Kapitel 14: Distance

Two days have passed and you're getting used to your daily routine and living in nature. Nick seems to avoid you and secretly you've been avoiding him too. You know he has Helena and that night was just too intense for you both. You and Helena are finally getting along and you don't want to do anything to mess that up. It's the end of your shift and Nick stands at the opening of the tent to meet with Helena.

"Hey"

"Hey, you waiting for Helena?"

He steps a bit closer to you and you feel the affection that he emits for you. You try to stand your ground but the earth feels like it's moving underneath your feet. You look down, trying to avoid those eyes staring at you.

"Yeah, she asked me to meet her after her shift"

"Oh, yeah, she's almost finished just getting her stuff"

He takes one more step closer and you can see his hand wanting to touch you but then he pulls it back to his side.

"Listen...about the other night-"

"Yeah..?"

Helena comes walking up to him and throws her arms around his neck possessively, kissing him as if she hasn't seen him in a long time. He's taken back a little by her actions but then closes his arms around her. You know that this is not where you're supposed to be and quickly make your exit. You turn around and try not to look too awkward, moving away slowly.

NICK'S POINT OF VIEW

He's waiting for Helena after she sort of demanded him to be there. He's not the kind of guy that has time to wait for his girlfriend around the corner like a schoolboy but he felt that things have been a bit shaky between them and he needs to figure out his feelings for her. He enjoys her company and she makes a decent partner. She's not too fussy about things and he likes that about her.

But when he plays that night at the fire with you and him over in his head, the intense emotions you've shared, then things between him and Helena look pale in comparison. Of course, then he can also argue that it was a highly emotional night for him and you were just there at the right time. What if Helena was the one being there, at the right time.

(But the fact remains...Helena wasn't there that night when I needed someone...but Kim was there)

He's waiting for Helena when Kim walks out of the tent. Truth is, he's been avoiding her for many reasons. He never broke down to anyone and let his feelings show. He hasn't cried on anyone's shoulder before. He's the leader of the top Navy Seal team and no one needs to know that he's weak. There's nothing he can do to erase that night but he secretly doesn't want to erase that night because it felt so good to release some of his pain.

He sees you walking out of the tent after your shift. You're busy gathering your hair to make it into a pony. He can't help but speak to you as he's forcefully drawn to you. He wants to explain the night at the fire but then Helena interrupts. Usually, he won't mind her kissing him but now, right this minute, he would rather want to speak to you. He embrace her and let her have her way with him.

Maybe all this attraction that he feels is merely a moment. He sees you walking away and emptiness fills him again.

"Did you have a good day?" Helena looks in his eyes.

"Yeah, not too bad, and you?"

"Yes, had a close call with one of my patients"

"Mark?"

"Yeah but he's a fighter, had to send him for his third surgery by Dr, McPherson is a decent surgeon"

"Wow, speaking highly of your co-workers. I thought I'll never see the day that you'll admit to someone being good at what they do?"

She slaps him against his shoulder, laughing. "Urgh! I just meant, she's not as bad as I thought. She helped more than one of my patients that would have died without her expertise. That's all I'm saying"

John salutes Nick and he turns to him. "Sir! Master Chief, sir!"

"What is it, Sergeant?"

"The Admiral is requesting your presence?"

"I'll be there, thank you" They salute each other and the Sergeant turns around walks away. Nick then gives his attention to Helena.

"I've got to go..."

"I understand, go" They kiss and he walks to the Admiral's tent. He salutes him.

"You requested to see me?"

"Yes, Master Chief. Please come in. We have a small problem on our hands. We're deep into the enemy's territory and our people can't reach us, there's a lot of diplomatic relations that they still need to get through. We're going to have to stay here, longer than anticipated. Nick, I need to know, are we safe?"

"Sir, I'm not going to lie. We landed in the middle of an illegal undercover drug operation. We should broaden our perimeter if we're going to stay longer and see if we can't find something more permanent for us to stay in?"

"I think that would be wise, Master Chief. This part of the world is prone to cyclones and we've landed on this island, midseason...we need to move fast"

"Yes, sir! I'll get right on it. Will send a report as soon as we get back"

The Admiral dismiss Nick and they salute each other. Nick gather his team and discuss the mission with them. They all then gather their gear and start making their way through the camp to the forest.

KIM'S POINT OF VIEW

You walk back to your tent and you just take everything in around you. How a few hundred people made a perfectly workable camp and see it as their home. You decide to get some lunch before you going to get sleep. You walk to the kitchen where they serve food. Nita comes walking up to you.

"Hey stranger"

"Hey, you won't say we work together, would you?"

"No, I hardly get to see you anymore. Would you please stop doing surgeries? We need to chat a little too, workaholic?"

She's right you've been focusing on work these last few days. You want to keep your thoughts far from Nick and how you want to be with him. He's Helena's and that's the end of it. The next best thing is to do what you come here to do, help the wounded soldiers.

"Yeah, I guess, I've been a bit busy lately, haven't I?"

"That's the understatement of the year"

You both laugh and then take your trays of food and have a seat at one of the tables. You start to chat and eat, then you hear the buzz of the camp growing quiet. You look around and then you see Nick and his team all geared up walking past the tent. Nita turns around and looks at the team passing and then back to you again.

"Guess they've been deployed"

You watch as they walk passed. You look at Nick's face and notice that he's a hundred percent focused on the task at hand. He looks so much more powerful with his gear on and the different guns in all their chambers and the gun hanging over his shoulder. He demands authority with every step he takes and it's clear that he's team has great respect for him.

"Deployed?"

"Oh, I keep forgetting you don't know the lingo yet. They're going on a mission and by the looks of things, it could be a dangerous one but like I said, Bravo1 is the best..."