Soldierboy

Chapter Fifteen

Kelly found she had every reason to be even more grateful to Danny’s Sergeant, Greg, when he made sure that it was arranged that she would be able to come and visit Danny regularly, without any further hindrance.

Because they were keeping Danny under sedation for the first few days, he was mostly asleep when she came to see him. But that didn’t deter her from sitting holding his hand and talking to him, though she felt sure he knew she was there with him, despite the fact he seemed out of it.

Thankfully it turned out the damage to his head was not too severe, and his only other main injury was his left knee cap which had been shattered during the explosion, and a slight fracture in his upper arm.

It would take him a while to recover, but at least he had lost no vital limbs and would walk again.

Kelly found it was the bitterest of ironies that Danny had manage to survive without a scratch during his three year tour of Northern Ireland, just to get injured a few weeks before he was due to leave, and go home for good.

Now it seemed he would have to prolong his stay in the country, until he would be well enough to travel, Kelly only wished it had been under different circumstances, so she drew very little comfort from it.

By near the end of the week, he had finally started to become more aware of his surroundings, and  able to communicate with those around him a little better, much to her relief.

Coming to visiting him in the evening after she finished work, she was pleased to see he was awake as she entered the room.

“Hey,” she smiled as she came over to his bedside to join him

“Hey,” He returned, reaching out with his hand to grasp her arm, looking happy to see her, the swelling was going away, and the bruises and cuts fading a little. So he didn’t look as bad.

“How are you feeling?” she enquired, bending down to kiss his still bandaged head, gently

Like hell, if you must know” he admitted a little morosely , “ but I am just glad to see you though,” he then managed a weak smile.

She now sat down next to him, “I brought you some fruit, and a bottle of orange, and there is a get well soon card from my friends at work” she informed him holding up the white plastic bag in her free hand.

“That was very nice of them,” Danny returned, but she sensed his mind was elsewhere.

“ Actually, You just missed my Sarge, by ten minutes, he came in to see me as well,” he then said, before sighing heavily.

“Oh?” Kelly replied warily,

“Yeah, he just came to let me know  that they would be flying Craig body back home to England this evening, so his family can bury him with” he then informed her bleakly.

“I see,” Kelly replied feeling the heavy weight in her chest again, thinking about Craig.

 She couldn’t imagine how hard it had to be for Danny knowing he had lost his friend, and she didn’t know what to say to make it better. There wasn’t anything she could say, and it send her into a sense of despair.

They hadn’t discussed his death until now. Kelly had been avoiding the subject because she just wanted Danny to recover a little better, but now there was no escaping it.

“I-I still can’t believe he is gone,” she admitted shakily, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes, thinking of Craig’s handsome face and ready smile, with his flirtatious ways, with the ladies, and how they all loved him.

Even recalling her last encounter with him, when he had tried to draw her attention to Danny, and get them back together, now her heart ached a little, that she would never get the chance to thank him.