway was his commanding officer and the division chaplain. Jumping to his feet, he quickly saluted and invited the general in.

"Sir. Please sit. To what do I owe this visit? I haven't missed a meeting, have I?"

"At ease, major. And no, you didn't miss anything. I'll let Father Peters explain why we're here."

"Major, I got a request earlier this morning from the Red Cross, requesting emergency leave for you to attend the funeral of your mother. Had she been ill?"

David was taken aback by the news. He hadn't been in contact with his mother for years, and had no idea she was sick.

"Not as far as I know. My mother and I had a strained relationship at the best. When my father died several years back, I was on a mission in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan, and didn't hear about it until months after. She was angry that I didn't come home for the funeral, and that only exacerbated the relationship we had, which wasn't good before that. My sister and I - well, my adopted sister - exchange emails once in a while, but only to say a quick hello on birthdays and Christmas. She must've been desperate to have the Red Cross reach out."

"It sounds like you didn't have the best home life; I had no idea you were adopted."

"Well, it's something that I don't normally speak about unless asked."

"Consider this being asked, son."

David sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about his life before and after he met his second family.

"Are you sure, general? It's really not that interesting, and I hate to keep you away from something important.

"Something you need to remember, major, is that I care about all the men and women who serve under my command. Now, I don't have time to listen to everyone's story, unless needed, but right now, this is the most important thing I have to do today. The floor is your's, David."

Taking a deep breath, David sat back in his chair and began to tell his story, starting when he was 8 years old. His birth parents died in a car accident, so he began to live with a string of relatives who reluctantly took him in. He would live with someone for a year or so until either they passed away or got too old to care for him. This went on until he was 13, when he was then placed in the foster system.

The first family he lived with was wonderful - John and Mary Ross. They had a daughter who was 14, and they owned a successful hardware store in a small town in Iowa. He instantly fell in love with his family, who finally gave him the stability he needed. Julie was a great big sister, introducing him to her friends at school, and including him in whatever she could. He was good at sports and ended up playing football and basketball in high school.

When he was 14, the Ross' asked him if he would like it if they adopted him. Seeing as he had no other family who wanted him, he quickly agreed, and soon he was a full and legal member of their family. He and Julie both worked at the store afterschool and weekends when they could, and life was great. David had loads of friends, did very well with his academics and sports, and best of all, he and Julie got along with a minimum of trouble.

By his senior year, Julie had graduated and gone off to college several states away, leaving him without his best friend. David compensated by throwing himself into his studies, taking as many dual credit classes with the local community college as he could. He turned 18 mid-way through the school year, and it was then he found out the real reason the Ross' adopted him.

David was up late studying one night and decided to get something to eat from the kitchen. He didn't realize his parents were still up, and as he passed by his father's study, he heard his parents talking.

"John, you've got to tell David your plans, and soon. You know he's been looking at different universities, and already applied to several. He needs to know you're going to give him the store to run; you need to tell him that's the reason we adopted him, and he needs to know soon."

"I know. I just need to find the right time to tell him. I don't think he knows I've been taking any correspondence from the schools he's applied to and throwing them away. He needs to think that no schools want him, so he'll feel obligated to take the store over."

"Did you ever tell Julie your idea? Is she on board with it?"

"No, I never told her, but why would she be against it? We're paying for her college, and her law school after that. Why would she complain?"

"Well, you know how close those two are. I think you need to tell both of them, and soon."

David was furious. The longer he listened, the angrier he got. He quietly crept away, hoping his presence was still undetected. He only had 6 weeks of school left, so he knew he needed to keep what he knew to himself for the time being.

Six weeks later it was graduation day. David had outdone himself, earning a GPA of over 4.5 when his honors classes were figured in. He had taken so many dual credit classes that he not only earned his high school graduation certificate, but he also earned his AA degree from the community college, and needed only 15 credit hours to graduate with his B.A. degree from the state university.

That night, everything came to a head. His parents took him out to dinner, along with Julie, who was back for the summer. David was quieter than usual, something that Julie picked up on, but didn't comment on. When dinner was over, John said he wanted to take the opportunity to tell his son and daughter some news - the news about David taking over the family business so he and Mary could retire. Just as he began to talk, David interrupted him.

"Before you say anything, dad, I need to say something first. I overheard you and mom talking a while back about your plans for me, and how you've been tossing my college letters into the trash. To be honest with you, if you would've spoken to me about this, I might've gone along with it. But I have my own plans now. I've already talked to a army recruiter, and in six months, I'm joining the army. I'll have my college degree by then, so after boot camp I'll go to OCS to become an officer. And I'll have nothing to do with you again.

"My bags are packed, in my car, and once we're finished here, I'm leaving. I'm sorry, Julie. I know you had nothing to do with this, but I'm cutting everyone off."

With that, David stood, gave his sister a hug, and walked out of the restaurant and out of their lives.

"Six months later I was in boot camp, and now here I am."

The general and the chaplain were quiet for several moments, letting the story sink in.

"That was quite a way to end things. Did any of you try to make things right over the years?"

"My sister has tried many times, and I feel really bad about ignoring her. Julie and I got along really well, but I felt I needed to make a clean break. I wrote my mom a number times, but nothing ever came of it. Years later I realized that I could've handled the situation better and wanted to apologize to my dad for the way I reacted, but by the time I got around to that realization, the son of a bitch died before I could call him."

"So now it's just you and your sister, correct?"

"Yes, sir. Both our parents were only children, so there aren't any close relatives. Julie is a lawyer and is doing really well for herself. I know she never married, but she's been focused on her career. She must really be hurting with all this. Now I feel worse than before."

"And now you have a chance to try to make things right. Major, I've authorized an emergency two-week leave for you, starting immediately. The Red Cross has you booked on the evening flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, and then on to Des Moines. The chaplain has volunteered to drive you to the Frankfurt airport; you've got one hour to pack and get ready. Don't worry about your duties here - they'll be here when you get back."

The three men stood, and David saluted his CO. Returning the salute, the general then shook David's hand.

"Have a good flight, major. And one final thing - when you see your sister, give her a hug and then let her have a good cry on your shoulder. I have a feeling she truly misses you and will be more than happy to see you."

"Thank you, sir. I'll plan to do just that."

*****

Waiting at the gate, David used the time as an exercise in people watching. It always fascinated him to see the different people in an airport and how they interacted with each other. After a while an older gentleman sat next to him.

"I always love to people watch at an airport. Makes the time pass quicker, don't you think? I'm Richard Lewis, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lewis. I'm David Ross, and I totally agree with you."

"Please, call me Richard. Mr. Lewis makes me sound older than I am. Heading home on leave?"

"An unplanned leave. My mother passed away, and I'm heading home on two weeks emergency leave. Des Moines is where I'm off to."

"Sorry for your loss. But I see you're in the army? Where are you stationed?"

"Not far from here - Wiesbaden. My C.O. was very gracious in letting me have some leave, as it's just me and my sister. I've been estranged from my family for some time."

The two chatted for quite some time when Richard said he was going to get some coffee, and asked David if would like some.

"Yes, that would be great. Regular coffee, black. Thanks."

Soon, Richard was back with the coffee, but made his excuse to leave.

"David, I've enjoyed talking with you, but I need to make some calls someplace a bit less noisy. I hope you have a good trip; try to make the time to get back together with your sister. I'm sure it'll be worth it in the long run."

"Thank you, Richard. I enjoyed our talk as well. And thanks again for the coffee. Safe travels."

A few minutes after Richard left, there was an announcement made in the gate area, first in German and then in English.

"David Ross, if you're in the area, please come see the agent at gate 34. David Ross, please see the agent at gate 34."

Confused, David stepped to the counter and identified himself.

"Thank you, sir. May I see your boarding pass, please?"

"Of course. Is there something wrong?"

"No sir, nothing's wrong. Someone who wished to remain anonymous had us upgrade you into first class for your flight home and back. All he said was to thank you for your service to the country. Here you go, major. Enjoy your flights."

Astonished, David sat back down, wondering who would've done something like this. The only person he spoke with was Richard Lewis, but he didn't seem to be someone who had the wherewithal to upgrade him into first class - twice. But whoever it was, he was grateful for not having to spend nine hours on a plane, jammed into his seat.

Later, as he boarded the plane, David must've looked confused, so one of the flight attendants asked him if he needed any help.

"Absolutely. I've never been in this part of a plane before, and I have no idea where my seat is, so I'll take any help I can get. Thanks."

Soon David and the attendant were deep in discussion as to how first class worked. She told him about the free drinks, how the meals worked, how to operate the entertainment systems - basically, how to have the best flight he could have. David thanked her again and settled into his seat, ready to relax before the inevitable confrontations he faced at the funeral.

By the time his plane landed in Chicago, the final flight to Des Moines had already left hours before. Knowing this, reservations had already been made for him at the airport hotel so he wouldn't have to travel far.

Waking early the next morning, David showered, had breakfast, and made his way back to O'Hare to find his gate for his morning flight. It was a much smaller plane than yesterday, but he was expecting that.

Soon, they were landing in Des Moines, and shortly after, David was on his way to his home town, about a 60 minute drive, not entirely sure how he would be received.

David knew that by the time he reached his town the funeral would be at the cemetery. His family had several plots his dad had paid for years before, so David knew exactly where to go. As he pulled into the cemetery, he saw a large crowd gathered under a tent right where the family plot was. Parking off to the side so he didn't block any traffic, he slowly walked to the tent, joining the crowd at the very back as unobtrusively as possible. He heard the minister droning on about how good a wife and mother his mom was, and he laughed to himself at the irony; knowing how she treated him, and probably his sister, he wondered just how much this minister knew about his family.

Finally the short service was over, and the crowd began to dissipate. David did his best to avoid any eye contact with those leaving, and soon the only person left was his sister, standing over their mother's open grave, lost in her own thoughts. Slowly he walked towards her, and before he got too close, he cleared his throat, trying to get her attention.

Hearing the interruption, Julie turned to see who was still there. Their eyes met, and after a moment, she realized who was standing before her. Opening her eyes wide in surprise, she ran to her brother with open arms. Just in time, David opened his, and grabbed his now crying sister. They stood, holding each other tight for some time before Julie let go and stepped back. She gave him a good, hard look, and smiled a sad smile.

"You came."

"Yes, I came. When your commanding officer and division chaplain both gang up on you, there's not much chance of not listening.

"How are you, Julie?"

"Better now that you're here. Why didn't you let me know?"

"Everything went down so fast, I barely had time to pack my clothes. Plus, I really didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure what my reception would be after all these years, so I decided to just show up."

"I've missed you, David. I've missed you so much. There were so many nights I cried myself to sleep, missing you and worrying about you. And when you didn't answer any messages when dad died, I thought I'd lost you forever."

"Didn't mom tell you? I was in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan for several months on long missions, with no way to get any news from outside. Once we were back I finally got all your messages. I wrote mom right away, apologizing, and asking her to tell you, but I never got an answer."

"Well, by then, mom and I weren't on very good speaking terms, for a lot of reasons, so I'm not surprised she never said anything. But you're here now, and I want to make up for all these years we've missed."

"I want nothing more than to spend the next two weeks with you. My C.O. granted me an emergency leave, so that's how long I have with you now. But I have leave time coming up, and would love to spend it with you. But that's a discussion for later. What are the plans for the rest of the day?"

"The church ladies are serving lunch back at the church, so I need to get back there. And what a surprise you'll be, showing up like this."

The two hugged again until Julie pulled back.

"It looks like I have no way to get back. Can I finagle a ride with you, little brother?"

"Anytime, big sister. Let's go."

Arriving back at the church, Julie and David made the rounds, greeting the friends and neighbors who had given their time for their mother. A while later, Julie was looking for David, and couldn't find him. One of the neighbors said she saw him heading for the garden, so Julie followed. Entering the garden, she saw David sitting on a bench, gazing at the colorful flowers now in bloom. Sensing her presence, he looked up and slid over on the bench, giving her room to sit.

"I'm sorry, Jules, but I had to get some air. It was one thing having everyone thank me for my service, but once they went on and on how good a person mom was, and how everyone missed dad, I just had to get out. They have no idea how badly they both hurt me. Sorry to leave you alone."

The two sat in silence for a long time, Julie sitting with her head on her brother's shoulder.

"Why."

"Why what?"

"Why did you leave like you did? I knew you gave them an ultimatum of sorts, but then you just up and left without telling anyone where you were. Without telling me. Then I hear you're in the Middle East, and even though you never told me, I knew you were in danger. I just knew. And then dad died and we didn't hear from you for months. I was always afraid something would happen to you, and then poof, you show up now."

"I know I could and should have handled everything differently, and in hindsight, I did a lot of things wrong. But they should've told me their plan and not hide it from me like they did. If they would've talked to me about it, maybe I could've seen it their way. But they never gave me that chance.

"I know you had no clue as to their plan, but I was so angry at everyone - at the world - that I just cut everyone off. I'm sorry, Julie, for hurting you like I did."

"But when you heard dad died, why didn't you come home?"

"I was on a secret mission for several months in the middle of Afghanistan, with no contact with the outside world. When we finally made it back to base, I got the news. I wrote mom right away and tried to call her, but she never answered. Apparently, she never said a thing."

"No, this is the first I've heard of it. I suppose she was still angry with you for leaving. But why have you been so distant with me?"

"Mainly because I didn't know how you'd react to me contacting you more that what I do. I didn't know how much mom and dad told you; plus, you had your own life to live and I didn't want to intrude on that."

"David, you have never been an intrusion on my life - ever. Even when you first came to live with us as a foster kid. I was so happy to have a little brother, and you were so easy to like. We got along so well, I was glad to do whatever I could to help you have a normal life.

"And now, you're all I have left."

Hearing his sister cry tore at David's heart. He pulled her close and let the tears flow, holding her until her sobbing ended.

"We probably should get back. Come on, Jules. Dry your tears and come inside with me."

Hours later, everyone had left and the church ladies had boxed up the leftover food to be shared (at Julie's insistence) with all who had helped. Finally, it was only the two of them.

"So where are you planning on staying tonight?"

"I was thinking of the Super 8 for now. There's no way I can stay in the house - too many memories."

"Sorry, but there's no way I'm letting my brother stay at a motel. I've got plenty of room in my condo, so stay with me while you're here. Please..."