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Benny hiccuped. Light scorched his eye. A cool, wet cloth patted the eyelid with the gentleness of a mother.
Anna. Half awake, half still in dreams, he rolled his head and mumbled.
Boyde sighed, checking the empty socket.
"It's OK, Benny, honey. You all just lay quiet while old Nurse Boyde fixes you up."
His head was tilted to one side. A straw pushed between cracked and dry lips. The first few drops of cold water reached his mouth and he pulled harder. A spurt came out and he swallowed before most of it could escape his mouth. Benny choked and tried to draw in more.
The straw was withdrawn, the voice scolded in gentle tones.
"Take it easy, Marine. You got the rest of your days to drink an ocean dry."
He grunted, his throat too raw to speak, and the straw was pushed back in. Benny managed two more mouthfuls and his eye grew to heavy to stay open.
Boyde smiled down at him and patted his left cheek. His light snores were music to her, and it was all she could do not to dance for joy.
"Can he see me yet?"
The whispering voice slipped into Benny's dreams. He blinked through a gray haze, cursing the film that covered his eye.
Murky forms padded around the room, speaking in hushed tones.
"Just for a moment, Chaplain. He's had it pretty rough, poor kid."
One form detached itself, this one in dull olive green, not the brilliant starched whites of the nurses.
"Son?" The form bent over him. "Can you hear me?"
Benny managed to force himself to nod.
"Praise God," the man breathed. Laughter entered the man's voice. With a dry chuckle, he said, "I got the police to drop the charges." The chaplain uttered a weak laugh. He tried not to gag at the bandage that covered the right half of Benny's face or the row of stitches that ran from under it.
"When you get out of here, I don't think it would be a good idea to try and see your family in Fayetteville. I have it on good authority the police stapled pictures of you to their dashboards."
Through the haze of painkillers, Benny gave him a slow smile. The form wavered, just out of focus. He tried to open his right eye. A flash of pain made him wince.
The man stood over him. He cleared his throat and had to look away, his stomach heaved. Outside birds soared and sang. Hating this part of his duties, he shook his head with a weary hand.
"Son -"
The chaplain took a deep breath. Better to get it over with.
"Benny?" The chaplain crossed his legs and fidgeted. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Benny. I've been informed that you may nev -" He gagged and fought down the sorrow. "You may never walk again. The Corp is discharging you as of today. You'll be transferred to Wilkes-Barre, VA, if you like. You can be near your mother there. I'm told she was very distraught. You are her only child. I . . . I think it would be best for now, if you stayed on the base, in this hospital."
He took a business-sized envelope from his breast pocket and laid it on the nightstand.
"The colonel would appreciate it if you could sign these soon. They need to begin the out-processing and start on your benefits."
In a low voice, rusty from long disuse, Benny cursed as he heard so many Marines curse. The words were dull, monotone, filled with despair.
A damaged nerve twisted in Benny's spine. The spine jerked into a deep U, and a hoarse scream was wrenched from his mouth.
"Medic," the chaplain shouted. "Nurse." He threw himself Benny. Dellacourt raced in. She held a needle and punched Benny's arm with it. Benny settled back with a small groan and drifted away to his dream girl, the woman who rode the nightmares with him.
"Sue . . . ."
In her dreams she reached out and found his arms and his warmth to comfort her.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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