Coming Home

Chapter 7

"Where is my son, Lieutenant Craig Garrison? I want to see my son and I want to see him now!"

Actor's eyes flew open in time to see a blanket bundled Christine almost fall off her chair.

A feminine "Shusssh" was heard, followed by a quieter, "He is right here in this room, Sir. Let me take you to him."

Chris blinked her eyes several times, trying to get her bearings.

"I believe your father has arrived," said Actor, displeased with the rude awakening.

Christine's expression showed she wasn't any more pleased than the con man. She couldn't stifle a yawn as she opened the blanket, stood up, and dumped the blanket on the chair. "I'm sorry, Actor. Go back to sleep. I'll try to keep him quiet."

Actor had little hope of that happening as he watched her step into the hall. Apparently the General was already in the Warden's room as Christine looked around. Instead of going across the hall to Garrison's room, she walked down toward the waiting room. Naturally that yell would have awakened his daughter.

The girl's head was cautiously peering around the door frame. She watched Chris approach and make shooing motions with her fingers to go back inside the room. The woman followed her in, and they sat on the couch.

"Is that your father?" asked Julie in a whisper.

"Yes," replied Chris with resignation. "That's Dad."

"He's a general," said the girl apprehensively. "Will he have them throw me out?"

"I doubt it," Chris smiled, not at all sure he wouldn't. "Just stay out of his way as much as you can. I hear he seems to get along with your papa, so that might be in your favor." She stood up and walked back to the door, pausing to look at Julie. "Why don't you go back to sleep. I'll try to keep the General quiet."

Christine walked down the hall to the room across from Actor's and next to the ward. She stopped in the doorway to study her father. The older man was standing beside Craig's bed, looking down at his son with a worried expression. Betsy was standing on the other side of the bed, keeping an eye on the General.

Chris stepped into the room. "Dad, it's two-thirty in the morning. All the men have injuries, most have had surgery, and they need to rest. I understand you're worried about Craig." There had been no mention of Terry. "But could you please do it a little quieter? You woke everyone up."

Will Garrison turned his head to look at his youngest daughter in surprise. "You're talking to me like that?"

"Yes, Dad, I am," affirmed Chris. "I'm here trying to keep up with what is going on with all of them. I know what they need, and I am not going to allow you, or anyone else, to disturb them unnecessarily."

Will stared at his daughter in the eyes and was amazed at the hard look he received back from her. Christine had always been the quiet, malleable one.

The girl was not finished. "By the way, you have a daughter across the hall and down one room. She is in a coma too. Craig was lucky with the other injuries he received besides the head wound. Terry was lucky because only two of the bullets that hit her did serious damage."

The old man was silent, taken aback by the girl's demeanor.

"There is a child sleeping in the waiting room, so please don't go in there," said Chris.

"Actor's daughter?" he asked

"Yes," replied Chris. "There is an empty bed in the ward next door with the rest of Craig's men. I should think you could use that." She glanced at Betsy and received a nod of agreement.

"And where are you sleeping?" Will asked.

"On a chair across the hall in Actor's room," said Chris with just a faint touch of defiance. "It's quieter there." Her tone softened. "I'm going back to get some more sleep. I'm glad Kit got hold of you and you were able to come."

Will was not sure whether to believe that last or not. He watched her turn and leave.

Betsy spoke next. "Would you like to see Terry?"

"Yes," Will answered in a slightly subdued voice.

Chris went across the hall and turned to see her father and the nurse leave Craig's room and go down the hall. When Will looked at her in the doorway, she quietly closed the door. Turning she could see Actor watching her.

"I'm sorry," apologized the young woman. "Maybe he won't barge in here with the door closed."

Actor chuckled. "So I am a kind of sanctuary?"

Chris smiled widely. "I hope so."

GGG

It was still fairly early in the morning when Julie awakened. She sat up and stretched before folding up the blanket and laying it atop the pillow on the couch. She went into one of the bathrooms off the hall and washed her face and hands. She had asked one of the nurses the night before if she could get coffee for the men in the morning and had received permission.

Julie approached her father's room first and found the door closed. Hesitantly, she tapped on it with her fingers.

"Come in," came her father's voice.

Julie opened the door and walked in. Her father was sitting up higher in the bed today. A day's growth of whiskers adorned his lower face, but she had seen him unshaven before. Christine was not in sight and a wadded up blanket was on the seat of the chair. Running water could be heard from the shared bathroom between Actor's and Terry's rooms.

"She's washing up a little bit," said Actor. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yes, until General Garrison started yelling," Julie replied. She moved over to the bed and carefully leaned over to give her father a kiss on the cheek. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Actor gave his familiar crooked smile. "Yes, until General Garrison began yelling."

Julie grinned. "He is noisy, isn't he?"

"At times," agreed Actor.

"The nurse said I could go get coffee for all of you this morning," said the girl. "Would you like some?"

"I would very much like a cup of coffee," said Actor fervently.

Julie went over to the bathroom door. "Aunt Chris, would you like coffee or tea?" she called through the door.

"Coffee!" replied Chris adamantly. "This is an American base. They have real coffee, not ersatz."

The girl grinned. "I'll be back in a little bit," she called to Chris.

"Have you been to see the other men?" asked her father.

"Not yet. I wanted to see you first."

"Be cautious around General Garrison," warned Actor. "He can be very nice at times and other times not quite so nice. He is probably using the empty bed."

"I'll be careful, Papa," smiled the girl before going out to the hall.

Chris came out of the bathroom, trying to finger-comb her hair. "Do you think I should go with her?"

Actor bit back a grin, remembering the younger Garrison girl's attitude when her father had arrived last night. "No, I believe she will be fine. If not, she has Casino."

That brought a laugh from Christine.

The said safecracker looked up with a smile when the young girl entered the room. She glanced at the occupants of the other three beds before smiling back at Casino.

"Hi, Uncle Casino," she said quietly.

"Hi, Honey," he said back.

Goniff had been playing possum, but sat up carefully and stiffly when he heard Julie's voice. "Hi Love," he greeted her with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, Uncle Goniff," she grinned.

Chief had also been playing possum, but opened his eyes and smiled at the girl.

"Do any of you need anything?" Julie asked. "I'm going to bring coffee for you." She glanced at Goniff. "And one tea."

Casino looked across to the fourth cot with the large blanket-covered lump in it. The man was bigger, and an inch taller than Beautiful. This would be fun.

"Hey, General!," he called out loudly.

The lump stirred.

Julie was staying cautiously out of the way. "General Garrison? Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee? I'm getting coffee and tea for the others. I'm Julie Borghese."

Casino and the other men watched the lump sit up and turn toward the girl's voice. "Are you Victor Borghese's daughter." He took a good look at her and stared. "How old are you?"

Julie hesitated. "I just turned thirteen, sir. Would you like coffee or tea?"

The other men were trying not to laugh.

Casino was grinning. "Julie, get him a cup of coffee. And when did you turn thirteen?"

"A couple weeks ago, Uncle Casino," she replied, not taking her eyes off the man that was Terry's father. "You were on . . . you weren't here," she said. "Papa sent me a present and Terry came to visit."

Casino was eyeing the General. He said to Julie, "Why don't you go get that coffee before they run out?"

Julie nodded and walked quickly into the hall.

"Everybody thinks that, General," said Casino to the older man in comprehension of his expression. "Terry's her godmother, not her mother."

"Terry i'n't old enough," added Goniff.

"Besides, she didn't know Actor back then," Chief threw in his two cents.

"Could have fooled me," growled Garrison.

With the girl gone, Will tossed the blanket off and reached for his pants and shirt that were on a nearby chair. He ignored the men while he dressed and then disappeared into the common bathroom.

Julie came back with a cart of coffee cups and one tea cup, a small pitcher of milk and a small glass bowl of sugar cubes. She stopped first at her father's room. The door was open so Actor could see her.

"What would you like in your coffee, Papa?" the girl asked.

"One sugar cube, please," he said with a smile.

"Aunt Chris?" Julie asked.

"Black, please," answered Christine with a smile at Actor.

Actor was sitting up straighter, so Julie took a tray and placed it on his lap with the cup of coffee. She went back and brought the other cup to Chris.

Chris accepted it and took an appreciative sip of the hot liquid. "Would you like me to take the rest to the men? What did Dad say?"

No, I can take it." Julie looked at her father. "He knew I was your daughter. I think he was wondering if Terry was my mother."

"Everyone seems to assume that," said Actor wryly.

"I think the uncles explained it," the girl said.

That caused stifled amusement in the two adults. Julie went out to finish delivering the coffee and Goniff's tea.

In the ward, the young girl made the beverages to each one's preference and handed them out. Gen. Garrison took his cup of black coffee and left the room without any explanation.

"How much yuh wanna bet he goes an' sits with the Warden and not with Terry?" drawled Chief.

"I wouldn't put money against it," said Casino.

And that is exactly where General Garrison was the rest of the day. Christine left Julie to sit with Actor and went to sit with her sister for a time before making the rounds of the men. This went on the rest of the day and into the evening hours.

Christine ventured into Actor's room. The Italian studied her. She seemed a bit uncomfortable in asking what was on her mind. She didn't have to.

"I wish you could find someplace softer and horizontal, but you are welcome to use the chair again tonight if you wish," he said.

The woman stared at him. "You read minds too?"

"I seem to have developed a scary proclivity for understanding Garrison minds," teased Actor.

Chris smiled. "As long as I am not bothering you, I would rather sleep on a chair in your room than in with the men. I don't want to be in the way with Terry and Craig."

"And your father has no objections?" asked the Italian.

Chris sat down on the chair. "He knows where I was last night. He didn't have anything at all to say about it." Her tone of voice told Actor this wasn't anything new. She looked at him and her voice softened. "Is there anything I can do for you or get you?"

Actor gave a crooked smile. "I am at a quandary. I don't know whether I wish to have my head this high to lessen the discomfort in my arm. Or have my head lower so I can sleep. Neither of which I think you can do anything about."

"Probably not," agreed the girl sympathetically. "Maybe if I let the head down a couple inches?" she suggested.

"Why not?" He did not think it would make any difference, but any change of position might help.

Chris pulled the crank out and slowly lowered the head of the bed. "That help any?" she asked, looking between his feet at his face.

"A little bit. Thank you."

On the way back to her chair, Christine closed the door again.

GGG

The next morning, one of the nurses took Chris to the nurses' lounge that had a shower. Julie was up and started down the hall to see her father and ask if he wanted coffee. She was just past Terry's room when a new nurse came around the corner behind her.

"What are you doing here?" the woman asked sharply.

Terry wavered in the warm cottony darkness. It was so comfortable and safe. There was something trying to tug her out of the cocoon she was in, but she ignored it. It became insistent. She could hear a voice. It was panicked. The voice pulled on her, tearing holes in the covering of her mind. She was needed. It was a summons she could not refuse.

"No! Let go of me. Papa! Papa!" screamed the terrified Julie. Somehow it was in her head if they took her away, her father would die.

"You cannot be in here!" insisted the nurse, trying to manhandle the fighting child down the hall.

They passed in front of the door to Terry's room. Julie saw the woman who had given her so much love, lying on the bed with tubes and wires attached to her. She struggled harder.

"Papa! No! Let me go! Teresa! Teresa!" In one desperate scream the girl cried out "Mama!"

7