Chapter Twelve: Roll Call

The next morning, Simon explained that he had to report in for duty later that same day, everyone was shocked. Well, that was happening a lot, lately.

He sat in an armchair looking over his assignment. He was assigned to the 85th California Regiment of Volunteers as a lieutenant. He looked over his training reports and tried to mesmerize everything he could.

In the kitchen, Alvin was watching. "He seems to really want to fight."

"Alvin, what would you do if you saw someone shoot me?" Brittany said.

"Brittany! Don't talk like that. It makes me feel guilty about what we did just to find out who she was."

"Well, what would you do?" she asked again.

He let out a sigh. "I guess I would be doing the same thing he is." He looked t his wife. "Don't ever talk like that again." He held her close. "I couldn't imagine what I'd do without you." She just nuzzled up to him.

Simon was still going over his notes when Carol came in. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

"What do you want this time? Tell me how all my relationships end in failure?" he criticized.

"No, I just wanted to apologize. I never thought of what had happened."

"Typical northerners." Simon said under his breath.

"Excuse me." She was upset. "What do you mean northerners? Aren't you fighting for the Union?"

"That makes me a Yankee. Not a northerner. You're from Massachusetts, and I'm from California, I'm a beach boy." He pointed out.

"Well, no need to point out the obvious, but I just wanted to apologize about how I acted before. So there." She got up and walked out.

"So did you do it?" Jeanette asked.

"I did. And I went okay."

Back in the living room, Simon was just about done with his reports, when Jeanette came in.

"So you're actually going to do this?" she sat on the sofa.

"Why is it that all of you don't believe it?" He laughed.

"I don't know, it's just, I always thought you were the nerdy type. Like me." She blushed.

"I am." He simply said.

"And this sort of thing was more of Alvin's thing. You know, showing off. Doing anything to get attention..."

In the kitchen…

"I do not do anything for attention. Do I?" he asked while eavesdropping.

"Well, not anymore." Brittany joined in.

Back with the smarty pants…

"So how was life with another woman?" Jeanette asked the question she was dying to ask.

"It was...fun." He said.

"That's it?"

"I don't know. How is it supposed to feel?"

Jeanette just smiled. "Well, at least you're home."

"Not for long, though."

"Yeah, so what do you think about Lilly?" Jean went on.

"She's incredible. You did a good job."

She blushed.

"Looks like you're going to have to keep doing what you're doing…without me." He slunk low.

"Don't say that. You'll be back. Besides, you can handle the teens years."

"Oh, boy." He said with sarcasm. "And to think, I would have had to gone through two of them."

Jeanette, Alvin, Brittany, Theodore, and Eleanor all got confused looks.

"Two of what?" Jean asked. The other four were trying to listen while staying out of sight.

"Two kids."

Jeanette got a puzzled look.

"Well…Angela…Angela was pregnant." Simon looked away.

All five of them gasped.

"Simon, are you sure?"

"Yeah, before we left, she kept throwing up, so we took her to the doctor and she was pregnant." He explained.

"But, you didn't…"

"I didn't want to tell Lilly. Think of how she would've felt. Knowing she lost a half sibling." Simon told her. "That god damn Confederate took a lot from me. I didn't join the army for my country; I joined so I could meet that scumbag on the field of battle. And when I kill him, it'll be an act of war, not murder." Simon's voice rose. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill that son of a bitch and make him pay for what he did."

"Simon!" Jeanette stopped him before he could go on. "Killing him won't bring her back."

"It'll help me." He couldn't look her in the eye.

"If you kill him out of cold blood, you'll be no better than he was." She tried to persuade him.

Simon just glared at the floor.

"Simon, don't do something you'll regret." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. She found the rest leaning on each other and raised a brow. "Were you listening?"

"No…why would you think that?" Alvin struggled to hold the weight of the others.

"What ever." Jean walked on.

"Get off me!" Alvin stood up knocking the others over.

Simon was putting his papers away when Lilly came in.

"Dad!" she called from the door.

"What is it Lilly?"

"Well, what…what if…" she couldn't say it.

"What if I don't come back?" he said it for her.

She just nodded.

"Well, you're just going to have to live your life without me." He simply said.

"How can you say it like that? You might not come back and you're so damn calm!" she shouted.

"Lilly, I know you're mad. But I'm just used to death."

"But I'm not." She cried.

"That's where you're going to have to learn on your own." He knelt down to her. "What ever happens, I'll come home. And I'll watch you get your license, I'll hate your boyfriend, and all that stuff dads are supposed to do." He smiled. "So don't worry."

Then they heard a horn outside.

"It's time." He stood up, put on his blue coat, and holstered his pistol. "I love you." He gave her a hug.

"I love you too." She hugged back.

Alvin and the rest of the family came in.

"See ya Alvin." Simon hugged him.

"Yeah, just make sure you come home." Alvin smiled.

"See ya Theodore." Now, even though Theo was grown-up, there were times he still acted like the baby, and this was one of those times. He rushed into Simon's arms and bear hugged him.

"Ladies…" Simon acted like gentleman and tipped his hat. He walked out and when he was half way down the walk…

"Simon! Wait!" Jeanette ran after him. He turned and at that moment, she pushed her lips on his and they shared the most passionate kiss they had so far.

"Just something for you to come home to." She whispered. When the parted.

"Come on lieutenant, its time." The driver said with sympathy.

Simon put his bags in and got in the passenger seat. He took one last look at his family and they were off. Now all that was needed to be done was win the war…

Sounds easy enough, right?

And that concludes this story. Be on the lookout for my next story, the Broken Path, where we go with Simon through the Second American Civil War