Chapter 84 She Is a Family Member
Matilda quickly ducked behind a massive boulder, the snow's chill seeping through her coat. Just then, a familiar voice called out from nearby—
"Who's there? Come out!"
Matilda's heart eased as she emerged. "Danny, it's me."
Danny was wearing camouflage fatigues today with a radio clipped to his chest—clearly on duty.
Seeing her, Danny broke into a smile. "Dr. Spencer! You're out exploring too?"
Matilda nodded. "Yeah, nothing much to do during the holidays, so I thought I'd take a walk."
"Sorry about that. We patrol a bit more strictly during Christmas break. Hope I didn't scare you just now?"
Matilda shook her head.
A thought flashed through her mind—if Danny was here, was Wentworth nearby too?
Sure enough, just as the thought crossed her mind, Wentworth emerged from the snowy terrain behind them.
Her heart clenched tight.
After several days apart, his presence still sent her emotions into chaos. Wentworth seemed to have forgotten the awkwardness from the other day and walked up to her with a calm expression. "No shift today?"
"No, today... it's a holiday." Her voice trembled slightly.
Did he really not hold that day against her? She'd thought he'd completely stop speaking to her.
Wentworth said, "If you don't have other plans, you could come to the base tonight for our campfire gathering. It's pretty lively."
"Would that be... appropriate?" Matilda asked.
He glanced at his watch. "We could head over now. Lots of family members came to the base today—you could chat with them."
Danny watched Wentworth's demeanor and couldn't help but complain internally—the Captain was clearly suppressing his emotions, but the moment he saw Matilda, it was like nothing had happened.
But he still chimed in supportively. "Yeah, the families all brought their cooking skills. Someone's making apple pie, someone's doing BBQ ribs, plus a whole roasted turkey. All you can eat. Dr. Spencer, you should definitely come hang out."
Matilda figured since it was Christmas, holidays were meant to be festive. Since Wentworth didn't seem bothered by what happened the other day, she might as well check it out.
Plus she had those fireworks in her car—might as well bring them as a holiday gift.
...
She followed them to the military base.
Entry required registration, and her movement was restricted to the mess hall and the open area in front of the barracks.
When Matilda arrived, several military wives were chatting while preparing Christmas dinner—someone roasting turkey, someone making mashed potatoes, others frying corn tortillas.
Seeing Matilda, one military wife asked curiously, "Haven't seen her before. She's...?"
Danny introduced her. "She's Major Gonzaga's wife—a doctor. She's been helping out at the clinic in town."
Hearing she was Wentworth's wife, the military wives immediately welcomed her warmly and invited her to help.
Matilda was beautiful and stood out among the women. The wives were initially a bit reserved, but she was humble and low-key, worked efficiently, and constantly complimented their cooking. Gradually the atmosphere became warm and friendly.
Someone laughed and said, "I always said Major Gonzaga had high standards. Sure enough, he married someone beautiful and capable."
"They're such a perfect match—like a couple from TV."
...
After dinner preparations were complete and darkness had fallen, the campfire gathering began. Wentworth and Danny returned from patrol.
Everyone sat around the fire chatting and eating in a warm atmosphere.
Matilda pulled out the fireworks and said to Danny, "Danny, could you help me set these off?"
Danny grinned. "Why don't we let our Captain do it? That would be more romantic."
He glanced at Wentworth, who said nothing, so Danny had to go light the fireworks himself.
The fireworks were a bit cheap and slightly damp—they wouldn't ignite after several tries. Danny said, "Might be defective."
Finally Wentworth took over. He extracted some of the gunpowder, lit it with a stick, and held the flame to the fuse until the fireworks sparked a few times and shot into the night sky, bursting into colorful flowers.
Watching Wentworth in the fireworks' glow, Matilda felt a surge of emotion, but she forced it down.
After the fireworks, Wentworth carved off a piece of roasted turkey and handed it to her, then sat beside her as if marking his territory.
Danny sighed internally. 'Captain, can't you see she's not really responding to you?'
...
After the campfire gathering ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Wentworth asked, "Are you going back tonight?"
Matilda blurted out, "Of course."
She was well aware that staying overnight would send Wentworth a clear signal.
Wentworth didn't push, just said, "I'll drive you back."
"I can drive myself."
"It's too late. It's not safe for you alone." He went to get his car keys.
Matilda didn't argue further—driving alone on border highways at night really wasn't safe.
She followed him to an army-green Jeep and got in the passenger seat. As they drove out of the base, the atmosphere inside was tense. Neither wanted to be the first to reveal their emotions.
Finally, Matilda spoke. "Wentworth, Merry Christmas..."
Before she could finish, there was a loud bang against the vehicle.
Before she could react, Wentworth quickly killed the headlights and sped the car toward a hillside.
"Wentworth, what's happening?" Matilda asked nervously.
He said grimly, "Get out!"
"Get out? Here?"
Wentworth's tone was sharp. "Get out and hide behind that mountain. No matter what happens, don't come out. Go!"
Matilda was startled by his intensity and immediately got out.
The moment the door closed, Wentworth drove off. She stood there, remembering he'd told her to hide behind the mountain, and began trudging through the snow.
But curiosity made her peek out to look.
Wentworth's headlights came back on, racing through the darkness. Soon, two trucks emerged from the opposite hillside in hot pursuit of his Jeep.
Only then did Matilda understand—Wentworth had her get out to draw those two trucks away from her!
Her heart leaped into her throat. Would he be in danger all alone?