Love In The ArmyChapter Nine |
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This story is copyrighted to
myself, its
writer, and cannot be copied in any way shape or form without my
express
written
permission. This story is fiction and any resemblance to persons or
events are
purely coincidental. If you are underage or don’t like
stories of a homosexual
nature, please leave now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story. I welcome comments please send
them to Mikkiwriter@gmail.com Thank you, Jim, for all your hard
work
editing this story for me. |
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Tom
was at home with his son Jon, who was
home from college for the day. Tom was in the kitchen washing up the
breakfast
dishes. The postman arrived and posted the letters through the letter
box. Jon
went and picked them up. Jon looked through the letters and spotted a
letter
from the Lord Chancellors office for Tom. Jon thought that’s
unusual and said, “dad.” Tom said, “yes
son.” “There is a letter
here for you that looks
really official,” Jon said. “Oh, let’s
have a look,” Tom said. Tom opened the letter and
was gobsmacked it
said: Dear Colonel Tom Rees
Andrews, It is with gracious pleasure
that I inform
you that you have been nominated to receive an honour in this
year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Should you choose to
accept this honour, which would
welcome you to become a Member of the Order of
British Empire, you will need to
return
the slip below to the address above. Your name was nominated for your
services
to injured soldiers by the British Army and the Royal British Legion. Yours faithfully, Lord Chancellor Tom looked at Jon and
said, “shit, I don’t
believe it. I have been nominated for a MBE son.” Jon smiled and said,
“wow, dad that’s
fantastic.” “Yeah, I
can’t believe it,” Tom said. “Me, Tom Rees
Andrews, a MBE! Oh wow, my mum
will go mad!” Tom said. “And Ben will go
nuts,” Jon said. “Yeah he will. I
might just leave the letter
on the table and see what he says” Tom said, laughing. “He will kill you,
dad” Jon said, laughing. “Well, it’s
my turn to get my own back for
the wedding son” Tom said, smiling. Ben arrived home a few
hours later and saw
Tom was in his office on the computer. Jon was upstairs in his room
when he
heard Ben come home. Jon snuck onto the landing and listened in to see
if Ben
saw the letter. Ben walked into the lounge and spotted the strange
looking
letter on the table. Ben picked it up and screamed as Tom walked in the
room.
Ben said, “oh my god, wow Colonel Tom Rees Andrews, MBE oh
wow.” Jon came down and said,
“what you think?” Ben said, “I am
gobsmacked, to be honest.” Tom smiled said,
“well, I was too when I
opened that letter this morning.” “What?? You have
had this letter since this
morning and your didn’t tell me?!? Ben said. “Yeah, I wanted to
surprise you babes” Tom said, laughing. “Well, are you
accepting it then?” Ben asked. “Too right, I
am” Tom said. Tom said, “I have
to phone mum in a while to
tell her.” “What? You
haven’t told her yet?” Ben said. “No, she has been
on a wi trip all day” Tom
said. “Oh ok,” Ben
said. Tom picked up the phone
and rang Lucy. Lucy had been home around
ten minutes when
the phone rang. “Hello” Lucy
answered. “Hi mum” Tom
said. “Hi Tom you sound
happy what’s going on?
Lucy said. “Ok, what I am
about to tell you must be
kept quiet and cannot be broadcast yet. Ok mum?” Tom said. “Umm yeah ok,
Tom” Lucy said. “I had a letter
this morning from the Lord Chancellor’s Office. I have been
nominated for a MBE” Tom said. “Oh wow, Tom. That
is wonderful. Your dad would
have been so proud. You know that.” Lucy said, with tears in her
eyes. “Yeah, I know mum,
but don’t tell anyone. Ok?”
Tom said. “Yeah, I will keep
your secret until the
list is out son,” Lucy said “I am so shocked
mum couldn’t believe it
when I opened the letter” Tom said. “I expect you were
shocked, son. But don’t
forget, you have done so much good stuff over the past few years, son.
You deserve
this honour,” Lucy said. ~
A few months later ~ The Queen’s
Birthday Honours list came out
and soon the whole local communities in Coninton and in the Rhondda
Valley knew
that Tom was on it. Lucy was really proud of
her son and was
happy telling her friends at the WI all about his MBE nomination. Lucy and one of her
friends were in Cardiff
went looking for an outfit. Finally, she found a two piece suit she was
happy with.
Later, after looking in three different stores, she finally found a hat
that
matched. Tom would be collecting his MBE in a few weeks from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. He had already received his allotted tickets. Tom had asked his mum and Ben to accompany him into the palace while Jon and Greg would be with them in London for the day. Tom had felt bad that his son Jon couldn’t go and had asked the palace for two extra tickets which was granted Rhys Shaun and Matthew would also join them for a celebratory party the next day at Toms and Ben’s house. Tom
would be wearing his dress uniform which he hasn’t worn since he
left the army.
Ben had bought new suits for him and the boys and top hats to wear Tom
haven’t
yet seen the suits. ~The Big Day ~ The family had arrived in London the day before, and were staying at a hotel. Lucy was looking stunning in a cream dress and matching blazer, and a large cream hat. She was so proud of her son. Tom was nervous about meeting the Queen, but knew with his family nearby he would be ok. Ben looked gorgeous in his grey morning suit and top hat, and Tom, as always, looked good in his full dress uniform which he had had permission to wear from the Army. Tom walked into the main room, and saw Ben and the boys all dressed up. Tom smiled and said, “wow look at you three.” Ben said, “shut
up.” Lucy knocked on
Tom’s room and walked in
and said, “wow, look at you lot.” Tom smiled and said,
“wow, look at you.” “Well, it’s
not every day I get to go and
see the Queen,” Lucy said. Ben had organised a
surprise for Tom, and
had hired them a limo to take them to the palace. The party left the hotel
and Tom looked
shocked when he saw the car waiting for them. He looked at Ben and
said, “you did this, didn’t
you?” Ben laughed and said,
“of course. We couldn’t
go to the Palace in a taxi, babes.” The party of five got
into the limo, and
headed off towards Buckingham Palace. The car pulled along the
mall, and pulled up
outside the palace gates. Tom handed over the papers to the duty guard,
and the
car was allowed in. The driver opened the
door, and Tom followed
by Ben, Lucy, and the boys, got out and looked around in awe. Tom was ushered into a
state room. His
family were showed to their position. Tom was in a room with other
people who were collecting
their honours. Tom was led into the
state room, and saw the
Queen standing there. One of the Palace
officials said, “for
services to injured soldiers and their families, retired Colonel Tom
Rees
Andrews.” Tom walked up and bowed
in front of the Queen. She handed him his medal and said, “Thank you for all you do, young
man.” “Thank you, your
majesty” Tom said. Tom walked away, feeling
elated. He was led
into another room, and waited there until his family joined him. Tom walked out into the
courtyard of the Palace and Greg said, “come on guys, all stand
together." Tom stood in the middle,
with Ben to his
left and his mum to his right and Jon next to Ben. Tom held up his MBE,
as Greg
took a photo. A press photographer also took one with Greg standing
next to
Ben and said, "Look for this photo in The Sunday Times." Tom spotted
other military people at the Palace, and spoke to a few before
the party left the Palace to return to their hotel. Tom was in for another
surprise when they
arrived at the hotel as he saw a smiling Rhys Shaun and Matthew waiting
there. Tom walked over and said,
“what you guys
doing here?” Rhys laughed and said,
“we were outside the Palace, and saw you having your photograph
taken as well.” Ben laughed and said,
“well, Tom Rees Andrews
MBE, we going to have a family meal tonight at the hotel.” “You swine, you
organised this” Tom said,
smiling. “Of course, only
the best for my special
husband “ Ben said, smiling. ~ Later that evening ~ Tom, now dressed in a
suit, along with Ben
and the boys, went down to dinner in the restaurant at the hotel. Tom
was
surprised when they were directed to a side room off the restaurant.
Tom was
shocked when he walked through the door and saw not just Rhys, Shaun,
and Matthew,
and his mum, Lucy sitting there, but also Daffyd, Brad, and Alex, and
Lisa. Daffyd stood
up and said, “ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for the
guest of honour,
Colonel Tom Rees Andrews MBE.” The guests all clapped as
Tom sat down. Ben
laughed and said, “gotcha.” Tom smiled and whispered,
“you wait.” As the evening went on,
Tom really started
to enjoy himself. It had been a while since he had had his best friends
all
around him.
~ A few days later ~ Tom arrived at Coldbrooke
Hall, and was met
by Alistair. “Morning
Tom,” Alistair said. “Morning
Alistair,” Tom replied. “I have come to see
Maurice Baker. He has
asked to see me,” Tom said. “Oh
yes, he is in the lounge with Lee, his soon to be brother in
law,” Alistair said. “Ok thanks,”
Tom replied. Tom walked into the
lounge and saw Maurice
and Lee, sitting there talking. Tom walked over and said, “hi
guys.” Maurice smiled and said,
“hi Tom, thanks for
coming.” “No problem
Maurice,” Tom replied. “How are you,
Lee?” Tom asked. Lee smiled and said,
“well, I am getting a
lot fitter. I finally had my prosthetic leg fitted yesterday, so
things are
looking up and I am getting married.” “Yeah, so Ben told
me, to Maurice’s sister. Isn’t it?” Tom asked. “Yeah, we met in
here and, well, we gelled, so
to speak” Lee said. Maurice laughed and said,
“yes, my sister
hasn’t stopped talking about him since she met him.” “I told you that
you'd find miss right soon
enough, didn’t I?” Tom said. “Sure did. I
didn’t believe you, to be
honest” Lee replied. “The reason I asked
to see you, Tom, is to
ask you to be my best man,” Maurice said. Tom smiled and said,
“wow, really? I would be
honoured, young man.” Lee looked and said,
“shit, he beat me to it.” Tom laughed and said,
“sorry mate.” Lee said, “no
problem. I’ll ask Ben instead.” Tom laughed and said,
“yeah, but don’t tell
him he was second choice, mate, that would upset him.” “I won’t. I
promise,” Lee said. Tom left Coldbrooke a
little while later.
He arrived back at the office to see his boss, Lady Jayne Dobson,
sitting in his
office. “Afternoon,
Jayne” Tom said. “There you are.
I've been looking for you” Jayne
replied. “Sorry, I was at
Coldbrooke, visiting a
client” Tom said. “Yeah, I
know.Jonathan told me,” Jayne said. “So, what brings
you down here?” Tom asked. “Well, I have been
asked by the Royal
British Legion, to ask you to represent the support unit at this year's
cenotaph
ceremony in Whitehall,” Jayne said, smiling. “Oh wow, that would
be some honour,” Tom said. “Tom, you deserve
it. Look what you have done
for Maurice Baker,” Jayne said. “Yeah, but that is
no different to what
other people have done for other clients,” Tom said. “You know, Tom, you
are a special young man,
and you always undervalue the good work you do,” Jayne replied. “Well, maybe I do,
but the team all do good
work.Aand to be honest, I think maybe Jon should be the one who should
represent
the group more than me” Tom said. “Well, Jon will be
there as well” Jayne said. “Oh ok,” Tom
said. “So, you will do it
then?” Jayne asked. “Guess I will do
it” Tom said, smiling. “Good, I am
glad” Jayne said. ~ Two weeks later ~ Tom was standing in the square, in the village where he had grown up. He was with members of the local British Legion branch. The local branch had raised money for the village’s cenotaph, to be replaced with a new structure after the old one was damaged by a tree falling on it.Tom had been asked to rededicate the cenotaph on behalf of the legion. There were also representatives from the local council, and the community were out in force. The local newspaper and TV also sent people to the event. Tom walked up in front of the new structure and said, “ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today. Last year I received a telephone call at my home, from my mother telling me about the terrible damage done to the cenotaph, after gale force winds uprooted a nearby tree. It had stood here in the village since 1948. I was a serving officer in the army at the time and decided to see if maybe the army could contribute towards a replacement. The army did give a donation and that started the ball rolling. The local branch of the Royal British Legion then took over and raised an amazing £25,000 in just six months. It is a great honour, that on behalf of the Royal British Legion, that I rededicate this cenotaph today. There has been a slight change to the old one. The names of those brave men and women who fell in both world wars have been joined by three brave men, who have died in the recent conflicts in the Falkland’s, in Iraq, and most recently, in Afghanistan. Private Dominic Wetton died on the Sir Galahad in the Falkland’s conflict. Sgt Paul Gregory died in the first gulf war, and recently, a good friend of mine, Private Matthew Darren Taylor died in Afghanistan. These people sacrificed their lives for this country. So, without further ado, it is with great pleasure that on behalf of the Royal British Legion, I dedicate this cenotaph, and hope that it will serve the community as long as the original has done. Thank you. Tom was joined by Rhys, who had come down specially to see Matthews name added to the cenotaph. Tom and Rhys walked up and laid a wreath of red poppies on the step, and Tom saluted as he walked back. ~ November 10th ~ Tom had arrived in London with Ben, ready for Tomorrow’s ceremony at the cenotaph in Whitehall. This event is broadcast on national TV, every year, and is attended by the royal family, representatives of commonwealth countries, and members of all the main political parties. Tom was leading a contingent of people from the Royal British Legion’s support unit. Ben, however, was going to be there pushing Geoffrey Walls in a wheelchair, representing Coldbrooke. Geoff would be carrying a wreath and that will be placed on the cenotaph. ~ The next day ~ Tom was getting nervous, but was standing with his team in line with a huge muster of former members of the armed forces. The men stood still as Big Ben struck 11am. 2 minutes later, a gun sounded the end of the two minute silence and a bugle player sounded the last post. Tom spotted the queen as she placed her wreath on the steps. The rest of the royal family followed. Soon all the main wreaths were laid and the royal family went back in the nearby building to watch the ceremony from a balcony. Tom led the team from the
Royal British
Legion flawlessly and handed his wreath to the guard and marched away.
Ben soon
followed and Geoff handed his wreath over and saluted as he was wheeled
past. Ben
also saluted. Jon and Greg were at
home,
watching the
coverage on the TV and Jon said, “there he is,” as Tom
marched past the cenotaph. Greg laughed and said,
“wow, he looks sad.” “Well, it is hardly
the time to be smiling,
is it” Jon said. “No, I suppose
not” Greg said. Greg then spotted Ben and
said, “there’s
Ben.” “Wow, he looks
happy” Jon said. “Yeah, he does and
that guy he is pushing
looks pissed off,” Greg said. “Yeah, Ben said he was a miserable bastard” Jon said. ~ Later that day ~ Ben and Tom arrived home,
and went into the
house and Tom said, “god, I am glad that’s over with.” “Yeah, I
don’t
think I could stick another
minute with that miserable swine,” Ben said. “Yeah, he is a
right
misery” said Tom. “He needs to get
over himself to be honest”
Ben said. “Yeah, I hoped that
Jon being with him most
of the time would have made him realise he isn’t the only one who
has lost
limbs,” Tom said. “Hi Dads,”
Jon
said, as he came from the kitchen. “Hi son,” Tom
said. “We saw you on the
tv, dad” Jon said. “Oh, maybe I'll
watch
it later” Tom said. Greg was sat in the
lounge doing some
coursework on his laptop. Greg looked up and said, “hi
guys.” “Hi Greg, you
ok?” Ben said. “Yeah, this
coursework is getting on my
nerves, to be honest” Greg said. Ben laughed and said,
“That’s the idea. It’s
not supposed to be interesting.” Greg laughed and said,
“I suppose not.” “When are you going
to be working at the
hospital?” Tom asked. “Oh, I start
working
on the wards in a few
weeks, once this coursework is done and one final exam. I start my
proper
training then” Greg replied. Jon said, “yeah,
then I won’t see much of
you.” Greg smiled stood up and
walked over and
kissed Jon and said, “I know babes, but we will get through
it.” “Yeah, I remember
when Rhys was training, he
was doing long hours” Tom said. “Yeah, but look at
him now. He is in charge
of a ward” Greg said. “Yeah, and he loves
it” Jon said. “He certainly does,
and he used to love to
boss Shaun around” Ben said. “Yeah, but not
anymore. Now they work in
different wards and Shaun has been promoted” Tom said. ~ A few weeks later ~ It was a sunny
summer’s day and the big day
had finally arrived for Maurice Baker and his partner Adam Harrison,
and
Lee
Thomas and Diane Baker. Tom was with a nervous
Maurice, as he got
ready to walk down the aisle to see the love of his life, Adam, waiting
there.
Tom managed to calm him down and said, “now come on, we need you
to go downstairs
and meet Diane.” Maurice followed slowly
behind Tom. Maurice
still needed a stick to walk long distances and Tom walked slowly
alongside
him. They arrived in the hotel
lobby to see
Diane standing there in a long white dress. Maurice smiled and said,
“wow, look
at you.” Diane smiled and said,
“well, you don’t look
bad yourself.” Ben was walking with Lee
in the grounds, and
noticed that he was struggling to walk with his prosthetic leg. Ben
didn’t say
anything, but said, “right mate, let’s get to the
marquee.” Lee smiled and said,
“yeah, cannot have the
groom being late.” Lee stood at the front
with Ben, and Daniel
with his brother Chris. The marquee was full of
their families and
friends and Daniel turned round as “No Matter What”
played as
Maurice walked down the aisle slowly towards his groom. Lee was still nervous,
but
a short while
later the familiar “Here Comes the Bride”
played as Diane, looking stunning, walked down
the aisle
with her and Maurice’s proud dad, Steve, alongside her. The ceremony was over and
the best men and
Steve signed the register. The registrar said,
“you may kiss the bride
and groom.” Maurice kissed his
husband, Daniel, and Lee
leaned in and kissed Diane. Diane noticed that Lee
seemed to be in pain
and asked, “you ok, darling?” “Yeah, it’s
just my leg. It’s rubbing my
stump princess, I will be fine” Lee said. Ben heard this and walked
over and said, “Lee,
you did put your sock on your stump, didn’t you?” Lee said, “umm
shit,
I forgot.” “That’s why
it is rubbing right. I want you
come to our room, and I will see if I can do something to stop it
rubbing. We can’t
have the groom screaming in pain on his wedding day, now can we”
Ben said. Lee laughed and said,
“I can’t just
disappear.” “Well, we can
always
tell them that you need
some medical help” Ben said. “Yeah, don’t
worry baby. I will tell anyone
who asks” Diane said. Ben went to his car and
found his work bag. He also found a small supply of the socks he had,
and went back into the
marquee
and said, “come on.” Ben walked with Lee and
could tell he was
in a lot of pain. Ben let Lee into his room
and said, “ok,
trousers off.” Lee laughed and said,
“I am not that way,
mate” laughing. Ben said, “shut up
and do it.” Lee took his trousers off
and then took off
the leg. Ben immediately noticed that Lee’s stump was red, and
that there was a
small blister starting to grow. “We got to this in
time,” Ben said. Ben took out some cream
and started to rub
it into the stump. He massaged the blister and it started to weep out.
Lee said,
“shit, what the hell?” “Don’t worry,
mate. It’s just the blister”
Ben said. “Oh ok” Lee
said. Ben reached over and
grabbed two socks and
gently put them over Lee’s stump and said, “now, young man,
next time remember to
put these on first.” Lee laughed and said,
“yes dad.” Ben laughed and said, ok,
now let’s get you
decent again and you can get back to your beautiful wife.” Lee smiled and said,
“yeah, and thanks Ben. I
don’t know what I would do without you.” Ben laughed and said,
“hey,m just doing my job,
mate.” The two men arrived back
into the marquee
and Tom walked over and asked, “where you two been?” “Don’t worry,
babes. Lee needed some medical
help, that’s all” Ben said. Tom laughed and said,
“I know. I am teasing.
Diane told me he was in pain.” “Yeah. it was his
own fault though. He forgot
to put the sock over his stump,” Ben said. Tom said, “oh come
on, he probably forgot
with his nerves and all that.” “Yeah,
probably” Ben said. Ben and Tom sat at the
top table and Ben
stood up and tapped a glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, I was
honoured
to be asked
by Lee, to be his best man. I met Lee earlier this year when I joined
the team
at the British Legion’s Coldbrooke Hall. Lee is an inspiring
young man who
was determined to get back walking. Lee can be a stubborn sod, when he
wants to
be. He is a quiet young man and I was really happy when, after a
terrible
experience in the past, he found love with Diane. Since the day they
met at
Coldbrooke, they have been inseparable, and Lee has been really happy
again. So
please, ladies and gentlemen, please join me with a toast to the bride
and groom.” Tom stood up and said,
“ladies and gents, I
have been asked by both couples to thank you for coming today. I met
Maurice
and Dan earlier this year, just after I left the armed forces to join
the Legions Support unit. I took Maurice’s case on personally,
and
I have been
inspired to see how well he has done in the short time I have known
him.
Maurice and Dan met in training, and they fell in love. The injuries
that
Maurice suffered might have frightened some people away, but not Dan.
He
stood
there and told Maurice to get over it. So, ladies and gentlemen, please
raise your
glasses for Maurice and Daniel.” Daniel led Maurice to the
dance floor and
walked over to the dj and asked for a special song. Daniel took hold of
Maurice and started to
dance as the song “Flying Without Wings”
played. Lee led Diane to the
dance floor, and
started to dance. Soon the dance floor was
full, as people
joined the couples to dance. Maurice was feeling tired
and said to
Daniel, “babes, I am feeling tired.” Daniel leant over and
kissed Maurice and said, “ok, babes. Lets go to our room.” Dan knew that Maurice has
to rest a lot,
since he has only been walking again for a few days. Ben had
explained that
this was normal. Dan sat his husband onto
their bed. Maurice grabbed Dan and kissed him and said, “got
you alone at
last.” Dan laughed and said,
“I thought you said
you were tired?” “Nah, I lied. I
just
wanted some time with my
beautiful husband,” Maurice said, smiling. “You swine,”
Dan said, laughing. Maurice kissed Dan
passionately, and started
to undo his shirt buttons and tie. Maurice soon had Dan naked, and went
down
slowly, taking his uncut 6 inch cock into his mouth. Dan moaned, as
Maurice
started to lick and suck on his cock. Dan was moaning and
groaning, as Maurice
sucked his cock faster and faster. Maurice pulled off and then lined up
his
arse to Dan’s rock hard cock. Maurice then slowly lowered himself
onto Dan’s
cock. Dan groaned as he felt Maurice’s arse split apart, allowing
his cock in.
Maurice leant over and kissed Dan. He then started to ride up and down
on Dans
cock. Dan was groaning louder and louder, as Maurice bounced up and
down
on his
cock. Maurice’s own cock was dripping precum, as he fucked
himself
on Dans cock.
Maurice shouted, “fuck” as his cock throbbed sending a huge
load of his cum
flying over Dan’s hot sweaty smooth body. Maurice pulled off
Dan’s cock, and went
down and started to wank it faster and faster. Dan groaned loudly and
shouted,
“oh shit,” as his cock throbbed, sending a huge load of his
cum flying all over Maurice’s
face and hair. Maurice leant over and
kissed Dan and said,
“I love you.” Dan laughed and said,
“yeah, I love you too,
you sexy fucker.” Maurice laughed and
playfully slapped Dan
and said, “and don’t you forget it”. ~ A few days later ~ Lee and Diane had gone on
their honeymoon to Loch
Lomond in Scotland. Lee hadn’t told Diane that he was finding it
hard with his
prosthetic leg. He had listened to Ben, and had been wearing the socks,
but he
felt that there was something not right with his stump, but he
didn’t
want to worry
his beautiful new wife. Diane noticed Lee was limping badly and said,
“baby, is
everything ok?” Lee smiled saying,
“I am
fine, princess. I'm just tired. I've
overdone the walking a bit. Maybe I will stay here today, while you go
to
the
village.” “Well, I can stay
with you instead,” Diane
said. “No, you should
go” Lee said. Diane knew lee was lying
and said, “ok, I
will go.” Diane went into the
nearby village and for
the first time since they have been there, she finally had mobile
coverage. Diane knew who to phone,
and dialed in the
number for Coldbrooke Hall. Ben was in the lounge
talking to a family
member of a patient, when Alistair came over and said, “Ben, its
Diane Thomas on
the phone, mate. She is worried about Lee.” Ben took the phone from
Alistair and said,
“hi, Diane. What’s wrong?” “Well, Ben, he has
been limping since
yesterday, and he is trying to hide it from me. But I can tell he is in
a
lot of
pain,” Diane said. “Ok, well rather
than ruin your honeymoon by
coming home, I will come and see you. Ok? It will take me a few hours
to
get there,
but I will be there later today. Ok?” Ben asked. “Thanks Ben,”
Diane said. “Not a problem
Diane. You know that,” Ben
said. Alistair looked at Ben as
he rang off and said, “sounds serious.” “Well, I hope not.
But I need to go and check
it out,” Ben said. Alistair said,“Yeah.” Ben phoned Tom and told
him about his trip. Ben was soon driving up
the M6 motorway,
towards the English / Scottish border. Around six hours later,
Ben was pulling up
outside the converted farm building where Diane and Lee were staying. Diane hadn’t told
Lee that Ben was on his
way up. Ben walked over and
knocked on the door and
Lee answered, and said, “what the hell?” Ben said,
“surprise.” Lee looked at Diane and
said, “ok, I guess
you called him.” “Yeah, baby I did.
I
am worried,” Diane said. “I am ok,
princess” Lee said. “Umm, I will be the
judge of that,” Ben said. Lee went to say
something,
but Ben said, “no
arguments!” Lee laid down on the bed
and took off his
tracksuit bottoms, and slowly took off his leg. Ben slowly peeled back
the sock
and saw that the infection had gotten worse. Ben said, “shit,
this is bad. I can’t deal
with this, mate. It needs a doctor.” “Umm, Diane, can
you
find the number of the
local surgery for me?” lee asked. “I’ll go to
the farm to see if Mrs McGregor
has a number,” Diane said. “Ok, I will stay
here with Lee,” Ben said. Lee was upset and said,
“am I going to lose
the rest of my leg mate?” “Not if I have
anything to do with it, Lee”
Ben said. “I can’t
believe I was so stupid,” Lee said. “listen to me. You
are a young man on his
honeymoon and you had better thing to do than put some cream on your
leg. If
there
is anyone to blame, it is me. I should have told Diane how important
this
was,”
Ben said. “You told me and I
ignored you,” Lee said. Diane came back and said,
“ok, Dr Blair is on
his way.” “They were
wondering who you was,” Diane
said. Ben said, “yeah, I
expect they were.” A few minutes later, a
land rover pulled up
outside and a blonde hair man came to the door. Ben answered and said,
“good
afternoon. I expect you are Dr Blair.” “Yeah, that’s
me. And you are?” Philip asked. “I am Ben. I am a
physiotherapist at the
royal British Legion's rehab unit for injured soldiers at Coldbrooke
Hall. Lee is one of my patients,” Ben said. “Oh ok,” Phil
said. “Let me give you
some background. Lee has a prosthetic
leg, which he wears after losing his leg while on a tour of duty in the
Army. He
forgot to
put a sock on his stump on his wedding day, and it got infected. I gave
Lee some
cream to use, but he didn’t use it and the infection has gotten a
bit
worse. To
be honest, I cannot prescribe a stronger cream. That’s why I
asked
to see you,”
Ben said. “Ok, let’s
have a look” Dr. Phil said. Phil checked it and said,
“well, it is not
too serious. I can see that it needs a stronger cream. I will give
you this
prescription and you will need to get to the village quickly, as the
local
chemist shuts at 5 30 sharp. Ben looked at his watch
and saw it was 4 45
and said, “how quick can I get there?” “It takes about 15
minutes,” Philip said. “Ok, I will go for
it” Ben said. Ben ran out of the house
and into his car,
and headed off. He arrived in the village at 5pm, and went into the
chemist and
handed the prescription over to the woman on the counter. The pharmacist came out
around ten minutes
later and said, “ok, here is your cream sir.” Ben said, “thank
you.” “Umm, can I ask
what
you are using this for? It is a stronger cream than we normally
issue,” Miss Jefferies said. “It’s for a
patient. He needs it for his prosthetic
leg,” Ben said. “Oh ok,” miss
Jefferies said. “I'd better get
back,” Ben said. Ben left the chemist, and
headed back to the
farm. He passed Dr Blair in the lane and waved. He pulled up outside,
and
walked
back into the cottage. Lee was still lying on the bed. Ben walked over
and said,
“ok, let’s get this on it.” Ben slowly massaged the
cream all over the
infected area, and Lee winced as he felt the cold cream hit his stump.
Ben said,
“it will get better, mate. Don’t worry.” Lee said, “I hope
so Ben.” “Well, enjoy the
rest of your honeymoon, and
Diane make sure he keeps putting this on the infected area three times
a day,” Ben
said. “Don’t worry
Ben, he will and I will make sure
of that,” Diane said, smiling. Ben laughed and said,
“watch out, mate. She is
on the warpath.” Lee laughed and said,
“yeah.” Ben said, “well,
guys. I had better be off. I
have booked a room in a hotel nearby. I will pop in before I
head
home in morning.” Diane said, “thanks
for coming all this way,
Ben.” “Hey, don’t
worry. All part of the service”
Ben said, smiling. Ben arrived at the hotel,
and was surprised
to see Tom's car parked there. Ben walked into the lobby, and saw Tom
sitting
there
smiling. “What you doing
here?” Ben asked. Tom smiled and said,
“well, I thought we
could have a night away from everyone.” Ben laughed and said,
“you swine.” “I have already
checked us in,” Tom said. “How’s
Lee?” Tom asked. “Yeah, he should be
ok, as long as he listens
to what I told him,” Ben said. “Yeah he can be a
stubborn swine,” Tom said. “Yeah, well he is
lucky it is only a mild
infection and that he isn’t in hospital having another
operation,” Ben said. “Oh, that serious
then?” asked Tom. “Yeah, it could
have
been. It is a good thing Diane
called me. To be honest, if he had left it for a few more days, he
could
have been
facing losing more of his leg” Ben said. “What a silly
lad,” Tom said. “To be honest,
would
you like to have to put
cream on three times a day on your honeymoon? So I can see where he is
coming
from,” Ben said. “Yeah,” Tom
said. Tom led Ben up the
stunning staircase of
the converted castle, that made up the hotel, to their room on the
first
floor. Tom opened the door and
said, “look at the
stunning view, babes.” Ben walked over and
opened the door to the
balcony, and went out and looked out over the loch. Tom walked out behind
Ben,
and hugged him
and the two men watched as the sun started to set over the loch. Tom kissed Ben and said,
“I love you, Ben.” Ben smiled and said,
“I love you too.” The couple went down to
the restaurant and
enjoyed a meal. Ben enjoyed having Tom
with him, and the two
men went for a walk around the hotel grounds. They arrived back at the
lobby
later when, the receptionist called Ben over and said, “excuse me
sir, we have a
message for you to call Diane.” Ben said, “ok,
thanks.” Ben phoned Diane and
said, “hi, is everything
ok?” “Yeah, he is
asleep.
I wanted to speak to you
about something else,” Diane said. “Oh ok,” Ben
said. “Thing is, Ben. I
am
worried that he is
depressed, and despite him telling me he is ok, I know he is
no,t”
Diane said. “well Diane, to be
honest, he has been
depressed for a while, but he seemed to get out of it when you two got
together. It sounds like he is hiding it. When you come back to
Coldbrooke, I
will get
Dr Bonner to speak to him. Ok?” Ben said. “Ok, thanks
Ben” Diane said. “You take
care,” Ben said. “And you
too,”
Diane said. “I am fine. I had a
surprise visitor when I
got to the hotel, Tom was here,” Ben said. “That’s nice,
I am sorry to disturb you,”
Diane said. “Hey, not too
worry.
Tom’s used to me by now,
and god I have had many a night disturbed by Army business or Legion
business,
believe me” Ben said. Ben and Tom walked up to
the room and went
in. Ben said, “god, I am exhausted.” ~ The next morning ~ Ben and Tom went down for
breakfast, and
then went for another walk before checking out. Tom said, “right
babes, I had
better be going. I have a meeting this afternoon. I will see you at
home
later,” Tom
kissed Ben. “Ok babes. I have
to
call on Lee and Diane,
then I will head home. I am off today, so I don’t need to go
in” Ben said. “Ok, see you
later,” Tom said. Ben watched as Tom's
Lexus
pulled out of the
car park. Ben got in his car and drove to the farm. He knocked on the
door and Lee answered and said, “hi Ben, come in.” Ben followed Lee and
noticed he was still
limping, but maybe not as much. Lee was wearing shorts and Ben said,
“how is it
feeling today?” “Yeah, a little
better, to be honest” Lee said. “That’s good.
Let’s have a look,” Ben said. Lee removed the leg and
the sock. Ben
could see that some of the redness had gone and said, “it’s
looking a lot better,
but keep using the cream, and when you come back to Coldbrooke, I will
check it
again for you mate.” “Thanks, Ben”
Lee said. “So, where’s
Diane?” Ben asked. “Oh, she has gone
in
the village,” Lee said. “Well, tell her I
said hi, but I will leave
you in peace. Promise me if you need me, you will phone me. Ok?”
Ben said. “Ok, I will”
Lee said. Ben left the farm and
spotted Diane walking
back. He waited by the car and Diane walked over and said, “hi,
Ben.” “Hi, Diane”
Ben said. “How is it?”
Diane asked. “Yeah, it is
looking
better this morning, but
keep applying the cream three times per day,” Ben said. “Will do,”
Diane said. “Anyway I am going
to make a move” Ben said. “Ok. Thanks
Ben,” Diane said. “No problem,” Ben said. Ben arrived home later that day, and sat in the lounge. He picked up the local newspaper to see a shock headline "Legion To Close Rehab Centre”. Ben read the story and was relieved to see it wasn’t Coldbrooke Hall, but a smaller one at Westland house. Ben read that the remaining patients at Westland were to be transferred to Coldbrooke and another unit at Broad Oaks Manor. Ben had been to Westland, and wasn’t that impressed with the site. The buildings were old and in a poor condition, so he wasn’t too surprised that the Legion was closing it.
Ben went into the kitchen and started to cook a meal for him and Tom. Jon had phoned earlier to say that Greg and he were going to Alice's for dinner. Tom arrived home later, feeling really tired and saw the headline on the paper. He feared the worst, and picked it up and, like Ben earlier, sighed a sigh of relieve when he saw it wasn’t Coldbrooke. Ben walked into the lounge and said, “read the story on page 2.” Tom turned over and saw the other headline and said, “way hay, he finally gets his comeuppance, babes.” Ben laughed and said,
“yeah, about time too.” The men enjoyed their
meal talking about
Gary and the closure of Westland. Tom had been to Westland a few times,
but like
Ben, he felt it was past its best. Tom then said, “I
was thinking maybe me and
you could take a holiday.” Ben smiled and said,
“yeah, that sounds good,
but where?” “Well, I was
thinking maybe we could go back
to that hotel and tour around that area,” Tom said. “Oh yeah, I would
like that, maybe in a few
weeks. Let me sort Lee out first,” Ben said. “Yeah that’s fine. That will allow me to make sure the unit is ok,” Tom said. ~ The next morning ~ Ben arrived at Coldbrooke
Hall and went to
see Alice, straight away. “Morning, Ben. What
can I do for you?” Alice
said. “I need to speak to
you about Lee Thomas,”
Ben said. “Oh, is he
ok?
Alistair said you had to go on
an emergency call, the other day, to him” Alice said. “Yeah, he is ok,
but
Diane is worried about
his mental health. She is worried he is depressed,” Ben said. Alice said, “Oh ok. I thought it
was a problem with his
leg.” “Yeah, that is why
I
was called out. But Diane
asked me for help, and to be honest, it is not my field, so I was
hoping
you might
have some idea,” Ben said. “Of course I will
help. I will ask Joseph
Landon to speak to Lee when he gets back,” Alice said. “Yeah, Joe is a
good
guy. I am sure he will
help Lee” Ben said. Ben was soon dealing with
the day to day
stuff when Alistair called on him. “Ben, can I have a
word a minute mate?”
Alistair said. “Yeah
sure” “I am sure you saw
last night’s post, mate”
Alistair said. “Yeah sure
did” “Well, the Legion
are worried that we might get
implicated in the investigation,” Alistair said. “Why would we be
involved?” Ben asked. “Well, you worked
with him before you came
here, and they are worried that you might get implicated some
way,”
Alistair said. Ben was gobsmacked and
said, “Alistair, if
you read the article, you know the young man said that his care failed
after his
regular therapist quit. Wel,l I was that therapist. So I wasn’t
there when this
incident took place.” “Well, sorry Ben.
The Legion has told me to
ask you to take a leave of absence from here, until this investigation
is over,”
Alistair said. “Alistair, I cant.
I
need to be here for Lee
and my other clients. Please let me talk to the Legion,” Ben said. “Ok, I will let you
talk to my boss, Lady
Taylor, but I warn you, she can be a right one,” Alistair said. Ben decided he needed
help with this, and
phoned Tom. Tom couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and
immediately headed
over to Coldbrooke. Ben also contacted the
trust, and asked them
if he had been implicated in the investigation. The trust said he
hadn’t, and
they offered to send written confirmation to Alistair, by email. Ben arrived at
Alistair’s office, and met
Lady Helena Taylor. Tom was with him, and
they
both sat down. “I believe you wish
to speak to me about
your suspension,” Helena said. “Yeah, that’s
is correct, Madame” Ben said. “What makes you
think you can change our
mind, young man?” Helena asked. “Well, first of
all,
I have written
confirmation from the trust, that I am not part of the investigation
into the
hospital’s physiotherapy dept.” Ben said. “Well, I
haven’t seen this written
confirmation, young man” Helena said. Just then Alistair walked
in, and handed
Helena the letter. She read it and said, “well, it seems you were
telling the
truth, young man,” Helena said. Tom spoke up and said,
“Ben worked his
fingers to the bone for that dept when he worked there, and Gary was
useless. In
fact, if I remember correctly, Alistair told me that he had been sacked
from here
for being lazy.” Alistair said,
“yeah, he worked here for a
few months, and in that time, I received nothing but complaints.” Ben then said, “I
also have another reason. I
am in a middle of a difficult case, and I don’t want to leave
that
half way
through.” Alistair said,
“Lady Taylor, since Ben has
joined us, we have had more success with patients than we have had for
a
few
years. I really don’t think this place would be able to
function without
him.” Helena said, “ok,
Ben. Can you wait outside
for a minute please?” Ben and Tom walked out
and Ben said, “I
don’t know if she believed me.” Tom said,
“don’t worry babes. You are one of
the hardest working physio’s here, and like Alistair said, it
would
be hard
without you.” Helena looked at Alistair
and said, “so, do
you really rate Ben that much?” “I certainly do.
Answer me this, one of our
patients is in Scotland on his honeymoon. He had a problem, the other
day,
and
what did Ben do? He went all the way up to help him. Now does that
sound
like
someone who doesn’t care about his patients?” Alistair said. “No,it
doesn’t” Helena said. “So, what are we
going to do?” Alistair asked. “Well, to be
honest,
he doesn’t have a case
to answer, so we don’t need to suspend him,” Helena said. “Well, that's good,
because I really don’t
think Coldbrooke could afford to lose such a good physio,”
Alistair said. “Well, the
decision,
of course, isn’t mine. I
will have to talk to the board members, whether
to lift the suspension permanently. But in mean
time, we can
temporarily lift the suspension, until the board rules,” Helena
said. “Well, that is
something, I suppose,” Alistair
said. “If I have anything
to do with it, the
suspension will be removed completely,” Helena said. “Ok, we need to
tell
him then,” Alistair said. “Yes, ask him to
come back in,” Helena said. Alistair walked to the
door and saw a
dejected Ben sat there with Tom, trying to calm him down. “Come back in
please, Ben” Alistair said. Ben walked in with Tom
behind. “Right, Ben, in
reflection of the new
information, we have received today, I and Alistair have discussed the
decision
to suspend you. I will need to speak to the board about lifting the
suspension
permanently, but in meantime, I have agreed to lift it
temporarily,”
Helena said. “So, I can continue
to practice?” Ben said. “Absolutely, young
man. And as far as I am
concerned, it will be a formality to get the board to lift the
suspension
permanently,” Helena said. “Thank you,”
Ben said. “No, thank you young
man, we need good people
like you in this organisation” Helena said. Tom and Ben left the
office. Ben sighed a
sigh of relief and said, “thank god that is over.” “Yeah” Tom
said. “Thanks for being
here with me, babes” Ben
said. “Hey ,you really
think I would leave you
face this alone?” Tom said, smiling. Tom hugged Ben and said,
“listen babes, I'd
better get back, but phone me when you hear more. Ok?” “Ben said,
“will do, babes.” Ben kissed Tom and Tom
walked out of
Coldbrooke. Tom arrived back at his
office to see his
boss, Jayne was there. He went into her office and knocked the door. “Come in,”
Jayne replied. “Hi Jayne, can I
ask
you something?” Tom
asked. Jayne said, “Yeah sure.” “Are you on the
board at Coldbrooke Hall?”
Tom asked. “Yeah, I am.
Why?” Jayne asked. “Well, I have been
there with my husband. He
was to be suspended because of an investigation at his old job, and I
am
not
very happy that he was treated like that,” Tom said. Jayne looked at Tom and
said, “shit, do you
know I was in that meeting and they were on about this physio at
Coldbrooke, and
I didn’t realise that it was Ben, sorry.” “Well, the trust
has
confirmed today, that Ben
isn’t part of the investigation. So he has been allowed to stay
in
work until
the board meets again” Tom said. “Well to be honest,
I said in the original
meeting that as long as there wasn’t any course of concern in
Bens work at
Coldbrooke, that we should just allow him to continue working, but I
was
out
numbered in the final vote,” Jayne said. Tom said, “Well, I hope that
you will support Ben in
the next vote.” “I sure
will,”
Jayne said Jayne left the offices
later, and as she was
leaving, she told Tom that the board were meeting later at Westland
house to
discuss Ben’s case. Tom arrived home later
that day to see Ben
sitting there. Ben had been crying, and Tom walked over and said,
“what’s happened?” “I am ok babes.
Tthese are tears of relief.”
Ben said. “Oh?” Tom
said. “Yeah, Alistair
phoned me just before I left,
and told me that the suspension has been cancelled. Apparently Jayne
and
Helena
put on a brilliant performance, saving my arse, babes” Ben said,
smiling. “Have you seen
tonights post?” Tom asked. “No, why?”
Ben
asked. Tom handed Ben the paper
and Ben looked
shocked at the headline “Physiotherapist
Department Head Aarrested In Fraud Inquiry” “Wow,” Ben
said. Tom said,“Yeah looks like
Gary had been a real
naughty boy.” “Yeah, it does
doesn’t it” Ben said, smiling. “Oh wow, it says
here he is also being
investigated on suspicion of sexual assault,” Ben said. “Yeah, I read that
as well,” Tom said. “Always said he was
a creep,” Ben said. “Yeah, you did. And
to be honest, the once or
twice I met him, he came across as a bit of one” Tom said. Tom
took hold of Ben’s hand and said, “come on.” He led Ben upstairs into
their room and
kissed his husband and said, “you know babes, I will stand by you
through thick
and thin.” “Yeah, and me
you” Ben said. Tom kissed Ben
passionately. The kiss was disturbed by
a knock at the
door. Ben and Tom went downstairs and answered the door, to see two
police
officers standing there. “Hi, can I
help?” Tom said. “Are you Ben
Andrews Rees?” one of the
officers said. “No, that’s
me,” Ben said. The officer walked up to Ben, and took hold of him and said, “I am arresting you on suspicion of conspiracy to comment fraud," and read him his rights. Tom just stood there
gobsmacked, as Ben was
taken away. Tom shouted to Ben, “I will get Alan to meet you
there,
babes.” |
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