Page 54 of A Chance in a Million
Jane looked up in amazement. ‘No, he didn’t say anything like that.’
‘I even had him lined up in my sights at one point. He was intent on getting us all killed.’ He took another big mouthful of beer. ‘Anyway, I didn’t, but I came close. I’m afraid my training just wouldn’t let me do something like that. As it turned out, an enemy sniper did it for me a few minutes later.’
‘David said that after Major Tom was wounded, he took over. He called in a medevac chopper before completing the mission with the help of a drone strike.’ She saw Taffy nod and decided the moment had come to ask the big question. ‘David told me he was wounded in that final assault. Did you see what happened?’
‘Yes, I saw it happen. He was hit by a burst of machine gun fire.’ His voice was low, his tone sombre.
Jane listened in horror. ‘And the burst from the machine gun…?’ She held her breath, anxious to hear what the answer would be but dreading it at the same time. When it came, it was delivered in deadpan tones that only accentuated the horror of the words.
‘The machine gun ripped the side of his face open.’
A long pause then ensued as Jane struggled to take in the ramifications of what she had just heard. Suddenly the mass of facial hair was explained. It wasn’t just because he didn’t care about his appearance. The hair was camouflage. Beneath it, his face had been torn apart. She found herself thinking of the photograph of the handsome, confident young officer that was now hidden amongst the other photos on her phone. Now his time in hospital, his retreat into isolation, his lack of interest in his appearance, in people and in life, all made sense. She had been blown up in an explosion but had had the good fortune to emerge almost as good as new. From what she had just learnt, such would never be the case for Captain D.C. Cooper and she felt an overwhelming urge to break down and cry.
‘Jane…’ The big Welshman must have sensed her anguish. ‘You look as though that came as a shock. But surely, if you know him and you’re close to him, you must have known about that?’ He sounded remarkably caring for a hard man.
She took a couple of deep breaths and looked up. She could feel the tears in the corners of her eyes but she refused to let them run. Clearing her throat, she explained to Taffy about David’s mass of hair that did a wonderful job of hiding any deformity. She told him how sad she felt, now that she knew the full truth of what had happened and of the consequences of such life-changing disfigurement for him. She read compassion in those hard eyes and received an unexpectedly tender piece of advice from him.
‘You need to know something, Jane. Dave saved my life that day. He saved all our lives – and he still got the job done. The regiment don’t do medals but if ever a man deserved one it was Dave out there in the back of beyond. He led from the front and he knew exactly what to do. Now, by the sound of it, he’s the one who needs saving and he needs all the help he can get. You’re a very brave woman – your record speaks for itself – and you’re going to need all your courage if you want to help him. It’s going to be tough but, believe me, he’s worth it.’ She saw him study her for a few moments before adding, ‘But you already know that, don’t you?’
She felt her cheeks flush and just nodded her head.
She saw him reach into his pocket and pull out the order of service for today’s wedding. He tore off the back page, produced a pen and scribbled a few lines before taking the piece of card and folding it carefully in half and half again. Finally he pushed it across the table to her.
‘When you see him next, would you give him this? It’s just a short message asking him to give me a call. I’ve put my number on there.’ He caught her eye. ‘And would you do me another favour? Take my number and save it on your phone. Let me know how it all pans out, will you? I’ve tried to contact him but he seems to have disappeared off the radar.’
‘The other members of his family told me he’s cut himself off from everybody over the past few years, but maybe that’s beginning to change. Of course I’ll give him your message. Thank you so much for talking to me and I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help your friend.’ Her voice was hoarse, but she held herself together.
To her surprise his face cracked into a real genuine smile. ‘I know you will. Somehow I have a feeling he’s fallen on his feet with you. It was a chance in a million that he found you. If anybody can help him, I feel sure it’s you.’
‘I do so hope you’re right. Thanks again, Taffy, and I promise I won’t tell a soul. Now at least I have a clear idea of what happened.’ She took the piece of card, tucked it into her purse and then stood up. ‘I promise I’ll keep you informed. Now, I’m beginning to feel tired. I think it’s time I went to bed.’
He swallowed the rest of his pint and stood up. ‘I’ll walk you.’
They walked back to the pub in silence and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, she gave the big man a hug and thanked him for his frankness. He gave her a glimmer of a smile in return and headed for the bar, while she went up to her room.
In spite of her fatigue, the first thing she did was to sit down in the seclusion of her room and open Taffy’s note to David. She read it with tears in her eyes. It wasn’t long, but the message was deeply moving. Somehow, the impassive Welshman had managed to understand how deeply she felt about his wounded former comrade in arms, and his own affection for David was clear to see.
Dave, I’ve met and talked to Jane. You’re very lucky to have her. With her help you can do anything. I know you can. Don’t let her go.
Call me. It’ll be good to talk. We all love you, man, and we miss you.
Taff
Here, away from prying eyes, she finally let the tears flow. It had been an emotional day and a cathartic evening. She knew she would carry out her promise to deliver the note to David and do all she could to help him, but she could only hope his reaction would be positive – particularly to the Welshman’s apparent assumption that they were a couple. Taffy had scribbled his number across the bottom of the card and she immediately copied it onto her phone. One thing was for sure – he would be one of the first to hear if things worked out between her and David.
Of course that still remained to be seen…
Chapter 30
It was almost midnight on Sunday by the time she got back up to the Colli Euganei. She had spent an enjoyable, if anticlimactic, day visiting two old university friends in Bath before heading for the airport, and this had had the great advantage of preventing her from obsessing over David. It was only as she sat waiting for her flight that her thoughts, inevitably, had returned to him yet again.
The mystery of those four little words was now revealed – or at least she thought she might now know what had been holding him back. Knowing that he would be disfigured for the rest of his life, he had been deliberately distancing himself from her to save either of them getting too badly hurt when she realised the true nature of his injuries and inevitably – or so he thought – dumped him as a result. Putting herself in his place, she could imagine how his brain would have been working. He was no longer the handsome young man he had once been and, in his mind, there would be no way she would want him in such a disfigured state. And yet, she knew full well, as far as she was concerned, that was rubbish.
The story Taffy had told had, if anything, only served to increase her feelings for David. So he was scarred… so what? She had her own fair share of physical and mental scars, even if she had been lucky enough not to have them across her face. She knew, and she resolved to make it her mission to ensure that he knew, that these things were only superficial. The David she was falling in love with – and she found herself prepared to use that word, at least inside her own head – might look like a caveman, but his hirsute appearance hadn’t put her off, so what difference did it make if there were scars below? What mattered was the man beneath the skin and everything she had heard about him this weekend only made her love him more. Far from only trying to save his own skin, he was a hero, and even a battle-hardened warrior like Taffy had said so.
As she drove in through the gates and up the drive, she looked across at David’s house but there were no lights to be seen. The villa was similarly dark, so she headed back to the summer house and decided that her confrontation with him would have to wait until the morning.
Next morning, as she was making herself a cup of coffee and checking through the latest emails and messages to her employer, she heard a familiar scratching sound outside her door and opened it to find a very happy Labrador clearly overjoyed to see her again. She was equally delighted to see him and crouched down on the doormat to cuddle him while, at the same time, looking around for any sign of his master, but there was none. Accompanied by the dog she went back into the kitchen, gave him a biscuit and finished making her coffee. She was sitting at the computer, nibbling a biscuit – not the canine variety – and sipping her cappuccino, when running footsteps had her looking hopefully at the open door. A second later little Linda came rushing in, arms extended in greeting.
