Day Zero
Chapter 11

Day 37:

Strader was absent for the next few days. “I’m going to go replace him” Riley announced as he stood up from the table that morning.

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Abigail asked.

“Yeah he seemed pretty pissed to be honest” James stated.

’I think he just needs to blow off some steam and talk to someone” Riley said.

“Or a h-human punching b-bag” Fabiana said.

Riley sighed “I hope it doesn’t come to that” he said taking one last look at Abigail’s concerned face before he walked out of the cafeteria in search of Strader.

∆∆∆

Strader was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts about his son. A young man who was just a few years older than Riley, similar eyes and brown hair that he liked to keep long before he went to the Great Lakes Training Area and shaved it off. Lance Strader decided to join the Navy three days after he got his acceptance letter to the University of Northern California. He thought back that day.

Are you sure, son? Strader asked.

“Positive. Just like you, dad” he had replied.

Strader hugged his son tightly; his boy had become a man.

There was a knock on his door and a voice that gently asked “Strader?”

When the brown head peeked around the half open door, he almost thought it was Lance back from the dead. But it was Riley, the opposite of Lance, a genius and a bit of a wimpy nerd who had already graduated from Oxford with a medical degree. “What, kid?” he asked.

“I was wondering if you wanted to talk?” Riley asked.

Strader sat up and looked at the boy sadly “Why would I want to talk to you?” Especially since you remind me so much of Lance he thought.

“Well like I said sometimes it helps” he said as he walked into the room and sat down in a chair.

“How long has it been?” he asked.

“Thirty seven days” Strader said.

Riley winced. “You are still in shock you know”

“Yeah…no shit Sherlock”

Riley sighed. “If it means anything…I’m really sorry”

Too late for that, kid Strader thought.

“My dad died five years ago. So I know what you are going through. I didn’t have the shock that you did, we knew he was going to died long before he actually died of cancer” Riley explained.

“I know that since he decided to join the Navy that there was a possibility that he would die. But there are times especially when I heard about a ship being attacked that I wish I never let him join,” Strader said softly. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad.”

“Do you think that he would have been happy if he couldn’t be like his dad?” Riley asked.

“He had just been accepted to college, he could have been like you a freaking genius or something,” Strader found himself saying. “But you are right, he would never have been happy at college.”

Riley chuckled at that. “And you did what every parent would. Let him be happy.”

It was then that Strader allowed himself to feel the emotions that he had bottled up for the past month by climbing with Jimmy, who was doing his best to distract him. He was heartbroken that his only son was killed.

A silence filled the room and Strader felt a single tear roll down his cheek which he quickly brushed away. He knew that Riley had seen it but he remained silent. “I’ll leave you alone. But if you want to talk more, I’m here and so is the rest of the team…well I wouldn’t talk to James he is a bit of a jerk”

Strader let out a choked chuckle. As Riley was about to walk out the door “Thanks kid” he stated.

Riley turned and smiled before giving him a mock salute and closing the door softly behind him.