Trudy checked the engineering log Sunday morning to see what had transpired overnight. It was bollocks to have to spend the weekend on the ship, but a leaky valve was a leaky valve and it was never good on a warship. Checking on it with Lieutenant Tall, Dark, and Serious however, was a whole different matter and gave spending the weekend aboard ship a whole new meaning. Especially after the snog in the alley the night before.
She wondered if he’d be up for more that evening.
“Thanks again, Yank, for saving me last night.”
“Not a problem. But please don’t ever walk back to the ship from the pub by yourself again. Especially that late at night.”
“Yeah. Bruce’s a strong one. He works out regular-like and goes to competitions with the bootneck fitness trainers.”
“Well, I’d like to throw him into the ring with my fitness trainer from the New York. Now that is a fit dude. Bodybuilder, I think. Triathlete for sure.”
“You mean Gunnery Sergeant Connor?”
The Yank’s head whipped around. “I knew the guy had a reputation, but all the way to the U.K? How do you know the gunny?”
“Gwynny’s kind of—”
“Do not tell me Lieutenant Pritchard has hooked up with Bad Boy Gunny Connor.” He shook his head from side to side trying to clear it. “Didn’t take Connor long at all. But an officer? An exchange officer? He’s taking advantage of her. Maybe I should talk to her boss.”
“No, Yank. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“If all the scuttlebutt is true, most of the women on the New York have slept with Connor. Of course, he’s fit to beat the band—although I don’t normally notice those kinds of things. But when the rest of us work out in the fitness center, we watch the females hanging all over him, trying to get his attention.”
“Oh, bugger. I believe Gwynny’s head over arse about him.”
“I’d tell her to keep a wide berth.”
“That’s exactly what I told her. But she says all those rumors are false. He denies he’s been with any of the women on the ship.”
“Well, of course he denies it. What would you expect a player to say? I assume Lieutenant Pritchard is attractive—heck, she’s a woman. Of course he’s going to tell her he’s not getting it on with anyone else on the ship. He’s not stupid. Or maybe he is, messing with an officer. Maybe my buddy, Lieutenant Johnston can talk some sense into her before she and the gunny cause an international scandal.”
Trudy’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. “No, leave it be. Gwyn’s a big girl.” She winked at him. “Although we wouldn’t want anyone causing an international scandal, now would we, Yank?”
* * *
“You had me so worried, if I still needed to sleep, I wouldn’t have been able to!” Helen cried when Gwyn returned to her cabin Sunday afternoon.
“I’m sorry. It never dawned on me anyone would fuss if I stayed out overnight.” Gwyn piled up her laundry.
“Of course, I’m not your mum, but you gave me a dreadful fright, Gwyn.”
Gwyn began sorting her clothing into darks and lights. “I wasn’t aware anyone was expecting me. I’d hug you for caring if I could.”
“I even went to the Supply Office to check the log book. I knew the gunnery sergeant had signed out the van and when I saw it needed to be returned by 1700 and you weren’t back by midnight, what was I supposed to think?” Helen fanned herself.
Gwyn reached out to touch Helen’s arm, then started with surprise when her hand slipped right through.
“Sorry, dear. I guess you can tell I’m a spirit, after all.”
Gwyn sank down on her bunk, a look of disbelief on her face. “But you seem so real to me, especially when you worry. That makes me feel loved, Helen. Thank you.”
“I wish I still had an email account or some way for you to let me know when you’re delayed like that.”
Gwyn laughed. “Just think, you’d be able to shop on-line and charge things to your enemies’ credit cards.”
Helen smiled. “Fortunately, since I died, I have no enemies. I made my peace with the world in the first moments after death.”
“So are you telling me if a member of al-Qaeda showed up on this ship tonight, you would embrace him—if you could embrace him?”
“Well, no, not like that. It’s just that all hatred is gone—along with jealousy, resentment, and pain.” She paused. Deep in thought, she mumbled under her breath, “Of course, that’s the way I see things. The firefighters think they’re in some kind of purgatory. And Jeremy is sad he hasn’t moved on to his granny in heaven, and then there’s Kelly who…”
Helen perked back up and smiled at Gwyn. “Well, I guess some spirits still feel negative emotions until they reach the light—and I suppose those who were evil in life will never see the light, as it were. But if our al-Qaeda guest was up to no good, I would do whatever I could to avert the negative and reinforce the positive vibrations on the ship—and in the universe. So were he to, say, plant a bomb or something to hurt my little chickens on board New York, I’d first defuse the bomb and then politely escort the visitor off the ship. If it were tonight, I would remove him pierside. Should we be at sea, I would set him afloat and I might even be a good soul and provide him with a floatation device and a water bottle.”
Gwyn laughed. “But he’d still die. He couldn’t survive out there in the deep blue sea.”
“Perhaps he should have thought about that before he mucked with this old Wren and brought a bomb on board, eh?” Helen laughed with her. “My point is, we spirits stress the positive. If we do anything that smacks of negativity, it is only to protect the positivity in the world.”
“Well, one could argue that’s what our military does. Protects the positive in the world. Unfortunately, it’s often by fighting.” Gwyn yawned as she reached for her shower bucket.
“Well, we probably got up too late in the day to solve all the world’s problems with good and evil. I’m just glad you’re home safe. How about Gunny Connor? Is he going to be alright?”
“He re-injured the shoulder he separated in Afghanistan. I believe he’ll be visiting the clinic on base tomorrow.” Gwyn looked suddenly concerned. “I hope he’s still able to deploy with us. What if he needs surgery?”
“I’ll go down and give it a lookover. Perhaps I can spread some spiritual healing over his shoulder.”
“You can do that? Heal people?”
“Well, it certainly can’t hurt. You know, most people’s hurts are of their own doing—or are caused by others’ words or actions. So much of your physical pain comes from emotional woes.”
“You sound like my mum, but it’s funny. When you say it, I want to listen.”
“Well, just so you know, ducks, my own daughter was the same way. Never wanted to hear a word I said, but if someone else said it, she’d listen. From what I’ve heard, your mum sounds like a wise woman, so maybe you should listen to her.”
Gwyn paused. “Did I tell you she believes I’ve been sent here for a reason? To perhaps help the spirits pass to, you know, the other side?”
Helen sighed. “Oh, I certainly hope she’s right, dearie. I certainly hope she’s right.”
* * *
“And guess who came to my rescue? The Yank.” Trudy zipped up her coveralls, readying for work Monday morning while she chatted with Gwyn on Skype.
Gwyn tied her dressing gown around her as she readied for bed. “Oh, come off it, Trudy. You weren’t exactly a fragile damsel in distress. Bruce can be an arse, but he wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“Bruiser was so pissed he could hardly walk and the Yank socked him right in the bread basket. Brought him to his knees, and then Bruce did the technicolor yawn all over the bloody pier. We took off running and Bruce went to get his mates, but the Yank whisked me into another alley. And when we heard the commandos beating the bushes for us, he silenced me like no man has ever silenced me in my ruddy life.”
“How?” Gwyn’s face now filled the screen, curiosity written all over it.
“He snogged the living crap out of me, Gwyn!”
“You’re playing with fire, Tru. Remember how you ragged on me for getting it on with Simon because he was my boss? Now you’re doing the same thing.”
“Yeah, but you keep forgetting, my Yank’s not an arsehole. This guy’s a class act. Ever since he kissed me, he’s been all polite and gentlemanly and ‘we must concentrate on the job, Sub-Left-tenant.’ And I know bloody well he’d do it again in a heartbeat. But he probably won’t because he worries about breaking the bloody rules. Just my luck to finally find a tall, good-looking, decent bloke, only to have him go by the book. Any road, he’s a damn sight better than Bruiser.”
“Bruce is just an old bully. Tell you what. We’ll sic Adam on him when we get over there. It’ll be the U.S. vs. the Royal Marines.”
“Speaking of Adam, Tru, my Yank thinks you’re being taken for a ride.”
Gwyn’s smile lit up the screen. “Better not be. I spent the weekend with him.”
“Bloody hell, you didn’t.”
“We went to the out of town race. And he got hurt. We ended up in Hospital Accident and Emergency. I took care of him and—”
“Ha!” Trudy stopped pinning up her hair. “I bet you took care of him. And I bet that led to some serious shagging.”
Gwyn paused in taking her hair down. “He was hurt.”
Trudy pushed away from her desk. “I swear, Gwyn. When you’re not falling for bastards, you’re bringing home strays. So he was hurt. Let the ruddy Marines take care of him. Who said it was your job to worry about every bloke who has a bad day?”
“Don’t worry. I told him we couldn’t continue. After all, we’re picking the bootnecks up on Thursday and heading out to sea. But I truly think if the circumstances were different, we might fall in love.” Gwyn looked a bit too dreamy-eyed to Trudy.
“Yeah, different circumstances, like you weren’t both in the military from different countries. Or you were at least both officers or enlisted hands. Oh, and he didn’t have all that emotional baggage in his kit bag. That would help as well.”
Gwyn stopped rubbing lotion into her face and looked up defensively at the screen. “And by the way, all the rumors about him are bollocks.”
“He tell you that?” Trudy laughed her disbelief. “Listen, Gwynny, I’ve got to get to work. You be careful. And don’t get caught with the gunnery sergeant. You’d be letting down the side.”
“This isn’t a cricket match, Tru. It’s my life.”
“Well, don’t stuff it up by getting nicked with a lad’s finger in your pie.”