Chapter 16
Flashback
The next day.
Dylan frowned listening to the beep of the outgoing call.
Kate, what's going on with you? You don't answer my WhatsApp messages or my calls. I'm worried!
He put his phone in his pocket, grabbed his car keys and drove off at high speed.
Ten minutes later he stood outside Kate's front door and rang the doorbell.
No answer.
He rang again and then started banging at the door.
"Kate? Are you okay?", he said as he could.
After a few minutes, the door opened.
"Good morning Kate" he greeted her, pushing the door a little further to enter.
Kate stumbled backwards, "Why are you trying to demolish my door? My head is exploding", she grumbled.
He looked down at her scruffy outfit and her bare feet. Her tangled hear was hanging over her face. Dark rings under her eyes. Orange juices stains on a worn sweater and sweatpants.
"Kate are you okay?", he asked scowling.
"Not so loud!", she mumbled grimacing.
He leaned forward and sniffed.
"Oh Jeez. Not again! You've been drinking", he said in disgust.
"Yeah, so what? It's my house and I get drunk when I want", she said still under the influence of alcohol.
He walked into to the living room and saw the two bottles on the coffee table. "So, it's that bad", he said disappointed.
"Are you watching me, uh?", she said loudly and angrily. But Kate immediately regretted it because her head was throbbing.
He looked at the bottles and looked at her, "I hope they weren't full?"
"No, they were half full", she said, still swaying on her legs.
He shook his head, "Jeez honey, it could have cost you your life. Hospital, coma. Why for God's sake, why?", he asked desperately.
Kate shrugged. "I screw up everything I touch and everyone likes to blame me", she said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
"Bullshit! And you should know that too, but your brain is too soaked in alcohol to react", he said.
Kate looked at him dejected.
"No Dylan, Mike is thinking of transferring me to the Navy Second Hand Shop", she said sadly.
"What are you talking about?", he asked, frowning.
"The Old Rust Department where ships and equipment go when decommissioned", she replied with tears in her eyes.
"Hey! It won't to that far. Trust me. And….I know a way to get all the crap out of you. Just listen to me and don't argue", he said.
He walked to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards the staircase. Have a good, long shower to regain a human appearance. In the meantime, I'm getting some clothes for you and we are going to do something today", he said taking her upstairs.
"But…how…", she protested softly.
"No buts. The only thing you have to do now is have a shower", he said ushering her into the bathroom before closing the door.
He walked to her bedroom and opened the doors of the wardrobe.
"Damn, that was easier said than done", he muttered, scratching his head at the amount of clothing.
He looked at the various shelves and chose what he thought would suit her. He put a T-shirt and shorts on the bed.
Now, she knows which way to go. In the meantime, I'll prepare a strong coffee to revive her.
A few minutes later, he heard the water stop running and he went back upstairs.
Kate shuffled out of the bathroom wearing a dressing gown.
"How do you feel?", he asked her.
"If I say I'm fine, then I'm lying", she said.
"Well, I'll go to the kitchen to make you a nice brew. And I put some clothes on your bed", he said.
"Uh-hu", she mumbled.
A little later she entered the kitchen.
"I'm here", she said.
"You look better", he said.
"That's something, because I still feel far from it", she said plopping down on a chair.
He pushed a mug of coffee and the box of painkillers towards her. "Your classic breakfast", he said, trying to joke.
"It's not funny", she answered dully before taking a sip.
"What are we going to do?", she asked.
"Put on your hiking boots. We go hiking", he said.
"I don't have them anymore. Worn out", she answered.
"Take your Navy boots".
"Uh-hu", she murmured as she swallowed the pills.
He looked at her and shook his head slightly.
She's not on the right track yet. She's as dull as can be. Her mind is still intoxicated by alcohol. I wonder how much she drank.
"Now that you have yours, We'll go to my place to pick up my stuff and then we're off", he said, emptying his mug.
He cleaned the mug and looked at her over his shoulder. Kate was sitting with her eyes closed , her elbows planted on the table and her head in her hands.
"Do you have everything you need to go for a walk?", he asked.
"Uh-hu".
"Sure?"
"Are you deaf or what?", she replied annoyed.
He chuckled.
"What?", she asked annoyed, opening her eyes.
"Well, it's your answer. You're slowly coming back to life", he said.
Kate grumbled something in response.
"Okay, let's go!", he said enthusiastically.
They left Kate's house and he drove to his.
Was it the heat in the car or the vibrations of it or the coffee? Probably all together, because the alcohol in her stomach started to ferment. Sweat drops appeared on her face.
"Dylan, can you stop?", she asked faintly.
"Uh?"
She grabbed his arm. "Dylan. Stop! Please!", she snapped.
He looked at her sweaty pale face, pulled over and stopped.
She swung the door open and rushed outside to vomit profusely.
Then, exhausted, she leaned against the car her eyes closed.
"I'm glad you got rid of it. Do you feel better now?", he asked.
Kate didn't move, but she said faintly, "I don't know. Knackered, dizzy, headache, weak, anything but fine".
He waited for Kate to get better.
"It's okay, I think", she said softly as she got back into the car.
They reached his house and while he took his hiking gear, she freshened her face and rinsed her mouth.
They drove to a place just outside Cairns where a track started at the top of a hill through the forest.
He closed the car and looked at her. "We have everything. Also food", he said.
Kate rolled her eyes, "Dylan, don't use the word food".
He grinned and handed her a bottle of water, "That's your medicine and I've painkillers too".
"I can take a few", she said.
He gave her the pills and watched her swallow them. "Okay, let's go".
"If you say so", Kate replied reluctantly.
He turned around and started walking. The path became narrow and soon the slope became steep. Kate immediately felt the effects of her drinking. A throbbing head and the whole body sweating.
"Dylan, stop!", she said.
He stopped turned around and watched her move closer to him.
She was panting heavily, "Can't… can't… we go back? We've….done our… best, haven't we?"
He looked at her mercilessly. "What happened to the Kate McGregor I know? This one looks more like a ginger cookie or a lump of butter. We're barely halfway. Come on, let's go and do not forget to drink. It will help with your headache".
He turned around and walked away.
Kate glared at him, took a few sips of water and followed him.
Kate gritted her teeth, fought the nausea and dizziness, but followed him.
"Dylan, please stop a for a while!", she panted.
He stopped and watched her, "Come on McGregor, you're good at hiking. We're almost there. The McGregors are not staying behind!", he said before continuing.
"Damn you Mulholland! I'll hit you and you're off my ship", she yelled angrily as she began to climb again.
After a while, she yelled, "Mulholland! I'll kill you when we get to top! I'm damn sure of it!"
One hour later she reached exhausted the rocky summit of the hill. Dylan was sitting there, enjoying the view over Cairns. She collapsed next to him and lay down with her eyes closed.
"Congratulations Kate, you made it", he said, patting her knee.
"Uh-hu", was the only thing Kate murmured.
A few minutes passed before one of them started talking.
"Are you still going to kill me?", he asked.
"No. Then I would have too much to explain to the Brass. I would need a new navigator and I really don't know what I would do without you", she said looking at him.
He grinned and patted her thigh, "I wouldn't have done this if I didn't care about you. How do you feel now?"
Kate sat up. "Better. Much better. I'll never drink again. It's all over!", she said.
"Oh, no more wine then?", he concluded.
She looked at him and frowned, "Maybe, I'll make an exception for wine,… and port wine… and bubbles…and sherry", Kate added.
"Sounds better", he grinned.
"I'm even a little hungry", she said.
"Ah! That's great, because I've some snack in my backpack", he said but he didn't move.
"Come on! What are you waiting for?", she asked, poking him gently.
"Sounds good!", he said grabbing his backpack. He took out a pack of sandwiches, cheese, dry sausages and a bottle of water.
"Take your pick", he said.
Kate took a sandwich and a sausage and started eating.
"Hmm, it tastes great".
"Dylan, I'm sorry. Really. I feel so ashamed for what happened. I'm not a drunkard you know. It… it's just…. It overwhelmed me. Nothing went well since I took over Hammersley and I hate failure. It gave me a hell of shock when our three people got shot because of my stubbornness. The last patrol was no better. I got sick, drunk and I made a fool of myself in front of two senior French naval officers. And Mike's reprimand was the icing on the cake. I hate failure! Everything must be perfect. If not, people are queueing to ask my head. It was already like that when I was a little girl, when I was a teenager, at home, well, what you call home. No. When I enlisted as a cadet, I wanted to do something good, something perfect, so that no one could blame me for anything. Even then, they were still laughing at me. Princess Perfect", she said with tears in her eyes.
He wrapped his arm around her, "Hey sweetie, failures don't kill you. They only make you stronger".
"Make stronger?, she repeated with a tear-stained face, "What the hell is that bullshit?"
"No, you learn from your mistakes. Next time, you'll remember and never do it again. Look at our crew. No one blames you. They still believe in you", he said.
"Huh, but Mike apparently has another opinion about the matter", she huffed.
"Yes, but he doesn't think rationally when it comes to you, to us. He'll do his uptime as best he can to find something to blame us for", he replied.
"Hmm".
"Did Knocker blame you for something? She's your direct superior officer", he asked.
"Uh, no", she answered uncertainly.
"Well. She's the only one who has to reprimand you, but she didn't, so".
"Hmm, maybe you're right. So… so, I still have a chance not to be transferred?"
"I told you".
She nudged him, "What would I do without you?", she asked faintly.
"Making the same mistakes", he said deadpan, nudging her as well.
"Learn from your mistakes, you said. I'm obviously not a good student. I got stupidly drunk twice", she said, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.
"These things happen. You need to open up to others and things like this won't happen again. I'm here if you want to talk to", he said.
She leaned against his arm, "We better stay together, right?"
"That's the best thing you said today", he replied, kissing the top of her head.
"I like you", he added.
Kate looked up, "I like you too, but I didn't know how to tell you".
He smiled at her, "It's the same for me. It's not easy in our working environment as CO and navigator".
She chuckled and nudged him again.
"Watch out, Mike sees us", he said and she suddenly pulled away from him.
"Where?", she asked uncertainly looking around her.
He grinned at her and pointed his finger at the sky, "satellite cam".
"Ooh you! Silly!", she replied, with mock indignation, slapping him on his arm.
Something made her wrinkle her nose and she frowned. She gave under her arm a sniff.
"Dylan, I'm all sticky because of the climbing".
He patted her knee, "No worries. I have a solution for that. Come", he said, standing up.
To be continued