"Well that was..." Charles glanced over at Molly and raised his eyebrows
Molly laughed. "Sorry, they can be a little overwhelming."
Charles laughed quietly. It had been an interesting few days, that was for sure. He'd forgotten just how different Molly's family was from his own. "They obviously miss you. It was nice to see you so happy." As much as he hated to admit it, it was the happiest he'd seen Molly since she'd been back from Afghanistan.
"I miss them too." She admitted, looking over at him. "But then I come down here and visit them and it just reminds me that they used to drive me nuts."
"You don't regret being here rather than being with them?" He finally plucked up the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him during the entire drive back home.
Molly quickly shook her head. "Of course I don't Charles!" She answered quickly, surprised by the fact the thought had even entered his mind. "You know I love living here with you. It's just been a strange few weeks, that's all."
Charles nodded. That was an understatement. He looked up from the pile of post he'd been sorting through. "And I love you being here too."
"Don't you go all soppy on me now." Molly teased.
Charles rolled his eyes at her. "Shut up Dawes.. Here's your post." He tossed the envelopes on to the kitchen counter in front of her.
She pulled a face at him before picking up the envelope he'd just tossed down in front of her. She knew, as soon as her fingers came in to contact with the white envelope that had her name typed neatly on the front, where it had come from. She suspected Charles knew too, she could see him out of the corner of her eye, watching her and waiting for her reaction.
She tore the envelope open, trying to ignore the way her hands were trembling slightly. As she quickly skimmed through the letter she realised it said exactly what she had thought it would. She was going to have to make a decision on whether or not she would be returning to the army for another tour sooner rather than later.
"Have you given it much thought?" Charles was standing much closer behind her than she'd anticipated, making her jump as his voice broke in to her thoughts.
She nodded, turning around to face him and leaning against the counter. She'd given in hours and hours of thought, usually in the middle of the night when she couldn't force her brain to switch off enough to allow her to sleep.
"And?" Charles prompted.
"I don't know." She admitted. "When I first joined the army I was so sure that was what I wanted to do, that I wanted to make a difference."
"And now?" Charles asked. He could tell by the tone of her voice there was something else she was she was holding back.
"And now I'm not so sure." She told him. "When I first realised I was pregnant, I was worried that my career was over. That I'd be stuck at home changing nappies and doing the washing... But now, after everything that had happened, I've realised I wouldn't be stuck there- it's exactly where I want to be. I just didn't realise until it was already too late."
"You sound like you've made up your mind to me." Charles commented. He was trying to hide his relief at what it sounded as though she'd chosen. Although he knew Molly was more than capable of taking care of herself, he'd been on edge the entire time she was away, just waiting for someone to show up on the door step with bad news. He finally had an understanding of how Rebecca had felt each time he'd gone away on a tour.
Molly smiled at him. "I guess I have." She was right, she just hadn't realised up until now that she'd already made up her mind.