Second Chances Part 3 - Secrets

Second Chances Part 3 – Secrets by Bethhawke.

Chapter 3

Hawke ran up the stairs to the roof and climbed into Airwolf's cockpit.
“Hey String. Everything OK?” Dominic asked, noting the grim look on his face.
Hawke was about to answer when the roof door opened and Beth stepped out. He just gestured in her direction.
“Oh, I see,” Dominic said awkwardly, “shall I leave you two alone?”
Hawke didn't answer, just stepped out of Airwolf and faced his ex girlfriend.
“String, we need to talk.”
“I don't think I have anything to say to you,” he replied coldly, not meeting her eyes.
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you. If you'd just let me explain....”
“What's to explain. You didn't waste time finding a new piece of meat to fuck!”
“What! Is that what you think? String.....”
“No! Don't say any more, I don't want to hear it,” he started towards Airwolf, not even turning when she shouted after him.
“Stringfellow Hawke you are impossible! I'm seven months. Do the maths and get back to me when you've worked it out.”
She stormed back to the stairs, just managing to control herself until she was out of sight of him.


Hawke slumped into his seat, angry and upset. He had heard her shout at him but hadn't really heard her words, all he wanted was to get the image of her out of his head. When she had left him, months earlier, to work in Europe with Marella, they had kept in touch by phone for a few weeks until the distance between them had become awkward. He had hoped that when she returned home they could try again, he was even willing to put aside his worry about her working for Archangel. Now it looked as thought his dreams were shattered. He felt betrayed by Beth and even more so by Marella and Archangel who obviously knew about her condition. He sat in silence, just thinking, until this thoughts were disturbed by Dominic, “String? You OK?” He looked at his watch, surprised by the amount of time that had passed.
He just shook his head, not knowing what to say.
“What did she say?”
Hawke turned his head and glared at his friend who was sitting behind him with a concerned look on his face.
“Nothing.”
“She must have said something. She was shouting.”
“Dom, please....”
“Look kid, tell me to mind my own business if you want but she obviously said something to upset you.”
“She didn't need to say anything, she's obviously found someone new to fuck so it's none of my business,” he spat the words out angrily.
“String!” Dom was shocked at the crude words and waited a few beats before adding quietly, “Are you sure?”
“What? You saw the evidence with your own eyes!”
Dominic sighed. String could be so dense sometimes, “Did she tell you that? I mean you and her were...well, you know....together before she left for Europe, weren't you? I'm no expert but she looks pretty far gone to me.”
Hawke just stared at him, the thought that the baby might be his hadn't even occurred to him. He tried to remember what she had said when he had been too angry to pay attention. When he realised what she had shouted after him he tried to remember when they had last been together. “When was Cody kidnapped?” he asked Dominic.
“Let's see, it was last year, about a month before Christmas. Why?” Hawke raised his eyebrows and Dominic looked slightly embarrassed, “Oh I see. Well it's July now so that's.... about seven months ago.”
“Shit!” Hawke exclaimed with feeling, realising that he had not only made a fool of himself but hurt Beth in the process.
“Why don't you leave it until you've both cooled down,” Dominic suggested, having experienced their fights in the past, “I doubt she'll want to listen just now.”
“Yeah,” Hawke sighed, “you could be right.”
Just then a beeping noise came from the rear of Airwolf.
“What does he want now?” Hawke grumbled rhetorically, “Put him through.” Dominic connected the call and Hawke spoke, not bothering to hide his irritation at the disturbance.
“What is it now Michael?”
He was surprised to hear Marella's frightened voice, “Hawke were are you? We're being shot at!”
“Marella? We're still on the roof. Give me your location.” He started the engines as she radioed her location to them.
“Hawke, we're in the limo. I've dodged bullets from a passing van but now there's a chopper, armed to the teeth. It's following us. Hurry please,” she sounded desperate.
As they lifted into the air and hit the turbos Dominic asked Hawke, “Why would someone be shooting at them?”
“I don't know! Maybe that British guy. Michael said he wanted to stay incognito.”
“Yeah, hence that Mr 'White' business,” Dom's laugh held little humour this time.
At Mach 1 it took little time to reach the limo and Dominic had already located the gunship on the radar.
“They're shooting at the limo,” he called to Hawke.
“Guns!”
“You got 'em.”
Hawke shot at the chopper, just missing it as it banked sharply, turning to take another shot at the limo.
“Open a channel Dom.”
“Open.”
“Set that bird down before I make you,” he demanded of the other pilot.
“No reply String,” Dominic informed him.
“Full combat mode.”
“Full combat mode. Check!”
“I can't shoot him down while he's directly above the limo, let's play chase for a while,” Hawke swung around so he was behind the gunship and fired another volley of bullets at it.
“You've hit him, String, not enough to bring him down but he's limping.”
“Good,” Hawke said with satisfaction, “now for the real battle.”
The other gunship eased off and dropped behind Airwolf, firing again, “They're firing at the limo again. This guy's not giving up,” Dominic commented with grudging admiration for the skilled and determined pilot.
Hawke moved Airwolf to intercept the bullets which bounced of her reinforced shell.
“Let's finish this before someone gets hurt. Give me a redeye.”
“Redeye, check!”
Using Airwolf's superior speed and manoeuvrability, Hawke once more swung round behind the gunship, forcing it away from the limo. Once they were above clear ground Hawke lowered his visor and lined up the shot. One small movement with his thumb had a missile flying towards the gunship and seconds later it exploded in a ball of flame.
“Good shot, String.”
“Yeah, let's go and check on the limo.”


The limo had pulled over to the side of the road and the doors were opening as Hawke landed Airwolf a safe distance away.
He and Dominic ran towards the limo, relieved to see that everyone appeared to be unhurt.
Marella was standing by the driver's door, talking on a hand held radio, calling for a clean up crew. Michael was helping Mr and Mrs White out of the limo while Caitlin ran towards Dominic, hugging him tightly.
Hawke watched as Beth left the limo last and stood leaning against the car, a hand resting on her stomach and eyes looking at the ground.
“Beth,” something in his voice made her look up and he smiled tentatively at her.
Forgetting the argument they'd had less than an hour ago she threw herself into his arms with such force that he nearly fell backwards.
“Whoa, it's over now. You're safe,” he tried to comfort her.
“I thought we were going to die in there and all I could think of was that you wouldn't get to know your baby,” she sobbed, clinging tightly to him.
“Shush,” he held her tightly, “I'm sorry I said those things.”
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. She saw only sincerity and love shining back at her and forgave him instantly.
“Why do I always forgive your moods?” she asked him, not really expecting a reply.
“Because you love me?” he replied teasingly.
She punched his arm, then pulled away from him as Archangel approached them, looking grim.
“What's wrong Michael?” Hawke asked, concerned by the look on the spy's face.
“You shot down the chopper but there's still an armed van out there. It drove past quickly, with someone shooting from the passenger window. If it wasn't for Marella's driving we would have been hit,” Marella had walked up behind them and he put his arm around her waist, “the van was plain white with no distinctive markings or registration plates.”
Marella interrupted, “I've just spoken to Mr White. He doesn't seem surprised about this attack and I think he knows more than he's letting on. Hawke, you'd better escort us to the clinic.”
“Why the clinic?” he asked.
“Ann and Beth need a check up. Ann seems OK, she doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. She says it seems like a bad TV movie!”
Hawke glanced at Beth. Now the rush of adrenaline had subsided she didn't look very well. He put a supporting arm around her and she leaned into him.
“Stressful day huh,” he said, trying to make her smile. It worked.
“Always the master of understatement,”she replied with a weary grin, “I'm exhausted.”


Once they were safely at the clinic Dominic and Caitlin took Airwolf back to the lair while Hawke stayed with Beth. The doctors agreed to let her go home if she rested and Marella took Beth and Hawke to Beth's apartment.
“Talk or rest?” he asked her.
“Rest. Make yourself at home, you know where everything is. We'll talk later, I promise.”
Taking off her shoes she lay down on the bed and tried to sleep. From the other room came the sound of the radio being switched on, then off again. She had just drifted off to sleep when the sound of breaking china, followed by a curse, came from the kitchen, then the soothing gurgle of the coffee machine lulled her to sleep again. She was woken suddenly by the sound of the bathroom door banging. Glancing at the clock she noted that she'd only been asleep for 20 minutes.
“String! For crying out loud, shut up and get in her!” she shouted, unable to stand the disturbances any more.
He sheepishly put his head around the door.
“Come and lie down next to me. Then at least I'll know where you are,” she did wonder if he was being noisy on purpose to get her attention but decided that he was just restless, waiting for answers.
They lay side by side, trying to sleep but they couldn't.
“This isn't working,” Hawke commented dryly..
“I guess not,” Beth replied, sitting up.
“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked quietly, turning onto his side so he could look at her.
She was silent for so long that he wondered if she had heard him. He was about to repeat the question when she spoke.
“I wanted to. I even phoned Santini Air. Cait answered......
Hawke interrupted angrily, “She didn't tell me.”
“I don't think she recognised my voice, the line from England was bad, and I didn't introduce myself. I wasn't sure what to say, I mean, it's not the sort of news you break over the phone. I was going to play it by ear, see if you were pleased to hear from me. Anyway I asked to speak to you and she said you weren't available. I tried to find out more, said I needed to speak to you urgently and she told me you had gone to a 'friend's' place and would be back later, or possibly not until morning. I hung up. Her tone made it obvious that you were with a woman and she sounded a bit jealous.”
Hawke took a deep breath, “When was this?”
“You mean there was more than one time?”
“No, well yes maybe, but it didn't mean anything. I was missing you. When Beth?”
“Mid February. I remember crying my eyes out on St Valentine's Day, that's February 14th in case you don't know. Michael had sent Marella a giant bunch of white roses with a romantic card. She came to my room to show me, she was so happy,” she sighed at the memory.
“Lia,” he whispered.
“Who?”
“Lia, she had called me, told me she was frightened and could I come over, but really she wanted me out of the hanger so her friends could take Cait and Dom. You must have phoned before the kidnappers arrived.”
“What happened?”
“It's a long story and I don't feel like telling it now. She died,” he added sadly.
“I'm sorry,” she leaned over and hugged him. He held her tightly, letting the tension of the day dispel and they finally fell asleep.