Chapter 1:
The crew of the Hammersley was busy putting the last of the supplies in the RHIBs to restock the Hammersley while Dutchy was putting checkmarks on his list. The crew had finally been able to make a brief stop on Orlan Island during a long patrol after being at sea for weeks. Dutchy felt glad to be back on the ship after the injuries he sustained in a gold robbery gone wrong. Although he had been assigned to light duties during the first week, he now had recovered from his bullet wound quite well and was feeling good. He took his checklist and walked up the ramp , seeing the CO and XO talking to the harbour master several meters away from him.
Dutchy smiled when he saw Kate, who seemed to be too busy talking to the CO to notice him watching her. Dutchy grinned when he remembered the night they had been discharged from hospital. They had taken a taxi to his place where Kate had ordered some food, picked a DVD to watch, and made his bed. He remembered feeling a bit awkward to have her pottering about his house as if she was a nurse or his sister taking care of him. All that, while he felt so much more for her.
For several hours they hung out in his living room watching movies and eating take away food. Kate had insisted watching something fluffy and romantic, which had made Dutchy yawn within minutes. His tall, muscular body was sprawled out on his couch, leaving little space for Kate. To be comfortable anyway, she had lifted his head into her lap and unconsciously softly stroked his hair while watching the film.
When it was time to go to sleep she had helped him to get ready and teasingly tucked him in. Dutchy remembered the kiss she had given him. He could still feel her soft lips pressed against his own. It hadn't just been a regular kiss, it had been sensational and because of that he felt a bit disappointed when she left the room and crashed on his couch for the night. Dutchy was too tired to say anything about it and in the two weeks before going back on patrol she did come around but they never really talked about what had happened on the island or about the sensational kiss that night.
Kate stopped talking to Mike and was walking towards the RHIB. She had caught Dutchy staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Earlier that morning she had eaten breakfast with Dutchy at a great little place in town, even then she had often caught him staring at her, giving her a tingly feeling in her stomach. Kate had to admit, that being around him felt really good.
She saw Dutchy but didn't want to alert anyone about her new friendship with their buffer so she walked on almost ignoring him. "X," he called out to her which made her swirl around. "I've got a present for you," he said while he handed her a wrapped parcel. "What is it?" Kate wondered while she inspected the messy wrapped thing. "It's a surprise," he answered cheekily.
Kate walked on towards the RHIB which would take her back to Hammersley while unwrapping her present. 'Strawberry lip gloss' she whispered out loud while turning around to thank Dutchy. He had continued working and didn't see her looking at him. Kate did see Mike eyeing her and wondered what he was thinking. He had been curious about where she had breakfast and now he must have seen her getting a present from the same guy she had breakfast with. Quickly Kate walked on towards the waiting RHIB, not willing to give Mike the impression she was a bit embarrassed about it. He could get the wrong impression.
Mike focused again on his work with Swain telling the harbour master they would be out in about twenty minutes. There wasn't much more to discuss and from the corner of his eye he saw the X leaving on the available RHIB. Now he had to wait until Halfy would come back to pick up the remaining crew. Mike looked around and saw a couple arguing near a beautiful yacht. It were always the rich people having fights about nothing, Mike thought. The woman was standing near a stroller but got distracted by the man, probably her husband. They were so preoccupied that they didn't even notice the stroller rolling into the water.
As soon as the mother started screaming Mike knew there was no time to lose. He ran as fast as he could towards where the stroller had gone into the water and dove in to swim the last couple of meters. Within seconds he pulled it up and handed it to Dutchy and Swain. The little boy seemed OK, at least he was crying but now the father, who couldn't swim, needed to be rescued. When they were all on shore again the man, Anton Gorski, thanked Mike for saving him and his son. He owed him his life.
That evening the crew had organised a steel beach barbecue in Mike's honour. Everyone was enjoying themselves and Kate again realised why she liked working on a patrol boat so much. She hadn't thought she ever would but this crew was terrific. With a plate full of food she walked towards a group of people she considered her family.
Meanwhile Mike was talking to Swain and Charge who wouldn't stop talking about his heroic deed. It made him feel a bit embarrassed since he wanted to believe that anyone of his crew and hopefully anyone in the world would do the same thing as what he had done earlier today, save the baby from drowning. "We will have to recommend you for an honorary medal," Charge said while he slapped Mike on his shoulder. "You saved two lives today, made a woman very happy and all you can say is 'it was my duty'. I think it was very courageous boss," Charge went on.
Mike nodded but really hoped he could get away from Charge soon. The man was a good friend and a great sailor but had his moments of being overly excited and tonight was one of those moments. His remark about making a woman happy made him think about Kate. They hadn't talked to each other recently and every time when he wanted to she was either too busy or away with Dutchy. He could understand that being stuck on an island together would form a certain bond but he couldn't deny that it made him jealous. He was the one who was in love with Kate and therefore he should have breakfast at great little places, not Dutchy.
Swain slapped him on his shoulder and said something that didn't come through to his brain but Mike looked at him like he was caught. "Were you dreaming of your medal sir?" Swain teased him. Mike shrugged and padded Swain's arm. "No, but I think I'll stroll around a bit. If you want to organise a medal for me than I'm not stopping you," he said while he already took a few steps away from him. "It would be wrong though to hang around while you and Charge concoct all of this," he said smiling at his own ingenuity.
Mike walked away from the baffled sailors and looked around if there was anyone he could or would talk to but everyone was either in a conversation with someone or eating and enjoying the barbie. Mike decided to go up to the bridge and check if everything was alright there. He climbed up the ladder and heard Bird call after him. "Where are you going sir? You can't leave your own party," she said, waving for him to come back. "I'm just going to check the bridge and then I'll come back, I promise," he replied.
While Mike wanted to turn around to enter the bridge he saw Kate close to the edge. She was laughing and having a great time. It looked like she was talking to someone but he couldn't see who it was. Mike moved a bit closer to find out who could make Kate laugh so much and saw it was none other than Dutchy. Mike realised a green-eyed monster taking control of his feelings and knew he had to do something fast to get Kate's attention back to him or he would be too late. He couldn't lose a battle to a blonde guy, ten years younger than he was! That just couldn't happen! With a few big steps he reached the door to the bridge and entered it, not willing to see anymore heartbreaking sights of Kate with anyone else.
