Squeezing myself into Sams little 2 door Viva I folded and laid my tunic on the back seat. As we approached Sams house, she held and squeezed my hand. Squeezing her hand I turned and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Sorry am really nervous, stupid isn't it?"
"No, not really, I feel nervous and on edge. Maybe it's because we get on so well, want everything to be perfect."
My admission of nerves seemed to help her relax. As we parked on her drive my pager buzzed and vibrated. Given the situation I should have ignored it, force of habit caused me to scroll message across.
"Nelson xxx *********."
Asking to use her phone, I immediately called the number. My blood ran cold when they answered "Bedford Hospital A&E." I explained who I was and about message.
"Oh yes, Mr Nelson persuaded a staff nurse to call your pager service."
The nurse explained that, "he had been in a car accident and was being transferred to a ward, would be kept in overnight, maybe longer."
"You won't be able to visit tonight, but he has written a note for you. I have sealed it with sellotape, it is waiting for you at reception."
Thanking her, I hung up and asked if I could borrow Sam's car.
"Why whatever has happened," she asked
"My mate has had a car accident, left me a note at reception. It must be important, need to read it ASAP."
"Ian, the other guy who bought my car? You can't borrow my car, I will drive you."
Arriving at the hospital, Sam waited in the car as I got the note from reception. Curing the seltape, I read the note.
"Sorry mate, car wrecked. Some clown ran us off the road into a ditch on the A6 with a Land-rover. I bumped my head and was a bit groggy, some one hit me with something, knocked me out. When I woke up, Rachel had gone. Am well worried lad, why would they take her? Hope somebody thought you was driving, not because they wanted her."
Unsure of what to do next, I handed the note to Sam.
"Oh god Mike, I know Rachel a little bit. What can we do?"
Thinking about it, there were only 2 people I knew who drove land rovers, I considered Nick a mate, the other was Johnson, the school bully. Sharing my thoughts with Sam, she said
"Johnson, blonde haired little tosser? He bounced a cheque on me at shop, had to go round his house to get money."
Parking outside Johnson's I couldn't see his Land rover, but lights were on in the house. Asking me to behave, Sam knocked on the door, Johnson answered, seeing me and looking at my uniform he said.
"Yeah heard you joined Navy, always thought you was a queer cunt."
His insult to my uniform coupled with my concerns for Ian and Rachel my temper exploded. Instantly regretting it, my fist connected with Johnson's head and knocked him down. He hit his head on the wall and was unconscious as I tried to pick him up. Telling me "leave him." Sam glowered at me, as she tried to make him comfortable. Aware of some one else at the door I turned expecting trouble. A middle aged man looked at the prone figure being fussed over by Sam.
"Kept telling the little prick his big mouth would earn him a smack. What was the problem?"
"Wanted to ask him about his Land Rover?"
"Oh, that piece of junk. He said it was stolen yesterday, thought he was pulling an insurance job, until the old bill found it tonight. Apparently, it's smashed up and dumped in Wilstead."
As we chatted Johnson was coming round. Waiting for him to recover, his dad and I asked him about his car and explained about Rachel.
"What the fucks that gotta do with me, it was nicked last night."
"Who took it and why would they run my mate off road and take Rachel?"
"Ok, it was some of my mates, they must have thought you was driving. I have no idea why they would take Rachel."
"You fucking maggot, coward, his dad yelled at him. You can't even fight your own battles?"
"Oh I would have took this cunt, you seen his mate?"
"What's their names, I need to talk to them."
"Your fucking joking, I ain't gonna tell you that. I will make a call." He hurriedly said as his dad raised his hand.
After a few minutes he came back out, looking worried.
"They say they never touched the girl, they whacked your mate with a bit of wood. When they realised it wasn't you, they turned ignition off and left them in car."
"Why the fuck you doing this." His dad asked.
"Coz he's a cunt, Flash bastards come in the pub chatting the girls up. Helen, dumped me, reckon she thinks if single will get with him."
Driving along the A6, we soon found the car. Ian was right it was completely buggered. In quite a deep ditch, the offside was badly dented and the wing was completely ripped off. Looking in the car I could see the n.s.r passenger door was completely smashed in. Noticing Rachel's handbag in the footwell I handed it to Sam. Shining the torch around I saw a piece of wood, assuming it was the piece they hit Ian with, I figured he was lucky to be alive.
Jumping the ditch, I shone the torch around the small clearing, spotting a pair of legs in the grass I ran over to a very groggy Rachel. It turned out that she had been knocked out in the crash. Coming round some time later she had climbed out of the smashed window and crawled up the bank. Checking that she was ok, I picked her up and carried her back to Sam.
"Put her down, oh my god cover her up."
Looking down I realised her dress was torn to the waist, to Sams disgust she wasn't wearing panties. Putting her in the back of the car, Sam said "she should go to hospital."
"No I ain't going to hospital, take me home please, will be alright after nights sleep."
