CHAPTER 2 – So long, my friend -
I was scared, I was scared
Tired and under prepared
But I wait for it.
If you go, if you go
Leave me down here on my own
Then I'll wait for you.
Yeah how long must you wait for it?
- Coldplay
THE PAST
"So I'm being transferred sir?"
"Yes Captain, you'll spent the last week of recovery in a hospital near Hanoi, for studies on medication for soldiers."
The doctor handed him some papers.
"Check out will be tomorrow evening and you'll be transferred there during the night."
Murdock was happy in one way, only one more week and he'd be able to go back to his Unit and help them again but he also thought about Jamee…it was time to part. It did make him sad, but he kept his head up thinking they both helped each other so much to get better. He went back to his room. He couldn't sleep that night and time seemed endless before he could hear little tip toes entering his room.
She wore a new nightgown. Still white but it looked even more angel like. He noticed she had some scratches on her arm which were bleeding a little.
"What happened?"
"Fell of the tree." she answered plainly.
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not that bad."
"You're a tough one too huh?" He said, making a gesture for her to come sit by him on his bed.
She accepted happily and gave him a cute grin when she climbed up.
They sat there and he started talking.
"So…I have good and bad news" He said.
"What is it"
"Gee it's…kinda hard for me to tell you Missy but…they're transferring me to another hospital in Hanoi."
Jamee freezed. It hit her like a rock to her head. She breathed for a minute. The breathing got heavier.
"Hey, no need to get sad, it's gonna be alright…you're doing so much better than when we first met."
She somehow managed to stop the tears. Her dad had always told her that there is no need to ever cry because she's a strong person. Crying to her was weakness. She had been taught that. Though of course, sometimes not even a grown man can hold back a little tear or two.
She didn't look at him, she just stared in the moonlit room.
"Hey babe, who knows…maybe I can find a way to come back here and visit you sometime?"
She sighed, straightened and looked at him.
"That would be wonderful." she said, giving him a big smile.
He knew it was fake, but at that moment there was nothing he could've done against that and maybe it was better that way. It was quiet and after a while they started talking like they always did.
He told her a little bit about what he was gonna do after this and she told him about what she and her dad
had planned after this. They both agreed that war is absolutely a horrible thing and wished for a soon end of the situation in Vietnam.
Jamee yawned and so did Murdock then.
"So I guess…I gotta go." she said.
He smiled at her.
"You're gonna be alright kiddo, I've never met a child with a stronger personality such as yours, honestly."
"I've never met a person with a personality as interesting as yours." she said.
"So I guess this is goodbye..."
"Yup..."
She took her hand, made him shut his eyes with it and gave him a little kiss on his forehead.
"I really…grew fond of you, H.M." she said.
"I really like you too, Jay. And I want nothing but the best for your future. You're a bright girl and you'll have a wonderful life someday and I'll be keeping you in my thoughts, forever, keep that in mind." His voice a bit shaken now, he pulled her in in a big hug.
She felt weird. She remembered being hugged that tight after the whole thing with her mother ended…and at her funeral. She wondered if hugs that tight are always given in sad situations.
She hopped off the bed, to Murdock's surprise did not turn around and left the room. She almost ran down the hospital ward and when she knew she was in safety, couldn't stop the tears anymore. She didn't know what was going on. Maybe it was just too much for her little kiddie-head, she thought, and at that thought, she didn't realize how demented that must've sounded for being thought by a little 5 year old girl.
The next day came and Hannibal, B.A. and Face gathered in Murdock's room.
"So you'll be in Hanoi for the rest of the time until you can go back out with us again, Captain?" Hannibal Smith asked.
"Yessir, that's how it'll be. I hope I can soon return and go on missions again with you guys…"
"Rest Captain and get well soon and then, we'll fight together again."
"I will sir, see you soon guys."
"Take care Murdock." Face said, putting a hand on his shoulders.
"You better let them give you some meds for your crazy brain, fool" B.A. said.
"But B.A. they already give me medication…I just don't take it, it makes me see things that I don't wanna see! I think they give them to me just so they can control my brain!" He exclaimed, eyes wide open.
"Shut up fool!"
"Seargent, let's go." Hannibal said and B.A. followed, not without turning around to Murdock one last time to shoot him an angry look. Murdock smiled. Yes, in a couple hours approximately, he'd be gone from here, and be in Hanoi for a little while. Well, whatever, hell was hell, he told himself.
About two hours later, two guards came to pick him up.
"Get on the gurney Captain Murdock, we'll bring you to the chopper for transferral to Hanoi." one of them said.
Murdock did as he was told and the rolled him out of the room. He couldn't believe it at first, when he heard tiny footsteps getting closer. They were fast. Someone was running. He turned his head around and he saw...Jamee.
She ran after the gurney he was on. She screamed and he saw so many emotions in that little girl, it broke his heart. She yelled down the hallway.
"H.M.! You don't scream anymore! At night you don't scream anymore!" A tear ran down her face. Security guards and nurses were chasing her.
His eyes widened. He asked the guards to stop just for a second so maybe...maybe he could hug her again once. They said no, of course. Nurses were all around Jamee, trying to get ahold of her and stopping her from running after the cart.
He couldn't hold it back much longer. Fuck what the others would think.
"I know!" He yelled. "Thank you Jay!"
"Let go of meee!" he heard her.
"H.M.!" her voice now shaking and trembling, she was crying like a child her age is supposed to cry. Sobbing she continued "I...I'll miss you!"
He knew he couldn't do anything. Screaming right back would've caused too much suspicion. He turned around on the stretcher as good as he could, narrowing his eyes in pain he realized they were too far away, to hear each other anyways. He focused on her and then he mouthed "I will always miss you." When he saw the look in her face, he knew she had gotten it.
And that was it. The doors closed. He was outside. The guys who carried him just stared blankly, no emotions. He wouldn't have expected it.
He knew he was in trouble for behaving like that but on the other hand...he knew something was not right with his brain and he had good chances of his behaviour being blamed on that and not having severe consequences. Maybe ending up crazy from war wasn't such a bad thing after all...
He was alone in his room at the hospital in Hanoi. A couple of weeks had gone by and it was the day of his release. He put on his combat uniform, and when he was finished putting on the pants, and he put his hand in the right pocket of it, it hit something. Paper, he thought. A piece of paper, correctly folded came to light when he pulled it out of the pocket. He unfolded it...and immediately closed it again when he saw what it was. It was a picture. A picture drawn by a child. A very talented, very young child. It was a little helicopter in the sky, flying with a man sitting inside who was wearing a flying cap and goggles. There was a sun and there were even some birds. The ground was just some trees and a big house with a red cross on it. The hospital, he thought to himself. But what hurt him most were 6 little words and an abbreviation, scribbled across the painting. "My soul is in the sky – W.S."
W.S.? He had to find out what that meant. And then it hit him, her favourite...author! He smiled. She knew Shakespeare and told him a little bit about him in their late night talks. That little girl was something. He hoped that one day, maybe he was lucky enough to see her again. Carefully, he put the picture in his chest pocket, where it was supposed to stay until this horrible war ended.
Well...so much for the second and, I think, shortest Chapter in this story, but I had to make the cut here because it wouldn't work any other way -_- Anyways, there will finally be enough of all of the Vietnam stuff in the next Chapter, so keep on reading ;)