Cuore impavido: brave heart
Gomer and Carter were sent into the hospital on the base. Both were given oxygen; mostly Gomer, since the Sergeant had the better immune system of the two. Boyle and Duke stayed with them in the waiting area. Each of them was holding a cup of coffee. Carter just realized he had to call his mother, to inform her that he was no longer coming home, as promised. As he watched his Sergeant on the phone, Duke turned to Boyle and muttered, "I wonder what is going on over there. He looks stressed."
Boyle shook his head and said, "I don't even want to get involved," making Duke scoff.
Carter rubbed his temple as he heard his mother screaming over the phone.
"I'm fine, ma...no, I'm still in the hospital...yeah...yeah...uh-huh…how's dad doing...are Babe and Muriel okay...can you explain to everyone that I'm no longer coming home...Connor and Belle will survive…okay, ma...yeah...I have to make sure one of my men is okay...yes, ma, I have to stay to make sure he's alright...well I'm the commanding officer...he was close to dying so I'm going to stay...yes, he's one of my men and...and he's also my friend...okay...I love you..."
Carter hung up the payphone and sat down with Boyle and Duke.
"Son of a bitch." he muttered to himself, as he rubbed his eyes.
"All good, Vince?" Boyle asked.
"My mother just being my mother, Chuck," Vince replied, sipping his coffee.
Boyle smirked and shook his head. Suddenly, the doctor walked towards the three men. He was a medium-built, middle-aged man with graying hair and green eyes.
"Good evening, Sergeant Carter." he spoke, then turning and nodding to Boyle and Duke, "Corporal Boyle, Private."
Carter then stood up to face the doctor.
"Good evening, Dr. Carrington. How's Private Pyle?" Carter asked, genuinely concerned for Gomer.
"Well, he was severely dehydrated so we gave him fluid and he's on oxygen as we speak. It's amazing how both of you were able to survive in such an airtight space for that long. He was more at risk than you were."
Confused, the Sergeant asked, "What does that mean?"
"You didn't know? He has asthma." Dr. Carrington replied, surprising the three men.
"I…I had no idea," was all Carter said.
"I'm surprised, considering you are his commanding officer." Dr. Carrington said. "Did he even know?"
"Doctor," Duke interjected, "to be fair, Gomer didn't even know he had asthma. I mean…he was coughing a lot and stating he was out of breath but we both assumed it was allergies. He was taking an over-the-counter allergy medicine from the pharmacy on the base. We both didn't know it was asthma."
The doctor looked at Duke, and then back at Carter.
"Well, since we seemed to figure out what the issue is, I'll prescribe three inhalers. One for him to keep at all times, one for you, Sergeant Carter, to keep in your office, and one for a trusted platoon mate to hold onto," Dr. Carrington glanced at Duke, "I can only presume that would be you?"
"Uh…yes, doctor," Duke responded.
"Good! Also," Dr. Carrington looked back at the Sergeant, "since you are his commanding officer, you may want to take it easy on him. He can still do physical activities, but it can't be intense; anything can trigger this. Other than that, he will be okay. Just be thankful you got him here just in time before his lung collapsed."
"Right…thank you, doctor," Carter responded.
The doctor nodded his head to the three men. As he turned to walk off, Colonel Gray walked towards the three men, nodding to the doctor.
"Gentlemen," he greeted them as they saluted, "Carter, how did this happen?"
"To be blunt," Carter replied, chuckling sarcastically, "We got ourselves into a mess."
Carter began to explain how everything came to be, even mentioning how Gomer pulled the chair away from the door. Colonel Gray's face when from confusion to disbelief. Carter then stated, "Please don't get angry with Pyle, sir. It was an accident and there is no way out of the food bunker because there's no handle on the inside of the door."
The Colonel's eyes widened at the news he received. He took a deep breath before saying, "So there isn't a handle on the inside?"
"No, sir," Carter answered.
"So here I am, remembering how Hacker told me he had put handles on both sides of that door. He lied to me." Colonel Gray softly muttered.
Boyle and Duke exchanged glances as if they were saying, 'Oooh, he's pissed…'
"The inside of the door doesn't have a handle and now Pyle is on oxygen…this is not good…" Colonel Gray whispered angrily to himself.
He gently nudged Carter out of the way and went over to the phone. The Colonel immediately called Hacker.
"Sergeant Hacker, it's Colonel Gray…yes, I know what time it is, but that's irrelevant right now…I'm calling because I expect to see you in my office in 10 minutes, I need to talk to you face to face…yes…see to it…"
After the talk, Colonel Gray slammed the phone down, startling the three men. Colonel Gray was a kind man, but stern. However, to see him that angry was unbecoming of him. He turned to Carter and said in a strong voice, "Thank you for informing me, Sergeant. You won't receive any demerits for this. I order you to take it easy until Saturday. Corporal Boyle, Private Slater, you two get some rest."
The three men saluted their Colonel, right before he left the hospital. Once he was out of sight, they all took a sigh of relief.
"Sergeant, "Duke spoke up, "if you need me to, I will stay with Gomer and make sure…"
"No, Slater." Carter cut him off, "I appreciate the offer but I will stay since we both got into this mess."
Boyle looked at Carter, taken aback he wasn't blaming Gomer.
"Are you sure, Serg?" Duke asked.
"Yes, Slater," Carter answered. "Boyle, you both get back to your barracks and get some rest. If I'm not back in the morning, you are to take over my duties."
"Yes, Sergeant," Boyle answered, without hesitation.
The men said their goodnights to one another before parting ways. Carter finished up his coffee, then walked down the hall to see Gomer. Once he found his room, he opened the door and found Gomer sleeping, attached to oxygen. He walked into the room, looking down at him, and said, "Hey, Pyle…I know you are sleeping, but I want you to know I'm happy you are okay."
All he got in response was the sound of Gomer breathing on the machine. The Sergeant patted the Private on the arm and softly said, "You proved me wrong in a lot of ways earlier. You're a very strong Marine, Pyle."
With that being said, he took a seat that was close to the bed and sat in it until he felt his eyes go heavy, passing out in the chair.
*GC*
"Do you know why I called you here?" Colonel Gray asked in a stern voice.
Sergeant Hacker just looked at him, perplexed.
"Well, I was just told there isn't a handle to the inside of the door to the food bunker." Colonel Gray said, frustrated he even had to tell him.
"Sir…" Hacker was feeling flustered and tried to speak, "I can explain that…"
"You told me you had put handles on both sides of that door. Meanwhile, two men were stuck in there for most of the day, nearly losing their lives from asphyxiation, one of them just finding out he has asthma. You lied to me, Sergeant Hacker. Just for that, I'm extremely pissed off."
"Colonel, I didn't think a handle on the inside of the door was all that necessary. It didn't occur to me that no one would get locked in there. I figured a chair holding the door was enough when organizing the bunker. Besides, it would've cost money just to put an extra handle on the door."
This caused an angry Colonel to slam his fist on his desk and quickly get up.
"PYLE ALMOST DIED! HE IS IN A HOSPITAL BED, BREATHING ON OXYGEN! DOES IT OCCUR TO YOU HE COULD'VE DIED? DO YOU THINK SAVING MONEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A MAN LOSING HIS LIFE OVER SOMETHING MINOR? LET IT SINK IN THAT PYLE COULD'VE DIED!"
Hacker didn't know what to say after being chewed out by his commanding officer. The Colonel sat back down in his chair, taking in a deep sigh, he looked up at Hacker with cold eyes, finishing his reprimand with, "See to it that there is a handle on the other side of that door. Dismissed."
Rendered speechless, Hacker saluted the Colonel and walked out of his office. Colonel Gray sunk into his chair and sighed out of frustration, knowing that one of the men on the base nearly died over something that didn't need to happen.
"Oh God..." he whispered to himself while covering his face with his hands.
*GC*
It was the middle of the night and Gomer's eyes fluttered open. He saw he was no longer in a food bunker, but in a hospital bed. He looked around, thankful to be alive and breathing better; or was that the oxygen assisting him?
'My oh my…how did I get here?' He thought to himself.
He looked down, and saw he was wearing hospital pajamas, 'Heavens...my uniform is gone.'
The Private turned to his left and saw his Sergeant sleeping in a chair. Shutting off the oxygen, and taking off his mask, he placed it on the nightstand. He gently tapped Sergeant Carter on the knee.
"Sergeant Carter…Sergeant Carter…" he whispered.
Not getting a response, he tried a little louder, "Sergeant Carter…"
Startled, Carter quickly woke up, shaken. He found to see Pyle awake.
"Pyle, you nitwit, you scared the shit out of me! I…" realizing that he was yelling, he took a deep breath, then softened his voice, "I didn't expect you to startle me, is all. How do you feel?"
"Well…I feel fine. I don't know what happened but I can breathe better." Gomer answered. "How are you?"
"I'm okay. Just happy to be out of there." Carter replied.
"Does Colonel…"
"Yes, he knows, Pyle. He's happy we're alive, but pissed at Hacker."
Gomer frowned at the idea of Sergeant Hacker getting yelled at, but Carter reassured him, "It's his fault, not yours."
"I know, but I dread the idea of others getting yelled at." Gomer expressed.
Carter then realized that the Private, although very sweet and lovable, was so strong in many ways; his ability to care about the feelings and well-being of others was a very rare quality to find in a person. He just had to ask him, "Pyle, why did you keep going? I mean…you told me things from your childhood, that even I would have a hard time with. You managed to pull through in the bunker, even with the lack of air…why did you do it?"
Feeling flustered, Gomer replied to his Sergeant, "I don't know. I guess I just felt I had to keep going. Like Grandma Pyle always said: there is nothing worse than givin' up because givin' up is more painful and you can't let the bad things in life win. You just can't!"
Carter took in the Private's words. Gomer truly was one to never surrender, whether it be on duties or people. Of all the men he had known in his platoon, Gomer was the one who never gave up!
"You've impressed me in so many ways, Pyle, and you continue to impress me and I'm lucky to have you in my platoon. I just wanted to let you know that." Carter softly told him.
Taken aback, Gomer then replied, "I didn't think you would feel like that…but…golly, Sergeant! I just had to pull through it all! I had to prove I was strong…for you…"
Feeling like his eyes were about to water up, Carter refused to let his tears fall. Instead, he took Gomer's hand and stroked the top with his thumb, responding to the Private's confession, "And I have to be patient and understanding…for you…"
Gomer made an 'O' shape with his lips, taking in what the Sergeant confessed to him. All he could say was, "I think I'm going to cry…"
This made Carter chuckle a small chuckle. Gomer didn't realize that his Sergeant truly cared for him. They looked into each other's eyes for a little bit before Carter glanced up at the window to see if anyone was outside. No one was there. That was a good sign!
"Why are you…" Gomer was about to speak, before being silenced with a kiss.
His eyes were wide with surprise, but he slowly started to close them, welcoming the kiss back. To Carter's surprise, Gomer was a skilled kisser. This went on for a few seconds. When pulling away, Gomer panted. He then smiled to himself, blushing as he muttered, "Shazam…"
This made Carter chuckle. He looked up at the clock and saw it was nearly 3 AM. He put the mask back on Gomer and turned the oxygen back on. The Sergeant then pushed the chair closer to the bed, and before both of them knew it, they dozed off into a deep sleep.
"Goodnight, Sergeant Carter." Gomer softly whispered.
"Goodnight…Gomer…" Carter replied.
As his eyes were shut, hearing his first name come out of Carter's lips made Gomer smile.
*GC*
Carter woke up, looking at the clock. It was a bit after 9 AM. Boyle must be taking over his duties for him. He got up as quietly as he could, not realizing Gomer was slowly waking up.
"Sergeant," Gomer spoke, "where are you going?"
"Back to my barracks," Carter replied.
He then turned to Gomer, who frowned in sadness, "I'll be back to check on you, okay?"
Gomer beamed once hearing that. Again, Carter looked to see if he was in the clear, which he was, thankfully. He kissed Gomer on the forehead, making the Private happy. Once Carter left the hospital and got back to his barracks, he rested up as instructed, but found he was missing Gomer already.
*GC*
After spending a morning completing his duties, Duke got permission from Boyle to go to the hospital to visit Gomer, as long as he was back before 4 PM for sweeping duty. Before stopping at the hospital, he went to the convenience store on the base to get his friend some treats before visiting him. The girl at the gift shop noticed Duke throw a bag of chips, Oreo cookies, a few books, and playing cards on the counter. As she rang him up, she spoke, "You having a party or something tonight?"
"My friend was admitted into the hospital. Just trying to cheer him up." Duke replied.
Once Duke's stuff was rung up, the cashier asked, "Would you like to contribute $0.75 to the children's hospital? If you do, you get a free teddy bear."
Thinking about how he would hear it from his girlfriend if he didn't contribute to the children's hospital she worked at, Duke added a donation to his purchase.
"Thank you, Private. Your total is $7.58." The cashier said cheerfully.
Duke paid, then made his way to the hospital. Once there, he walked down the hall, making his way to Gomer's room, only to find him still in bed, reading a book. The Private looked up and saw his friend at the door.
"Why, Duke, what a surprise!" Gomer exclaimed with excitement.
"Hey, Gome." Duke greeted. "How are you feeling?"
"So much better! They have me on the oxygen mask every two hours or so, that way I can breathe much better. Although it does get lonely sometimes. But the nurses and doctors are very nice. My nurse, Nurse Katie is real nice."
"That's great, Gome. I'm happy you are doing better, buddy." Duke replied, "Sadly, I can only stay for a little bit. Boyle put me on sweeping duty."
Gomer made a sad face, stating, "I understand, Duke. I appreciate you comin' either way."
Duke then remembered the stuff he brought, "Oh, I almost forgot; I got you some books you like, chips, Oreos, playing cards, and, only because I contributed to the children's hospital, a teddy bear."
"Thank you, Duke. That's so kind of you." Gomer gushed.
"I only donated because if I didn't, I might hear it from Alana." Duke joked, then picked up the deck of cards. "So…you want to play a game?"
The two friends played three games of Go Fish while eating potato chips and Oreos. Gomer ended up placing the bear on the nightstand, planning to give it to Dr. Carrington, so he can give it to his granddaughter.
"Do you have any eights?" Duke asked.
"Go fish!" Gomer replied, cheerfully.
Duke shook his head and picked up some cards.
"I'm telling you, Gome, you're kicking my ass in this game." Duke joked.
Gomer chuckled, then asked Duke, "How are the fellas? I sure miss everyone!"
"Everyone's fine, don't worry about them. As Carter says, 'same shit, different day…' But other than that, everything is fine, pal. We were worried about you, though. Hell, even Mendes asked if you were okay."
"Golly, I didn't think they cared." Gomer was genuinely surprised.
"Of course, we care, Gome! You're the heart of the platoon. Without you, no one knows how they'd make it through the day. It's your spirit that keeps everyone going." Duke told him.
"I...I didn't know that everyone thought so highly of me."
"We all do, Gomer," Duke responded, making his best friend smile. Gomer then looked back at his cards, asking Duke, "You got any aces?"
Duke handed Gomer what was left of his cards; it was clear that Gomer beat Duke again.
"I swear, you, me and a couple of the fellas should go to Las Vegas one day. We'd have great luck with you winning for us." Duke joked, causing the two friends to laugh.
The Privates played a few more games of Go Fish until Duke had to go back to the base for sweeping duty. When Duke was gone, Gomer wondered when Carter was going to come to visit him. He could not stop thinking about the kiss they shared. He longed to kiss Carter again. Until he arrived, or if he decided to come by later, Gomer opened up one of the books Duke got him and read to himself.
*GC*
Carter couldn't stop thinking about the kiss he shared with Gomer. When he got back to the base, he remembered Colonel Gray instructing him to take it easy and to let Boyle complete most of his duties. As he was doing paperwork, he kept brushing his knuckle against his lower lip, still feeling the sensation he felt as he kissed him. He never had that with any other woman. He remembered this feeling and was scared to let it get further than how it needed to be. Not being able to finish paperwork, he took a break and started to sketch again. He found himself still thinking about the kiss, for he kept brushing his knuckle against his lip.
'I can't concentrate. I need to shut my eyes for a few…'
Carter got up from his desk, walked to his bedside, and decided to take a quick 45-minute nap. As he slept, he found himself dreaming.
"Hey! Long time, no see, cuore impavido!" A voice said.
He opened his eyes and saw a handsome, built man with dark hair, blue eyes, and olive tone skin, sitting in his desk chair. He knew only one person had ever called him that in his life. Can it be?
"Louie Germanotta? Shit...what are you doing here?" He asked, surprised to see him.
Chuckling, Louie replied, "I just came to visit you. How are you? You look good."
"I can say the same for you." Carter chuckled, walking towards his friend. "What brings you here?"
"Like I said, just checking on you. I've been watching you. Seems like the Marines has taken a toll on you." Louie joked, observing him top to bottom.
Carter chuckled at that, responding with, "You, jackass."
Louie laughed at Carter, all of a sudden getting serious, "But in all seriousness, do you want to know why I'm really here?"
"I'm curious to know why?" Carter spoke up. "I mean…if you had any idea what I had been doing, it included crying myself to sleep almost every night, wishing we could've started the life we wanted together in Alaska…"
"I understand, Vinny, that you're still hurting," Louie replied. "But I have to talk to you about Private Pyle?"
"Pyle? What about him?" Carter asked, incredulously.
Louie started to speak, "Believe it or not, I sent him to you. I needed you to find love again. It pains me to see you broken. I had to scope out someone that I knew would bring back the smile to the face I love. Trust me, it was NOT easy. Then I discovered Gomer Pyle. I sent him a sign to enlist in the Marines…that was not a coincidence. It was all me."
"So you're the one responsible for putting him in my platoon? Louie!" Carter exclaimed.
"I'm responsible for everything; when you guys were doing that five-day survival training in the woods, the events that occurred when you were out at sea, the incident with the little Japanese boy, the incident with the prize boat; and from what I can tell, you need him in so many ways. So I'm asking you to just trust me with this when I say that Pyle was sent by me to make you smile again…to love again…because that's all I want for you."
Carter felt tears form in his eyes. He had no choice, but to trust the man he once called his love.
"I miss you, Louie," was all he said as he reached out to touch him once again.
Louie smiled, took his hand, and replied, "I will always miss you, Vince."
The two stared at each other, longing to hold one another again until…
"Louie!" Carter quickly woke up, turning to his desk chair, finding it empty. Sadness overcame him suddenly.
'It felt real…he was here…'
Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed and took in what Louie told him in the dream: Trust me when I say that Pyle was sent to make you smile again.
Seconds later after waking up, Boyle walked in to see if Carter was okay.
"You okay, Vince?" He asked.
Carter made a, 'uh huh' sound before adding, "Just having a dream is all…"
Boyle watched Carter rub his temples and get up from his cot, "Just take it easy today. Will you be able to go back to your duties tomorrow or do you..."
"No, Chuck. I'll be okay for tomorrow. Thank you though. You're a big help."
The Corporal nodded his head. He then looked down at Carter's desk, noticing a sketch the Sergeant did in his notepad of a gazebo in the middle of a lake. Behind the gazebo were birch trees, and along the lake was a stone path leading to the gazebo. The drawing looked beautifully done, and Boyle felt himself getting lost in it.
"Did you draw this, Vince?" Boyle asked, impressed.
"Did I draw what?" Carter asked, before seeing that Boyle was looking at the drawing, "I couldn't concentrate on work and needed a break. Don't ask."
"It looks good. You never told me you were an artist."
"Yeah, well…no one knows and no one will ever know." Carter snatched the notepad away from him, ripping out his drawing and tossing it in the trash. Boyle shrugged and stated, "Sorry if I offended you by admiring your drawing. Just think it's a shame you want to hide that part of yourself is all."
Carter glared at Boyle and sat in his chair. As the two got back to their work, the Sergeant didn't realize the Boyle was looking at him, smirking.
'I think we both know why you can't concentrate…' The Corporal thought, then speaking up, "Vince, why don't you visit Pyle?"
"Why would I do that?" Carter asked.
"Because there's a reason why you can't concentrate; and I think I know why. You probably still want to make sure he's okay."
Carter didn't want to admit his friend and second in command was correct. Getting up from his desk, he noticed Duke walk in.
"I'm on sweeping duty, Sarge?" The Private stated.
"Oh, yes, Slater. Get started, will ya?" Carter asked. "By the way, did you visit Pyle earlier?"
"Yes I did and from what I can say is that he's in better spirits," Duke replied to his commanding officer's question. "I take it you are going to see him?"
"Yes, exactly. Thanks for the update, Slater. I'll see you in a few, Boyle." Carter exited his barracks and made his way to the hospital.
Duke started to sweep up the area, when Boyle spoke to him, "Hey, Slater…"
Looking up, the Private was curious to know what the Corporal wanted from him.
"You do realize they might end up together…" Boyle gave Duke a mischievous smile.
"Really, Corporal? I'll take that bet." Duke spoke up. "I'm putting down $100.00 that they get together before the 4th of July."
"Sounds like a challenge," Boyle interjected. "Meanwhile, if they get together before Christmas, you owe me $150.00? Deal?"
Duke switched hands, his left hand holding the broom, just to shake on it with Boyle. The Corporal sat on his desk and ordered, "Alright, now that we have a bet going on, get back to sweeping."
The Private rolled his eyes at Boyle, who just responded with a smirk and head shake.
*GC*
Carter walked to the hospital to visit Gomer. He noticed that before we walked in, he started to get butterflies in his stomach; he hadn't felt like that in a long time. In fact, no woman had made him feel this way, so why now?
'Okay, Vince, relax. You'll be fine. It's just Pyle after all.' As he was about to walk in, he instead stood at the doorway and found Gomer in his bed, intently reading one of the books Duke got him. He seemed very into it, as he bit his lip in concentration, sending a chill up the Sergeant's spine again.
'He's gonna have to stop doing that around me.' Carter thought, then knocked on the door.
Gomer then looked up from his book and smiled a big smile.
"Hey, Sergeant! I was wonderin' when you were comin' to visit." Gomer exclaimed, putting his book down.
Carter, whose heart started beating at the Private's adorable smile, walked into his room, asking, "How do you feel?"
"Much better! Everyone here is real nice, especially Nurse Katie. They give me all the ice cream I want. Although I do miss everyone back in the barracks."
"Pyle, you haven't been in here that long." Carter chuckled.
"I know, but still...it feels like a long time. Hospitals aren't the most happy of places to be." Gomer stated.
"You'll be out soon. Hopefully, for Easter, you will be back on the base." Carter reassured him, suddenly looking at the book he was reading, "Whacha readin' there?"
Carter sat beside him as Gomer made room for him to sit.
"Giant. I've read this book many times, but I never get tired of it. Duke was nice enough to bring it to me. Did you ever see the movie with Rock Hudson? I thought it was good but the book is still the best."
At that moment, Dr. Carrington walked in. Carter stood up as he walked in, greeting him, "Good afternoon, doctor."
"Sergeant Carter," the doctor greeted, turning to Gomer, "Well, great news, Private Pyle! Your breathing is back to normal and you get to leave tomorrow. Just in time to have Easter dinner with the base!"
This left Gomer a little surprised. Dr. Carrington then turned to Carter, and told him, "I have his perception ready at the front desk. All you need to do is pick it up and take it to the pharmacy. Instructions will be on the box. If you have any questions, feel free to call me."
"Right. Thank you, doctor." Carter replied.
The doctor smiled and left the room. Finally alone again, Carter and Gomer looked at one another, with Gomer frowning.
"Gee, I thought you'd be happy to be getting to leave this place." Carter chuckled.
"Oh, I am, Sergeant. Believe me, I am." Gomer confessed. "I just…well…I remembered that you told me you are going back home for Easter and I might miss you."
"Yeah…about that…" Carter cleared his throat, "I called my mother and told her I'm not going home anymore; so looks like you're stuck with me for the holiday."
This news made Gomer smile. He truly didn't want to see Carter leave the base for Easter, but he felt bad for his mother.
"What did your momma say?" Gomer asked.
"She's pissed at me but she will live. I think she is more upset with the fact I had to break a promise to my nephew and niece." Carter chuckled, quickly changing the topic. "You looking forward to Easter dinner in the mess hall? Rumor has it they're cooking one mean ham."
"I sure am! The ham sounds delicious already!" Gomer replied. "They did okay with the food here, but they should at least give us patients some salt and pepper to add flavor. Hospital food isn't the best. But I will miss the ice cream."
Carter smiled at him.
"Well…once you get out, I will see to it that you get all the ice cream you want. Besides, Hacker owes it to us after being stuck in there."
Gomer began to understand that Carter truly cared for him. All Carter wanted was to hold the Private again, as he did in the bunker…except he couldn't do it in public, where he knew people might judge them and talk. In order to protect himself, and especially Gomer, he chose to be very low-key about his feelings for the sweetheart of a Marine Private.
"Sergeant, am I the reason you're not going home?" Gomer asked.
Bashfully, Carter nodded his head, making Gomer blush. Carter glanced up at the open door and saw he was in the clear again. He took the private's hand, kissing him on the inside of his wrist as the jolt of electricity ran through both of them.