BASIC TRAINING
By Beej
Chapter One:
Aaron Jacob Ira Caleb Mitchell looked up from the papers on his desk and
sighed. He hated forms that demanded his full name. The boxes were never
big enough to fit them all in.
Only his grandmother, Dr. Williamson, and his father called him Aaron. To his friends he was Jake, to the love of his life he was AJ, to his ex commanding
officer he was Mitch, and to his uncle more often than not, he was just ‘Sport’.
His mind wandered while he gazed out of his office window. He was on the
12th floor, but he didn’t take in the glorious view of the harbour, nor did he
note that from there he could see his home on the wharf. It’s not that he
didn’t appreciate the view, his mind was just on other things.
Jake was 32 years old and co-owner of A&M Risk Management. An
interesting company, with Jake the Managing Director, running the Sydney
office and over-seeing the development of the new London office, and his
best mate Michael, Financial Director, who ran the New York office, soon to
be relocating to Chicago. A&M Risk was a security firm specialising in high
risk insurance for company personnel (kidnap and ransom to those in the
know), and also consulting on internal security for their clients.
Jake was also used from time to time by the Sydney police as a specialist negotiator. Both he and Michael had been in the military, special forces, and
Jake was on ‘active reserve’ status holding the rank of Major.
Right now Jake was suffering from terminal boredom. He was restricted
to his office due to his love of powerful motorcycles. He had recently
parted company from his Harley and the plaster had only just been removed
from his leg. He longed to be out in the field once again, even though he
and Michael were always saying that they were strictly meeters and greeters
these days.
There was a quiet knock on the door and a head poked round the opening.
“Are you busy?”
“No, Jinny, come in, please.”
Jake’s PA, Jennifer Clark, always had to stifle a grin when he called her by
name. She had emigrated to Sydney from England 20 years ago, and was
well used to the Aussie accent, but was still fascinated by her boss, who was
born and bred in New Zealand. His mother was a quarter Maori and his father
had a Maori mother and an Australian father. It seemed that no matter how
long he lived in Australia, his Kiwi accent was always just beneath the
surface, and she loved him for it.
“What can I do for you, Jin?” he asked.
“You’re going to hate me, Jake, more paperwork for you,
I’m afraid.”
“How does this get done when I’m not around?” Jake asked.
“I do it, silly.” Jennifer replied.
“Well, then,” Jake said, a twinkle in his eye. “Why change
the habits of a lifetime, eh? You can do it for me now.”
Jennifer started to reply but Jake held up his hand to stop her.
“Okay, luv, just sort through ‘em and leave the completed ones for me to sign when I get back.”
Not waiting for her reply, Jake rose from his desk, grabbed his elbow crutch,
and limped as quickly as he could out of his office and down towards the lift.
Once he hit the street he stopped and breathed in the fresh air…where to go
from here? It was good to be out of the office for even a short time, and he
felt like a naughty schoolboy playing hooky.
He decided to go back to his apartment, but it was too hot for a taxi (he still wasn’t driving yet), so decided to take a slow walk home past the Opera
House and along the Harbour Walk on the edge of the Botanical Gardens,
certain of the breeze coming off the harbour to keep him cool.
By the time he got past Circular Quay and was headed towards the OH
he thought he’d made a bad choice in trying to walk. His leg was aching
already and he hadn’t even reached the gate of the gardens. There was still
quite a walk along the flat, then a slight rise and lastly a lot of steps before
he got home. Ah well, let’s just call it physical therapy for the week. He
could relax and take a swim when he reached home.
30 minutes later found him halfway round the harbour walk sitting on a bench watching the ferries go by.
“I’m rooted,” he thought. “It’ll be tomorrow before I get home at this rate.”
He looked up to see the scenic train heading his way. He raised up his crutch
to stop it, thinking he wasn’t too proud to hitch a ride to the other side of the gardens.
“G’day, wanna lift?” asked the driver.
“Cheers, mate. I’m not a tourist, mind, so spare me the chat.”
“Where ya want me to drop ya off, then?”
“As close to the wharf as you can would be good, mate.”
“No worries, hop on.”
Jake managed to clamber into one of the little trucks, and as he was the only
one on board, the driver decided to take him as far as he could whilst staying within the gardens. He got to the top of the rise and stopped.
“This good for ya?”
“Bewdy! As much as I’d like to think I could, I’m pretty certain I’d not have
made that slope in this heat. How much do I owe ya?”
“Have this one on me, mate.”
“Okie dokie, thanks. Hey, meet me down at The Bells later, my shout?”
“You’re on. I’ll be there about 8.00. C ya.”
Jake walked slowly across the grass to the track by the Andrew 'Boy'
Charlton pool and made his way past, then across the roof gardens above
the holiday apartments, and down the steps. By the time he got across the beginning of the boardwalk to the café on the wharf, he was worn out.
Sitting down to get his breath back, he was greeted by one of the waiters.
“G’day, Jake, what ya drinking?”
“Cuppa tea, please, and a glass of water.”
“Comin’ right up.”
When his water arrived, Jake took out the small bottle containing his meds.
He was still in some pain from the accident, even though he would rather have
his fingernails ripped out than admit it. Much as he despised taking any form
of medication, he shook a couple out and was taking them as the waiter arrived
with his tea.
“Taking a bit longer to heal than you want, eh?”
“You’re not wrong, Pete. I thought I’d be up and around, no sticks, no limp by now.”
“Typical of you, Jake. Always were ‘Action Man’, weren’t you.”
Pete and Jake had known each other ever since their families had arrived from New Zealand. They had grown up together up in northern NSW, and their
families still lived up in the small township.
“You just watch me, Pete. A couple of weeks from now I’ll be good as new
again. Was just waiting for that bloody cast to come off. I’m going to the pool later. Wanna come?”
“The outdoor one?”
“Nah, inside. Give me a buzz when you finish your shift and I’ll let you in.”
Jake drank his tea, paid his bill and limped off down the boardwalk and inside
the wharf building. He sank onto the couch in his air conditioned lounge
room, and the next thing he knew was woken by the shrill ringing of his
security phone. Getting up slowly, he answered, and pressed the button to
let Pete in the building. Ten minutes later they were both in the pool belonging
to the wharf apartments.
Pete never failed to be in awe of Jake when watching him in the water. It was
as if he were born to swim. He sat on the edge of the pool and watched Jake
swim three lengths under water. His broken leg certainly didn’t hinder him
in the pool. He looked happier than he had since the bike crash and Pete was pleased for his friend.
Later, Pete went with Jake to The Bells for the promised drink with the
pleasure train driver. They both helped a very happy Jake back to his
apartment at chuck out time, and put him to bed. Jake didn't drink, but
somehow they'd convinced him to have a beer, or two, or three.
The following morning Jake wished he was dead. His head was killing him,
and the room swirled round every time he tried to sit up.
“Shit! Not one of your better ideas, mate. Now you know why you don't drink!”
He dragged himself out of bed and slowly managed to make his way to the bathroom, where he crawled into the shower and stayed , hands braced
against the cool tiles, until the room stopped spinning.
He made his way to the kitchen, a towel wrapped round his waist. As he was making some tea his phone rang. It was Jennifer. He told her to come up, and
by the time she was ringing his bell he had managed to get a pair of sweats on.
He opened the door and invited her in.
“You had your brekkie yet?” he asked.
“Good morning, Jake. No, I haven’t.”
“Care to join me?”
“I’d love to, thanks. Can I help?”
“No luv, you go sit down and I’ll show you how independent I am,” Jake
replied with a smile.
Jennifer sat at the kitchen table watching Jake limp around on just the one
elbow crutch. Although she was only about 10 years older than him, she had distinctly maternal feelings towards him, and worried that he was trying to
do too much too soon. It was all she could do to stop herself from jumping
up and helping him.
Soon, they were both sitting down to a breakfast of cereal, toast, marmalade
(for Jennifer), Vegemite (for Jake) and a nice pot of English Breakfast tea.
She appreciated this very much. Jake knew that even after all these years
there were still some things she missed about England, and real English marmalade was one of them. He always seemed to have jars of the stuff
stocking his larder, and every couple of weeks she would find a jar on her
desk, wrapped in a big pink ribbon.
She insisted on clearing up after their meal, and Jake went to sit on the
balcony while she stacked the dishes in the washer and wiped down the work
top and the table. When she finished she joined him, placing her briefcase by
the side of the steamer chair before she sat opposite Jake. He hadn’t noticed
the case before then, and groaned softly knowing what was inside.
“I thought it might be too hot for you to be in the office today,” said Jennifer.
“It’s air conditioned,” Jake replied.
“Yes, I know, but be honest. You’re going stir crazy in there. This is the
longest time you’re spent in your office since you opened the business. After
you skipped out yesterday, I spent all afternoon clearing the pile on your
desk.”
Jake looked up at her guiltily through his long lashes. Jennifer thought he
looked like a naughty little boy who had been caught with his hand in the
cookie jar, and had to stop herself getting up to give him a hug and ruffle
his hair.
“Don’t worry, I’ve just brought the ones that really need your signature today.
All the rest can wait until you feel like turning up again. It should only take
you about half an hour to look through and sign these, then I guess you can
take
the rest of the day doing whatever you want.”
“Jinny, your blood needs bottling, luv,” Jake said, beaming across at her.
True to her word, half an hour later everything was checked, signed and placed back in the briefcase. Jennifer got up ready to leave for the walk to the office,
but Jake grabbed hold of her wrist and stopped her.
“Why don’t you give the office a call, luv, and get one of the messengers to
come round and pick them up? After all, that‘s what we pay them for. Claire
can deal with them, and you can play hooky along with the boss for a change.”
Jennifer started to protest, but then looked out from the balcony across the
bay and thought ...why not!
“Okay, boss, never let it be said that I don’t do what I’m told.”
Ten minutes later the messenger arrived and the papers were sent off to the
office without Jennifer or Jake.
“What shall we do now, then?” asked Jennifer.
“Right. I suggest a quick trip to your place for you to pack an overnight bag,
then it’s off to the airport.”
“Where are we off to?”
“I think it’s time you came up to the old homestead,” Jake replied, winking at
her as he made his way to his bedroom to pick up his holdall.
Two hours later the company helicopter touched down at Jake’s country retreat and he was introducing Jennifer to his grandmother, Emily. Even though she'd never been there before, she instantly felt at home. Emily seemed pleased to
see her, and not at all surprised that Jake had taken her there.
After freshening up in the guest room, Jake decided to take her for a quick
tour around the house and the area near the building. He didn’t think he was
up to taking her too far on the property yet.
She loved everything she was shown, especially the horses. They rounded a
corner of the house and she saw a large enclosure with high wire fences. She
was wondering what was kept in there when a flash of grey shot towards the
front of the enclosure where she was standing. Her blood ran cold…it looked
like a wolf.
The wolf was snarling and growling, its hackles risen up the length of its back. Jennifer was frozen rigid where she stood. Suddenly the wolf stopped
growling, sat down wagging its tail, looking past her with its tongue lolling
out of the side of its mouth.
Jennifer turned round to see Jake lower his hand. This creature was obviously
his and obeyed his unspoken commands.
Jake took hold of Jennifer by the hand and led her to the gate of the
enclosure. She pulled back, afraid to go anywhere near the creature. He
looked at her and told her not to worry, she would be okay with him there. Entering the enclosure, Jake closed the gate behind them.
Slowly, he managed to bend down on his undamaged leg and the wolf
approached him, lay down and rolled onto its back. Jake spoke to the animal.
“Lupo, meet Jinny.”
The wolf looked at Jennifer and held up a paw. She let out a soft gasp,
but stooped down to take hold of the offered paw.
“Jinny, meet Lupo.”
They spent about twenty minutes with Lupo and then headed back to the
house.
“He’s beautiful but a bit scary, Jake. Where did you get him?”
“He was a gift from a grateful client in Europe. I’ve had him since he was a
little bundle of fluff. He acts scary, but he’s safe, really.”
They went back into the kitchen where Emily was putting the kettle on for a
cup of tea. Jake limped into the lounge room while Jennifer stayed in the
kitchen.
“Thanks for bringing him up for a visit, Jenny,” said Emily.
“Well, I think it was the other way round. He decided that we should both
skip the office for a couple of days,” she replied.
“He’s going mental with the inactivity, isn’t he?” Jake’s Grandmother asked.
“Yes, he surely is. I’m just glad the cast is off and he’s getting more mobile.
I’d have hated to see him more badly hurt. He wouldn’t have been able to
cope with it.”
After a moment she asked, “Do you ever miss the bustle of the city, Emily?”
“No. I like it fine up here in the sticks. I still do a shift in the local hospital
once a week, not bad for a doctor of my age. For a country hospital we're
very state of the art, mainly because we are the main
base in this area for the RFDS. Hopefully you’ll get to see it before he whisks
you back.”
“I’d like that very much. Thanks for the invite.”
Just then they both heard a car pull up and their heads turned to the kitchen
door together. The door flew open and a short, dark-haired young lady in a
nurse uniform entered.
“Hiya, Emily…Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had a visitor.”
“Angie, this is Jennifer from Sydney.”
“Jennifer? JENNIFER!!!! Is AJ here?”
“Yes, he’s in the…..”
Angie flew past the two women at the kitchen table headed for the lounge
room. By the time they rose from their seats to follow she was standing by
the sofa looking down at the sleeping Jake, love radiating from every pore
in her body.
On hearing the two older women enter the room, she turned and walked
towards them, whispering quietly. “I’m sorry. That was very rude. I’m
Angeline, AJ’s girlfriend. I’m pleased to finally meet you, Jennifer.”
“Likewise, and please call me Jenny.”
“Okay, Jenny, thanks. I’m Angie to my friends. How was the trip up?
Was Jake okay?”
“It was good. He had a little nap. I think being in the office has drained him.
When I suggested that he didn’t go in this morning he dragged me to the
airport and the next thing I knew, we were here. He really needed to get out
of the city for a bit.”
“Thanks for letting him bring you up here. It’s the best thing you could have
done. He hasn’t been ‘home’ for such a long time now.”
They'd all turned to look at the still sleeping form of Jake when the silence
was broken by Sam and the dogs coming through the kitchen door. The dogs homed in on Jake right away and in no time his sleep
was interrupted as he vanished under three excited cattle dogs happy
to see him.
“G’day, Sport,” cried Sam, slapping his nephew on the shoulder. In truth
they were more like brothers as Sam was a late child for his parents and only
5 years older than Jake.
Jake managed to get the dogs off his lap and struggled up to give his Uncle
a hug. Then he saw Angie.
“Hi, Angel,” he whispered
“Hi, AJ.”
Although she and Jake had grown up together since they were ankle biters,
had always loved each other, it was only in the last couple of years she'd
realised she was actually ‘in love’ with him. She was certain, though, that
Jake had been ‘in love’ with her a lot longer. She was still overwhelmed with emotion every time she set eyes on her man, and went weak at the knees
when he smiled at her.
Jake introduced Jennifer to his uncle, then they all sat down to catch up with
the news. Before long the women went to the kitchen to prepare the
evening meal. Sam and Jake stayed chatting away, Jake asking Sam how his
love life was going, and Sam jokingly asking if Jake wanted his other leg
broken.
After supper, Jake finally admitted that he was pretty bushed, and got up,
saying goodnight to everyone. He headed for his room, but after half an hour
of tossing and turning, was still unable to sleep. Angie came quietly into the
room and asked him what was wrong.
“Can’t get comfortable. My leg is aching too much.”
“Okay, you stay there for a minute and I’ll see what I can do to fix that for
you.”
With that, Angie headed towards the master bathroom and soon Jake heard
water running. Angie stuck her head round the door.
“Can you make it over here okay, or would you like some help?” she asked.
“Oh, I think I can get over there, luv,” said Jake, grabbing his crutch and
hobbling towards the bathroom.
When he got inside he smiled to see the spabath full of steaming water.
“Come on, let’s see if warm bubbles will relax those muscles.”
Jake dropped his sweats and slowly entered the hot tub. Soon he was so
relaxed in the bubbling water he began to drift off. He looked so peaceful
Angie was loathe to disturb him, but the water was cooling and she needed
to get him out before he resembled a prune.
She managed to help him out of the tub, wrapping him in a large, warm,
fluffy bath towel. Rubbing him dry, she took him back to the bedroom. He
sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Angie to help him in. He was asleep
almost before his head hit the pillow. Angie slipped quietly beside him and
smiled as he turned and spooned in behind her. He'd been away too long
she thought as she, too, drifted off to sleep.
The weekend went by all too quickly and before they knew it they had to
leave for Sydney. Jake promised to bring Jennifer back as soon as he could,
and they headed back towards the city. Before long Jake was in a suit again, moaning every time another piece of paper was put in front of him to read, approve and sign.
Chapter Two
He had been back in the office two weeks when there was a knock on the
door and Jennifer popped her head around.
“There’s someone to see you, Jake. Are you free?”
Jake looked around his empty office and grinned.
“Yep, I think you could say that,” he said, winking at her.
“It’s a soldier, Jake. He looks like a high-ranking one at that.”
“Really? Show him in.”
Jennifer went back outside and closed the door for a moment. Jake heard her speaking to his visitor, then at the deep rumble of a reply, he smiled.
The door opened again and Jennifer entered, closely followed by his visitor.
“Jake, this is….”
“G’day, Tom,” Jake said, smiling as he got up from behind his desk to give the older man a huge bear hug.
“Jinny, this is Colonel Tom Fisher, my old CO, and incidentally, my godfather,
too. Tom, this is my PA, Jennifer Clark.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Clark.”
“Hello, Colonel Fisher. It's Jenny. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Thank you, yes. A coffee would be great, and please, call me Tom.”
“Okay…Tom, coffee coming right up.”
Jennifer left the office, closing the door behind her. Jake noticed that Tom’s
eyes never left her until the door was completely closed.
“Nice isn’t she,” Jake said, smiling at his visitor.
“What? Oh, yeah, I guess.”
“Okay, you didn’t come over here to perve at my staff, now did you….did you?”
“Um, no, of course not, although she’s well worth a second look. Is she spoken for?”
“No, she isn’t. I’ll put in a good word for ya if ya want. Now…what’s up?”
“Ah, right. Well, since you’re back on both feet again, I have a little job for
you unless you’re too settled behind that desk.”
“Shit, Tom, I’ve been itching to break out of here for weeks now. Whatcha
got for me?”
“We have some new recruits back at the unit. You know the kind. Think they
were born to be in special forces, don’t need the specialist training, don’t need
to take orders from anyone. Sound familiar?”
Jake flipped him the bird just as Jennifer re-entered with the coffee. He blushed and sat on his hands.
“Thanks, Jin,” he said quietly.
As Jennifer closed the door grinning to herself, she heard Tom's deep booming laugh coming from the office. She giggled at the thought of Jake's being embarrassed at her catching him out for a change.
Back in the office Jake looked thoughtfully at Tom.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want to you c ome up and take a look at them. I trust your instant
judgement, so if you think some of them aren't worth the effort, we can ship
them back to their units. Let them think that you're a new recruit as well, one
that doesn’t give a shite for authority.”
Okie dokie,” replied Jake. “Anything else?”
“Yes, when you make the final selection, I’d like you to head up their jungle training. Let’s just say that your active reserve status will be jumped up to
just plain active. Oh, and by the way, ship your dress uniform up. Don’t bring
it with, ship it to me before you arrive. Don’t want them to get a look at it. As
far as they're concerned, you have no rank, no uniform…no medals!!”
Jake gave him an old fashioned look at the mention of his medals, but agreed
to be at the base in five days time. He asked Tom when he was returning, and offered him the use of his guest room, telling him that way he could take
Jake’s uniform back with him.
Tom smiled, thinking that it would also give him a better chance of meeting
up with Jennifer again before he left. Finishing his coffee, Tom said goodbye, arranging to meet up after Jake was done at the office. He made sure to stop
at Jennifer’s desk on his way out of the suite of offices, heading for the lift
with a slight skip in his step.
Jake stuck his head round his office door and watched Jennifer gazing down
the corridor. He laughed softly, the sound breaking her reverie. As she looked
at him, he stuck his tongue out at her and dodged back into the safety of his
office just as she picked up her mouse mat as a missile to fling at his head.
Chapter Three
Five days later, Jake arrived at the special forces base, ready to join the other recruits. He wondered what he would find, if they would be good enough to
pass his scrutiny.
Jake made his way to the bunkhouse, knowing that he would be the first one there. That not only gave him the advantage over the others, but also the pick
of the beds. He chose one behind the door.
It wasn’t long before he heard the others. It sounded like they had already
formed a bond between them. That would make him odd man out, all the
better for what he had to do.
They entered the room laughing and joking, throwing their kits on their chosen beds, then realised there was someone else in the room. As one, they turned
to look at the stranger in the corner bed.
“G’day,” the stranger said.
They all stared at him. He was stretched out in a lazy fashion, in civvies. He
didn’t look like a soldier to them despite the haircut. In fact, he looked more
like a skinhead as they noticed his tattoos and leather thongs around his left
wrist.
“What the fuck are you meant to be?”
“A soldier, mate. How about you?”
“You look like a yobbo fresh off the street…mate!!”
“Yeah, whatever,” replied Jake, looking at the group of men, feigning boredom.
“Maybe you need to know what being a soldier in this unit means,” said the
leader of the small group as they advanced in a body towards Jake.
“Yeah, right, and who's gonna show me...mate?” Jake asked.
The next thing he knew, he was dragged from his bed and forced up against
the wall.
“Listen. We’re all here on trial, and we’re all being judged as a unit. Now I
don’t know about you, but we want this gig and no one is going to mess it up
for us...okay?”
“I don’t run with the pack, mate. I’m my own man and I don’t give a stuff
about you or your bunch of merry men,” Jake sneered.
He gave them their due, they were bloody quick. He never saw the fists coming, but he sure as hell felt them. They were good, too, not one blow landed on his face. The bastards even managed a couple of kicks before they heard footsteps
in the corridor outside. They quickly threw Jake back on his bed and went to
sort out their kit.
Jake lay there watching the men as the door opened. A sergeant came in,
closely followed by an officer. The men sprang to attention, though Jake
remained on the bed.
The sergeant ordered the men to stand by their beds, and while their
attention was away from Jake, the officer quickly winked at him. Jake
nodded his head slowly and the officer began ranting at him for not getting
to his feet when an officer entered the room.
Suddenly more footsteps were heard outside and Colonel Fisher entered the
room. Everyone once again snapped to attention, apart from Jake, who was
still lying on his bunk.
“At ease, gentlemen,” said the Colonel, eyeing up the new recruits.
He turned towards Jake’s bed.
“Comfy, soldier?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Jake.
“I sure am,” he replied.
“You’re out of uniform, son,” said the Colonel.
“Certainly looks that way...Colonel,” Jake replied, smirking at Tom.
“My office...five minutes,” barked Tom, turning on his heel and marching
out, quickly followed by the officer and the sergeant.
“Ah well, at least we won’t have to put up with him for much longer, boys.
Not a good start getting called to the Colonel’s office first day, especially
just before his welcome dinner. Best get into our number 1’s, guys. Want to
make a good impression, don’t we.”
Jake watched silently as the men changed into their best uniforms. He noted
the service ribbons on their jackets before slowly rising from his bed, wincing slightly, and walking out, heading towards Tom’s office.
The men all took their places in the officer's dining room. They'd been told
the only others joining them would be Colonel Fisher and their main training officer. They had yet to be told who he was.
They all stood as the Colonel entered the room.
“At ease, men, and take a seat. We won’t be kept waiting too long.
Unfortunately your trainer was unavoidably delayed. He will be here directly
….ah, I think that’s him coming now.
The far door opened and the men stood up, ready to greet the latecomer.
“Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to your chief trainer for the next
three months, Major Aaron Mitchell.
Jake would've given anything to have been able to take a picture of the expressions on the faces of the men in front of him. The realisation that the
lazy skinhead in their room was, in fact, their trainer left them cold, to say the least. They all looked him over from boots upwards, gasping quietly when they reached the ribbons on his chest. Could all of them be the real McCoy? Looking
at him now, they had no doubt he'd earned every one. He was definitely not
the same man who had allowed them to ‘welcome’ him the way they had.
They looked worried.
Jake took his place at the opposite end of the table from Tom, and the
meal began. Tom was amused at the way the men tried to make small talk
around Jake. He knew about their little welcome without being told, had
seen the bruises that were already beginning to form when Jake changed
into his uniform in Tom’s office.
“You men will have to forgive Major Mitchell and me for earlier. We like to
see what the new recruits are like before they meet their trainer. No hard
feelings I hope?”
“None with us, sir. We hope the Major feels the same way?”
“No worries, I’ve not had such a warm welcome for quite a while,” Jake
replied. “I can’t wait to get to know you all a little better.”
The men squirmed under his unblinking, emotionless gaze, and ended up
staring into their dishes for the rest of the meal. Jake and Tom looked at
each other and grinned.
The meal couldn’t end quickly enough for them and soon they were saying goodnight to the two officers, begging an early night in preparation for their
first day of training.
After they left the dining room Jake and Tom collapsed in a heap laughing like drains, Jake wincing a little as the bruises on his ribs made themselves known.
“Are you going to do anything about your little welcome, Mitch?”
“Not officially, no. I think I’ll just play it by ear for a while. Don’t want to discourage them before we start, now do I?”
“Well, it’s your call. Just make sure you go see the doc before you turn in. In
fact, I’ll take you over there now. We have a new bloke in charge. I think
you’ll like him.”
“Is that an order, Tom?”
“Bloody oath,” said Tom, laughing at the look on Jake’s face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jake stepped into the sickbay followed by Tom. He was convinced Tom was making certain he didn’t make a run for it, and smiled at the thought.
“Doctor, I have a late patient for you,” said Tom
“Good evening, Colonel Fisher, it’s nice to have anyone in here on the grave-
yard shift. What’s the problem?”
“This is Major Mitchell, he…”
“I had a bit of a tumble on the bike on the way up here,” Jake interrupted.
“Okay, hop up on the couch and let’s have a look at you,” replied the doctor.
Jake removed his jacket and shirt and sat on the examination couch.
The doctor gave him the once over, determined that nothing was broken,
and gave him something to bring out the bruising.
Jake thanked him and promised to catch up with him in the officers mess
soon. Saying goodnight, he headed off with Tom to be shown his new quarters.
He didn’t get much sleep that night, being both physically uncomfortable and
his mind busy planning the next move with his recruits.
4.00 am the next morning found him running round the parade ground. 5.30
am and the lads made their way out for their morning run. They were a little surprised to find the Major already there. They were even more surprised
when the sergeant told them just how long he had been out there.
“Nice of you to join me,” he called as he ran by them. “Thought you were
taking the morning off.”
He ran off in the distance with them in hot pursuit. At 6.00 am they all hit the showers. The men noticed the marks they had inflicted on him the previous
night, but said nothing, waiting to see if he would bring it up. He didn‘t.
“Okay, go get your brekkie. Be in room six 7.30 on the dot.”
Jake marched off leaving them to get dressed and fed. At 7.29 am they were
all outside room six as ordered.
“Come in, gentlemen, I won’t bite,” Jake shouted through the door.
The men walked in.
“Okay, gentlemen, it’s time we got acquainted, don’t ya think? I have names,
now it’s time to match your ugly faces to them. I’ll call them out and you can
take a seat after I sort you out.”
“Bedford.” “Sir.”
“Davies.” “Sir.”
“Edwards.” “Sir.”
“Gordon.” “Sir.”
“Hill.” “Sir.”
“Okie dokie, now you know me, and I know you, so we’re gonna get along
just fine, aren’t we?”
“Yes, sir,” came the reply.
“I am actually your specialist jungle terrain trainer, but I will also be over-
seeing your other training, and if you’re really lucky I’ll even be joining in.
Should be a load of fun. Now I know that you think you’re all the bees knees
and that you’re the pick of the bunch, there’s nothing new we can teach you
…but you're wrong! There’s a lot more to special forces than putting camo
on your faces and creeping up on people. We are here to teach you those
things … and … you … will…learn! Understood?”
“Understood…sir.”
“Thank you, lads. Now I’ll introduce you to your first training officer, Captain Green, intelligence. Carry on, Captain.”
“Sir.”
Jake walked off to the back of the classroom and sat on a desk. He wondered
how they would take to the theory part of training. He could see they were
itching for a bit of action.
Over the next few days Jake was able to build up a profile of each man. He
did this quietly by observation. For the first week he didn’t take part in any
of the training with the men, which surprised them. They were certain he'd
meant it when he said he would be joining them.
He watched and learnt. Each man was good in his chosen field, Bedford, communications, Davies, surveillance, Edwards, intel, Gordon, pilot, Hill,
sniper. Slowly, too, he learnt more about their personalities.
Jamie Bedford was quiet and shy, taking a long time to come out of his shell.
Robbie Davies was an out and out loner, which could be a problem.
Peter Edwards was gregarious.
Marcus Gordon was a typical fly boy, the life and soul.
Darren Hill was a cocky bastard!
Jake decided that the next couple of months could be very interesting.
As the weeks went by, Jake joined in the training a lot more. The lads thought
he would just do the physical stuff and were surprised to see him in the class-
room situations as well, and were impressed by his intelligence. He was slowly rising in their estimation.
He had more mental and physical stamina than they'd thought, and most of
the time managed to leave them all standing. For his part, he, too, was
impressed with what he saw. He was still a little concerned with Davies, but decided an exercise would show him whether or not he could be relied on in
a team situation.
A week in the Blue Mountains put his mind at rest. When the need arose,
Davies went into ‘team mode’ and worked well. Back at the base, however,
he returned to his loner ways.
In the fifth week of training they met their unarmed combat trainer. This was
the part of the course Jake was looking forward to the least. Captain Wilson
and he just didn’t get along. Wilson always thought he was overlooked for promotion in favour of Jake, and he’d resented him ever since, especially as
he was still in the service full time and Jake was only on the active reserve list.
They met up in the gym before the lads arrived. Wilson was belligerent as
usual and the chip on his shoulder had grown into a forest since they'd last
met. By the time the boys piled into the gym, they found ‘their Major’ being stalked by their new trainer, both looking like they were about to attack the
other.
Hill cleared his throat, hoping to distract the two men. Without taking his
eyes off Wilson, Jake said, “Good morning, gentlemen, we know you’re there.”
Captain Wilson stopped and turned towards the recruits.
“Right then, lads, welcome to MY class! I’m certain I can make it interesting
for you all, and with the help of the Major here, I will be teaching you ways
to disable your enemy you would not believe.”
Wilson turned to Jake. “Ready, Major?”
“Whenever you are, sport,” replied Jake.
Wilson took him through his paces. Jake was ready for each of his moves,
thankful that he knew the way Wilson thought and worked. He had some
good routines and nearly caught Jake out a couple of times. By the end of
the workout Jake was really feeling it, and was annoyed to find his leg was beginning to ache, something that hadn’t happened for a while. He limped
slightly as he went over to sit on the benches. No one noticed, except
Wilson.
He invited each of the team to see if they could take him on, alone, or in a
group, and twenty minutes later, they all lay in a heap on the mats. Jake
called time out, and they headed off for the showers.
“Good first lesson, Wilson. Appreciate it,” he said, heading for the door.
“We’ll give them another good show in the morning, Major, give them
something to think about.”
“Right, see you at 8.00 am. Let them have an extra hour in bed, eh?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following morning at 8.00 sharp, everyone was in the gym. Jake was in
his sweats and tank, expecting Wilson to try to pull him though the hoops in
front of his men.
The fight, for that’s what it turned into, lasted about 30 minutes, each
man getting the upper hand then loosing it time and again. Finally Jake
got the better of Wilson and decided to end it. He left Wilson lying on the
floor, and turned towards his men, giving them the thumbs up and winking.
Suddenly Davies shouted, “Watch out, sir!”
Jake turned to see Wilson racing towards him. He easily side stepped the
charge, but Wilson spun round and kicked out at Jake’s recently healed leg.
Pain arrowed through him and he staggered, then he saw the flash of metal
and raised his hand to ward off the blow.
The next thing he felt was a searing pain in his left forearm, then his wounded
leg finally gave out on him and he crumpled to the floor. The last thing he saw before the pain overtook him was his men jumping on Wilson to keep him away. Blackness swallowed him up at that point.
He woke up in the sickbay with Doctor Morris watching over him. He tried to
sit up, but the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Don’t move yet. I just want to check out your eye responses, okay?”
“Whatever you say, doc.” Jake replied.
Once he was checked out the doctor helped him sit up. He slowly swung his
feet around and went to stand up. He groaned a little when he put weight
onto his leg, but the pain soon passed. Reaching over for his sweat top, he
looked down at the strapping on his arm.
“How bad?” he asked
“Pretty spectacular. Bedford fainted when he saw the wound. Long, but it
could have been worse. Still needed 20 stitches, though. Try to keep the
dressing dry for the next couple of days. It will be sore and sting like shit, probably,” the doctor said with a wink.
“Love your bedside manner, doc,” Jake replied, trying hard not to laugh. He
got on well with Doctor Morris and they were fast becoming good mates.
The door opened and Colonel Fisher came in.
“Leave us for a minute would you, Doctor?”
“Of course, Colonel.”
Tom turned to Jake when the door closed. “What the fuck happened, Mitch?”
“It was an accident, sir. We were showing the men how to disarm a direct
attack. My leg gave way and Captain Wilson was moving too fast to stop. He swerved at the last minute and caught my arm. It could have been a lot worse.”
“Is that your final explanation?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mitch, you’re a bloody fool. Wilson wouldn’t lie to protect you, but if that’s
what you’re going to put in your report, there’s not a lot I can do about it. At
least it’s the last part of the base training and you’ll be away from him from
now on. Two weeks leave before you take them for their jungle training. I
suggest you head for home, okay?”
“Okay, Tom. Can I tell Emily that you may make it up for a couple of days?”
“I’ll try to make it next weekend, but I can’t promise anything. You look after
that arm, AND that leg. Don’t go letting anyone kick it again any time soon.”
Jake grinned, knowing full well that Tom knew exactly what had happened
in the gym. “Okay, Tom. I’m heading for Sydney for a couple of nights, any messages for anyone there?”
“Watch it, mate. I’m still your commanding officer, you know…oh, all right,
come and see me before you leave in the morning and I’ll give you something
to take to Jenny, if you will.”
Jake winked at him as he left the sickbay. Tom left soon after, shaking his
head, wondering what he was going to do with him.
The next morning after breakfast the small group was waiting together for
their transport from the base when they saw Jake heading towards the
Colonel's private garage. He was wearing leathers and they wondered what
kind of bike he had. A few minutes later they heard the deep- throated purr
and knew at once what they were going to see. Jake emerged on a
Harley Heritage Softail Classic, pulling up alongside them.
“I’m heading for Sydney. Can I give one of ya a lift?”
Hill, the only one from Sydney, jumped at the chance.
“Okie dokie, Dazza, hop on. We’ll see you ratbags in two weeks. Have a good break...you’re gonna need it.”
At that, they roared out of the base for the long trip to Sydney.
Jake dropped Hill off in Paddington after arranging to meet him later for a
drink at The Bells, then headed for his apartment. He was looking forward to
his nice soft bed. He shook his head at the thought. “You’re getting old, mate,”
he told himself before gunning the engine for home.
Later that evening he met up with Hill in the pub.
“Is this your local then, Major?”
“Aw, fair go, mate, could you not call me that here? It’s Jake or Mitch, okay,
and, yes, it’s my local.”
“Do you live very far then, Mitch?”
“No, just across the road actually, and if you drink too much more I think
you’ll be bunking down in my spare room. I’m not letting you drive home.”
“Thanks, Mitch, appreciate it. I’ll shout you a pie at Harry’s.”
“You’re on. Come on, then, before the queue gets too long.”
They headed off across the road for a beef tiger, and sat on the edge of the
wharf eating. When they’d finished they headed back to Jake's place. Hill
seemed suitably impressed that Jake had an apartment on the wharf, and
was determined to find out how he could afford it.
They sat down over a coffee and chatted long into the night. By the time
they hit the bedrooms they had each learnt a great deal more about the
other, and Hill’s grudging respect for Jake had grown immensely. He was
a little surprised to learn that Jake was no longer a full time soldier, but
was more than interested in the K&R game, and locked that information
away in the internal filing system of his brain for a later date. You never
knew when you might need civilian contacts.
The following morning Jake was up before dawn as usual in the pool, and
Hill was just emerging from the spare room when he got back. He offered
the grand tour of his office, and after lunch they parted company for the
rest of their break, arranging to meet at Jake’s place for the trip back to
base.
Jake headed off for home knowing this would be the last chance of seeing
all the folks for the next few weeks. He missed them all, especially Angie.
The end of the break came around too quickly for words, and he was soon returning to Sydney to pick up Hill for the trip back to the base. They would
all shortly be on their way to a few weeks of hell and humidity in the jungles
of Indonesia.
Chapter Four
Jake was in his element. He’d forgotten how much he’d enjoyed the
jungle training the first time around. He knew the lads were hating every
minute of it, especially the fact that the humidity was so great that their
gear was constantly damp.
After the first few days, they seemed to have resigned themselves to the
fact they would be covered in leeches every time they tramped through
any standing water, and even Jamie Bedford had stopped wanting to
chunder every time he dropped his kaks, revealing the disgusting
creatures sucking away at his legs. Now he managed to stand stoically
whilst the
others helped rid him of his uninvited hitchhikers.
Jake was proud of them all. Robbie Davies was still the loner of the pack,
but Jake knew he could be relied upon when needed. Pete Edwards had
become a little more serious. Marcus Gordon was still the life and soul,
and winding everyone up by telling them it would be so much easier to fly
over the jungle instead of yomping through it. Dazza Hill was still a cocky
bastard, but now that he had come to know him a bit better, Jake knew it
was mostly an act. Underneath all the bravado there was a fine young man,
and officer material to boot.
The lads were still treating the exercise like a boy scout's outing, but took
notice when Jake pointed out the edible from the inedible, even though they
knew they had enough rations to last them until they reached the pickup
point at the end of their trip. They learnt to make safe, dry bedding platforms
in the mid tree level. Eventually they even learnt to move silently through the undergrowth, not easy for ‘boy scouts’ prone to fits of giggles at the least provocation.
Jake decided that it was time to take the training up a level, so began
formulating a plan of action. He decided to take first watch while the others
got some well-earned sleep. By the time Pete Edwards woke to relieve him,
Jake had gone. Pete alerted the others, and Darren Hill quickly took command
of the situation.
Finding no signs of a struggle, they realised that Jake was giving them a test.
So they began to look around for clues, not knowing that, in fact, Jake wasn’t
too far away, taking note of the way they immediately began working together
to track him down.
Jake headed off again, making sure to leave just enough disturbance around
his trail to give them a slight chance of following him. He realised that if any-
thing had really happened to him out there, no tracks would have been left
by the people who used to be in the area. As it was, the local rebels had been cleared out by the military months ago, making the location safe for the government to offer its use for a training ground to foreign powers once more.
Jake reached his goal, a small crack in the side of a steep incline just big
enough for a one man shelter, settled himself in, and waited for his ‘rescue’
to take place.
Unknown to any of the group, they were being watched. The rebels,
unknown to anyone, had regrouped in the north, deciding to claim their
territory back from the military. These foreign soldiers would make good bargaining chips.
Jake had been dozing in the warm sunshine when something attracted his attention. He didn’t move a muscle but his eyes were busy scanning the
area. Seeing nothing untoward, he settled back against the rock again to
wait for the lads to find him. Suddenly a pebble landed on his head and he
looked up….straight into five excellent impressions of Cheshire cats grinning
from ear to ear.
“G’day, Sleeping Beauty, enjoy your kip?” asked Dazza Hill.
“How long have you hoons been there?” Jake replied.
“About half an hour, mate. We were getting a bit pissed off just hanging
here waiting for you to wake up.” They all laughed.
“Okay, you got me. Top marks for stealth mode. I didn’t hear a thing. Let’s
get outta here, shall we?”
Ten minutes later they were all at the top of the rise, deciding where to make camp for the evening. They walked further along the rise to a clearing where
the slope down to the valley wasn’t quite so steep, thinking that would be a
nice quick route out in the morning. They set up camp and settled down for
their evening meal and a well-deserved rest.
They were up and packed away early the next morning ready for the trek
down into the valley towards the river below.
They all heard it at the same time and stopped in their tracks. It wasn’t too
oud, but it was definitely a snapping twig in the trees surrounding the north
end of the clearing.
“Okay, guys,” said Jake. “Slowly and calmly let’s head off for that slope, shall
we?”
As the men gathered up their gear and headed towards the edge of the slope,
all hell broke loose. Gun fire rang out from the trees and at Jake's shout of
*RUN* they all bolted towards the drop down the valley.
Jamie Bedford tripped over a rock and went down as the rest ran past him.
Jake, bringing up the rear, stopped to help him up. Darren Hill was standing
on the edge of the drop doing a passable impression of airline cabin crew evacuating after a crash, telling the guys to cross their arms over their chests
and jump. He'd seen that the ground was loose on the slope and would help
the guys slide down safely.
He looked back to see Jake trying to get Jamie up and moving, so when the
last bloke had jumped down the slope, went back to lend a hand. The
shooting was getting closer and both men decided the quickest bet was to
grab Jamie by both arms and drag him to the slope.
Bullets whizzed past them as they made the edge. Jake turned to see the
rebels reach the clearing. He turned back and gave Dazza and Jamie an
almighty shove over the edge, quickly following them as a hail of bullets
rained across the clearing.
It was a bumpy slide down to the trees at the bottom of the slope and they
were all a bit winded as they landed in a heap. Quickly they scrambled into
the trees and were as quiet as they could be, trying to listen for any sounds
that they were being followed.
They risked waiting ten minutes before making any move at all. Jake
crawled over to Jamie to ask how he felt and was told that it was just a
twisted ankle. They removed Jamie’s boot and strapped his ankle tight,
replacing the boot quickly to give him some support. Then they helped him
to his feet. It was painful, but he found he could walk on it with a little help.
Jake looked around at his men. They were nervous. The boy scout trip
had turned into a nightmare for them. He knew that after the initial shock
their training would kick in, and hopefully they should make it to the river
in one piece. Once across, they should be in safer territory.
They all got up quietly. Jake felt a twinge in his lower back and realised
that he must have hit a rock on the way down the slope. As long as he didn’t
take too deep a breath he felt okay, though, so he herded the guys together
and headed off down into the valley.
Three hours later Jamie asked if he could stop for a while. Jake agreed and
walked off into the undergrowth for a scout around. He was sure he
remembered this area from years ago, and if he were right… ah, covered in
vines and fallen branches, were the remains of the old longhouse. It looked
like no one had been there for an age, so they should be safe for a while. He
went back and got the rest of the men.
They sat with their backs against the wall, watching for any sign of
movement. Not daring to risk a fire, they made do with water and cold
rations. Jake was tired and sore so let Gordon take first watch. Hill sat
down beside him and asked in a low voice,
“Are we gonna make it, Mitch?”
“No worries, mate. Just give them about an hour to rest up, then we’ll head
out again, see how far down the valley we can get before dark.”
“I think it might be better to stay here the night. It doesn’t look like the bad
guys know about this place.”
“You could be right,” Jake agreed after a few moment's thought. “Jamie needs
to rest that ankle, but we leave before first light.”
“Got it. I’ll let the others know.”
Jake rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He would have to keep alert tonight. The rebels might not use this place, but sure as hell they knew it
was there. He leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes, just for a minute.
The next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake. His hand went for his
knife, but Pete Edwards whispered in his ear.
“It’s okay, Mitch, it’s me. Just letting you know it’s your watch.”
“Okie dokie, mate, I’m on it.”
Pete went to sit down with the rest of the guys, and Jake began to get up to
go to the entrance. As he got to his feet, a sharp pain ripped through his
lower back. He put his hand to the painful spot and stopped dead. His hand
came away wet, warm and sticky.
He went out of the hut into the moonlight to look at his hand. Blood!! Slowly
he opened his camo top and felt his back again. What he discovered wasn’t a gouge from a rock as he’d first suspected, it was a neat round hole. A gunshot wound.
“Shit!” he exclaimed. “That’s all I bloody well need.”
He turned back to the hut, swaying slightly. He needed to find something to
bind round the wound, needed to do it on the quiet, too. No point letting
the men know until and unless they had to. It wasn’t bleeding too much...
he could make it.
Most of the bandages had been used to strap Jamie’s ankle, but Jake struck
lucky and found a pressure bandage at the bottom of the emergency kit. He
went back outside and carefully wrapped it round the wound on his lower
back, sending a silent prayer to his ancestors that the damage wasn’t too
great. They still had a way to go before reaching the comparative safety of
the river.
He sat down with his back resting against a fallen tree and scanned the area
for any movement. The only sounds to be heard were those of the night
creatures. A good sign, Jake thought.
Four hours later, the men were up and ready to go. They went outside the
hut and spied Jake, still resting against the tree stump, apparently asleep.
They looked at each other in surprise. He was the last one they would suspect
of falling asleep on watch. Before they had a chance to move he spoke.
“Wondering whether or not you can sneak up on me, eh? No worries, I’m
not sleeping.”
He slowly raised himself off the ground, trying to bite down the slight moan
as the pain kicked in. Hill was the only one in the group to notice.
“You okay, Mitch?”
“Yeah mate, why?”
“You looked like you were hurting a bit there.”
“Lesson #401: don’t sit in the damp grass for too long. Your bones set.”
“Ah, right, we don’t have that problem, us being so much younger than you,”
Hill replied, turning and grinning at the others. His smile didn’t reach his eyes, though. He was worried.
They headed off down further into the thick undergrowth, trying to be as silent
as they could. Jamie was doing okay. The rest had done wonders for his ankle,
and he was managing to keep up with the group.
They all took a turn at point, with Mitch for the most part taking the rear. He noticed that Hill continually checked over his shoulder at him.
“You got a problem, Dazza?” he whispered.
“Nah, just making sure we don’t lose our favourite old is all,” Hill replied,
smiling.
“Cheeky bastard,” Jake hissed under his breath, grinning back.
By the time the sun came up they could hear running water and the mood lightened. They picked up their pace, still remaining as silent as they could.
Then all of a sudden they found themselves on the edge of a slight rise, and
about ten feet below saw the welcome sight of the river.
One by one they slid down the slope until they were on the bank. The water
was quite fast flowing and looked pretty deep so they decided to find a better place to attempt the crossing. The next question was…upstream or down?
Jake spotted a depression in the slope where they would be out of sight from anyone on their side of the river. He thought it was a safe bet that the rebels hadn’t had time to cross over to the other side. They could sit a while and
decide what their next move should be. His head was spinning and he felt sick
and very tired. Maybe he would feel better after a bit of a rest.
“So, what’s the plan, Mitch?” Davies asked.
“I know what I would do next,” replied Jake. “How about you blokes put
your heads together and tell me what you would do?”
“Don’t tell me you set all this up as part of the exercise?” asked Gordon. “A
bit realistic, but eh?”
Hill looked over at Jake. He looked grey, as if all the colour was leaching out
of his face. *This was not part of the plan,* he thought.
Chapter Five
The chopper hovered over the LZ. It looked deserted but they were ahead
of their rendezvous time. Tom Fisher was a worried man. He had insisted
on joining the crew as soon as he was informed of the rebel activity in the
training area. The local government officials had assured the army that their
men would be perfectly safe as they were sending troops in to round up
the rebels. Tom just hoped they didn’t ‘round up’ his men by mistake. He
knew their methods pretty well.
He was sure that if anyone could get those boys back in one piece it would
be Jake. He imagined him loving every minute of it. In Tom's opinion, Jake
had been behind a desk for too long.
The LZ was in a safe area so Tom was happy to let the pilot land. Pointless
using up fuel for no reason. He laughed to himself at that thought. What did
he care about the budget? He just wanted his men back safely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jake rested his head back against the bank and listened to the men
discussing their next move. As he thought, Hill immediately took command
of the situation. He wasn’t his normal pushy self, but exuded a sense of
calm authority that the others understood and respected. He listened to
all their ideas, and let his own be heard.
When they had gone over every idea thoroughly, they all turned to look at
Jake for guidance. Once again he seemed to be sleeping, but once again he
spoke before they could say or do anything.
“From the lack of chatter I assume you’ve come up with a fiendish plan,”
he said, wiggling his eyebrows at them.
They laughed softly and let him in on their ideas. After working out their
relative position to the LZ, they'd decided that the best course of action
would be to head upstream in the hope of finding slower moving shallow
water for the crossing. They were also hoping that they'd find a narrow
stretch in the river as then, if needed, they could send the strongest across
with a rope and secure it to the far bank, enabling them to cross even if it
was too fast or too deep. It wasn’t a bad plan, so Jake agreed to go along
with it.
They got all the gear together, and Jake slowly rose from his resting place.
Hill offered to bring up the rear this time, and Jake nodded his agreement, heading off to his spot in line. When he had passed, Hill glanced back to
where he'd been sitting. He noticed the damp patch on the bank and went
over to it. Reaching out his hand, he touched the patch. When he pulled
his fingers away they were coated in something red….blood! He nodded
to himself...just as he thought. Jake was injured, probably from the initial
slide down the slope away from the rebels. He made up his mind to get
them all across the river before talking to him.
Two hours later and they had picked a spot. Much to their disgust they hadn’t managed to find a shallow, slow-running stretch. The next best thing was a
bend in the river where an outcrop on the far bank narrowed the channel
enough for them to make an attempt to get a rope over.
Next came some good-humoured bickering as to who was the best swimmer.
Hill thought briefly of Jake back in Sydney in the pool. It ended only after
Davies had recited all his swimming diplomas to them. They agreed to give
him a go, if only to shut him up. It took him a couple of tries, but eventually,
tired and chilly, he reached the far bank and proceeded to find a stout tree to fasten the rope to.
They decided to get Jamie Bedford across first, then one by one, the others followed over. Jake insisted on being the last one across, taking the end of
the rope with him as he went. No sense in leaving any trail for the rebels to
follow.
He was halfway across when the current took him. The men on the bank
began pulling on the rope to help him get across, but the sudden tension
on the rope pulled him towards the bank, right into a fallen tree. He hit a submerged branch with a thud and couldn’t stop the gasp of pain escaping
from his lips.
Hill swore under his breath and waded in to help Jake up. He was soon on
the bank with the rest of them, gasping for breath and looking pale.
“Can you get up, Mitch?” Hill asked.
“Yeah, mate, give me a minute, eh. Just a bit winded from the bump is all.”
Hill crouched down next to Jake and said in a low voice, “You sure that’s all
it is?”
Jake looked up at him, grim determination in his eyes, and nodded.
“We’ll talk about this after we make camp,” said Hill, helping Jake to his
feet.
They walked for another couple of hours and decided that safe or not,
they needed to make a fire. They couldn’t spend too long in their soaking
clothes. Soon they were stripping off and laying their kit out by the fire.
All except Jake, that is.
“You gonna sit there and drip, mate?” asked Hill.
“Was thinking about it,” Jake replied.
“I think we need that talk...now, Major.”
Jake struggled to his feet and followed Hill to the edge of the camp they'd
set up. Leaning against a tree, he looked at Hill, waiting for him to speak.
“How bad is it?” Hill asked finally.
“How bad is what?” was the reply.
“The way I see it, you got hurt coming down that first steep bank when the
rebels were after us. I figure you caught yourself on a rock maybe. Whatever
it is, I know you’ve been bleeding.”
“Really? How did you work that out, Sherlock?”
“Elementary, my dear Major...you left a patch of blood all over the river
bank when we were resting. You’ve been lagging behind, and I know that
you’re ten times fitter than the rest of us put together. You were in agony
when you hit the branch in the river, so don’t tell me it just knocked the
wind out of ya. Add to that the fact that you won’t strip off your wet gear,
and it all comes to the same thing. You’re hurt and you don’t want us to
find out.”
“Well, well, after some brownie points are we? Carry on like that and you
just might get them. You’re right, did a bit of damage on the way down the
slope. It’s nothing, though.”
“Show me!”
“Piss off!”
Jake, I mean it. Let me have a look see what I can do.”
Jake knew there was no way he would be physically able to stop Hill from restraining him to examine his back, so he gave in gracefully, more or less,
sat down on a rock and let Hill take his camo jacket off.
Under his tank, Hill found the pressure bandage. It was soaked through
with blood. It didn’t look good.
“I shouldn’t take this off, I know, but I need to see how bad the damage is.
The rock could have had filth all over it and the wound might be full of dirt.”
“It wasn’t a rock,” Jake said, so softly Hill hardly heard him.
“What do you mean it wasn’t a rock.”
“Just what I said. It...wasn’t...a...rock.”
Hill quickly unwound the bandage from Jake’s middle, looked at his back and swore.
“You’ve been fucking shot!”
“Tell me about it.”
Hill checked the front for an exit wound.
“The bastard’s still in there, Jake. Shit, man, you could have done yourself
no end of damage moving around like we’ve been doing.”
“What was the alternative, mate, lie down and let them get me? Just wrap
me up again and let’s hear no more about it until we get back, eh? The
others don’t have to know.”
“The others don’t have to know what?” Edwards said.
Jake and Hill turned round to see the others standing a few feet away from
them.
“Nothing, Pete, no worries.”
“I really don’t think this is the right time or place to be keeping things from
us, do you?” Jamie said. “We may only be recruits for Special Forces, but
we’ve got a good few year's service between us, and we aren’t fucking kids!”
“Always watch out for the quiet ones.” Hill said, nudging Jake.
Jake looked at the men and sighed. He just didn’t have the energy for this
right now. He turned to pick up his jacket, gasped at the sudden pain, and crumpled to the ground.
A collective “shit” rose from the men as they rushed towards their commander.
“He’s been shot,” said Hill, crouching down to rest Jake’s head on his knees.
“He’s looked after us for the last few weeks, now it’s time for us to return the favour. The LZ can’t be too far away now. All we have to do is to get him
there and she’ll be sweet.”
For the next half an hour or so the camp was a hive of activity. At the end
of it all they had managed to make Jake comfortable on a makeshift litter,
and they headed off on their journey once again. Jamie was in charge of the
gear. They had left all but the essentials behind for speed. They were going
to make it, and make Jake proud of them into the bargain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before nightfall the chopper crew looked over at the Colonel. The men
were well overdue and they were getting worried. What would he do next?
The pilot was ready to go over to speak with him when they heard a noise in
the trees around the edge of the clearing.
They were about to reach for their weapons when Jamie hailed them. Then
they saw the others carrying what looked like a stretcher and rushed over to
help. Not stopping to ask any questions, they bundled Jake and his men into
the chopper, and before they knew it were airborne and heading for safety.
The medic on board made Jake as comfortable as he could as the men made
their report to the Colonel. They decided that Jake could make the trip to the nearest Australian military base with no stops along the way, and soon they
were winging back to Oz in a military transport.
By the time they landed, Jake was fevered and delirious. The wound had
become infected in the humidity of the jungle. Doctor Morris was waiting for
them at the base and Jake was rushed into the OR.
Seven hours later Doctor Morris headed off towards the Colonel's office where
all the men were waiting for news. He knocked and was called inside.
“How is he?” the Colonel asked
“He’s stable. There was quite a bit of internal bleeding and we had to pump
a lot of blood into him. We repaired everything inside and the bullet came
out cleanly. However, the wound was infected and it’s taken a firm hold.
Once we can get the fever to break, I’ll be a lot happier.”
“Can we see him?” Hill asked.
“In a while. He’s still in recovery. I suggest you all get some rest and some-
thing to eat, and I’ll come get you when it’s okay for you to see him.”
The men looked over to the Colonel, who nodded, telling them rest and food
was an order, and walking them to the door. He asked the doctor to stay.
“How is he really, Doctor?”
“Although there was a lot of damage caused by the bullet, I’m really not too worried about that as he’s fit and healthy. I am worried about the infection, though. It seems to have taken hold so quickly and that, combined with the
blood loss, has left him very weak. I really won’t be happy until the fever has broken, sir, but as soon as it does I can’t see any problems in his recovery.
Would you like to come see him?”
“I thought you said no visitors yet?”
“I knew you would want to see him on your own first. The lads do need to
rest up, so I think it’s fine for you to see him for a few minutes. He’ll not
be awake, but it should put your mind at rest.”
“Thank you, Doctor. At least then I won’t have to lie to his grandmother.”
“Can you not tell her anything until he’s on the mend?” asked the doctor.
“Not really. If you ever meet his family you’ll understand why. They would
have know even before we did that something was wrong. As soon as I’ve
seen Mitch I’ll give her a call to let her know he’s still with us.”
They went to the sick bay where Jake was lying. He wasn’t resting at all. The
fever had a firm grip on him and he tossed and turned in the narrow bed. Tom pulled up a chair and sat holding one of Jake's hands, talking to him, trying
to calm him, wiping his face with a damp cloth to cool him down.
Doctor Morris walked up behind him, placing a hand on the Colonel’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, sir, I won’t let anything happen to him. I promise.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I know you’ll do everything you can.”
Chapter Six
The lads took it in turns to keep vigil by his bed, waiting for the fever to break.
For five days Jake tossed and turned, trapped in his delirium. On the morning
of the sixth day, Hill was quietly sponging him down, trying to cool his over-
heated body, when he suddenly stopped what he was doing.
Turning to look at Jake’s face, he found a pair of startling green eyes looking
back at him.
“'Bout time you decided to rejoin the land of the living,” he said softly.
Jake lay there looking right through him.
The door quietly opened and the doctor entered the room.
“He’s awake, Doctor, but he doesn’t answer.” Hill said.
Doctor Morris came closer to the bed and looked down at Jake, noting the
glassy expression in his unseeing eyes.
“Well, it’s a start, but he’s not quite ready to come back to us yet. Don’t worry
too much, Hill, this is a good sign.”
Hill turned back to Jake, finding him asleep once again. He continued
sponging him down gently, hoping that he was helping the man he thought
could easily become a good friend.
It wasn’t long before Gordon stuck his head round the door, ready for the
shift change. He pulled up a chair and sat talking to Hill in low whispers. They
both stopped as they heard Jake moving in the bed, then letting out a soft
groan.
They turned towards the bed and watched as Jake’s eyelashes fluttered
briefly, then saw his eyes slowly open to a crack. He moaned as the bright
light hit his face. Gordon went to close the blinds.
“Hey, mate, can you hear me?” asked Hill.
Jake turned towards the sounds, and this time Hill noticed a glint of
recognition on his face.
“Where am I?” Jake croaked, his voice hoarse from lack of use.
“Back at the base, mate. There are a few worried people who will be glad
to hear you’re back with us. How do ya feel?”
“Like I’ve been hit by the Manly ferry,” Jake replied.
“Wow, that good! I’m impressed,” laughed Gordon from his place by the
window.
Jake reached out and got a grip on Hill’s wrist.
“Get me home, Dazza, please!”
“Sydney?” asked Hill.
“No, HOME!”
Hill looked at Jake with concern, not quite knowing what he meant. Then a
voice from the door spoke up.
“He wants to go back to his family home, Hill,” said Colonel Fisher. “I’ll check
with the doctor to see if he can be moved.”
The Colonel left the room as quietly as he’d arrived, in search of Doctor
Morris, returning about ten minutes later. Jake was just barely awake when
they both entered the room. On hearing Tom’s voice he tried to concentrate
on what was being said. He looked into Tom’s face and whispered one word.
“Home?”
“Okay ,Mitch, the good doctor here says with an escort you should be okay
for the flight. I’ve told him he should go along with you. I said he might find
your family interesting.”
Jake smiled slightly at that remark, knowing what Tom was up to.
“Also, Hill has offered to go along as well. He said he can cop a flight back
down to Sydney when you’re safely settled in. You all deserve a fair bit of
leave after your ‘adventure’. Is that okay with you?”
Jake nodded sleepily, then frowned. Tom thought he knew what had flashed through his mind.
“No worries about the bike, mate. I’ll get it back to Sydney for you, unless
you want it up on the farm?”
Jake shook his head and Tom took that to mean Sydney would be fine.
“Right ,then,” said Tom. “I may even take her home myself. I fancy a quick
trip to Sydney. I can pop in the office for you, let everyone know you’re okay,”
he said with a wink.
Three hours later found Jake, Hill and the doctor on board a medivac helicopter heading off for Jake’s home town. He slept most of the way, and didn’t wake
up until he felt the chopper descend to the landing pad at the local hospital.
He was whisked onto a gurney even before the rotors had stopped, and quickly wheeled into the waiting room. Soon he was wrapped up in bed and hooked to
an IV. Doctor Morris went to look for the doctor in charge, leaving Hill alone
with Jake.
“Nice place,” he said.
Jake turned to look at him with a smile.
“It grows on ya, mate. Stick around until I can show you the sights.”
“I just might do that, thanks. Can you recommend a good place to stay for
a bit?”
“Hang on until the rellies turn up and I can guarantee they’ll insist you go
home with them,” said Jake, smiling.
Just then the door opened and a small group filed in. There was Doctor
Morris, along with the doctor from the hospital, a very attractive nurse with
tears in her eyes (which interested Hill no end), a tall sandy-haired man who looked like he was some kind of relation to Jake, and a serene silver-haired
lady with a worried frown on her face.
The silver-haired lady stepped forward and held out her hand to Hill.
“Let me make the introductions. I’m Dr. Emily Mitchell, Aaron’s grandmother,
this is Angeline Watson, his girlfriend, this is my son Samuel, and this is Doctor Williamson, our family doctor and head of medicine here.”
Hill took her hand and replied, “I’m Darren Hill, one of Jake’s trainees. Sorry
I brought him home a bit worse for wear.”
“We knew that something had happened to him a couple of weeks ago.”
Emily replied.
“How is that possible? There was no way we could get a message out to
anyone, and he even managed to keep it from us for a couple of days.”
“Ah, that’s so like him. Lupo let us know there was something wrong,” said
Sam.
Angie took pity on Hill and spoke up.
“Lupo is Jake’s wolf. He was a gift from a client in Europe and Jake raised
him from a small pup. Lupo always knows if Jake is on his way home, and
he also knows if Jake is hurt in any way. Two weeks ago, when he began
howling for no evident reason, we knew something had happened. We just
had to sit it out and wait for the call. We knew Jake had to be okay when
Lupo stopped.”
“You’ll get to meet him, mate,” said Jake from the bed. “Dazza needs a
place to stay, Emily. I said I was sure you could find a corner for him to
unroll his swag.”
Emily swatted Jake lightly on the head and smiled at Hill, saying she would
be happy to have him as a guest at their home while Jake was in the
hospital. They all headed out of the room to give him some peace, telling
him they would be back in the morning to see how he was.
Jake smiled, noticing how Sam and Doctor Morris were chatting happily
together as they left the room.
“What’s that for?” asked Angie.
“I think Tom is playing Cupid, luv. He persuaded Doc Morris to come along
and ‘meet the family’.”
“Do you mean what I think you do?”
“Yep, Tom is trying to get Sam a boyfriend, and I guess he thinks Doc
Morris would be a good choice. He could be right. He’s a good bloke.”
Angie smiled down at her love, brushing his cheek with her fingers.
“You’re not such a bad bloke yourself, you know.”
“Thanks, luv, you’re pretty good too.”
“I’ve been so worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ve been better, darlin’, but the doc says now the infection’s finally clearing
up I should be up and around in no time. I just wanna go home.”
“Well, let’s see what he decides in the morning. If you promise to stay off
your feet he may even say it’s okay.” Angie leaned over to give Jake a
welcome home kiss.
The following morning Jake managed to work his charm on Doctor
Williamson, who told him that subject to a few ground rules, he could go
home that afternoon. The first stipulation was that he had to agree to be transported home by ambulance and not in the car as he'd requested. He
also had to have complete bed rest for five days. And the doctor told him
he would be out to visit, just to make sure.
Jake grudgingly agreed, knowing it was the only way he could escape the
confines of his hospital room. He was forced to admit to himself that he
probably wouldn’t be up to doing much more than resting for a few days
anyway, but he'd never let that fact be known to anyone.
Late afternoon found him at home, in his own bed for the first time in what seemed like an age. He was glad to be there, and let Angie and Emily fuss
over him for a while before starting to half- heartedly complain. They both
kissed him gently on the cheek and told him they would be back shortly to
see how he was doing, but five minutes later when they sneaked a look round
his door, he was dead to the world. He looked so young and peaceful they
quietly closed the door and let him sleep on.
Darren spent a lot of time sitting with Jake during his enforced confinement
in his room, and by the third day home, Jake had persuaded him to assist in
a break out. He was going stir crazy! Angie came into the room just in time
to see Darren holding onto Jake around the waist while he hobbled out
through the doors leading from his room to the terrace. She walked quietly
behind them and watched as Darren helped Jake ease himself onto a
steamer chair then cover him with a doona. Satisfied that he was in safe
hands, she retraced her steps through the bedroom and went to the kitchen
to make them all a cuppa.
A few minutes later, she re-entered the bedroom with a tray and called out
for Jake.
“I’m on the terrace,” he answered.
At first she thought she would feign anger at his being out of bed, but the
look of pure joy on his face to be out in the fresh air again took away any idea
she might have had of reprimanding him. It was too good seeing him smile
again.
After a few minutes of idle chat, Darren stood up and retrieved the tray and
empty cups. “I’ll take these out to the kitchen, Angie. I want to find Sam to
ask him something,” he said, winking at her from behind Jake’s seat.
As he left them alone at last, Jake reached out a hand for Angie.
“Sit with me?” he asked.
Angie took his offered hand and rose from her seat, gently settling herself on
his lap. She wrapped her arms around him, being careful of the still-tender
spot on his back, and he encircled her in his embrace. Fifteen minutes later,
that’s how Darren and Emily found them, both fast asleep.
By the end of the week Jake was given the all clear to start getting up and
around, and soon he was walking round the outbuildings of the farm with
Darren, always laughing and joking with him. They were fast becoming firm friends, and Jake was hoping that he would be around the next time Michael
came over as he knew they would get along well.
All too soon it was time for Darren to report back. The entire family realised
they were going to miss him. He had made a real impression on them in such
a short time. Jake was feeling fit enough by then to take him to the airport,
and they parted amidst much hugging and backslapping, with a promise to
meet up in Sydney the next time Darren got leave.
Jake drove back to the farm realising that he, too, would soon be on a plane
back to the city. It was time to show his face in the office. He needed to catch
up on the state of play, and all the paperwork he knew would be waiting. With
a sigh, he pulled up outside the main house, mentally packing for his trip back
to the ‘real world’.
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