stared at, the two men left the building and hurriedly made for the car.
"Just ignore them mate! You do realise you’re going to get a lot of that..!" Harry said and threw a glance over his shoulder . "You hungry..?"
"Since you mention it, yes I am."
Harry nodded his head in the general direction of the hospital cafe . "Good, Come on, let’s get something to eat."
Even though it was an hospital canteen you still had to queue up behind the cockroaches, spiders and flies to make an order.
"Actually, I’m not that hungry anymore." Danny w hispered. "It’s hardly five star services, is it?
Harry frowned. “We’ll get something on the way.” And then they both left without ordering.
As the car drew nearer to Osnabruck Danny began to feel sick, his gut twisted one way and then the other. He knew it wasn't travel sickness, it was sheer panic. The thought of going back and facing the guys, all the questions they were bound to ask. He knew what they would be thinking: Why didn’t he see the car following them? Why couldn’t the big hard paratrooper prevent his wife from being murdered? What else would they be saying and thinking behind his back.
"Can you take me to my quarter first? I need some things." He said and tried to banish those thoughts from his mind.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked surprised at the request.
The rest of the journey from Rinteln Military Hospital passed in silence. While Harry tried to think of something interesting to talk about, Danny simply blanked out and thought of nothing.
Eventually they reached the Army quartering area of Osnabruck known as Belm, as the car moved slowly down the main street Danny began to feel the paranoia setting in as he notice d twitching curtains in some of the windows.
"Well we’re here now. Do you still want to go in?"
"I must..... Will you come in with me?" He saw the look on Harry’s face and wished he'd never asked.
"Sure...." Harry said as he looked up at the fla t and swallowed hard.
Everything was as they had left it on t hat fateful Sunday. Danny could still smell the freshness of the shampoo he had used. He felt a strange fear as he moved about the flat, fear that he could walk in to his daughters bedroom and find her sat there playing with her dolls as if nothin g had ever happened. Tommy’s bed wasn't even made and his Garfield Pajamas still lay in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. The rooms all had a cold and dead feeling to them, something like a museum.
"Look Harry." Danny said pointing to the bathroom floor. "It’s dry now.... I should clean it up......"
"What are you talking about mate?"
"The mud.... I told her I would clean it up when it was dry...." He got a whiff of Claudia’s perfume bottle which was sitting on the window ledge and suddenly broke down sobbing like a child. "Why did he kill her...? Why?"
Harry awkwardly took Danny in his arms and choked back the tears himself. "I don’t know why mate. But I know that you are alive and it must be for a reason."
"I just want them back..... God, I loved them so much." He wiped his face with the back of his hand and sniffled. "I can’t do this; I can’t carry on without her." He fell to his knees, his legs felt like jelly and crumpled beneath him. "They’ve gone. My girls, my wife....... All gone... And they’re never coming back."
Harry turned to the window his lips
"Just ignore them mate! You do realise you’re going to get a lot of that..!" Harry said and threw a glance over his shoulder . "You hungry..?"
"Since you mention it, yes I am."
Harry nodded his head in the general direction of the hospital cafe . "Good, Come on, let’s get something to eat."
Even though it was an hospital canteen you still had to queue up behind the cockroaches, spiders and flies to make an order.
"Actually, I’m not that hungry anymore." Danny w hispered. "It’s hardly five star services, is it?
Harry frowned. “We’ll get something on the way.” And then they both left without ordering.
As the car drew nearer to Osnabruck Danny began to feel sick, his gut twisted one way and then the other. He knew it wasn't travel sickness, it was sheer panic. The thought of going back and facing the guys, all the questions they were bound to ask. He knew what they would be thinking: Why didn’t he see the car following them? Why couldn’t the big hard paratrooper prevent his wife from being murdered? What else would they be saying and thinking behind his back.
"Can you take me to my quarter first? I need some things." He said and tried to banish those thoughts from his mind.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked surprised at the request.
The rest of the journey from Rinteln Military Hospital passed in silence. While Harry tried to think of something interesting to talk about, Danny simply blanked out and thought of nothing.
Eventually they reached the Army quartering area of Osnabruck known as Belm, as the car moved slowly down the main street Danny began to feel the paranoia setting in as he notice d twitching curtains in some of the windows.
"Well we’re here now. Do you still want to go in?"
"I must..... Will you come in with me?" He saw the look on Harry’s face and wished he'd never asked.
"Sure...." Harry said as he looked up at the fla t and swallowed hard.
Everything was as they had left it on t hat fateful Sunday. Danny could still smell the freshness of the shampoo he had used. He felt a strange fear as he moved about the flat, fear that he could walk in to his daughters bedroom and find her sat there playing with her dolls as if nothin g had ever happened. Tommy’s bed wasn't even made and his Garfield Pajamas still lay in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. The rooms all had a cold and dead feeling to them, something like a museum.
"Look Harry." Danny said pointing to the bathroom floor. "It’s dry now.... I should clean it up......"
"What are you talking about mate?"
"The mud.... I told her I would clean it up when it was dry...." He got a whiff of Claudia’s perfume bottle which was sitting on the window ledge and suddenly broke down sobbing like a child. "Why did he kill her...? Why?"
Harry awkwardly took Danny in his arms and choked back the tears himself. "I don’t know why mate. But I know that you are alive and it must be for a reason."
"I just want them back..... God, I loved them so much." He wiped his face with the back of his hand and sniffled. "I can’t do this; I can’t carry on without her." He fell to his knees, his legs felt like jelly and crumpled beneath him. "They’ve gone. My girls, my wife....... All gone... And they’re never coming back."
Harry turned to the window his lips
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