Day 7: Part 1
Opening her eyes the next morning Kate smiled across at Mike who was asleep on his stomach with the sheet draped across his lower part while he let out slow breathes his right hand slipped between them and rested under her pillow,
reaching across she brushed her thumb across the tip of his nose leaning in she placed a kiss on the his forehead before slipping out of the bed and making her way into the ensuite,
having managed to have a shower and get dressed in her whites all while Mike slept peacefully in the bed Kate put her hair up in it's usual bun before taking one last look at Mike she exited the bedroom,
grabbing her keys and hat from the kitchen before leaving the house.
Standing in NAVCOM just before 8am Kate pulled her hat off when she spotted Maxine walking past
"Ma'am could I have a word?" she asked hopeful following her
"Kate, I'm afraid I've got a meeting and we don't have an appointment, maybe another time" she shrugged
"I called last night and made one" Kate skidded to a holt when Maxine turned to face her
"Your my eight am appointment?" she looked down in her diary
"Figured it'd be saver if I didn't tell you my name" she bit her bottom lip
"I suppose we should get on with it then" she sighed rounding the corner and entering her office
"Yes…" Kate cleared her throat following behind
"Take a seat" Maxine motioned to the chairs opposite her desk
"I gather you know why I'm here?" Kate did as she was told
"I can take a guess" Maxine closed the door before moving to sit at her desk
"I'll get straight to the point then"
"Please" Maxine nodded sitting down
"I'd like a transfer…" Kate placed her hand down on the end of Maxine's desk
"Right…"
"I don't care where, but whatever happens you leave Mike out of this you leave his career alone"
"Does Mike know you're here?" she questioned
"No, what happens between Mike and I is our business I'm here to talk about the problem you have with me, Ma'am"
"I don't have a problem with you Kate I just don't think…"
"What? That I'm not the right woman for Mike" Kate looked at her sadly
"Kate…"
"The Navy is Mike's life Ma'am; he doesn't want to leave Hammersley I know that and I just want him to be happy"
"And what if I refuse to give a new posting?" she raised an eyebrow
"You won't"
"And what makes you think that?" Maxine tested her
"Because it's so obvious you're in love with him and you know like I do Hammersley makes him happy"
"Kate… Mike and I have history nineteen years' worth it's just not as simple as you'd like it to be" Maxine shifted back in her chair
"The fact of the matter is Ma'am, I would give up Hammersley for him because it's a life with him that I want and if that means I have to discharge because you refused to give me a new posting I will do that"
"I just want what's best for him he's my best friend I just don't believe you can make him happy…" Maxine shrugged
"Staying on Hammersley is what will make him happy, marrying me is what will make him happy so why do you insist on making this so difficult…" Kate held her hand up
"I told Mike yesterday, there are no available positions here"
"That is crap and you know it, the Fleet Command has wanted nothing more then to get Mike on shore"
"Yes that is correct" Maxine nodded
"Then why are you denying his request?"
"Because there is no one suitable to take over Hammersley, the Fleet Command need his out there just as much as they want him in here"
"They can't have it both ways!"
"I know!" Maxine snapped taking a quick glance towards her window at the people staring
"I know, but there isn't much I can do about it" she replied softer
"There is a solution to the problem, give me the transfer" Kate sighed
"Can you honestly tell me you'd be happy somewhere else?"
"If I can be with Mike without consequences, without you threatening to go to the BRASS then yes" Kate nodded
"We don't have any available positions here on Patrol boats" Maxine began tying on her computer
"Ma'am…" she dropped back in her seat slightly
"I can offer three possible positions…" Maxine could see the despair on her face
"Okay?"
"HMAS Darwin, HMAS Sydney or at ADFA as a Navy advisor helping with transfers and potential candidates for Frigates and Patrol boats in the near future sometimes running Lectures as well" Maxine turned the computer screen around to show her
"So basically a secretary?"
"I'm sorry Kate, I told you there wasn't many options" she shrugged
"And if I don't take any of them?" she sighed when Maxine turned the screen back to face her
"Then I guess your relationship with Mike obviously doesn't mean as much as you say, you can't have a relationship and work together it's why the Non-fraternisation rule was created"
"Right…"
"Look, I'll give you three days to make a decision but I need to know before the end of the week" she logged off her computer
"Sure…" Kate hesitated reaching for her hat
"And I trust everything else is well, the ribs?" she asked when Kate arose to stand
"Just bruising Ma'am, is that all?" she placed her hat on
"Yes your dismissed" Maxine nodded watching her exit her office she shook her head,
walking towards the elevator Kate pulled her phone out of her pocket to see a text from Mike
'Where'd you disappear too?' typing a reply back she quickly sent send before placing it back in her pocket as the elevator doors opened
she stepped aside to let the fellow Sailors out before moving inside.
Sitting at the local café just after 9am Kate looked down at her watch for the third time after having told Mike to meet her before she left NAVCOM half an hour ago
"Hey, sorry I'm late had to find parking" he stopped next to her placing a kiss on her cheek
"It's fine, can I get you a coffee?" she motioned to the empty seat across from her
"No I'm fine" he sat down
"Sure"
"Kate what's going on? Your message was pretty brief and when I woke up this morning I didn't exactly expect it to be to an empty and cold bed" he looked across at her
"I had a meeting with Commander White at eight" she fiddled with her hands in her lap
"Okay…"
"I asked for a transfer" she avoided his gaze
"Why?" he shifted forward in his chair
"Because you don't want to leave Hammersley you never did, it's better if I… I'm doing this for us"
"So what did she offer you?" he questioned noticing the tear run down her cheek before she quickly brushed it away
"Darwin, Sydney or ADFA as a Navy Advisor…" she cleared her throat
"Right…" he nodded when she finally looked across at him
"Mike…"
"So which one are you going to take?" he fiddled with the fork on the table
"I haven't…"
"Decided? That's really great Kate, and when were you going to let me in on this little meeting?"
"I'm doing this for us, so you can stay on Hammersley"
"Don't you get it! I don't care about Hammersley anymore" he slammed the fork down making her jump in surprise
"Mike…"
"All I care about is you Kate, I thought you understood that" he pointed to her ring
"Please can we just…"
"I have to go, paperwork to catch up on" he arose to stand
"Mike…" she sighed when he walked past her,
brushing her hands through her hair Kate picked up her hat before moving to stand walking in the opposite direction of Mike.
...
"Hey what are you doing here?" Swain stopped in the doorway to the Senior Sailors Mess
"Catching up on paperwork" he shrugged
"And Kate's okay with you coming back to the ship?" he teased
"Why wouldn't she be?" he snapped turning over the page
"Is everything okay?" Swain walked across the threshold
"Fine"
"Right…" he turned to leave again
"We had a fight…" Mike sighed
"You and Kate?" Swain turned back around
"Yeah"
"So what was this fight about, because if I recall you and the X are always having disagreements" he teased sitting opposite him
"This wasn't a X and CO fight Swain"
"Right…." he looked at him sadly
"I went and saw Commander White last night when we docked, asked for a transfer to a shore posting"
"That's great!"
"She said no…"
"And that's what the fight was about?" he questioned
"No… Kate went and saw her this morning asked for a transfer so I could stay on Hammersley"
"Okay… let me get this straight you and Kate are fighting because you both applied for transfers but hers was so you could stay on Hammersley, I don't… I don't see the problem here"
"The problem is she went behind my back"
"And? She did it so you could stay on Hammersley, still not getting it" Swain shrugged
"I don't care about Hammersley, Kate means more than me to anything and I thought she understood that" he placed his pen down in frustration
"Boss… Mike from the way I see it Kate was trying to do the right thing letting you have the girl and the boat, sounds like true love to me"
"The transfer options for Kate were Darwin, Sydney or ADFA Swain how does she not get I'd rather loose the boat then loose her?"
"But you wouldn't be losing her, did Kate actually say that the relationship was over if she left?" Swain raised an eyebrow in question
"Well no…"
"Then I don't see the point of the fight?"
"If I leave, Maxine is threatening to expose Kate and I, if I stay Kate leaves and moves to a different town" Mike looked down at his pen
"Well… Why don't you both leave?"
"What?" Mike's head snapped up in confusion
"You could both leave, start fresh somewhere else"
"Swain it's not that simple…"
"If you love her then there should really be no doubt in your mind" he moved to stand
"Of course I love her, I've always loved her" Mike smiled sadly
"Then I think you have your answer" Swain smiled
"You really think it could work, leaving everything behind starting a fresh life somewhere else?" Mike questioned
"Only you and Kate will know the answer to that" he shrugged exiting the room.
Reaching across the table Mike picked up his phone and dialled her number
"What…" she sighed through the phone
"Kate… I just want to talk, can we meet?" he asked hopeful
"Where are you?" her saddened voice answered,
"The boat, where are you?"
"Your house…" she laughed softly
"Wait for me there, I'll be five minutes" he shifted to stand
"Okay…"
"And Kate?"
"Yeah?" she replied nervously
"I love you" he smiled sadly
"Well aren't you lucky I love you too"
"I'll see you in five" he closed the folder on the table
"See you in five Sailor" she replied before the line went dead,
packing up his paperwork Mike quickly exited with the Mess with it stuffed under his arms
"Where ae you going?" Swain called down the hall
"To get my woman!" Mike yelled back dumping the folder in his cabin quickly grabbing his keys off the desk.