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LOUISE SPENT THE NEXT FEW HOURS BELOW DECK. She knew she couldn't stomach the sight of the sea still, so the best thing she could do was hide from it. But her boredom was getting to her once Peter and George left her to her own devices, so she decided to move back outside.
She took a seat on the other side of Mr Dawson, next to Murphy - like before - but she chose to sit a few inches closer to the edge of the boat in case Murphy has another tantrum. Louise could feel Murphy's gaze stuck to her, his gaze scanning across the white bandages around her neck and arms. She didn't need to look at him to see his look of guilty radiating off of him. She wrapped her blanket around her shoulders tightly before having the confidence to look Muprhy in the eye.
Her dark brown orbs locked his with piercing blue eyes. "How're your injuries, Murphy?" She planted her pointed chin in her wrapped palm. Murphy remained silent, only shaking his head slightly as he turned his head away from her and looked forward. Louise scoffed under her breath, turning away to see George sat on the steps leading up to a higher level on the deck, let his neck was twisted to see what had caught Murphy's attention. Louise strained her neck painfully, as she tried to see over George. The large black cloud of smoke in the distance caught her attention immediately.
"Where are we going?" Murphy asked, standing up from his seat to stare up at Mr Dawson.
"Dunkirk," The older man calmly answered, continuing to steer towards the battlefield.
"No, uh, no, no! We're going to England," Murphy protested, his hands wringing the edges of his blanket.
Mr Dawson winced slightly as he recognised the blatant fear settled in Murphy's facial expressions. "We're going to Dunkirk first,"
Murphy began to hyperventilate, his chest rising with every heavy breath he took. "Look, I can't go back! I'm not going back," Murphy begged. "Look at it!" He pointed towards the black smoke. "If we go there, we'll die!"
Mr Dawson processed his words, looking between Murphy and the smoke that they were nearing. "I see your point, son. Well, let's plot a course," Mr Dawson beckoned George over to the steering rod as the older man guided Murphy below deck.
"Wait!" Louise shouted, yet her loud voice didn't last long as the burns wrapping around her neck stretched painful as she talked. "That's treason! You can't possibly be considering it, right?" Louise bitterly laughed. "You'll really leave all those men to die. Even if you save 5 of them, you're still surviving your country. We can't just turn back and pretend it was too late!"
Murphy shook his head. "You wouldn't understand, love. So just sit down and be quiet,"
Getting angry was common for a hotheaded Louise, but angry didn't even begin to explain how she felt in that very moment. She was furious, frustrated and explosive. Her blood boiled under her skin as she stood from her seat. "I wouldn't understand! I may just be a nurse, mate, but I've seen thousands of soldiers - all bloodied, wounded and close to death - so don't you dare say that I don't understand what waits for us when we get to Dunkirk. My father, my older brother and my cousin were all drafted the day before my birthday. And I have no fucking clue where my sister and sister-in-law are. They were on our ship. They could be dead for all I know. I'm drifting in the middle of my biggest fear. And to top it all off, I was stuck with an inconsiderate bully like you for three whole fucking days. And threw your bloody tea on me, giving me multiple second-degree burns!" Louise seethed bitterly. "So if you seriously think that I will sit back and watch you betray my country and my family, then you have clearly misread me, Murphy."
