Chapter Six-
Mike and Lexie skilfully brought the ship into port, the silence after the engines were cut almost deafening to Buffer. He was lost in his own thoughts, lost in the world. He wondered if he'd ever really been happy, or if he'd been kidding himself. He'd always just gotten through life, just sailed through as best he could.
"Buffer, can you help Bird get 2Dads off the ship and meet with the paramedics?" Asked Mike, jolting Buffer from his thoughts.
"Aye sir." He left the bridge, and headed to the wardroom where Bird was getting ready to move Leo.
"Captain sent me down to help you get 2Dads off the ship and into the ambulance," said Buffer flatly. 2Dads glanced up at Buffer, confused at his tone.
"Everything okay Buffer?" Asked 2Dads. Buffer nodded.
"I'm fine 2Dads. Let's get you off this ship so you can see Rebecca," said Buffer. Logan Anderson joined them in the wardroom to help lift the stretcher up and carried it with Buffer. 2Dads was unsettled by the motion, feeling nauseous.
"Buffer, how much longer til we're at the ambulance?" Asked 2Dads weakly.
"A few more steps." Buffer glanced up and noticed Rebecca standing on the wharf, hand clasped to her mouth.
"Mate, I have to go and tell Bomber what's happened. She looks like she's going to faint," said Buffer as the transferred him into the ambulance. 2Dads nodded.
"Be gentle," he reminded Buffer. Pete nodded, and headed for Rebecca, turning in time to see her faint.
"Bomber!" He yelled, sprinting for her. Bird heard his cry, and quickly joined him. Spider watched them from the ship, watching as Buffer held the girl he thought he loved.
"Bec, are you alright?" Asked Buffer, cradling her gently.
"2Dads. Leo. Is he okay?" She asked, holding a protective hand over her baby.
"He's fine Bec. He was thinking about you when we boarded an FFV, and he was caught off guard by one of the fisherman. He's got a wound to his thigh, but with a few stitches and monitoring, he'll be fine," said Bird. Bec was staring past Buffer, staring at Spider. He looked like he was crying.
"Buffer, help me up," said Bec.
"You just fainted; shouldn't you go to hospital or something?" Asked Buffer, concerned. She waved him off.
"I fainted because I haven't eaten breakfast. When Leo didn't call in this morning like he promised, I was upset and concerned. I couldn't stomach food this morning," she replied. She was a little unsteady on her feet, and Buffer held her tightly.
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital to see Leo?" Asked Buffer.
"No Pete. I need to do something else first." She motioned her head towards Spider; they hadn't really spoken since the incident with Campbell Fulton where he was nearly killed. They had a lot of unresolved issues, and Bec wanted to fix things with him before going to see Leo. Buffer understood instantly.
"You have permission to go on board if you need to. Do you want me to wait?" He asked. Bec nodded; she'd caught a taxi to the pier, and would need a ride to the hospital if she wanted to see Leo. She walked towards Spider, making her way along the gangplank. He was waiting for her at the end.
"Is it true?" He asked.
"Is what true?" She asked. She wanted to know what was going on for him, and she had this feeling he was hurt and angry.
"You're pregnant, and you're dating Leo," replied Spider. She nodded, caressing her stomach. According to her ultrasound technician, she was at fourteen weeks; further along than she'd calculated.
"Yes." A simple short answer.
"And you didn't think to tell me," said Spider sullenly.
"Hang on here. Are you angry at me?" He didn't look at her, but nodded.
"I should be the one who is angry here Billy. You were the one who left me! You were the one that requested a transfer to HMAS Melbourne, and then didn't talk to any of us except 2Dads. And I know; he told me. You can't be angry that I'm in a relationship with someone else, someone that makes me happy. Leo has made mistakes like so many other people, but he tries. We've been through so much Spider, and you were the one who walked away. You made no effort to keep in touch, despite the fact I sent you emails, tried to come and see you. You were the one who shut me out," said Bec, slightly incensed.
"I'm sorry. I'm glad you're happy; I honestly am. I knew for a long time that I loved you, but I eventually came to realise you're more like a sister to me than anything. I'm glad it's Leo; not some random guy. At least I know I can trust him to care for you, and to be there for you. I had heard that you broke up at some point; what happened?" He asked. They'd moved now, and were leaning on the railings, watching the activity on the dock as HMAS Huon came in to resupply.
"I felt like I was being smothered; Leo was just there. All the time. I said we needed a break for a while, and then flew to Europe for a year. All I learnt in that year was that I really missed him, and that I missed being in the Navy. I came back, and was reassigned to HMAS Hammersley again. We got back together two weeks after I came back, and made sure that we kept our relationship hidden from prying eyes. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm just hoping he sticks around," said Bec. Spider put an arm around her, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze.
"If he doesn't, you know that Buff and I have your back, right?" He asked.
"We sure do Bomber. Don't you worry," said Buffer, joining the pair. Bec laughed.
"Please; I know I'm Bomber when I'm in the Navy, but my paperwork was finalised this morning. I'm officially discharged from the Navy; you have to call me Rebecca or Bec now," she said, laughing.
"I'm afraid we will always call you Bomber," replied Buffer.
"I suppose old habits are hard to break. You ready to go?" She asked Buffer.
"Sure. Do you want to come Spider?" Asked Buffer.
"Sounds like a plan; let's see if 2Dads managed to keep his leg, or if he had to get it chopped off!" He exclaimed. Rebecca plastered a look of fear on her face, and Spider backtracked.
"He won't lose his le…" Buffer and Rebecca burst out laughing, and Bec pushed him gently.
"Gotcha Spider."
The next morning was chilly, the fire having being extinguished overnight. Five of the six sailors stirred, the sixth unable to even open her eyes.
"Slinger. Charlie. Are you okay?" Asked Dutchy gently, still laying behind her. He felt her wrist; she still had a pulse. She was just unconscious.
"We need to get to the beach, and soon. We can try to radio Victory from there. We won't be doing any combat this morning; we just need to make sure that Charlotte gets the medical help she needs. You will be running laps though," announced Dutchy. They nodded, not even a groan of complaint from Noble. They gathered their water bottles and backpacks, and Dutchy lifted Charlie up into his arms easily. Emily picked up the jumpers strewn on the ground, and the six of them headed to the beach. When they there, Emily helped Dutchy lower Charlie down onto the sand carefully, being mindful of her arm and ribs.
"Where do you want us running the laps to?" Asked Lachlan. Dutchy realised how subdued the small group were, and wished he had stronger relationships with each of them to make sure they were okay.
"Down the beach to the fallen tree, and then back here. Repeat. I'll try and get in contact with Victory, get her back here as soon as possible, and get Flash and Giordano out here on the RHIB." They nodded, and started running, the sand providing a different kind of resistance, a new way to exercise muscles. Dutchy lowered himself next to Charlie. It struck him how much she was like Kate, and he realised how much he loved Kate. He just couldn't go back to her when she had so many unresolved issues with Mike. They were clouding her judgement when it came to relationships, and Dutchy knew that between her and Nikki, she'd work it out eventually. He didn't know if he'd still be waiting though. He picked up the radio.
"Delta 97 to Victor 97. Are you reading me Victory?" Static greeted him, and he started to put down the radio, resolving to try again in a few minutes.
"Victor 97 to Delta 97. We read you Dutchy, and we're about to send Flash and Patterson over to pick you up in the RHIB," replied Nikki.
"Well, can you get Flash to bring a stretcher as well. Slinger's down; fell over a small cliff yesterday, and we can't wake her today. How quick do you think you can get that RHIB out here?" Asked Dutchy. He spotted the Victory coming in from the left side of him; a welcome sight.
"Flash, Patterson and Sweeney will be leaving shortly. How is everyone else?" Asked Nikki.
"Running laps on the beach." Nikki laughed to herself; Dutchy would do that to anyone if he had the chance.
"You running with them?" She asked.
"No. I'm with Charlotte." He stopped as he noticed the RHIB speeding towards them.
"Gotta go Nik. Flash, Patterson and Sweeney are quicker than you give them credit. They're almost here," said Dutchy.
"Well, see you back on Victory. Victor 97 out." Dutchy stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled to the four very exhausted sailors. They returned slowly, and picked up their bags.
"You four get on the RHIB. Get Patterson and Flash to help me with Slinger," called Dutchy. Emily nodded, and allowed Sweeney to help her aboard the RHIB. Patterson and Flash jogged up to Dutchy, and Patterson promptly pushed Dutchy.
"What did you do to my cousin? She was fine when we left you all here yesterday, and now she's unconscious! How incompetent are you?" Yelled Jamie. Dutchy reeled back, unused to be spoken in that manner; except when it was an angry Kate or Nikki, no-one had ever really yelled at him.
"I… She… We…" Jamie sighed in frustration, and then let loose a flying punch, copping Dutchy just below his right eye. He fell back, and waited for another punch. It never came though, and Dutchy pushed himself up, his cheek throbbing. Noble had pushed Jamie to the ground, and was holding him down easily.
"He went looking for her. It wasn't his fault that she ended up where she was; she got lost when she was with Ryan, and then she fell. We went looking for her, and we found her, and she's still alive. None of this is Dutchy's fault, and you should not be blaming him," declared Lachlan quietly.
"Jamie, Dutchy found me. Please, don't be angry," said Charlotte's quiet voice. She'd come around whilst Jamie had been yelling, and wished she'd found her voice before Jamie had hit Dutchy.
"He was your supervising officer…" started Jamie.
"I know, and he made sure I didn't spend a night alone in the bush. Please Jamie. Don't do this," pleaded Charlotte, coughing as she sucked in a breath. He watched his cousin in pain, and nodded.
"Release him Noble," ordered Flash. Lachlan stepped back carefully, and Jamie got up.
"We need to get her back to Victory, and then to port. She's going to need hospital care, and the Kingston won't be able to help with this one," said Flash. Jamie nodded, and he and Flash transferred her carefully to the stretcher. She winced as her ribs and shoulder complained painfully. Jamie and Flash lifted the stretcher and carried her back to the RHIB, cushioning each step as they walked. Dutchy followed, massaging his cheek. Jamie got into the RHIB first, and sat next to his cousin, holding her good hand. Flash helped Dutchy up.
"Do you want me to look at that?" Asked Flash.
"It'll just bruise. Don't worry about it Flash. Just make sure Slinger is okay," replied Dutchy, waving him off. The trip back to the RHIB was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. When they arrived back on the Victory, Charlie was taken straight to the wardroom, Giordano meeting her and Flash there. Patterson went to the engine room with Emily in tow, mentioning something about a loose wire. White went to the bridge to take over his navigational duties, and Dodger went to ComCen to make sure it hadn't been destroyed while he was away.
All of a sudden Dutchy found himself feeling very alone. He stood on the boat deck, leaning against the railings. They were heading back to port, and Dutchy realised he had no idea what to do in port anymore without Kate with him. Maybe he'd go to the pub and drown his sorrows, or go for a jog. Nikki walked out on the boat deck.
"Are you okay Dutchy?" She asked. He nodded.
"Just thinking," he replied, glancing over at her. She noticed the bruise on his face.
"Oh God, what happened to your face?" She asked, looking at the deep bruise.
"A present from Jamie," said Dutchy.
"Does he need to be disciplined?" She asked. Dutchy shook his head.
"No, it's been sorted." The silence resumed, spanning minutes. After a while, Nikki broke it.
"You miss her, don't you," she commented.
"Of course I do; we were engaged for three months, and dating for six before that. I can't just tell her it's over and expect to not feel anything. I was with Charlie last night and today, and she reminds me so much of Kate. Same attitude, similar personalities. My heart skipped a beat when Ryan came back and told me she was lost yesterday. I'm not perfect Nikki, but I think I've fallen for Charlotte at first sight, and I wish so much that it was different." Nikki laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"You'll make it through Dutchy; you're strong, and I know you'll be okay. I promise," said Nikki.
"You can't promise that. You have no idea," retorted Dutchy.
"I know exactly how you feel. I feel the same way with Dodger; he looks so much like ET that I have to stop and remind myself that his name is Jonathan Long, not Josh Holiday. It is so hard not to cry every time I see him, to not throw myself at him. We can survive this Dutchy. We have to."
Another episode over, and I'm reminded as to why I left fanfiction in the first place – reviews! I seem to have so few; how did this happen?!
I know (from the exceptional number of PM's I have had) that so many of you are not fond of my current 'unpairing' of Dutchy and Kate and Kate and Mike. Please don't let this stop you from reviewing; even if I have not appreciated where a story has gone, I have still reviewed where possible for the writer.
I hope you're enjoying the creation of a new ship – HMAS Victory took two weeks and a lot of research before she came into being. I wanted to think up a worthy name for her before giving her life.
My writing has always meant a lot to me – a chance to create an alternate reality. I have never indulged relationships I have believed should happen; for those who read my Rescue works on the forum, and for those who read them when they were available here, I never once indulged the idea of putting Heidi and Chase together as I always believed I should. I'm not doing that here either; each character has a past, present and future, and what happens in the past can determine what happens in their future, and the actions that are taken in the present.
I'm not into indulging notions; I never have.
Here are the answers to some of your questions:
-There may be a Mike and Kate reunion, but it is not in the foreseeable future.
-There may be a Dutchy and Kate reunion, but not in the foreseeable future.
-ET, Swain, Jaffa, Jim and anyone else who has died will not magically come back to life. The idea of this writing is to continue the series.
-I'm not one for giving away things; you can ask, but it doesn't mean I will answer your questions.
-There may be a Buffer/Kate moment, but I will not give that away.
I feel like I'm being really mean, but this is how I write, and I'd prefer to lay it down for you now rather than later. Each is entitled to their own.
So please, if you're still hanging around, stay tuned for episode five 'Worthy'.
MissShawnaAlice xx.