Ambushed
Chapter 5 – Awakenings
By: Pink Brain
Wild Bill was improving greatly and starting to joke around like he normally did, although he had developed a more prominent serious side since his recovery began. His therapy was brutal and left him winded at times, commenting that it was worse than Army PT. Movement and physical exercise had been made difficult with the cast on his leg and the back brace to support his mending spine. The fractures had begun to heal quickly as had some of his other bruises and abrasions. The cowboy tried to make daily trips to see Cover Girl; normally Scarlett and Lady Jaye or Clutch and Grunt would accompany him. Like Duke, he had witnessed the deadly explosion that took Steeler's life and nearly took Cover Girl's. When he looked at her, his mind would replay that final battle scene and make him shiver from the memories. He had blocked out his own injury, only remembering his chopper being hit and ejecting from the Dragonfly. The next thing he would remember was freefalling to the ground, but he never landed…at least not in his mind.
Lifeline stopped in to visit Wild Bill as the medic began his morning rounds. "So Bill, how was your night?" He asked, seeing the faraway look in Wild Bill's eyes.
"Well, I can't complain," the cowboy tried to cheerfully retort, masking his trip down memory lane, but then paused, causing Lifeline to arch an eyebrow at him.
"What is it, Bill?" Lifeline asked worriedly.
Wild Bill quickly waved the question off. "Nothing, my friend. How is Courtney doing?" He asked, changing the subject.
Lifeline knew that something was bothering Wild Bill but also knew that the cowboy could be very stubborn. "I haven't been down to see her yet, but there was no change overnight," he answered.
"You give her and Dusty a big 'howdy' from me, won't ya?" Wild Bill exclaimed with a big but forced grin.
Lifeline smiled. "I certainly will. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Heck yeah, partner. I was just remembering some things. I'll be fine. You get along little doggie and check on our sleeping beauty," Wild Bill persuaded Lifeline, motioning him to leave.
Deciding to honor the cowboy's wishes of not discussing what was perplexing him, Lifeline stood and nodded. "If you insist, then I'm out of here. Take care, and I'll be back to check on you a little later."
Wild Bill gave Lifeline a quick salute and a smile as the medic headed out the door. Sighing, the cowboy reclined in his bed and toyed with his dogtags. He was lucky to be alive and healing, and he said a silent prayer that his teammate would awaken today.
Lifeline walked down to Cover Girl's room. It had been fourteen days since the ambush and the resulting aftereffects. The tank jockey's condition had steadily improved, although she was still in a coma. Her wounds were beginning to heal, her blood pressure had stabilized but was still weak, and the swelling around her brain had begun to shrink. Dusty claimed that she would squeeze his hand every so often, but she had not opened her eyes. Some of the bruising around her face had begun to fade, and the bandages were mostly off her head, except for some smaller ones on her temples and forehead that were covering stitches.
Dusty had continued to maintain his vigil over Cover Girl. After she had stabilized, she had been moved out of ICU to a private room. A cot had been brought in so that Dusty could sleep a little more comfortably. He didn't always use the cot, falling asleep at her bedside sometimes, only to have the night nurse nudge him awake and direct him to use the cot. Occasionally, when Jinx, Scarlett, or Lady Jaye would stop by for their daily visit, Dusty would take a walk around the hospital grounds, stopping by to check on Wild Bill's progress. He continued to leave the grounds once a day to shower and change his clothes, and he had requested a leave of absence while he waited for Cover Girl to heal. Hawk had granted the leave without thinking twice.
The General had stopped by a few times to check on the progress of his troops. His anger grew each time he saw Wild Bill struggling with his therapy sessions and Cover Girl lying in her bed. At times, the lifeless body of Cover Girl was more than he could stand to see, triggering memories of when his mother died in a tragic car accident when he was a young boy. He would curl his hands into two fists and vow that Steeler's death and the injuries to Wild Bill and Cover Girl would be avenged, personally, if he ever got the chance to get his hands on Cobra.
Stepping into the room quietly, Lifeline looked solemnly at Dusty before he asked, "How are you two doing this morning?" It tore at his heart when he saw the young trooper's weary and worried face.
Dusty looked up at his friend and nodded. "Just about the same, but I think she has more color in her face today," the desert trooper said. "Her hand seems warmer, and she seems to respond more frequently to my voice."
Smiling, Lifeline stepped closer and checked her vitals and temperature. "Well, the good news is her fever is at 99.8 degrees today. Everyday it keeps dropping, and I believe you are right. She does have some pink cheeks." Taking her right hand in his, he softly said, "Good morning Courtney. Good news today. Your temperature is finally below 100 degrees, and your cheeks have a natural color to them. Those nasty purple and green bruises are going away. Even some of the wounds on your back and chest are beginning to heal. Doc wants to take a few of the bandages off your lower back today. Your X-rays from yesterday were positive. Your brain activity is up, and your lungs are clear of fluids and blood," Lifeline explained to her but also filling in Dusty on her progress. "I think today would be a good day for you to open your eyes. What do you think? It has been two weeks since those brown eyes saw daylight, and I know they want to see your fiancé. He is getting very impatient with me," Lifeline kindly teased, winking at Dusty and seeing Dusty's grateful smile.
As Lifeline watched the heart monitor, he thought he felt her hand move. "That's a girl," he softly praised. "Try to squeeze my hand again." He glanced over at the grinning desert trooper.
"See, I told you, Ed," Dusty quickly blurted out, standing up. "Court, honey, please wake up." The machines continued to beep their same steady tone. Dusty gently stroked her cheek, and Lifeline felt another weak squeeze.
"Ron, do that again," Lifeline told him. "She is responding to touch, an excellent sign."
Dusty nodded, caressing her cheek again and wiping back some of her hair off her face. His fingers carefully avoided the stitches on her cheek and those on her temples, where her head had hit the controls of the Wolverine. Lifeline watched the trooper, noticing that his eyes only held love for her, and he didn't care about the stitches or the scars that would remain after she healed.
After ten minutes of touches and only one more squeeze, Lifeline replaced her hand on the bed and stood up. "Ron, I'll be back in an hour. Get some rest. This is a good sign that she is starting to come out of her coma, but it may still take some time," he cautioned. "Let her rest now."
Dusty looked up and nodded. "Thanks, Ed," he said, running his hand down her arm and taking a seat. He yawned but kept his eyes focused on her, listening to Lifeline's retreating footsteps. "Courtney, please wake up," he begged in a hushed whisper. Feeling his eyelids droop, he succumbed to sleep, laying his head on the side of her bed, his hand on her arm and her fingers next to his hair.
As he slept, he dreamed. He dreamed he heard her soft voice and felt her warm touch. The feel of gentle fingers in his hair made him open his eyes. He slowly lifted his head, wondering who had come in and was playing with his hair. To his surprise, the room was empty, but his eyes were drawn to the pair of eyes staring back at him. The same eyes, which had been closed for two weeks, were now open, watching his movements. "Courtney?" He queried, afraid it was a dream.
The eyes stared straight ahead but blinked at the sound of his voice. Dusty raised his head more and saw that her eyes followed him. He reached a shaky hand out towards her but stopped when her eyes grew wide with fear. "Honey? It's okay. Don't be afraid," he quickly said, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He didn't know what to do as terror gripped him. He swallowed hard and reached for the call button. After trying to find it by touch, he darted his eyes away from hers, looking for the button. Pressing it, he looked back at her only to find her eyes closed again.
Lifeline and a nurse ran in as Dusty's shaking voice called out Cover Girl's name again. "Ron, what happened?" Lifeline quickly asked, seeing his friend visibly upset and paled.
"She…she," he stuttered. "She opened her eyes for a brief second." He looked at Lifeline. "Ed, I swear she did. I saw her. She watched me, and…and she was afraid of me," he sorrowfully confided, slumping back down into his chair, heartbroken.
The nurse checked the reports while Lifeline questioned Dusty. "Ron, look at me," he ordered. "Don't take it personally. She opened her eyes, I believe you. What else did she do? Did she speak? Did she move?" He glanced up at the nurse, who nodded a confirmation that activity had been registered. Both personnel exchanged a relieved smile, and then Lifeline returned his attention to Dusty. "Come on, Ron. Tell me."
Dusty finally met Lifeline's concerned look. "I fell asleep and dreamed that I could hear her voice and feel her touch. I felt a tug on my hair and woke up. Her fingers were caressing my hair, and she was staring down at me. I could see her eyes get big as I raised my head, but then I reached out to touch her and fear flashed in her eyes. I think she wanted to back away but couldn't," he revealed.
"And then what?" Lifeline asked.
"I tried to ring the nurse but couldn't find the damn call button without looking for it. When I looked back at her, her eyes were closed. Then you both came in." Dusty paused then asked, "Ed, what happened? Is she still in a coma? Why was she afraid of me?"
Lifeline could hear the hurt in the trooper's voice. "First of all Ron, she was not afraid of you like you think. She is very confused and disoriented. We will have to run some tests to see if she is still comatose or not. I believe that she is coming out of it, but we have to wait and see. Like I said earlier, it is going to be a long road."
Dusty nodded and looked back at Cover Girl. "I hope you are right, Ed," he stated quietly.
Lifeline nodded. "Come on. Let's go get some coffee. The nurses need to change her bedding and dressings."
"But what if she wakes up again? I want to be here," Dusty argued.
As Dusty was focused on Lifeline, Cover Girl opened her eyes again. She saw the nurse and two men, and she could hear their voices. She understood they were talking about her, and she heard them mention leaving. "No," she tried to say but her throat was parched and nothing but a soft cough came out.
"Lifeline," the nurse abruptly interrupted, causing both men to cease their conversation and look at her. "She tried to talk," the nurse informed, nodding to Cover Girl.
Dusty and Lifeline both looked at the woman lying in the hospital bed. Her eyes were open, and they looked different from when Dusty saw them moments ago; they were softer. "Courtney," Dusty immediately sighed, stepping closer to the bed with Lifeline right beside him.
Cover Girl watched the two men approach her. This time when Dusty reached out to touch her, she didn't try to shrink away. His tender touch calmed her, and her eyes closed again, lapsing back into an easy sleep.
Sorry, short chapter; some of you know why. Thank you for the reviews, and thank you to those of you who took the time to email me. I have taken all of your words of encouragement to heart and appreciate your support. I was trying to give you all a great story, weaving in some real life experiences, and editing and revising as I went. A special thanks to my wife, who suggested that, in light of recent events, instead of writing what really happened to my comrades when their caravan was attacked and they all perished, I could change "history" so to speak.
Please be patient as I work out the remaining chapters. Sorry, no more next chapter updates either. I thought they would be of interest to some people, but my plan backfired. My fault and one I will not make again. Please continue to review, and I'll have the next update out as soon as I can. PB
God Bless the USMC. My prayers are with them and all military families.
