by Fiona Field
Jack kissed her knee, sending a shiver through Immi despite everything and then he gently touched the skin on her shin. Immi leapt. He looked at her. ‘It more than hurts a bit, doesn’t it? Why don’t you say so, you silly moo?’ He put a reassuring hand on her arm. ‘I’m going to find the troop commander and if they haven’t got the antibios here to sort this out, I’m going to insist you get casevaced.’
Immi nodded, blinking back tears. She might have been a bit worried about her leg before but now she was shitting it. How bad did Jack think it was?
Andy Bailey found his commanding officer in his tent at Archers Post, where most of the battalion had moved to the day before. All the troops were now preparing to move out from the staging area during the course of the day, into the bush, up to their positions on their respective start lines, ready to cross them and get going with the exercise. In about eight hours, just before sundown, it was all going to kick off and frankly Andy couldn’t wait. The build-up had been intense. The admin, the orders, the logistics had seemed never-ending but it would all be worthwhile when they got down to some real soldiering. In the meantime, as always, there were a couple of last-minute hitches. And both of them, this time, were potentially serious.
‘Sir, sir,’ he said as he stuck his head through the flap.
The colonel looked up. ‘What’s up, Andy?’
‘Bit of a crisis, Colonel. Well, probably not a crisis but problems that we really don’t need at this stage in the game.’
The CO narrowed his eyes. ‘Such as?’
‘Sam Lewis and her driver haven’t reported in to the sappers’ camp where the bridge-building exercise is going on.’
‘Why did they have to go all the way up there?’
Andy explained about the generator. ‘It was a really straight-forward mission; all they had to do was drive down the main supply route through the range area, detour north over the next bridge crossing and then carry on to the sappers, drop off the new genny, kip for the night and bring the dud back. It should have been foolproof.’
‘So where are they? I mean, they couldn’t get lost off the MSR and then there’s only one route to the sappers after the river crossing. They’ve got to be somewhere obvious.’
Andy shook his head. ‘No, that’s just it, Colonel, they aren’t. It doesn’t make sense. There’s no report of a broken-down Land Rover, Lewis hasn’t radioed in, but they’ve vanished.’
The colonel stared at his adjutant. ‘So they’ve taken a detour, they’ve stopped off somewhere else.’
‘Where?’
The commanding officer stared at his right-hand man. ‘I don’t know! Finding out that sort of stuff is your job, not mine.’
Andy knew it was worry making the CO so terse. ‘Yes, Colonel.’
‘Sam’s not very experienced, though, is she? She hasn’t been out here before, has she?’
‘No, Colonel. But her driver is an old hand.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Corporal Blake.’
The CO’s brow furrowed. ‘I don’t think I know him.’
‘Bit of an oddball by all accounts but very bright and this is his third time here. He knows the ropes. Between the pair of them they should be all right. The ASM said they went off with plenty of fuel and water.’ The ASM had also made some comments about his lack of faith in Captain Lewis’s map-reading and his sympathy for Blake at being landed with a woman to wet-nurse. Andy had told Mr Williams he was out of order but he didn’t think this was the moment to burden his CO with the knowledge that one of their warrant officers was verging on being a sexist misogynist.
‘Good, so we needn’t worry too much about them. They probably got delayed and decided not to risk driving at night. They’ve holed up somewhere. I expect they’ll pitch up with the sappers any moment now.’
‘Unless they’ve had an accident.’
The CO stared at Andy. His expression clearly said he didn’t want to entertain such an idea. ‘But if they’d come off the road on the MSR someone would have spotted something.’
‘All the logistic vehicles have been informed to keep an eye out.’
‘So what’ll we give it? Another few hours?’
‘At the most, I reckon. Then, if they’re still missing, we’re going to have to scramble the helicopter.’
The colonel nodded, then noted to look on Andy’s face. ‘There’s something else.’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s about Corporal Cooper.’
The CO sighed. He was the sort of guy who wanted solutions, not problems. ‘The clerk? What’s happened to her? I thought she was babysitting Raven.’
‘She is. Only she’s injured her leg and it looks as if septicaemia might be setting in.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Because she and Raven are at the sappers’ camp. There is no generator because the one Sam and Blake were taking them hasn’t arrived, they don’t have antibiotics with them there and Raven is getting very antsy.’
‘Why?’
‘Why? Why no antibios or why is Raven getting in a state?’
‘Both, I suppose.’
‘Cock-up as regards the medical equipment. We don’t know what happened but the sappers’ medic wasn’t issued with any, and as for Raven – gawd knows. He’s very insistent she gets casevaced. Maybe he’s sweet on her.’
The CO considered the idea. ‘He could do worse.’
Andy decided not to tell his boss about the various fights down the NAAFI for which Cooper had been the catalyst. She might be a looker but she could also be trouble.
‘So we need to get them out,’ Andy said. ‘Well, her out. Raven can stay put till the sappers have finished if he wants to. Or not. I don’t really care what his agenda is as long as he doesn’t cause trouble.’
‘OK, get hold of the Army Air Corps and organise them to fly in and get Cooper. Tell them to keep an eye out for a lone Land Rover while they’re en route. If they don’t spot anything or if we haven’t heard anything from Lewis by the time we’ve got Cooper back safely then we’re going to have to go into full search-and-rescue mode.’
‘Sir.’
Now there was a plan, Andy felt much more sanguine about both problems. He went to organise the chopper and then he would allow himself some breakfast. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
29
Maddy woke up still not feeling right. Maybe she was going down with some sort of bug. Still half-asleep, she lay in bed, blearily trying to work out if she was really poorly or a bit… bleuch. After a little while she decided it was a case of feeling a bit under the weather rather than anything worse. She hauled herself into a sitting position and rested against the headboard while she ran through things she ought to do. The downstairs needed hoovering and the ironing pile wasn’t getting any smaller – but would it be fair to do that while Jenna was around? Maybe they ought to take Nathan out, do something with the day.
Maddy glanced at the bedside clock and decided that whatever decisions she had to make it would be easier with a cup of tea. It was far too early to make one for Jenna – Maddy reckoned that her guest might well appreciate being brought a morning cuppa but not at six-thirty on a Sunday. Even Nathan was still asleep, although the baby obviously wasn’t and was making its presence felt, big time. Its kicks and wriggles were probably what had woken her up. Well, that and the fact that she’d gone to bed so early she’d had much more than her eight hours’ worth.
Maddy rolled onto her side, swung her feet out from under the duvet and heaved herself out of bed. She’d be glad when this pregnancy was over, she thought. Frankly, she had had enough. She wanted an end to the heartburn, the baby’s somersaulting, the twinges and now this sodding awful backache. She pushed her hands into the small of her back and eased her shoulders. If anything it made it worse. Maddy sighed and plodded down the stairs and then to the kitchen.
She filled the kettle and was about to plug it in when she felt the urge to hurl, like the nig
ht before. She thumped the kettle onto the counter and then leaned over the sink while she dry-retched. After about a minute the spasm passed, although the feeling of nausea remained. She leaned against the work surface, her legs shaking, her forehead damp with sweat, while she waited for it to subside. Maybe she didn’t want tea after all, maybe she needed a lie-down instead.
‘You all right, hon?’
Maddy looked up. ‘Hi, Jenna,’ she said weakly. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you.’
‘You didn’t, not really. I was awake anyway and I heard you moving about so I thought I’d see if you were all right. And you’re not, are you?’
‘I’m fine,’ said Maddy.
Jenna stared at Maddy and sighed. ‘Don’t bullshit me. You were being as sick as a dog.’
‘Busted. Probably something I ate.’
‘Really? So why aren’t I vomming too? I ate pretty much exactly what you did yesterday.’ Jenna paused. ‘Can I say something… my mum says she was always sick when she went into labour.’
‘But I’m not. In labour, that is. I timed those twinges yesterday and the intervals were all over the place.’
‘So maybe I’m wrong, but it wouldn’t hurt to ring the midwife and see what she says.’
‘I don’t know. They’ll just tell me I’m over-anxious or some—’ Maddy stopped as a bolt of pain ripped into her. Over and above that she was aware she’d wet herself. She stared at the pool of warm water around her feet, spreading slowly across the kitchen floor.
‘Over-anxious my arse,’ said Jenna. ‘Your waters have gone.’ She picked up the phone and dialled three nines. ‘Ambulance,’ she said.
The heat was so intense that Immi didn’t know what to do with herself. That and the fact that the pain in her leg was now so severe it had left her on the brink of tears. The skin on her leg was so hot and tight she actually worried that it might split – like some revolting lava bursting open to reveal an alien parasitic species.
Marcus, the Royal Engineer troop commander, crouched down beside her as she lay on a camp bed in the shade of a poncho rigged up in a tree to act as an awning. ‘They’re sending a chopper to casevac you back to Archers Post,’ he told her. ‘You should be back in civilisation in about an hour.’
‘Promise?’
Marcus nodded. ‘We’re going to send Jack back with you. He wants to file his story and he can’t do it from out here. We’ll wrap up the bridge tonight and move out at first light tomorrow. I have no idea where that generator got to – the two guys delivering it have gone AWOL, it seems.’
‘AWOL?’ said Immi. ‘Out here? Why would anyone go AWOL in this dump?’ She moved slightly and winced. Shit, her leg hurt but she’d been told she couldn’t have any more painkillers for another four hours. With any luck she’d be in a proper medical centre before then.
‘I’m exaggerating. The guys have probably broken down, but whatever happened, they haven’t appeared. According to the reports over the net, they’re part of your battalion, apparently: Captain Lewis and Corporal Blake.’
The shock of hearing the familiar names made Immi forget the pain in her leg. ‘Luke? No!’
‘Friend of yours?’
‘Sort of.’
‘Who is?’ said Jack, who had gone to fetch water for Immi.
‘Luke Blake’s missing, along with Captain Lewis. He’s a mate… and I shared a billet with the captain.’ Her eyes began to fill with tears. But even as the tears hovered on the brink, Immi knew she was worried about friends, nothing more. If it had been Jack, not Luke, who’d gone missing, she’d have been beside herself.
‘They’ll be found. They’ve probably just broken down.’
‘I hope you’re right. Although when we had the briefing about being out here the list of dangers was endless. Honest, Jack, they could still be in danger.’
‘Don’t worry about them. Save your energy for yourself.’ Jack handed her a bottle of water and Immi took several greedy gulps. ‘Gawd, I shove water in and it pours out again. I feel like a bleeding colander.’ She got out a tissue and wiped her forehead. Jack took her hanky off her and dabbed it for her gently. She smiled at him.
‘That’s better,’ he said.
‘I’m only feeling more cheerful because I know I’m going to be out of here in a mo.’ She cocked an ear. ‘Listen, ain’t that the best sound?’
In the distance they could hear a low thwack-thwack of an approaching helicopter.
‘Taxi!’ said Immi.
‘Are you asleep?’ whispered Sam as softly as she could.
‘What do you think?’ Luke answered. ‘I think my brain is frying.’
The pair lay in the shade of a scrubby tree, a poncho above them strung up in the branches, which provided a postage-stamp-sized patch of deep shadow.
Sam glanced at her watch. ‘Shit, it’s only eleven. How hot is it going to get?’
‘I dread to think.’
Silence descended and Sam put her bush hat over her face.
‘It won’t work,’ said Luke.
‘What won’t?’
‘Doing that. You’re not a parrot.’
Sam giggled. ‘And making me laugh isn’t helping me get my beauty sleep either.’
‘And let’s face it, you need it more than most.’
‘Git,’ murmured Sam. Another comfortable silence fell but sleep didn’t come. Sam knew that lying quietly would allow her batteries to recharge but it was also incredibly boring. After about ten minutes she spoke again. ‘Luke?’
‘Yes, ma’… yes, Sam.’
‘Why didn’t you become an officer?’
‘I could tell you to mind your own business.’
‘You could.’
‘You really want to know?’
‘No, of course I don’t. I thought I’d ask to piss you off.’
‘Job done, then.’
‘Seriously.’
‘Seriously? I didn’t become an officer because – with a very few exceptions – I don’t rate the officer classes at all and the last thing I wanted to do was join them.’
‘Why?’
There was a silence for a while then a long sigh. ‘Family reasons.’
‘Did an officer do something awful to a member of your family?’
‘No, an officer in my family did something awful to me.’
Sam sat up. ‘What?’
Luke shook his head. ‘Sorry, that’s classified.’
‘Oh. That’s not fair.’
‘Who said anything about being fair?’
‘So, why didn’t you report him… her?’
‘You don’t shop your dad.’
Immi couldn’t walk to the Bell helicopter so Jack carried her. As Jack tramped across the grass, holding her in his arms, Immi reckoned it was almost worth being in clip state to be carried by Jack. She draped her arms around his neck as he held her against his chest and was almost sorry when they reached the air-conditioned comfort of the helicopter. What, she wondered, had she seen in Luke? Sure, he’d been handsome and clever but he wasn’t in Jack’s league. Probably wasn’t in Jack’s league when it came to pay either. Not that Jack’s pay would be a deal-maker but it couldn’t hurt, could it?
She strapped herself in and then Jack handed her a headset and plugged it in so they could all communicate.
‘OK,’ said the pilot. ‘This isn’t going to be a joy ride, you’re going to have to earn your seat. There are two soldiers gone missing and we need to look out for them as we fly back to base.’ His voice was just audible through their headphones over the whine and roar of the idling engines.
‘Of course,’ acknowledged Jack. ‘We’ve already heard the news and we’re as worried as everyone else is.’
More worried, actually, thought Immi. These guys were her friends.
Marcus slid the door shut and gave them a cheery wave as he dodged out from under the rotors to a safe distance and then the pilot cranked up the revs and the whole machine began to tremble and rock until with the faintest of
swaying motions the skids unstuck from the ground and the machine lifted off. Immi clutched her seat as the horizon grew and grew as they soared skywards like they were in a giant lift.
Immi’s stomach seemed to have been left on the ground, somewhere near where Marcus was standing.
‘You all right?’ said Jack, via his head-mic and her earphones.
Immi nodded and swallowed to make her ears pop. Then the aircraft stopped going upwards, tipped nose-down slightly and shot forward. She shut her eyes and forced herself not to scream. She’d been on some fairground rides in her time but this was the scariest by far.
When she opened her eyes again they were clattering over the bush and she could see giraffes. She forgot her fear and nudged Jack. ‘Look!’
He nodded, ‘Amazing, isn’t it?’
‘It’s just… wow.’
‘So you think Africa is better now?’
‘At least there aren’t any bugs up here.’
The helicopter suddenly changed course and plummeted out of the sky. Immi clutched her seat again – her eyes wide in fear.
‘What the fuck!’ she screeched.
‘Look,’ said Jack, leaning across her and pointing out of the window.
In the middle distance something was shining like a beacon. A bright shaft of reflected sunlight was sending a diamond-clear blaze of white light straight towards them. It was so blinding that it was almost like a laser cutting through the atmosphere.
The Bell thundered towards it and then hovered above and to one side at about fifty feet. Below was a military Land Rover. There was kit in the back – they could see army equipment lying higgledy-piggledy over the seats but there wasn’t a sign of anyone about. It didn’t look good.
‘Oh, shit,’ said Immi.
‘We’re going to put down,’ said the pilot.
The helicopter slowly dropped towards the ground and then, with a barely perceptible bump, they were down. Instantly the others unbuckled and slid the doors open, ready to jump out as soon as the pilot cut the engines. Immi stayed put, craning to see out of the open door, wishing her leg wasn’t in such a state that she couldn’t go and have a look-see herself.
