Disclaimer: I don't own Our Girl. Everything you recognise was created by Tony Grounds and is owned by the BBC.

Chapter 9

Charles James was pretty tired. He had been driving for three hours on this leg and the SatNav seemed to reckon he was still about 30 minutes away from his destination. Bloody SatNav! Normally three hours wouldn't be a long drive for him but it was 9pm on Friday night and he had already driven down to London today and was really looking forward to getting back to Birmingham for a little rest. He had certainly enjoyed the drive down more than the drive up. Belinda and Bella (and sometimes Dave) had done their best, but being stuck in a people carrier for three hours with a bunch of rambunctious kids was not ideal.

Nevertheless it was all going to be worth it to see Molly's face when she saw her family follow him into the room tomorrow morning! He thought they had managed to keep their plan quiet. Belinda, Marge, Dave and him had decided to keep the trip to themselves until the absolutely last minute, so none of the younger kids had known about it until today and Bella had only been let in on the secret midweek when she had started talking about going out on Saturday night. Apparently she had changed her plans pretty quickly when she had discovered what was in store for the weekend!

The last 10 days since his mum's visit had passed quickly for Charles. Two Section had continued to take it in turns to spend time with Molly, visiting every day almost religiously, and he could tell she was really touched by their willingness to spend time with her. Baz and Smurf (and Marge) were with her today since he had only been able to spend the morning with her because he had been driving all afternoon. He had had to lie to her and tell her that he was going to Bath for the long weekend for his birthday but that he would be back on Sunday to spend some time with her. She had been really disappointed that she wouldn't be able to spend time with him on his birthday, particularly as they had been working very hard on her movement to get her vertical and walking. He was looking forward to surprising her tomorrow.

She had managed to stand upright (on crutches) for the first time on the Friday after his mother left, the day before Sam's birthday actually (he had spent that Sunday with Sam and his parents in Bath), but then had succumbed to massive dizziness and had to sit back down, but the next day she had managed a few steps with him and a nurse, just under a month to the day since she had been injured. She had had to build up her movement a lot slower than she wanted to because she was still in a lot of pain from her abdomen, but she could now manage to walk around in her room using either him or a stick for support, and they had managed to get as far as the nurse's station across from her room yesterday although she had had to sit down for a while before she could get back. He had been so proud of her and had given her an extra big hug and a kiss. The best thing about her being upright was that he was now able to hug her properly, although he was still careful of her injuries.

The other big change at the hospital was Smurf. He had been moved from ICU to the military ward on the day that Charles' mother left and Candy had come in the day after to tell them that the surgeons were hopeful that the operation had been successful. He had still been bed bound for a few days but Charles had visited and found him conscious the next day and they had had a good chat. Smurf couldn't remember much of the day at the bridge, except his breakdown and Molly being shot, but had asked Charles about Molly and himself and he had told him the truth that they had got together, since he thought Smurf deserved to know.

Smurf said that he had already known but had wanted to hear it from Charles. He said that there was no denying that he was angry and disappointed but now he thought about it he didn't know why because Molly had been quite clear for many months that she didn't like him in that way. He had apologised for his actions and told Charles that he had decided to leave the Army after his rehabilitation was complete. Charles had been secretly glad that he had made that decision, but had told Smurf that he was honoured to have served with him.

They had talked a while longer and then Charles had asked whether Smurf would be prepared to visit Molly. She was still bedbound at that point and Smurf had asked, rather sweetly Charles thought, whether Molly was angry with him. Charles had replied (truthfully) that she was very concerned for him and wanted to make sure he was OK. They had received conditional approval from Smurf's consultant and the next day a wheelchair had been provided and Charles and Candy had wheeled Smurf into Molly's room. By mutual assent, they and Marge had left the two to it and had come back 40 minutes later to find them insulting each other happily, but both with dried tear tracks on their faces. Since then Smurf had been a regular visitor to Molly's room, although he was due to be discharged after the weekend, a fact about which Molly was really jealous.

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They got back to the house in Birmingham pretty late, but Charles had never been happier to arrive anywhere in his life. Marge was at the door and welcomed the kids excitedly. He supposed it had been a long time since she'd seen them, what with being stuck in Birmingham for several weeks. Certainly they were happy to see her as well, but he reckoned they'd be happy to see anyone after being stuck in a car for three and a half hours with only one break at a motorway service station. She was happy to take them in and take care of them while Dave started bringing the luggage in. Belinda came round to see him as he did some stretching exercises to try and get the blood flowing again.

"I just wanted to say thank you again, Charles." She told him quietly. She had already thanked him what felt like hundreds of times. "We wouldn't have been able to afford to bring all the kids up, and they're so dyin' to see her, and it would have been weeks until they did otherwise. Molly said you was the best boyfriend ever, but you really are. But don't go getting' a big 'ead now!" It was amazing, he thought, how women could build you up, only to take you down!

There had been more hassle allocating the costs of the trip than with any other single thing. The Dawes family had been desperate to pay their way, aware of the fact that he was doing them a favour since they wouldn't be able to afford to bring all the kids up and accommodate everyone for two nights on their budget, but he had wanted to pay his way as well. In the end they had agreed that they would go halves on the £300-odd car rental and the Dawes would pay for fuel. In addition Belinda had agreed to go over to a very important chocolate shop near Sloane Square and pick up something he had ordered, which Molly and he would need for later in the month. He hadn't told Molly about that yet, but he was sure that she would want to join him in thanking Major Watts. He had obviously already paid for the chocolates.

They were going to be shoehorned in pretty tight in the house with several of the kids due to sleep in the living room, but he still reckoned it was all going to be worth it to see Molly's face. The plan was that he would go to the hospital early tomorrow and they would follow a little later, texting him when they were outside the ward. Then he would leave them to it and head off to Bath, returning on Sunday morning and drive them home on Sunday night. With her family there she shouldn't miss him at all and she should get the best part of the weekend with them. He would stay over with the Dawes on Sunday night and drive back to Birmingham on Monday morning. And the best thing from his point of view was that he could go on the M6 and didn't have to see the M40 at all!

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Charles James was sleeping in his own bed for the first time in nearly eight months.

He tried to savour the feeling but something about it just felt wrong. He tried to put his finger on it. Everything in the room was where it had always been. His pictures on the wall and on the desk showing all the platoons and companies he'd served with, his class at Sandhurst, as well as some of his rugby teams and many of his friends from uni. His pictures of Sam were still there including the one on the desk which had showed the three of them until he'd folded the picture over so he couldn't see Rebecca. His books were still on the bookshelves as were all the nick nacks he'd amassed from living and travelling round the world. The reproduction of the terracotta soldier they'd bought from China was there, as well as the wooden bird they'd bought in Malaysia and the carving they'd got in Kenya. His mother had made his bed up with some of the familiar bedclothes he had had at university, but something just felt wrong. It was like something was missing somehow. This just didn't really feel like his room any more and he couldn't put his finger on why. He resolved to let the feeling go and think about it tomorrow. There were much nicer things to think about.

Like Molly's face when he had walked into her room this morning. She'd been shocked, and asked, "Charlie? What are you doin' 'ere? I thought you was sposed to be in Bath?"

He'd smirked at her and told her playfully, "That doesn't sound too welcoming Molly, I can go if you've got better things to be getting on with?!"

She'd backpedalled quickly and tried to apologise, causing him no end of amusement. Eventually he'd let her off the hook and allowed her to give him their regular morning hug and kiss, today supplemented by an extra birthday kiss. They'd been talking for a few minutes before she looked at him piercingly and asked, "So if you're 'ere today, then where was you yesterday afternoon then?"

He'd joked to her, "Maybe I just needed a break Dawesy?" but was surprised to see her face fall and quickly told her, "but actually I was just picking something up for you. I'm not going to head to Bath until later this morning."

She'd looked up at him, and asked, "For me, Boss?" and in that moment, with that slightly vulnerable look on her face he'd been transported back to the FOB the morning just before she went on R&R when he'd asked her to come back to him and she'd said "I will". He stared at her transfixed for a moment, staring into her beautiful, expressive green eyes. "Boss?" she prompted, and then more concerned, "Charlie?" which pushed him out of his recollection, just as his phone vibrated with a text.

"Sorry Mols, it's just that your expression was just the same as at the FOB the day you went on R&R, and I lost my train of thought." He'd explained, taking out his phone and checking to see that it was the text he'd been waiting for. "Ah, here's the package I picked up for you Mols. I'm just going to get it and I'll bring it up here." He gave her a quick once-over, seeing that she was wearing one of the sweatshirt and sweatpants combinations his mother and Marge had bought for her, and her hair was in a ponytail today. The sweatshirt was a number of sizes too big but the doctors had told them that loose was best for the time being, and with it on you couldn't see the scar on her right shoulder or the bandages that still covered her abdomen. The only evidence of her injuries was the plastic cannula that was still implanted in her left wrist, the slightly stiff way she held herself to avoid pulling at her stitches and the tube that connected to her colostomy bag, which was currently tucked into the bed. All in all she looked pretty good. "You might want to just have a seat on the bed Dawesy, please," he asked her, waiting to leave until she moved from the chair she had been in, to make sure she was OK getting in to bed. He wanted to make sure that she didn't get jostled by any overzealous kids. He knew Marge had talked to the kids about being careful around Molly but he was concerned that in their excitement to see her they might forget what they'd been told.

She got up and moved back over to the bed, "Sounds mysterious Bossman. Am I goin' to like this surprise package?"

"I reckon so Dawesy," he told her, "just give me a sec and we can find out. Oh," he told her, "I'm probably going to run off quite soon afterwards, so maybe I could get my goodbye hug and kiss now, Mols?" he finished, raising his right eyebrow hopefully.

"I'm not sure I should Boss, since you won't tell me what's comin'…" she told him, mock glaring.

He gave her a look, "Haven't you learnt to trust me yet Dawesy? I'm hurt. But if you want to withhold your affections, and on my birthday no less, then I guess I'll just have to go without…"

She had grinned at him, and opened her arms, "Well OK Boss, but only cos it's your birthday. If you keep doin' these surprises of yours we might gonna need to have a discussion!" They had had a nice hug and a kiss (she insisted on one for tomorrow morning as well, and he wasn't objecting) and then he had walked down to the entrance to the ward to find Marge, Belinda and Dave trying to keep the kids under control.

He had led them back to her room, enjoying the exclamations of Mum!, Dad!, Bella! and the rest as they all went in. He had waited at the door, not wanting to intrude, but the look of excitement, surprise and love on her face was more than enough reward for all the hassle that they had gone through in organising this trip. Seeing her parents looking on proudly while she hugged her youngest sister close to her and the whole family talked at each other at about a mile a minute he decided that his job was done, and smiling to himself, quietly closed the door and left them to it.

That had been earlier this morning and while he had been on the train on the way to Bath he had received a text from Marge to say that she hadn't noticed him going and hoped he got off OK. Later that day he had also received an e-mail from Molly with a photo attachment. The Dawes family grinned at him from around Molly's bed with her lying in the middle, tears pouring down her face (happy tears he hoped). There were just two words, "Thank you". He had texted back "You're welcome. Hope you're having a great w/e. C xxx". She had replied, "Best ever. Thx 2 u. M xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

The day with his parents and Sam had been great. He had taken Sam out for the afternoon and then the four of them had had a nice family dinner at home before Rebecca had arrived to pick Sam up. After Sam had left he had enjoyed just spending time with his parents, talking late into the night.

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Molly Dawes lay in her bed and reflected on how lucky she was. It was Sunday night and she was pretty much emotionally and physically wrung out. Charles had left with her family at about 18.00. She had loved the time with her family this weekend but by the time he had walked back into her room at 17.00 that evening she had been more than ready for a break.

On Saturday when they had walked through the door to her room she hadn't been able to believe her eyes. She had cried her eyes out with happy tears at seeing them all. Her Mum, Nan and Bella had all been quite emotional and even her Dad had had suspiciously wet-looking eyes. Once the greetings had ended and the initial shock had worn off, she'd looked up at her Mum and asked simply, "How?"

Her Mum had smiled tearfully and Dad had put his arm round her gently and told Molly, "You wanna ask that boyfriend of yours Mols. It was his idea." She'd immediately looked for Charles, but not seeing him there, looked at her Nan, sitting on the other side of the bed, for confirmation. Nan had nodded, "It was too Mols. I think you done well there love. You couldn'ta done better. 'E knew we couldn't afford to get everyone 'ere on the train so 'e hired a car, drove down to pick them up and drove back with them. Said 'e wanted to cheer you up. Said you was a bit depressed. Reckon 'e was right 'n all. E's a bit special, your Charlie."

And he was. She knew he was. No-one she'd ever been with had supported her in the way he had. And they hadn't even shagged yet. But Bloody Hell she was looking forward to it. If he was this giving out of the bedroom, God knows what he'd be like as a lover. She hoped he'd be good, but even if he wasn't, the way he made her feel was so special. She'd had a succession of boyfriends since she was 14 and none of them had cared any more for her than being able to have her on their arm and have a bit of sexual gratification. And she, like an idiot, had been there for all of them. Even that prat Artan. She was so lucky she'd got away from him.

But Charles was different. For starters he hadn't asked for anything from her (unlike all the others) but had given her so much. She knew he was all about his duty, but if he hadn't have been she knew they could have had sex in Afghan if he'd really wanted to. Lots of people had and he was an officer so he could get more privacy if he wanted it, after all. But she hadn't wanted to force it because she respected the fact that he wanted to do it properly and not have a quickie in the storage shed or something. Even if at times she wished (and dreamt that) he would! And then since he'd got back he'd been there for her and her family in a way that nobody else ever had. Supporting them physically and emotionally, even at the expense of his own life and his own family.

Celia had touched briefly on how upset she'd been when he hadn't come home at the end of the deployment but she had added that after seeing them together she understood why he hadn't. She had also mentioned to Molly that Charles still blamed himself for her injury, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, and it was important that she convince him that it wasn't his fault. She had told Celia that she would do her best.

And his little ways of showing her how much he cared for her were so special to her. The first call with Qaseem, letting her section know about their relationship so they wouldn't think badly of her, presenting her with her medal, and now this. Taking the day out before and after his birthday to spend 3 hours each way in a car with her mental family. All for her. One thing she knew was that as soon as she was out of here Charles James was getting so bloody lucky. As he'd said, they didn't need to wait out any more and she didn't want to. She needed him but more importantly she needed to show him how much she cared.

But she supposed in the mean-time she'd need to find another way. It could still be several weeks before she was out of here and she needed to express to him how much he and his little gestures meant to her. Maybe she'd talk to Nan about it.

When he had returned to the hospital that evening he had knocked on the door as usual but seemed quite surprised when all the kids descended on him to hug him and thank him for bringing them to see Molly. He had gamely hugged all of them, being very gentle and kind with the younger ones, taking the time to kneel down so he was on their level and answer their questions about what he'd got for his birthday, before doling out some of his usual fare to her Mum and her Nan, and had nodded at her Dad. Then he'd come round to hug her. She had spent much of the weekend in tears, unable to control her emotions due to the excitement of spending time with her parents and siblings, and she had felt the tears falling again. She had tried to tell him how much his gesture meant, but words had failed her and she'd had to cope with a tearful "Thank you so much". He had seemed to understand and had just hugged her close.

She thought he'd been pretty chuffed with the birthday cake they'd got for him. Nan had suggested that they got him something for when he got back, and it had been a great idea. They couldn't have candles because of the fire alarm, but they had shared the cake out between all the kids and adults. And that had pretty much been that. They'd taken some more photos, as they had on and off all weekend, and then her mum had looked at her watch and told the kids it was time to leave. The kids had hugged her one by one, then Bella, her Dad and her Mum, and then Charles. She had long since given up trying to control herself and the waterworks were in full force, but she was relieved that Bella, her Mum and even her Dad also had tears in their eyes. They had told one another they'd see each other soon, and her Mum had promised to text her once they got in, then they'd gone.

Leaving her and Nan together. Nan seemed to understand how wrung out she was because she'd drawn a couple of magazines out of her bag and offered her one. Molly had smiled thankfully. They had had a very quiet few hours and Nan had left well before her usual time, pleading exhaustion. She could understand that. She had forgotten how tiring the little buggers could be, particularly all together. Even though she loved them.

Just then her phone buzzed with a text message. "Back OK. Got food on the way home. All off to bed now. You've got a diamond there Mols. He's staying in the lounge. Speak tomorrow. Mum/x" Smiling to herself she finally let herself drift off to sleep.

A/N Happy Sunday everyone! Please review.