Carter's Army - 7. Chapter 7

December 3rd

The truck bounced down the driveway and pulled up besides the Major's bronco. Brody leaned on the wheel and glanced at his young buddy. "Feeling better?" Will nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just panicked last night." He looked up at the farmhouse and sighed, "Now to explain to the Major why I didn't come home last night."

Brody smiled, "I'll come with you, he might believe you if I tell him."

Will licked his lips nervously, "I don't know, you don't know him like I do... he isn't afraid to express himself in front of strangers..."

"How bad can he be?" Brody asked with a wry grin already stepping out of his truck and sauntering up to the kitchen door.

Will reluctantly got out and followed as they walked into the house. And he wasn't surprised to see the Major already sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him. He drew up beside Brody and swallowed.

"Dad..." he said trying to keep the nervousness from his voice.

The Major folded his paper neatly and set it aside and looked up from his breakfast, "Where have you been?" he asked simply. There was no wasting time with the Major, he was always abrupt and to the point.

Brody tried to answer, "He was staying with me, Mister..." "Major," Major Carter corrected as he slowly began to stir his coffee, "And I wasn't asking you, son."

Will stepped up to the table, "It was me, I decided to stay over at Brody's rather than come home that late..."

The Major kept his tones level, a quiet voice that belied an iron resolve, "What are you doing in that jacket? I thought you gave that back." He considered it a moment, "did you lose yours again?"

Will took a deep breath, "I..."

The phone rang mercifully. Jackie answered it as the Major gave it his attention; when she extended it to him, he rose. "Don't move...either of you."

Will glanced over at Brody and mouthed that he was sorry. Brody just shrugged it off; he was used to parent's attitudes towards him, and he didn't let it bother him.

The Major listened into the receiver intently; every so often he glanced over towards Will. Will watched as the Major's shoulders squared and his jaw tensed. The grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. His yeses became more punctuated and Will knew that something was very wrong.

"Thank you." The major said simply as he hung the receiver back into its cradle and stood there a moment as he stared at the wall. Jackie moved in to lay a hand on his arm, but withdrew it when he threw her a look.

Will had never seen that look on his father's face before; something was wrong, very wrong. He stepped forward and arched an eyebrow questioningly, "Dad?"

The Major exploded into action and Will was propelled up against the wall as he threw him up against it pinning him there, "Is it true?" he demanded, almost screaming the words.

The shock of the violence froze everyone in the room, and Will stared wide-eyed into his fathers rage filled face, "What?"

"David!" Jackie yelled as she tried to pry her husband's hands from Will's shirt, trying to get him down, "David, stop!"

"Is it true?" The Major screamed again, "Is what she said true?"

Brody darted into action wresting Will's father's hands from his son, pulling Will free and stepping between them protectively as Will dropped to the ground and scrambled back towards the table. "Stop!" He said holding a hand up.

Will shook in shock as his father tried to move around his friend to get at him again; he had never seen his father so enraged. Even the times when he had lashed out at Will during arguments, he had never thrown such fury at him, never shown such hatred.

"Get out of my way!" the major barked, a terse order.

Brody stared at the man looming over him, and squared his shoulders, "You're going to have to go through me, and when you're done my next stop will be the O.P.P. station, and you will have to explain to them why you beat the shit out of two teenagers." He smiled, "Can you spell deportation?"

He realized he had no other option and the Major turned his back, "Get out!" He demanded.

"Get to the truck, Carter." Brody said evenly, continuing to keep himself between them. He looked up at the larger man, "I'm going to be back in four hours for Will's stuff, have it ready." "Get out!" the Major bellowed slamming his hand against the wall.

Will burst out of the back door and was already scrambling into the truck like a frightened jack rabbit when Brody calmly walked out of the back door. "Run..." Will's father bellowed after them, "And don't come back!"

Brody shook his head in disgust as he climbed into the cab and slammed the truck into reverse, backing away from the house as fast as he could. Will sat in the truck barely focused, staring at his house and his father standing before it screaming obscenities after them.

When they finally returned to Brody's house Lisa was cradling a cup of coffee watching the news. She looked up confused at first, but instantly flew into a protective mode when she saw how upset Will was, guiding him to the couch, her arm about his shoulders. She looked up at Brody for answers and he explained simply about the phone call and what had happened at Will's.

"Jennifer," she snarled like a lioness who had just found out one of her cubs had been attacked, she stood and stalked towards the kitchen as Brody sat down beside Will.

"Dude, you gonna be okay?" he asked in concern.

"What am I going to do?" Will frowned up at him, "What the hell was that?" he asked in confusion, "How did he know... I don't even know..."

"Look, you're staying here until you can get yourself sorted out. Don't worry about that. As for the rest..." Brody glanced towards the kitchen where Lisa was talking furiously into a phone, "Lisa's trying to find out now."

She returned to them a moment later, her face was livid, "I was right..." she shook her head, "She called your dad this morning to tell him... I can't believe her..." she sat down wrapping her arms around Will again, "Will, I'm so sorry..."

Will's head sank against her shoulder as he felt the rush of emotion catch up and overwhelm him as he clutched onto her for emotional support.