Soldier's Daughters (39 page)

‘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.

After a couple of minutes Jack returned. ‘There’s no blood and no bodies.’

The shock of the word ‘bodies’ was enough to send Immi over the edge. She began to sob.

‘Shh,’ said Jack, giving her a hug.

As Immi sniffled and blew her nose the two pilots began to examine the scene, trying to work out what had happened.

‘There’s no spare, for a start,’ one noticed.

‘And they’ve got a flat. Maybe this was the second blow-out so they decided to try and walk.’

‘But why were they here? They’re miles off course. It doesn’t make sense. And why didn’t they stay here with the water? You’d never leave your water behind out here.’

The co-pilot went back to the chopper and radioed back the news that they’d found the missing vehicle but no one was around.

‘Surely they’d have stayed here if it had been a breakdown,’ said Jack. ‘Everyone knows that’s the best course of action.’ He began poking around the supplies and baggage in the rear of the vehicle.

‘No rifle,’ said Jack.

‘Stands to reason they’d take it,’ said one of the pilots.

‘Well, someone did,’ said Jack. He pointed to a hole in the back of the driver’s seat. ‘Looks like a bullet made that.’

‘Now, are you sure you’ve got everything?’ asked Jenna as Maddy was helped out to the ambulance. Jenna jiggled Nathan on her hip to stop him from grizzling.

Maddy nodded. ‘And if I haven’t I’m sure someone will be kind enough to bring it over to the hospital. Anyway, I’m not worried about that – are you going to be OK with Nathan?’

‘I’ll be fine. And Susie’s coming back early to lend a hand too. Between us we’ll be fine till your mum pitches up. Stop worrying about things this end and concentrate on yourself.’

Maddy nodded. ‘I wish…’

Jenna knew exactly what Maddy was wishing. ‘Yeah, but he’s not. Although old Milward has promised he’ll send a signal to Kenya to get Seb back as soon as possible. You never know, given how slowly things are going at the moment, he might be back before junior puts in an appearance. I know I’m no expert but I remember my mum’s labour and I remember it being a bit more… well… urgent. On the plus side, your mum’ll certainly be here in time to hold your hand.’

Maddy nodded. ‘I suppose.’

Jenna handed the overnight bag to the ambulance driver, who stowed it by the stretcher in the back as he strapped Maddy in safely. ‘Seb’ll be here as soon as he can,’ said Jenna. ‘It’s not his fault the baby has no sense of time-keeping and wants to pitch up early.’

‘No,’ said Maddy, ‘but I can’t help wondering whether the baby’s decision to arrive wasn’t brought on by You Know Who.’

Jenna shrugged. The thought had crossed her mind too and it was another reason to hate Michelle – as if there weren’t enough already.

‘All set?’ said the ambulance driver.

Jenna held up a squirming Nathan to get a last kiss from his mum for a day or so, before the doors shut and she was on her way, leaving Jenna to deal with a suddenly bawling toddler.

As the ambulance drew away Jenna gave up trying to control Nathan in her arms and laid the kid down on the pavement before she dropped him. There Nathan lay on his back, drummed his heels and screamed. Jenna decided that there was little she could do to console him and it would be best for him to calm down in his own time.

‘You’ve got some nerve,’ said a voice behind her.

Jenna spun round and instantly recognised the new arrival on the scene. ‘Major Milward – how nice,’ she lied. Their previous encounters, back at the old posting, when she’d been having a bit of a fling behind her then-husband’s back, had been more than a little tricky.

‘So what are you doing here?’ said Milward. ‘I wouldn’t have thought that even you would have the brass neck to show your face on the 1 Herts married patch.’

God, thought Jenna, he was still a pompous twat. ‘Maddy asked me to look after her son.’

‘Maddy did what?’

‘You heard.’

‘Doesn’t look as if you’re doing much of a job.’

‘And you know all about coping with toddler tantrums, do you?’

‘And you do?’

‘Yes. I may not have kids of my own but I’ve looked after enough to know what’s what.’

‘So why did she ask you?’

‘Because we’re friends, because I’m available, because I’m good with kids.’ Milward stared at her. ‘So,’ continued Jenna, refusing to feel intimidated by him, ‘have you got hold of her old man yet?’

‘I’ve sent the signal requesting his immediate return, yes.’

‘Good. So how long’s it likely to take?’

Milward shook his head. ‘No idea.’

‘Good job we’ve organised her mum to come down, then.’

‘She’ll take over the childcare, I trust.’

‘She’s going to be with Maddy to start with. Maddy needs her more than I do.’ She stared at Milward. ‘I do know what I’m doing, you know.’