"So Barry, have you decide on what type of car you going to restore next?" Mike asks as Barry and him sits down in the lounge with a cold drink each. Zoey was off putting Lucy to bed and Kate was in his office.
"Well I was going to do one to sell, but one of the guys at work has been given a Holden HJ Kingswood 1979 Ute that has been in his family since it was brand new. He wants me to do the restoring of it."
"Well that will be some extra cash for you two then."
"Yes, but then again it will go towards the next one I work on."
"That is if you don't get another one to do instead." Mike says with a smile on his face. He knows how much work his brother-in-law puts into restoring earlier model cars and the love and attention for detail which is now becoming known to others."
"How long are you up in Cairns for this time?" Mike asks his brother in-law.
"They sent me up here for three months."
"With a new baby that was a bit mean on them don't you think?" he says a bit surprised the company he works for would do that.
"Well they knew we had family here in Cairns. Every other time I'm up here, they don't get charged for the normal expenses that I get with being away except mileage. So they asked and after talking to Zoey we agreed that I would take it and Zoey and the kids would come up as well. They wouldn't have asked, but it was an emergency While I'm here I'm doing a staff assessment and also hiring a new manger then train them. We may be here even longer."
"And mum said they will be up in a few weeks as well." Zoey says as she enters the lounge having heard what the two are talking about.
The three keep on talking some more. While in the office Kate is sitting there. Looking at the unopened envelope that is now sitting on Mike's desk.
Ok Kate you can open this. How bad can it really be? Can't be anything worse than what your mother has already put you through surely. Kate thinks to herself as she finally takes the envelope and opens it.
My Name is Sam Benson; I was born in England to Elizabeth May Benson. My father was John Neil Benson. Sadly not long after my birth my father passed away. My mother then met Mr Brad Jeffery McGregor. A few months later from what my mother told me Brad and herself become involved some time later they were married. Brad McGregor then became my stepfather. He already had a child who was younger than me Neil Andrew McGregor. We were informed, once adults that Neil lost his mother at birth and Brad was raising him on his own till he met my mother.
What I really should be asking you is if you are Katherine Anne McGregor; father Neil Andrew McGregor, Mother Sophie Patricia Harrison before marriage and McGregor afterwards. The two had only one living child a girl born 19 April 1975 in London, England. On the 24th of June 1982 Sophie left in the middle of the night taking her daughter with her who was called Kate by all of us at home. My brother. Kate's father was out of town due to work when this happened.
Well what I'm trying to ask is; are you this person?
Are you my long lost niece who we have been trying to find since she disappeared with her mother that night?
Oh my god! How does he know these things about me? How does he know my mother's name, my fathers? Could this be my uncle that I saw today? Maybe it explains why the name Sam Benson triggered something in my brain today. She thinks to herself as she goes back to reading the letter some more.
I know it may seem rather strange for a stranger to ask you these things and give you details about themselves and their family, but when I looked at you, you reminded me so much of the little girl I loved. The little girl that has never been forgotten by any of her family in England.
If you are this person and you want to contact me my details are below. My friend John and I will be in Cairns for a number of days till our boat is repaired.
If I don't hear from you I would presume that you are not who I thought and my search will go on.
Thank you
Sam Benson
Kate then reads over the contact details. She sits there and reads the letter again not sure what to make of it.
"Zoey do you won't to get Kate, Dinner is about ready." Mike asks his sister as he helps his brother in-law finish off dinner and set the table. Zoey heads off to Mike's office to get her.
"Kate?" Zoey says softly as she enters the office, as she looks over at the desk she can see that Kate is busy reading and hasn't heard her enter.
"Kate?" Zoey says more loudly and Kate jumps in the seat and quickly puts the letter down and hides it under one of Mike's book.
"Yea." Kate replies back once she looks up at Zoey.
"Dinners ready." She says to her "You ok?" She asks noticing Kate is not fully with it.
"Yea I'll be fine." She replies back as she gets up out of the chair and starts to move towards Zoey.
Zoey reaches out and grabs Kate's arm before speaking "Kate we are here for you. You do know that don't you?"
"I know you are Zoey, but I'm fine." She replies back, but really Kate isn't. She is still trying to process the information in the letter.
As soon as she enters the lounge and dining area, Mike can tell Kate is thinking. Her focus is not fully on them, even when he talks to her. Over dinner she does respond to questions that Zoey and the others ask her, but her answers are short. This tells Mike that whatever was in that letter has Kate side tracked. Mike asks Zoey and Brian if they didn't mind cleaning up. Kate even offered, but he told her she was guest tonight and quests don't clean up. Once the table was cleared off Mike guided Kate outside to his backyard.
"Everything ok?"
"I'm fine Mike." She replies back in a neutral tone.
"Kate can you stop trying to fool me. We both know that we can tell when the other is lying or not, so can you be honest with me please." He asks as he leans on the railing looking out over the estuary that runs behind his property.
Kate stands there saying nothing for a few minutes thinking about what to say to him or how to go about it.
"Does this have anything to do with the envelope you received from our passengers?" he asks her
"Yes." She replies her voice soft and quieter than its normal tone as she now leans against the railing beside Mike.
Zoey stands watching from the kitchen at what the two are doing as she dries the dishes.
"Would you like to talk about it or leave it till later?" He asks her.
"I'm not sure I'm still trying to take it all in."
"Well you know I'm here for you if you need it."
"I do and thanks' Mike." She says as the two look at each other, when their gazes lock Mike can see she is struggling not to cry, but before long the tears start to fall and Kate looks away wiping at her face as she turns away from him. He sees this and wraps his arm around her shoulders pulling her into his side. As she is leaning into him she is reminded of how she always feels safe in his arms, feels loved, cared for. She feels like she is home. She starts to wonder why she gave up on this, on them. As she breaths in via her nose she gets a more in-depth smell of Mike, his aftershave, sweet and the smell of the sea on him. She wraps her arms around his waist and he brings his other arm up and around to hold her close to him, as they stand there he gentle lays a kiss on the top of her head.
Unknown to the two out on the deck, Maxine had arrived and witnessed what is going on between the two. She hasn't interrupted yet waiting to see what happens next between the two. She sees Mike lay a kiss on top of Kate's head.
Five minutes later Mike and Kate enter the house again.
"Ok what is going on between you two?" Maxine asks once they are both inside the house.
"Max, what are you doing here?"
"Picking up your reports. I said I would be around to collect them."
"They are done. Just let me go get them for you." Mike says as he heads off to his office to collect his reports.
As he enters his office to get the paperwork he sees Kate letter under his book. He thinks about reading it but decides since Maxine is waiting out in the lounge that he doesn't have time to go over it.
Out in the lounge Maxine can see that Kate has been crying her eyes are red and blood shot.
"Lieutenant is everything ok?" she asks
"Everything is fine thank you Ma'am." Kate replies back to her, but her voice is lacking its normal tone. Maxine can tell that she is not ok. The last time she heard Kate like this was the day of the memorial for Swain and Jim. "Anyway Kate what are you doing here?"
"Spending some time with my friend Zoey it's been a while since we spent some time together."
"I didn't know you knew Mike sister?"
"Yes I do."
"And Maxine she didn't meet her through me either before you start getting ideas in your head."
"Already got ideas Mike, considering what I saw outside before." She replies back sharply to Mike.
"I was comforting her after she was reading a letter that was personal." He replies back his tone very blunt towards Maxine and she notices the tone that he is using.
"Well what was going on out there can be classed as fraternization Mike."
"Maxine…"
"No Mike let me explain." Kate says interrupting him from whatever he was going to say next. "Ma'am this afternoon I received a letter providing information about my family, more importantly about my father who I haven't had any contact with since I left England. It left me a little emotional and Mike was just providing a shoulder for me to cry on. Comfort at a time when I needed it." Kate says firmly to her. Maxine stands there trying to figure out if what Kate is saying is true or not. "Would you like me to show you the letter, or take you to visit my uncle who we happened to have rescued and tow back to port this afternoon?" She says sharply to Maxine the tone not going unnoticed by everyone in the room.
"Kate it might be best to calm down a little." Mike says to her in a calm neutral voice.
"Calm down, why Mike we hardly had any down time before she threw us (She points at Maxine when she speaks of her) back into the daily grind of work. We all lost someone who was part of our family on Hammersley and we are what expected to be normal as if nothing happened. You know like hell that is what has been going on. We all have been struggling in our own ways with those events. Now with this…Sorry I just can't handle this." Kate says frustration so evident in her tone of voice as she walks away from the group.
"Mike, I'll go after her." Zoey says.
"Thanks Zoey, she needs a friend right now." He says as he watches Kate walk away with Zoey on her heels.
"Maxine I think it is best that you leave now." Mike says after a few minutes of silence between him and Maxine.
"Mike, just be careful here if she says anything it's your career down the drain here and you know I should be saying something about what I saw out there."
"And you won't if you know what is good for you Max and you damn well know Kate is right."
He says firmly to her, this tone also sounding cross and Maxine is starting to wonder if pushing them back out for the supply drop and then making them stay out there was wise after all.
"Ok Mike, you guys have a week off then to give you guys some time to regroup and see anyone your crew needs to see." She says feeling defeated in a way that it takes her subordinates to point out to her that things aren't as plan sailing as she had hoped.
"Thank you Maxine. I will let the crew know tomorrow of our extended shore leave." He says as he guides her out of his house.
"Mike, just watch out and why did Zoey go after Kate?"
"Maxine, what goes on between Kate and me is our business and no one else's and anyway they know each other."
"Well then how does she know your sister then unless the two of you are in a relationship?"
"She knows my sister because they both got stuck in hospital together about eight years ago, I think. They were put in the same room together in Sydney. I never visited my sister as I was working, but from what I have been told by the two of them they became very good friends and it wasn't till Kate was posted up and here and Zoey was up visiting that I found out the two of them had known each other and kept in touch. Kate is a very private person Max and she only has a very select few that she will confide in and my sister is one of those."
"Surely the surname would have tipped Kate off?"
"Nope as Zoey's been married for nine years to Barry now."
"Been that long?" Maxine says.
"Yes it's been that long. Can you go now Max cause I need to find out what state Kate is in and see whether Zoey will be driving her home or not." He says as he starts to shut the door on Maxine, she turns and starts walking away and Mike is pleased that she has left.
"I see Maxine still likes to meddle in your personal life." Zoey says with some sarcasm in her voice.
"Zoey?" Mike says other.
"Come on Mike you didn't see the look of fire in her eyes when she saw you two out on the deck before, then the kiss. I tell you if looks could kill she would have had Kate dead. She's jealous of the two of you and how close you two are."
"Zoey I doubt that."
"Mike, she is jealous if you didn't notice I sure did and I beat Kate did too. How long has she been after you for now nine ten years? And she still can't take the hint that you are not interested in her anymore."
"How's Kate?"
"Barry is in there talking to her right now."
"Is that wise?" Mike asks and she can hear the worry in his voice.
"She will be fine. The two of them are talking. Don't forget Mike, Barry has been through the whole family turning up after leaving you stuff. He probably has a better understanding of what she is feeling and be of more help to her than either one of us will be right now. I would just leave the two of them alone for now. Though I must say one thing Mike, she is more open about her past and her family than she ever has been. Do you know why?" She asks as she moves into the kitchen putting the kettle on to make a hot drink, while checking her watch for the time.
"Yeah I do. It was Jim and Chris death's that has been playing on her mind. I've noticed it on board Hammersley; she has been more open with me too. She reckons she has no family that no one will care about her if she was dead. I told her that isn't true and that I would always remember her."
"Have you two sorted out what was going between the two of you?" She asks him as the sound of the baby monitor goes off and Zoey heads off to get little Jay and a few moments later she returns to the lounge to feed him. Mike not at all worried about his sister breastfeeding his nephew in the same room as him.
"So Mike, are you going to answer my question?" She says once she has Jay latched on and feeding.
"Zoey there is a lot more to it than you know and I don't even know all of it. She decided to end it. Why? I'm not 100% sure. I was told it had something to do with my career. Maybe she found out I was prepared to resign so we could have a future together."
"What about work Mike? The Navy is all that you have done."
"Well I could find something else till we had children then stay at home while she was off out at sea. She has dreams Zoey. Dreams of being Chief. Why should a family stop her from doing that? Why should I stop her from getting there? But anyway she hasn't told me the real reason behind the break up." He says as his voice fades out. He is still hurting over it and Zoey can tell by the way he is over it and his tone of voice that it still hurts him.
The two don't talk for a few minutes the only sounds coming from the low volume of the television in the room. Zoey then speaks "You really would have given up everything for her?"
"Yes I would have."
"And what about now? Do you still love her?" She asks and she can tell just by looking at him that he still does.
"Yes I do still love her but it's not that simple Zoe."
"Love is all you need Mike everything else can be worked out as long as you love each other and wont to be together who cares about the rest of it all. Look at Barry and I, I can't stand his job as it takes him away from home but then the pay he gets allows me to be at home full time now with both our kids. I get to enjoy them while they're small. I get to be there for their first steps, words things Barry may miss out on I don't. And thanks to you living up here it meant that this time around I could come and not be left at home with a brand new baby and a three year old. We make it work because we love each other. Mike do yourself a favour and just sort it out you're both miserable without the other and stuff the Navy regulations. They forget that being in the Navy is not easy and to be honest only those who have worked in it understand the hours. Another reason I put up with Barry's job is I already knew what the hours were like the time away because of the job, and now look at him; he's basically second in charge of the Queensland district and also helps train people all over Australia. I couldn't be prouder of him and the hard work he has put in to be where he is. Maybe in a few years he will have a desk job in one spot."
"I have no idea where things stand with her Zoey. I love her and she will always be the one I thought it could work with but I don't want to push her. Jim asked her to marry him before he was killed I'm not going to push her into anything until things have settled down and she is ready."
"What if she is ready now Mike?" She says as she moves Jay and goes to burp him.