Chapter 4

Geoff White:

You might imagine that Eugenie and I had a ... happy reunion. Yelka retired to a transient operative room after supper and a chat. Eugenie and I had hardly been separated for more than a few hours since marrying and we made up for lost time with a quickie, followed by a shower and a much more leisurely coupling before sleep. We managed to avoid a wet spot by soixante-neuf, and were awoken by our friendly PA system. However, we’d barely managed our most basic routines before a knock on the door.

“Just a minute,” Eugenie shouted, as we grabbed our exercise gear. Then once we were covered, “Okay!”

The door opened and Yelka entered. “Good morning, Ginger, Geoff.” She, too, was in exercise gear. “I hope I may join your exercise regime before setting off.”

“Five mile run,” I commented, neutrally. “You can pass on the pack.”

“No problem,” she smiled. “I have a pack with some basics. Not heavy. But I do need some exercise.”

Any reservations I may have had were dispelled quickly. She stretched with us before we began, and she ran like a gazelle, loping along lightly, and apparently without strain. Forty minutes later, we were stretching again and doing our ‘daily dozen’ as the saying is – though where the ‘dozen’ came from I have no idea – before showering and getting our breakfast. As we were eating, the Major came over with a mug of coffee.

“Might I join you for a moment?” he asked.

I glanced round at my companions, saw smiles. “Please do, sir.”

He sat and sipped at his mug in a leisurely sort of way, then put it down. “Miss Smallbridge,” he began, “you have impressed several of our instructors, particularly Sergeant Johnson. If you should be looking for a job when you leave school I would be happy to have you here as a recruit. Or, possibly, as a consultant.”

“You flatter me, sir. I’ve certainly had food for thought the last day. Thank you, though I am not planning on leaving home just yet.”

“Not flattery, young lady. But take your time, certainly.”

We waved her off, the assertive growl of the little Lotus impressive. “I covet that car,” I told Eugenie, who laughed.

“So do I. But hardly very practical.”

“That’s definitely not the point.”

“They’re still built, but not by Lotus. We could probably afford one.”

“We probably could, but when would we use it?”

“There you go, being all practical.” She sighed. “Well, maybe that’s for the future.”

We fell back into the routine, though I found I was going to ‘enjoy’ a placement in an Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital as part of my ‘professional development’. Triage. Triage is a slightly intimidating idea, at least to me. Dating from the Napoleonic wars to deal with the pressure of overwhelming casualties, it’s a system of ‘sorting’ casualties. Different hospitals have different systems, but the underlying principle is that some patients will die whatever you do, some will live whatever you do, and some will live given urgent treatment. It will be seen that serious decisions have to be taken, especially when a unit is under pressure.

Eugenie had a placement, too. Can’t say where, in a unit working on cyber warfare. At least they made the arrangements so we could live together, even if we spent a lot of time apart. Both of us working random shifts, very occasionally long shifts, we sometimes went several days without actually seeing each other. When we did, though, the collision was memorable. Both of us separately kept in touch with Irene and our new friends in Cumbria. It was a relief to return to the Lodge, where Eugenie took on some teaching responsibilities. The head of IT at the Lodge had been forced to retire by having suffered a stroke. Happily, he was able to retire and regain a normal life in retirement. He’d had a relationship with a slightly younger woman for about ten years, and they tied the knot before she retired to join him.

Ginger:

With Christmas approaching, I reluctantly used some off-duty time in visiting the mall. Honestly, for most things it was easier to buy online, though that has its disadvantages. I dressed in civvies, of course, but not the ones I used to wear: slacks, a blouse, trainers. A fleece jacket. Having found the trivial items I’d gone for I went for coffee and a sticky bun.

“Ginger?” A puzzled voice from behind me, and I looked around.

I saw a familiar face, and a familiar image. “Oh, hi, Charmaine! Christmas shopping?”

“Just hanging out. Suzanne, Petra and Steph are around somewhere.”

Charmaine was in shorts and a cut-off top, despite the time of year, but I suppose she was a tempting – I was going to say ‘morsel’ but she was too tall for that – sight for any predatory male.

“Join me.”

The girl shrugged, and sat opposite. “What has happened to you? Why are you dressed like that?”

“I’ve found my way, Charmaine. I’m married,” held up my hand to display my ring, “and I joined the Army.”

“You joined the Army? What did your parental units think of that?”

I was able to laugh about that. “They came around eventually. Dad even walked me down the aisle, or, rather, into the Registrar’s office.”

“So, what do you do in the Army?”

“I’m in communications,” I said, unwilling to go into details.

“I suppose that’s less threatening to your parents, and you always did like computers and such.”

I shrugged, and finished my coffee. “Nice meeting you, Charmaine,” I said diplomatically as I stood.

“Yeah,” she responded, frowning slightly, also standing. “You, too.”

We walked together into the main thoroughfare, but several feet apart. Charmaine was approached by a heavily tattooed and pierced man a few years older than either of us. I wasn’t really listening to what he said, but I certainly noticed Charmaine’s responses.

“No, thanks, I’m meeting friends.” Followed by, “I said no!”

He was holding her arm, and not gently. I closed the distance and tapped him on the shoulder. “Leave my friend be, sir.”

He did release her arm, but turned on me. “Mind your own business, bitch!” and took a swing at me. It was a very clumsy swing, which I easily redirected and followed into a come-along hold. “Lemme go, bitch!” He struggled, but only increased the pain in his arm. Charmaine was just standing like a pudding.

“Charmaine, we’d best introduce this ... gentleman ... to security.”

“Uhhh?”

“We need to report this person. He assaulted us.”

“Oh, no, not me. I’m off.” And she did, disappearing into the crowds, leaving me with him.

“Oh, well. Come along, you.” I headed in the opposite direction, and got to the doors without encountering either mall security or any sort of police officer. He did attempt to protest, but desisted when I offered to break his arm. Outside, though, I released him. “You’re in luck, mate. I’ll tell you now, though, if I see you again, it won’t be as easy. Of course, if you’d like to have another go? Now you know I’m not defenceless? He probably didn’t understand that the apparently relaxed stance I was in was preparatory to dismantling him, should he be foolish enough to try anything. Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, he didn’t, walking away swearing volubly. Pity.