Airwolf Legacy

Chapter Twenty One

Two weeks later Kristien and Hawke were laid out by the pool. Kristien was dressed warmly but covered by various blankets. Hawke laid next to her, with his arms around her. All the bruising had changed colours to yellows and the swellings had subsided. A huge parasol kept their sun loungers in the shade and Kristien wore very dark wrap around sun glasses protecting her eyes from the hot sun. Hawke kissed the top of her head fondly. Her memory still hadn’t returned and she hadn’t asked any questions. Kristien was healing fast but she still really only had strength to wander about the lodge and no further than that. Hawke insisted on carrying her everywhere anyway. She still had the catheter in her hand and arm and various IV’s were still attached on a stand next to her. Her favourite horses were brought up to the Lodge on a daily basis and her beloved stallion was in the paddock next to the Lodge where she could watch him.

Archangel walked over and sat down opposite them.

“It’s good to see you both.” Archangel told them acknowledging Alfred who handed him a freshly poured cup of coffee.

“What do you want?” Kristien did not hide her anger in her voice. Even Hawke looked down at her in his arms surprised. For someone who’s memory was lost she really didn’t have a reason to be angry at Archangel.

“Well, it seems that Duwabi needs a little help at the moment, what with Bryon in intensive care and their own Nuclear Armament in a thousand little pieces giving off enough clicks on the giga counter to make its own percussion in a heavy metal rock band.” Archangel told her.

“I know nothing about that and besides I don’t really care either.” Kristien replied. “What he did to me….” Kristien paused knowing she had said too much. “Nine years ago needs for him to pay.” Kristien changed the sentence.

Hawke looked down at Kristien, was she remembering what happened to her?

“And all the nuclear weapons? Someone knew all the codes.” Archangel continued the questioning.

“Well I still don’t know what you are talking about.” Kristien retorted and pointed to her head where twenty stitches still remained. “And besides we all have alibi’s here.”

Archangel looked directly at Hawke. “Do you?”

“Hawke was here, in charge of security whilst I was off sick, you know where I did my job and took a bullet from your arms dealer, you remember?” Carsten walked in on the conversation and helped himself to the coffee and sipped it. “Hawke here, never left Kristien’s side.” Although the secret service were banned from the Lodge, Hawke had made alterations to Kristien’s orders for the time being whilst she recuperated. Agents Carsten and Redwood would be allowed to visit until Kristien changed Hawke’s orders.

“So the reports of a Mach One Plus helicopter doing a fly by on the USS Theodore Roosevelt is all fiction?” Archangel said with disbelief at seeing Carsten in the Lodge but also someone had captured Airwolf on their camera phone.

“You’ve been watching Top Gun again Michael, you know flyby’s are not allowed in the US Navy.” Kristien replied already wanting to go down to the hangar where she could download that flyby from Airwolf’s computers to watch, it certainly sounded like she had missed some fun whilst she had been recovering from the operation. Perhaps if she rested all day she would be able to sneak down to the hangar. Both Hawke and Carsten could barely hide their laughter at Kristien’s quip.

Archangel rubbed his moustache he was not going to get anywhere with these three. Kristien had amnesia, Carsten was on sick leave and Hawke was being his usual chatty self. These three were getting worse together. It was bad enough Hawke and Kristien having a connection but now Carsten too seemed in on what they were scheming. He would have to go back to the committee empty handed. How he was going to explain another ‘sighting’ of Airwolf he didn’t know.

“The Dubawi Embassy in London would like to send the Ambassador to you.” Archangel changed his tact.

“What the hell for?” Kristien’s voice changed back to being angry again. “Hasn’t Dubawi done enough to me over the years?” Kristien was in no mood to have visitors of any kind, especially from Dubawi.

“Have any of you considered the problems of having Byron in intensive care for a long time?” Archangel looked at Hawke, Kristien and Carsten to see if he got any reaction. He got none. “Shall I spell it out to you?”

Hawke had remained silent all during this time and he was going to start speaking when Doctor Parsons arrived to do her hourly check on Kristiens vitals.

Doctor Parsons joined the group of men. “Why is Kristien’s heart rate up and her blood pressure rising?” Doctor Parsons looked directly at Archangel. “Are you responsible for this? My patient is not well enough for visitors, so I suggest you take that overgrown car you call a limo and get lost and get permission from me to visit in the future. Do you understand me?”

Archangel looked at the Doctor and felt suitably told off. “I am sorry.”

“Sorry just isn’t good enough.” Doctor Parsons continued. “God Almighty, my patient was fighting for her life two weeks ago and as much as I would like her to be in the high dependency unit right now, right this minute, that isn’t going to happen, so as far as I am concerned this is my high dependency unit.” Doctor Parsons walked over to Kristien and started to change her glucose drip to a new bag and reminded everyone that Kristien was still gravely ill despite being out of her hospital bed. “So leave now.”

Archangel acknowledged the doctor and stood up. “Any idea as to when Kristien can have visitors?”

“Minimum of 12 weeks probably more, maybe up to16 weeks.” Doctor Parsons told him. “You may contact me and I will either refuse permission or grant permission to visit.”

Kristien frowned at the minimum of 12 weeks rest period but did not challenge it in the presence of Archangel. She wasn’t sure if the Doctor was exaggerating because of Archangels untimely visit or whether no one had let on how seriously ill she really was. Archangel too frowned at the amount of time given, Dubawi needed help.

“I’ll escort you out.” Carsten guided Archangel out.

Doctor Parsons looked down at Kristien. “Right your temperature has dropped so I want you back in the house wrapped up in bed, no arguements.” The Doctor disconnected the IVs and looked at Hawke.

Hawke acknowledged the Doctor and stood up. “Don’t worry I will take her back to bed.”

Doctor Parsons left them together, she was so glad that Hawke was about. He single handily had kept Kristien quiet and resting. Her recovery was amazing. The IV’s were now only for the fact that Kristien was now 16 weeks pregnant and since the operation had, not surprisingly, made her lose her appetite. Although Alfred had reported that she was having lots of hot chocolate with extra chocolate and that she had been eating ice cream. Not the most nutritional menu in the world but it was at least something.

“Twelve weeks?” Kristien looked up at Hawke as he picked her up in his muscular arms and Kristien put her arms around his neck and took her inside the lodge.

“You were really badly hurt you know.” Hawke told her hiding the real reason as he entered their bedroom. He gently laid Kristien down and he reconnected the IV’s up as he had done many times before, he pulled the duvet up over her and then walked round the bed and laid down next to her. Kristien snuggled into Hawke’s chest. His warm body next to hers, she had got cold in the September air outside, despite it being still warm out. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. Kristien was holding Hawke and rubbing his back fondly.

Kristien smiled and then felt something strange, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Hawke noticed she had stopped rubbing his back and looked down at her face.

“You alright?” He softly whispered to her.

Kristien instantly knew what the strange feeling was. She smiled at him and took his hand from her back and brought it to her front. She pulled out her shirt and placed Hawke’s hand on her stomach. Hawke could feel a gentle movement. The baby was kicking and Kristien had felt it and now, so had he for the first time.

Hawke’s eyes filled with tears of joy. He had kept everything quiet for the last two weeks. Even Dominic had resisted the urge to tell everyone. Hawke had sat down with Dominic, Carsten and Doctor Parsons as to how they were going to use the fact that Kristien had been seriously injured to cover up her pregnancy. Hawke did not want history repeating itself like last time, he had had enough of that.

“How many weeks am I then?” Kristien asked knowing that he knew.

“Sixteen to the day.” Hawke replied enjoying sharing the baby kicking with her.

“Ah so that means a February 12 baby then.” Kristien calculated her expected date of delivery so fast, Hawke hadn’t even managed to think that far ahead.

Everything fell into place. The Doctors order’s for the long recovery period, why she felt so tired and not due to the injuries which were well on their way to being healed. Kristien remembered fondly back to when she was pregnant at Hawke’s cabin, how he had cared for her, and now after the two tragic miscarriages maybe it was time to lay around and do nothing. Kristien looked up into Hawke’s watery eyes, he smiled gently at her, enjoying sharing the wondrous moment with her. He resisted the urge to kiss her and just kissed her forehead and then held her close.