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Chapter 24

The rest of the trip went smooth. No one seemed to notice that the CO and XO were avoiding each other. When they had to speak to each other they were oddly formal and they talked very staccato (that's means very short and abrupt).

Finally they pulled into port. Although the trip doesn't take long for Kate it seemed to take for ever. She was relieved when they were finally dismissed. Kate quickly disembarked and walked away.

There was an ambulance at the port and Kate just stopped to say quick goodbye to Lucy. Lucy just smiled and told Kate that she hoped she would visit her.

"You bet." Kate smiled and walked on.

If Kate had looked back just once she would've seen Mike staring after her. His face was intense and in pain. As if he had big decision to make but she didn't so she continued to walk quietly away with sad thoughts plaguing her.

Kate went home and collapsed onto her couch. Looking out of her window her thoughts wandered.

Her thoughts were not on Mandas and what had happened but on a certain CO. The question that she kept asking herself was why? Why couldn't she get him out of her head? Sure she had a thing for him but it was nothing serious. Well that's what she kept telling herself.

The light was slowly fading. Night was falling and Kate made no attempt to move away. She watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was very symbolic. Her 'light' had always being able to work with Mike but after what had happened it was fading away to nothing.

As she sat there musing about her life and her complications she heard a soft knock on the front door. If her place hadn't have been so silent she would have missed it. She slowly turned her head back to the window. She wasn't interested.

After a few minutes the knocking had stopped but it was replaced by a hammering now. Kate still ignored it. That to stopped after a few minutes had passed. Silence. It was peaceful and Kate just stared out the window.

A tune floated through the air. It was 'in the mood'. That was Kate's ring tone for her phone. Kate remembered that she was on call. She mentally shook herself awake and walked over to her phone which was on the table next to the front door.

"Hello Kate speaking."

"Kate will open this door so we can talk? Please? I'm getting bitten alive out here. The mozzies are having a feast."

Kate froze. It was Mike. What was going on?

"Kate please. I know you're in there. Kate? Kate are you there?"

Kate just hung up. She couldn't face this right now but it was better to face the music now rather than later. So with resigned sigh she slowly opened the door.

There he was just leaning against the wall as if he no cares in the world. There were mozzies hanging around him as tried unsuccessfully to swat them away with his free hand. The only light was coming from the street light just at the end of the street. So Kate couldn't see his face.

Kate just stepped aside silently and held the door open. He quickly stepped past her and walked straight into her house. Kate followed up behind closing the door as she went. As she walked past him she beckoned him to her lounge room. She turned on the light as she entered.

Mike followed her into the room and took a seat on the couch as Kate went to shut the curtains. Kate dropped the string that shut the curtains and slowly turned to face Mike. She walked over and sat on a chair opposite from him.

They just sat there and stared at each other without making a sound or any effort to start the conversation. Kate pulled her legs up to her chin and put her arms around them. Her chin rested on her knees as she watched him. Still he made no effort to say anything.

Kate sighed and realised that she would have to say something otherwise they would be here all night. "Well?"

Mike just stared at her as if he blinked she would disappear.

"Well." Kate was getting a bit fed up with this. "Mike what is going on? You hammer on my door for what must have been ages and then you ring my phone all so you can get in. Now that you are here all you do is stare at me. So, what the heck is going on?"

By this stage Kate had worked herself up and she was getting quite angry.

Mike opened his mouth. His eyes never left hers.

"We have a problem Kate and I don't know what to do."

He stopped and looked down into his lap. The next bit Kate almost missed because he was speaking so quietly.

"Kate I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen today. I wasn't thinking. You… I was so lost when I found out what had happened first of all. When we didn't know what had happened. Kate I thought you had been killed."

Mike paused as he drew a shaky breath in and looked down. "I remember when Spider told me that you were ok. I was soo relieved. I thought…" He looked up and made eye contact again. "I thought I'd lost you."

He stood up and moved to where Kate was sitting and crouched in front of her. Kate slowly put her feet down so she could see Mike better. Mike gently took her hands.

"Kate I have confession to make. When we broke up all those years ago I missed you. Oh, I missed you so much. I know it was brief but I dunno it was just special. I'll be honest when you first bordered Hammersley I was stunned. I didn't know how to act or what to say or what to do."

Mike paused and took a deep breath and said, "Kate I think I'm in love with you. I don't know when it happened. It just happened and that's the truth."

He stopped and waited. Kate just stared at him. Her mind was blank. What could she say to him? He was looking so hopeful at her. Kate opened her mouth but nothing came out. She gulped.

"Kate, please say something. Please." His voice was begging her.

"Mike, I…" she was tongue-tied. She tried to say something but it just didn't come out.

Kate got up quickly and started pacing her thought whirled through her head. Why was she having so much trouble trying to talk to him? She knew the reason to that was because she had always been afraid to open up because she was afraid on getting hurt. She had to get over it but it was soo hard.

What on Earth was she going to say to him?

That's a wrap for now. So what do you think Kate's going to say to Mike?? A chapter down a couple more to go. Until next time have a blast...

Fantasygirl77