Chapter Two-

Nikki made it to the ship with barely a moment to spare, and it didn't go unnoticed by the senior sailors.

"Lieutenant Caetano, tardiness is not acceptable. You should know better," reprimanded Kate. Nikki glanced downward, and Dutchy felt his heart reach out to her. Something was going on for her, and he wasn't quite sure what it was yet. Nikki looked up at Kate.

"I know boss, and I'm sorry. I slept through my alarm this morning," replied Nikki.

"That's no excuse. See me later in my office." Kate moved to give directions to Ryan, and Nikki looked for Jono.

"Where's Dodger?" She asked.

"He's in ComCen, and has asked to not be disturbed for some time while he sorts out his paperwork. Slinger is on duty anyway; she can help you with anything you need," replied Dutchy. Nikki nodded.

"Can I speak to you downstairs for a moment X?" Asked Dutchy. Nikki nodded, and followed Dutchy down into the ships office. He allowed her inside, then closed the door behind her.

"You're never late Nik, and you're distracted. What's going on?" Asked Dutchy. Nikki sat down at the table, and held her head in her hands.

"I did a stupid thing Dutchy," she said softly. He joined her.

"It can't be that bad Nik," replied Dutchy.

"I slept with Jono." Dutchy nodded.

"And?" He prompted.

"I got upset. I thought he was ET, and when I realised that he wasn't, I started yelling, accusing him of things. He left the house in a hurry this morning. I don't know what to do Dutchy," said Nikki desperately.

"Well, first of all, fraternisation rules state that you can't be in this kind of relationship anyway. Second, I think he may have been hoping for something himself, but he shouldn't have down what he did. You need to talk to him Nikki, and do it tactfully," he said. Nikki swiped away a tear that was streaking down her face.

"Thanks Dutchy. I need to return to my duties," she said, standing up.

"Why don't you finish those duty rosters, and I'll go up and help Kate on the bridge. Take some time to think for a moment," suggested Dutchy.

"Thanks Dutchy. What are our sailing orders anyway?" Asked Nikki.

"We're heading to Samjung Islands to deliver medical supplies. More of a goodwill visit than anything. It's just routine," replied Dutchy. Nikki nodded.

"Thanks Dutchy. I'll see you on the bridge."

"She's breathing again, but she's not in a good way at the moment. We're keeping an eye on the baby as well," said the doctor with Jamie.

"So what caused her to stop breathing?" asked Jamie.

"An allergic reaction to some of the medications we have her on at the moment. We've changed the antibiotics and we're monitoring her closely. We came very close to losing her today," replied the doctor.

"Thanks. I'll let her boyfriend know what's going on. Can I see her please?" Asked Jamie. The doctor nodded and allowed him into Bec's room.

"Hey Bec. How are you feeling?" Asked Jamie, taking a seat next to her bed.

"I'm okay, just a little sore," she rasped.

"You know you scared the crap out of me, right?" He asked. She nodded.

"I scared myself too when I realised I couldn't breathe," she replied.

"Well, I missed my call to duty today, which means Victory has left without me. Hammersley is still in port though; do you want me to ring Leo?" He asked.

"Please." Jamie stepped out, ringing Leo quickly. He returned after a few minutes.

"Leo's on his way now. Is there anything else I can get for you?" Asked Jamie. She took his hand.

"No. Thank you for being here," she said.

"No problems. I'll stay with you until Leo gets here, and then I've got to go and face the wrath of NAVCOM for missing my call." He stayed for half an hour more before Leo burst into the room.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" He asked, breathless. Jamie laughed.

"That's my cue to go. I'll catch you later, okay?" Bec nodded.

"Thanks Jamie!" Leo took Jamie's seat next to Bec.

"It was just an allergic reaction, and everything's okay. They're just going to keep me under closer observation." She sighed heavily, and Leo smoothed back her hair, and then took her hand in his.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently.

"I'm tired of being here. I just want to be at home with you, and I'm trapped here. I'm tired of being pregnant, tired of being sick, and tired of feeling lonely at night," she exclaimed.

"Well, hopefully it will only be a little longer, and then you will be home with me again. I've put in for leave, and hopefully Commander White grants it. I want to be here when our baby is born. I want to be here for you," said Leo. Bec smiled.

"I want you here too."

Mike and Kelly headed back towards Hammersley; his transferral wouldn't be finalised for quite a few weeks, Maxine allowing time for him to do his best work before having to drive a desk. Kelly slipped her hand into Mike's as they walked together, taking their time.

"At least she's allowing you time before condemning you to a desk," she said softly.

"This isn't the first time she's tried to put me back at headquarters; the last time she did it, she ran out of commanding officers, and had to reinstate me." Kelly stopped and turned to face Mike.

"You have to do this Mike. If we have any chance of staying together, we need this. You know that. I sometimes wonder if that's part of the reason you and Kate fell apart." Mike shook his head.

"I think… I think Kate and I waited too long to act on our feelings, and we had a different view of how our relationship should have been. Our relationship started when Kate was at ADFA, and I was a guest lecturer for a day. We let things get a little out of hand, and after six months of seeing each other, I cut our ties. I moved to become 2IC on Hammersley, and thought I would never see her again. Three years later, my XO Simone Walker transferred to the HMAS Kuttabul Base in Sydney, and was placed on HMAS Ballarat as a midshipman. I didn't expect NAVCOM to find a replacement, but Commander Marshall phoned me two days after Simone's transfer to tell me that he found me a new 2IC. Nav wasn't impressed, I can tell you that," said Mike, smiling. By now they had moved to sitting on the dock, away from prying eyes. Kelly glanced at him.

"Why wasn't Nav impressed?" Asked Kelly.

"Because she thought she would get a promotion from navigator to executive officer, and she was passed over. That, and she had heard about Kate from other sailors; Kate's pretty strict when she needs to be."

"So what happened when you realised?" Asked Kelly.

"I was shocked at first, and then terrified at the prospect of having her on board with me. The first week was awkward, to the point where Nav begged me to have her transferred off. We got through it though. But we waited for so long, played around with each other's hearts. She was with Jim for so long, and I was with Ursula for a while as well. We knew our feelings for each other, but by the time we acted on it, I think it was too late," said Mike. Kelly gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"I think, deep down, you both knew that things weren't going to work out for you. You both needed a relationship so badly that you were forcing it to work; you have this need to be loved, and Kate was still in pain after losing Jim. It was a relationship of convenience, but it wasn't going to last," said Kelly quietly.

"And yet, if I have this need to be loved, why are you still here?" Asked Mike.

"Because I have this need to take care of people, and you are one of those people Mike." He kissed her tenderly, and then glanced at his watch.

"And if we don't move, we're going to be late for our own patrol." Mike and Kelly sprinted towards Hammersley. Kelly skidded to a halt before stepping onto the gangway, saluting the flag as she gasped for breath. Mike followed suit, and then they headed to the bridge. The air between them became professional once more.

"X, set sail for Samaru Islands. We've been asked to drop off a few supplies, just be a presence for the moment. We're to be alert though; there has been a spike in insurgent activity. Buffer, keep everyone on alert, and when we arrive, I want Kevlar vests on, and everyone armed as a precaution. Any questions?" Asked Mike, taking the captains chair.

"No sir," replied Kelly.

"Good. Let's get underway then."