Isolation & Fear (Damned of the 2/19th Book Seven)

Confusion

Room 319
Intensive Care Unit
Wurzburg Army Medical Center
Wurzburg Army Post
West Germany
06 November, 1987
1420 Hours

Pain woke me up. My throat felt like someone had been choking me all night. I tried to open my eyes but they were glued shut by something. My chest hurt, like I'd been fighting again, or maybe gotten drunk and fallen down the stairs. I tried to cough, tried to speak, and gagged on something.

"Are you awake?" A woman's voice. East Coast accent.

I tried to answer and instead gagged on something.

"Don't speak. Well, you can't speak. Open your right hand if you are awake and understand me."

I managed to get my hand open, managed to wave.

Footsteps got closer and fingers touched below my eyes. With a quick tear my eyelashes came free but my eyes opened.

Harsh hospital lights made me wince.

"Welcome back, Specialist Nagle," A woman said.

I gagged, trying to ask where I was.

"You're in Wurzburg Army Hospital, Specialist," She said gently. She moved her hands to a brown plastic bowl and came up with a soft cloth that she wrung out and then began washing my face. "You were severely injured, Specialist. You got lucky, your husband gave you first aid and the ambulance got there in time."

Again I tried to speak, but gagged on the tubes.

Goddamn it, with as good as I was at sucking cock, it seemed like I could keep from gagging.

She dabbed my forehead. "You were shot twice in the chest. The third bullet was the worst."

I gagged again.

God damn it.

"Don't try to talk. You wouldn't be able to any way," She told me. She soaked the rag, wrung it out, and started to wipe around my mouth with the warm damp cloth. "The third bullet shattered your front teeth, hit you in the back of the throat, exited just to the left of your spine. Another half inch, and you would have been dead."

I gurgled and she smiled. "Your husband is fine. He just stepped out for a few minutes for some coffee. He's been here since you arrived."

..that wasn't what I wanted to know...

She washed my neck, gentle but still bringing pain.

"There's a few others from your unit here, Specialist," She told me. I tried to move my head to look at her, only to realize that my head was strapped in place, keeping me from moving. "I've been listening. CID has been taking statements for two days, even the DIA is here."

I fought, trying to ask a question, but only managed to gurgle and gag.

"The DIA is saying it was a coordinated strike, Specialist," The nurse told me. "Apparently they hit your unit, 144th Ordnance Company, and 108th Military Intelligence."

"Nancy!" Jerry's voice was full of relief and the nurse moved aside so I could see him. Honest, handsome face, firm jaw, towlesed brown hair, brown eyes. He wasn't built like a gorilla, just lean and toned from PT.

He moved toward me and stopped, looking at the nurse. "Can I... can I hug her?"

"Be careful of the tubes. Her lungs are comprimised, she needs the machines to help her breathe right now," the nurse said.

I was getting drowsy again.

Jerry hugged me. "Oh, God, Nancy."

It was all he needed to say. I could feel his love for me practically pouring off of him. He hugged me carefully and I stifled a groan of pain.