Shane ran into Captain Nowicki as he neared the base hospital. "They finally let you out?" Nowicki asked.

"Yeah." Shane rubbed his eyes. The sun was barely up over the Mediterranean, but after so many hours inside and in his exhausted state, it was uncomfortably bright.

Nowicki laughed. "You know you don't have to keep wearing those cammies. You're a civilian again." It took Shane a second to realize that Nowicki was referring to his clothes. Shane still had not changed. "Besides, you look like hell," Nowicki added.

Shane gave a sarcastic smile. "Thanks, Captain. I needed someone to give me beauty tips this morning. I'm just going to check on Steve before I get cleaned up." Pointing at the hospital, he asked, "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"You can't miss him. He's in the main treatment area, right next to Deakins."

Shane silently kicked himself for being so callous. "I'm sorry, I've been so preoccupied with that debriefing, I didn't even ask how Deakins is."

"He'll be fine, thanks to you." Nowicki grinned. "He's already driving the nurses crazy trying to figure out what he's saying. By the way, he said you handled yourself real well out there. Says you should be credited with five confirmed kills. That's not bad for a 'forward observer.'"

"Thanks. . . ." Shane said uneasily, feeling a little queasy. He was not used to treating death so lightly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So how did the rest of your guys make out?"

"Pretty well. Besides Deakins, three wounded. Nothing that will keep them out for more than a few weeks. Martinez nearly had his arm torn off, but he's insisting he'll be fine for drills on Friday." Nowicki grinned again. "Between you and me, I think he's right."

"Captain, you just confirmed that all of you are bloody insane."

"Absolutely certifiable." Nowicki motioned toward the hospital. "Now go check on your man in there. Deakins said he had a pretty trugh night. And after you've cleaned up, gotten some rest, and changed out of those dirty rags, come on over to the Officer's Club and I'll buy you a drink." Nowicki rolled his eyes. "Jeez, never thought I'd say that to a spook. Be there at twenty-hundred."

Shaking his head, Shane took his leave and headed into the hospital. He was Nowicki was right about one thing; it wasn't hard to find Steve. There were only ten patients in the barrack. Shane passed a couple of men that he recognized from the pre-mission briefings, and then spotted Deakins and, next to him, sleeping, Steve.

"Hey there, Spooky," Deakins called out as Shane approached. "I'm still tryin' to figger how a scrawny runt like y'all carried me outta that place."

Shane pulled up a chair between the two beds. "Trust me, Deakins, I suspect my back will be asking the same thing tomorrow."

Deakins held out his hand for Shane to shake, then said, "Ya mighta be one strange fella, but y'all's okay in my book. I owe you."

Shane shook the man's hand. "No, I owe you. You took out most of those guys in that building." Then he took a seat, facing Steve.

Damn, he looks like hell, Shane thought. Someone had cleaned Steve up a bit and shaved off the beard, but now in real light and not night vision, Shane could see why Steve had barely been able to walk. Alamain's people must have nearly starved him; Steve was so thin. His skin was a pasty white and his visible eye was accentuated by dark circles. Steve had a blanket covering his legs and upper body up to his chest, so Shane could not tell what other damage he had suffered.

"Tha's another strange dude," Deakins said. "When the docs came, he gone went nutso."

"Yeah, I heard." Shane reached over and pulled back the blanket slightly, so he could see the restraint around Steve's right wrist. Screw them, Shane thought, as he reached over to remove it. Next to him Steve stirred and moaned, then began to thrash. As Shane gripped the restraint, Steve jerked his arm back, pulling the restraint out of Shane's hand.

Then Steve began to scream.