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New beginnings

Gordon stood on the doorstep of a small, two-storey terraced house in a quiet suburb of San Francisco, trying to resist the urge to polish the toe of his shoe on his trouser leg. He hadn't felt this nervous about a date since he was fifteen. Not that this was really a date – when he had phoned Megan the day after the mine rescue she had suggested he come round to her home as it would be easier to talk there, so they had fixed it for the Sunday after Virgil had returned home. Gordon – who usually dressed in the first things he could grab from his wardrobe – had even asked Alan's advice on clothes, so now found himself feeling like the proverbial dog's dinner, attired in a short-sleeved pale green shirt, brown slacks and a tan suede jacket.

The door opened, and Megan stood there before him. "Hi there, Gordon" she said, with a shy smile. "Oh, what lovely flowers!" She took the bunch he had bought on impulse as he left the airport. "Come on in, I'll just put these in some water."

He followed her through to a sitting-room, watching as she busied herself in the kitchen alcove that opened off to one side.

She returned a moment later with the flowers in a vase, which she put on the mantelpiece. "Here, let me take your jacket. Would you like some coffee?"

"Thanks, that would be lovely." Gordon wasn't going to admit how dry his mouth felt.

As Megan turned back towards the kitchen area she called out. "Molly, dear, would you like another drink?"

A small figure with a mass of red curls came running in, then stopped when she saw Gordon, looking up at him shyly.

Gordon crouched down in front of her. "Hallo, Molly. My name's Gordon. I'm an old friend of your Mommy's." He paused, fishing a coin out of his pocket. "Want to see some magic?" The small figure nodded, watching cautiously as Gordon palmed the coin, then produced it from behind his ear. Her face broke into a smile. "Want to see it again?" This time Molly nodded eagerly. Gordon palmed the coin again then said "Where do you think it's gone now?"

Molly pointed to his ear, but he shook his head and proceeded to extract it from behind her ear instead. By now Molly's eyes were round with astonishment.

Megan came up behind him. "I think you've made a friend there, Gordon. She's usually quite shy with strangers. Molly, do you want some more drink for your tea party?"

"No thanks, Mommy, we've finished now. Can I go and play with Peter on the swings?"

Gordon looked through the doors at the back of the lounge. Just outside on the grass was a small tablecloth containing some miniature cups and plates. Round it sat a doll, a teddy bear and a large yellow rabbit with one ear missing. Further off, in the centre of the square formed by the block of houses was a small children's play area with swings, a slide and a climbing frame. A boy was sitting on one of the swings, pushing himself slowly back and forth.

"Yes, you can go. But come straight back here when you are finished."

"OK, bye now!" she went off at a run.

Gordon stood up as she left. "How old is she?"

"She's just turned five. She was two when her father left, so we just have each other." Megan turned back to the kitchen and returned with a tray of coffees, which she put down on the table. She handed him a cup. "Help yourself to milk and sugar. I'm afraid I can't remember how you liked your coffee." As Gordon reached for the sugar bowl she looked at his arm. "You can hardly see the scars now," she observed.

Gordon held his arm up for inspection. "Yes, you have to look pretty hard now to see them" he agreed. The needle-type marks that had once covered his arms and legs where the body brace had held him together were barely noticeable these days, especially as his skin was usually tanned from spending so much of his time on the island out of doors. He put down his cup and looked at Megan. "Megan, I'm sorry I never got in touch again after I left Hawaii. I did get the card you all sent from the ward when I won my Olympic medal, and I meant to write then, but things got a bit… hectic after that."

"Don't worry, Gordon, we weren't expecting you to reply. You must have had so many cards. Frank put the photo you sent him up on the wall of the physio unit. He still uses you as an example to everybody as his 'star patient'." She paused and looked at him "I'm not going to say anything about what you do now, or ask any questions. Like the rest of the world, I think your organisation is wonderful, and I suppose it should have been no surprise to find out that someone like you would be connected with it - I came to know your family quite well during the time you spent in my ward. When I saw you at the mine last week, your talk while you were recovering about leaving the WASP in a year or so and going into the family business suddenly all made sense – somehow I never saw you working behind a desk."

Gordon found himself blushing. He was used to being thanked by rescue victims, but this was more personal. "When did you realise it was me in the mine?"

"I thought your voice was familiar when you first spoke, but it was dark, and I couldn't see you properly. During the trip to the surface in your drilling machine I kept staring at the back of your head, thinking 'I'm sure that's Gordon', then when you turned round I knew I was right. That was why I wasn't surprised when Scott came in. Mind you, I don't know if I'd have managed to say anything at the time. I kept wondering why you hadn't recognised me, then I when I was in your sickbay I looked in the mirror and realised that not even my own mother would have known me in the state I was in."

"I did think you sounded familiar when we were in the mine, but I suppose I was concentrating on the rescue, rather than on you – and, as far as I was aware I didn't know anyone called Meg Latimer." He paused. "It sounds like you've been having an eventful time since I last saw you."

"Well, the summer after you left I had another red-haired young man as a patient. Danny had been in a water-ski-ing accident. By the time he was out of traction I'd agreed to go out with him. Eventually we married and he brought me back here to San Francisco. When Molly was two he ran off with my hairdresser and now lives with her in Cincinnati. Now I work as a nurse for a local factory. It's not as interesting as hospital work, but it's office hours, which means I can be home for Molly in the evenings and weekends"

"I hadn't realised you'd had it so tough."

She smiled wryly. "That should teach me to go breaking my own rules."

He took her hand. "Megan, do you think we could start over? I'm not your patient any more."

She smiled  "Do you remember the last time you said that to me?"

"When we were in the boat? Yes, I was thinking about it the other day." He held up his hand, his forefinger and thumb a fraction of an inch apart. "I was that close to kissing you."

She held her hand up, mimicking his, "And I was that close to letting you." They leaned closer, their lips almost touching.

Just then a small figure dashed into the room. "Mommy! Come quick! Peter's hurt!"

Megan stood up and headed for the French doors. "Do you want me to come too?" asked Gordon.

Megan hesitated for a second then nodded. "Yes, if you don't mind." They hurried across the lawn to where a small, dark-haired figure, who Gordon guessed to be a couple of years older than Molly, lay beside the climbing frame, his face creased with pain. Gordon was puzzled when Megan touched his arm, then pointed first to herself, then to a house on the other side of the square, and headed in that direction.

Gordon knelt by the boy. "Where does it hurt, Peter?"

"Peter can't hear you," said Molly. "His ears don't work properly."

Gordon repeated the question in sign language. The boy's face lit up in relief and he started to sign back, gesturing to his ankle.

By the time Megan returned with another woman, whose worried expression marked her as Peter's mother, Gordon had finished checking Peter over. The woman knelt and began a rapid sign conversation with her son. Gordon looked at Megan. "Peter told me he jumped from the climbing frame and his ankle turned over. I think it's just a sprain – I can't find any other injuries. Do you want to take a look?"

Megan knelt and quickly confirmed Gordon's diagnosis. "Isobel" she said, turning to Peter's mother. "I agree with Gordon. I'm pretty sure it's not broken. Put ice on it for half an hour, then strap it up."

Gordon looked across at Isobel. "Shall I carry him to your house?"

"Thank you," said Isobel, "that would be very kind. It's this way."

Gordon scooped the boy up in his arms and followed the two women.

Isobel whispered to Megan. "New boyfriend? Where did you meet him?"

Megan hesitated. "It's a long story," she said at last.

"Well, if you want me to baby-sit Molly for you while you go on a date, just say the word. He's nice"

Gordon followed them into a sitting-room similar to Megan's and laid Peter on the couch.

Isobel signed to her son. Say 'thank you'

Thank you, G-O-R-D-O-N spelt out Peter.

Gordon responded with a few signs, ending in a quick hand movement. Even through his pain, Peter gave a small chuckle and repeated the last movement.

"Thanks for your help, Meg," said Isobel.

"That's fine. I'll pop round tomorrow morning to check on Peter's ankle, but I think it should be OK"

They headed back across the square. "I hadn't realised you knew sign language," said Megan.

"Oh, Dad made us all learn when we were in High School. It comes in handy sometimes, when it's too noisy to talk but you can still see each other – even if it's only when we are running engine tests and everybody is wearing ear defenders."

"I know some signs, too," said Molly, proudly. "I can say 'doll' and 'cookie' and 'apple' and 'school'"

"That's very useful, Molly," said Gordon. "You keep learning because you never know when you might need it."

Molly looked at her mother. "Can I play on the swings some more?"

"Yes, darling, but be careful." Molly sat on the swing and watched as the two grown-ups continued towards the house. She poked her finger in her ear. No, there were definitely no coins in there now. She hoped she would be seeing Mommy's new friend again.

"What was that last thing you said to Peter? You made him laugh."

"Oh, I told him to call me 'Flash'" said Gordon, with a grin.

She laughed. "Isobel was asking where I met you. I wasn't sure what to say."

"Just tell her the truth." Seeing her expression he carried on, " You can say that I was a patient of yours a long time ago, then we lost touch until we met up again on an 'adventure weekend'. It's all perfectly true"

"Yes, like you 'work for your father'"

By now they were back inside the house.

"Now, where were we?" said Megan.

"I think I was trying to ask if you'd go out with me now," said Gordon, taking hold of her hand.

 "Yes, I think I'd like that. I'm free most weekends, provided I can get someone to look after Molly."

"Fine, shall I pick you up next Saturday evening then? I'll phone nearer the time to make sure it's all OK."

Megan looked at the handsome young man standing in front of her.  "This is going to be strange. In one way we know each other so well, but in another, hardly at all."

Gordon bent forward and kissed her gently. "I'm looking forward to knowing you better."

Since the time he had left school, Gordon had never really bothered about days of the week. WASP didn't run on a Monday to Friday basis, nor did life on Tracy island. There were rescue days, days spent working on the machines, or helping Brains with some new project, and quiet days. Now for the first time he became conscious of counting off the days until each weekend - a fact that his brothers soon picked up on and teased him about without mercy. Saturday would find him taking off for San Francisco, where he would take Megan out for a meal, or to a movie or show. He would spend the night in a hotel and be back at Megan's on Sunday, when they would take Molly out to the park, the swimming pool (Gordon was teaching her to swim), the beach, or some other amusement, before he flew home in the afternoon. A couple of times he had to cancel – once a call had come in from and undersea mining operation just as he was about to leave and he had to ask John to contact Megan from TB5 to explain that he was being 'called away on urgent business': another time when he had just returned from eight hours fighting forest fires in Eastern Europe and was simply too tired to fly out again. Not that Megan had needed telling; by now she had become an avid news watcher – following every broadcast in case there was ever a mention of International Rescue. She was able to explain this new interest to her friends by saying that since they had rescued her from that mine she had a heightened interest in the organisation and its activities.

One Saturday night a couple of months later they had been out for a meal and returned to Megan's house. As usual, Megan invited Gordon in for a coffee.

Isobel was waiting for them. "Hi, there, Isobel, how's Molly been?" asked her mother.

"Fine," replied Isobel, "haven't heard a peep out of her all evening. Well, I'd better be going. Good night!"

They sat talking quietly over their coffee. When Megan had finished she put down her cup and stood up. "I'll just go and check on Molly."

While she was upstairs, Gordon took the cups out to the kitchen and rinsed them. Megan came down the stairs, "She's fast asleep. Oh, thank you, Gordon, you didn't have to do that."

"That's all right; besides, my Grandma would skin me alive if I didn't!" He turned to pick up his jacket. "It's getting late. I'd better go and check into my hotel now."

Megan moved closer, putting her hands round his waist. "You don't have to go, you know." She gave him a long, slow kiss.

"What about Molly?" he queried.

"We'll just have to be quiet. Come on, you're not my patient any more, you know," and taking his hand, she led him upstairs.

A while later, Gordon murmured "You know something? I'm very glad I'm not one of your patients any more."

"So am I" came the sleepy answer.

Gordon lay awake for a long time, looking at the sleeping figure next to him. What was it about this girl that was so different? Other girls had been friends, someone to have fun with, but Megan somehow touched him on a deeper level. He remembered his conversation with John about 'hidden agendas'. Was that it? Did he feel for the first time that he had found someone he could trust? All he knew was that she aroused a tenderness in him he had never felt before – a desire to cherish and protect her, and keep her at his side.

The following morning Molly was delighted to find Gordon sitting at the breakfast table. "Uncle Gordon!" (he had become an honorary uncle some time ago) "you're here early!"

"Yes, your Mommy promised me a special breakfast of" he hesitated and looked at Megan who mouthed the words "pancakes if I got here early, and they're my favourite."

"I like pancakes too," said Molly. "Where are we going today?"

"Where would you like to go?"

"Can we go to Marine World?"

"What again?" put in Megan, "you've already been there twice."

"Yes, but Uncle Gordon makes it all so interesting."

Megan smiled at Gordon. "That's true, you do. I never realised that sea horses were so fascinating until you started telling us about the last time – and we weren't the only ones listening."

Gordon smiled at the memory. On their last visit he had been explaining to Molly about the life of a sea horse, and by the time he had finished and looked round he realised that he had several other children and a couple of adults in his audience as well.

Later that morning, while Molly was staring in awe at a squid in one of the cases, Gordon whispered to Megan "Do you have any leave owing to you from work?"

"Yes," she replied, I was thinking of taking a week off later this month."

"Well, would you and Molly like to come to our island for a visit? I'll have to clear it with Dad first, but I'm sure he'd agree, and I think Molly would love it."

"That sounds a lovely idea."

A few weeks later, Gordon and Megan ran up the beach and threw themselves down on their towels, laughing. "You cheated!" gasped Gordon, breathlessly.

"True. How else could I expect to beat you?" She sat up, rubbing herself dry, and looked along the beach to where Molly and John were investigating the contents of a rock pool. "This has been a lovely week. I know Molly's had a wonderful time, and so have I. It seems to have gone so quickly – we only seem to have been here a couple of days, and tomorrow you'll be taking us home. And we won't see you next weekend, will we?"

"No, that's when I'm going on to New Zealand for my canoe trip. We're going to canoe down the Rangitata river. It's supposed to have some great rapids"

"This is with your WASP buddies?"

"That's right. Barbara and Michael are old pals from my WASP days. You might even have met them – they came to visit me while I was recovering from my accident."

Megan shook her head. "No, the only ones I remember were your family. Most other visitors used to come during the day and had left by the time I came on duty. Where are you meeting them?"

 "We're meeting at Port Lyttleton, near Christchurch. Michael married a girl called Zoe last year. She's a Kiwi, so he got a land job at the WASP base at Devonport. They're flying down to Port Lyttleton to meet us there. Barbara's ship – she's a captain now – will be in dock. The others in the party are from the ship as well, Stephen, who I gather is Barbara's new boyfriend, and a girl called Cat, neither of which I've met. We're flying upriver and spending a couple of days travelling down by canoe. I would have asked you to come, but the Rangitata is rated Grade Five, and the grades only go to six, so it's definitely not for beginners."

Megan shook her head, laughing, "Gordon Tracy, don't you get enough thrills from your job that you have to go hunting for more?"

He grinned sheepishly. "I know. John calls me an 'adrenaline junkie'. But I'm not the only one – Scott and Alan are just as bad!"

She leaned forward and kissed him. "I wouldn't have you any different."

He lay back, reaching up and running his finger lightly down her arm. "Megan, I've been trying to work out why you are so special to me."

"And did you come to any conclusion?" she replied softly, unwilling to break his mood.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because I feel I don't have any secrets from you." He paused, shaking his head, "I'm not talking about the rescue business here. I think it's that I know you've seen me at my worst, so I have nothing to hide from you."

"What do you mean 'I've seen you at your worst'?" she queried, gently.

"In the hospital, of course."

 Megan shook her head. "No, Gordon, you're wrong there. I saw you at your best. Any man who could go through what you did and survive without any bitterness has got to be a very good person. Any man who went through what you did, and later goes on to face danger again on a regular basis for no personal reward, knowing from first hand experience what the consequences could be, has got to be a truly remarkable person." She held his gaze for a long moment before moving towards him.

Molly looked up from her place by the rock pool. "Looks like Mommy's kissing Uncle Gordon again" she said with the world-weariness only a five-tear old can muster.

John tried hard not to smile. "Does she do that a lot?"

Molly nodded sagely. "Sometimes. Sometimes they're kissing when I go to bed, and they're still kissing when I get up. You know, Uncle John, sometimes I think they spend all night kissing."

John's face muscles were beginning to ache. "Do you like Uncle Gordon?"

Molly nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, he's fun. He's always finding things in my ears."

John nodded, "Yes, Gordon's clever at things like that."

 "I think Mommy likes him more, though." Molly looked along the beach again. "They've finished kissing now. Do you think they'd like to see my new starfish?"

"Yes, I'm sure they'd love to." John watched the small figure trot down the beach, a bucket clasped carefully in both hands. Being an honorary uncle could be quite entertaining at times.

"Mommy! Look what I found!"

Megan peered in the bucket to see a blue and yellow starfish lying at the bottom, its arms waving gently. "That's pretty, darling."

Molly pushed the bucket towards Gordon "Is it a boy starfish, or a girl starfish?" she queried the man who (as far as she was concerned) knew everything there was to know about marine life.

Gordon hesitated for just a second. "I think it looks like a boy starfish to me."

"Good. I'm going to call him Henry."

"Well, when you've finished with Henry, make sure you put him back in the pool where you found him," put in Megan.

"Why?" said Molly, pouting.

"Because that's his home," said Gordon. "He likes it there."

"I like it here, too. Byee!" She turned and ran back up the beach, the bucket banging against her legs.

Megan watched her go. "Yes, Molly's really enjoyed this week. She'll be sorry to leave."

"Do you think she'd like to live here permanently?" asked Gordon, softly.

Megan turned to him. "Gordon, what do you mean by that?"

Gordon took hold of both of her hands. "Megan, would you marry me? Come and live with us here? You know how I feel about you, and your nursing experience would certainly come in useful from time to time."

Megan hesitated, then spoke. "I don't know if  I ever told you that when Danny proposed to me I said 'yes' immediately. After we broke up I made a solemn promise to myself that if I was ever in the same situation again, however tempting the offer, I would wait a whole week before giving my answer. And don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"That 'last puppy in the pet shop' look. You're asking a lot of me, Gordon. To give up my life, my home, my job, my friends. I did that once before for a man, and it all went pear-shaped. I've just about got my life straightened out now. Taking risks isn't a way of life for me like it is for you. I just need a little time to be sure I'm making the right decision. I'll give you my answer in a week's time."

"I won't be here then – I'll be in New Zealand."

"OK, call me when you get back and I'll give you my answer then." She looked past him along the beach. "I think I'll go and see if Molly has found any friends for Henry."

After she had gone, Gordon ran down the beach and struck out into the bay, swimming fast and furiously. 'You were so sure she'd say 'yes'' came the mocking voice in his head. 'Bit of a shock to find that someone would turn you down, isn't it?'

He took a deep breath and dived below the surface. At once the undersea world worked its usual magic on him. 'She hasn't said 'no' yet' a calmer voice whispered, 'she just wants time to think. Who can blame her? You're not the only one to have been hurt by a relationship – other people have scars too. Whatever you do, don't go acting like a spoilt brat or she certainly won't want you.'

Lungs bursting by now, he surfaced. He looked towards the rock pool where Megan and Molly were bending over, examining something with great interest. He had waited ten years. He could wait another week.