Chapter 8
On deck.
Nikki stared at the chart, arms folded, while Dave was showing her the course back to Darwin. She could barely hear him.
"Good", she mumbled as she made her way to her chair. She sat down and, irritated, jammed her feet on the ridge of the windscreen, a rather unusual habit for a CO, but the crew were already accustomed to her Italian temperament. A barely visible wrinkle appeared on her forehead and only insiders knew that she was very irritated.
Kate. It's been so long since I last heard from you. What a pleasure to see you again but it seems that it is not shared. What a coldness. You didn't even return my hug and your smile didn't reach your eyes. What the fuck is going on with you, Kate? I haven't heard from you in weeks. Weeks? I'd say months, yes! Or even a year and I don't want to talk about the Christmas card and for my birthday. The message on the back was more than formal. My bank card from my bank was more joyful than my best friend's.
It sounds like you're angry with me, but for what and why?
We never had words, we shared everything and I never stole her lover. Mike? Never! Just a fart in a bottle. All right, he's a good commander, but off the ship, no!
The only way to find out is to ask her.
She handed over the captain's seat to her XO and went to Kate's cabin.
"Come in", she said and Nikki entered.
"Can I talk to you, Kate?", Nikki asked.
"If you want", Kate replied dryly.
"Kate, I'm worried about you. What's wrong? Is this related to Hammersley?"
"Everything is fine with the Hammersley," Kate replied, gritting her teeth.
"Don't take me for an idiot, I can see that there is something wrong. It's what? It's me? Did I do something that displeased you? I welcome you to my ship and you don't look happy to be there. What is going on ?"
"Your ship, that's the problem. How is it that, having entered the navy after me, you have already been promoted to lieutenant commander? I've been waiting for my promotion for years and this time again it passed me by and excuse me but I'm having trouble digesting it", Kate replied angrily.
"But how am I responsible? It's not me who decides on promotions. The proposal must come from the superior officers and the commander of the base. In your case Mike and approved by Knocker. But it's not my fault if you drew the wrong number with him and if you alienated Knocker. You are the only one responsible for your choices and assume the consequences even if they are not fair", replied Nikki, more and more angry.
"I don't have a father who uses his Brass connections to help his little daughter and…. If it's not the case, what was it then?", Kate sneered.
Nikki turned crimson and slapped Kate's cheek as hard as she could.
"BITCH! How dare you insinuate that I owe my promotion by sleeping around? You'd better have a good fuck yourself, it'll clear your head. In any case, my father and my ass don't thank you!", said a shocked and indignant Nikki as she left, slamming the door behind her.
Nikki took a few steps, stopped and returned. She yanked Kate's cabin door open and yelled "And have you forgotten that you fucked your instructor at ADFA to get better results, huh?" and slammed the door again.
"That's not true! SHREW!", yelled Kate back.
Nikki stormed away and bumped into Dylan's arm who staggered back and looked at her.
Wow, what a temper!
He frowned and headed for Kate's cabin.
What the hell was that all about?
Left alone, Kate rubbed her cheek, still angry.
Damn, she hits hard, the bitch! How dare she bring that affair up at ADFA! I did it all by myself and I didn't sleep around!
She heard a knock on her door.
"NO!", she yelled.
To her astonishment the door opened and Dylan entered. He closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed.
"You again", she said, irritated.
"Yes, me again. What was that all about?", he replied without moving.
"Leave me alone! It's none of your business", she growled.
"Oh yes, it's definitely my business", he said.
"I told you, leave me alone and that is an order! I'm your superior officer", she growled.
"You're not just my superior officer, but you are Kate, consumed with your own demons and things aren't going to get any better if you build walls and chase everyone away", he said.
"Ooh you! You're just Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio!", she said irritably.
"Maybe I am. On the island you said we could tell each other everything", he said.
"Hmm", Kate mumbled as she turned her head away and he saw Nikki's handprint on her cheek.
"Hmm, nice hit", he noticed and headed for the bathroom to wet a facecloth. He returned and held it against her cheek. "This will soothe your skin", he said.
Kate mumbled something like "Thank you" and took the facecloth.
He sat down on her bunk, "So, what happened?"
Kate shrugged, "She came to see me and ask me what was wrong".
"Of course she did. You haven't exactly been a ray of sunshine aboard and especially during lunch", he said, raising an eyebrow.
Kate looked at him, desperate, "She kept pestering me and I threw everything I had in my heart at her".
"About the promotion", he supposed.
"Uh-hu".
"Kate, you ought to know it's not her fault she got promoted. Mike and Knocker are the culprits", he said softly to calm her down.
Kate sighed and looked down at her feet, "Maybe I exaggerated. But I was so disappointed I couldn't think logically. I pretended that her father had played his connections for her and that she had slept around to get higher up the ladder. And she told me that I'd fucked my instructor to get better results, but. That. Is. Not. True!", she said on the verge of tears.
"Pfft Kate, do you really want to break ties? You need friends you know", he said, shaking his head.
"No, I don't want to break ties", she muttered, wiping her cheeks angrily.
"Do you really think her father had anything to do with it?", he asked.
"Dunno", Kate mumbled.
"Do you think she'd sleep with a senior officer to get promoted?"
Kate shook her head, "No, she's not like that. I'd be really surprised if she did".
"Look, it's never too late to talk to her to smooth things over. She feels bad now too, just like you. So, don't wait too long, or it'll get worse", he said.
Kate nodded and took a deep breath, "Yeah, it's the only thing to do".
He stood up, "Well, I think you know what to do. Good luck!", he said and left the cabin.
He didn't broach the subject, but after supper he asked Kate, "And? Have you spoken to Nikki?"
"Uhm…no…not yet. She'll probably throw me out", she whispered, looking around to make sure no one could hear them.
"Just give it a chance. You have a no, but you can have a yes. I told you not to wait too long", he murmured.
"Hmm".
A frown came to his forehead, and he put his hand on her lower back and pushed her towards Nikki's cabin, "Come!"
He knocked at her door and said, "It's Chief Petty Officer Mulholland ma'am".
"Yeah, come in", he heard.
Dylan opened the door and shoved Kate inside. He closed the door and headed for the galley in search of some fruit.
Nikki was surprised to see Kate standing in front of her. "GET OUT!", she yelled.
"Nik, I promise I'll leave your cabin, but only when you've listened to me!", said Kate sternly.
Nikki knew what the look on her former XO meant and said nothing more.
"Nikki, I came to apologise for my childish behaviour towards you this afternoon and…".
"Kate, I…", Nikki began.
"No, let me continue. I should never have spoken to you as I did and my insinuations were completely inappropriate and I sincerely regret having said them. I'm frustrated by the situation and I take my frustration out on you when you have nothing to do with it. I don't want to lose our friendship, it is precious to me. Will you forgive me and have everything go back to the way it was? I was not myself", Kate said in one go.
Nikki was silent for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity to Kate, then began to speak.
"Kate, I will not hide from you that your words hurt me deeply. But, I also don't want to lose our friendship and I also want everything to go back to the way it was before. I regret slapping you and I also regret what I said about fucking an instructor. I accept your apology if you accept mine and I forgive you", Nikki said.
"I forgive you. I deserved it", Kate said.
"Come here", she said to her, getting up and opening her arms.
They hugged each other.
Kate grinned sheepishly, "You were right. Fucking an instructor didn't move me an inch, quite the opposite in fact".
Nikki grinned too, "Princess Perfect, picking a fart out of a bottle isn't exactly perfect, is it?"
"Yeah, it took me a long time to realise that", sighed Kate.
"On the other hand, the EOD showed something interesting", Nikki said with raised eyebrows, looking forward to a romantic story.
Kate looked at her, frightened, "What did you see?"
Nikki smiled, "Kate, the EOD is good, but not so good at recognising faces. So, did we interrupt something? Did we arrive too early?".
"Uhm… we were having a bath. The water was still cool then. It's too hot during the day, you see", Kate stuttered.
"Bare bottom?", Nikki asked bluntly, raising her eyebrows and smiling broadly.
"I'm wearing flesh-coloured underwear, that's it", replied Kate with a smug grin.
"Oh yes, indeed, that's it. Correct", concluded Nikki, who couldn't believe a single word she was saying
"And for the record, there were Scandinavian backpackers too on the island, the ones on the EOD", Kate said.
"Uh-uh! They won't by it. Dave and his men have already announced that the island was abandoned and that they hadn't seen a single living person", retorted Nikki with a smug smile.
"But, for the record, we've seen a couple of Swedish nudists who were also on the island", she added, amused by her friend's spicy little secret.
Kate only rolled her eyes.
"Uhm Nik, can I borrow some clothes from you? I've only these and I still have to fly back to Cairns".
"Oh? Aren't these clothes fresh enough? How come you barely wore them?", Nikki asked with a devilish smile.
"Ooh you! Terrible creature!", Kate hissed.
Nikki laughed, "Sure. Pick something and you'll return it to me later".
Kate took a deep breath, "Thank you!"
"And what about your giant", Nikki continued with sparkling eyes.
"Nik, stop it! He's not mine", Kate replied.
"Besides, he will manage", she added, trying to remain as neutral as possible.
Nikki chuckled.
"Now, I'm leaving you before you put me in bed with him", Kate said, reaching for the door handle.
"Okay, see you Kate and sweet dreams!"
"You're evil!", Kate mumbled before leaving her friend's cabin.
Kate headed for the galley to get a coffee. With Nikki aboard, she was sure there would be always coffee! And yes, there was. Musing about the conversation, she strolled back to her cabin and passed by the NCO's mess where some were watching TV. Dylan was one of them and he saw her. He stood up and ran after her.
"X?", he said, avoiding to use 'Kate' aboard.
She stopped and turned around, "Yes?"
"And?'", he asked.
She nodded, "Yes, it worked. We're back on track".
He smiled, "Yes, good! You see, we need good friends and they are rare".
"Indeed, you were right".
"Well, enjoy your coffee and see you tomorrow", he said and she headed for her cabin.
To be continued
