Chapter 10

“So,Lieutenant,what you gonna do with your two days’leave?Wank off to some muscle mag?”Private Luke Wales turned his thousand-watt smile Andy’s way.

The others in the army transport laughed.They knew Andy and Luke had been neighbours in civilian life,and Luke had followed Andy into the army just as soon as he was old enough.

“The pages will be stuck together already,”Seth Wilson,the driver,piped up,turning momentarily from the barely-there track,high in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Everyone laughed,including Andy,who reached over to cuff Luke’s ear.

“Hope there’s some mail from home.Janice said she’d send us some chocolate biscuits,”Pat Bryant,Andy’s second in command,said.

The platoon was returning to base from a routine patrol and would enjoy a forty-eight-hour break.

“Mum said she’d sent some brownies she’d made,”someone else said from the rear of the vehicle.

It had become an unofficial rule that whatever foodstuffs were sent from home would be shared within the platoon.Andy was gratified his men had become so close over the months.

The only one who didn’t get parcels from his family was Luke.His parents still objected to their son joining up.But,when Andy’s mother found out what was going on,she addressed every other parcel she sent to Luke.

Andy worried at times about the friendship he and Luke enjoyed.If he wasn’t careful,he couldlet the brotherly affection he had for Luke upset the discipline of his unit.He knew the men had to believe totally in those around them.Anything less could have disastrous consequences.

It was no secret Andy was gay,though he would never bring up the subject.The fact homosexuals were able to serve openly in the army since the turn of the millennium didn’t stop the occasional idiot from opening his gob.However,Andy—through hard work and dedicated leadership—had won over most of his platoon,and his men quietly dealt with those problems that did arise.

“And I suppose you’ll use your off time to write love-sick notes back to Angie?”Andy said,turning to address Luke.“Oh,dearest love,I ache for your gentle caress.”Andy did a fair impersonation of Luke’s tenor voice.He was a good mimic,even if he did say so himself.

The others laughed and began poking fun at an embarrassed Luke.His fair complexion did little to hide the blush rising in his cheeks.

“Fuck off!”Luke gave Andy the finger.

A sudden explosion ripped their army transport vehicle apart.

Andy’s world tilted.Everything seemed to go into slow motion.Somewhere far away he felt paindown his right side.Strangely there was no sound.It was as if the movie he was watching had lost its audio track.He could see Seth screaming,a large dark red stain blossoming from around a jagged piece of metal embedded in his chest.Stunned at the sight in front of him Andy just sat there.

Turning his head slightly to the right,he saw a writhing Pat,his arms and legs moving like a drunk trying to steady himself.Andy looked away,but wished he hadn’t,because his gaze fell upon Luke.He knew,even without touching him,that he’d been killed outright.

“No!Luke,no!”“

Somehow his training kicked in.From the periphery of his vision he saw movement.Rolling to his left,Andy cocked his weapon and fired.His aim must have been true because an lifeless figure slumped into view from behind a large grey boulder.

Crouching behind what was left of the transport’s front end,Andy visually scoured the high,arid desert.Despite the pain,the cold,and his fading strength,Andy loosed off a number of shots,certain he’d hit at least two other rebels.

With increased helplessness Andy began yelling.“Come on you fucking bastards!Where are you!Come on,show your fucking cowardly faces!”

“Uncle Andy!”

He felt things slow down,as though he were moving in molasses.His fingers clenched more tightly,but where was his gun?

“Uncle Andy,wake up.”

Where was his gun?Why did his legs feel as though they were tangled in something?

“You’re having a nightmare.Please,Uncle Andy,wake up.”

“Huh?”Andy shook himself and opened his eyes.He couldn’t understand.Why was it so bright?Why was he indoors?Where was the truck?His men?

“You all right?”a voice asked,sounding panicked.

Andy looked to his right.Why was Craig here?

“You had another nightmare.”Craig reached out to touch Andy’s arm.

Andy pulled back.Then slowly relaxed.Reality began to dawn.What Craig had said was true.He’d had a nightmare.They’d not happened as often recently.But this one was different.Andycould remember everything that had happened.Who was the blond kid called Luke?Why hadn’t he pictured Phil,who had brown hair and slightly bucked teeth?The only Luke he knew was…Then helooked up and saw the man himself,standing in the doorway to his bedroom,looking pensive.

“You all right now?”Craig asked.

“Give me a minute.”Andy’s heart was pounding.He still felt agitated.

“I’ll go get those tablets the doctor gave you.”Before Andy could object,Craig had got to his feet and was moving toward the door,Luke moving aside to let him pass.“Will you stay withhim?”Craig asked Luke.

“Uh,okay,”Luke nodded,but looked uncomfortable.

Andy closed his eyes.Why had he embarrassed himself like that?Had he called out Luke’s name during the dream?He thought he had.“Oh,God.Luke I—”

“It’s okay,you,uh…do you often have bad dreams?”Luke sounded as if he were closer.

Andy opened his eyes.Luke was standing by his bed,looking down at him.Instead of pity or whatever he expected to see in Luke’s face,all he saw was concern.

“Now and again.Sometimes they’re worse than others.”

“You,uh,you kept calling out the name Luke…”Luke’s face coloured,just as it had in the dream.

“I,uh.I—”

“Here we are.Is it all right to take them on an empty stomach?”Craig had come back into the room holding a small brown plastic bottle.He read the label.“It doesn’t say anything about food.”

“No,just need some water.”Andy knew they’d work faster on an empty stomach.

“Oh,sorry.”Craig left the room again.

****

If anyone had told Luke he’d be sitting in a flag-stoned kitchen next to an Aga,drinking cocoa in the middle of the night,he would have told them that they were nuts.But here he was,and actually he was enjoying himself.Okay,it wasn’t good that Andy had had a nightmare and was now in some kind of drugged sleep.

“But what if you don’t like the guy who’s,um,you know?”Craig asked,resolutely not looking at him.

Luke began to revise his level of comfort when Craig started to ask awkward questions.“If I don’t like the guy I’m working with?”He could have been less subtle,but he wasn’t in the mood for crudeness.Craig was a great kid.It was obvious he worshiped his uncle,and Luke could understand why.He began to consider Craig’s question,a vision of Max coming unbidden into his mind.“Well,I can’t really lie back and think of England if that’s what you mean.”

Craig laughed.

Luke shifted in the wooden chair that he’d pulled up to the Aga.He was uncomfortable about answering questions posed by someone of Craig’s age.“I’m an actor.It’s all pretend.”

“What,you mean…you don’t actually,uh…”Craig gestured.

Luke decided to call a spade a spade.“Fuck,you mean?”

Craig reddened,but nodded,not meeting his eyes again.

“Sorry.”Luke laid a hand on Craig’s pyjama-clad thigh.

Craig moved into the touch.Luke,sensing where this was going,withdrew his hand.

“You can’t compare making love with someone who means something to you to what I do for a living.”Luke had found that out the hard way,years ago.“But the trick is to make it look as though it’s love,or passion,or whatever the director wants.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

Craig was a persistent little bugger,Luke would give him that.“Yes,I do enjoy it.But,”he held up a hand to prevent Craig’s next question,“it’s not as glamorous as people think it is.”Unwilling to let the conversation go any further,Luke drained his cocoa mug and stood.Despite the heat in the room,the stone floor was cold on his bare feet.“Time for bed.People get up early in the country.”