Somebody That I Used To Know.
Chapter 4
Mike sat on the couch enjoying a glass of red, Aria had fallen straight to sleep so he was indulging in his guilty TV pleasure, MasterChef. His phone beeped, picking it up he opened the message from Dutchy.
"Kate's on her way home, 2Dads mentioned Jim, I told her the basics, I didn't have a choice, sorry."
As he read the last word he heard the front door open, he sat there in a panic, wondering how he was going to explain. She entered the lounge room looking lost, Mike rushed to her side and pulled her towards the lounge.
"Kate?"
She lowered herself on to the couch staring blankly into space.
"I nearly married someone else?"
Mike didn't want to sound like the jealous ex, or put Jim in a negative light, but he promised to tell her the truth.
"Well, no. You were never going to marry him…"
Kate's face wrinkled as Mike retreated to the spare room, he rummaged around in the wardrobe and retrieved a box and sat it in front of her.
"I found this in your apartment when we were packing your stuff to move you in here."
Kate cautiously pulled the box towards her, unsure what to expect upon opening it. Removing the lid, the first thing she saw was a photo of her and a man in an army uniform, they looked unbelievably happy.
"This is him?"
Mike nodded ever so slightly as she pulled out other photos and finally an article about the bombing.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, I had always planned to tell you, but this wasn't something you could just discuss over lunch. I was actually going to talk to Dr Bowen and ask the best way to tell you."
She didn't couldn't respond she was mesmerised by the photos, Mike wasn't sure if he should continue to explain.
"So, after you were posted to Hammersley it was tense, and well, I mean we weren't anything so we dated other people. You met Jim online and in a funny coincidence he happened to be sent on a mission with us. You guys broke up a few months later, you never really told me why, and then I got a shore posting and we started up again. It didn't last long cos I was sent back to Hammersley, and Jim re appeared. I didn't take it well, I could see you were really falling for him and before I knew it he had proposed, but later that day…"
"He was killed."
Her eyes filled with tears as she scanned the article and traced her finger over Jim's face.
"Yeah, along with Chris, our coxswain."
"Why did you keep all of this?"
"Well, you did, and I had no right to throw it out, he was a part of your life, and no matter how jealous I was I can't deny that he was an honourable man."
Taking a deep breath in she closed the box, blinking the tears from her eyes.
"I, I need some time, is that okay?"
Mike nodded hoping he had done the right thing, Kate grabbed the box and her bag and walked out the door.
Sitting in her car on the wharf she inhaled sharply as she reopened her Pandora's box, shuffling through the contents she willed her mind to remember him.
"Remember him… come on…"
She had never seen herself so happy, but instead of feeling comforted, it troubled her, she needed to know more.
Standing on his doorstep she already felt calmer, she knocked twice and waited. Dutchy swung open the door surprised to see her and her tear-stained face.
"Kate..."
She barged her way in and positioned herself on his couch.
"I need you to tell me everything."
Dutchy remained at the door, confused how she had got to his house.
"Did you drive here?"
Kate tilted her head wondering if it was a trick question.
"Duh!"
His eyes lit up as he shut the door, assuming she had recalled some of her past.
"Kate, you remembered where I lived?!"
"Yeah, but no, I just drove. Anyway, stop changing the subject, I need you to explain."
He joined her on the couch, still not clear on what she wanted to know.
"What happened to talking to Mike? Isn't he being honest?"
"It's not that I don't trust him, it's just, it's probably not really fair for him to talk about it. Plus, I feel like he's always going to be overprotective. I can handle things, and if I can't, well, I can't. "
Dutchy exhaled sharply, focusing on the floor.
"Kate, this isn't my place, he's your…"
Kate interrupted, pulling on his hand.
"And you're my best friend, this is your place, Dutchy, please."
He sighed thinking of the argument he had had with Mike, he told him he was going to be truthful, but it was harder than he thought.
"What do you want to know?"
"Was I happy with Jim?"
"Well, yeah, as far as I could tell, I wasn't around the first time you dated, but the second time, well, it seemed like you were able to settle back into things pretty fast."
"But, Mike said I was never going to marry him?"
Dutchy wished he could deny all knowledge, he wished at this second he didn't know her as well as he did. He didn't want to be the one to tell her something she was going to feel terrible about, he tried to skim over it.
"Kate, we hardly talked about it, it all happened so fast, I really don't know what you were thinking."
"Seriously? I didn't discuss getting engaged with my best friend?"
"We were on a mission, we maybe talked about it for ten minutes."
"Okay, well, for those ten minutes what do you think I was thinking?"
She locked eyes with him, he knew he had to tell her the truth, he was sure she'd be able to tell if he was lying.
"I, I don't think you were going to go through with it."
He watched as she sunk into the couch.
"Okay, so I'm a horrible person."
He knew she would feel this way, he shuffled forward wrapping his arm around her.
"Kate, no, I have no doubt you loved him. It's just, some bonds we share, well, they're magnetic, you can't escape them."
"So you're saying that's what Mike and I have? Why do you sound like it's more of a obligation rather that fete?"
He scoffed shaking his head as he rose from the couch and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
"I don't believe in fete…"
Kate couldn't hep but feel there was something he wasn't telling her.
"We were happy though, right?"
He sat back next to her and poured himself a glass.
"We didn't really talk about you and Mike, it was complicated cos he's my boss, you didn't want it to affect our working relationship."
"Yeah, I guess that sounds sensible. You gonna share that?"
He chuckled and grabbed another glass, filling her glass he glanced over to her, wondering if he should continue talking bout Jim.
"So, are you okay, about the Jim thing?"
"Yeah, I will be, I just don't understand why I kept this stuff, it just doesn't make sense in my mind."
"Some things we can't explain."
Flipping through the photos she turned one over noticing writing on the back, she scoffed as she read the sentence.
"Well that doesn't help, I can't remember."
Dutchy peered over her shoulder confused about her comment, her read it aloud.
"Find someone who makes you this happy every day."
He turned the picture back over, Jim carried Kate in his arms along the beach, giant smiles covered their faces.
"Well, who ever wrote it is right…"
Her phone beeped distracting her, it was Mike, "I know you needed some time, I just need to know you're safe."
She replied, "I'll be home soon."
She picked up her glass and downed the contents.
"So, while I'm taking advantage of your ears, I need your opinion on one more thing."
Dutchy raised an eyebrow sipping on his drink.
"I think I'm remembering things, and before you get excited, it's nothing helpful, maybe they're just dreams."
"What was it about?"
Kate shifted in her seat, already feeling her cheeks burn.
"I don't know if I can say it out loud, it's mortifying."
"Oh, c'mon Kate, best friends, remember..."
She downed the rest of the glass and rubbed her hands over her face, unable to look him in the eye as she said it.
"It was a sex dream, okay..."
Dutchy tried to hide is amusement but couldn't, he burst out laughing.
"Do I wanna know who with?"
She removed her hands, glancing over to him for a split second.
"I don't actually know, but now I'm thinking it might have been Jim?"
Dutchy's eyes widened as he nudged her with his elbow.
"How do you not know?"
"Well, I didn't see, well, rather my mind wouldn't picture his face, but he was taller than Mike, and it sounds wired but his touch was different."
"Oh, that's awkward, are you gonna tell Mike?"
She waved her hands wanting to remove the entire memory from her mind.
"No way, I'm writing it off as a dream."
"What if it wasn't?"
"Dutchy, my life is complicated enough, I can't deal with an affair too…"
He filled her glass and clinked it with hers.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Kate crept into the bedroom and slid into bed next to Mike, she placed a hand on his shoulder trying to gently wake him.
"Mike…"
There was no response, she shook his arm a little harder, he groaned and rolled over, still half asleep.
"Kate?"
She propped herself up next to him and turned on the bedside lamp.
"Thank you for showing me those things, it can't have been easy for you, and I'm sure one day I will remember him, but I want to concentrate on our future."
Mike sat up against the headboard rubbing his eyes.
"Are you sure you don't want to hear more?"
"Not right now, maybe you were right, maybe I don't need to know everything."
He kissed the top of her hand squeezing it tight.
"And speaking of our future, I rang Maxine tonight, I've applied for a shore posting, It's time I put you and our child first."
He was expecting her to be elated, but he was met with a blank stare.
"You're not happy to have me home?"
"Well, I've just got one more question, its been bugging me a bit... I need to know what happened, why did you leave?"
His face wrinkled, it wasn't the question he was expecting.
"Leave?"
"Why did you just leave me at Watson's, no explanation?"
He knew the topic would eventually come up, after the days events he wasn't sure if it was the right topic to be discussing.
"Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow."
"Mike, please…"
He sighed and turned on his beside lamp.
"I've asked myself that question a million times, and every time it just feels like an excuse. Sometimes, I think maybe I wasn't ready for a relationship, but then why couldn't I just say that. Then I tell myself that I didn't want to hurt you because you know how the Navy gossip gets round, I didn't want people to think you get where you were by sleeping your way there."
"So you decided that the best option was to ghost me?"
"I'm sorry, I can't really give you answer that's going to help. But, what I know now is, you and Aria make me so happy, and you both deserve a husband and a father you can depend on."
Kate hesitated for a moment, replaying his last comment in her head.
"Husband?"
A cheeky grin came over his face, Kate's heart tripled in speed as he reached into the best side table and pulled out a small velvet box. Gasping, she placed her hands over her mouth knowing what was coming.
"Kate McGregor, the love of my life, the mother of my perfect daughter. Memories or not, we can make new ones, will you marry me?"
She sat there gob smacked as he opened the box, for a moment she felt like she was floating above herself. She closed her eyes trying to not get caught up in the moment, she placed her hands over the box, closing it. Mike could tell by her actions the answer wasn't favourable.
"It's not a no, it's just, I want to be myself again, not necessarily when I get my memories back, cos we don't know when that'll be, but when I know who I am again, does that make sense? I'm sorry."
Mike nodded, trying not to feel too discouraged.
"I understand… but I'm still taking that shore posting though."
He kissed her forehead and handed her the box.
"Whenever you're ready. I've gotta go into NAVCOM tomorrow to discuss my new posting, you staying up for a bit or coming to bed?"
"I might just watch a bit of TV for a while…"
Taking the ring box she headed to the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet on her way.
Sitting at the kitchen bench she poured herself a drink, she sighed as she opened the box and stared at the perfect ring. She swallowed her glass and removed the ring, placing it on her left ring finger, she admired it for a moment.
"Am I, Mrs Mike Flynn?"
She sighed as she placed the ring back in the box and snapped it shut and poured herself another drink.
End Chapter 4.