Chapter 72

Jake sat at the kitchen table and sipped at his coffee as he tried to get one of his parents to answer their phones. "This doesn't make any sense", he said. It had been exactly what he was thinking.

Delilah, who didn't have any clients until that afternoon, looked at him from across the table. "What's wrong, Jakey?"

He smiled slightly at her pet and for him. "Neither of them are answering their phones. Dad usually answers just to tell me to bugger off. He and Mom are sleeping and don't want to be bothered."

"Maybe we should send one of the older kids out to check on them?" she mentioned with a shrug as she sipped at her morning cup of green tea.

He shook his head. "Nah. I'll go out there in just a few. I'm sure it's nothing but I've got a strange feeling and I don't want Ira or Miri happening upon something unpleasant if something is going on."

She nodded. "If that's what you feel is best love." She stood and made plates when the two older children in question walked into the room. "Where are Gramma and Grampa?" Ira asked.

"Still out at the cottage", Jake said with a sigh. "I can't seem to get either of them to answer their phones."

"They probably turned them off Daddy", Miri laughed. "Isn't Grampa famous for that?"

Jake nodded. "This is true and thus the cause of my worry. Both of their phones are ringing through then going to voicemail. It's not sitting well with me."

"Then let me go check on them", Ira said with a shrug. "Jax and I can go out and see if everything is on the up and up."

Jax spoke up. "It's very possible that they have their ringers off so that they can't hear their phones. I know my folks do that when they want a little alone time."

Jake nodded. "That is very possible and thus why I'm not going out there just yet. My parents are rather infamous for their hunger for each other. I'm not about to get cussed if they are out there making love."

"Surely their sex life isn't that active. I mean, they're in their 80's."

His future wife and in laws all gave him a dirty look. "Apparently you don't know my grandparents very well", Miri said.

"Dude there have been times that I've gone out to pick them up alone and I had to turn around because I could hear them from half way out. This was just after their doctor made them stop traveling so much", Ira said. "I have to tell you, bro, the sound of my grandmother reaching her climax is a sound I will never forget", he chuckled.

"One thing no one could ever accuse my parents of was not being in love", Jake said with a grin. "They've always been so passionate about their relationship. They would actually use sex as a form of negotiation."

"I'll never forget when you had your meeting with the Director of Veteran Veterans' Affairs and your Mom decided to 'convince' Dad to pay for my Body-Mind training", Delilah laughed.  "That was too funny.  I was shoo'd off so that she could do what she had to do."

"I don't remember that", Miri said.

"You weren't even a thought at that time", Jake said. "Your Mom and I had just gotten engaged about a week before."

"Ah. That makes sense. No wonder I didn't know that story. Guess you learn something every day."

---------------

After finishing his coffee and breakfast, Jake finally got around to heading out to the cottage to check on his parents and see if they were ready to come in for the day. If they weren't coming in, that was fine. There wasn't really a lot that the two of them would be able to do in the house anyway. With their health and the lack of activity in the house, they would probably be better off staying in the cottage.

As the golf cart approached the cottage, he noticed that there was a distinct lack of activity going on in the small house that had once been a tactical base ten years before. He pulled the golf cart to the door and got out, knocking on the door to let them know that he was there. "Mom, Dad, it's Jake. You two ok in there?" Silence. He knocked again. "Mom. Dad. You up?" Still no answer. The. He remembered something that his father had said a little over a year before. If they were both still asleep... Oh God. He checked the front door. Locked. He pulled the key out of his pocket as he spun himself down into the mindset that he needed to assess emergency situations.

As the key slid into the lock he went from being their son to being an ER doctor that was about to check DOA's.

There was no noise in the small house but the central air conditioner that cooled the house. It was an eerie feeling. The bedroom door stood open and he had a clear shot of how his parents were laying from the knees down. They were laying spooned together, his mother's back pressed to his father's chest and his arm wrapped around her waist. They looked like they hadn't moved all night. He steeled himself for what he was about to find, forcing his legs to move with purpose into the bedroom.

He went to his mother's side of the bed, grabbing her wrist to check her pulse but being careful not to move her too much. She was cold as ice and there was no pulse. He took a deep breath and checked his father, using the same care. Nothing. His pulse caught in his throat. They really were dead. They slipped away in the middle of the night. His hands started to shake as he made his way out of the cottage and into the August morning. As he pulled the door closed, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and called Jeremiah. "Bro, you home?" he asked as his voice trembled.

"Yeah. Why is your voice trembling, Jake?"

"Call the coroner. Mom and Dad are gone. Let Delilah and Jona know to start making travel arrangements. When I get back up there we'll start calling our brothers and sisters then we'll start pulling the kids from their activities and let them know to start packing."

"Yeah, we'll do that. I'll talk to the girls while you head back this way", Jeremiah said, his voice void of emotion. He'd gone numb. "See you when you get back up here."

"I'll be there shortly." Jake hung up and got back in the golf cart. The drive back to the house was one of urgency because of the laws of their heritage and the time constraints he was under. He had three days to orchestrate the transportation of his parents' bodies as well as the ceremony to have them buried. Talk about an impossible task.

When he came in the back door he was met by his wife, who threw her arms around his neck. She sobbed silently into his shirt as he held her tightly and tears leaked out of his eyes. "I can't believe they're gone already", she said softly.

He took a shaking breath. "Neither can I", he said softly. "Have you told Miri and Ira?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I figured that we should tell as many people at once as we can. Jeremiah's calling everyone that's local and having her come over so that we can tell everyone all at once. The coroner's office is on the way. He called us all at the office and Jona and I booked it home. Maddie went home to get her family and they're coming straight here. I sent Miri after Sammi and Ira after Seth seeing as Sammi's at the school and Seth's at the library.  Jeremiah and Jona are calling Malachai and Jordan, as well as the Masons so that we can tell everyone at once.  The only people that know are the four of us.  I didn’t even tell Miri and Ira.”

He nodded.  “Good.  I need to head up to my office and get into the wall safe.  I put Mom and Dad’s Living Will and Last Will and Testament in there.  I need the living will so that I know what to get to the funeral home in Israel for them to be buried in as well as what funeral home they want to be taken to.  Come get me when the coroner gets here and I’ll talk to him.”

She nodded.  “After you deal with the coroner and the family is making their arrangements, we’ll start packing and see about getting them overseas.”

He nodded.  “Alright.  I’ll be right back, baby.”

She kissed his cheek.  “Ok.  Be strong, baby.  As soon as we’re on the tarmac, you and I will have a good cry or something like that over this.”

“We can do that.”

---------------

After dealing with the coroner and waiting for the family to gather, Jake stood in front of them all with a heavy heart.  “I have some very bad news, everyone.  Mom and Dad passed sometime in the night last night.”

“WHAT?!” was the general response.  They were all in shock.  “Does everyone else know yet?” Maddie asked.

He shook his head.  “I was hoping that you would all help me out with that.  Jeremiah and I have a lot going on here.  We’ve got to get our families ready to fly out to Israel for the funeral.  We’ve got to get them to a funeral home here so that we can get them there.  I’ve got the figure out how I’m going to get them from here to there.”

Reece spoke up.  “Jake.  Let me make a phone call and I’ll see if I can get you a private plane to get them from here to there.”

Jake nodded.  “Thanks Reece.  That would take a LOT of the burden off of me and solve my problem of how I’m get to get Mom and Dad from here to there in three days’ time so that they can be buried according to Jewish law.”

“Like I said bro, let me make a call and I’ll get you a private flight.”

He nodded then started handing out assignments.  “Maddie, I need you to do PR for me please.”

“You want me to handle the obituary and the millions of magazines that are going to be calling once this hits the presses?”

He nodded.  “Yeah.  I’m sure that someone in the coroner’s office is going to open their mouth and Rolling Stone or someone and this shit is going to spin out of control.”

She nodded.  “I’m on it.  I can do that for you.  Is there anyone you want me to call?”

“Meagan.  Give her a call and tell her to dust off her passport.”

“Got it.”

Jake looked at Malachai.  “Call James and let him know what’s going on.”

He nodded.  “Got it.  I’ve got to call Miranda while I’m at it.”

“Do that.”

“On it.”

To Jordan he said, “Can you give Makayla a call for me and tell her what’s going on?”

“No problem, Jake.  Consider it done.”

“I’ll call Marc while we pack to leave”, Jeremiah said.

Jake nodded.  “And I’ll give Jessi a call.  She’s got most of Mom and Dad’s clothes.  I need to go out to the cottage to see if they have the clothes that they want to be buried in out there or not.  If not, I’m going to get Jessi on looking for it so that it can all be taken to the funeral home and waiting on them when they arrive.”  He took a deep breath.  “Before everyone leaves, I need some volunteers for pallbearers.  I’ll need six per casket to unload them from the plane.  Those twelve will have to either fly out with us or soon after.”

“We’ll do it Dad”, Ira and Seth said.

“You don’t even have to ask”, Isaiah and Eli said.

“I’m in”, Colt said.

“Me too, Uncle Jake”, Asher said.

Jake nodded.  “I need four more.  I know Marc will want to do it, as will Josh.  So I need three.”

“Save a spot for Zeke”, Maddie said.  “He’ll want to do it.”

“As will Hunter and James”, Jordan said.

“And if you and Uncle Miah want to sit out, I’m sure that Tony and I can take your spots, Uncle Jake”, Levi said.  “Tony will want to be a part of it if he can.”

“I’ll give it some thought, Levi and let you know.  If you want to fly out with us, we’ll be leaving tonight I hope.  I have three days from an hour ago to have the funeral from what they outlined in their Living Will.  Oh, and Mom wanted me to make it perfectly clear that if any of you touch her wedding band she will haunt you and she was SERIOUS.  I can’t even begin to tell you how serious she was.”

“We’ll leave the wedding bands alone”, Jordan said.  “I don’t think any of us want Mom pissed off at us for Eternity.”

“Or Dad for that matter”, Malachai added.  “Their wedding bands are safe.”

“Great”, Jake said.  “Why don’t we all go our separate ways and get packed and ready to go?  I’ll do some thinking and get back to everyone on the pallbearer situation.”

Everyone left to make their phone calls and get ready to go to Israel.  They all knew that at some point they’d have to bury their parents/grandparents so everyone had a passport.  He looked at everyone that lived there or on the property.  “We all need to pack and be ready.  I also need to call the funeral home that they’ve been taken to and let them know what Mom and Dad’s wishes are.”

Skyler got Jake’s attention.  “I’d also like to volunteer…”

He and Jeremiah both cut him off.  “No Skyler”, they said.  “It’s not that we don’t think that you can do it, but you’re in your 60’s and you really shouldn’t be carrying a casket”, Jeremiah continued.  “If Damien wants to offer that’s one thing and it would be more than welcome.  We’re not babying you and we have no doubts that you could do it.  But it’s a respect thing.  You’re out elder.  Let us younger guys do it.”

“Anyway”, Jake said, “it’s not what Dad would want.  You were a brother to him and if he wouldn’t have even wanted Uncle Ben to do it, then he wouldn’t want you to either.  I’d still like for you to ride with us out to Israel when we leave.  Mom and Dad would want the two of you there.”

“Damien will be at our place soon.  He was in an appointment when Jona, Maddie, and Delilah left.  He doesn’t know yet.  We’ll tell him and ask if he wants to participate.”

“If he does, I have a plan.  I know how I want to do if he’s willing to help out.”

Skyler nodded.  “Ok.  We’ll let him know.”

---------------

Reece was able to get Jake and Jeremiah a private flight out to take the bodies back to Jerusalem so that they could be laid to rest.  After taking care of all of the arrangements that needed to be made Jake went out to the cottage to see if the clothes that were needed for the burial were out there.  The mortician that had their bodies wanted to get them ready so that they could be ready by the time they arrived.  It was a nice gesture.  Jake found the requested outfits and delivered them to the funeral home, going home with the promise that his parents would be ready to go by the time the flight took off.  They were a rush job.

Packing for the trip was hard for them all.  They’d all attended different funerals over the years, but this one is the one that hit home the hardest.  It was Mom and Dad for some of them, but it was Gramma and Grampa for most. 

When Jeremiah told Marc, Marc was at home with his family.  They’d had to call a day of shooting because of weather so everyone was present to get the bad news.  The moment Jeremiah said that David and Brie had passed, Connie started wailing.  She knew her grandparents were going to pass, but it still hit hard.  Now all she had was Abuelo.  It sucked.

Zeke didn’t take it any better when Jordan called Makayla.  He had been Gramma Brie’s special boy, her birthday boy.  For a tough little boy, he cried over his Gramma and Grampa.

When Malachai called Miranda and Callan they were just getting up for the day.  Callan had the day off and they were going to take a drive in the country side to see some of the cherry trees before the leaves fell off for the winter.  There was also a geisha museum that Miranda wanted to see so that they could see authentic kimonos.  She was feeding Miranda her breakfast when the call came in.  After pinning the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she finally spoke.  “Hey Daddy.  What’s going on?”

“Miranda, are you sitting down?”

“I’m feeding your granddaughter right now, Dad.  Is something wrong?”

“Yeah.  Is there any way you and Cal can be in Israel in about two or three days?”

“I don’t know.  Why?”

“Gramma and Grampa passed away last night.”

“Ha-ha, Dad.  Not funny.  Seriously, what’s wrong?”

“Miranda, I’m not playing or joking around.  Your grandparents are dead.  They passed away in their sleep last night.”

Her hand started trembling as she tried to feed Gracie her fruity oatmeal.  “Callan, can you take over here please?  I’m going to drop the spoon and the bowl.”  Once Callan took the feeding implements out of her hands, she stood and put the phone on speaker.  “Gramma and Grampa passed away?  Seriously?”

“Yes Miranda.”

Callan was shocked.  “I’ll… I’ll call my company commander and see if there is any way to push through some emergency leave.  It shouldn’t be hard if I name drop”, he said.  “I know that it will mean a lot to Miranda to be able to say her final ‘goodbyes’.”

She smiled as tears flooded her eyes.  “Thank you, baby.  I really appreciate this.”

“It’s nothing.  I’m your husband Miranda.  I’m always going to do what I can for you, not matter what the situation.”

“When are you leaving for Israel, Dad?” she asked.

“I’m heading out with Jake and ‘Miah.  The five sons, Damien, and the oldest six grandsons are serving as pallbearers to unload the caskets from the private plane that Reece managed to procure for us.”

“Cool of him”, she said, on the brink of tears.  “Daddy, I’ve got to go.  I can’t do this right now.  I’ll give you a call if we can make it out.  We’ve got a lot of planning to do if we’re even going to attempt it.”

“Do what you have to do, baby, and I’ll await your call.  I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too, Daddy.  Go get ready for your trip.  Bye.”  When they hung up, Callan set the bowl on the table and wrapped his wife as she broke down.  “My grandparents are gone, Callan.  My Gramma and Grampa are dead”, she cried.

He rubbed her back and held her.  “I know baby.  Just let it out.”

She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.  She was devastated.  Her grandparents were gone, having barely gotten to know their great- granddaughter.  She had made such a lasting impression on their oldest granddaughter that she was determined to pass that on to her daughter.

After thirty minutes of her sobbing, she calmed down and pulled away.  “If we’re going to attempt to get to this funeral then I need to go make some phone calls to make and you should probably start packing just in case we can go.  If I let them know that it’s The Voice and the Master Guns’ sister, we’ll be there.”

Miranda nodded.  “Ok.  You go make the phone calls and I’ll finish up with Gracie before I go start packing.  Will you want to wear you uniform?”

“Not my dress blues.  My working tans will be just fine.  I should be in uniform because your grandfather was such a public figure.”

She nodded.  “Ok.  Go make phone calls.  I’m going to finish with Grace and go pack.”