Chapter 1

"Dawes! Your needed in the med tent." Smurf yelled loudly at me from outside the mess tent. "Who exactly needs medical assistance may I ask you trollop." He smirked at his and simply replied "Now, Now Dawesy we don't wanna be late for tending to our dear Captain. Do we..." I hate when he is right. "All right, all right. I'm going." I sprint to the best of my ability; I am dressed in full kit. I get to the med tent and calm myself with deep breaths before I slowly enter the tent to find my commanding officer (and crush) sitting on the treatment bed with his shoes and socks off. "Comfortable enough there sir. Would you like me to go get you a teddy and blanket," I hear a light chuckle as I walk over to the bed in question and look at his feet. " looks like you were right sir you didn't need new boots but it's fine I can patch up these blisters again and you will be as right as rain." He stayed quiet until I stood and he sat up and looked me in the eyes. God he has pretty eyes! "Dawesy, Dawesy, Dawesy we need to get on first name basis' I think. So you may in private call me James ad nothing else. Furthermore, I will call you Molly in private as well."His lips were suddenly much closer than I thought they were and I decided to take the opportunity to kiss him.

It was a sweet and mellow kiss that both Molly and James seemed to enjoy but alas it was over too soon by the head of military movement started to shout orders for James to get out of the med tent as soon as possible and prepare for our briefing. "We will need to talk about this later. But may I just say wow..." He kissed me again and started to run with his boots half on until he tripped and I then ran to help him up onl to rip over his lone boot in the middle of my path. I landed with a thud on James and quickly noticed the situation we were laying in. "I'm so sorry James I'll just go to the gym..." before I could finish James grabbed me by the neck and pulled me into a scorching kiss. "Like I said we. will. talk. later. OK" I put on a cheeky grin and said loudly and clearly "Sir, Yes, Sir." He mock frowned and said "Not funny Dawes. We wouldn't want to start doing laps around the compound again would we." I this time laughed at this "Sir, I could do that with my eyes closed if I tried hard enough and if it was in the day and if it was a straight line... oh and " my voice was again muffled by James' hand as he quietly whispered next to my ear "Now, Now we still need time to talk later. Oh and the lads are coming in about 10 minutes for their med checks. So I will see you later.

"DAWESY!" The entire two section shouted as I emerged out of the tent. I had used the 10 minutes to my advantage by calming myself and gathering my medical information sheet for the entire two section. "All right you cockwombles this is the time I get to be in charge and if you even think about being rude or sexist in an attempt to be funny I will not hesitate to grab yo by the dick snap it in two and castrate you. Do I make myself clear." I shouted. The boys? Lets just say that they were slightly surprised but being the boys they are quickly recovered and stood to attention and shouted "Ma'am, yes, Ma'am." I gestured for Smurf to come in first and sat him down at the medical bed. "So Smurf how are you doing anything to report to me about your health. Any blisters or weird coloured piss." He smirked and I thought I knew what was coming but I was wrong. Deadly wrong. "No Dawesy there is only one thing wrong with me." That isn't the worst part. "I am in love with you." Next thing I know he's forced my head down to his and is trying to throw his tongue in my mouth. Before I can even react and push him off. The entire two section is trying to hold back a fuming James from ripping through the mosquito net in the tent. "Dawes my tent. NOW!" Oh shit, he is not happy but maybe (hopefully) if I explain what happens he will trust I am telling the truth.

I quickly jog- well more like run- to his tent and find him pacing back and forth repeatedly panting heavily as if his lungs have just put out and are leaving him stranded in the desert with no water. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes so I decide to start with "James this is not my fault I was doing the medical examination and he started spouting nonsense about how he was in love with me and he was raving sir. I don't love him I lo... like you James you have to believe me!" When I finished I found James standing in front of me his hands reaching towards my face. "Molly I heard everything. I'm not supposed to say this but I have to over see your medical examinations from a distance to check that your doing it within army regulations and that you are not having secret relationships with any of the soldiers. Which is slightly ironic, seeing as of our relationship." Ah, the forbidden idea. That one is not to be romantically or sexually involved with ones commanding officer or peers. Relationship? Can we really call what we have a relationship. I'm not even sure if James wants to be in a relationship and a secret one at that. "James, what are we exactly. Are you willing to risk your reputation on an recruit who is probably going to get everyone killed." James sighed loudly "Molly, I have had 4 successful tours. I think my time is up but I would hopefully like to think if we want this relationship to work we would have to inform my commanding officers so they are aware and hopefully they will allow us to be together and remain on tour. OK." The tone of his voice made it sound serious and final and I was just waiting for him to ask me the foreboding question. "Molly Dawes, will you agree to be my for now secret girlfriend." I laughed at his formality and nodded my head excitedly saying "Yes, of course James... I don't know your last name I would love to be your for now secret girlfriend. What will happen to Smurf?" I ask with regret in my voice. He has lost his brother and now may lose his tour time because of this stupid thing. "I will have to tell my superiors and they are already on my case for postponing his Psychiatric evaluation. They will probably call him back into the base in Afghanistan and have him take a psychiatric assessment when he gets to the hospital there." Wait. Psychiatric evaluation why did he need that. "James what do you mean by that?" He looked at me with regret obviously I already knew. "Molly the nurses who tended to him after you left to come back here were concerned about some of the things he was saying about the Afghan soldiers. They weren't good things Molly. The nurses informed my superiors who told me any unnecessary or unwanted behaviour will mean hi is pulled from tour and on the first thing flying back to New Port for a psychiatric evaluation if he is deemed unfit by the Afghan medics. But instead of thinking of that think of how we are now secretly a couple." He had hope in his voice and that was all I needed for him to make me believe everything would be alright.