Chapter 31

The nurse provided more pillows to enable him to sit up in his bed the following day. The hours seemed to drag for him and then he saw her hat through the glass partition of the door. She was talking to the nurse. The door opened and she was standing there, her eyes brimming with tears.

She came over to the bed and looked at him. “Hello” she whispered, smiling.

“Hello darling, have you missed me?” he replied. Tears started to run down her cheeks, has she bent and gently kissed him.

She pulled up a chair and held his hand, just looking at him. “How did the mission go? Did we destroy the airbase?” He asked.

She nodded, “Completely and all your team returned safely”.

“What about Bobby? Has there been any word about his team?”

Her face became grave, “Shaun, you must stop getting excited. You have to rest and recover darling. I’ll have to go in a moment”.

She kissed him before she left, promising to return.

Gradually Shaun grew stronger. Tim and Cookie came to see him. By now they had allowed him out in a wheelchair to sit in the garden. On the sixth day Bobby came to see him, he was out in the garden having a cigarette.

“Those things will kill you”. A voice said behind him. He turned and Bobby was there.

Shaun laughed. “You mean they’ll save you,” he said explaining about the cigarette case.

“So when did you get back?” He asked.

“Two days ago,” Bobby replied.

“From all accounts it was a complete success?” Shaun said smiling.

Bobby’s face grew sombre, “Not quite Shaun. I hate to tell you this but Jack, Titch and Sammy are dead”.

Shaun’s face went white. “How? why?” he stammered.

“The Prof saw it all from the sand dune. The Jerrys had manned one of the 30mm quad after we had killed the original crew. We were concentrating on the MG34s. Jack must have seen it because he moved out from behind the dune to get a clearer shot at it. A MG34 opened up on them. They must have all been hit hard. Prof said Titch must have floored the accelerator and drove straight at the 30mm with Jack firing the 50 calibre. They rammed it and the whole lot exploded. There was nothing we could do. I’m putting the three of them in for the VC”.

Shaun was stunned, “How about the rest, any other casualties?”

Bobby shook his head, “I’m sorry Shaun. I know you had all been together for a long time. Tim and the others know about it but were warned not to tell you until you were stronger. If they had not taken that gun out then we would have had more losses”.

Shaun sat consumed with grief after Bobby left. Those men had been like brothers to him and their deaths weighed heavy on his conscience.

When Sharon visited him he asked her if she knew about it. “Yes, darling, I knew, but we were advised not to say anything until you were stronger”.

Ted and Commodore Silverman visited him when he was out in the garden.

“Captain Ramage, on behalf of the General Staff I have to thank you and your men for the mission you undertook. It was a complete success that denied the enemy of much needed resources. General Montgomery began his attack the day after the raid and by all accounts is pushing Rommel back now”.

Shaun smiled sadly, “Thank you Sir, I’m sure the survivors will appreciate your remarks”.

Ted coughed “Shaun, we have confirmed the request for the VC for Jack Titch and Sammy. In fact all of the Z Patrol will get awards”.

Shaun nodded “I need their addresses Ted so I can write to their folks”.

Ted nodded “I’ll get them for you”.

Silverman looked at him “I’m informed that it will be many weeks before you are fit again Captain. You will need to recuperate and there is a small villa by the beach just outside of Alexandria. You will be transported there. I’ve assigned an Officer to take care of you”. There was the faintest hint of a mile on his face as he said it.

The following day the Prof came to see him, but now he sported Sergeant’s strips. They upped all the Patrol non-commissioned men a rank, he was told. “So I can’t call you Prof anymore. What is your Christian name Sergeant?”

He looked embarrassed. “It’s Jeremy, Boss,” he murmured, “but if you don’t mind I’d still like to be called Prof”.

“Just what happened with our Jeep?” Shaun asked.

Prof hesitated before replying, “Jack attacked the 30mm and he had to move out from cover to do so. If they had got it going they could have wiped out the entire force. The mortar had knocked out the other one. Anyway, Sammy and Jack concentrated their fire on it but one of the MG34s opened up on them. I think Sammy was killed in that first blast, Jack had blood all over his chest, and Titch was badly wounded too. Jack screamed something to Titch and the Jeep flew at the 30mm. All the time they were being raked by the MG34s. They must have been dead when it rammed the gun. The Jeep exploded destroying the 30mm. It was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen Boss”.

Shaun was quiet, “So there’s only you and Cookie left from ‘Sue’ now?”

Prof smiled, “And you, Boss”.

Five days later he got the all clear from the doctor on condition he rested and didn’t overdo it. He was informed dressing would be provided and pain killer tablets to the Officer who would be tending to him. Later in the afternoon Sharon arrived to take him to the villa.

He was quiet in the car as she drove. She sensed that he was brooding over the deaths of his men. Only when the scenery changed to the more open country did he take interest. “This villa, does it belong to the Navy?” he murmured.

She shook her head “No, it’s Dad’s. He bought it when he was commissioned in 1939. He was originally posted to Alex and thought it would be convenient for the family. But then Mom was made head of surgery in Tel Aviv and Dad was reassigned to Cairo along with me. We use it when we have some leave”.

She took a turning on to a dirt road. Sand dunes started to appear and he spotted the sea between some of them. They passed through a small village that contained a few shops. “Nearly there now,” she muttered at his side.

They drew up at single story villa set on top of a low bluff. The arched windows had wooden shutters across them and sand had blown across the stone driveway.

“Stay in the car while I open it up,” Sharon remarked.

He watched as she opened the arched door, disappearing inside. He lit a cigarette looking around. It seemed no other buildings were built nearby. He opened the car door swinging his legs out. He could smell the clean air of the sea. He reached in and retrieved his walking sticks and began to walk slowly with the aid of the sticks towards the door.

Sharon appeared. She had removed her coat and hat and came rushing towards him. “Are you sure you can manage?” she asked. He smiled and nodded. Inside she led him slowly through the gloomy lounge to opened French doors and pulled out a cane chair for him to sit in, He was sitting on a wide patio looking directly out to sea. White sand separated the villa from the sea about a hundred yards away he judged.

“I’ll open the shutters now to let more light in. Would you like a beer while you wait darling?”

He nodded, “Please”.

When she had gone he became aware of a low humming noise that seemed to come from the side of the villa. He commented on it when she came back. “That’s the generator which supplies the electricity and powers the pump for the water. Hany put it on yesterday when he filled the fridge”.

“Hany?” he murmured.

Sharon chuckled, “He and his wife Messa look after the villa. They live in the village we passed. I came down yesterday with the food and drink for us and Hany put it in his fridge until ours was ready for it. He runs the store in the village and is the only one with a telephone”.

“Look, darling, if you are comfortable here I’m going to have a shower and change after I’ve brought the luggage in”.

He started to protest, “I should do that!”

She laughed, “Yes but we need it today”.

He sat back in the comfortable chair and drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke he could hear Sharon singing somewhere in the villa. He glanced at his watch, 3:40pm so he’d slept for three hours.

His clothes were sticking to him. ‘I need a shower now,’ he thought, struggling to get up. Sharon must have heard him because she came rushing in. He blinked when he saw her. She’d changed into shorts cut high in the leg and wore the top piece of a two piece bathing costume.

“I need to take a shower. I stink,” he mumbled.

She smiled, “I’ll take you through to the bedroom”.

She helped him undress, ignoring his aroused condition. She removed the dressing from his arm staring in horror at the vivid scars on it and his side. “I’ll redress them after your shower”.

In the shower he supported himself by holding onto the shower wall while she bathed him. Groaning has she washed his lower areas. “Darling, I know how you feel, but we can’t yet until you are much better,” she murmured.

He sat on the bed as she dressed the wounds, aware of her body and the smell of her perfume. “Sharon, wounds, or no wounds I’m going to rape you if you keep wearing this outfit”.

She gave a throaty chuckle. “It’s an incentive to get you better. In any case I’ll be the one raping,” she whispered sexily.