Hue, Vietnam
February, 1968
Max and Stephen stood side by side, shooting at the Viet Cong. All of a sudden, Stephen grunted and fell forward, lying motionless on the ground. Max saw what happened out of the corner of his eye and, as badly as he wanted to help his friend, he knew he had to constantly be on guard to avoid being shot himself.
Two medics with a stretcher immediately collected Stephen's body and headed for the tent with it. Later, when there was a lull in the fighting, Max was finally able to check on Stephen. He entered the tent to find his friend lying perfectly still on his back. He saw the IV in Stephen's arm and sighed with relief. At least he's still alive, he thought to himself. He approached the medic who was caring for his friend.
"Will he live?" he asked.
The medic looked at him and frowned. "I don't know. He took a direct hit to the chest. It's full of shrapnel, and he's lost a lot of blood. We're doing all we can for him, but right now, it's touch and go."
Tears filled Max's eyes as he looked into Stephen's pale face.
"Hang in there, my friend," he whispered.
He returned to the fray, but he couldn't get his mind off Stephen for the rest of the day. Before going to his sleeping quarters that night, he went to check on his friend one more time and found him asleep.
"How is he?" he asked the medic on duty.
"About the same," the man told him. "The bleeding has stopped, at least for now. We'll know more in a couple of days." The medic sighed. "If he survives, there may be permanent damage. He might end up being medically discharged."
"That's all right," Max replied. "I just hope he lives!"
He went to his sleeping quarters where, lying on his back, he said a prayer for his friend. "Dear Lord, please heal Stephen's body and make it whole again. His family loves him, and it would break my little sister's heart to lose him. I ask this in Your name, amen."
He didn't sleep well that night. He couldn't get Stephen off his mind. What if he should die? How would he, Max, ever tell Laura? How could the Bishops ever recover from the loss of their younger son?
Stephen hovered between life and death for several days. One day the following week, Max went to see him and found him awake.
"Hey, buddy." He grinned as he clapped Stephen on the shoulder. "Good to see you back with us. How do you feel?"
Stephen grimaced. "Like I've been run over by a freight train."
"I'll bet you do!" Max replied.
"You know, it's funny," Stephen went on. "I don't remember feeling any pain when it first happened. Just a tremendous jolt, and the next thing I knew, I was lying here flat on my back, and my chest felt like it was on fire."
Max grunted in sympathy.
"The one thing that keeps me going is Laura." Stephen's eyes filled with tears. "I've been lying here thinking about her - that beautiful face, that sweet smile, how long it's been since I kissed her or held her hand. It feels like an eternity, and the thought that I might never see her again just makes me so sad that I'm determined not to let that happen. I keep telling myself, every day is one day closer to seeing her again, and that gives me the strength to keep on going."
"You're a brave man, my friend," said Max. "I admire your determination."
He wondered whether he would ever love a woman as much as Stephen obviously loved his sister.
"Oh, you're so sweet!" Laura cooed at Matthias and Ginny's third child, two-week-old Benjamin Simon Brimmer. Benny nuzzled his face against her chest as Paula and Lili looked on. "What a gorgeous baby you are!"
"I'm gorgeous too, ain't I, Mama?" Paula asked anxiously.
"All three of you are gorgeous." Ginny pulled her two daughters close as Benny primped up and began to whimper. "He must be hungry."
"Can I feed him?" asked Laura.
"Of course!" Ginny replied as Lili ran to the refrigerator and returned with a bottle.
"That'll have to be heated up, love." Ginny rose and went to the stove, where she heated the bottle up, tested the milk on her wrist, and then handed the bottle to Laura.
"You were hungry!" Laura cried as Benny latched onto the nipple and began to suck.
"Max and Stephen are coming home soon, aren't they?" asked Ginny.
"Mom and Dad got a postcard a few days ago," Laura replied. "They're coming home on the fourteenth - two days before I graduate."
"So they'll be here for your graduation, then - that's nice!"
"Yeah, I'm glad." Laura grinned. "I can't wait to see them again!"
She finished feeding Benny, and Ginny showed her how to burp him. As she cuddled his tiny, warm body on her shoulder, she wondered what it would be like to have a baby of her own.
