"Ohhhh you don't know how much I've missed you!" Grace said as she embraced Georgie the second she'd opened the door to her. She noticed the stitches on Georgie's head straightaway and as usual, it worried her; the physical scars she continued to bring home from this job, not to mention the emotional ones. Grace was always relieved when she came back from a tour alive, and always feared that one day, she would not.
"I missed you too, Mum." Georgie said, hugging her tightly. She noticed over Grace's shoulder that the familiar 'Welcome Home' banner was back out of storage and the usual colourful balloons and bunting were up, too. She wondered why her mum still went to the trouble - it was like a ritual now, she supposed.
"There she is!" Max beamed as he came toward Georgie from the kitchen with his arms wide open, ready to embrace her.
"Dad!" Georgie said as he enveloped her in his hug.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed, holding her out at arms length, and studying the stitches on her forehead.
"It's fine Dad, it's just a scratch." Georgie said. She never really opened up to her family about some of the things that happened on tour - they just wouldn't be able to take it. She thought it was best that the less they knew, the better - especially the fact that she was prepared to end her own life by jumping from a cliff.
Marie and Lulu swiftly followed behind Max and greeted Georgie with hugs and kisses.
"Come on, let's get you settled back in." Grace said, ushering Georgie into the living room. She had laid on the usual spread that Georgie had come to expect - she wondered if her Mum thought she wasn't allowed to eat whilst on tour, but gratefully accepted the plate of sandwiches, sausage rolls and crisps that Grace swiftly loaded up and thrust into her hand.
As the family all sat around, eating and chatting, Georgie was finding it hard to stay present in the conversation. She kept thinking about Charlie and everything that had happened over the last few months - from Belize and Bangladesh to Bath. It felt surreal to be sat at home in Manchester again. She felt a million miles away from Charlie and she just wanted to hear his voice, to let him to know that she'd arrived home safely.
"...I mean you must be shattered Georgie. What time did your flight land?" Georgie caught the last part of what Grace was saying. She sat quietly, biting her bottom lip, trying to focus on bringing her mind back into the present.
"Georgie? Are you alright, love?" Grace asked with concern.
"I um, I haven't just got back off tour." Georgie said, chewing her lip nervously.
"What'd you mean?" Grace asked.
"I've um... been back a few days already." Georgie continued.
"Eh?" Max said, confused.
"Well If you've been back a few days where've you been then?" Grace asked.
"I've um... I've been with Charlie - Captain James, in Bath." Georgie said, nervously.
"Oh right, why didn't you say?" Grace said, sounding slightly surprised. She took another bite of her sandwich and spoke with her mouth full - "I take it you spent some time with Molly then, how is she?" she asked obliviously.
Georgie took a deep breath, before deciding just to come out and say it. "No, um... when I say I've been with Charlie, I mean... I've been with Charlie."
Her parents and siblings mouths all fell open similtaneously as they stared at her in shock.
OG
Charlie sat opposite the Brigadier at the desk in his office.
"Based on what you've told me today, Captain James - and taking the circumstances of your previous few tours into account - I'll be officially recording my concerns for your welfare and general wellbeing and am discharging you from all duties until you have completed an adequate course of phycotherapy - for which I will refer you onwards with immediate effect. This is with a view to discuss your re-entry to duties after an evaluation of said therapy." The Brigadier said.
"Thank you, Sir." Charlie answered.
"You are an exceptional officer, Captain James. I commend you for seeking help. Too many serving officers do not come forward when they require it and it rarely ends well."
"I'm grateful for the referral, Sir. But I was um... wondering what help would be available if... well if I were to decide not to come back." Charlie said cautiously.
The Brigadier looked at Charlie for a moment before he opened the drawer beneath his desk and pulled out a piece of paper which he passed across the desk to him. Charlie studied it, it was poorly photocopied and had contact details of all the service charities on it.
"Is this it?" Charlie asked sincerely, looking up at the Brigadier.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." The Brigadier answered matter of factly. "There's also the NHS of course..." he trailed off.
Charlie sat staring at the piece of paper in silent disbelief.
Once you were out of the army, you were out. This meant that access to any army referred therapies would cease. Basically - it was up to you to sort out help yourself if you felt you needed any. Charlie had half known this but he was still shocked that this piece of paper was all that he was being offered. It was a disgrace, he thought. A disgrace to all those who had served their country, lost friends along the way, lost a sense of themselves to PTSD. The words Smurf's mother had said to him after Smurf's funeral suddenly came back to him.
"I gave the army my boys. And they gave me back a flag."She had said.