Echo-Foxtrot

by Clare Revell

  16

  February 15.

  Lou looked up at Jim and Staci. “So, this is it then? You’re really leaving?” She looked at the clock. “Only I thought the flight left at two?”

  Jim nodded. “Yeah, it does, but we have to drive to the airport. It’s a two-hour check-in so…yeah, we’re going now. As the song says, ‘All my bags are packed; I’m ready to go. I’m standing here outside your door.’ Well, next to your bed to be precise.”

  “I don’t want you to go.” She looked at him. Tears filled her eyes. “Tell them you won’t go.”

  “We have to,” he said. “Us staying with you was only while Mum and Dad were away, you know that.”

  “But we’ve been together for months,” she whispered. “You’ve been there all day every day since June. Well, longer than that. Since Bill and Di left in March of last year.”

  Jim nodded. “Yeah.”

  Staci picked at a nail. “Ailsa is coming with us. She and Jim are officially going out now, not that they’ll admit it. As much as I don’t want to go, it’ll be nice to be home again. And a new home, too. I get first choice of the bedrooms.”

  Jim pulled her hair. “No, you don’t, kiddo. I’m oldest; I get first pick.”

  “Mum said I do,” Staci insisted. “Anyway, it’s ladies first. You get the leftovers.”

  Jim rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll sleep up on the roof with the cats, as Aunt Edith always used to say.” He looked at Lou. “But we’ll write, and message and video call you.” He hugged her. “You take care and do what the doctor says.”

  She nodded slowly. She hugged Staci and watched as they headed across the room to where Bill and Di waited. Her heart broke as their footsteps got farther and farther away.

  Tears rolling down her face, she pulled herself from the bed to the chair and grabbed the wheels. Frustration mounted as the chair remained stuck between the bed and the cupboard. “Come on,” she hissed.

  “Lou? Where are you going?” Jack asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” she whispered. “They’ve gone. And it’s just me now.”

  “Not so,” he said gently. “It just so happens that I have the rest of the day off. And it’s your mom’s birthday on Saturday, isn’t it?”

  Lou took the tissue he offered and blotted her eyes with it. “Yeah.”

  “So, I thought, if you put some clothes on, rather than those pyjamas you’ve been living in the past couple of weeks, we could hit the shops. Buy her something nice.”

  “I don’t have any money…”

  Jack winked. “I have it on good authority that you have several months’ worth allowance owing you.”

  “And I don’t have any clothes either.”

  He held out a bag. “How’s this?”

  Lou looked in the bag. “Jack?”

  “I lived in sweatpants after they took my leg,” he said. “We fold the extra fabric up and you sit on it for now. Once you get your new leg, just wear them as normal. And if you change quickly, we can sneak out before Dragon Doc comes on duty.”

  “But everyone will notice my leg isn’t there.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “This is an Air Force base. We get wounded airmen here all the time. Arms and legs in casts or missing. No one is going to notice, unless you go out there with nothing on. And it’s a bit damp for that, as it rained this morning. Now hurry up or she’ll be here and we won’t be going anywhere.”

  “OK.”

  Jack nodded and pulled the curtains around the bed.

  Lou changed quickly. “OK.”

  Jack opened the curtains and looked at her. “Actually, where’s your other shoe?”

  “Under the bed. Don’t need it.”

  He grinned. “Yes, we do.” He pulled the empty trouser leg free and shoved it inside her shoe. He fastened the two together with a lace and grinned. “Perfect.”

  Lou looked down at her feet. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now we gotta dash.”

  Dr. Andrews rounded the corner just as they reached the ward door. “Colonel? Lou? What are you doing?”

  “Just passing—” He paused as a voice echoed over the Tannoy.

  “Dr. Andrews to main reception. Dr. Andrews to main reception.”

  Dr. Andrews looked at them. “I’ll be back.”

  “See ya, Doc.” Jack waved as she ran off then winked at Lou.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Ed promised a distraction if we got caught. We’ve got about ten minutes to get out of here. Then an hour or so to shop before your mom meets us for coffee. Then we’re sneaking back in here before she notices.”

  Lou sniffled again. Sneaking out wasn’t half as much fun on her own. Last time she’d sneaked off, Jim and Staci had been with her.

  Jack dropped another tissue on her lap. “And if you’re good,” he added as he sped down the corridor towards the lifts, “tomorrow we’ll go check out my place and you can decide if you want the green room or the yellow room as yours.”

  Despite the ache filling her and the incredible sense of loneliness, Lou enjoyed shopping with Jack. He insisted on modeling the shirts she was looking at, or the bracelets or necklaces, even the scarfs.

  “Which is it going to be?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “The scarf and the bracelet are both pretty, but the bracelet is way more than I can afford.” She looked at them. “The scarf.”

  Jack hunkered down next to the chair. “Don’t worry about the cost. How about we get both? We could even get Mom engraved on it if you like.”

  Lou looked at him. “Mum,” she corrected. “It’s English.”

  Jack winked. “You Brits never could spell. Let’s go and pay and then go and find her. I’ll pop back and pick the bracelet up in a few.”

  “Won’t she get suspicious?”

  Jack shook his head. “Nah, she’ll be too busy sharing one of those massive coconut-and-pineapple ice creams with you.”

  Lou’s eyes widened. “I thought Staci was kidding about those.”

  “Nope. Let’s go.”

  ****

  Lou sat next to Mum sharing the ice cream. Jack had vanished on the pretext of finding a men’s room. Lou looked at the spoon in her hand. “Miss them,” she said.

  Mum nodded. “Yeah. The house will be a lot quieter without them. But you should be able to come home soon.”

  “Jack said he’d sneak me out again tomorrow so I could pick a bedroom. Either the green or yellow one.”

  Mum looked at her, then at the ice cream. “Well, the green room is pretty, looks over the front of the house. But the yellow room has an en-suite bathroom. Both are upstairs, but Jack was talking about converting the dining room into a bedroom for you to begin with. Until you can master the stairs, which he reckons will take less than a week.”

  “Seriously?”

  Mum winked. “Apparently it took him a month to do stairs, but he says you’re way more stubborn than he is and will do it in a week. Especially if you get told not to do it.”

  Lou licked the spoon clean. “I did the ones on the boat as soon as I got out of bed. Mind you, I kind of had to.”

  “Oh, and we thought we’d take you clothes shopping off base tomorrow as well. Figured you could do with a whole new wardrobe.”

  Jack came back over with a carrier bag in his hand. “I picked up a few things on my way back from the men’s room.”

  Mum raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  He nodded. “As Lou’s gonna be able to use the shower later, I thought she might like some nice shower gel. And now we really ought to get back before the doc notices.”

  Lou took the bag and held it as Jack pushed her back to the infirmary. She had no idea how he expected no one to notice she’d gone.

  Jack slowed down as he reached Dr. Andrews’s office, then sped up, running past it, before he slowed again, whistling innocently.

  “Colonel?”

  Lou caught her breath. “Here we go…”

/>   Jack turned. “Yes, Doc?”

  “Please sign her out the next time you decide to go for a walk. I don’t want to have to report her or you AWOL.”

  Lou snorted, turning it into a cough.

  “Now get her into bed before that cough gets any worse.”

  Jack grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  As he pushed her down the corridor, Lou was convinced she heard laughter coming from the doctor’s office.

  17

  Six Months Later, July 10.

  The phone rang. “Want me to get it?” Lou asked. She, Jim, and her mum had flown to the UK to pick up Staci for the summer holidays, as Bill and Di were off to a missionary convention. Staci was living with her parents in England while they were on sabbatical.

  Jim and Ailsa were staying at Jack’s place on Guam. Like Jack had originally said, there was plenty of room, and both Jim and Ailsa were spending a lot of time helping with her physio.

  Jim grinned. “Go for it. We know who it’s going to be anyway.”

  “Well, one of two people by my count.” She crossed the living room of Bill and Di’s house in Southampton, England, and grabbed the phone before it had rung three times. “Kirk residence, hello? Hi, Jack. Yeah, I’ll get her for you.” She tossed the cordless phone to her mum. “It’s for you-ou.”

  Mum smiled. “Thanks.”

  Lou went back across to the others. She was almost used to the prosthesis now, but very self-conscious about it, choosing to wear trousers rather than skirts. “That’s the third time Jack’s rung today. I think he misses her.”

  Jim grinned at her. “You’ll be in love yourself one day. Then you’ll understand.”

  “Aw. Missing Ailsa, are we?” Lou teased.

  Jim blushed.

  Staci laughed. “That’ll be a yes then,” she said. She laid down her cards. “Out.”

  “Well done, kiddo,” Jim said, counting his cards. “Fifteen. Doesn’t seem possible that it’s been thirteen months since we left to find Mum and Dad, does it?”

  “Was it really?” Lou asked, pulling a face at her cards. “One hundred and five.”

  “Yeah. It’s July 10. This time last year, we were recovering from Erika. Nichola’s got eighty-five.”

  Mum put the phone down. “Right. Are you lot ready to go?”

  “Yes,” they answered in unison.

  “How’s Ailsa?” Jim asked.

  “She’s fine. Jack says she would say hi, but she’s in bed. It’s late over there.”

  “They are nine hours ahead. It’s 2 PM here, so it must be 11 PM over there,” Lou said. “Jack ringing to say good night?”

  “He’s on duty. He and Ailsa are staying at the base while he’s on nights. It’s the last one tonight.”

  Jim looked thoughtful. “Night flying must be well cool,” he said wistfully.

  “Cool?” Lou said. “Cool? You’ve been hanging round Jack for too long.”

  Jim threw a cushion at her. “You can talk. You spend more time with him than anyone, except your mum.”

  “At least I don’t come out with Jack-isms though.”

  “What about ‘for crying out loud’ then?”

  “Yeah, well. Although I probably got that from you...” She broke off laughing as Jim launched an all-out cushion assault. She begged for mercy and Jim reluctantly accepted.

  “What I would give to join the Air Force and do it.”

  “Throw cushions at people and get paid for it?” Lou asked, grinning at him.

  “No, go night flying, silly. I’m still hoping to hear from them soon.”

  “In your dreams, mate,” Staci said. “There is no way the US Air Force would have you. You’re British, for a start.”

  He looked at Staci. “If not, then I’ll try the RAF, kiddo.”

  “And stop calling me kiddo. I’m fourteen now.”

  They all pulled on their jackets and Lou grabbed her crutches. She didn’t yet trust her prosthesis enough to go out of the house without backup, as Jack termed it. They’d offered her a cane, but she’d pointed out she was a teenager, not an old granny lady. She followed the others to the front door.

  Staci said, “So what’s the plan of action for this afty?”

  “I thought we’d go to the river,” Mum said. “Then the cinema and pizza. Give your parents time to pack without your help.”

  “Sounds neat,” Staci said.

  Lou absently glanced over her shoulder as they reached the car. It was as if someone was missing, she just wasn’t sure who.

  They drove across town to Townhill Park and passed the block of flats Lou used to call home.

  Lou looked out the window. “It hasn’t changed. Look, there are the shops.” They drove along the way they had walked so many times, Mum unknowingly going the same way Matt had taken them that last time.

  In Riverside Park, Lou got out of the car and looked round for Deefer.

  “He’s not here, love,” Mum said.

  “I haven’t done that in a long time,” Lou said. “It’s being back here. There are just so many memories.”

  They walked through the park towards the river. The river this time though was dull and grey, reflecting the thick cloud cover. Jim bounced stones off the surface. “It’s a shame Ailsa couldn’t come,” he said. “I wanted to show her all this. Show her where it all began.”

  “You can come back,” Lou said, looking round her. “She had to stay and study for those exams.”

  “She could have studied here,” Jim objected.

  “I don’t think so,” Staci said. “No one can study with you around, bro.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiddo.”

  They reached the play area and Staci looked wistfully at the swings. “Please, Jim,” she said. “I’m not much over twelve.”

  “You’re fourteen, but go on then. I’ll push you, as the park is empty.” He opened the gate and followed her into the playground.

  Lou watched as Jim pushed Staci on the swing, higher and higher, until she yelled, “I’m flying.”

  Lou absently looked down at her heels.

  Mum looked sadly at her. “You miss him, don’t you?”

  Lou nodded. “Yes. More than I thought I would.”

  “Have you thought any more about getting another dog?”

  “No. I could never replace Deefer.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to. Like I could never replace your dad.”

  Lou looked at her mother. She had blossomed over the last few months. Not just because she had her family back, but as her relationship with Jack had grown. It had definitely been a good day when he had come into their lives. Even if it hadn’t seemed like it that afternoon in Cornwall. She looked over at the others. “Come on,” she called. “It’s cold standing here.”

  Jim stopped the swing and Staci reluctantly got off. They came back through the gate to the others and set off under the bridge. The sign saying Cobden Boat Hire was more faded than it had been.

  Matt saw them coming and went across to meet them. “Hello, stranger,” he said, shaking Jim’s hand. “How are you?”

  “Good. You?”

  “Yeah, good. I got your letter and I’ve been meaning to reply. But I’ve been rushed off my feet here, what with setting up the website and all. Sounds like quite an adventure you had.”

  Jim grinned. “Yeah, it was. A bit too exciting at times though.”

  “Exciting?” Staci exclaimed. “Scary, more like.”

  Matt smiled. “I can’t stop to chat, I’m afraid. We have a big repair job on. I’ll e-mail you and keep in touch that way.”

  Mum looked at her watch. “C’mon, we’d better get going if we are going to catch this film.”

  They walked back to the car in the deepening gloom, Lou saying goodbye to all the places that she had played in as a child and never expected to see again. Just before they got to the car, the heavens opened and the rain came down in torrents. They ran the rest of the way, getting soaked.

  “Ugh,�
� Lou said, climbing into the car and pushing her wet hair out of her eyes.

  Mum said, “We don’t have time to change. Do you mind staying wet?”

  “No,” said Staci. “I’ve waited years to hear that.”

  “Waited years to hear what?” Mum asked, starting the car.

  “That I have to stay in my wet clothes.” Staci laughed. The others joined in.

  “I shan’t make a habit of it though,” Mum told them. “So make the most of it.”

  They drove towards the cinema, passing the school that Lou had attended. “Do you realize that they don’t break up for another three weeks,” she gloated.

  The film was good, and when they came out, Mum smiled at them. “Who’s hungry then?” she asked.

  “Me.”

  “Anyone else except Staci?” Mum asked as everyone laughed.

  ****

  The following day, their last before going home to Guam, was a Sunday. Jim was pleased that Lou was going to accompany them to church. He’d half expected her to have wavered in her faith without them around, but she hadn’t. They went to the church they used to go to and sat in the same pew. They sang Jim’s favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

  After lunch they started packing. Lou took off the leg and hobbled round on her crutches. Nichola looked at her. “You have to persevere with it.”

  “I know, Mum. It’s just uncomfortable today. I thought I might go for a swim in the pool over the road. Anyone coming?”

  When no one answered, Jim said, “I’ll come and time you if you like.”

  “Please.” Lou grabbed her stuff.

  “Any excuse not to pack,” Nichola said, smiling.

  “I’ll do it later,” Lou said.

  “I’ll do it now,” Nichola replied. “Go on. Go swimming.”

  “Thanks, Mum.” Lou kissed her and she and Jim headed for the pool.

  Jim watched as Lou swam cleanly, smoothly, and quickly through the water, her right leg more than making up for the absence of the left. She hit the end of the pool and looked up at him. “Well?”

  “Two whole seconds off your fastest time.” He smiled. “Your coach will be impressed.”

  “He reckons I might be good enough for the Paralympics,” Lou said proudly. “I may get my Olympic medal yet.”