Better safe or sorry?
Soon they were aboard the huge US Navy aircraft carrier. Shaking from cold they waited to be provided with clean and dry uniforms.
They all sat wrapped in blankets incredibly releived for finally being on friendly ground. Their thoughts circled around what had just happened to them. They had barely escaped being shot or captured by their worst enemy. One only could fear what they would have done to them.
Had their mission made sense at all? Or was it just a drop on a hot stone? Had they risked everything for nothing? Or were they heroes now?
Under the extreme experiences of the last few days, one of the soldiers quietly started sobbing. His mate petted him on the back without a word.
And they others also weren't sure what to think now.
Col. Dootlittle straightened up and used the opportunity to have talk to his men:
"Can I have your attention for a minute?"
When he was sure that all eyes were fixed on him, he said in a very distinctive tone:"
I wanted to thank you. You have served your country and you did it well." he paused trying to find the right words: "To be honest with you. I wasn't sure whether we would ever return. We had a rescue plan in store but it wasn't sure whether it would work out. You knew what you're in for and you still went for it. I'm proud of you all. You've earned my respect and I'll do my best to get you all what you deserve."
The pilots couldn't help but smile. Doolittle's words did their job. He could see how their eyes started sparkling and they suddenly felt the way they were supposed to feel. Happy, proud and releived.
At that moment they were interrrupted by a few paramedics rushing in:" We've been informed that some of your men were wounded, Col.." Doolittle was a bit upset about this great moment being interupted but, of course, he wanted their best. So he motioned for Danny and the other seargant, who's name was Steve, by the way.
Danny breathed a sigh of relief because the shipride hadn't done much for his recovery-on the contrary. He was feeling worse by the minute, his chest aching and strange shivers of heat and cold shaking him. He was picked up, put on a strecher and brought away together with Steve. One of the parmedics quickly said:"We'll see to the rest of you later!" Then they dashed of. Rafe wanted to jump up and follow Danny but beside the fact that his own kneews were still incredibly shaky from exhaustion and seasickness, the Col. held him back. Rafe looked blankly at him. Then he nodded in agreement.
It only took a minute and they were given new clothes, which helped them to warm up.
While the Col. went to talk to the commanding officer about what was going to happen to his unit now, Rafe sat on the floor of the ship and waited.
After a little while a paramedic returned and gathered the men, who had only small injuries including Rafe and escorted them towards the ship's medical facility, which turned out to be only two small cabins from what Rafe could see. Good enough to clean their cuts and grazes and patch them up.
Rafe tried to get a glimpse of where Danny was because he was getting quite uneasy about not knowing what was going on. He couldn't find his friend before a paramedic found him to see to a gash on Rafe's head, which he hadn't even cared about. With a few stiches it was taken care off and covered with a white patch. Rafe shot a quick look in the mirror:"Oh great!" he mumbled. But he wasn't overly concered about it or about anybody else but his best friend.
Danny was his one and only long time friend and no matter what had happend between them, they had always worked it out and maintained their friendship. Rafe was getting more nervous by the minute not knowing what was happening.
Because nobody would tell him anything, he found himself a quiet spot.
The bright light the doctor was shining into Dannys eyes, blinded him. He was laying on a cold steel table, still wearing his wet dirty pants, while somebody stuck a needle into his arm. The pain from it was nothing compared to the hot burning pain in his side and shoulder, which the doctor was just examining.
Dannys thoughts were clouded. He felt so bad that he only hoped he would get through it ok. He wasn't sure how much longer he was able to put up with it. Then his thoughts wandered to Evelyn. How he longed to see her, he simply had to see her again. He wish she knew hoe much he missed her. In fact he feared that he never should have left for this mission but he had been so blind. Although it was clear as daylight that the mission was highly dangerous, he had never expected to end up with two bulletts in his chest. He draw a painful breath, which he had been holding, which brought him back to the reality and ,with it, the pain.
Danny thought it would get better but in fact it didn't.
Suddenly drousiness made his eyelids heavy and he could barely keep his eyes open. A wabbly, strange stream made his suffering fade until it became bearble. He heard bits and pieces of a conversation which didn't make any sense to him, so he decided to close his eyes.
The minutes passed by very slowly. It hadn't escaped his attention that the doctors words must mean that he wasn't well at all.
Rafe was truly upset. Nervously he tapped his foot and chewed his lip. The waiting was driving him crazy. So he finally stood outside on the ship and watched the rough waves. For this ship the ocean didn't even seem dangerous -unlike the small boat they had been in. His gaze wandered over the clouded night sky and to...her. What might she do now? Did she know they had crashed, did she know they had survived? What would happen now with the three..four of them? If Danny hadn't survived, Rafe could be with her and become a father. When he realised what he'd just been thinking, he immediately regretted it and mentally slapped himself, telling himself never to allow thoughts like that again. Danny-he should have a look for him, his best friend was wounded. How could he let a girl get in between both of them in a situation like this?
Finishing these kind of thoughts, he quickly walked back towards the quarters where the others were.
Col. Doolittle just came back and loudly announced:" Get up quickly. We're flying out immediately. They are putting a plane together for us and fly us out to get Seargant Walker and Seargant McKinney to a hospital ASAP."
First Rafe got quite excited about getting home soon but then he realised that Danny had to be in a very bad state. He practically jumped at the Col. asking athousand questions:" Where is Danny, how is he? Why are we flying right now? Where are we going, can I see him?"
"Slow down. I think you should stay together we the others!"
Rafe looked him square in the eye searching for clues.
Then he simply shook his head and pushed past his superior:"I want to be with him!"
"McCawley!" The older man shouted annoyedly.
But Rafe was gone. It didn't take him long to find the rather small aircraft, which was supposed to take them on. He saw a few men fuelling up the plane and preparing it for the start. Some of the interior had been taken out to make it a bit lighter. It reminded him of what they had to do just before they had left for Japan. It probably was the only way to enable it to take off.
Rafe looked around for Danny and spotted some paramedics and the rest of his unit approaching from the other side of the runway. It was dark but the ship was partly lit.
He could see the men carrying Danny.
Finally they made it to the plane and carefully carried him inside.The other men helped Seargant McKinney in and then jumped in themselves. Danny's eyes were closed. Rafe crawled in next to paramedic accompanying the flight and holding an infusin bag reading antibiotics.When the doors were thrown shut, the engines howled and the plane rolled onto the bumpy end of the runway.
A minute later they were in the air.
Strangely enough Rafe didn't feel the slightest fear of flying nor did the others despite the crash. Rafe would never fear flying.
He shot a look at Danny's face, which was barely visible in the darkness. Most of it was hidden in shadows just like his own. Only his nose and mouth was lit by a tiny bit of moonlight slowly braking through the clouds. Was Evelyn really in love with him? Or did she still have the old feelings for Rafe? Was she just staying with Danny because of their child? It didn't matter-not now. Right now it only mattered that they got him home safely. And after all what mattered more was their friendship-or wasn't it?
He suddenly felt extremely helpless. There was nothing he could do for his friend. He could just sit and watch.
Carfully he reached under the scratchy blanket for Danny's hand and held it. There it was again-their bond. The bond of friendship.
(If you want more, you will have to read AND review-please-some goodies for the author. It's very appreciated!)
Soon they were aboard the huge US Navy aircraft carrier. Shaking from cold they waited to be provided with clean and dry uniforms.
They all sat wrapped in blankets incredibly releived for finally being on friendly ground. Their thoughts circled around what had just happened to them. They had barely escaped being shot or captured by their worst enemy. One only could fear what they would have done to them.
Had their mission made sense at all? Or was it just a drop on a hot stone? Had they risked everything for nothing? Or were they heroes now?
Under the extreme experiences of the last few days, one of the soldiers quietly started sobbing. His mate petted him on the back without a word.
And they others also weren't sure what to think now.
Col. Dootlittle straightened up and used the opportunity to have talk to his men:
"Can I have your attention for a minute?"
When he was sure that all eyes were fixed on him, he said in a very distinctive tone:"
I wanted to thank you. You have served your country and you did it well." he paused trying to find the right words: "To be honest with you. I wasn't sure whether we would ever return. We had a rescue plan in store but it wasn't sure whether it would work out. You knew what you're in for and you still went for it. I'm proud of you all. You've earned my respect and I'll do my best to get you all what you deserve."
The pilots couldn't help but smile. Doolittle's words did their job. He could see how their eyes started sparkling and they suddenly felt the way they were supposed to feel. Happy, proud and releived.
At that moment they were interrrupted by a few paramedics rushing in:" We've been informed that some of your men were wounded, Col.." Doolittle was a bit upset about this great moment being interupted but, of course, he wanted their best. So he motioned for Danny and the other seargant, who's name was Steve, by the way.
Danny breathed a sigh of relief because the shipride hadn't done much for his recovery-on the contrary. He was feeling worse by the minute, his chest aching and strange shivers of heat and cold shaking him. He was picked up, put on a strecher and brought away together with Steve. One of the parmedics quickly said:"We'll see to the rest of you later!" Then they dashed of. Rafe wanted to jump up and follow Danny but beside the fact that his own kneews were still incredibly shaky from exhaustion and seasickness, the Col. held him back. Rafe looked blankly at him. Then he nodded in agreement.
It only took a minute and they were given new clothes, which helped them to warm up.
While the Col. went to talk to the commanding officer about what was going to happen to his unit now, Rafe sat on the floor of the ship and waited.
After a little while a paramedic returned and gathered the men, who had only small injuries including Rafe and escorted them towards the ship's medical facility, which turned out to be only two small cabins from what Rafe could see. Good enough to clean their cuts and grazes and patch them up.
Rafe tried to get a glimpse of where Danny was because he was getting quite uneasy about not knowing what was going on. He couldn't find his friend before a paramedic found him to see to a gash on Rafe's head, which he hadn't even cared about. With a few stiches it was taken care off and covered with a white patch. Rafe shot a quick look in the mirror:"Oh great!" he mumbled. But he wasn't overly concered about it or about anybody else but his best friend.
Danny was his one and only long time friend and no matter what had happend between them, they had always worked it out and maintained their friendship. Rafe was getting more nervous by the minute not knowing what was happening.
Because nobody would tell him anything, he found himself a quiet spot.
The bright light the doctor was shining into Dannys eyes, blinded him. He was laying on a cold steel table, still wearing his wet dirty pants, while somebody stuck a needle into his arm. The pain from it was nothing compared to the hot burning pain in his side and shoulder, which the doctor was just examining.
Dannys thoughts were clouded. He felt so bad that he only hoped he would get through it ok. He wasn't sure how much longer he was able to put up with it. Then his thoughts wandered to Evelyn. How he longed to see her, he simply had to see her again. He wish she knew hoe much he missed her. In fact he feared that he never should have left for this mission but he had been so blind. Although it was clear as daylight that the mission was highly dangerous, he had never expected to end up with two bulletts in his chest. He draw a painful breath, which he had been holding, which brought him back to the reality and ,with it, the pain.
Danny thought it would get better but in fact it didn't.
Suddenly drousiness made his eyelids heavy and he could barely keep his eyes open. A wabbly, strange stream made his suffering fade until it became bearble. He heard bits and pieces of a conversation which didn't make any sense to him, so he decided to close his eyes.
The minutes passed by very slowly. It hadn't escaped his attention that the doctors words must mean that he wasn't well at all.
Rafe was truly upset. Nervously he tapped his foot and chewed his lip. The waiting was driving him crazy. So he finally stood outside on the ship and watched the rough waves. For this ship the ocean didn't even seem dangerous -unlike the small boat they had been in. His gaze wandered over the clouded night sky and to...her. What might she do now? Did she know they had crashed, did she know they had survived? What would happen now with the three..four of them? If Danny hadn't survived, Rafe could be with her and become a father. When he realised what he'd just been thinking, he immediately regretted it and mentally slapped himself, telling himself never to allow thoughts like that again. Danny-he should have a look for him, his best friend was wounded. How could he let a girl get in between both of them in a situation like this?
Finishing these kind of thoughts, he quickly walked back towards the quarters where the others were.
Col. Doolittle just came back and loudly announced:" Get up quickly. We're flying out immediately. They are putting a plane together for us and fly us out to get Seargant Walker and Seargant McKinney to a hospital ASAP."
First Rafe got quite excited about getting home soon but then he realised that Danny had to be in a very bad state. He practically jumped at the Col. asking athousand questions:" Where is Danny, how is he? Why are we flying right now? Where are we going, can I see him?"
"Slow down. I think you should stay together we the others!"
Rafe looked him square in the eye searching for clues.
Then he simply shook his head and pushed past his superior:"I want to be with him!"
"McCawley!" The older man shouted annoyedly.
But Rafe was gone. It didn't take him long to find the rather small aircraft, which was supposed to take them on. He saw a few men fuelling up the plane and preparing it for the start. Some of the interior had been taken out to make it a bit lighter. It reminded him of what they had to do just before they had left for Japan. It probably was the only way to enable it to take off.
Rafe looked around for Danny and spotted some paramedics and the rest of his unit approaching from the other side of the runway. It was dark but the ship was partly lit.
He could see the men carrying Danny.
Finally they made it to the plane and carefully carried him inside.The other men helped Seargant McKinney in and then jumped in themselves. Danny's eyes were closed. Rafe crawled in next to paramedic accompanying the flight and holding an infusin bag reading antibiotics.When the doors were thrown shut, the engines howled and the plane rolled onto the bumpy end of the runway.
A minute later they were in the air.
Strangely enough Rafe didn't feel the slightest fear of flying nor did the others despite the crash. Rafe would never fear flying.
He shot a look at Danny's face, which was barely visible in the darkness. Most of it was hidden in shadows just like his own. Only his nose and mouth was lit by a tiny bit of moonlight slowly braking through the clouds. Was Evelyn really in love with him? Or did she still have the old feelings for Rafe? Was she just staying with Danny because of their child? It didn't matter-not now. Right now it only mattered that they got him home safely. And after all what mattered more was their friendship-or wasn't it?
He suddenly felt extremely helpless. There was nothing he could do for his friend. He could just sit and watch.
Carfully he reached under the scratchy blanket for Danny's hand and held it. There it was again-their bond. The bond of friendship.
(If you want more, you will have to read AND review-please-some goodies for the author. It's very appreciated!)