"She's done quite well for herself, I hear," Shields finally mused as he continued to stare at the package before him.
"Yes, sir. According to the missus, he's a well-connected barrister who's got his eyes on a seat in Parliament."
Shields sighed. "Yes, yes. A new husband with a real future."
This last comment made the young officer a bit uneasy. "I wonder if she never understood Captain Hogg or what the Army is all about. Seems like that's more common than we'd like to admit."
"Do you understand, Lieutenant?" Shields asked sharply as he looked up. "Does anyone understand?"
Caught off guard, the young officer didn't know quite how to respond. "In truth, sir," he finally answered when it became obvious that the question had not been rhetorical, "I don't much think about that anymore. I, like yourself, just do my duty."
Standing up, Thomas Shields stretched the arm that he had broken in Russia. "Do me a favor, Lieutenant. When you go home tonight, ask yourself that question. If, after careful consideration, yo-j, answer is the same, then pick up the paper tomorrow morning on your way in and start looking through the classified ads for a new profession."
Stunned, the young officer did not respond. Instead, he again asked his commander if there was anything else he required from him. When Shields shook his head, the lieutenant scampered out of the office as quickly as he could, leaving Shields alone with his thoughts, the posthumous medal for Captain Patrick Hogg, and a half-written letter to that officer's former wife.
Wandering over to the window, the SAS officer stared out into the quiet evening. In the end, whether Jenny understood or not, it didn't matter. While she and so many of her fellow countrymen could be casual about such things as duty, honor, and loyalty, he could not. Duty, indeed, was heavy.
But, Thomas concluded as he pivoted about sharply and prepared to call it a day, it was something that he understood. On the morrow, he would complete that letter and arrange a time when those who had fallen in the service of their nation would be given their due. That his fellow countrymen did not appreciate the price his men had paid to keep them safe and free was unimportant. Thomas Shields did. He imagined that every man who had ever stood watch over their nation did also. For now, that would be enough.