Lily lay back in the soft, green grass of the pasture. White daisies, golden brown-eyed Susans, prickly blue viper's bugloss, and frilly Queen Anne's lace surrounded her. She beckoned to him from what seemed like miles away. He hiked through the grass calling her name. She began to stroll away from him into the distance. He had to reach her! He loved her so! If they couldn't marry, he would make her his mistress! Nothing could extinguish the flame of his love! He would cling to that until his dying day. Lying stationary was taking its toll on Jack's circulation. His feet and hands were numb. Something was tickling his nose. He managed to tilt away from the irritant, whatever it was. He was so thirsty! He tried to lubricate his lips with saliva but had none. His bladder felt like a separate entity that would overflow. He could stall the urge to void no longer and allowed the urine to flow out of him.What did it matter now? He was as good as dead anyway. The fort stood in the center of the pasture. A moat filled with sharks protected its walls from any possible intruders. Jack pedaled his bicycle as fast as he could. The sharks whipped back and forth so quickly they created foam on the surface of the water. He had to cross the drawbridge before it was raised, segregating him from his regiment and his pregnant wife, Lily. She saw him approaching and skipped onto the bridge to greet him. The bridge was rising. The sharks were in frenzy! He rode as if the hounds of hell were after him. He had to reach her! His right arm was wedged against a rock. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrench it free. This was getting tiresome. He felt a stitch in his right side. That's all he needed now to die from a ruptured appendix! He had wriggled enough to increase the size of the slot in which he was trapped. Were those voices he was hearing? He wasn't deaf! When he fought his way to the surface of consciousness once again, he was being carried on a litter over the inverted battlefield. Bodies were strewn everywhere. The stretcherbearers stumbled over the rough ground but maintained control of their human cargo as they made their way to the field hospital. The fuse leading to the dynamite in the stern of the oil tanker burned so rapidly that Jack knew the ship would explode before he could reach the hatch to extinguish the flame. The olive green ship was almost within his reach when it blew up. He felt as if he were on a grill. His face was aflame. His body felt as if the skin had been ripped from it. He wanted to die before the pain grew worse. His forehead felt cool. He opened his eyes slowly, painfully. A white-clad nurse sponged his face gently. As she became aware of his gaze, she stopped her ministrations and offered him a sip of water. Take it easy, she whispered. You mustn't drink too quickly. Too much, too fast will give you nasty cramps. Jack was aware of bandages on his muscular arms and casts on both legs. Intravenous tubing carried a clear fluid into his veins. Consciousness was still transient. Dreams of a strange pasture mingled with reality and continued to haunt his sleep. He understood he was on a hospital ward, but where? And how did he get here? The pretty young nurse was back. We cabled your wife. She knows you were injured but are on the mend. How did they find me? Jack asked.A patrol looking for survivors found you buried in the the foxhole. You were calling Lily!They started digging and there you were. You were stabilized at the field hospital before they could bring you here. We scrubbed you up and started to you with I.V. therapy. You were very dehydrated and suffering from urinary retention and renal failure. Your kidneys may never function normally again. The good news is that you survived, she explained. A stray strand of hair fell across Jack's cheek hiding the tears that crept from his eyes. He was grateful to have his life back. He silently saluted his friend. Mike hadn't been so lucky. The cable from Lily arrived the next day. We have a son stop Born 05 Dec. stop Healthy stop Named him Michael stop I love you. Lily stop P.S. Dad bought the pasture and deeded it to Michael. |