So, this is something that came out of me having a day at home alone and being bored. I'm not really sure what I think of it and if I should carry on with it, so I thought I'd put it out there and see what people thought and if anyone would be interested to read anymore- so let me know what you think!
"Oh for Christs sake!" Charles complained, rolling over in his bed and burying his head under the pillows in an attempt to muffle the noise coming from next door. He couldn't quite work out what was being said, or rather screamed, next door but clearly who ever it was wasn't exactly happy.
He'd moved to this little terraced house, just outside the base a few months after he'd split up with Rebecca. He'd initially moved back in with his parents but his mother had been suffocating him, and although she meant well he'd known within a few days he needed to get out of there and have his own space again, at least until his next tour. When he'd seen the house advertised it had seemed like the perfect solution. It was a few minutes away from the base and far enough away from his mother that she wouldn't be coming over to check on him every day.
He hadn't given much thought to the neighbours, until a week ago the house must have been empty. He'd seen a couple of removals lorry's outside, but he hadn't actually seen any people there. Then a couple of nights ago he'd been woken up in the early hours of the morning by the sound of doors slamming and muffled shouting. He hadn't thought much of it at that time- everyone argued. Him and Rebecca had done more than their fair share of it during the last few months of their marriage.
Rolling over and glancing at his alarm clock he realised, with a groan, that he might as well just get up now. It was 4.30am and he had to be on the base by 6am anyway. With one final groan he hauled himself out of bed and dragged himself down the stairs and in to the kitchen for a cup of his beloved rosabaya coffee while he tried to convince himself that being up at 4am wasn't that bad.
The noise from next door had settled down a little, but the walls between the house were obviously paper thin because he could hear almost every word of what they were saying to each other. He'd managed to work out there was a man and a woman, and the majority of the shouting was definitely coming from the man. But before he had the chance to work out exactly what they were shouting about they suddenly went silent. He paused for a second, then flipped on the tv and didn't really think any more of it.
A couple of hours later he was in his uniform and headed out of the front door, the mornings rude awakening forgotten. Instead, his mind had turned to what he'd got to do today. They'd got a couple of days before they were being deployed again, they were off to Afghanistan, his fourth tour, and he'd got a lot to do to prepare. He was running an early morning PT session with the lads from two section, they'd got a new medic coming to join them as a last minute replacement after the previous one had broken her arm on a night out while on leave. He didn't really know anything about her, and neither with anyone else, she'd done her training and been stationed at the other end of the country but had moved up to join the under fives. He was just hoping she'd fit in okay and get on with the rest of the lads or it was going to be a long six months for all of them.
His mind wandered back to Sam a little as he drove towards the base. Six months was a long time to be away from him. If he was honest, it was probably this latest six month tour that had been the final nail in the coffin for his marriage to Rebecca. All she'd really wanted was a settled and stable life- and a husband who disappeared off in to a war zone for six months at a time wasn't really compatible with that.
So he'd moved out, left her with the family home they'd made and accepted that she'd only let him see his son every other weekend- and even then that was only when he wasn't working. He was hoping that his six months away might give her a chance to calm down and get everything sorted out. Afghanistan gave him something to focus his energy on, other than arguing with her over when he'd get to see his son next, and he was fed up with sitting in an empty house on his own every evening.
The lads had all noticed the change in him, he'd caught them talking about it in the showers when they hadn't realised he was there. They were right, he'd taken his frustrations out on them- the 10 mile runs in full kit had been as much to release some of his pent up anger as it had been to make sure that they were fit and ready for deployment. He'd made a mental note to himself to leave what had happened between him and Rebecca at home and not let it affect him at work. Although the lack of sleep he'd had last night hadn't exactly put him in a wonderful mood that morning.
"Captain James!" He heard Corporal Kinders calling his name as he walked across the base to meet the rest of the section.
"Kinders." He stopped and turned to face him. At the Corporal's side was a young female soldier, she looked between the two of them uncertainly.
"This is our new medic, Molly Dawes." Kinders said, gesturing to the woman beside him. "I was just explaining to her about this mornings PT exercise."
"It's good to meet you Dawes." Charles said, forcing himself to smile at the woman in front of him. She was young, no one had told him that. He could feel himself judging her already, wondering if she was going to hold her section back. The nervous looks she was giving him wasn't exactly filling him with confidence in her either.
"Sir." She nodded, her eyes flicking back to Kinders uncertainly.
"I'll let Kinders introduce you to the rest of the section, then we'll head out on our run." He said, nodding to Kinders before turning and continuing on his way to his office.
Molly stood uncomfortably in front of the rest of her new section as the Corporal introduced her. She wasn't really listening to what he was telling them, she tuned in and out as he told them about her previous two tours and that she'd been deployed training Afghan medics. They were lucky to have her apparently, but she wasn't so sure that was true.
She wasn't really sure why she'd taken this tour. She'd had to completely up turn her entire life and move half way across the country to do it. Something that Artan had been less than enthusiastic about. But, he was out of work, and they had nothing left tying them to London. Her family hadn't wanted anything to do with her since she'd joined the Army and Artan's family were still in Albania. Besides, he hadn't had a job in six months and they needed the deployment money. It would be enough to pay for the rent and food while she was gone if he couldn't find himself a job- or if he was really that unhappy about it, she was more than happy for him to piss off back to London. Something she'd told him on more than one occasion.
They hadn't really been happy together for a couple of years now. Not since she'd joined the army if she was telling the truth. As he liked to bring up every time they had an argument- which felt as though it was every time they spoke to each other- she was part of an Army that was going out to Afghanistan to kill 'his people'. She'd tried to explain to him on numerous occasions that they were being deployed to stop terrorism and try and bring peace to the country. She'd given up trying to justify it to him by this point, she honestly just didn't care what he thought. Maybe he'd still be in the little two bedroom house she;d rented them when she got back in six months time, maybe he wouldn't. A little bit of her hoped it was the second option. Maybe if she got really lucky he'd remember his love for Mary and sod off back to London and ask her to marry him instead. She wasn't really sure why he hadn't done that already, because from everything he'd said to her, he sure as hell wasn't staying with her because he loved her.
She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice that Kinders had finished speaking and they were now all looking at her, waiting for her to say something. She mumbled something about being glad to be joining them, not making eye contact with anyone and then slid in with the rest of the group, waiting for instructions on what to do next. She pushed Artan out of her mind, she'd have to deal with him once she got home, but for the next few hours at least she'd just forget he existed.
After the first nine miles of the run her new Captain had dragged them all out on at 6.30am on a Monday morning, she was starting to wonder if she might've rather stayed at home and argued with Artan some more. She was fit, a few years in the Army meant that she had no trouble with the distance she was being asked to run- even with the huge bergen strapped to her back- but mentally and physically, she'd been exhausted before she had even started moving. And then there was the burning pain down the left hand side of her rib cage from where Artan had shoved her in to the kitchen table in a fit of rage last night.
"Come on Dawes! Keep up!" Captain James yelled as she slowed ever so slightly, forcing herself to suck some more air in to her lungs despite the pain, and pick up the pace. She wasn't at the back of the group, there were three or four of the lads behind her, so she wasn't really sure why he was picking on her. Because she was new maybe? She wanted to yell back at him to piss off and leave her alone, if he was on some kind of power trip and thinking he could yell at her all day then he was sadly mistaken. But she bit her tongue, because even if she thought he was probably a bit of a dick head, he was still her superior. All she'd got left at the moment was the Army, and she wasn't about to ruin that for herself by telling her Captain where he could stick his attitude, so she bit her lip and forced herself to pick up the pace as she continued to run.
The next few days had passed in a blur of PT sessions and preparing kit for their deployment. She'd washed, ironed and folded all her kit before packing it neatly in her bergen. She'd checked the medical kit multiple times, crossing each item off the inventory as she packed it, ready to be flown out with them the next morning. She'd taken her time, trying to avoid the fact that she had to go home and deal with Artan. The rest of the section had gone home to say goodbye to their families and loved ones, spending one last night with the people who loved them and would miss them every day that they were gone.
On the other hand, she was going home to Artan who, depending on his mood and how much he'd had to drink that day, would either beg her not to leave him and tell her that he loved her and wanted to marry her, or scream at her and accuse her of hating Muslims and trying to murder his people. Neither of them were her idea of a fun way to spend her last night before deployment.
If she was honest, she probably should've cut her losses and walked away from Artan years ago- probably at the point where she'd found him in the toilet cubicle with her supposed best friend. But, the one time she'd totally lost it with him, packed her bags and walked out of the door she'd ended up with the hospital on the phone telling her he'd tried to kill himself. Now every time she said she was going to leave him, or do anything he didn't like, he'd threaten to do it again- and then he'd ask her how she'd be able to live with knowing he'd done it because of her. While she was fairly sure he was bluffing and they were empty threats, she also knew he was right- if he did do something she'd never be able to forgive herself.
So that was how she found herself leaning against the wall outside her house, lighting another one of the cigarettes she kept telling herself that she was going to give up, staring up at the sky. By this time tomorrow she'd be back at Bastion, and Artan would probably still be passed out on the sofa where he had been when she'd first got home and he'd stayed for the last three hours that she'd been home. In a way she was relieved. She was hoping that he wouldn't wake up before it was time for her to leave, that way she'd be spared the pain of going through all his anger again.
"Dawes?" Her eyes snapped open to find her new Captain standing the other side of the small wall between her front garden and the house next door.
"Captain James?" She automatically found herself standing up a little straighter. She reached to put out her cigarette.
"Don't put it out on my account." He said with a small smile. "You should be enjoying your last night at home. Does this mean you're my new neighbour then?" He asked. He had to admit his curiosity was peaked now.
She nodded. "Moved in a few days ago."
"I'm surprised you didn't just stay on base for a few days. You're not going to be needing a house for a while, are you?" He asked. He was trying to find a way to ask her if she had a boyfriend or a husband without having to outright ask her.
"My boyfriend moved up here with me, so he'll need somewhere to live even if I wont be here." She told him reluctantly. She needed a way out of this conversation with her new boss. Of all of the bloody houses she could've picked, she had to choose the one next to her Captain. A blush rose up her cheeks as she wondered how much of what had happened last night he'd heard.
"Is he Army too?" James asked, sitting on the edge of the wall.
Molly shook her head. "I'd better go." She said quickly, she wasn't hanging around long enough for him to carry on asking questions about Artan. "See you in the morning Boss." She flicked her cigarette on to the ground and disappeared in to the house before he had a chance to say anything else.
She leant back against the front door once she was safely on the other side. She was now about to be deployed with this man for six months and she was going to have to come up with some kind of convincing story to tell them all about Artan and pray that their paths never crossed.
"Where have you been?" Her eyes snapped open to find Artan standing inches away from her, glaring at her.
"Packing up the rest of my kit at the base." She said, trying to step around him. "We fly out at 0500 tomorrow."
His arm went out, blocking her escape route. "Flying off to kill more of my people." He leered at her. "I take care of you, and this is how you repay me Molly."
She bit back a sarcastic comment. She already knew how her last night at home was going to go, there was no point winding him up about it any more than he already was- especially now she knew her captain was just the other side of the paper thin walls and he could probably hear every word.
Suddenly, she couldn't wait to be back in the middle of the desert, thousands of miles away from all of her problems.