In as firm a voice as he could muster, Ben repeated, ‘Caesar, come!’
Letting out a single bark, Caesar sprang to his feet and came bounding across the hangar floor. Just metres from Ben, Caesar took a flying leap at him. As Caesar knocked his slouch hat flying, Ben caught him. With his dog’s head over his left shoulder, Ben clutched him and staggered back several steps until he regained his balance. ‘It’s okay, mate,’ said Ben, close to tears. ‘It’s okay.’
The watching crowd cheered with delight. Caesar, turning his head, tried to feverishly lick Ben on the face. When he couldn’t achieve that, he let out a frustrated whine, then scrambled to be free again. Ben let go of him, and Caesar slipped back to the ground, then began jumping up, again trying to lick Ben’s face. Ben, laughing with joy and relief, squatted down and pulled Caesar into an embrace.
‘Calm down, boy, calm down,’ he said. ‘We’re back together again. Good boy. Good Caesar. Well done, mate, you made it back to me.’
With Caesar sitting beside him, Ben Skyped the family from the Tarin Kowt base. ‘The military vets have given Caesar a clean bill of health,’ Ben told Josh, Maddie and Nan.
‘That’s good, Ben,’ said Nan, eagerly. ‘I read somewhere he could have picked up rabies out there in the wilds of Afghanistan.’
Hearing Nan’s familiar voice, Caesar gave a single bark of recognition.
‘No, he’s fine,’ said Ben, fondling Caesar’s ear.
‘Does that mean you can bring Caesar home now, Daddy?’ Maddie asked, leaning in to get a better look at Caesar.
Again, Caesar let out a bark, and his tail thumped the floor.
‘I won’t be able to bring him home just yet, sweetheart,’ Ben replied. ‘Australian Government quarantine regulations say he’ll have to wait six months.’
Both Maddie and Josh groaned on hearing this and looked disappointed.
‘But he’ll spend those six months in really nice government-approved kennels in Dubai,’ Ben assured them. ‘The time will fly for all of us. I promise you it will.’
Ben kept Caesar with him at Tarin Kowt for a week while quarantine arrangements were being made. Rather than put him in the base kennels, he let Caesar sleep beside him in his quarters every night that week. Caesar went to sleep with his head resting on Ben’s chest. During their first few days back together, Caesar would not leave Ben’s side, and Ben worried that Caesar would suffer from separation anxiety during the long quarantine period to come. To his relief, within a few days, Caesar was feeling so reassured at being back with Ben he was chasing tennis balls thrown by anyone, and made a nuisance of himself with the cooks on solitary visits to the kitchens looking for handouts. When Ben put him in a steel travelling cage for the flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Caesar seemed to know they would be reunited before long and settled down happily with a bone.
As Caesar flew off to Dubai for his six-month ‘holiday’, Ben flew home to Australia to resume duty with EDD Soapy.
One April Saturday, Ben met Caesar at Sydney Airport after his flight from Dubai. Caesar was overjoyed to see him, and would have licked his bumpy face for hours had Ben let him. Putting him in the back of an army Land Rover, Ben drove him home to Holsworthy.
The Fulton family was waiting excitedly on the front lawn of 3 Kokoda Crescent when Ben pulled up in the Land Rover. Most of the neighbourhood had also turned out to see the return of Caesar the famous war dog – Josh and Maddie had told everyone they knew that he was coming home today. Hundreds of adults and children lined the street, then crowded around as Ben opened the vehicle’s rear door. There was a mighty cheer from the crowd when Caesar jumped down at the end of his leash. Ben then knelt beside Caesar and unfastened the leash. ‘Go say hello to the family, Caesar,’ he said.
With a woof, Caesar bounded over the grass. First, he went to Josh, giving him a lick on the face as he bent to pat him. Then he went to Maddie, almost bowling her over in his enthusiasm. Finally, he went to Nan, who gave him a long cuddle.
‘That was amazing, Dad,’ Josh said proudly to Ben later.
‘What was, mate?’ Ben asked.
‘Caesar came to me first again. Do you think Caesar knows I helped you track him down?’
‘I wouldn’t be surprised, Josh. Anything’s possible with Caesar,’ Ben said, smiling to himself.
Ben let Josh and Maddie take Caesar to say hello to the many waiting children, who all wanted to pat him, give him sweets and have their photos taken with the four-legged hero. Patiently enduring all the attention, Caesar accepted the strokes and cuddles with a wagging tail, and sat with his tongue hanging out as children draped themselves over him and their parents’ cameras clicked. After his days as a circus performer in front of applauding audiences in Afghanistan, Caesar had become used to being a star.
Ben had put off the first of the planned plastic surgery operations on his damaged face until he had Caesar back home. Now, Ben made the necessary arrangements. He knew that Josh and Maddie worried about him going into hospital for these procedures. Both had become accustomed to his scarred face. And neither could work out how doctors could ‘sculpt skin’, as one plastic surgery leaflet their dad brought home described it. So, to keep their minds off him while he spent a week in hospital for the first round of surgery, Ben arranged for Caesar to stay at home with them all that week. Meanwhile, Charlie had recently returned from an exhausting round of public appearances where he’d spoken about receiving the Victoria Cross, and he offered to come and stay for ten days to also keep the Fulton children company.
Charlie was still in a wheelchair, but had built up his arm strength to such an extent that he could now get himself in and out of bed, shower, you name it. And, as he had threatened before, when he gave Josh a race at the local cricket oval, Charlie beat Josh over 400 metres. So, knowing how fond Josh and Maddie were of Charlie, and how proud they were of him now that he was the famous Sergeant Grover VC, Ben accepted Charlie’s offer and went off to hospital, leaving the children in Nan, Caesar and Charlie’s care.
Charlie sat in his wheelchair in the Fulton living room watching a golf tournament on TV. He had been a good golfer before being wounded in Afghanistan. Now that he was unable to walk, his golf clubs were gathering dust back at his quarters at the SAS home base in Perth, Western Australia.
It was a quiet weekday morning. Ben was in hospital, Josh and Maddie were at school, and Nan Fulton was out shopping. But Charlie had Caesar for company. Lying with his eyes closed, the labrador was contentedly curled up on the mat in front of Charlie’s wheelchair. After a while, Charlie lost interest in the golf tournament – watching other people play golf only reminded him of the long list of things he was restricted from doing. Deciding to change the channel, he reached for the TV remote control lying in his lap. But in his haste, he knocked the remote flying, and with a clunk it landed on the wooden floor to one side of his chair.
‘Clumsy nitwit!’ Charlie growled to himself. With a grunt, he tried to reach down to pick it up, but it was just out of his reach. Cursing to himself, he strained to try again, only to fail a second time. Hearing Charlie struggle, Caesar opened his eyes. Suddenly, he rose up and went to where the TV remote lay. Carefully, Caesar picked up the remote between his teeth, then gently dropped it on Charlie’s lap.
‘Caesar, what a clever dog!’ said Charlie with a laugh in his voice, giving Caesar a vigorous pat. ‘Good boy! Good boy!’
Caesar stood there in front of Charlie, eyes glinting, tongue hanging out and tail wagging from side to side, seeming to say, Come on, then, let’s play. Give me something else to fetch, Charlie.
‘Okay,’ said Charlie, getting the message. ‘Let’s see how smart you really are, mate.’ Looking around the room, he saw his mobile phone lying on the dining table where he’d left it. ‘My mobile phone, Caesar. Get my mobile phone.’ As Caesar put his head questioningly to one side, puzzling about what Charlie meant, Charlie thought quickly. ‘What is it that Ben says to you? Oh, yeah. Seek on!�
� Putting one clenched hand to his ear, as if holding a telephone, he said, ‘Mobile phone, Caesar. Mobile phone. Seek on! Bring me my mobile phone, Caesar. Seek on!’
In an instant, Caesar was on the move. Charlie watched with fascination as, with his head raising and lowering, Caesar trotted around the room, looking on the floor, looking on chairs and sofas, looking on shelves, until he came to the dining table. Then Caesar stopped, and put his front paws up on the table so he could survey its surface. Spotting the phone lying there, he took it in his teeth, dropped back to the floor, and delivered the phone into Charlie’s lap beside the remote control.
‘Caesar, you are brilliant!’ Charlie exclaimed, pulling him into a cuddle.
Caesar licked Charlie on the cheek. Then he pulled away and barked, just once, as if to say, This is fun! More, Charlie! More!
Charlie grinned, ‘Okay, Caesar, my friend. Let’s see what you can really do. What can we try next?’ Scanning the room, Charlie sought more difficult challenges for Caesar.
Ben was in for a surprise when he returned home after seven days in hospital, his face covered with light bandages.
‘You’ll never guess what Caesar has done while you were away, Dad,’ said Josh.
‘Yeah! Caesar’s the cleverest dog that ever lived!’ Maddie declared.
‘I think you’re being a bit biased there, Maddie,’ Ben responded, with a chuckle.
‘No, I have to agree with the kids, Ben,’ said Charlie. ‘Caesar is phenomenal!’
Caesar, meanwhile, sat looking at Ben with his head cocked to one side, as if to say, What’s that stuff covering your face, boss? Where am I supposed to lick you a hello?
Ben, amused by Caesar’s mystification, knelt and gave him a hug.
Caesar managed to lick him on the neck, then, as Ben straightened, he ran to the back door and barked, as if to say, Come on, there are tennis balls outside that I want you to throw.
‘I’m serious about Caesar, Ben,’ said Charlie. ‘Watch this.’ Clicking his fingers, he called, ‘Caesar! Attention!’
Caesar’s head snapped around to Charlie.
Charlie now pointed to his own head. ‘Caesar, seek on,’ he said.
Caesar bounded from the room.
Ben shook his head. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Just watch, Dad,’ said Josh proudly. ‘It’s amazing.’
‘Amazing!’ Maddie repeated, jumping up and down with excitement.
Moments later, Caesar returned with Charlie’s beret in his mouth. Carefully, he lay the beret on Charlie’s lap, then sat beside Charlie’s wheelchair, and received praise and a rewarding pat. Charlie then proceeded to give Caesar a series of hand signals – two open hands together, a square drawn with two fingers, a fist to the ear – and for every signal Caesar would hurry away and return with a specified item: the newspaper, the TV remote, and Charlie’s mobile phone.
‘Fantastic!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘You mean to tell me you’ve taught Caesar all this while I’ve been in hospital?’
‘That’s not all,’ said Charlie. ‘Watch this.’ He gave Caesar a signal of tumbling hands, and away Caesar went. ‘Come on,’ said Charlie to Ben. ‘To the laundry.’
With Charlie wheeling himself, they all followed Caesar to the laundry. Nan joined them from the kitchen, and with a wide smile, stood back as Caesar went to work – Nan knew what was coming, as she’d seen the trick before. First, Caesar used his teeth on the handle of the front-loading washing machine, opening the door. Then he went to the clothes basket, took every item of dirty clothing from the basket one by one and stuffed them into the washing machine. When the basket had been emptied, Caesar closed the washing machine door with his nose.
‘Incredible!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘You taught him to do that … in a week?’
‘He’s a fast learner, mate,’ Charlie replied. ‘You, of all people, should know what he’s capable of.’
‘What’s more,’ said Nan, ‘Caesar can unload the machine again, after the washing is done. Every housewife needs a Caesar!’
‘You know,’ said Charlie, ‘the army has offered to get me a trained care dog.’
‘That’s a great idea, Charlie,’ said Ben.
‘Well, if I do get a dog to help me,’ Charlie mused, patting Caesar, ‘I want a dog just like this bloke.’
With Charlie due to leave the Fulton house the next day, Ben took Josh and Maddie aside just before it was time for bed.
‘Guys,’ he began, ‘there’s something I wanted to discuss with you in private.’
‘You’re not going away from us again, Daddy?’ said Maddie, with sudden alarm.
‘No, no, nothing like that,’ Ben replied, stroking her hair. ‘You remember, the other day, when Charlie was saying that he would love to have a care dog just like Caesar? What if we gave Caesar to him?’
Josh and Maddie both looked at their father with surprise. ‘What do you mean?’ Maddie asked.
‘We would let Charlie have Caesar – to be his care dog,’ Ben explained.
‘Why would we do that?’ Josh asked. ‘Caesar’s our dog.’
‘Well,’ said Ben, ‘you saw how quickly Charlie was able to train Caesar to help him.’
‘Yes, but …’ Josh protested, then faltered.
‘That would save Charlie a heap of time.’ Ben had a very serious look on his face. ‘It takes months for a care dog to get used to its new owner. Charlie and Caesar are old friends. And no ordinary care dog could do what Caesar can do.’
‘Could we still see Caesar?’ Maddie asked.
‘Of course we could.’
Josh was shaking his head. ‘I don’t want to give Caesar away. He’s ours, Dad!’ Tears began to form in his eyes. ‘He’s part of our family. And we only just got him back.’
Ben pulled Josh close, then gently wiped away his tears. ‘I know, son. But I owe Charlie. He saved my life over in Afghanistan. Giving him Caesar is the least I can do to repay him.’
‘But we love Caesar, Dad,’ said Josh. Time, first-hand involvement in the search for Caesar, and Caesar’s unconditional affection for him had combined to change Josh’s attitude to the brown labrador. ‘I love him!’
‘We all love him, son,’ Ben responded. ‘We will always love him, and he will always love us. That’s not the point. Do you remember when Charlie came to visit a couple of years ago, there was something very important he said to you?’
Josh shook his head. ‘I can’t remember.’
‘Charlie said, “Sometimes, we have to put others before ourselves and make sacrifices for the sake of others. To do that is the mark of a man of courage and compassion”.’
Josh nodded. ‘Now I remember.’
‘That’s why Charlie won the Victoria Cross,’ Ben went on. ‘I wouldn’t be here today if Charlie hadn’t put others before himself. And now we have to do the same. What do you say? Can we be brave and compassionate like Charlie, make the sacrifice and give Caesar to him?’ He paused and then added, ‘It has to be a family decision.’
‘What does Nan say?’ Josh asked.
‘Nan says “yes”,’ Ben replied.
‘I think we should say “yes” too, Josh,’ said Maddie. ‘I can be brave.’
Josh was silent now, so Ben said, ‘We’ll always be able to see Caesar at weekends, you know, Josh. And whenever Charlie comes to visit, he’ll bring Caesar with him. It’s not as if Caesar will be disappearing from our lives.’
‘Really?’ said Josh, perking up a little at the thought.
‘And he won’t stop loving us just because he’s living with Charlie. One day, when you and Maddie are older, you’ll move out of this place and live in homes of your own. That doesn’t mean we’ll love each other any less. The same goes for Caesar.’
‘I’ll never do that, Daddy,’ said Maddie, earnestly.
‘What’s that, sweetheart?’ Ben asked. ‘What wouldn’t you do?’
‘Move out of here,’ Maddie replied.
Ben smiled. ‘Don’t you want to have a hom
e of your own one day, with a husband and children? You once told me you wanted seven children when you grow up.’
‘Oh, yes, I still want that,’ said Maddie, ‘but they can all come and live here with us.’
Ben’s smile broadened. ‘Well, we’ll see if you still feel that way in twenty years’ time.’
All the while his father had been in conversation with Maddie, Josh had been deep in thought. Now he said, ‘So, Caesar going to live with Charlie would be like Maddie going to live with Charlie? Maddie would still be my sister. And Caesar would still be my dog … well, our dog.’
‘Exactly,’ said Ben. ‘Very well thought out, Josh. I couldn’t have put it better myself. In principle, nothing much will change – only Caesar’s living arrangements.’
‘So, Josh,’ said Maddie, ‘have you decided?’
‘Yes,’ said Josh, ‘I’ve decided. I can do it for Charlie. After all, Caesar will still be our dog, in principle.’
‘That’s really noble, and mature, of you, Josh,’ Ben responded, giving him a hug. ‘I’m very proud of you, mate. Very proud of both you and Maddie.’
Josh beamed, and Maddie beamed.
‘And we’re proud of you, Daddy,’ said Maddie. ‘You’re the most bravest one of all.’
The next morning, Ben told Charlie what he and the children had decided. Charlie was immediately conflicted. On the one hand, the idea of having Caesar as his companion and helper delighted him. But, on the other hand, Caesar was Ben’s dog. ‘Mate, I can’t do that to you and the kids! I can’t take Caesar away from you.’
‘Too late,’ said Ben, with a shrug. ‘The family has voted on it. They know we’ll all get to see Caesar regularly if he’s with you.’
Caesar the War Dog Page 19