CH 76

Hammersley docked at home port the next day, and the crew was looking forward to some shore leave and to see Bird, who is still recovering in hospital.

MacGyver went to see her. "Hey, looks like you've had plenty of visitors," she remarked when she saw the flowers.

"Yeah, the crew visited. These are the ones your husband brought," she pointed to the bouquet.

"Jim told me about them. Did you get the sweets and fruit?"

"I did; he brought them for me also. Thank you for saving my life."

"Your welcome." They talked for half an hour when Dutchy walked in.

"Is that KFC I can smell?" Bird asked Dutchy?

"That it is. "

MacGyver stood up. "I'll leave you two to talk. Take care, Bird."

"I will, and thank you again."

"Of course."

As MacGyver walked out the door, she heard Bird laugh. She had just opened the box of chicken.

"Chicken drumsticks," Bird laughed.

"Yup, chicken legs."

"What do you have then?" she asked him.

"Thigh and…. breast."

Bird laughed some more. "I should send you to KFC more often," Bird said, as MacGyver walked out of the room with a grin on her gace.

"Why's that," Dutchy asked.

"Remember the KFC joke?"

"Oh, yeah, that... very funny."

"Give me my leg back..." MacGyver grinned as she walked away.

A few days later, Hammersley was preparing to leave for a six-week patrol with Bird back on board. MacGyver and her went to Bird's cabin.

"MacGyver..." Bird said when they entered.

"What is it?"

"Something is moving under my pillow."

MacGyver stepped carefully over to her rack and lifted the pillow. It was a wind-up toy bee. Picking it up, she passes it to Bird.

"Take a guess who put that there."

"Two Dads."

"Who else?" MacGyver said as she walked out of Bird's cabin and went down to her own smiling.

A couple of hours later, Hammersley left port to begin its patrol. During the six weeks, the crew was kept busy with FFV and mayday calls.

After the six weeks, it was home port and a week of shore leave.

MacGyver was looking forward to spending the weekend away with Jim. Jim was able to get Friday afternoon and the whole weekend off to go to Perth for the wedding of a mate and classmate. His friend is also in the army.

Jim is the best man. His friend, Jeff Dawson, unfortunately couldn't make it to their wedding. Two weeks before June and Jim's wedding he was in hospital after a training accident that went wrong.

Friday afternoon they were on the plane flying to Perth. Jim looked at June. She had just finished a double shift and had her eyes closed The crew member who was supposed to be on shift didn't turn up. She contacted Mike and ended up doing the guy's shift. Jim watched her sleep.

"Excuse me, Sir?" A flight steward approached him.

"Yes?"

"Would you like a drink?"

"Sure, I'll have an orange juice, thanks."

"And your girlfriend?"

"I'll have the same, thanks. And it's wife."

"Enjoy your nap?"

"Yeah, still tired, though."

"Early night tonight, then."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Here you go, Sir, Ma'am." The steward had returned with their drinks.

"Thank you, Ma'am," they both said.

"Would you care for a biscuit to go with it?"

June leaned over to see what she had.

"M & M, please," MacGyver said.

"I'll have chocolate chip, thank you," Jim said.

After passing them their biscuits, the steward moved on to the next passengers.

MacGyver broke her biscuit in half and gave half to Jim, he did the same with his.

"What have you got planned for us tonight?" MacGyver asked.

"Room service with a bottle of champagne with a soak in the spa bath and an early night."

"Sounds wonderful," she leaned over and kissed him.

"Anything for you June."

"What about you Jim, what would you like in return?"

He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You know what I want and I know what you want to order," he moves back with a grin.

"Yeah, I know exactly what the order is going to be," leaning over and kissing him back.

They landed in Perth and picked up their bags, and out of the terminal where they took a shuttle bus that would take them to their hotel.

Later that night, MacGyver and Jim enjoyed their dinner and wine. After dinner, MacGyver and Jim had a relaxing bubble bath in the spa tub. They drank the wine while they massaged each other's feet and talking.

"Jim, are you ok? You seem distracted."

"Sorry, June."

"What's wrong?"

"I wish I could tell you."

"The classified mission you went on?"

"Yeah."

"I understand." Moving till she was sitting on his lap facing him.

"Can you tell me two things? One, is it a one-off, or is there more to come? And two, what's the scale?"

Jim thought about it. "There is more, and the scale is high."

"How high?"

"A ten."

June looks at him, wondering if he was joking or not. Noticing the look on his face, she realizes that it's very bad - whatever it is.

"So it's very bad, alarming whatever it is."

"Okay, now you know, and that is all I'm going to say about it. Can we change the subject?"

"I've got something even better."

"Like what?"

Smiling, she cups his face and kisses him passionately.

"This is much better," he says, and they kiss once more while giggling.

The next day Jim left after breakfast taking his uniform with him. He was meeting up at Jeff's place with the other groomsmen. MacGyver went to the spa at the hotel to get a spa treatment and then went to the hairdressers. When she was finished, she returned to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. She took a hired car to the wedding. She watched the ceremony with the other guests then joined the line after to congratulate the couple.

"Jim, Mate, you sure are one lucky guy," Jeff said as MacGyver walked away.

"That I am."

"So, when are you two planning on starting a family?"

"Timing hasn't been good with her patrols and my missions."

"But you do spend time together."

"Of course we do, but the timing is off."

At the reception, MacGyver was sitting at a table with the other women. She notices that they are about her age and single. They were talking about the groomsmen.

"The best man, he looks hot," one women said.

"Very sexy; I love his smile," another answers.

"I agree; he seems to be looking over this way a lot."

"He's looking at me," one of them said.

"No, it's me that he's looking at," another one said.

MacGyver listens to them as they comment about Jim.

"Sorry to disappoint you ladies, but he was looking at me," she said.

They look at her. "What? No way in hell. Why would he want to look at you?"

"Oh, but yes he is," MacGyver responds to her.

"Dream on. Anyway, who the hell are you?"

"I'm June Roth, the sexy best man's wife," showing them her left hand.

"You're dreaming; they're fake."

"Well, if you were more observant, you would notice the wedding ring on his left hand," she said, smiling as she sipped her wine.

"Your joking."

"Watch."

They all looked at her and then at Jim. June raised her left hand and pointed to her rings, then she looked round to each of the women and then back to Jim. Then she waved her hand in front of her face and licked her finger then shook her hand. Jim nodded and then lifted his left hand and pointed to his wedding ring. The women from the table were shocked by the hand signals they were giving each other.

"What did you say to him?"

MacGyver smiled. "Not saying."

When it came to the dances, Jim walked over to their table, "Ladies...June honey, care for a dance?"

"Love to honey." She stood up and held on to his hand while they walked to the dance floor.

"Ladies, June agrees with you all about finding me hot and sexy, and she is my wife."

The women look shocked as they look a Jim.

Jim and June walk out onto the dance floor, and they dance to a song they both know.

"So what else did they say about me?" Jim asked her.

"They love your smile. They find it sexy."

"Really? And what else?"

"That you look hot in your uniform. I told them that you look hot and sexy in anything and nothing at all."

"You didn't."

"Of course I did," She said, smiling at him, then they kissed.

It was after one by the time they got into bed and slept in each other's arms. The next day after they checked out, they took the airport bus to the airport, where they flew back to Cairns.

A few days later, Hammersley left for patrol with a replacement RO assistant, Fraser, on board. MacGyver found out from Mike and Kate that the sailor who was supposed to be on watch on Thursday night- Friday morning was in hospital with a chest infection. He had the flu while out on patrol and went swimming when he was warned not to.

MacGyver also learned that Two Dads knew Fraiser from years ago. MacGyver watched what Fraser was doing. He wrote down coordinates to a mayday then passed the paper to MacGyver, who gave it to Kate. She then turns back and watches as Frasier writes something down then pockets it.

MacGyver turned to listen to what Kate was doing. She picked up the piece of paper that Kate had been given, folded one corner of it before putting it back down next to the keyboard.

The boarding party left to attend to the mayday boat only to learn it was the wrong boat. After they returned to Hammersley, Mike spoke to Kate in the ship's office. MacGyver overheard them talking.

"X, you gave us the wrong coordinates."

"No, Sir, I didn't. This has never happened before."

Mike passes her the piece of paper with the coordinates that had been written down.

"This can't be right..." Kate said, confused.

MacGyver walked in, closing the door behind her.

"X may I?" MacGyver asked.

Kave gave the paper to MacGyver then looked up to Mike.

"It's not the X's fault; it's Fraser's."

"Fraser?" Mike asked.

"Yes, Sir. He gave X a piece of paper, but not this one. It was another one with similar coordinates. The one he gave to me to give to her, I folded a corner here, this one hasn't got a folded corner. He must have swapped it before leaving the bridge, Sir." MacGyver said

"That's very interesting."

"Sir?" Kate asked

"Over the last three months, there have been reports of pirates attacking boats that have expensive equipment on board," Mike explained.

"Any idea how these pirates know who's behind it?" Kate asked.

"No, I don't."

"Sir, call NAVCOM. Ask them to check for a connection between when these pirates hit the boats and any patrol boats boarding them hours beforehand."

"Are you thinking Navy personal are behind this?" Kate asked.

"Could be. It would be interesting to see if Frasier was on any of those patrol boats at the time. If so, then the boat we just boarded is the next target."

"I'll call NAVCOM," Mike said.

"Sir, we need to warn that couple and see if they are willing to have four armed personnel on board."

"Great idea," Kate said.

"Ok, let's do it," Mike agreed.

"Great, we'll have the X, Dutchy, Two Dads, and Fraser."

"What if he tips his mates off?" Kate said.

"He won't trust me," MacGyver said, smiling.