ryan
i packed the bits and pieces back into the box i have only opened once before on the day it was given to me. i then put it back in the bottom where it had sat collecting dust. i stood and brushed the dust of my brown slacks and padded bare foot to the kitchen. my hair was plaited loosely. and spike was meant to be hobbling round in a hour and a half. it been a week since the accident and i was making diner.
i was making homemade Sunday roast and a fudge tart. i washed up as i went. i then went and put on a marbled slip dress and the earrings spike bought me. i then finished the meal and served on my mum's best china. i got out the crystal wine flutes and placed them on my best table cloth. i then put the white wine in the bucket of ice and waited. i had lit some of the candles spike had used making trail from my open door to the kitchen and dimed the kitchen lights.
spike arrived right on time (he was learning) and followed the candles. he looked amazing and i went and gave him a passionate kiss. we sat down and ate listening to my sisters new album "the trials of love" written about us. when we had finished i cleared away as spike took the slab of beer to my corner sofa. i went and retrieved the box. i carry it back and place it on the floor. i then sit and drape my legs over spikes careful of the injury. he asks what's in the box and i tell him i will show him but first i need to tell my story. he was great bless keeping quiet the whole time. at points he'd caress my leg and swig his beer.
""it had been a long week of tough combat. we were the only team that hadn't lost a man yet.
my captain was a guy called Michael {mike} Mulholland known in team delta [the team i was assigned to] as dutchy. he took me to one side i was grubby from weeks of pushing forward my greasy shoulder length hair was pulled into a French plaited bun. i was his second or executive officer"
i took a long shake breath and a large swig of beer.
""he told me all the captains were amazed how motivated our team was and wanted to know the secret. that secret he revealed was me. he pulled the captains band off his uniform and handed it to me. he told me "i want you to lead the team to the extraction point where the navy would pick us up. it should be easy he said i will be your second""
i began struggling at this point. i laughed and told spike "during armed combat never describe it as easy as it won't be for long."
""it all started well then we got ambushed. the guy came up behind me and grabbed me round the neck. he took my gun and shot mike injuring him. he then dropped the gun and disappeared a picked the gun up coughing from where he had been choking me. we were shaken but i knew the shot had disclosed our location we had move and had to move fast. two guys threw mike's arms around their necks and helped him"
"we moved pretty fast but then the situation got worse. i led the team right into a mine field not 10 kilometres from our destination. nearly 15 bombs went off i felt myself flying through the air. i woke up briefly on the navy ship to the news 4 men out of my squad of 9 hadn't made it while one was critical. i lost concussions waking up two weeks later in a military hospital.
my friend Kate McGregor was there. she was the one who broke the news that mike, the two guys carrying him and the guy next to me were all gone. we went from the team who hadn't lost any men to the team that lost 4 at the same time. i was extremely lucky to be alive.
i felt even worse when i was gone before the explosion. mike was Kate's fiancé they had a young son Ryan. Ryan was my god son and now a fellow pure blood. he had joined the navy in mike's memory. he is the reason i dislike red wine. me and Ryan keep in touch he visited me every time he could get long enough shore leave to make the drive. nowadays that is less and less often as he is a xo or executive officer on a warship. Kate also comes down when she gets leave from being a naval aircraft mechanic on a aircraft carrier. Ryan was only 1 and a half when he lost his dad ""
i then went through the box. showing spike the gun used to shot mike, the bullet they retrieved during the autopsy, the shell casing that got lodged in my uniform. the shrapnel that ended up in me. the n i showed him the pictures -me, mike and Kate at the birth of Ryan -Ryan's christening -Ryan's first birthday -me and mike on my first day -their engagement party -hundreds from R&R . the wounds i received. and the stupid band he gave me, along with my field notebook and the investigation report.
he told me it was not my fault. that the deaths were due to mike passing the leadership to an untrained XO. he had just finished reading the investigation report. that was a huge weight of my shoulders. i swivelled and rested my head in his lap and fell into a blissful sleep. i woke in the morning in my bed. my phone was buzzing nonstop. spike was asleep next to me. i picked it up and checked the caller id it was greg. i shook spike telling him we had to go.
i stripped from my slip dress and yanked on my khaki leather and black boats. spike did the same we grabbed our helmets and raced down to the garage. i kicked the bike into life in seconds and sped towards HQ. i was so keyed up about running late that i ran two red lights. and spike nearly came off when i took a corner to quickly. we skidded into work half an hour late.
we got a telling off from parker. but i didn't give a damn i walked taller. no one gave a crap that me and spike came into together. just that spike was all okay. for all they knew i was late because i went to pick spike up and hit traffic on the way back. the day got better as it was paper work day meaning me and spike could send each other silly little faces. just before lunch my phone buzzed in my pocket. i took it out and checked it the table like a naughty school girl.
i read the text quickly and then asked ed if i could have a minute. i put on my "don't mess with me face". he let me go making a two minute sign at me i nodded and ducked out the briefing room. i then dialled the number from memory. the sweet young voice that has been telling me since 1982 that he didn't blame me answered on the second ring he was cheery. i asked what was so urgent he told me he had shore leave as the boat needed massive repairs and would be in dry dock for 6 weeks. he wanted to know if he could stay with me.
i told him he could sleep in the little spare room i had. i instructed him to wear his best uniform and get a taxi to SRU head quarters. i would meet him there. i hung up and then called becks. he answered in his gruff I'm at work voice and i asked if he could swap the bike for my car that he was using while his was MOT'd. i told him that the keys would be at front desk.
5 hours later we were reviewing a case from the day after i joined when winnie came in and said a navy officer was asking for me. i turned to Greg and said "look he's my godson his mum is at sea and his dad died during the Falkland's. he's spending some shore leave with me could he come and sit in here till we were finished." he agreed the team loved him and got on well. because off Ryan we wrapped early. and me spike and Ryan headed to P3 in our uniforms. we had a few drinks then headed home to watch home movies. after he lost his dad i become a regular appearance almost filling the shoes but being more like a big sister.
kate
