CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE GUNNER'S STORY
The systematic routine of nursing, in which Nancy and her fellowworkers had been so carefully trained, had to be forgotten in thetrying days that followed. Although the nurses went on duty at statedintervals, theoretically to work for eight hours, few ever stoppedbefore reaching the point of exhaustion. Even with their large andwell-balanced unit there were not half enough to meet the need.
"If the nurses back home could fly out here for one night--just to seehow badly we need help," said Nancy, "they couldn't get into the ANCfast enough."
"Don't you worry--I'm going to tell 'em a few things in my next lettershome," Mabel assured her.
Mabel was beginning to look something like a guinea egg, for the hotsun and constant glare had peppered her fair face with freckles. Shewore her hair pinned up tightly under her kerchief, as most of theothers did. Wind blew almost constantly across the island, and withoutsome protection hair would always be in their faces.
Nancy had burned badly on their last sea voyage, and was now beginningto peel. "There's one consolation," she remarked to Mabel. "Everybodylooks about as bad as everybody else."
"And who gives a hang?" Mabel wanted to know. "There're really moreimportant things to think about. It's what you can do and hold up underthat counts these days."
It took some time for Nancy to condition herself to that constantrumble of artillery. At first each reverberation that shook their tentpoles set her aquiver. She knew that every blast only increased thenumber of dead and wounded.
Life on Koshu was as complicated as a three-ring circus. Besides thecontinual rumble of artillery, as the Americans pushed north across theisland, there was the constant drone of planes overhead. At first Nancyhad the impulse to run out and look up to discover whether they wereJaps or Americans, but she soon learned to trust their sirens to giveher warning of danger. She had her job to do. If she was to keep fitfor it she must concentrate on her own part of the great task.
By the third day the hospital was full to overflowing. Nancy and herquartette offered their private tent to give shelter to more wounded.Other nurses followed their example. The negro camp helpers built thenurses a long shelter, roofed with palm fronds. Some of the islandnatives, dubbed "Fuzzy Wuzzies" because of their bushy heads, directedthe construction. The nurses called their new quarters the fresh-airdormitory. Though there was plenty of fresh air there was certainlylittle privacy.
"Who has time for privacy these days?" Nancy wanted to know.
Their new quarters proved to be much cooler than the tents. Mosquitobars were hung from the palm-trunk rafters. By the time the nurses wereable to crawl under their nets they were so exhausted they missed noneof the luxuries of normal life. To be able to stretch out and sleepawhile on a canvas cot seemed luxury enough.
The little area which each nurse's cot covered was her small kingdom.Her gas mask and helmet hung from the head of the bed when she was noton duty. Her packed musette bag was at the foot. Beneath the cot washer suitcase and other possessions.
The day after they moved into their fresh-air dormitory Nancy found asnake reposing in the cool shadows under her cot. He was the harmlesssort, so with a long stick she prodded him until he decided to seekmore peaceful quarters on the path leading to the stream.
Next morning Nancy stuck her foot into her shoe to find a lizard hadspent the night there. She tossed the inhabited G.I. away with such ascreech all her neighbors lifted sleepy heads to see if the Japs hadlabeled a bomb for her.
Though Nancy made light of the small difficulties of their quarters herheart was often heavy as she anxiously watched and prayed for VernonGoodwin's recovery. During the first twenty-four hours after theyplaced him in the tent it seemed that life would flicker out at anymoment. The news got round that Vernon had been one of Tommy Dale'sbomber crew, and the entire staff concentrated their efforts toward hisrecovery. Lieutenant Herbert York, in charge of his ward, gave himevery treatment that modern science had discovered for restoring lifeto a starved body. To her great satisfaction, they transferred Nancy tohis ward.
On the fourth day Vernon showed the first real promise of recovery. Anhour after daylight Nancy was scheduled to go off duty, but she didn'twant to leave Vernon. He had roused and his lids had fluttered openseveral times. To the watching nurse's delight his look of confusionhad vanished.
"Wouldn't you like something to eat?" she asked hopefully. "LieutenantYork said you could have something this morning."
He turned his head and looked at her a long time. "You're an Americannurse," he whispered as if he could scarcely believe the wonderfultruth.
She nodded and smiled. Then she took a grip on herself to keep fromsaying anything that would shock him.
"I suppose I don't look very much like one in this seersucker suit andwith my head tied up. But you're safe in an American hospital, Vernon,and you're going to get well," she assured him.
"I never thought it could happen," he whispered. He turned his headslowly as if looking for someone. "Did they bring the others out?" heasked after an interval.
"Who?" she asked. "The rest of the bomber crew?"
A shadow darkened his eyes.
"Was Tommy with them?" she asked. Then she was frightened for fear hisanswer would bring an end to all her hopes.
"No."
"No?" she repeated in an agony of suspense.
"He wouldn't come back with us."
"Wouldn't come back?"
"From that island where we went ashore."
"You--you mean Tommy really got safely ashore somewhere?"
"Yes. Three of us did." Suddenly Vernon stopped and fixed his gaze onher. "Did you know Tommy?"
"He's my brother."
The ill man showed no shock or surprise at this. But he stared at herfor some time before he continued, "I think I knew that anyhow." Histone grew more puzzled. "Don't know how, unless it was because you keptpulling me back from the grave--you wouldn't let me die."
"Maybe you realized some of the things we said around you while youwere so desperately ill," Nancy told him. "Do you feel able to tell memore about Tommy? Was he injured when he jumped?"
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"_Tommy Made Us Leave Him There._"]
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"All of us were one way or another. Tommy got his in here somewhere."The emaciated hand lying on the sheet, indicated his stomach. "He madeJim and me start off in our rubber boat. We had picked up some valuableinformation from the Japs that called for counteraction right away."
"And he made you leave him there?"
"Hardest thing I ever had to do, but he was our captain and we had toobey. 'Getting through with that information may save thousands oflives,' Tommy told us. He was like that, Tommy was. By staying wemight've saved him, but he wouldn't hear of it when so much was atstake."
"But couldn't you have brought him away with you?" she wailed.
"He was too ill to sit up. That burning sun would have finished him ina few hours, even if the Japs hadn't got us."
"Oh--then they did get you before you came through with theinformation?"
He was silent a moment as if gathering strength for the awful memories.
"Picked us up at sea," he said finally. "We had water, food andnavigation instruments and might have made it all right."
She feared the thoughts of what followed would be too harrowing, andstopped him there. "I'll go get you some milk," she said. "Then youmust rest before you talk any more."
Nancy dared not weary Vernon with more questioning just then, so wassilent while she fed him the milk through a tube. The information hehad already given was broken at intervals for him to gather strengthfor the effort.
"You must sleep some more," she suggested when he had taken thenourishment, "and I'll come back to see you again this afternoon."<
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For the first time in many weeks Nancy found it impossible to sleepwhen she was finally stretched on her cot. She often used a blinderacross her eyes to shut out the glare when she had difficulty sleepingin the day, but this time it did no good at all. She could not stop theworking of her troubled mind, even though her tired body cried out forrest. Nor did she like to take anything to make herself sleep, for sheknew, under the present stress, how easy it would be to get into such ahabit.
After tossing from side to side for a couple of hours she finally gotup and went down to the spring to do her washing. Soon her undies andseersucker suits were flapping on a line between two palm trees neartheir shelter. Then she took a bath in the wash hole at the stream,which they had made private by an arrangement of palm leaf screens.
When Nancy was coming back up the path from the stream she met MajorReed. Since they had landed on the island there had been little thoughtor time for military formalities. The entire unit, from the highestofficers to the youngest shavetails, had become a harmonious workingwhole. However, Nancy saluted now as she came face to face with themajor on the path.
He was about to pass on when suddenly he paused and said, "Nancy,there's no need of killing yourself. You look all washed up."
"Maybe I look pale because I just had a bath," she told him. "A rareluxury!"
He chuckled and admitted, "You do look mighty clean!" Then almostimmediately he was serious again. "I've just come from your ward andYork told me you worked long beyond your time this morning."
"More were coming in than the nurses on duty could handle," sheexplained. Then for fear she would be given more credit than shedeserved Nancy hastened to add, "And Vernon Goodwin was so much betterI thought he might rouse at any moment and be able to tell mesomething."
"And did he?"
"Yes he did, Major. He told me a little about Tommy. He wasn't able totalk much." Briefly Nancy repeated what she had learned from Vernon.
"Did he know the name of the island where they came down?"
"No--or rather I didn't ask him. I was afraid to let him talk too much.His life still hangs by a thin thread."
"How long since you talked with him?"
Nancy glanced at her watch. "Nearly three hours."
"Want to try again?"
"Oh, yes, if you don't think it would be too much strain on him."
They went to the ward and made their way down through the long rows ofcots. They were a pitiful lot, those wounded men with bandages of everysort. But they wanted no pity, for they called themselves the luckyguys for having so much comfort and attention. Some were able to bepropped up for the noon meal, while others must be patiently fed aliquid diet.
Shorty Warner was feeding Vernon a thin broth through a tube when MajorReed and Nancy paused by his bed. The ghost of a smile flickered to thegunner's face when he recognized Nancy.
"He asked for you as soon as he woke," Shorty explained.
"Feel like talking a bit, old chap?" asked the major, touching theprematurely white head and giving it a friendly pat.
"Think so, Major. I know Miss Nancy is anxious to hear all about Tom."
"So he was alive when you left him?"
"He was, sir. But I fear he was mortally wounded. Think he had aspatter of lead in his stomach--must have got it when they killed ourco-pilot."
Though Vernon's voice was very weak Nancy saw that talking was lesseffort than it had been earlier.
"Can you give us an idea of the location of that island?" the majorasked.
"Not too accurate, I fear," Vernon admitted. "I've been through suchhorrible things since. I'd say it's not more than a day's journey bywater from here."
At this information Nancy's heart leaped up once more with hope.
"You took that fatal flight, you know, long before we started cleaningup this area," Major Reed reminded him.
"So the nurse was just telling me. I've sort of lost track of time."
"Was it a large island?" asked Nancy.
"Big enough for a man to get lost in its jungles--entirely surroundedby reefs. No large boat could get in close to its shores."
"Plenty like that in this region," said Major Reed.
"Jim and I passed no others in our life boat as we came south. Thenthose devils picked us up."
"What about Jim?" Nancy asked.
"He had a nasty wound in his hip. Gangrene ended his misery two daysafter they put us in the prison camp. I've wished a thousand times itcould have been me, too."
Looking down on this wreck of a man, Nancy wondered how he had livedthrough the ordeal.
"Any Japs on the island where you three got ashore?" asked the major.
"No village there, or camp, nor any sign there'd ever been any. Theplace was a solid jungle, except for a narrow fringe of beach. But wedid find a Jap plane wrecked on the reef. Her crew had evidently allbeen wiped out by our fire."
"Was that where you got the information Captain Dale wanted you tobring back to us?"
Vernon nodded. "I brought the Jap papers away in the lining of my coat.Later when they were found on me those fiends stripped me of every ragfor fear I might have more of their information hidden in my clothes."Vernon managed a rueful smile. "That's why you found me in only a loincloth."
"Did Tommy have water and food with him?" Nancy asked.
"You bet. There was a good spring close by. He didn't need water, butwe left him most of our food and medicine, and the supplies we tookfrom the Zero. We put everything right to hand. Poor Tommy was alreadytoo miserable to crawl more than a few feet from where we left him."
Tears were streaming down Nancy's face, but she stubbornly held to herhopes. She couldn't give Tommy up now, even after hearing the worst.
"It's not likely he could be living still. But don't feel too badlyabout it, Miss Nancy," Vernon said kindly. "There's plenty of thingsworse than death in this war."
"I'm afraid we've let you talk too much this time," said Major Reed."Sleep some more now and we'll see you again."
When Nancy and the major were outside she said, "Oh, Major, do youthink there's anything we could do about it? Would they be willing tosend a searching plane out to look for Tommy?"
"Of course they would, my dear. But Goodwin's information is rathervague about some things. We'll wait till tomorrow. Maybe with the aidof a map he'll be able to give us more accurate directions."
"Oh, Major, I don't know how to thank you."
"You don't have to, young lady. Captain Dale is about as important tothe Air Forces as he is to you. We don't give up such men without astruggle." They walked on a few steps before he added, "Now you must goback and get some rest. We can't afford to have any sick nurses on ourhands."
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