Fixing a Broken Wing - Chapter 7

A/N: This part is set on the afternoon after the last chapter.

Kate stood in front of unit number 3 with a frown attached to her forehead. She was confused. She had pressed the buzzer 3 times and so far, there was no sign of life from inside the unit.

Is he in the shower? She had to shake her head to get rid of the mental image that came with that thought. Come on Kate, focus!

She then grabbed her phone and dialled his number. Her worry increased tenfold when she could hear his 'Terminator' ringtone ringing continuously from inside the unit. Where is he?

She decided to look around the complex for him. Stepping to the other side of the small block of unit, she saw a group of girls leaning against the railing on the corridor. Maybe they know where he is.

"Excuse me, girls?"

Only one of them looked back at her, the other girls were busy talking and giggling among themselves. "Yeah?"

"I'm looking for Dylan Mulholland. He lives in unit number 3. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

The girl looked at her confused. "I'm sorry. I don't know anyone by that name."

"Are you sure? He's tall, blonde, has a bike."

Realisation dawned on the girl's face. "You mean that guy?" her finger pointed to the direction the lawn directly below her.

Kate stepped closer to the railing and looked down curiously. Her pupils involuntarily widened at the sight. He was crouching in front of his bike, washing it with only a cloth and a bucket. Shirtless. His tanned back was on display in all its glory. Breathe, Kate, Breathe! Her eyes then focused on his boardies riding low on his hips, presenting her with a strip of untanned flesh below the waist line.

The loud sound of the girls giggling broke her trance. She blushed furiously; partly embarrassed that she was caught ogling a guy by a group of teenagers and partly because of what she saw down there. Trying to control her feature as best as she could, she then alerted the man of her presence, "hey Dutchy!"

He looked up from his bike and smiled broadly at her. "X! Been up there long?"

Seeing his smile, the giggling of the girls got louder, followed by a few 'Oh, My, GOD' and 'He's so cute!' Amazingly, he didn't even look at them or acknowledge them. It was as if he had a tunnel vision and she was standing at that end of the tunnel. She couldn't help but felt warm enveloped her from the inside.

"Not long." She then looked at her watch. "We really should be going though. We have a long drive ahead of us."

He then stood up and reached for something in his pocket. "Here, catch this!" He threw his key to her. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be up there shortly."

She caught the key and smiled back at him. "Well, make sure you hurry up Petty Officer."

He grinned at her. "Yes, Ma'am!"

"This is a pretty small car." Dylan stated while trying to get his long legs comfortable.

"Are you criticising my car?" Kate raised her eyebrow at him.

"I'm not criticising your car. I'm just stating an obvious fact." He tried to defend himself from her possible wrath.

She rolled her eyes at his attempt. "It's not wise to criticise your ride Mr Mulholland. I could conveniently stop right now and leave you stranded on the side of the highway."

"You wouldn't do that. You like me," he said cheekily.

As usual, her lips involuntarily curved up. "You're lucky that I do."

His head whipped around in surprise at her words. He was expecting her to simply huff at him or shake her head exasperatedly. Her agreement frankly threw off his balance a little bit. Maybe that raincheck is not so far out of my reach after all.

"I'm seriously not criticising your car. I'm just not used to small car. I've had trucks, tractors, bikes, utes..."

"And a convertible?" she looked at him pointedly. "That's a small car."

He chuckled. "Well, why do you think I have the hood down?"

"So, what's the story with the convertible?" asked Kate curiously.

"What story?" he looked at her questioningly.

"Well, was it a rental?"

"The girls or the car?" he snorted.

She gave him a dirty look. "It's funny that Swain replied with the exact same question when I asked his opinion before..."

A long silence greeted her statement. She didn't know whether she had crossed the line. After all, the question was kind of personal. "You know what? You don't have to answer that." She looked at him apologetically.

He smiled at her softly. "Honestly X, it was both. The girls and the car."

"Really?" She glanced at him briefly.

"Yup. I sort of hired an escort service. The girls came with the car." He grimaced.

Kate was stunned by his confession. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"No offence Dutchy, but you don't look like you need to hire a girl to get a girl. You could just walk to a bar and I bet that there is a big chance that most girls in the bar would throw themselves at you."

"Is that a compliment, X?"

Sensing his attempt to avoid the conversation by aggravating her, she then said, "You know what I mean..."

He looked at her sadly. "I used to be that guy. Came to the bar alone and went home with a girl," he sighed. "But then the nightmares started. The violent one, which included screams, tears and night terrors. Once I scared a girl so badly that she just called a taxi in the middle of the night rather than staying with me till morning. It was humiliating in so many levels."

"Does the nightmare happen often?"

"It's less frequent now. In fact, this morning's nightmare was the first one for about a month."

"I still don't understand why you need to hire an escort though..." Kate knew that she was pushing issue, but she was still puzzled by the whole reasoning behind his decision.

He reached out to tuck the escaping strands of her hair behind her ear absentmindedly. He wished that she was not driving at the moment, so that he could hold her hands to draw her strength.

"When I met a girl in the bar, most likely it would end up as a one night stand. If I was lucky, we would exchange phone numbers in the morning and probably met up some other time; which only happened a few times, but still, there was quite an expectation for it to happen." He took a deep breath and continued. "Sometimes, you get tired of living like that and dream that one day you'll fall in love with one of the girls you bring home. The nightmares simply make that dream and expectation impossible."

Feeling the sadness and loneliness pouring out of his words, she quietly activated her car's cruise control and reached for his right hand with her left hand, leaving her right hand to do the driving. She couldn't help but feel a little bit ashamed at her initial impression of him. She also felt anger to the Navy shrinks that did his mandatory assessment after the Gulf incident. How could the supposedly experts of human's mind be fooled by his charming smile and easy-going attitude? Shouldn't they be able to detect the sign of PTSD like this?

He was grateful for her instinct and gripped her hands tighter. "That was why I hired the escorts. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful and smart girls. Some of them even join the escort business to pay for their uni degree. But with the escorts, there was no expectation. I didn't have to worry whether they would be running scared in the middle of the night or whether they would be willing to exchange phone numbers in the morning. I know that I would never meet those girls again except for one night. We meet up, take a joy ride with the car, have fun in the hotel room all night and in the morning, they drive me to the port or my apartment. It was an easy escape."

Silence descended on them once again. Dylan still hadn't let go of her hand. Frankly speaking, the more he knew her, the more he spent time with her, the more he needed her in his life. It scared him a little bit to feel so dependent on someone else like this. There was just something about her that made him wanted to pour his heart out and finally start that long journey of recovery from all the tragedy in the Gulf.

"Dutchy?"

"Yes?"

"When you see Caltex petrol station on our right side, let me know. We need to get out of the highway and stop for a bit so you can stretch your legs," she smiled softly at him.

His lips curved up at her words. "X, you're simply the best."

She huffed. "No need for compliments. I'm doing it so you would stop whinging about how small my car is."

Dylan laughed.

What a beautiful sound. I wished he could laugh as carefree as that every day.

"Although your motive for being nice is questionable, but still, thank you, X." He squeezed her hand tighter for a few seconds.

"You are welcome."

Finally, after 1 hour and 15 minutes of driving, they stood in front of the billboard that planted this idea in Kate's head.

"What do you think?" Kate looked at Dylan expectantly. If his smile was any indicator of how he felt at the moment, she would guess that he really liked the surprise.

"When? How?" He looked at her briefly to stammer the question before staring back at the billboard that said 'Ride the Beach' with pictures of horsemen and women riding on the beach.

"Remember that dinner before the last patrol?"

He nodded.

"You said that one thing that you missed the most from living in the cattle farm was the fact that you got to ride the horses every day. You also said that you simply loved to ride because of the feelings of raw strength beneath you while you were riding." She looked at the billboard in front of her. "I saw a smaller version of this billboard near the Esplanade and I remembered you."

He smiled at her with a raw adoration in his eyes. He really wished that he could kiss her right at this moment. He knew he couldn't, so he just pulled her shoulder to his for a sideway hug. "You really are listening to all my ramblings."

She smiled back at him. "Of course. I'm a good listener after all."

He then let go of her shoulder and offered his hand to her. "Shall we?"

She linked their fingers together as the answer and quietly leaded the way to the reception desk inside the complex.

"Hi guys. I'm Travis, your guide for today." A tall and lanky guy approached them after they had changed their casual clothes to riding clothes.

"Hi Travis, I'm Dylan Mulholland." Dylan shook the other man's hand firmly.

Kate followed suit a few moments later. She could feel Dylan's excitement as they approached the stable.

"So, do you know what level of experience you both are?" Travis asked them as they arrived at the front of the stable.

"Dylan is the experienced one. I'm the novice." Kate said by way of explanation.

"You've never ridden before?" Dylan asked curiously.

"The last time I rode a horse was when I was 7. It was a pony." She smiled softly at one of the good memory of her childhood.

"Either you grew up in the farm like me or you came from a rich family," Dylan said teasingly.

She chuckled, "Well, my father was a wealthy landowner in England."

"And?" he prompted, willing her to share further.

"And I think Travis is ready for us." Her eyes were pleading him not to press the issue.

"Okay then. Maybe later?" he looked at her patiently.

"One day. I promise." Smiling at each other softly, their eye contact was only broken when Travis called both of them inside.

They found him stood beside a beautiful horse. He then said, "Dylan, I think you should try this one."

Dylan's eyes lightened up at the sight.

Travis continued the introduction, "Dylan, meet Kelly. She's 11 years old. She used to work on a cattle station as well."

"She sounds like my kind of girl." Dylan then lifted his hand and caressed the long white strip that ran all the way through from its forehead to its mouth of an otherwise black quarter horse mare.

"For you Kate, meet Scooter." Travis brought Kate to the opposite side of the stable.

Kate raised her eyebrows at Travis for the horse name. "Is she as fast as her name sounds?"

"Nope. She's actually really quiet, specialised for novice rider and children."

"That's good to know. Don't really want to fall from a horse." Kate stated nervously.

"Don't worry. Between me and your man over there, you are going to be just fine."

My man? She was just about to open her mouth to correct Travis when she was distracted by a vision in front of her. Dylan sat on a horse, looking like a guy that came straight from the old western movies, except for the lack of gun holster. She could feel her mouth had gone dry. What did I get myself into?

They had started with the rainforest trail, riding along the narrow path of the rainforest. During the ride, they sighted some pretty incredible creatures in the rainforest. They also crossed a seasonal shallow creek in one part of the rainforest.

It was quite an adventure for Kate, maybe a bit too much for her first ride, but as usual, she slowly but surely mastered the new set of skills. But to be honest, after an hour ride in the rainforest, she was quite relieved to find a familiar scene of waves rolling on the beach. Apparently, they now commenced their second leg of the journey.

Kate caught the longing look in Dylan's eyes when he saw few other riders in other groups sprinted across the sand. Poor guy. Get stuck with a novice rider like me. "Dutchy, go on." She flicked her head towards those riders.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Travis is here." She rolled her eyes at his protectiveness. When he still hesitated, she gave him another push. "Come on big fella, show me what you got."

He grinned at her and started to speed up. He sprinted on the very edge of the beach, spraying water along the way. It was a beautiful sight.

When he sprinted back towards her wearing the biggest grin on his face, she felt that her chest swelled with happiness for him. So this is how it feels to make someone truly happy.

Travis then showed Kate the technique to speed up her horse. Not long after few lessons, she started to ride faster. She was still not allowed to sprint like Dylan, but at least she was not the slowest among other riders on the beach, which made her quite happy.

Unfortunately, the good time had to end sometime. Two hours had passed since they started the ride. They were in the final 15 minutes of the journey back to the stable. Dylan was mentally preparing himself for the withdrawal that sure would come when he parted with the horse. God knew how long before he would be able to do this again.

"Why do you look so sad?" Kate asked him curiously, seeing his expression went from bliss to gloom.

He chuckled. "I just realise that I really miss riding. Few hours didn't seem to be enough."

"We can always come back."

He looked at her with hope shining in his eyes. "Really?"

"Of course. Besides, I'm eager for some more lessons. I want to be able to sprint like you, so we can have a race," her eyes glinted competitively.

"Guys, you can dismount here. I'll bring them inside." Travis had to break up their conversation as they reached the front of the stable.

Dylan dismounted from his horse effortlessly. Travis then took hold of Kelly while Dylan helped Kate with the dismount. He held her waist tightly, unwilling to take any chances. When her feet finally touched the ground again, he then let go. Together they both quietly thanked Travis for the two-hour guide. The other man then disappeared inside the stable, presumably to take care of the three horses.

Both of them had started walking to the change room when Dylan stopped. "X?"

"Yeah?" Kate turned back towards him.

He took off his hat and stepped closer to her. Staring at her intently, he took off her hat as well and held both hats with his left hand. He then brushed her bangs aside and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand.

"Thank you." He smiled broadly at her, causing her cheeks to turn pink. But still, she simply couldn't look away.

"You are very welcome." She smiled back at him. "It's nice to see you truly smile."

"Thank you for thinking of me when you saw that billboard." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead briefly. Then her nose, causing her to close her eyes momentarily.

"Thank you for really listening to me." He caressed her ear and down to the side of her neck softly.

She shivered slightly at his touch. She was not sure what was happening to her. She knew she supposed to pull away from him, but her eyes were glued to his blue one, as if she was hypnotised.

He then pulled her to him with both arms, embracing her tightly against him.

She gasped at the feeling of the hard muscles of his body.

"X, this is the part where you should slap me and yell at me for being inappropriate towards you." He touched his forehead against hers. "Will you do that? Or will you let me kiss you?"

Her heart was hammering against her chest cavity. She could feel his heart doing the same thing. Should I say no? Should I demand him to let me go?

"I think that you should just shut up and kiss me, Dutchy."

Smiling at her taunt, he simply lowered his lips and kissed her. Lightly at first, before his hand cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss. They had to part momentarily for air a few minutes later, but she then surprised him by standing on her tip toes and initiating another kissing session. Both of her hands were cupping the side of his neck to kiss him even harder. Out of breath, they parted for air for the second time.

"You look like a clown." Kate smiled fondly at the image while she ran her thumb on his lips to wipe the slight smudge of her lip-gloss.

"If I were a clown, I would be the happiest one on the planet." He grinned at her and lowered his lips again to kiss her softly this time.

Slowly, he loosened his embrace. "Shall we go home?"

She nodded. She then quietly slipped her arm to his waist and rested her body against his side. His arm automatically came up around her shoulder. Together they resumed their walk to the change room.

"X..." Dylan started.

"It's Kate." She looked pointedly at him. "I think after swapping spit with one another, we are entitled to forget formality while on leave."

He laughed. "Only if you call me Dylan."

"Deal."

He then turned serious. "Kate, what will happen tomorrow?"

Realising the seriousness of the situation, she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him properly.

"I kissed you before you even say 'YES' to my standing offer." Both smiled softly at the memory of that night on the beach a month ago. "Not to mention that you are still trying to mend your broken heart." He caressed her cheek softly. "You really need to tell me if I'm rushing you, Okay?"

"You're not rushing me into anything." Reaching up, she touched his lips while contemplating her next words. "I kissed you back and frankly, I like your kisses."

"Yeah?" he grinned at her statement and kissed her again. "This is important to me though. You are important and I would never want to upset you."

Silence descended on both of them. For a while they just hugged each other tightly, neither wanted to let go of this moment and come back to reality that awaited them when they stepped outside.

Lifting her head from his chest, she finally broke the silence. "Dylan, I'm not ready for the big talk yet," she sighed. "I knew that we just broke the rules. I knew that I still have this ghost from the past clouding my heart. But at this moment, I really don't care about all of that." She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to enjoy the rest of the night with you. Because tomorrow, my carriage will turn back into a pumpkin and I have to be your XO again."

"I couldn't do this tomorrow morning," she kissed him again to emphasise her point. "I couldn't just be in your arms during the patrol. I have a ship to run and 20 other sailors that depended on me." She looked at him pleadingly. "So, could we please just be lost in each other tonight?"

Dylan smiled at her softly. As if I could deny her anything. "As you wish Kate."

He then kissed her deeply while tightening his arms around her.

"As you wish."

To be continued...