Blood.
"Molly"
"I'm sorry"
Silence.
The same sequence of events plagued the dreams of Molly Dawes. Her dreams nightmares, terrors that raged through her sleep, disturbing it, destroying it. It had only been a week since Captain James and Smurf were both shot by Badrai, and yet this week felt like years to Dawes. Smurf would be ok, she knew this. He had been discharged from the hospital and was sent home to recover. Captain James, however, was still in danger. His wounds were more critical, more serious than those of Smurfs. Lady Luck had not been shining on him that day.
Maybe it was just fate, maybe they weren't really meant to be together. Maybe she should have given Smurf more of a chance, an opportunity to prove to her how he felt. She loved the Captain though; he was the one for her. Yes, she had been annoyed about his 'lies', his wife and child, but her love overcame that.
'You alright?' She could just hear Smurfs voice in her head. She needed someone right now. She needed someone to tell her that it wasn't her fault and that everything was going to be ok. Badrai was gone, but Molly Dawes still felt in danger.
She needed to see him, the Captain, her Captain. She made her way through the compound, the Afghanistan sun burning her skin, the air was quiet. Everyone was dealing with the pain of their loved Captain being on the brink of life or death. Her heart raced, but her eyes were dry. She had cried her tears, she was all out. She wished for him to wake up, to hold her close and tell her everything was ok. She needed to see his smile, the smile that made war seem bearable. She needed him to take her to Bath, for Christmas, to see the world he came from, a world that would be so different to her own.
She knew where he would be laying, still, as if he was dead already. He almost was. The route to his bed was second nature to her, she no longer needed to think about where her love would be, harmed by her mistakes. If she had just stayed in the nail shop then her Captain wouldn't be in this situation, neither would Smurf. She wouldn't have met the Captain though, and that is something she never wants to imagine, a life without him.
"How is he" She asked the nearest member of staff who was next to where Captain James lay. He was pale, too pale. His breathing was slow, minimum, barely noticeable. She was scared to place her hand on his bare skin in case it was ice cold. The thought of no longer feeling the comforting heat off her boss caused a shiver to run down her spine, a pain to form in her heart.
"He is stable, but serious"
They said that to Smurfs mum just before his brother died. Was this a sign of the inevitable outcome?
"Come on Sir, have some human decency and put some bloody effort in" she laughed to herself as she sat on the chair next to where the Captain lay. The only way she was coping currently was remembering the little things he said to her, or done to her, or just the way he looked at her. On his hospital bedside was a box of coco pops that Molly had placed there along with the lyrics he had given her before they done karaoke together. She wanted to remember him as that man, not a dying man.
She took his hand, a slight warmth still coming from it. He exhaled, louder than normal, as if he realised she was there, as if he was relieved to have her present.
"Boss, come back to me"