"Pito, Pito, colorito- Adonde vas tu, tan bonito?"
Carrie heaved a sigh and paused in her work to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Outside the Huey, the medial gurney gave a series of terrible squeaks as it took the weight of its current rider, who continued with his Spanish.
"Voy al cera, Verdadera…"
His voice was carried across the roof by the wind. Carrie was sure everyone working on the ground could hear him. She forcefully scrubbed at the grating in the back of the chopper, desperate to get rid of the rust. The gurney's wheels continued to squeak and she winced at the sound.
"Ping, Pong…fuera!"
The Huey shook slightly after Murdock pushed off of it with his foot, spinning the trolley in circles. Carrie watched him for a moment, shaking her head. It was the fifth time in twenty minutes she had thought about calling the whole thing off, and the fifth time she had convinced herself not to.
He was a pilot, and whatever had landed him here in a hospital in the middle of nowhere didn't matter for that very reason. She could learn from him-wanted to learn from him- but it was all a matter of getting to know how to talk to him. It seemed like his thoughts went on continuously at break-neck speed, and she had a hell of time trying to keep up.
"Mr. Murdock, I thought you were going to help me." Carrie paused to point at him with the scrub brush. "I got you out of the hospital for awhile and you get to help with the chopper- that was the deal."
Murdock made a move to jump from the gurney, but one of his sneakers caught under the bars.
"I am helping," he insisted, hopping on one foot for balance. "And you don't have to call me 'Mister' all the time. Seriously- it sounds funny."
"Well what do I call you then?" Carrie asked, folding her arms.
He finally freed himself from the gurney and pushed it away. "Murdock works. Everyone I know calls me that, 'cept for the doctors." He tilted his head and flashed his usual grin. "And you sure ain't a doctor, chica."
Carrie smiled and nodded, glancing through the windshield back at the two orderlies standing in front of the emergency door. It hadn't taken a whole lot of convincing for the hospital to allow Murdock to spend the day with her and she suspected they'd all lost patience with him. They told her he was prone to hyperactivity, created imaginary animals and had been known for several escape attempts, along with another list of things she'd since forgotten or put aside. None of that really mattered; it only clouded her judgment of him and that was the last thing she wanted.
As far as she was concerned, all pilots were a little crazy, herself included.
"So what's with 'Carrie', anyway?"
His voice was much closer and she flinched, surprised to now find him sitting in the Huey's cabin, swinging his legs over the side. He picked up a few of the tools in the nearby box and inspected them curiously.
"I'm sorry?"
"Carrie- what's it short for?"
She made a face. "Carolyn. But I hate it."
Murdock flipped a wrench into his hand and frowned at her, though that smirk remained.
"There's nothing more important than a name, kid. Learn to love it."
Carrie avoided his eyes, contemplating those words. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her, and it was cause for consideration. She would have said something in response, but the Huey shook again and she watched with wide eyes as Murdock clambered up on top of the helicopter, kicking his legs as he went. Carrie jumped out of the cabin and spun around to watch him, squinting in the sun.
"It's quite possible this thing is one of the last to survive all that crap in El Salvador a few years back," Murdock explained, sitting cross legged. He pointed to the rotors and tapped them with the wrench. "Which means her wings are close to clipped. You can spend all the time you want trying to scrub off every inch of rust, but I got news for you- looks ain't as important as these."
Carrie pursed her lips and tossed the scrub brush back into the cabin. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him again, still squinting. Murdock smiled at her as the wind snapped at his blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt. He beckoned for her to climb up beside him with the wrench.
"She isn't your baby unless you want to take care of her, chica."
Carrie narrowed her eyes. "I've run the chopper before. The rotors are good."
Murdock flattened himself against the top of the helicopter and leaned forward to speak to her, his voice hushed.
"But you aren't listening to them. Of course they sound good to untrained ears."
Carrie frowned at him as he straightened back up. He motioned with the wrench again and she sighed, walking up to the Huey to find a proper foothold. As she climbed, she asked him,
"Did they teach you this in the 101st, Murdock?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Some things you have to learn on your own."
Carrie slipped on the way up and almost cracked her chin on the corner, but Murdock grabbed her arm and helped her up the rest of the way. She sat beside him, hugging her knees, watching as he scrambled toward the rotor mast and inspected it, assessing whatever damage needed to be fixed.
"Because our gorgeous rust bucket is so old, I'd say the vibration levels are a bit tougher compared to one that's in good condition…am I right?" he asked.
Carrie nodded, deciding to ignore the fact he'd said 'our' instead of 'your' in reference to the Huey. "Yeah. It feels like you're sitting right on top of the engine. It's pretty distracting, trying to fly when your teeth keep rattling in your head."
"I'm used to that," Murdock laughed, running a hand along one of the red and white painted rotors. "I had to fly a chopper once that was right off the repair line- and that baby shimmied like a leaf. My co-pilot and everyone else tossed their cookies after we landed."
He scooted across the roof to the tail beam, pushing on it with his feet as if to assess the strength. The Huey bucked slightly and Carrie had to grab the jamb of the cabin to keep her balance. She scowled.
"Be careful, Murdock! I don't want the tail falling off!"
"Take it easy, kid. I know what I'm doing."
I sincerely hope so…
She watched with a pained expression as he hit the tail beam again with his fist, pressing an ear to the steel. Thankfully, it was the last of the pounding and he straightened back up, his sneakers squeaking against the roof. He reached for the wrench again and another hot wind swept across the valley, rustling his hair. Carrie frowned once she caught sight of a tattoo plastered to his right bicep. She couldn't help smiling, having not considered Murdock the kind of guy to have one.
"What's that?"
"Hm?" He followed her gaze down to his arm and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that. Yeah- I got that baby slapped on there just before Desert Storm. Alcohol may have been a factor."
Murdock granted her a wink, and moved to slide off the roof, but Carrie grabbed his arm,
"Wait- that says 'Ranger.'" She rolled up his sleeve and studied the mark, looking at the detail of the wings, parachute and combat knife. "Oh my God- you're an airborne Ranger?"
Murdock shrugged, laughing at her apparent astonishment. Carrie gazed at him, an expression of pure disbelief across her face. She let go of his arm once she realized she was still holding on to it and allowed him to slide from the Huey back to solid ground. Carrie could only stare at him; she had the sneaking suspicion he was used to this kind of reaction and didn't mind it one bit.
"I was, chica," Murdock told her, "Key phrase right there."
There was a hint of regret to his voice and it made her wish she hadn't overreacted. But that smile remained on his face, and he waved for her to come down from the Huey. He nodded to the fuel tanks.
"C'mon. Let's see what kind of juice she's been drinkin'."
They spent the rest of the day inspecting the helicopter, and it seemed to pass Murdock's expectations. Carrie could tell he admired it as much as she did, and wondered when he'd last been around a chopper, much less flown one. She still couldn't get over the fact he was a Ranger, and suddenly found all sorts of questions bubbling into her thoughts, but convinced herself not to ask them. There was a time and a place for everything, so she'd been told.
She was disappointed when the orderlies arrived to take him back inside.
"Hey, you don't mind if I take these with me?"
Murdock held up her headphones and shook them for emphasis. Carrie smirked.
"Take 'em."
He grinned and secured them on his head, careful not to crush the ball cap. Flashing a thumbs-up sign, he turned and left with both orderlies, who looked at Carrie almost confusedly before leading Murdock away. She watched them disappear down the staircase into the hospital-hearing the pilot singing all the way- and sighed.
"Oh, Murdock…what are you doing here?"
The door snapped closed, leaving her question unanswered.