Categories > Movies > Newsies > Times Like These

Not A Day Goes By

by Sagey1899 0 reviews

(Co-written with Eve) Mod- War fic 2003-2005 NOT1899 - IRAQ - Jack and the boys go to war. How it effects them and those left at home. PLEASE Don't read if you're gonna flame. It is a little angs...

Category: Newsies - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance - Characters: Bryan Denton, Jack Kelly, Kid Blink, Mush, Spot Conlon - Warnings: [V] - Published: 2007-07-09 - Updated: 2007-07-09 - 2896 words

0Unrated
"Mrs Kelly?" Kristin Davis, a pretty young reporter for the local news approached Sage. Her perfect blonde hair bouncing as she walked.

"Yes?" Sage turned, her belly making the action a little awkward.

"Everything is finished if you'd like to look at the tape and tell me what you think? We can still edit anything you need us too." Kristin said with a sad smile as she handed her a dvd.

"Thank you so much for doing this for the guys, Ms. Davis." Sage smiled back. "And for us. It really means a lot."

"Oh, no problem at all. My dad was in Desert Storm so I know what it's like to miss someone when they're over there. We are sending the full messages to the guys, this is what we're gonna show for the tribute on tomorrow's news. Let me know if you need more copies." She paused for a moment and bit her perfectly glossed lip. "I'm sorry, I have to get back to work now...but if there is anything else I can do to help, please let me know. You're all in my prayers."

"Thanks." Sage watched as the young woman, a little younger than herself, meandered back into the fray. Her camera crew in tow.

"You okay, Sagey?" Eve asked from behind her.

Sage rubbed her squirming belly, put on a brave smile and turned to her long time friend. "Yeah. Let's see how it turned out shall we?" She handed the dvd to Eve. "Is everyone here?"

"I think so." Eve looked around the community center's multi-purpose room. The wives, husbands, girlfriends and families of nearly everyone she knew had converged on the community center when they'd heard they would have a chance to send a video message to their loved ones. "I'll put it on."

"Thanks." Sage sighed and took a seat between Rachael and Liz.

A large tv and two smaller ones, all connected by thick black cables, sputtered with a moment of snow before the screens faded to black and the music started.

Pictures of the group she was sitting with flashed on the screen. They'd even edited the song so there were long instrumental interludes where the interviews could come through.

"I wear his wedding band around my neck all the time and I know he's always with me and I know he's out there doing his job and it's the job he loves. Bring the guys home safe, Jack." Her own voice came through the speakers as pictures from their wedding and other photos of Sage and her children flashed on the screen followed by a video shot of her sitting sideways, showing her belly, and her three small children cuddled around her. Kaitlyn with flaming curls like her mother and tiny Faith, also with thick curls, and Connor both with their father's dark tresses. Both girls had his deep chocolate eyes while Connor's were green like Sage's. "We love you, daddy," they said together.

Sage, somehow, had managed to not cry while filming but tears stung her eyes now as she watched.

"Our daughter sleeps in his shirt... she's only 3 years old and she wears this big old t shirt to bed every night. But she won't go to bed without it now so he's gonna have a hard time getting it back when he gets home" Eve's voice trembled just a bit at the end. She cradled her infant son while Ben, who looked like a miniature Tyler, stood holding Mila's tiny hand in his.

Liz squeezed Sage's hand as her own teary voice filled the room. "Alex is my hero and I love him with all my heart. I'm so proud of him, tell him to hurry home so we can get married." She held the teddy bear he'd given her before leaving and hugged it for dear life as she brushed away a tear.

Sage returned the gesture then wrapped her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "He's lucky to have you." She gave a reassuring smile and a light squeeze. Liz was her strength and had moved in with her when the guys were deployed, to help with the kids. Well that was the idea, but Liz couldn't bear the thought of living in the apartment she and Alex shared while he wasn't there. It was a blessing to them both.

"My husband's currently out at an undisclosed area of the middle east. I wanna say I love him and the kids miss him" Rachael's grip tightened on Sage's hand now. "C'mere guys," it showed her as she pulled her two young boys close to her. Sean's dark auburn hair and crystal blue eyes contrasted sharply with his stocky blonde younger brother.

"Kick the bad guy's butt daddy!" Sean smirked, just like Aiden.

"God I miss him." Rachael whispered to her.

"This morning I had a dream about him and I rolled over in bed and was so excited to tell him and I opened my eyes and he wasn't there" Katie cradled her tiny baby girl up and the camera zoomed in showing the newborn's mess of black hair. "This message is for Sgt. Anthony Higgins. This is the first time seeing his daughter, Lily." Sobs racked the young woman's thin shoulders.

Eve leaned over and hugged Katie.

"He called right after the dream, Evey." Katie sobbed into her shoulder. "God, I miss him so much."

Eve smiled and nodded, rocking her gently.

"It's hard. . . not a lot of information. You wait three weeks for a letter and that's what you hang on to. We've been engaged for a year and this is my first deployment with him too, so it's been tough" Crystal bit her lip as the tears streamed down her face. "I love you Justin. Come home safe."

Crystal twisted the solitaire diamond ring around her finger as she watched the video. Tears streaming down her face as she listened to the words of the song.


Rachael leaned over, her hand on Sage's arm. "Where's Hope? Didn't she come?"

Sage frowned and shook her head. "I haven't see her all day and she never answered her phone. I hope nothing's wrong."

"I'm ready to cry, it's just-" the soft tearful voice of Molly Gallagher matched the young woman's appearance perfectly. She was young, twenty but looked much younger than that and had tears welling in her grey eyes. She cuddled a six month old baby girl on her lap. "Maybe I'll get him back sometime soon so he can meet his baby girl, Adella. I love you Gino." The last words were barely audible as she choked back her tears.

Crystal scooted over a seat and put her arm around the younger girl. "It's gonna be okay."

Molly leaned into Crystal's shoulder and sobbed.

The next voice was that of a young man, a soldier, dressed in his perfectly pressed Army greens. He had three little girls and a young boy gathered around him. "Lute, honey..." He blinked a few times, gaining his composure and then looked up at the camera. "I really thought I would be the one to go, but your number was called instead. We're so proud of you and we know you're doin a great job. We miss ya and love ya so much. Stay safe and come home soon."

Danny "Snitch" Riccio, sat in a row with the few other men in the group. His elbows propped on his knees, watching intently. A picture of the two of them, both dressed in their dress greens. by a large American flag, flashed up on the screen and he swallowed hard to break up the lump of ice in his throat.

"I wish I could be there with you guys..." Allen "Crutchy" Young laughed softly. He too was wearing his army greens. "But I guess that's the way life is, isn't it?" he smiled and looked down at his crippled leg. Crutchy had been injured in a raid toward the end of the first Gulf War and was unable to serve overseas now. Instead, he helped train the new recruits who moved onto the base. A picture of him and all of the guys overseas in Desert Storm appeared on the big screen. "I know you're doing a great job and we'll see you all soon..." his voice cracked just slightly. His fiancÉ, Tiera Newell slipped her arms around him.

"We're waiting to be married until you guys come home... please be careful and hurry back to us."

As he watched, Allen pulled Tiera close. He smiled and gently kissed her cheek, wishing so badly that he could be overseas with his best friends but also thankful to be spared the pain of being separated from the woman he loved so dearly.

Anne Elizabeth Jacobs and Anastasia Rasche sat together on one of the couches and stared up at the screen as their voices filled the room. They were there to send messages to their husband and fiancÉ, respectively, David and Les Jacobs. Anastasia rested her head on her friend's shoulder after running her fingers shakily through her auburn curls. She blinked back tears and tried to focus on the video.

"I love you, Davey." Anne Elizabeth smiled broadly and her dull green eyes flashed. She ran her hand through her long brown hair and continued speaking, her manner quite collected. "Just remember to find strength in the small things, laugh or smile every chance you get and know that you are dearly missed and we pray every day for your safe return to us." A picture of the couple at their wedding reception flashed briefly across the screen before the camera focused in on Anastasia.

As the younger girl spoke, she tried to smile. "Les... I wish we could have had more time together before you left." She gulped and closed her eyes briefly before continuing. When she opened them, their usual golden brown color was muted. "You are my strength in everything I do. Stay safe and please come home to me. I love you."

"This message is for Corporal Richard Hansen, he's the brand new father today of a seven pound four ounce beautiful baby girl." Michaela Cotton was propped up in a hospital bed, cradling her tiny newborn daughter. Kristin Davis had arranged for a remote camera crew to go to the hospital so Michaela could do her video message. The young mother's small frame and her long brown hair being pulled back into a single braid, made her look much younger than her 19 years. Her sky blue eyes focused on her baby, the infant had a small amount of her father's dark brown hair. " Her name is Shelley." She beamed into the camera.

Michaela and "Tumbler's" three-year old son stood next to his mother's hospital bed and smiled into the camera. "I love you daddy... come home soon... and safe."

Zachary "Specs" Winters sat near Snitch and his family. His brown eyes were distant and sorrowful and his expression unreadable as he listened to the video. He held an auburn-haired baby girl on his lap.

"Analise... honey... I don't know how you do it. Your dedication and love for your job and country are an inspiration to all. Thank you for keeping us safe. I only wish I could be there with you. I love you." The little girl on his hip turned her head toward the camera. "Say hi to mommy," Specs said softly. Brianna smiled and her father helped her to wave to her mother and the other soldiers who would be seeing the video.

Aislinn Renea O'Mailey was pacing around the large family room of the Community Center. She was rubbing her year old daughter's back. The baby was crying and tugging at her mother's curly hair. "It's okay, Skylar Elizabeth... it's okay..." she whispered, turning around to watch herself onscreen.

"I guess you could say I'm selfish, because I wish you could be here with me and the baby instead of halfway across the world. But I realize that you are serving a greater cause and they need you more than I do right now. I think of you every single minute of the day and pray for you and everyone else to come back safely to us. Be careful Bryce, come home soon."

All of the kids who were old enough to do so were now sitting on the floor in a large group, eagerly awaiting their contribution to the video.

"USA! USA! USA!" twelve young voices shouted in unison. They were standing in a long line, holding American flags. The girls had red, white and blue ribbons tied in their hair. They waved at the camera and smiled for their parents.

As the next image flashed onscreen, Eve found herself unable to watch. She stood up and placed Phillip in Crystal's arms. She walked to the back of the room and sat by herself, her head in her hands, tears falling freely.

"You are our heros..." Katie, Sage and Jack's eldest child, smiled at the camera. "I love you, Daddy."

"Papi, I wanna be just like you," Ben stood next to Katie, trying to be as serious as possible.

"Show the bad guys what you can do, Daddy!" again, Sean smirked.

The camera zoomed away from the children's faces to reveal the three of them in mini fatigues. Their last names were readable on white patches on their shirts. They also wore small black boots. They saluted the camera and the soldiers who would soon be watching the movie, perfectly in time with one another.

The camera panned out to reveal the entire group, smiling and waving before fading out for a final time.

Eve felt a small hand on her thigh. "Mami... it's okay... Papi will come home soon," Ben said confidently. Eve smiled and wiped away her tears.

"I know... Mami has things to do now, little man, go tell Katie and Sean to get their siblings together. Aunt Liz is going to take you guys back to Sage's house while she and I finish up here." She kissed his cheek and he saluted her before going on his way. The children's obsession with pretending to be soldiers scared Eve. She didn't think she could deal with having to see both Tyler and Ben leave her.

"Everyone seems to love the way it turned out," Sage was saying to Ms. Davis as Eve approached. She nodded her approval. "I think we're all set. Again, thank you so much for everything you have done."

"As I said before, it's no problem, and I understand what you are all going through right now and I wish you the best. Your husbands and friends are in my thoughts and prayers," Kristin responded before returning to her camera crew to get things cleaned up.

"The kids are at home," Rachael informed her friends. "Liz just called... she wants to talk to you, Sage." Rachael handed her the phone.

"Hi Liz what is it? She what? Repeat that I don't think I heard you properly." There was a long pause. "How could she do that! Okay we'll be home soon," Sage said before hanging up. She turned back to the other girls. "Hope is gone. She took off with Shay early this morning. That's why she didn't come." Sage's tone was angry.

The other girls were shocked. They walked out to their cars together, trying to figure out why their friend would do such a thing but were unable to find an answer.

"Um... Sage..." Katie's soft voice interrupted their conversation. She had gone out to Eve's car before the other women came out of the building because Lily fell asleep. "You might want to see this."



Not A Day Goes By - Lonestar

Got a picture of you I carry in my heart
Close my eyes to see it when the world gets dark
Got a memory of you I carry in my soul
I wrap it close around me when the nights get cold
If you asked me how Im doin Id say just fine
But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind

Not a day goes by that I dont think of you
After all this time youre still with me its true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by

I still wait for the phone in the middle of the night
Thinkin you might call me if your dreams dont turn out right
And it still amazes me that I lie here in the dark
Wishin you were next to me, your head against my heart
If you asked me how Im doing Id say just fine
But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind

Not a day goes by that I dont think of you
After all this time youre still with me its true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by

Minutes turn to hours, and the hours to days
Seems its been forever that Ive felt this way

Not a day goes by that I dont think of you
After all this time youre still with me its true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by
Sign up to rate and review this story