Kate could hear a heartbeat but it wasn't hers.
The thumping sound reverberated in her mind as she slept soundly. It was steady and consistent bringing with it a reassuring feeling she had missed so dearly over the past few days. She was becoming more and more awake and thus increasingly aware of this other heartbeat. Her eyelids began to creep open slightly to reveal a darkened and blurry world. Soon the blur began to come into focus and she saw that she was in her cabin aboard HMAS Amberley.
She lifted her head slightly and in doing so disturbed the man whose chin had come to rest on top of her head as the two of them had spent the night embracing one another. She looked up and realized that it had not been a dream. She was indeed in her rack with Buffer – it seemed so funny to call him that now. To her he was Pete. He always would be from now on except when they were on duty of course. She had gone to sleep hearing his heartbeat and as the two of them locked their sleepy eyes on one another he whispered delicately, "Good morning."
She smiled brightly before uttering, "Morning." Without even thinking about it she quickly returned her head to his chest. It was as if to let go of this moment would be to lose this feeling forever. The two of them had not sullied this feeling they had by having sex that night. The emotion was purer than that. So too was their respect for one another.
Although every professional fiber in her body was screaming that this was wrong it was drowned out by the warmth and affection that was swirling around the two of them as they remained locked together. No Navy or any armed force in the world can ever interfere in moments like this; the pleasure of spending a perfect evening with the one you love will last the rest of your life and is indestructible.
For Kate McGregor and Peter Tomaszewski this was one of those times.
"Kate," he whispered softly but she pretended not to hear him. "Kate!" She had no choice but to once again look up at his face staring lovingly down at her. "We should probably make a move. It's a big day today."
"I know," she replied. "What time is it?"
Buffer looked at his diving watch on his left hand before saying, "It's zero six thirty hours. What time is the inquiry?"
"Oh nine hundred at NAVCOM," she said as a feeling of dread suddenly gripped the pit of her stomach. The feeling quickly dampened the flame that was glowing from them but did not extinguish it completely.
She sat upright on the bed. Buffer sat up beside her and the two of them took deep breaths before they plucked up the courage to talk about their new relationship. Both had their doubts and worries but at the same time the force that was drawing them together in the first place was still there. Kate had heard people talk about electricity between two people. She thought she had experienced it with Mike Flynn but it was barely a spark compared to the lightning bolts that were emanating from the two of them to each other.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Buffer as the two of them stared down at the floor.
"I don't know," she said. "You know the Navy's rules about this sort of thing."
Buffer could detect the hint of 'professional Kate' coming through in her words but this time they seemed more sad than commanding. He turned to her and said, "You've been having a tough time lately with the collision, Morales and now the inquiry. I took advantage of that. I behaved inappropriately."
Kate's lower jaw uncontrollably fell open. She heard his words and knew precisely what he meant. He was giving her an explanation should they ever be discovered. She knew that if Marshall ever caught wind of what had happened then that is exactly what Buffer would say to him. He would take full responsibility in order to save her career which in his eyes was more important than his own. It was a deep and moving sentiment that left a big impression on Kate. She knew there was only one answer she could ever give if she was brought before Marshall to explain her actions. Hell, she felt ready to confess to God almighty.
"I knew what I was doing," she said gently. Without saying it the two of them had agreed that if they were discovered they would both walk away from their careers to give this relationship a chance to blossom into more. But for the time being they both had jobs to do. Buffer leaned over and kissed her delicately on the cheek before standing up and quite carefully opening the door to check if anyone was outside. Convinced that no one was in the corridor he looked back at her before uttering, "Good luck."
Like a professional cat burglar he slipped out through the door and closed it behind him without any living thing aboard Amberley ever being aware he was ever there. He made his way forward towards the enlisted mess. Even now he was still apprehensive about the room ever since his…his. What the hell happened exactly? He had gone over it a thousand times in his mind and he was still no closer to an explanation as to how he was injured (or was it assaulted?) that day when Amberley collided with the Darwin Explorer. The best he could come up with was that it was all an hallucination brought on by fumes or something? Maybe he fell as he was running passed the mess on his way to the engine room? Perhaps the voice he heard and the entity he saw was in fact a dream brought about by a blow to the head?
There was of course another explanation he entertained and like Nikki's story about the boat being cursed he quickly dismissed the idea of the Amberley being haunted. He never considered himself to have an abundance of intellect but he was a logical human being blessed with the gift of reason and more importantly common sense. All these things quickly dispelled any notion of supernatural interference aboard the patrol boat. It was silly.
A jolt of cold energy bristled across the back of his neck. Startled, he spun around on the spot to find he was standing just a few inches from Matt Satchwell!
"What the hell?" he gasped as he fought to catch his breath. Buffer's nerves were suddenly shattered as though they were a dinner plate falling off a shelf. Satchwell seemed to appear behind him. He'd had no warning of the XO being in the corridor with him and the first thought that sprung to his mind was whether or not Satchwell saw him coming out of Kate's quarters.
"I'm sorry," said Satchwell in a distinct monotone that seemed almost detached from his mouth. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's ok sir," said Buffer who was now regaining control of his breathing.
"Are you alright?" asked Satchwell. "I heard you had some trouble ashore? With the Police I mean?"
"Misunderstanding sir," said Buffer who began to wonder how Satchwell was going to react to having him back onboard . He was afterall a suspect in Scooter's death.
"Glad to hear it," said Satchwell. Buffer felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end readying himself for some physical confrontation with his XO. The last time they had met was aboard the Coral Dawn and Satchwell had been particularly hostile towards him. Since then Spider had been stabbed and Scooter was dead. Buffer wondered how these events would further alienate him from the XO. To his surprise Satchwell said, "Buffer, I feel I owe you an apology."
"Sir?" asked a confused Peter Tomaszewski.
"For the way I behaved the last time we met. I'd had some unfortunate personal news and for reasons I cant explain decided to vent against you. That is no excuse however. I just feel I needed to explain my actions to you. Star again? What do you say?"
Buffer looked down and saw Satchwell's hand of friendship extended outward. Buffer felt like a Rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. He wasn't sure how to react except for to accept the offer.
"Of course sir," said Buffer whose voice betrayed the cocktail of startled apprehension and confusion that was swirling around his body.
"I'm glad. I have a feeling that you and I are going to be quite busy over the next few days. We need to work as a team to keep this crew from falling apart. They need to know what happened ashore should stay ashore."
"You can count on me sir," said Buffer sternly.
Satchwell grinned almost slyly, "I know I can." With that Satchwell walked passed him and continued his way towards the bridge.
Buffer watched him walking up the steps at the end of the corridor as though he had just met the XO for the first time. He simply didn't recognize him. Everything about him was different. Even his walk seemed to have changed from the last time they had met. His voice was also slightly lower and he seemed more focused than anyone Buffer had ever met in his life. Just what he was focused on exactly was lost on Pete who decided he needed some fresh air to clear his thoughts.
Buffer stepped outside through the hatchway and was met with a crisp cool breeze coming in from the sea. It was the kind of breeze that embeds itself into a sailor's heart and travels around their veins eventually consuming his or her entire being. Many people who have never been to sea ever appreciate the passion that comes from such a life.
He leaned up against the handrail and looked out over the harbor as his nostrils suddenly filled with the smell of the ocean. The sun was still only just beginning its journey up from the horizon. The sky was a brilliant explosion of red, orange and turquoise. As his mind fell back from his unnerving meeting with Satchwell to his night with Kate he smiled as he realized he was happy to be alive. His eyes fell shut to allow the aroma of the sea to consume his senses without interruption from his domineering eyes.
"Watch him Pete," said the man standing beside him.
"Watch who?" asked Pete as he exhaled heavily.
"You know who," the voice said again.
Buffer turned to see the man standing beside him. Buffer couldn't be sure but he estimated the man was in his early thirties with short dark hair. He wore Navy whites but he couldn't quite make out any detail on it. For some this might have been a confusing experience but Buffer felt totally at ease around the man. It was as if they had known each other for years.
Buffer suddenly felt a bout of fatigue. His knees seemed to give way and his hands instinctively reached for the handrail. At that moment Charge appeared walking from the stern of the patrol boat. Seeing Buffer nearly collapse in front of him Charge rushed to his side.
"Are you okay mate?" asked Charge who was in place ready to catch Buffer if he should fall. Expecting Buffer to be ill Charge was surprised to find his friend chuckling to himself. "What's so funny?" Buffer found his balance once again and Charge relaxed a little. "Are you alright? I mean you haven't taken anything that perhaps you shouldn't have?"
"I fell asleep," laughed Buffer. "I fell asleep on my feet. I had a crazy dream too."
"Oh yeah what about?" asked Charge who didn't find it funny.
"Nothing, don't worry," said Buffer. "Bad night I guess." That seemed to make Buffer laugh even harder although Charge couldn't fathom why.
"Me too," said Charge whose mind had been dominated by the event in the mess the night before. As Buffer came to his senses he could see that Charge looked physically exhausted. His face seemed to droop low and his eyes were pleading for rest.
"Are you okay?" asked Buffer.
Charge seemed to sigh before answering, "Not really mate." Before Buffer could ask him what was wrong Charge began to walk away. As Buffer's head turned to follow his friend's movements forward he suddenly noticed something in one of the windows of the bridge. It was a face. It was Satchwell's face. He had watched everything.
NAVCOM, Cairns
0900hrs
Kate looked smart in her dress white uniform as she marched before the panel of officers headed by Commander Marshall. The inquiry was being held in the NAVCOM gymnasium which today would serve as a makeshift courthouse. Every step she took as she marched up to the desk where the three officers sat echoed loudly through the vast space of the building.
Standing before them she saluted smartly and without hesitation.
Marshall acknowledged the salute before announcing, "Acting Lieutenant Commander Kate McGregor; this tribunal has been convened to determine whether or not your actions or inactions in some way contributed to the collision of Her Majesty's Australian Ship Amberley with the civilian vessel Darwin Explorer. While no formal charges are being brought against you at this time the outcome of this tribunal will determine whether further disciplinary actions are required…"
Kate stood there smartly as Marshall read aloud the particulars of the incident which were going to be covered in the tribunal. Her calm exterior hid the tension that she was filled with inside. Worse still her mind was awash with her feelings for Buffer that had finally surfaced the night before. While she didn't regret what happened it was now proving a hindrance to her concentration even though her career was hanging in the balance.