Here's is the next chapter for you. Please let me know what you think.
1000 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house
ET, Bomber, Spider and Tamsin were sitting out on the undercover area of the backyard.
"This is just not fair," said Bomber suddenly. The other three looked up. Tamsin laughed.
"Look at you all. Anyone would think you didn't have a life!" she laughed, standing up.
"I do have a life," replied Spider.
"Mmm, sure. Well, I'm going to leave you all to wallow in your boredom. I've got to go and pick Matt up."
"I'll come," said ET almost instantly, jumping at the chance to do something. Tamsin laughed again.
"Are you seriously that bored?"
"What do you think?" he replied.
"All right. Let me go get my bag then," replied Tamsin, heading in the side door.
"All right, that's it. I'm taking Ruby for a walk," declared Bomber.
"Me too," said Spider, jumping up quickly but groaning as the pain set in again.
"Smart one," Bomber told him before reaching to unhook the little dogs lead from the hook on the wall. ET burst out in a fit of laughter as he watched Bomber and Spider attempted to put Ruby on a lead. While the well-trained Ruby was sitting patiently, Spider couldn't bend over far enough to clip the lead on and Bomber couldn't get it on with only one hand.
"You know you're supposed to be resting?" said Tamsin, reappearing. They looked up at her. "Nikki's going to kill you," she continued.
"Not if you don't tell her," said Spider.
"Just at least wait until I've gone because at least then I can say that I had no idea you'd done it," said Tamsin, walking out the gate to the lock-up garage, ET following close behind.
1330 hours, Navcom
Nikki was sitting in her new office, still trying to get used to it. The last time she had spent time in an office was when she had worked more for the family company whilst she studied at ADFA when she was 18. And now, at 26, that was a long time ago! The last time she had been in a shore posting, she had been in the outer area of the building with many other Navy staff members. She was currently typing up one of the many tasks she had already been handed that morning. Nikki looked up when there was a knock at the door.
"You are entitled to lunch breaks you know," said Lieutenant Smith. Nikki laughed.
"Yeah, I just wanted to get these medic refresher courses finished," she replied, moving the computer's mouse slightly.
"Already? They normally take days!" he replied with a laugh. "Go, go have lunch." Nikki sighed before thinking about eating. She had been so busy that she hadn't even realised she was hungry.
"Thanks," she told Darryl, saving her file and pushing back from the desk.
1400 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house
"I am so happy you are finally here!" exclaimed Tamsin excitedly as she came out to the undercover area, kissing Matt on the head as she sat down.
"I had noticed," replied Matt in a teasing voice.
"I take it work hasn't been much fun of late," said ET from his seat. Matt, who had Ruby on the seat next to him, ruffled the little dogs' fur and nodded.
"Having to put a whole new security system and shutting everything down is enough but then losing more money. At least it's stopped now," he replied.
"And they haven't got any idea who's taking it?" said ET unbelievingly.
"The federal police are fairly certain that the guy who you guys brought in the other day is involved somehow. Although they have said that they just think he was a worker, not into the bigger picture," replied Matt, not noticing ET's confused police. "Except he has been cleared for Mum's death because he was in Western Australia at the time."
"What guy?" Matt looked up at noticed his sister's fiancé's face as well as his girlfriends. He swallowed the water he had just taken into his mouth.
"They haven't told you?"
"Told us what?" asked Tamsin, confused by this seemingly new turn of events.
"Oh, I thought you'd have been told. The man that was brought onto the HMAS Hammersley, the one that shot you," started Matt nodding at ET. "He apparently was working for someone who was planning to poison the people on the yacht you guys intercepted. Because they had money."
"Wait, poison?" said Tamsin in a rushed voice, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Yeah. And you weren't told?" asked Matt again. ET and Tamsin shook their heads.
"Now Nik's got even more reason to hate those guys," said Tamsin.
"I assumed that she would have been told through Navy headquarters," said Matt, shaking his head in disbelief. "We've known this since the day after you brought the guy in."
"So why wouldn't they have told Nikki at the very least?" questioned Tamsin. "She was one who got shot at by the guys."
"She what?" asked Matt in a stunned voice.
"He doesn't know that?" said ET to Tamsin pointing to Matt.
"Um yeah, I didn't tell you that part," said Tamsin in a guilty voice. "Nikki was with Bec when she got shot but she avoided being hit."
"You're kidding right?" ET and Tamsin both shook their heads. Typical Nikki, thought Matt. Still has to continue with her job, despite it all.
1525 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house
Nikki arrived home later that afternoon, parking her car in the garage and locked the doors before heading inside.
"Hello?" called out Nikki into the empty house. She turned to look behind her, wondering if the cars had been in the driveway.
"Hello you," said ET, swooping past behind her, causing her to whirl around. He kissed her before putting the glass he had been holding on the bench.
"Where is everyone?" asked Nikki.
"Okay, hi Josh, how are you? Did you have good day?" said ET in a playful day. Nikki smiled and tilted her head.
"I'm sorry. How are you?" she asked, taking a few steps and giving him a kiss on the cheek as he leant on the bench.
"Bored," he laughed. "How was your first day?"
"Really good. Lots to do though," she replied, opening the cupboard underneath her and pulling a glass out.
"You're not over working yourself, are you?" asked ET seriously.
"No!" laughed Nikki. "Stop worrying so much."
"I'm allowed too," he replied, pulling the glass out of her hand. "Here, I'll get you a drink, you go get changed." Nikki kissed him on the cheek again before leaving. She joined the others on the back deck a few minutes later.
"Look at you!" said Matt as soon as she came out. "You are definitely looking bigger!"
"Oh thanks!" said Nikki, hugging her brother. "Why is it that every time I see someone now that they say hello to me with "well aren't you looking even bigger!"
"Just what happens, hun," said Tamsin, breezing past.
"So what did you guys gets up to today?" asked Nikki, directing her comment to ET, Bomber and Spider.
"Oh, it was great. Just hung out here," said ET, shifting in his seat.
"Mmm, caught up on some rest," added Bomber.
"Yeah, watched a few movies," contributed Spider.
"Right, so why was it when I called here between 10.30 and 12.00, no one answered?" questioned Nikki. ET looked at Bomber, as did Spider.
"Okay, we went out for while," admitted Bomber. "Spider and I took Ruby for a walk and ET went with Tam to pick up Matt." Nikki shook her head, knowing that she would never have been able to keep them from doing things.
"So, how was your first day?" asked Tamsin, hoping to draw attention away from the previous conversation.
"Busy. I've already got a mountain of stuff to do," replied Nikki, sitting down. Ruby immediately strolled over and danced at Nikki's feet.
"Mmm, that doesn't sound like you," said Matt sarcastically. He looked over at Josh. "Nik, have you spoken to the federal police?"
"About what?" asked Nikki, taking a sip of her drink.
"The man that you got the other day, the one that shot everyone, they think he's got something to do with the money going missing," he said slowly. "And Mum." Nikki's face was frozen, trying to absorb this new information.
"Can they charge him?" asked Nikki eventually. Matt sighed before shaking his head.
"No, they think he's just a worker in it. And apparently he was in WA when Mum died."
"So those guys, the ones that we let get away, are involved with what happened to Mum?" asked Nikki again, still shocked by this new turn of events. "I need to talk to the feds," she said suddenly, getting up and marching into the house.
"I'll go," said Matt, standing up and following his sister. He entered the house and immediately headed for his sister's bedroom, knocking softly on the half-open door.
"Matt..." she began saying but he interrupted her.
"You're not going to be able to do anything," he told her.
"Want to bet?"
"The police aren't going to be able to tell you any more than what I've already told you because that is all they know," he insisted, taking a step further into the room. Nikki didn't say anything for a few moments.
"This is not fair," she eventually squeaked out, her voice becoming strangled by the underlying tears that were threatening to surface at any moment.
"I know," said Matt, moving over to envelope his sister in a hug. "I know."
"I just want my old life back," sobbed Nikki. "It's like one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong. Suddenly we find out we have a heart condition, I have to give up the life I love at sea, I lost Mum and nearly lost Josh all in the space of months." She was shaking with tears by now. "Nothing in my life is positive. And I've failed Mum because I didn't find out what happened to her."
"You did not fail Mum," said Matt firmly, pulling his sister away from him to look at her face. "You did not fail her. She would be so proud of you. And they haven't given up finding the truth; look at what you did to help the case, even if you didn't know it." Nikki, despite the tears, held his gaze as she listened. "And you need to focus on the positives. I know I am. For one thing you're finally making me an uncle!" Nikki laughed.
"I know you're right. It's just hard." Matt nodded.
"And it'll probably get harder. But you need to learn to lean on others. We're all here for you." Nikki nodded before hugging her brother. Another moment of weakness, she thought to herself. This is starting to become a habit. And she hated it.
Another chapter done. I keep feeling like it's starting to drag on so I might try and start shortening it. It's up to you guys though; let me know your opinions on it.