Chapter Two-
"Did you plant the bomb?" He asked as they walked along the dock.
"Yes. Did you tamper with the engine?" She responded.
"I did, and messed with the EPIRB as well." She smiled.
"Mike Flynn and Kate McGregor won't know what hit them." She kissed him quickly.
"I'll see you once this is over."
Kelly and Mike walked along the dock; Kelly couldn't stop smiling.
"So, do we tell the crew?" Asked Kelly.
"You can if you want; I don't mind. Whatever makes you happy," said Mike, his own face reflecting Kelly's happiness.
"Maybe keep it to ourselves for a little while. I'll put the ring on my chain with my dog tags to keep it safe." Mike kissed her.
"Sounds fine by me." As the Hammersley came into view, Mike and Kelly stopped holding hands, and walked a little brisker.
"So what are our sailing orders?" Asked Kelly.
"We're patrolling the Coral Sea with the Victory; they departed half an hour ago. There have been reports of a few fishing vessels out there, and they'd like us to investigate. Marine Tech have finally confirmed that the Hammersley is issue free; we shouldn't end up stranded anywhere anytime soon until she's decommissioned." Kelly smiled.
"That's good. All our supplies have been checked and cross checked to make sure that we're not going to end up with food poisoning or any viruses. Jess has had the wardroom completely restocked as well, so we should be fine," added Kelly. Mike stopped before they boarded Hammersley.
"Kelly, I should have told you sooner, but this is my last patrol for a while. I've been granted a chance for some long service leave, and if I don't take it voluntarily, they will make me take it later on. You've got some long service stocked up as well; we could get married and have our honeymoon and spend some time together," said Mike.
"I… I don't know just yet Mike," said Kelly, hesitating.
"At least promise me you'll think about it?" Asked Mike. Kelly nodded.
"I will. I promise."
"How's Nikki?" Asked Dutchy.
"She's… she's not okay. Losing the baby hurt her more than I thought it would. Her therapist says she's doing fine, but I wonder how well Nikki's holding herself together," replied Kate.
"What happened earlier? She just left the bridge without a word, and then you left; you were gone for over an hour," said Dutchy.
"She worked herself into hysterics earlier, and Flash gave her a sleeping tablet to try and calm her down. She's not coping anywhere near as well as she's letting on. I'm going to put in a recommendation for sick leave for her, give her a chance to recover from this. I think she's pushed herself into work too quickly," commented Kate.
"She'll be okay though," said Dutchy.
"I hope so. Besides, I've been meaning to ask you. What's going on between you and Slinger?" Asked Kate, smiling. Dutchy flushed a brilliant scarlet.
"N-n-n…. Nothing," he stammered.
"Good; because you know if something is going on, I have to reprimand both of you and transfer one of you, right?" Dutchy nodded, having momentarily lost his voice.
"Good to know. I'll head back to the bridge now, and I'll keep you updated on Nikki." Dutchy nodded, and as soon as the coast was clear, he headed to ComCen, knocking on the door quietly. Charlie opened it.
"We've nearly been caught out," he whispered. Charlie pulled him inside, and locked the door behind him.
"Who figured it out?" Asked Charlie.
"The CO. She's not calling it until she has proof, but we have got to watch ourselves, make sure we don't end up in serious trouble," said Dutchy.
"I've put in an application with NAVCOM; I'm going to try and get the RO position on the Kingston. Their RO is stepping out of the Navy after finding out he's got a heart condition. If I get that position, we don't have to be secret anymore! We can show our affection in public, rather than hiding in ComCen or the engine room every time we want to say something." Charlie kissed him gently.
"Are you sure you're willing to change ships for me?" Asked Dylan, caressing Charlie's hair.
"Dutchy, I'd leave the Navy if it meant I could stay with you."
Pete slammed the radio down with a few choice expletives. Bec tried to position herself on the seat so she was more comfortable, but the nagging pain in her back just wasn't making it easy.
"I told you we shouldn't have come out here!" Exclaimed Pete.
"And yelling at me will change that? I'm sorry, it's not like I knew this would happen. I'm not due for another two weeks! Excuse me for a moment while I cross my legs and hope this stops!" Snapped Bec. She breathed through another contraction.
"If you hadn't been so desperate to get out of the house and on this damn boat, you could be in a hospital now instead of stuck here!" Responded Pete.
"And you're blaming this all on me! You decided to come with me; you could have stayed at home and watched The Young And The Restless again like you've done for two weeks!" Bec stood up, trying to alleviate the pain.
"And then you would be stuck out here on your own!" Pete shook his head and turned away from her, still frustrated over the situation. He settled back down to work on the engine, and left Bec to her own devices. She paced the boat, trying to alleviate the contractions that didn't seem to want to let up. She felt like she was being suffocated, her heart pounding in her chest.
She knew she was in serious trouble.
"Pete?" She called shakily. He didn't hear her, and she sunk to her knees.
"Pete," she called again.
"What?" He snapped, finally getting up and turning to face her.
"Something's wrong." She collapsed on the deck.
And that was only the beginning of their troubles.