Ten minutes pass and there is still no sign of the transport to take me and Dan to Colonel Reed, and I must admit the delay is getting me frustrated. We need to know what he wants to discuss, and I am sure I will be able to get some useful intel from the Colonel, which will hopefully help me actually make some decisions. We all turn to look at anybody entering the room to see if it’s time, but so far it has just been people returning from using the facilities or just returning from a walk to stretch their legs.
Finally, there is some activity as the door from the stairwell opens and a man and a woman in uniform emerge. They are both holding tablets, but instead of approaching us, they go straight to the nearest group of people to the door from the stairs; they are three men and two women. These two are obviously not here to take me and Dan anywhere, so my guess would be that they have come to take details of who is left here so that arrangements, whatever they are, can be made for them/us.
Suddenly it strikes me that when we get back from this meeting, this place could be empty and everyone moved to another area at Heathrow—or even out of Heathrow, even out of London!
I need to talk to Josh and Catherine quickly and without Emily around to hear.
“Stacey, can you go and see if there is any tea leftover on the food tables, please? I could do with a cup,” I ask and wink at her. “Why don’t you go with her, Emily, to help?”
“Sure, Andy,” Stacey replies and I get a moody ‘okay’ off Emily; they both get up and make their way over.
“Josh, Catherine; are your phones charged?” I ask as soon as the girls are out of immediate earshot.
Josh says ‘yes’, and Catherine says she has ‘some charge’, and they both ask why?
“I’m afraid that when Dan and I are gone, they could move you all and that could be to anywhere. It looks like they are taking details so they can make arrangements to possibly move everyone out of here. Josh, if they give you a new posting or deploy you somewhere else, let me know, keep in contact wherever you are. I don’t want to lose you again, okay?”
“Of course, Dad, I will let you know whatever happens.”
“Catherine, Josh might have to go, he won’t have a choice if he does. Will you stay with the girls until I get back, please?”
Catherine looks at me angrily. “Are you serious! What do you think I’m going to do, let them take the girls off and stand by and wave as they go? You can be an idiot sometimes Andy. I would never let that happen. I am with you, Andy, and that means Emily too. And as long as Stacey is with us, that means her as well.” Catherine now looks very offended.
“I’m sorry Catherine; seeing them taking details panicked me a little bit, and I just didn’t want to assume. I know I can be thick sometimes.”
“Okay then, let's forget it; the girls will be with me.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. “If they do move you, make sure you stay here at the airport and don’t let them take you anywhere else unless absolutely necessary. Phone me if you need to.”
“Of course, I will,” Catherine says as I give her a hug. “Don’t worry; I will look after them,” she whispers in my ear.
“Looks like we are on, Boss,” Dan says, pointing at a soldier marching towards us from beyond where Emily and Stacey are. He seems to have appeared as if from nowhere.
I shout and wave to Emily and Stacey, and as soon as they see the soldier, they are soon running back to us across the polished floor.
Emily jumps straight into my arms, giving me a face full of blond curls.
“How long will you be, Dad?” she asks.
“Not long, I hope. I’ll be as quick as I can,” I tell her as I put her down and stay down with her, on my haunches, looking at her seriously. “I want you to listen to Catherine and Josh, while I’m gone, okay?” I put the emphasis on Catherine’s name. “You might have to wait for me somewhere else and I’ve asked Catherine to make sure you are okay, so be good for her, okay?”
“Why would we go somewhere else?” she asks.
“Because they might need this room for something else and need everyone to wait somewhere else. I will come and find you when this meeting is over, so make sure you stay and listen to Catherine.”
“Captain Richards?” the soldier—wearing the red beret of the Military Police—asks as he reaches us, but I ignore him for a moment.
“Emily, is that okay?” She has gone quiet but then does answer.
“Yes Dad, just be as quick as you can,” Emily says quietly.
“Of course, I will be my love,” I tell her, giving her a kiss on the cheek before getting up.
“I’m Richards.”
The soldier salutes me and then waits while Dan and I say goodbye to everyone. We tell Stan and Lyndsay good luck in case they do go to join their families before we return. We ask Alice to try and stick around until we’re back. We both give Josh and Emily hugs and then finally, I give Catherine a hug, thank her and tell her to phone me when she knows what’s going on, or if she needs to at all.
“Lead the way, Lance Corporal,” Dan tells the soldier when our goodbyes are done.
Chapter 6
We follow the red beret
