The Hospital
Face easily identified the hospital as the chopper banked around. The simple wooden structure had a white roof to try and reflect some of the sun's relentless rays away from the patients inside. A large red H was painted across the top, in an effort to stop an aerial attack on the place of healing.
The roaring thud of the rotor blades had drawn some of the staff out of the building. They ran towards the chopper, carrying collapsible stretchers as the bird lowered into a yard beside the hospital.
Murdock shot through the cargo hold and jumped out before the skids had touched down, his long legs sprinting past the approaching medical staff. Face laughed, assuming his buddy had left Bazza the job of actually landing. He hopped out and went to chase after Murdock, but a firm grip on his arm stopped him. A tall, heavily bearded man wearing a crumpled lab coat looked at him with a note of panic.
"How many injured?" the bearded man asked urgently.
Face watched Murdock disappearing into the hospital before smiling at the man grasping his arm. "None." He felt the grip soften slightly. "The US Army are bringing you some Christmas presents." The man released him. "Lieutenant Templeton Peck," Face said, offering his hand.
"Doctor Henry Ramsey," the doc replied with an Australian accent, shaking Face's hand. By now, Hannibal and the others had joined the group standing by the chopper as the blades slowed.
BA set one of the large crates down. "For the hospital," he said scowling then he gave the doctor a small smile.
Two nurses dived into the crate, pulling out packs of sterile syringes and bags of saline. Based on the excited noises they were making Face took it they were pleased with the donations.
"Merry Christmas, from Phu Bai FOB." Hannibal passed the ammo can over to the confused looking doctor.
Doc Ramsey opened the lid and gasped, his fingers raking through his beard in disbelief. He showed the contents to the nearest nurse who promptly burst into tears and threw her arms around Hannibal's neck.
Hannibal chuckled while patting the excited nurse's back. "We've got lots more for you." He looked at Face for some help as the sobbing woman still hung off him.
"Doc, we've got medical supplies, a few crates of food and some gifts from the troops. Where would you like them?" Face asked the Australian man. Despite the non-verbal cues, he wasn't about to deal with the nurse. Hannibal was perfectly capable of looking after the virtually hysterical woman. Instead he just smirked at his CO.
"Strewth, all for us?" The doc continued rubbing his beard looking like he thought he was dreaming and was expecting to wake up at any minute.
Face nodded, the rest of the crew were carrying more crates over.
Rachel obviously knew what to do and took charge. She spoke to a small orderly, then directed Bazza, Ginger and Poison into the hospital, all ladened with donations. Maureen gently pulled the nurse away from Hannibal and followed. Face chuckled at the expression of relief Hannibal gave Maureen.
"W-why? H-how?" the doctor stuttered, still staring at Face.
"We couldn't visit on Christmas Day without gifts," Hannibal said pulling a cigar from his fatigues.
Face seamlessly passed his zippo over while smiling at the dumbstruck doctor. "I understand you have a young Montagnard woman and her baby here?" he asked soothingly. He had a priority - and that was to find Binh - he'd explain the details about the donations once he knew the truth.
"Um- yes- um- our Jane Doe. Do you know her?" Doc Ramsey scrapped the heel of his hand over his beard. "She hasn't said a word since she arrived here."
Face didn't answer the doc, as he saw Murdock walking out of the hospital. Cradled in the pilot's arm's was a small bundle. Tears streamed unashamedly down the pilot's face while he cooed to the swaddled baby. Shuffling behind him, with her head down, was Laken.
Face couldn't breath, it was really her. Blinking rapidly he felt his own eyes sting then hot wet streaks tracking over his cheeks. It was really her. Glancing over, he watched BA turn away with his back to Face and the bulky man raised a hand to wipe across his eyes. Hannibal was beaming, and though Face wasn't sure through the fog of cigar smoke, the older man's eyes appeared to be glistening. Self consciously, Face wiped his own tears away. He couldn't believe it, it was really her, they'd fucking found Binh.
The doctor politely stepped back.
Face's heart lurched seeing Laken so broken. He moved away from the team huddled around Murdock and the baby, and stood in front of Laken, crouching to be closer to her height. "Laken, we're here," he assured quietly, gently soothing her arm.
Slowly the young woman met his eyes. He waited, softly running his hand against her arm. Bit by bit her vacant expression changed, until a spark of recognition flared. Suddenly Laken collapsed into Face, who wrapped his arms protectively around her as she sobbed into his chest. "Mister Faceman, you came. You came," she cried in hoarse, heavily accented English.
He lightly kissed the top of her matted black hair, his own tears dripping on to her and he didn't give a damn who saw. Correct protocol could go to Hell, they'd found her. His shirt grew damp where her face was pressed hard against him.
"Yes, we're here now," he gulped, his own voice wavering with raw emotion. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry, Laken." The guilt at not being there to save her and Binh completely consuming him.
Not wanting to let her go, Face just held Laken and gradually her sobs slowed as he regained his own self control. He could feel her trembling violently so he pulled her tighter into his warm embrace, frightened if he let go she'd disappear. He wished he could have stopped her family suffering from the horror they had, but grateful beyond words her and Binh were alive.
Still holding Laken tightly, he looked up at the clear blue sky. "Thank you," he mouthed silently to a higher being. "Thank you."
Once his composure returned, his mind began doing somersaults, flooded by extreme relief combined with intense embarrassment from his public display of emotions. But he felt overwhelmingly happy. Happier than he had been for days - no weeks, fucking Hell, he felt happier than he had been for months. This truly was a Christmas miracle. And he, Templeton Peck, had witnessed it.
Laken calmed and disentangled herself from his arms, heading over to hug the rest of the team. Murdock gently passed the precious Binh back to her mom. BA sniffed loudly, giving Laken the biggest smile, while Hannibal chuckled leaning over the baby in her arms.
"Would you like a tour of the hospital?" Doc Ramsey asked warmly, his own eyes misted by the power of the moment.
"We'd like that very much," Hannibal replied, following the Aussie doc into the hospital.
Face grinned at Murdock and his buddy beamed back. Yep, this was the best Christmas ever. The two men flanked Laken and Binh with BA half a step behind, none of them wanted to let their Christmas miracle out of their sight.
"The hospital is staffed mainly with British, American and Australian volunteers from Project Concern," Doc Ramsey was explaining to Hannibal. "We demonstrate God's love by treating all civilians while remaining neutral."
Face half listened to the conversation as he admired the numerous homemade decorations adorning the wards in the hospital. Each patient was surrounded by family members. Face wasn't surprised, due to low staff numbers in the smaller hospitals a lot of nursing needed to be performed by friends and family. Looking at the brightly colored paper chains Face realized it was probably the families who'd made them.
"We also train medical technicians to deliver care back in their villages," Ramsey continued.
"The MACV program does much the same," Hannibal replied.
"No, you don't!" The doctor's sharp tone snapped Face's attention away from smiling at a shy little girl grinning at him. "You're building relationships to unearth informants." Ramsey tugged at his beard in clear frustration. "Once you've got what you want you hand anyone named over to the interrogators...and they're never heard from again."
By the tensing of Hannibal's shoulders, Face knew his CO had been riled.
"Do you know what the VC did to her village?" Hannibal growled, catching Face's eye as he glanced behind him at Laken. "They need stopping."
Ramsey turned to look squarely at Hannibal. "Last week two of my nurses and a trainee medical assistant got their jeep stuck returning from one of the villages." He paused to look each man firmly in the eye. "A Viet Cong foot patrol happened upon them."
Face caught his breath not wanting to hear what happened next. He could virtually feel Murdock bristle on the other side of Laken. BA emitted a barely audible growl.
"The men dragged the jeep out and sent the medical team on their way," Ramsey continued with a sigh. "Please don't forget humanity in this war. Once you do, all hope is lost."
Guiltily, Face looked at his feet, the stark reminder of the reality around them affecting him more than he expected. The moment of tension was broken by Maureen and Rachel approaching with giant smiles. In Rachel's arms was a tiny baby, which she carefully passed over to an usually flustered looking Hannibal.
His CO quickly regained his composure and chuckled. "That's fast going. I haven't even asked for your hand and we've already got a child."
Rachel rolled her eyes at him, obviously used to the subtle and not so subtle innuendos of troops. "This little boy was born just after midnight today. He's a real Christmas baby."
Watching the colonel's expression soften as he smiled at the baby, Face marveled at the innocence and hope in that tiny new human nestled in Hannibal's arms. Would this child grow up in peace, or would this tiny life be snuffed out by a war that had already claimed thousands of Vietnamese and Americans? Would the deaths of people like Lieutenant Seadal and his unit ensure the new born baby a life of peace and freedom, or had they died in vain?
Face swallowed uncomfortably, before looking at Laken and Binh. The reason he continued to fight...the reason they all continued to fight, was to ensure these babies had a future.
The doctor invited them to stay for supper, but Murdock politely explained he needed to leave soon as he didn't want to fly back in the dark. Face knew it was just an excuse, none of them would've taken him up on the generous offer, these people barely had enough to feed themselves without sharing their supplies with the team.
Face needed to do one more thing before they left. By flattering one of the British nurses he was shown into a doctor's office. He made a couple of quick phone calls then scribbled a note before placing it in an envelope along with some money.
Everyone was by the chopper when Face emerged from the hospital. Laken, now smiling, stood with Doctor Ramsey who was holding Binh. She hugged each person as they climbed into the Huey. Face gave her the envelope and she looked at him confused.
"How to contact me and people who can help," he explained.
She smiled nodding, but clearly not understanding him.
"Murdock, can I have a hand?"
Grinning, Murdock hopped back out of the bird and quickly translated for Face. Laken's eyes filled with tears as she gave both men another heartfelt hug.
"Thank you, Mister Faceman. Thank you, Mister Murdock," she replied.
"I wish you peace little one," Murdock murmured, gently kissing Binh's forehead before repeating the gesture with Laken.
The flight back to Phu Bai was totally silent. Each man and woman thinking about their magical experience in the middle of a bloody conflict. Together they had felt the love and peace. Together they had shared Christmas. Face knew none of them would ever forget that special day of hope.
A/N MERRY CHRISTMAS
Thank you for joining me on the journey, your feedback means a lot as this story feels special due to being based on a pilot's real account. I'll publish a short epilogue on New Year's Day but to read the true story google 'The day it snowed in Vietnam 1969'. If you read it I hope you can see why I just saw it as something the team would do.
Massive thank you to ILIWAPCT and Igenlode Wordsmith for their amazing editing and betaing skills making this story possible.