The Way of War Pt. 07

Chapter 24

The pretty Wren secretary, admitted him in to Silverman's office. He was sat behind his desk in navel whites. He came from around the desk with his hand extended.

"Captain Ramage, thank you for coming," he indicated for Shaun to pull up a chair.

Once Shaun was seated, he began, "When I couldn't reach you at the flat, I guessed you would be at the hotel, hence the message." He looked keenly at Shaun, "You intend to return to the Oasis?"

Shaun nodded "Yes Sir".

Silverman nodded slowly, "I thought you would, and how's the arm?"

Shaun smiled, "It's fine Sir," he said lying.

"Shaun, I hope you don't mind me calling you that?" he asked.

"Not at all Sir," he replied.

Silverman smiled again. "Shaun, I applaud your keenness to get back into the fight, but you are not going to be much use to your men if you can't function correctly."

"I'm quite confident that I can lead my patrol, Sir," he replied forcefully.

Silverman spread his fingers, "So be it then. There has been others out there harassing Rommel, the LRDG and the SAS. Unfortunately they have sustained casualties partly due to the effect of not being prepared as Z patrol was."

His voice lowered, "Shaun, I think you know that Sharon is in love with you, I would hate for her to suffer the heartache she underwent when Peter died, again." Shaun made no reply but slowly nodded.

When he returned to the flat, Sharon was beside herself with anger. "Where the hell have you been I've been worried sick?"

He put his left arm around her and kissed her. "I had some things to attend too. Sharon, I'm going back the day after tomorrow." She started to protest, but he held her. "Darling please understand, they are my men, we're a family, in fact we a closer than family, we each hold the others' lives in our hands. I can't let them go out without me being there for them."

She pulled away and sat on the couch tears appearing I her eyes. "When you collapsed into the road I thought he had killed you. I froze as if he had killed me. Shaun, for one moment my life stopped."

He moved over to sit by her side, "I'm a hard man to kill. Look darling, I want to get this war over with so I can make an honest woman of you." She smiled through her tears, and kissed him.

She made him remove his shirt, then cleaned and redressed the wound. "Will they be able to remove the stitches at your base?"

He nodded, "Cookie will be able to do it," he replied.

She cleared away the dressings then went into the kitchen. Shaun knew she would have to come to terms with herself regarding his decision to return to the Oasis. He moved into the bedroom and began to pack some of his clothes into the valise.

Later over dinner, he noticed she seemed brighter. "Have you any brothers or sisters?" He asked. She nodded, "An elder brother, Aron, he's in fighter command in England."

"So he's a pilot?" Shaun asked.

She shook her head "No he works on interception using some hush, hush electronic equipment."

"What about you, do you have any?" She asked.

He smiled, "No, my parents realised they couldn't improve on perfection," he replied with a straight face.

She burst into laughter, "You conceited idiot, for that you can do the washing up."

He looked hurt at her, "But I'm a poor wounded soldier," he said plaintively.

She stood up, "If you are fit enough to go back, then you're fit enough to resume all your duties," she asked, as she started to remove her dress.

She lay across his chest, her body giving uncontrollable shudders as she recovered. Shaun had his arm around her, kissing her long neck. She lifted her head to look at him, "You still have to do the washing up," she whispered.

Sharon helped him to dry wearing her cotton dressing gown to cover her nakedness. He was only wearing his underpants. When they had finished, she moved to the cabinet to pour out drinks for them as he collapsed onto the couch. She handed him his drink then curled up beside him, the dressing gown gapped open.

A thought struck him, "Sharon, we've not been taking precautions when we make love? I could make you pregnant," he said alarmed.

She chuckled, "Now you worry, it's a good job that I take it seriously. You are not likely to become a father because I take precautions."

He frowned, "What do you use?"

She looked up at him seeing the concern in his face. "It's something my mother told me about when Peter and I became serious."

"Oh," he murmured, he hesitated before continuing. "How do I compare with Peter?"

She saw he was in earnest. "We were both very young, I was only nineteen and he was twenty. He was very shy and sweet. We would touch each other but never go the whole way. Then, the week before he shipped out, we did it. Looking back it was laughable, we didn't really know what to do. But somehow we got there. We made love three times before he left."

She paused, "You on the other hand, knew exactly what to do. I suspect that you have practiced in your past life." She chuckled, stroking his face, "When we make love, you make me feel like a complete woman. Does that answer your question?"

That night they slept in his bed just holding each other, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies.

The next morning she slipped out early to collect his repaired uniform jacket. After helping him to dress they had breakfast. "So what would you like to do today?" he asked.

She smiled and shook her head "I'm easy, what would you like to do?"

He thought for a moment before replying, "We could go back to the hotel and have a swim and lunch afterwards, how does that sound?"

She nodded brightly "Sounds like fun, I can wear my new two piece costume."

No one was around the pool when they got there. They went into adjourning changing cubicles. He managed to drop his slacks and underpants but was struggling trying to remove his shirt.

"Darling, can you lend a hand, I can't get this bloody shirt off?"

He was facing the wall still struggling when she entered and he felt her ease the shirt off his shoulder. He turned to thank her then stopped looking at her body in the flame red two piece costume. She looked at him in amusement, "What's the matter?" she asked then her eyes dropped, "Oh, I take it you like my swimsuit?" she whispered.

He reached out for her pulling her into him. His hand pushing down the bottom of the suit, were it fell to the floor. "Shaun we can't, not here," she murmured breathlessly. He wasn't listening, his head buried into her neck. She felt him release the catch of the top of the suit and that joined the bottom on the floor.

"Oh god," she groaned feeling the hardness of his member, as his lips nipped her nipples. Her leg came over his waist and she felt him enter.

Later they swam, even the cold water didn't cool the heat from their love making.

They were sat at a table waiting to be served when Tim and Ann appeared in costumes. Shaun noticed that Tim was carrying a camera. He excused himself and went over to him, returning with the camera.

"What's that for?" she asked.

He chuckled, "When I'm out there, I want to look at you in that outfit and have wicked thoughts."

She laughed, "I'm not Betty Grable you know." He looked at her, "Of course you're not, she's a blonde." He made her strike some poses as he clicked away. Then she took the camera and shot some of him. Tim and Ann came over and joined them for lunch. Tim said that Ann should get a costume like Sharon's.

"If I had a figure like Sharon's, I'd wear it," she said enviously.

That night they made love, clinging to each other knowing in the morning they would part.

He was waiting, dressed and ready, when the downstairs bell rang. It was Tim. She tried to put on a brave face for him as he kissed her good bye.

"Take care darling" she whispered through tear filled eyes.

Chapter 25

The men were climbing out of the three tonner with their bags and cases as they pulled up behind it. Bobby and Bill welcomed them back with ribald remarks concerning lazy bastards. Ted detached himself and came over to the Ford.

"I here you've had an interesting leave, Shaun?" was his opening remark. He said something to Tim and indicated Shaun should follow him back to his tent.

"Pull up a chair, Shaun." He sat down wondering why he was here.

Sandy knocked on the tent post. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

Ted nodded, "Come on in and close the flap."

Once he had done so, Ted asked him to examine Shaun's shoulder. Sandy helped him remove his shirt. After removing his dressing he touched the wound, and then taking Shaun's arm, lifted it asking him to tell him when it was too painful. After ten minutes, he said Shaun could put back on his shirt, telling him he didn't need a dressing now.

"So Sandy, what's your prognosis?" Ted asked.

"Well, his shoulder blade took most of the cut but the knife nicked his shoulder muscle. The wound has healed, I can take the stitches out tomorrow."

"Will it affect him carrying out his duties?" Ted asked.

Sandy chuckled "He won't be playing table tennis for a while, but apart from being stiff and sore he should be okay."

Shaun looked at the two of them, "If you are both quite done inspecting the meat, can someone help me put on my shirt?"

Ted laughed, "Thanks Sandy. That will be all."

He helped Shaun slip the shirt on, "As you no doubt realised, Captain Silverman told me about your mishap. He was concerned you may not be able to take out your patrol, hence the medical examination. It seems that you are able," Ted said dryly.

It seemed that word had got out about Shaun's run-in with the Arabs as the men asked about him. Jack came over to inquire, and Shaun gave him the pocket version ending by saying, "Jack, before our next leave, I'm going to need a 7.65 PPK and a Leica camera and film."

Jack nodded "I hear Sharon's quite a good shot, so she's got your PPK?" Shaun nodded.

Over the next two days the men worked on the trucks and Jeeps checking everything, and then began loading them. Shaun had spoken to Bobby. They had made three runs out to the cave stockpiling petrol, ammunition and food.

"You should be alright for about three weeks," he said, as he handed Shaun a list of what had been taken out. He remarked that the runs had been milk runs, no enemy patrols were seen or aircraft.

On the third day they set out. Shaun sat with Titch in Sue, Whist Sammy drove the Jeep with the Prof as his passenger. They arrived at the cave entrance on the fourth day.

They climbed from the vehicles stretching and bending, releasing cramped muscles from the constant jarring of their passage across the desert. The burners were broken out and the pan for the tea was soon bubbling away. Shaun pushed up the goggles and pulled down the scarf wiping his face with it. He rinsed his mouth with his water bottle then spat it out clearing the dust that had accumulated in his mouth. He lit a cigarette, drawing in the smoke while leaning against Sue's front fender.

Sammy came over with his mug, "Bet you're ready for this, Boss." he said cheerfully.

Shaun smiled and nodded, noticing that the tea had milk in it. Cookie must be using the evaporated milk that Aunt Vicky sent him. After the tea, Jack sent down five men to move the boulders across the entrance of the wadi. Two others climbed up to keep a lookout.

Tim came over to him, "How's the arm?" he asked.

"Not too bad, still a bit stiff but not as painful," he murmured. "We'll let the men have a good night's sleep, then tomorrow we'll check out the traffic opposite Bomba where the road drops down to the coastal plain."

Tim nodded "By the way, I gave that roll of film to the Prof to develop, but with getting ready for this he hasn't had a chance to do it yet."

Shaun shrugged his shoulders, "He can do it when we get back."

They had a good meal of sausage and beans, and by eight they were bedded down.

At 4:30pm in the afternoon Shaun and Tim left in the Jeeps, cutting between Matuba and Timini they took up a position behind an outcrop of rock. He and Tim went forward with their binoculars until they were in a position to see the road two hundred yards away. What they saw gave Shaun a shock. Tank transported after tank transported filled the road. He focused the 10x50 binoculars on them murmuring to Tim, "There brand new Panzer IVs with a longer main gun."

Tim was looking along the road counting, "It has to be a full Battalion strength."

Shaun edged back "We need to inform command about this right away."

They returned to the cave, whilst Titch drove the truck down to the entrance of the wadi, Shaun wrote out the message for Sammy to code. 'Location Bomba. Estimated battalion strength. New Mk IV Tanks with longer main gun.'

He handed it to Sammy, "When you have coded it, get it off to command. Make sure you get a confirmation that it's been received."

Titch returned with Sammy in the truck. As the men repositioned the camouflage net, Sammy came over to him. "They got it boss, they asked me to repeat it."

Shaun nodded, "I'll bet they did, that's going to upset some people."

They heard the following week that Tobruk had fallen. Over 85000 Allies had surrendered. The news came as a bombshell to the men. Rommel steamrolled his way along the coast road, Sidi Barrani fell followed by Mersa Matruth.

The men grew despondent, "He'll be in Cairo next," Cookie grumbled.

Tim came over to Shaun. "What do you think will happen now?"

Shaun looked at Tim, "We carry on, it's even more important to damage his supply convoys now." He said grimly.

Each night they went out attacking the convoys, changing locations, then doubling back on themselves. After three more weeks they were nearly out of ammunition and food. Their petrol supply was getting dangerously low. Shaun concluded it was time to return to the Oasis.

They returned four days later, tired and worn out. Ted was there to greet them. Shaun followed him into his tent, pulling off his scarf and wiping his face. Ted poured out a large scotch and handed it to him. He downed it in one swallow, Ted refilled it then sat down behind his desk. He threw over a packet of Players, watching Shaun's hands shake as he lit it.

"So, how are things at the front?" Shaun asked.

"He's stalled at El Alamain at the moment, we appear to be holding him. Bobby and Bill have been out for over two weeks now, also L R D G and the SAS have been active."

Shaun stood up, "I'd better see to getting the trucks loaded up and get back out there."

Ted stood up, "Shaun, you are not going anywhere until you and your men have had a rest. They are all dead on their feet, you included.

Shaun looked at Ted and smiled, "In case you haven't noticed, there's a war on."

Ted smiled, "That's not a request, Captain, but an order. You all can have five days leave starting tomorrow." Shaun started to protest but Ted held his hand up, "Shaun go, you stink."

After a shower and shave Shaun collapsed on to the cot he was asleep in seconds.

For the past ten days Shaun had not really slept at the cave, he'd doze for a few minutes but then wake. Listening for any strange sounds, his brain going over events of past attacks, whilst considering where to attack next. The constant danger of being discovered or sustaining casualties, all weighed on his subconscious. He was close to a break down and didn't know it.