MEMORIES AND DREAMS – CHAPTER 2

Oh my word! Thanks you so much for all the reviews for chapter 1 and I will try and update as quickly as real life allows. After such lovely words I wanted to get this written as quickly as possible but also want to make sure I do Charles and Molly justice. All rights reserved by the BBC but thanks TG for wonderful characters who have been brought so wonderfully to life with fabulous acting. Enjoy and please R&R if you get the chance.

Cool hands swept her hair back from her head. They felt wrong as they were soft and petite. They were not the hands that she was used to. Shaking her head back and forth she tried to dislodge them and acknowledge they were not the right ones. She tried to open her mouth and say no but no words came out. What was happening as she could not make her wishes known?

A warmth was covering her body and as she was compelled to move further away from the cool hands the warmth felt comforting. He was there reaching out his big strong hand and smiling that gorgeous come over here smile. "I am coming." She thought and reached to take his hand and was instantly transported back to a previous time.

A time when he stood tall and authoritative. Ever the tall, handsome, harsh officer at that time. Molly had been awed when she had seen him on the tarmac at Brize but as usual she had opened her mouth and as Corporal Geddes was always telling her … it got her into trouble. Captain Stern Face was threatening to lob her out of the plane." Great start Dawes," she thought but the Captain was a knob, if he did not realise that it was nerves. Surely he would have had word that she was a novice on her first tour.

"Shit." It did not get any better when she saw Smurf her behind the Indian mistake from Pirbirght. Could this day have got any better! The Boss glared at her as they boarded the Hercules and she made sure there was enough distance between them and that she had her seat belt secure.

He was a Rupert but the rest of the guys looked at him with what could only be described as hero worship. Molly reserved judgement and would give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Opinions changed very quickly after that but at times he could be a Rupert and he left her confused. He would stare at her intently sometimes but then would give a sarcastic comment and that always had the power to wound but not that she would show him. East end girls were tough as he would find out.

…..

His head pounded from some sort of blow. He could feel his warm breath against the back of his hand as he tried to find comfort on the hard surface. He did not know where he was. He felt the warmth pulling him down and her small hand reaching for him.

Molly Dawes! He would know her anywhere and he reached to clasp her hand. They were on the tarmac at Brize waiting for the necessary pre deployment photograph standing in front of the Hercules. The new medic, who was a woman, put her foot right in it and though she did back down when he pulled his rank and experience of this being his fourth tour. The Under Fives had been a great team in the making with their medic, Mick. He was a lance corporal with a previous tour under his belt and the guys had trusted that he knew his job and the pre tour training had gone well. Until Mick fell off the cargo net during the final obstacle course and broke his ankle. He needed the injury plating as it was a displaced fracture and it would take months of rehabilitation before he would be able to deploy.

The replacement was a raw, goby medic without any time in the field. Major Beck had tried to placate Charles James by saying that if anyone was able to whip a young medic into shape then it would be him. His experience with three previous tours under his belt was the best and he always put one hundred percent into everything he did.

Charles had stolen a glance or two at her during the flight to Theatre. Initially she had not met his gaze but latterly she was giving back a strong return gaze. Charles noted that she had the most intense green eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes. He turned his head away with a sneer but due to his lack of professionalism thinking about a member of his team as not just one of the guys but noticing her as woman. That was dangerous territory.

…..

Molly stretched as she felt the familiar ache in her breast that she needed to express some milk or feed the girls. She stirred and then turning to see the alarm clock showing it was five thirty in the morning and she could not remember having felt this uncomfortable with milk. But then again she could not remember feeding the girls last night.

As she threw back the covers, she remembered with such pain in her heart. They had had to sedate her last night as she had been hysterical after finding out the news that Charles had been not found at the train crash and he was missing. The pain was so raw and if a knife had pierced her chest it could not feel any more real than the anguish that was wrapping itself around and squeezing her heart and lungs … suffocating the very breath from her.

A familiar cry broke the feeling as that was the cry of one of the girls. It changed to anguish as a mother needing to find her child and sooth the cry. It sounded like one of the girls was hungry and she stood up and moved towards the cry.

Following the noise next door to the nursery, Molly could see Margaret rocking Katie in her arms while Richard was warming a bottle from the fridge. They both stopped when they saw her and Margaret started to open her mouth to speak.

"Let me take as I need to feed her." She asked as she reached gently to take the desperately crying baby. Molly went forward to sit in the nursery rocking chair and Katie latched on and fed. After the room quietened with the now contented baby Molly was able to communicate with Charles' parents.

"Has there been any more word about Charles?" Molly asked looking directly at Richard. She already knew the answer by Richard's initial look downwards.

"No word yet." Richard looked directly at Molly as he continued. "Molly! He has not got lost with an injury. He had been taken but at the moment we don't know who and we can't release anything at the moment as it could put him in danger."

"What do you mean taken?"

"The train crash was not an accident as initial thoughts. There was a bomb rigged to the track that went off moments before the train went along that stretch of rail so there was nothing the driver could do but the train derail. It was planned."

"Who?"

"We don't know yet but are trying to go on intelligence facts and not on speculation."

Margaret had been dabbing a tissue at her eyes as the tears stirred and Molly stayed strong as she continued to feed Katie. At that moment Lily began to whimper and Richard reached forward to pick her up. The bottle was warm and he sat down in the identical nursery chair and started to feed the hungry baby.

Quiet prevailed for a while, apart from the sucking noise from the girls and the breathing of the three adults. All deep in their own thoughts. Molly looked at Katie and realised that she had fallen asleep. She leant her forward to wind her and then Margaret came to take the sleeping bundle and put her in the cot and Molly reached her arms to Richard to take Lily and allow her to feed to relieve the dull ache from still having too much milk, having missed a feed with the girls.

"Have you had any sleep yet?" Molly enquired looking at the weary grandparents.

"A few hours but they were not restful." Margaret replied.

"Go and get some rest." Molly reassured. "I am going to feed Lily and then the girls should sleep for a few hours." Margaret and Richard were too weary with worry and grief to argue and they in turn leant forward and gave Molly a kiss on her head and left to go to the guest room next door. They wanted to be close if Molly or the girls needed them.

Lily was content feeding and Molly looked down at the beautiful brown haired, green eyed girl and could see her darling Charles.

"You are very like your daddy, my darling. You take it all in and just watch intently." Molly hugged her gently while she felt the comfort of the baby feeing. "I know he will come back to us. He is so brave and strong. He loves us all so much and is missing his cuddles with his beautiful girls and Sam."

Lily looked at her mummy seeming to understand her every word and happy to be warm and cuddled. There was a little curl that sat at the front of her forehead and as Molly reached to follow the flowing movement of hair she was transported back.

Back to the FOB in Helmand and a familiar man with wonderful thick curls and intense looks. He was asking about Smurf and Smurf opening fire on a building where he reported seeing fire and emptying a whole magazine from an SA80 into a building. Charles had asked her if she had seen anyone and had watched her so intently. His curls had fallen endearingly across his forehead and she had been so tempted so reach and smooth them back and run her hands through them. She had felt so warm and knew her thoughts were not in line with how you should think about your Boss.

His eyes had been so warm and brown and compelling. His voice was so deep and very cultured and she had known at that moment she had true feelings for him. Bossman had laughed when she had relayed this encounter when they had been lying in bed, months later, after some heated moments and he had asked her when she had really noticed him.

Charles first awareness of her had been when she had come out of the tent for the first PT session and she had been wearing t shirt and short and not full kit. He had made a sarcastic comment about her "at least not being in her stilettos." He had confessed that he needed to cover up that he had been very turned on by the sight of her bare legs in those black shorts and needed to distract the leers that the rest of the section had started to have.

He had drawn her close when she confessed that she had tears in her eyes when she went back into the tent to get changed. It had taken her all her time to face them all again. But she had come back with chin held high ready to prove herself..

"That's my Dawesy." He said with such pride. "You have so much guts and I love your tenacity. But most of all I love those legs." He had then proceeded to caress their length and that had leant to some heart stopping moments and they had both fallen asleep wrapped around each other.

Molly realised that Lily had finished feeding and she readied her for bed but then could not bear to go back to her empty bed so put out the small nursery light and slipped into the day bed. Her mind was then able to drift into memories of Charles and she was able to fall asleep.

"Hurry home Bossman. I need you." Her last words before sleep overtook her.

I hope this reads ok and that people will continue to enjoy. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, for people reading and following. It definitely makes the journey truly awesome. xx