Be My Soldier Forever

Ep. 56

Two months have passed

 

Frans and Vania send each other letters every time. When they first started sending letters to each other, Vania always collected all the letters from Frans and then kept them in a box. She would see him every day and cry, but she had to stay strong for her baby, and her brother. Alice and Alan are growing all the time and she hopes Frans can see it. All Frans could think about was his family; he tried his best not to be distracted on the pitch. He has to stay alive. Frans sat on his bed and one of his friends, Anthony, came in.

"Are you okay, buddy?" She asked. Frans looked at him and smiled. "That's not a good answer, man.."

"I'm fine." He replied, without emotion.

"I know you miss your family, but mother means you have to hide here like a child."

"I'm not hiding." Frans chuckles.

"Maybe not, but you completely isolate yourself from others.”

"I don't want to see anyone, except my family."

"Four months we'll be back, you'll see them soon."

"Four months feels like a year." He stroked his thumb into his family photo.

"You want advice from me?"

"Please." She's staring.

"Live yourself up, interact with the people here, time will pass and before you know it you're going home with your family" Anthony put his hand on his shoulder.

"That sounds, it's not that easy." He looked back down.

"Indeed, but just follow my advice and you'll be fine."

"You're right." Frans wakes. "Where is everyone?"

"In the waiting room, let's go."

 

In-house..

 

Vania is writing another letter. He would write at least five letters each day, but in the end only sent one. He wrote as if Frans was next to him. She then heard Alice crying, so she went to the nursery and took Alice.

"Shh, it's okay, baby." He swung his arm around to sleep, and then put it back in his crib. Vania looked at Alice and Alan; she still could not believe she was a mother. He smiled and thought about the way he cared for the two humans that belonged to him. Then he thought of Frans, who, at last, became a father, and then he left. He didn't even get the chance to actually spend time with them; he tried his best to be with her. Tears were flowing down his face. He saw Alan looking at him and trying to smile, but he just cried again. She started crying too. She may be a child, but she knows who her mother is, and no one likes to see their mother in pain. Vania picked it up and swung it, but she was not calm. He's stubborn, just like Frans. Bram came in and saw the two of them crying. He went to her and took Alan.

 

"Bram, it's okay."

"Go get some rest, Van. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

"But-"

"Go." He commanded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go." Vania looked at them, and then went inside her room. He lay on the bed, curled up, and cried. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly, hoping it was Frans. He was always strong when Frans left before, but this time it was different. Frans not only misses Bram and her, but now she has two children. Two kids growing up without their father. Frans always wanted to be the best dad he could be. Vania knows, but she can't be the best dad here with her kids, instead she's thousands of miles away. He only needed her here with him more than ever. Finally, after much crying, she fell asleep. Bram came to his room and then woke him up.

 

"Van?"

"Mmm yeah?"

"Wake up; I have a surprise for you." He had a big smile on his face.

"What's that?"

"You get up first" Vania got up and Bram dragged her into the living room. Alice and Alan were sitting in their chairs next to the computer. Bram sat Vania in the computer chair.

"What the hell is going on?" He looked around, confused.

"You'll see." Bram clicks the button and Frans appears on the screen. Vania's eyes widened and a wide smile appeared on her face. The kids are smiling too.

 

"French?" He quickly repaired his hair.

"Hi, baby." Frans said with a big smile on his face.

"How's it?"

"I think we have a computer." They both laughed. Vania put her hand on the screen. "I miss you."

"It seems you've been crying." He scrunched his eyebrows.

"Yes, um, I ..." He tried to turn his face away.

"Don't tell me you're crying because of me ..." He sighed. "Van, I don't want you to cry for me. I'll be fine."

"I just wish you were here."

"me too. Where's my little angel?" Vania smiled and put Alice and Alan on her lap. "Hi Alice, Hi Alan." They both smile. "They're big."

 

"Every day."

"Make sure they haven't walked I'll say the first words to them when they've started walking." They both laughed.

"Don't worry; you'll arrive home in time to see him walk."

"Yes, I'll. I'm thinking of all of you. The kids and Bram too."

"You're all I think about."

"I miss you so much, baby." Vania started to cringe as she heard some screams. "They called me."

"No, please don't go first."

"If I could, I'd stay here all day and talk to you. I love you, baby. I really love the kids and Bram. I miss you all so much. I'll talk to you all later."

"No, please. I love you." He put his hand on his face, on the screen.

"I love you, Van." She ended the call and Vania cried. She misses him so much. She looked at her children and tried to smile. He got up and put it on their dining chair.

"Time to eat." Vania said to them. He walks into the fridge and picks up their milk that he put in the bottle. He walked into the microwave and heated it. Then he fed them. Vania confronts them while they eat. He smiled and was happy that they were here with him and Bram. Frans will be back soon, and if Frans comes back he'll never let Fran go again.

 

 

The next day was totally unexpected. Vania wakes up because her baby is crying like crazy. He tried to calm them down, but they kept crying. It was four o'clock in the morning and Vania had just gone to bed. He felt the faces of his two children burning hot. He had no one to call and ask what he should do, so he went to the hospital.

Frans woke up panting, as if sensing something bad premonition had happened. His bedmate heard him, so he also woke up.

"Frans, are you okay?" She asked. Frans did not answer. No words could come out of his mouth because of how scared he was. His bedmate, jumped down from the top bed. He looked at Frans.

"French?"

"Hm?" Frans was just looking at him.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know, I had a bad dream. My house is on fire, my wife, kids, and Bram are all burned to death and I'm just here, not there, protecting them."

"Frans, they're fine. You worry too much, and you protect them. You're here, protecting them from the bad guys."

"It's not the same." He shook his head.

“four more months you can go back to your family and not have to come back here."

"The thing is, I like to do this, but I can't stay here. My family needs me, and I need them." They heard the sirens that we had to wake up.

"You'll be with them soon, but now we have something to do." They got up and got ready.

Vania holds Alan in her arms while Alice is examined by a doctor. She is nervous and she needs Frans to comfort her, to hold her hand and tell her that all will be well. The doctor returned to the room with Alice.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. He already knew that Alan was fine because the doctor had examined him, but Alice was examined longer than Alan.

"He's just a little cold. Alan was crying because he heard his sister crying. Take her home and cover Alice with a lot of blankets. Take this medicine and give it to her before she falls asleep and when she wakes up. Make sure he stays away from Alan until his body temperature starts to drop, you don't want him to move it, right "

"But how can he be like this?"

"Weather, he's like this because of the cold air. Take him home and do as I say and come next week for another check."

"Thank you doctor." Vania put them both in the stroller.

"No problem, Vania. And this is for you." He handed the paper to her.

"What's this?" He read it and looked at it. "Rest me?"

"Yes, you need it."

"But-"

"No, it's your medicine." He smiled and walked to his car. He goes home and puts Alan in his bed and gives Alice the medicine. He covered her up and watched her until they fell asleep. She then went to her bed and her eyes finally closed and she started thinking about Frans face.