I'm sorry it has taken so long to post. This chapter has kept me stumped for a long time and has still not quite gone the way I wanted, but I want to finish this story, so after multiple rewrites, I am going with this.
Safe House, Cairns
0216 Hrs Middle Watch
Dutchy stirred, something had disturbed him. At first he needed a few seconds to take in his surroundings and remember where he was. But the sounds coming from the room next door had him out of bed and snatching his t-shirt, intending to put it on, he rushed to the girls' room to find Millie stirring, whimpering in her sleep, he rubbed her back and without thinking snuggled her in with his t-shirt and in a few seconds she was sleeping peacefully again. This allowed him to turn his attention to the woman in the other bed.
She was restless, mumbling in her sleep, suddenly she bolted up in bed, her eyes flying open as she noticed him. "Grace, it's okay, it's me." He assured her as he sat on the edge of the bed and cupped her face. "Shhh, you're safe now."
Her breathing was fast and ragged, her eyes slowly adjusting to the low light level from the light in the hallway as she looked at him. "Dylan?"
"Yeah, you okay?"
It was quiet for a moment then she spoke, "they took Millie, they were using her to get to me."
"Honey. It's okay, you were just dreaming. Millie's right here, she's safe."
Grace looked over to their daughter who was sleeping soundly again. Dutchy drew her attention back to him, "you're safe too. Get some sleep."
She half nodded and lay down. Standing he waited a moment for her to settle then left the room.
When he stirred a few hours later the sun was beating through the gap in the curtains, it already felt warm. He checked his watch it was only just after 0500. After laying for a few minutes he decided to get up, he could go for a run before the girls' woke and be back to do breakfast.
Having left one shirt with Millie during the night he rummaged in his sea bag and pulled out a vest and pulled it on with his shorts. Taking his shoes he slipped quietly out of bed and headed for the lounge. He was surprised the back doors to the veranda were open, so he went to check and saw Grace sitting out on the steps her head rested against the balustrade. She hadn't seemed to hear him so without making too much noise he made his presence known.
"Thought you'd still be sleeping," he commented moving through the door, loud enough for her to hear, but quiet enough he hoped not to disturb their daughter.
She turned her head to look at him as he joined her on the steps and sat down, "I can't, my mind's too active, although I probably got more than usual. Thanks for taking care of us last night."
"I couldn't just leave you."
"I should know better, it's your chivalry. I've been coping for a long time on my own. The first few nights in a new place are always the worst."
"Well you don't have to worry so much now I'm here."
She glanced at him and smiled. "Whatever happens later, I'm glad you came; you deserve the truth."
"What truth? Those guys were up to no good and you did the right thing and turned them in." He waited for her to say something, when she didn't he wondered if she was hiding something else, "or is there more?"
"There's always more, questions, moving, changes, never any resolution. Court dates change constantly. We're moved with no warning, if we're in different places at that moment Millie gets put in foster care until I've been resettled. Most of the time it's only for a few days, this time it was over a month. First I was moved to Watson's Bay, a few days later I was assigned to Hammersley, and you know what's happened since then. It's like it's never going to end. Every time gets harder. I want my life back, for Millie to go to school where she can make friends. I'm just waiting for them to turn up and we'll be moved again to the middle of nowhere."
As she finished speaking she stood up and went back into the house. Dutchy paused for a moment then followed her, she was in the kitchen. "Grace, this time it's over, they're all in custody. This is the last time. You leave here and you get to go home."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"I don't exist. Grace Taylor died in a helicopter crash 3 years ago. I'm whatever identity they pick out for me next." He could detect the frustration in her voice, if it hadn't been for the sleeping child in the next room she probably would have raised her voice.
"I'm sure they'll work it all out." He tried to sound confident, but he had no idea what she faced next.
"But how long will it take. I don't want to wait anymore, I want a normal life with normal expectations, right now I have nothing."
"That's not true, you have me and Millie."
"And now that you know about her how long will it be before you decide either to wash your hands of both of us or sue me for full custody, after all it's hardly a fit environment to raise a child that young when I'm constantly on the move."
"This is not your fault, I would never think of taking a child away from its mother. Besides I'm hardly a fit parent, I don't know her and constantly being at sea isn't the right way either."
"But you've got family who can give her a stable life and you'd see her when you're on leave."
He could see that she was still worked up and if they weren't careful they would wake Millie up. He moved around the breakfast bar and cupped her face, hoping to calm her down. "Grace, stop. This will all work out, soon you'll be able to have whatever life you want for yourself."
She pulled back, "I've still got the court case, that will be months away, besides how do we know there isn't someone on Vince's payroll still out to get me?"
The question went unanswered as a noise from the bedroom drew their attention and Grace moved to go check on her daughter.
Dutchy watched her go and ran his fingers through his short cropped hair. In the time they had spent together in the Gulf he had never seen her this strung out. He wasn't sure what he could say to make things better. If it wasn't for the sleeping child next door they may well have escalated to a full on argument. He wanted to be reassuring, even if it was for old time's sake but he had no idea what she faced next or whether he could remain a part of her life, so consequently he had no idea what to say to her. It was hard knowing what to do when he was the glass half full type, he wanted to be optimistic, but he felt the more he showed it the worse the situation between them might become.
He thought about going for a run, his original intention when he got up, but at that moment she walked back into the room balancing Millie on her hip, she was resting her head on her mother's shoulder and didn't notice him. "I guess someone wanted to join the party." Her voice had a lighter note, but he still detected something in it from their earlier discussion.
"I was going for a run but I can take her for a bit if you want some time."
"It's fine, go for a run. I don't want to upset your routine any more than we already have. We'll take a walk down to the sea and go paddling before breakfast."
It was clear that their conversation was not going to continue. He guessed that while Millie was around it wouldn't. He nodded, "you sure? I can come with you."
"You go, we'll be fine."
"If anything changes call me." He waited for her to acknowledge him then he turned and walked out onto the veranda.
He paused for a moment, still somewhat reluctant to leave, but maybe they both needed some space. They hadn't discussed anything the night before, well at least nothing of consequence. He thought she may have opened up earlier, but it was becoming clear that either she couldn't or wouldn't give him the full story yet. He suspected that perhaps it had something to do with Millie. He needed to find a way for them to have some alone time. Once he'd heard her side of the story then perhaps he could work out his own feelings. The living with not knowing why she had suddenly been ripped from his life and then reappeared when he thought she was dead was hard, it was making it difficult to move forward, but at the same time a lot of the old feelings were resurfacing.
With a final look back inside he checked his watch and set off through the bank of trees. Emerging onto the white sandy beach he paused again, this time to get his bearings and then he turned and headed away from the other houses that bordered the shore and towards a small headland that he estimated was about a mile away.
He'd hoped the run would help clear his head but it wasn't so easy. He couldn't help wonder what lay ahead for Grace and Millie and how he fit into their lives. Despite some peoples' assumptions about him in the last few years he was actually fiercely loyal and believing he had lost Grace in the helo crash combined with losing his boarding officer the same week had made him lose his way a bit. He'd made some reckless decisions and almost been drowned, then sensing something off about Madeleine Cruise he had wanted to get close to her to figure out why she seemed so against him. He hadn't dreamed that she was involved with terrorism.
Being on Hammersley initially seemed like a backward step especially when the first few months working with Kate had been so tense. But slowly they had got to know each other and become friends. Career wise she had been good for him after the Gulf, he now realised and he was grateful that he had the opportunity to serve with such a tight knit crew. The dirty bomb fiasco had been nearly a year ago and he was waiting to hear about a new assignment and he wondered what would have happened if he'd been sent somewhere else before Grace appeared.
He'd been so wrapped in his own bubble, going over events of the last few years that he hadn't realised that he had passed the headland by at least another half mile. He turned and stopped, looking back it seemed a long way all of a sudden, but he also knew that the distance was well within his capability.
Setting off for the return he tried to block out all of his thoughts and emotions and focus on getting back for breakfast.
NAVCOM, Cairns
0813 Hrs Forenoon Watch
As Mike arrived in the outer office to their command centre he saw Maxine hang up the phone as she sat at her desk.
"Mike." Her slightly raised voice caught his attention as he was about to enter his own office. He looked up and she waved him in. "We need to talk Mike, we're down a buffer and I need to crash sail Hammersley. Where am I supposed to get one in an hour? I don't suppose you can recall Petty Officer Mulholland."
"No Maxine I can't, we don't even know where he is at the moment. He needs time to come to terms with his new situation and debrief with the feds."
"What do you suggest we do then?"
"What's the problem?"
Maxine almost snapped back, clearly not happy with his decision the night before to just give Dutchy two weeks leave. "Hammersley has no buffer, he's a ship stopper Mike, you know that."
Mike expected some flak for letting Dutchy off duty with such short notice. "I meant why are they being crash sailed?" he ignored the dig at his decision making.
"Kingston have thrown a Turbo, Childers is towing her back and I need Hammersley to pick up her patrol."
Mike smiled slightly. The fun they could have with their counterparts over this incident was great; although in his current position that was not the sort of thing he should encourage.
"Where are they?" Having just arrived he had not yet had the opportunity to check on all the patrol boats whereabouts.
"About 2 hours out. Childers is going to rendezvous in about an hour on their way home."
Mike quickly assessed the information. "What about if we send Hammersley to rescue Kingston, they can be out and back in a day and if it's just a tow they can do it without a buffer, Kingston's one can over see them rig up. We could leave Childers out for a day or two and I've got a temporary replacement for Dutchy arriving tonight, so Hammersley can relieve Childers the day after tomorrow."
Maxine appeared to think about it for a moment. "What if anything happens and we need to retask Hammersley?"
"Kingston tow will have to be dropped but as they won't be going anywhere their buffer can go with Hammersley, it's not ideal, but it could work. At least he's familiar with the crew and they know him from the joint exercises recently. This can work Maxine."
She thought for a moment longer. "Fine, set it up."
Mike nodded in acknowledgement and headed to his own office to set the plan in motion. He started with his fiancée.
An hour later when he joined them at the dock before their departure he pulled aside 2-Dads.
"Yes, sir." The young sailor acknowledged as Kate joined them, already aware of Mike's intention.
"2-dads, you are a leading seaman looking for progression. You have an opportunity here to show what you can do and have it reflect favourably on your record. You will be sailing without a buffer. We expect you to step up and support the ship and help guide the younger members of the team. No pranks or games do I make myself clear?"
2-dads hesitated for a few seconds then answered, "Yes sir, where's Dutchy?"
"Emergency leave," Kate answered simply.
"With Lt Finch?" he asked with a cheeky grin. "Isn't she a bit out of his league?"
"Leader!" Kate snapped stopping his flow, "Am I going to have to start with toothbrush duty? Dutchy's business is his own, Commander Flynn has approved his absence that is all you need to know. If later on Dutchy wishes to share with the crew details of his personal life that will be up to him. For now we have a job to do, are you up to it?"
"Ah, yes ma'am, Leading Seaman Kosov-Meyer at your service as Hammersley's temporary buffer," he answered snapping to attention, but stopped short of saluting.
"You will have some of Dutchy's tasks and when we reach the stricken vessel you will be able to call on the advice and support of the Kingston Buffer."
"Kingston will be there boss?" his demeanour relaxed somewhat and the traditional 2-Dad smirk was back.
"Oh yes, now get your gear stowed and be ready for specials in 5 minutes."
"Yes, boss," he saluted Kate and Mike and then headed through the hatch to stow his gear as directed.
"I'd love to be a fly on the wall when you tell them who you're rescuing."
"Commander Flynn, are you wishing you were joining us?"
"Always," he answered. "Opportunities for rubbing your rivals nose in it doesn't come often."
Kate smiled, "you're not supposed to have favourites now Mike, you should treat all of them equally. Now I suggest you get off my ship so that we can get underway."
"Yes, Ma'am," he saluted and she returned the gesture before he leaned closer to her and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, "fair winds Kate, I'll see you this evening."
He turned and disembarked as she called a farewell then she turned and headed inside to the ship's bridge.
Safe House, Cairns
1034 Hrs Middle Watch
Breakfast had been a fun affair, resulting in Millie being covered in flour from helping to make pancakes. When they had finished and everything was cleaned up they were now planning what they could do for the rest of the day.
Dutchy had stopped by the garage on the way back from his run and found a whole load of gear they could use on the beach. Now seemed the appropriate time to bring it up, thinking they had a day to themselves. Just as he was about to speak he was stopped when the doorbell rang.
"That will be Agent Morris to start our debriefing, can you let her in?" Grace called from the bedroom, where she was changing Millie out of her flour covered clothes.
Most of the day was spent debriefing over her abduction and recovery with the female agent and her team who had dropped him at the house the night before.
"It's getting late and it's taken a lot out of the two of you, I suggest that you spend an hour with Millie on the beach then have a family dinner and chill out this evening." Agent Morris was the last of the team to leave, she had dismissed everyone else as she collected the paperwork. "We'll be arranging for you both to receive counselling, it's a good idea to follow through, there will be a lot of questions you need to work through. Possibly more from you Dylan as you had quite a shock when she walked back into your life with a baby."
"I'm sure we can work it out, now that everything is out in the open-" Grace tried to dismiss the idea.
"Grace, don't dismiss it without trying it. You've been through a lot in the last few years, you had Millie and I know at times you have struggled to manage. It's going to take a few weeks to reverse a lot of the paperwork, don't rush into anything and make decisions about your future without taking some time and understanding your own emotions."
"We'll think about it." He told her before realising that it was almost going against his normal behaviour. There was no doubt however that they were really in uncharted territory and needed time to be completely honest with each other.
"Glad to hear it." Agent Morris announced picking up her bag and turning to Grace.
"I'll see you tomorrow and we can discuss the practicalities and how things will work for the next few weeks. Have a quiet evening and enjoy spending time together."
Once she had gone the only sound was the babbling from Millie as she sat blissfully unaware of the events of the day or the silence between her parents. He never moved until he heard movement in the kitchen. Looking up he saw her clearing up the coffee cups and everything else that they had used. She looked tired. Getting up he joined her and for a moment they silently loaded the dishwasher and once she had put it on he watched as she looked around, as if looking for something else to do.
"It's still nice outside, let's take Millie down to the beach like she suggested. There are some nets and buckets in the garage, we can go explore the rock pools at the headland."
She took a moment, then nodded before moving to scoop up their daughter and take her to change.
With their focus on their daughter and entertaining her, they didn't discuss themselves much. Occasionally Grace would mention things that had happened when Millie was younger, but mostly they lived in the present.
After dinner, with Millie in bed they were settled in the lounge, she had curled on the sofa and he gave her the space opting for one of the capacious armchairs. The movie they had chosen was playing and silence had fallen. After half watching the movie for a while he decided to open conversation.
"Tell me what happened in the Gulf," he tried to keep the question open to give her the chance to explain rather than him having to find appropriate questions from something he knew little about.
She didn't answer him, he was about to ask again but looked over to her to try and get her attention, he half grinned she was asleep. He decided not to wake her and leave her to get some rest after the restless night before and gruelling day going over the events of her abduction. He hadn't been with her the whole time, they had had to make separate statements and apart from seeing the head doctor he hoped time together would allow her to open up naturally. No doubt it had been a long difficult day and if once she went to bed she was plagued with nightmares again then at least she would have some rest. He felt at a loose end, not sure what to do.
He stopped the movie and ended up flicking channels settling on watching the news in the hope of distracting himself from his own situation.
Most of the rest is written so hopefully not too long until the next instalment.
posted:12Apr20
