This is the fourth chapter. I hope you like it read it and review it.

Chapter 4

Sunday Afternoon

Mordecai sat at a table in the cafeteria playing with his food. He was going back to his post tomorrow morning and he was starting to feel a little nauseous.

"Nothin I can really do about it," he muttered to himself as he used his fork to pick at his broccoli.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you Lieutenant Quintel?" Mordecai looked up to see a man with an envelope in his hand.

"Yeah," he said.

"Telegram from your wife," the postage man said, handing Mordecai the letter. He suddenly felt very happy.

"Thanks," Mordecai said, taking the envelope and opening it.

Dear Mordecai,

I hope all is well on your end. I finally got a job at the Movie Shack. Rigby and the boys from the park came by today to see if there was any word from you. They are all very worried for you. I am also very scared. Please, don't be a hero over there. Stay alive. Write me back as soon as you get this.

Your Loving Wife,

Margaret

When Mordecai finished the letter, he folded it up and stuck it in his chest pocket.

'I'll write a letter to her when I get back to the hooch,' he thought.

Then he started eating his food. After he finished he decided to check on Jackson. Mordecai got up and walked through white hallways until he reached Jackson's room.

Jackson was lying on a bed reading a magazine. When Mordecai entered he tried to salute.

"At ease," Mordecai said. "So Jackson, you okay?"

"I'm stable," Jackson said as he got back into his position on the bed. "But I won't be able to fight anymore. I'm getting shipped back to the World tomorrow."

"Okay. Do you want me do something for you or get you something," Mordecai asked. Jackson thought for a moment before he said,

"Well, yeah. You could do something for me. Do you remember the patrol?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Mordecai asked.

"Can you tell me how you felt during the whole thing?"

"Sure I guess," Mordecai said. "I was really scared. Scared that if I died my wife would get my body back in a box and I would never see her again."

"Alright, now can I tell you something that Sergeant Sparrow once told me?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Don't think. When you're in a firefight don't think, just do," Jackson said.

"But I-" Mordecai started to say.

"Look, I know you were scared, we all are. But you can't think about that stuff. That'll get you killed. Like it did to the last Lieutenant in charge of our platoon. He thought too much about death and didn't see the Gook until it was too late. So don't think. Just do," Jackson said ending his speech. Everything was silent. Mordecai was thinking hard about what Jackson had said.

"Okay," Mordecai said breaking the silence. "I'll try."

"Good. Hey can you tell a nurse on your way out to get me some food. I'm starvin'," Jackson said.

"Sure," Mordecai said as he walked out.

Margaret sat behind the front counter waiting for customers. She was working the graveyard shift when the store barely saw any customers. She was still scared for Mordecai, but she was getting better at not showing it.

'I already know how this day is going to end,' Margaret thought as she looked at the deserted movie shack. 'I'm gonna end my shift, say hi to Eileen, and go home and cry. I'll cry because I can't do anything to get my husband back to me.'

Her thoughts were ended abruptly when she heard the front door bell ring. She looked up to see Rigby walk in.

"How's it going?" the short raccoon asked.

"Fine," Margaret muttered.

"Any word from Mordecai?"

"No."

"Oh, okay," Rigby said. His eyes seemed to go dull and lifeless again. His eyes had been like that ever since Mordecai left.

'What should I expect?' Margaret thought as she stared at Rigby's lifeless eyes. 'They were best friends forever.'

"Well bye," Rigby said. Then he walked out.

Monday morning

Mordecai stood in front of the hospital. He had on his fatigue and helmet. In his hands was his rifle. The Huey was just starting to land. Mordecai jumped on and the chopper took off again. The blue-jay took a next to a dark skinned private.

He looked very sturdy and very young. Mordecai guessed that the boy was no older then sixteen. The boy's nose was flat and his ears hugged the side of his skull. He barely had any hair on his head.

The boy looked up and saw Mordecai looking him over. Mordecai looked away.

"C-can I h-help you, sir?" the boy asked, stuttering a little. After staying silent for a minute, Mordecai looked back at the boy.

"Well yes," he said. "I was just wonderin', how old are you?"

"S-sixteen, sir. And t-two quarters," the boy stuttered.

"Really. And, uh, what's your name?"

"S-simpson B-burk, sir. Or p-private Burk. I'm h-headed off t-to serve i-in t-third platoon," Burk said. "I g-gonna assist t-the sixty shooter."

"Oh," Mordecai muttered. "That's funny. I'm the lieutenant for third platoon."

"T-then what you d-doin' in t-the hospital?" Burk asked.

"I got shot in the shoulder," Mordecai said, then saw the fear in Burk's eyes. "I'm fine though. The bullet just grazed me."

Burk seemed to relax a little.

"So what're you doing here?" Mordecai asked trying to change the subject.

"School w-was too h-hard f-for me," Burk said.

"Oh."

For a moment all Mordecai could hear was the blades of the chopper cutting through the air. Then Burk broke the silence.

"Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"H-how many m-men have d-d-died under your c-comand?"

Mordecai was a little taken aback from the question.

"None, yet," he said after a few moments.

"T-that's good." Burk said. "Ya kn-now, b-back at s-school I didn't h-have many f-friends."

"I understand," Mordecai said.

A few minutes later the chopper landed. Mordecai jumped off. He took in the scene in front of him. It looked like when he had first arrived. Guys were eating barbeque, drinking beer, and playing football.

Mordecai helped Burk get his stuff to his hooch then left to find Sparrow. Eventually he found him.

"Hey Sparrow," Mordecai said as he approached the other bird.

"Yes, sir," Sparrow said giving a crisp salute.

"What's the status with the platoon?"

"Well, on Saturday we got a new guy, Private Lance. He's seen fighting in the cities. I'm acutely surprised by how silent he is. Usually guys from the destroyed cities are bragging about how much tougher they are then us, which is a load of bull. Anyway, today we got a rookie to help with the M-60. A Private Burk."

"Yeah, I met him," Mordecai said.

"Next Wednesday we're supposed to get a new map reader. I don't know who it is," Sparrow said.

"Good, good. Well thank you Sergeant," Mordecai said.

"You're welcome, sir," Sparrow said.

Mordecai turned and walked away. Ten minutes later Mordecai was in the middle of a barbeque eating contest. Up until six o'clock Mordecai played football, drank a little beer, and ate more barbeque.

Finally he went into the lieutenant's hooch. When he got to his bunk started writing his letter to Margaret. Mordecai wrote about the men he met. He wrote about how he had gotten shot, but was fine.

"I wouldn't include that part about getting shot."

Mordecai whirled around to see Bug Eyes behind him.

"How long have you been here?" Mordecai asked.

"Since dinner. I don't usually go outside that much," Bug Eyes said.

"Why?"

Bug Eyes shrugged his shoulders.

"You should," Mordecai said. "Anyway, what were you saying about the letter."

"Well I wouldn't mention getting shot. It'll worry your wife too much," Bug Eyes said.

"So I just lie?" Mordecai asked.

"No, just don't tell her about that," Bug Eyes said.

"Okay."

Mordecai finished the letter, put it in an envelope, and walked outside. He put it in a little mail box outside his hooch then walked back inside. As Mordecai collapsed on his bed he saw Bug Eyes looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. You just look anxious," the man with glasses said.

"I am," Mordecai said.

"I can help you get rid of that anxiety."

"Really?" Mordecai said sitting up.

"Yep, follow me," Bug Eyes said.

The lieutenant walked out the door. Mordecai got up and followed him. Bug Eyes lead him down the line of hooches on the left side. There, at the end of the line, was a doorway stuck halfway into the ground.

A carpet covered the entrance. Behind the doorway was the roof to the underground hooch. Bug Eyes pushed aside the carpet and walked in. Mordecai followed.

As soon as he entered his eyes widened.

"Oh my God," Mordecai whispered.