Sorry, I really couldn't help myself. You'll have to blame my muse for this story. It was just a storyline that popped into my head yesterday. This is a bit more angstier than I usually write, so don't expect them all lovey dovey in this story (sorry in advance haha).
And don't worry, I won't forget the one shots of "Time of Our Lives". I will try and update that as much as I can, but my main focus will be on this story.
I hope you'll like it. Enjoy :)
"Come on, recruit", captain Charles James yelled at the young man, who was in his second week of basic training. "Put some bloody effort in!" The man was clearly exhausted from the first part of the assault course that he didn't have it in him to finish it.
"The enemy is approaching, shooting at you and the platoon!" He said, clapping his hand together to motivate the recruit before him. He used to be one of them so many years ago, being yelled at in the same way he was doing. Oh, how he could have killed those sergeants and corporals of Sandhurst back in the day, for not emphasizing with him and look at him now.
"The enemy is closing in. Fucking run!", he yelled. The young man looked at him for a brief moment before climbing over the improvised wall and continuing the rest of assault course. He was about to yell at the recruit some more, when one of the other recruits was running towards him.
"Captain James!", he screamed at the top of his lungs. "There is someone on the phone for you." He handed the phone to him, before turning around, leaving him with this communicative device in his hands.
He put the phone to his ear, not giving in on the nagging feeling he had in his stomach. His gut was telling him that the person on the other side of the line was about to give him some bad news regarding his girlfriend. "Captain James", he said, his voice stern and diplomatic. Well, that was what Molly said when she overheard him talk to some of his superiors.
"Captain James, this is major Carter from camp Fulmand." The nagging feeling he had slowly became bigger, like an avalanche rolling down the mountain, getting bigger and bigger on its journey to the valley. "I'm afraid I have some bad new regarding private Dawes."
Slowly, he felt the blood drain from his face, leaving behind an empty place which could only be filled by the loving touch of his girlfriend. "What about her?", he asked, the worry taking over his voice, making it quiver.
"She has been terribly injured during an military operation."
"What?", he asked in disbelieve. Molly was injured?
"She has just been out of theatre. We are monitoring her here for a couple of days, before she is send to Birmingham."
Suddenly the grounds of Sandhurst were getting vage, blurred even. The only thing he could focus on were the words coming from the major on the other side of this phone. How could this happen? This was not how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be walking into the hall at Brize Norton, leeping into his arms, staying there forever.
He cleared his throat. "How is she doing?"
He heard the major sighting before he said: "She is kept in an induced coma so that her body can solely focus on the recovering process. She has a large wound on the head and abdomen. She also has a few broken ribs and some scratches on her arms and legs."
He swallowed, trying to control the lump that was forming in his throat. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "When will she be back in the UK?", he asked after a few moments of silence that the major had given him to digest the information.
"We don't know for sure, captain", he said. "But don't expect it to be any sooner than the end of the week. The hospital will inform you if she has arrived."
"Thank you, major", he said in his usual diplomatic manner, after he finally gained control of his emotion again.
"The best of luck to you, captain." With these words the major disconnected the connection.
The warmth of the sun reached her still pale skin, this time its solar radiation not being tucked away by the large amount of clouds. She was wandering over the bright green pastures of a land she had yet to identify. Feeling the wet grass under her feet, she slowly moved forward.
In the distant she noticed a little house standing there, only being surrounded by the same, large pasture she was currently in. She made her way towards the house, her curiosity leading the way. She started to accelerate her movement, eventually running across the green field consisting of grass and the occasional daisies. The white, ankle length dress fluttering behind her, making her look like an angel from above.
When she finally reached the small, old looking house she saw a person standing in front of the door. When she blinked a couple of times, trying to sharpen her blurry field of vision. She identified the person standing there, dressed in a smart looking shirt and neat trousers as the person she had lost so many years. That person who had become so dear to her, conquering a place in her heart. That person turned around, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"Smurf?", she said in disbelieve. She took a few steps forward, not daring herself to come any closer than she already had. "Is that really you?"
"Molls", he said, smiling.
Before she could understand what she was doing, she launched herself into his arms, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, not baring to think of letting go. "I'm so glad I found you. I thought I was alone in here."
"You're never alone, Molly."
She let go of him, finally letting herself look into his incomprehensible eyes. The final look those eyes ever gave her never once forgotten. "But you can't stay here", he said.
"What?"
"You have to go back."
Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. "I ain't ever wanna feel pain again, Smurf." Slowly a tear fell down her cheek. "It's killing me."
"You won't find peace here."
She swallowed. "Where do I have to go then?"
He took her hand in his, but not before putting a strand of hair behind her ear. "Go back to the captain. Go back to him."
"But", she stuttered. "But how?"
Smurf didn't answer her question. He simply looked at her, giving her a look that was so familiar to her. He had given her that look when they had their talk in the hospital when they saw captain James being wheeled in after surgery. "Will he help me with that?"
Slowly, the image of Smurf was fading away, vanishing before her eyes and there was nothing she could do about it. "Smurf!", she yelled, trying to reach him, trying to feel his comforting arm around her, like he always had her back. But he was fading away too fast. She couldn't reach him, she simply couldn't.
"Smurf!", she tried one more time, but he was gone. She looked around her, expecting Smurf to just show himself, like he was hiding around the corner just to annoy her. But he never came. He was gone, really gone and never coming back.
She swallowed, taking in the image of the large green pastures around her. She was alone. She was utterly and completely alone. How was she going to find the strength to return to her captain? Get him to help her stop feeling this aching pain in her heart?
With the now empty cup of coffee in his hand he walked towards the ICU ward of the Queen Elizabeth hospital, throwing the cup in the first bin he could find. It had been a few days since they airlifted Molly from camp Fulmand back to the United Kingdom. She had been in a coma ever since, with him being there every minute of every day, hoping deep down that she would come back to him. She had promised him once to come back to him, and she did. But did she have it in her to do it one more time? Come back to him. Only him.
He took a seat on one of the uncomfortable chairs in front of the Molly's room, before massaging his temples. Her mother Belinda was currently with her and he wanted to give the woman the time she needed with her daughter. After he had received that bloody phone call from major Carter he had driven back to London to break the news of Molly's condition to her parents. He had delivered bad news before, but never once was he involved like in this situation.
His trail of thoughts was interrupted when he heard a soft bang, indicating that the door of the room was being closed. Belinda stood there for a moment, trying to collect herself, control her emotions. The traces of the tears that had been shed inside that god awful room still visible on her face. Silently she took a seat beside him. For a few moments there wasn't a need to exchange words. They just had to sit there, accompanied by the silence between them.
"What's gonna happen to her?", Belinda asked, breaking the silence between them.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Next week the doctors are stopping the drugs that are keeping this way, hoping that she'll wake up by herself."
"And what if she doesn't?"
"I don't know", he said, before sighting. "I really don't know."
She put a hand on her shoulder, not before squeezing it in a encouraging manner. "It must be hard on you."
"Yeah", was the one syllable he used to answer to her words. "But it must be even harder on you seeing your daughter here."
Belinda removed her hand from his shoulder and broke eye contact, her glance fixed on the room currently occupied by the private that was very dear to them both. "Yeah", she simply said.
"You know", he said, a small smile appeared on his face. It didn't stay there for very long, since it wasn't appropriate to smile in a situation like this. "It sounds so stupid right now."
Belinda looked at him again. "What is it?", she asked.
"I was actually planning on asking her to marry me after this tour."
"Oh, sweetheart", Belinda said, before pulling him into her warm embrace. Finally he led himself tear down the wall he surrounded himself with. Finally letting himself go. It had been a long time since he actually cried in the presence of a person.
So, what do you think? Let me know what you think. A review would be lovely, as always!
