ally, Sam's mother, looked sorry. "I didn't mean for it to seem that way. I just had to do something. When I picked up Sam yesterday, all he did was talk about the hike. He told me every detail."
Leo stood still beside me.
Sally continued, looking him straight in the eye.
"Sam said he offered to stay. But you wouldn't let him. You told him, 'As long as we're friends, I'll never abandon you.'"
My heart swelled again.
Sally's eyes filled with tears. "And then you continued."
The room fell silent.
That's when I realized... this wasn't a punishment.
It was something else entirely.
Something I hadn't fully grasped yet.
Sally's words hung in the air.
Then Carlson spoke again.
"We knew Mark, Sam's father," he said.
I looked at him, confused. "What?"
Carlson nodded. "We served with him. Years ago."
"He carried Sam everywhere with him," Sally added. "Wherever Sam couldn't go alone, Mark made sure he didn't miss anything. After... after he died, I did my best. But there were things I couldn't recreate for Sam."
Her voice tightened, but she continued.
"When I went to pick him up yesterday, he was different. The last time I saw him like this was six years ago, before his father died in combat. He couldn't stop talking about the trees, the birds, the view from above... things he'd never seen before. He said it felt like the world had finally opened up to him."
Sally smiled through her tears. Harris did the same.
Leo gave a small smile.
Sally looked at him again.
"And he said it was because of you."
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "I just... carried him."
The other officer shook his head slightly.
“No. You did more. He told Sally that when your legs were shaking and you could barely stand, he begged you to leave him and get help. But you refused.”
I looked down at Leo.
He didn't deny it.
“I didn't mean to,” he said softly.
“I know,” Sally replied.
The second officer, who introduced himself as Captain Reynolds, added, “What mattered wasn't just that you carried him. It was that, when things got really tough, you made a choice. You stayed.”
He paused, letting the words sink in.
Sally wiped her eyes, and so did I.
“When I heard it all,” he said, “it reminded me so much of Mark. The way he never made Sam feel left out. The way he always stood by him, no matter how difficult things got.”
She explained that she'd contacted Mark's former colleagues because she knew what Leo had done was important, not just to Sam, but to her as well.
Reynolds stepped forward.
"We talked about what Leo did last night and came to a conclusion. We wanted to recognize your dedication to the son of our late general."
Leo looked up, now wary, but no longer fearful.
Carlson held out a small box.
"We've set up a scholarship fund in your name. It will be available when you're ready. You can attend any university you choose."
For a moment, I thought I'd misunderstood.
"What?" I whispered.
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