No Flying Tonight Ch. 15-17

"I've booked a call to Canada, in the name of Lindsey." There was a pause followed by the voice of the operator.

"Your line is available Mr. Lindsey; where did you want to call in Canada?"

"Hamilton, Ontario. I'd like to call Hamilton 1417 and operator, I'd like to reverse the charges."

He listened while the operator talked to three other operators, one with an English accent, the other two Canadian. After fifteen seconds of silence, he heard the telephone ring. It rang five times before someone picked it up.

"Hamilton 1417, Sophie McLeod speaking." It was her voice; a voice he hadn't heard in over a year.

"Will you accept a call from England; from a Mr. Lindsey, a Mr. Jack Lindsey?"

He heard her gasp, then a pause and finally, "Yes operator, I will. Jack ....is that you?"

He heard the catch in her voice.

"Yes Sophie, it is."

Before he could get another word in she started.

"Jack why haven't you written to me? I wrote to you twice and you didn't reply. I waited and waited, but nothing came. I missed you Jack, a lot more than you will ever know. I know we said it was over and there was no future for us. Logically I knew it was right, but you have to understand; I didn't want it to be over. When you left there was a hole in my life and I haven't been able to fill it. I've thought about you every day. I read the newspapers every day. I didn't know whether you were alive or dead. Every bombing raid I've read about I've worried you'd been on it and weren't coming back. I.. "

He needed to stop her as he needed to talk to her.

"Steady Sophie; take it easy. Let's start at the beginning."

"I'm sorry Jack, but it's been over a year and a lot has happened. I can't help it."

I understand, but first things first - why did you leave it up to Andrew to try to find me?"

"Jack, when you didn't reply to my letters I thought that you didn't want me and if you didn't, then I didn't want hound you and make you feel sorry for me. As to Andrew; I didn't ask him to find you. All I can think is that he found you through Daniel Backhouse; a friend of Iain's who's a high-up in Bomber Command. But it doesn't matter how he found you -- just that he did. I can't believe it; I can't believe you're alive and I'm talking to you. If.."

"But what about my son - our son?" Jack's interjection halted her flow.

He waited for her to reply and when she did her voice was tender and almost a whisper.

"Jack he's beautiful. I wish you could see him. He's perfect. He's got brown eyes and fair hair and he looks just like you."

"But why didn't you tell me? I thought you couldn't have any more children."

"Jack, I would have, but I didn't realise I was pregnant until it was too late. When I told you my periods had stopped, I wasn't being totally truthful. From time to time I was bleeding slightly but I didn't think anything of it. When you left I hadn't had any kind of period for three months. When it didn't happen for the next two months it didn't bother me, even though I'd already started having what turned out to be morning sickness. I should have known what it was; it happened the other times I was pregnant, but I was in denial. I couldn't believe I was pregnant. I was too old to have children. In the end I went to Toronto to see a female doctor whom I knew from university and she confirmed it. I waited a month and then wrote to you. When you didn't reply, I wrote again."

"I didn't get your letters. Andrew told me you'd written to me at the HCU. Why didn't you write to me at home?"

"I didn't know what you'd told your parents and I didn't want to get you into trouble."

She was pregnant, he was the father and she didn't want to get him into trouble.

"Sophie I can't say much other than I still love you, I've never stopped loving you and I love our son. When I finish my tour I'm hoping to get an instructor posting in Canada. It should finish this week and it will probably take a couple of months to sort out the posting, but I will make it to Canada and even if I don't get the posting, this war can't go on forever."

He wanted to carry on talking to her, but he had said everything he could say about the future.

"Sophie, I love you. What have you called our son?"

"John, and this time it will be John and not Jack. I haven't had him christened. I was waiting to hear from you. We'll do it as soon as you can get here."

"We will, but not before we're married."

"Is that a proposal?"

"It is."

"Then the answer is; yes."

"Thank you, Sophie. I wanted to ask you before I left Canada but I couldn't see a future for us. I didn't think I would ever hear from you again. Sophie, you can't imagine how happy I am, how happy I am to hear about John and how much I've missed you."

He wanted to keep on talking, but knew how expensive the collect call was.

"Sophie, I've got to go. I love you."

"I love you, Jack. Please call me any time you want -- collect - I just want to hear your voice again." Her voice started to break. "Goodbye Jack and good luck. Take care of yourself. I love you."

"Goodbye Sophie; give John my love and a kiss from me."

He put down the telephone and turned to face Andrew. "I love your mother."

"I know."

As he walked back to his quarters he remembered his promise to see her again. This was the second time he had broken the unwritten rule and tempted fate and he didn't like it. I just hope it's not the Big City, he thought.