Ch 10. Mike's decision

About a year ago

Kate's POV

The Hammersley has docked in the base after a two weeks patrol. The crew was leaving and I stayed behind with an awful amount of paper work, as usual.

"X, I have to go to Navcom, Maxine has something to tell me", Mike said to me poking his head into the command room.

"Yeah, ok, have some fun! I'll be busy here for while", I replied with a smirk showing a pile of reports in front of me.

He replied with a wink.

About thirty minutes later he was back. The majority of the sailors has left the ship. Charge was discussing some issues with the engineers of the base and I was still busy in the officers' mess with the never ending administration. He stopped at the doorway and leaned against it.

"Hi", he said.

"Hey, how was it?", I replied looking up from the papers, but when I saw his face I lifted my eyebrows. "Hmm, you look cheerful, tell me."

"Kate, you'll never believe me. I'm going to have my shore posting back."

"No? Really? Oh, Mike that's great! And when?", I replied joyously.

"Hmm, Maxine said that I have to do a big operation first, but she didn't give me the date of the operation nor some details."

"Ok, but it's not a prospect anymore", I replied light hearted .

"Yeah, but I'm afraid I have some bad news also."

It felt like a like a huge stone falling on my stomach.

I grimaced. "I knew it. Come on, spit it out."

"Your promotion didn't come thru."

I couldn't hide a disappointed glance and I couldn't avoid to slump.

"I'm sorry Kate."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, but on the other hand, it's good news because we can start our relation again."

"That's my impression as well. I don't want to wait any longer. You know what? I've been looking around for a while and let's spend our shore leave in a holiday resort not that far from here. What do you think?", he asked with a huge smile.

"Now you sound really reasonable! Yes mister Flynn, you can't escape anymore!", I said getting upright and I stood on my toes to give him a small kiss.

I was on the seventh cloud. He didn't care about the regulations anymore and he booked a small vacation. Just the two of us. No curious glances. Just him and I. For this occasion I wanted to do something special. There was a new shop in Cairns called Blanc de Nil. They sold only white clothes and I was going to do myself a present, such a white dress and the according shoes!

The next day I walked extreme happy back to my car and put the shopping bags in it. Moreover I've had my hair done also. I felt great, and the period of the month accentuated it even more.

At home I tried my new things on. It was a white dress, of course, sleeveless, a nice, but not too deep cleavage in front, but a large cut out at the back and, thus I had to wear it without a bra. I slipped in the shoes, white cotton open toe pumps with a wedge sole. As proud as can be I walked to the mirror and watched myself. Perfect, … almost, I forgot one thing. I'm always wearing coloured underwear and the deep blue panties shone thru. That wasn't really a nice view, thus I almost turned my underwear drawer upside down to look for something white. Ok, found, but it was almost a tanga. A bad purchase from a year ago because I hadn't read well the description on the package.

Mike was picking me up the next morning and from the moment that he pushed the doorbell I hurried to the front door, anxious to hear and to see his reaction on my outfit.

"Wow, Katie, you're looking wonderful!", he exclaimed as I opened the door. When I made a 360 degree turn I heard his whistle and I knew that I had made the correct choice.

After a few hours of driving we reached our destination. It was a nice holidays resort at the beach with a restaurant and several small bungalows facing the sea. We installed ourselves and after a light lunch Mike proposed to make a stroll along the beach. I walked on my bare feet with my shoes in my hand but after quite a while I was forced to put them back on because the beach became gravel and then a bit rocky. I feared a bit for my new shoes, but that was a minor item. Being together was the most important. The sun stung, it was hotter than normal, until Mike turned to look backwards. On his face I could see that there was something seriously wrong and I turned also. The sky behind us had become pitch black. A huge thunderstorm was coming our way. We turned and started to walk quickly back to our hotel, but in vain. After two lightnings the rain poured down and within a second I was soaking wet. Not a single spot on my body was still dry. I was in a fool mood. I had better flushed the money for the hairdresser because all the efforts were gone and my hair stuck to my face . My new dress and shoes were soaking wet and to make it worse, the cotton fabric of my shoes stretched so that with every step my heels slipped out of my shoes. I glared at Mike hoping that he felt as miserable as I was but all of a sudden I felt a warm feeling inside. His favourite dark blue shirt stuck to his body as a second skin and accentuated his body shape. Hmm!

He felt that I was looking and he looked also at me and a radiant smile developed on his face.

"Katie, you're looking sexy!", he said to me and I could have almost killed him for that.

"Well, then you must have a very weird opinion about a sexy view, because I don't feel sexy at the moment and even far from that", I grumbled.

His smile didn't disappear and got even bigger. "Look at yourself and you'll understand!", he said.

I looked down at my body and I knew immediately what he meant. The thin white fabric of my dress stuck to my body as well and due to the rain it had become almost transparent. Knowing that I wasn't wearing a bra and my tinniest panties, I could image that I almost drove him crazy, just like he did with me.

In our bungalow we peeled off the wet clothes from each other. Once done we moved at the same moment to each other to give a kiss and we both tumbled naked on the bed. We passed the rest of the afternoon in it while the cyclone was raging outside.

When I knew for sure that I was pregnant a couple of weeks after our weekend, I wanted to tell Mike but I didn't got the chance anymore!

Cairns actually

33 hours plus the extra hours of jetlag later Mike entered Maxine's office.

"Ah, Mike! I'm happy to see you again. How was Anzac Day?", she said enthusiastically when she saw who it was.

He sat down and leaned back in the chair.

"Hey Max, yeah I'm fine. Anzac Day? Ceremonies at different spots, shaking hands, meeting veterans and chatting with people who think that they are important."

"And?", Maxine asked giving him a conspiracy glance.

"I've had a splendid holidays. Flanders is nice area you know," he replied with a smirk knowing what she wanted to know.

Maxine didn't say anything but narrowed her eyes and looked straight at him.

"And I've met some splendid people," he continued with a huge smile.

"Ah!", was the only response from Maxine.

But the way she leaned back in her chair was more answer to Mike than that little word with one syllable.

"Thanks Maxine, I'll never forget that!", he said when he stood upright.

"Pleasure Mike."

He hesitated in front of her desk.

"Oh, yeah, before I forget Max, you'll have to look for another assistant. Before I entered your office I've sent in my resignation", he said as he sat down again.

"What? What did you do?", she exclaimed and sat immediately straight up again.

"I resigned."

"Mike, are you sure? Really? I would think over it, if I was you", she said almost in one take.

"Max, I've had plenty of hours the time in the airplane to think about it and there's no one on earth who's going to bring me on other thoughts now. I have a family there."

"Yeah, Kate, but...", Maxine replied frowning.

"And a daughter."

"A what?", she exclaimed with widened eyes sitting upright at once.

"Yeah Max, Kate has a daughter."

She looked suspiciously with narrowed eyes at him. "Are... you... absolutely... sure? Maybe it's from somebody else and she has tried to have you believed it's yours."

He looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, "Hmm, I'll act as I've never heard that. She's mine, absolutely. It looks like she's cut out of me."

"But from when?", she asked confused.

"She knew it just when she started the operation."

"I didn't know that. If I had know, I had forbidden her to participate!", she said fiercely and honestly.

"You know how she is, she didn't want to spoil the operation. She thought that it wasn't going to be that hard."

Maxine shook her head. "Damn Kate, why always so stubborn!"

"It's Helen now", he said.

She lifted one eyebrow by this remark and continued.

"You're really sure Mike? You've always been a man of the sea?", she asked him.

"Max. I've always chosen for the career and the sea. I agree that I've made once a hard decision and I've chosen for the Navy and I've hurt her back then"

Maxine looked surprised.

"Don't ask questions Max, the lesser you know the better it is. Now I've made another one. Maybe you'll think it was a hard one, but it wasn't. It was rather obvious. I've chosen for Kate and my daughter. And don't look at me like that. Ryan is also my son, but it's different and you know that", he said persuaded.

Maxine nodded.

She sighed. "Yeah, honestly, I feared for that, but I can't put you in the wrong. So, when are you leaving? What's your term of notice?"

"The human resource department has to tell me that and there are also some logical issues I have to tackle, so I guess within a couple of months."

"One last thing Max, for our colleagues and friends, I will be transferred to another base, as far as can be. Let's say Perth. For security matters you know."

Maxine nodded. "Well, then I can only wish you fair winds Mike."

"Thanks Max", he said as he stood upright again and he left her office.

Maxine stared at blank at the doorway and was all of a sudden extreme sad. She turned her head to look at her papers to keep up the appearance that she was busy with something, but she didn't saw them.

It happened on an evening…

To be continued