Our Girl and it's characters belong to the bbc and were written by Tony Grounds.
Molly huffs out a frustrated sigh as she flips over in the bed for the fifth time that night. Sleep evades her as the kiss she shared with Matthew keeps replaying over and over in her mind. As much as she has come to care for Matthew, she's just not sure if she's ready to risk her heart getting hurt again. She glances at the clock on her desk which reads 0400 hours. Giving up on sleep she pushes the covers back and rises from the bed to begin the day. She makes her bed and dresses then she decides to walk down to chapel to help settle her mind.
After all the death she saw on her first tour in Afghan and holding Smurf as he died in her arms, she started to think more about what comes after this life. On her second tour, she started attending the church services on base and her eyes were opened to what real, true love, was. The love that God showed the world by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross and pay the price to make a way for them to be with Him in heaven one day. After hearing that good news, that there is a God that loves her that much, she accepted the Lord Jesus into her heart and finally found the peace she had been searching for all her life.
As Molly sits in the pew, enjoying the peace after her prayers, she hears the chapel doors open up behind her. Footsteps come down the aisle and she glances to her left to see who's coming towards her. At first she thinks it's Matthew until she notices the insignia on the man's uniform identifying him as a chaplain.
"Good Morning, Corporal." The Padre greets her with a smile. "I'm sorry for the disturbance. There's usually no here this early. I'm a bit early myself. My wife just had our first child and I've been keeping a bit of odd hours lately." He says apologetically as Molly studies his face. The Padre takes in the look on her face.
"I assume by the expression on your face that you must know my twin brother, Sergeant Matthew Geddings. I'm Rev. Paul Geddings." The Padre says reaching out to shake her hand." Molly's confusion clears, as that explains his identical features to Matthew.
"Good morning to you too, Padre. I'm sorry for staring. I'm Corporal Molly Dawes. You didn't disturb me by the way." Molly replies. "I just needed some quiet time with the Lord this morning. My heart's been a bit of a mess."
The Padre smiles in understanding. "Would you like to take a walk in the courtyard and talk it out? I'm told I'm quite the good listener."
"Yes, thank you Padre, a walk sounds like a lovely idea." She follows him out to courtyard behind the chapel taking in the beautiful flower garden that surrounds it. Molly is grateful to have a listening ear to share her thoughts with. "Well, I was married for almost two years to a wonderful man who I really thought would be my forever. Unfortunately, there were circumstances that tore us apart and we divorced last year. I've reconnected with an old friend recently and I feel like our friendship could grow into something more, but I'm worried about the chance of having my heart broken again."
"Ah I can see why your heart would be conflicted. It's hard to open up your heart again after its been hurt. God gave us marriage so that we could have a help meet on our journey in life. Someone to help us endure the trials of life, but sometimes the marriage itself can become a trial and it's better to move on than continue in something that hurts us. I think if you care for this new person you should pray about it and then if you feel like you're ready you should give it a chance to grow. Don't let fear from the past keep you from moving forward to your future. God wants you to be happy. He doesn't want you to continue dwelling on the past. What's done is done. Let it go."
"That exactly what I needed to hear." Molly says wiping away a few tears that escaped. "I have been feeling fearful about these new feelings. I know my marriage ended on a bad note, but I did love my ex-husband very much and it's hard learning to let someone else fill that place in my heart. But I'm starting to feel like it's time for me to let down my walls and truly get to know this new man." Molly feels a sense of peace come over her as she finally decides to let go of the past. She looks over at Paul. "I guess I should let you know the new man in my life is your brother." Molly informs him.
The Padre's lips twitch up slightly. "I suspected that was the case. I saw the way your eyes lit up when you first saw me before you realized I wasn't my brother. You should talk to Matthew about your fears. I'm sure you'll come to realize he understands what you're going through more than you may think. You can call me Paul by the way. We'll probably be getting to know each other a lot better in the future."
As they enter in the side door of the chapel they spot Matthew walking down the hall towards them. "Ah Molly. I see you've met my little brother." Matthew smiles brightly as he sees the two of them together.
"Younger brother, thank you, you're only two minutes older than me. Big deal." Paul says with a twinkle in his eye. "Corporal Dawes and I had a nice chat this morning. It was a pleasure to meet you, Corporal. If you'll excuse me, I need to get a few things together in my office. I'm sure Mattie here will keep you company." Paul says as he moves past them to his office.
Once Paul disappears around the corner, Molly reaches over and punches Matthew on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?" Matthew asks rubbing his arm.
"You never told me you had a twin. That was quite the shock."
"Oh right. I'm sorry, I thought he was still on paternity leave. I didn't think you'd run into each other yet. He and his wife, Rachel, just had a baby girl. She's the sweetest baby ever." His eyes light up as he mentions the baby. "We have a little sister too. Her names is Joanna. She's five years younger than us. She's a primary teacher."
The chapel starts to fill up for the Sunday morning service, so they quickly move to find a seat near the front as Paul takes his place behind the podium.
After the service, Molly and Matthew decide to walk around the base and talk.
"Matthew, I want you to know that I really care for you and I feel like the Lord is leading me to you as a second chance at love. You should know that my first marriage ended in divorce and I'm a little nervous about starting something new, but If you're willing I'd like to get to know you better." Molly says in a rush of nerves as she wonders what his response will be.
"Molly, I've been married before too and it ended in divorce for me as well." Matthew reveals shocking Molly. "I married my childhood sweetheart right before my basic training. We were married for three years, but while I was on tour in Iraq she cheated on me with my childhood best friend. I know how badly it hurts to have your marriage fail. I really care about you, Molly. I also feel like the Lord has led us back to each other for a reason." Matthew gives her a warm smile that eases her nerves. "I want to give this thing between us a chance. I know that it won't be all sunshine and rainbows. We'll fight and we'll get on each other's nerves at times. It won't be perfect but I believe we will be happy together."
Molly is filled with happiness knowing that they are on the same page. "So I know now that you're the eldest of three. What are your parents like?" Molly asks Matthew as they stroll down the sidewalk her hand tucked in the crook of his arm.
"Our dad, John Geddings, was a pastor. He was killed in a robbery when Paul and I were seven, and Joanna was two. He was at the local market and a man came in waving a gun around and demanding everyone's money and jewelry. My dad was struggling to remove his wedding ring and the gunman was getting impatient. The cashier started moving around behind the counter and spooked the gunman into firing off a shot. The bullet hit my dad right in the chest and there was nothing anyone could do."
"Oh, Matthew. I'm so sorry." Molly's heart aches for him.
"It was a shock, but our mum, Martha, is the bravest, toughest woman I've ever known. She is a primary teacher and after dad died she started cleaning houses to help make ends meet when money was tight. She kept us going on her own for three years before she met the man who helped raised us." Matthew eyes light up with pride as he describes his mother. "Mum married Mark Willams and he became our dad. He raised us up like we were his own. He was a former army chaplain who took over as the pastor at our church after dad was killed. He was the one who inspired Paul and I to join the army."
"I'm glad your mum was able to move on and find love again after such a heartache."
"Yeah me too. I'm very thankful The Good Lord gave mum a second chance at love and gave us kids the chance to have the dad we needed as we were growing up. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking up so much time talking about me. What about you? What's your family like?" Matthew asks as they settle down on one of the benches that line the sidewalks.
"Well my parents have been married since they were 16. They had me a year later and I have five younger siblings. My dad worked as a roofer until he hurt his back in a fall and we lived off his sick wages for years. Once I finished school I helped bring in money by working in a nail salon before I joined the army. My mum decided get a teaching certificate after she had the last baby. My dad didn't support her going to work at first, but he realized he needed to accept it or he would lose her. My nan helped to raise us kids. She was always over cooking and helping with the endless amounts of laundry. My family is very loud, and we get on each other's nerves a lot, but there's also a lot of love that makes it worth it. I think my family will like you a lot."
"Well it looks like we both come from families that survived the tough times with hard work and a lot of love. I think our families would really blend in well together." Matthew says as he stands and pulls her to her feet. "Let's go get some lunch. I'm famished from all this talking." Molly laughs as he drags her towards the mess hall.
A/n: So that's chapter 6. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Thank you for reading.