The Pilot's Lover • Collins (Dunkirk)

Four.

Rescue:
ˈrɛskjuː
noun;
1. an act of saving or being saved from danger or difficulty.

~

Betty Dawson's POV:

We continued to head closer to our destination.

I was getting more nervous by the second but I knew I had to push myself and keep going.

I had to do this.

The wind continued to grow heavier and the waves grew stronger, almost knocking over the boat at times.

Peter had gone below deck to catch some sleep , after ranting on at me for what felt like a week. And all was quiet apart from a slight buzzing sound in the distance, I took it as it was just the engine.

With every centimetre we travelled, the buzzing sound became more apparent and began to concern me. I was scared as it was, but this added more to the pile of fear which was building up inside of me.

I was about to wake up Peter to ask if he knew what it was, when I saw it. Multiple planes flying towards us, fairly far in the distance.

My body froze instantly and my breath quickened, along with my heart race once again. Before I knew it I was racing below deck.

"Peter! Wake up! Planes! Bombers!"
My words came out jumbled, yet still my brother understood.

We raced above deck, looking up to the sky. The planes were not so close but I could make out a plane being shot down, the others still racing forward.

They were coming dangerously close and there was nothing I could do about it, I trembled with fear. I forced myself not to cry,  to be strong and hope for them to just pass over.

They were about fifty meters from us when another plane fell, thick black smoke was prominent. I watched intently at the plane as it crashed, trying to recognise which side it belonged to.

"The one going down, it's British; the pilot may still be alive, Peter. We have to help"
I exclaimed to my brother. He looked at me, with an unsure look.

"Betty, we don't know if he's alive or not...It's too risky."
I didn't care if it was too risky, I'd rather take the risk than let a poor man drown. I had to help.

The two remaining planes flew overhead, ignoring us and the little boat we occupied.

I let out a breath of relief.

I began to steer the boat in the direction the plane, ignoring my brothers pleads to turn back around.

As we neared, I noticed the top of the vessel being smashed revealing the top of someone's head.

"Over here! Over here!" He shouted, waving his arms around in all directions. We continued to move forward.

We finally reached him, I grabbed hold of his shoulders attempting to pull him onboard.

"Peter! Don't just stand there, help me!"
I ordered to my brother, who watched with a lost expression on his face.

He shook his head and immediately rushed over to me, helping to pull the pilot up.

The young man sat there for a minute, catching his breath. His hair was strawberry-blond and droplets of water glimmered on the strands. He gulped for air making his tall frame shake vigorously. His muscles bulged from his uniform which was currently clinging onto him; He was definitely attractive, I couldn't lie about that.

His voice snapped me out of my trance.
"Thankyou 'mlady, for you know, helping me"
His thick Scottish accent rung through the small boat, sending vibrations through my whole body.

"N-no need to thank me, just doing what was needed."
I responded, while Peter handed him a blanket he had gotten from below deck. Wow, way to go Betty...that didn't sound stupid or anything.

He wrapped the blanket over his shoulders.
"Collins"
He extended his arm for me to shake. My hand connected with his, sending shivers throughout my spine.

My attention was brought to his arm , which was covered in blood.

"Nice to meet you I'm Betty, and you're bleeding"
I exclaimed, diverting his own attention to his arm.

"Well, thanks for saving me, Betty. And I'm fine, just a few scratches that's all"
He uttered.

"Well let me clean that up for you, we don't want that getting infected. Do we?"
I was slightly taken back by my confidence, I was usually quite a shy person.
I shook my head as I climbed down the ladder and into the small storage room, filled with life jackets and boxes of junk.

I rummaged through the first aid kit we kept on a shelf, grabbing a few bandages and antiseptic wipes.

I climbed back on deck, returning to Collins who was exactly where I had left him. I crouched down beside him, placing the wipes and bandages on the bench next to him.

"This will hurt for a slight moment, but it will make it better."
I assured him.

I picked up the wipes and began to tend to his wounds. He hissed at the alcohol from inside them, yet I continued to wipe.
The cuts were pretty deep but he surely wouldn't die of blood-loss or anything.

I wrapped a bandage around his arm which would hopefully protect the wounds.

"Thankyou, lass."
His voice was hoarse and raspy, I felt a rush of blood flow to my cheeks.

Why in the world was I blushing for God's sake? All he did was thank me.

"You're very welcome, sir."

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Hiii! So that was chapter four, it was slightly longer than the others but Betty and Collins finally met! I really hope you liked it. Don't forget to vote, and carry on reading! While you're at it, if you could give me a cheeky little follow that'd be great  ;). Anyways, thank you so,so,so,so,so much for reading this book it means a lot. I'll keep trying to upload regularly, so keep reading (sorry I keep saying that ;)). And if you have any ideas you would like to contribute, don't hesitate to message me. Again thanks for reading, have a nice day!

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