Chapter 6

Hunnicut drove cautiously into the site. It was obvious this was the place. A cave had been reduced to rubble and there was evidence of choppers having landed and taken off from the surrounding area. Their journey had been overall quite quiet, they had exchanged a few conversations regarding family and small anecdotes had been told but other than that they had travelled in silence.

"Look, over there! I think I saw something move!" Shayla exclaimed pointing towards the rubble.

Hunnicut edged closer to the debris and stopped the jeep. Both jumping out of the jeep, they ran in the direction Shayla had pointed to. Being careful of the loose rocks and stones they picked their way through the rubble and quickly located their missing patient.

Lieutenant Frazer Green was, considering, in a very positive way. He was conscious and talking perfectly well, he explained how he had been missed. The blast had blown him away from the rest of the troop and the impact had winded him causing him to be unable to shout out when help came.

The Lieutenant's foot had been caught under the rubble and, bearing the pain miraculously well, he believed it to be broken. Shayla and Hunnicut cleared the rocks and freed his foot; examining it they concluded that Lieutenant Green was correct in his diagnosis.

"I'll go back and get the equipment bag. We can then bandage it up and get you something for the pain. Shayla you stay here keep him company, I'll be back soon." Hunnicut said standing up and making a careful dash back to the jeep.

"How did you find me?" Frazer Green asked, hoping that conversation might take his mind of the pain that was growing worse now there was no pressure on it.

"Your nephew, William, he wanted to know how you were doing, asked me to look into it. I couldn't find you on any records and nobody had seen or heard of you throughout the doctors and nurses so I took very good educated guess and assumed you must still be here." Shayla explained.

"Ah, William, such a caring boy, lucky to have him in my troop I guess...AW!" Frazer's face scrunched up in pain as he tried to move himself.

"Don't try to move, here, let me help." Shayla stood up and grabbed the Lieutenant's arms steading him as he attempted to get more comfortable.

"I'm back. Right, let's get your foot seen to." Hunnicut announced himself dumping the equipment bag down beside his patient and opening it, rummaging around he pulled out the correct items that he needed.

"Shayla, can you straighten out the leg so I can bandage it properly? Now I'm going to give you a small injection, it's not much but it will numb the pain until we can get back, were we can make a full assessment of the damage and see what needs to be done, alright?"

Shayla followed her orders immediately, while the lieutenant simply nodded in response. Hunnicut quickly gave him the injection and then began to get down to the work. With Shayla's help he managed to bandage the foot sufficiently and in record time.

"Right, do you think you could stand? We'll help of course." Hunnicut queried securing the last part of the bandage tightly. The Lieutenant nodded again knowing full well there wasn't much of an option.

Taking an arm each Shayla and Hunnicut assisted Lieutenant Green to his feet or more accurately to his working left foot.

"My rifle, I shouldn't leave without it. It's up there on that large rock." Frazer jerked his head in the direction of the rock, Shayla followed his eye-line and spotted the rifle perched on top of the raised rock.

"I don't think you need to…" Hunnicut began, his aim to be getting back to the jeep and back to the camp as swiftly as they could.

"I'll get it, I can see it." Shayla said already transferring the weight of Frazer onto Hunnicut.

"Alright, hurry though." Hunnicut agreed being in no position to argue with her.

Shayla scrambled onto the rock, as she reached for the rifle it slipped further away from her hands causing her to climb higher onto the rock until she was standing on it, only then was she able to grab the rifle. She raised it up to show Hunnicut and Frazer that she had it and turned to face them.

The sound of a gunshot filled their ears, it took a while before any of them realised where it had come from and where it had hit.

Shayla felt it first, the shocked had absorbed the impact, her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open as she toppled forwards into Hunnicut's outstretched arm.

"Shayla?" he exclaimed hoping somehow this wasn't happening.

Shayla could feel the blood trickling out of the wound, there was a pins and needles feeling around the top of her back where the tiny metal ball had wedged itself in. The shock was wearing thin and she was beginning to feel the excoriating pain that the bullet had caused. She could feel herself fluttering in and out of consciousness; her eyes were trying to stay open but failing rapidly.

Another gunshot. This time much closer. Frazer Green had rescued his rifle from Shayla's hands and fired upon her assailant. His aim was flawless.

"Stop it!" Hunnicut yelled at him, hating the agony being inflicted by both parties. It was enough that one was wounded from it let alone another.

The Lieutenant lowered his arm; he had achieved his target anyway.

"Shayla, can you hear me? Shayla? We need to get you back to the jeep, try to stay with me." Hunnicut held Shayla's head in his hands trying to get a response from her.

Shayla heard Hunnicut's voice but she had no strength to talk back. She didn't even have the strength to nod.

Sensing he wasn't going to get anything as a response, Hunnicut thought quickly and began to carefully lift Shayla up into his arms being careful not put his arm anywhere near the wound.

"I'll take her first, stay here, I'll come back for you, be ready." Hunnicut ordered. He didn't wait for an acknowledgement, heading straight away to the jeep. He couldn't waste time; Shayla was in a very bad condition, time was crucial.

While waiting the Lieutenant grabbed the equipment bag and slung it over his left shoulder, holding onto the rocks, he started to shuffle himself along, wanting to help as much as he could. Every step was painful but he reasoned that if he kept going it would soon be relieved.

Hunnicut laid Shayla in front passenger seat; he positioned her so she was sideways and the wound was visible. He had to keep her under his constant watch. Any more loss of blood could be fatal. Examining the wound briefly Hunnicut determined that he'd need a compress of some sorts on the wound to reduce the blood flow.

"Doctor!" it was the Lieutenant who had amazingly managed to shuffle pretty much all the way to the jeep.

Hunnicut rushed to aid Lieutenant Green, taking the equipment bag off his shoulder and slinging it around his own and then putting his arm around the invalid he supported him to the jeep.

"What didn't you get from 'stay there, I'll come back for you'?" Hunnicut asked jokingly.

"Thought I'd try and help you out." The Lieutenant replied honestly.

"Yeah well, back home there's this thing called doctor's orders, people usually follow them, invariably turns out for the best." Hunnicut added lightening the mood momentarily.

Frazer Green just smiled as he was assisted into the back seat of the jeep. He arranged himself so his injured foot was up on the seat and as comfortable as it would let him be.

Hunnicut searched through the equipment bag before putting it back in the jeep, he found some more bandages from which he folded into rough, large square to use as a compress. Instructing Frazer Green to press the makeshift compress onto Shayla's wound and keep it there until there reached the M*A*S*H camp, Hunnicut jumped into the jeep and set off as fast as he could feasibly allow himself to.