The War Within Read Online Free Page A

deciding against a six-hour surgery in a hopeless attempt to salvage a lost cause while we can save four other men in the same time, so be it. Expectants usually present with massive head trauma, multiple amputations, or other catastrophic injuries. We make them as comfortable as we can and someone on staff sits with them until they pass on. They are treated with the respect they deserve at all times and at no point are they ever left alone. Is that understood?”
    “Ma’am. Yes, ma’am,” Meredith and the rest of the nurses said in unison.
    Meredith sneaked a peek at the end of the line. Lois looked so cowed she probably wouldn’t speak even if asked.
    Dare I to dream?
    “If my calculations are correct, most of you have accumulated thirty days of leave,” Lt. Col. Daniels said. “Time off can be taken any time as long as you have the days saved up and your absence doesn’t conflict with staffing needs. Saigon offers its fair share of diversions. I’m sure each of you will be tempted to spend some time there when you’re on leave. Even when you’re out drinking with your friends, don’t forget you’re still at war. This entire country is a war zone. No area is safe, Saigon included. Vietcong sympathizers love targeting establishments where large crowds of American military personnel tend to gather. They place bombs in bars and strafe restaurants with machine gun fire from the backs of passing motorcycles. I want you to take every possible precaution. It won’t guarantee your safety, but I’ll sleep better at night knowing you didn’t take any unnecessary risks. Never leave this base unaccompanied. Make sure you have someone with you at all times. And, above all, make sure someone always knows where you are. Is that understood?”
    “Ma’am. Yes, ma’am.”
    “My aide, Private Flynn, will provide each of you with a work schedule and show you to your quarters.” Lt. Col. Daniels pointed to a bespectacled young woman holding a clipboard. Flynn looked barely old enough to attend a sweet sixteen party, let alone enlist. “Settle in and get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow. Work shifts at the hospital are twelve hours on, followed by twelve hours off, seven days a week. Reveille is at 0500. For those of you on first shift, transport leaves at 0530 and your shift begins at 0600. If you’re late once, you’ll be put on KP for two weeks in addition to your regular duties. If you’re late twice, it will result in the revocation of weekend leave for you and the rest of your unit for a month.”
    Meredith groaned inwardly. She knew how precious time off could be. If someone cost the unit time away from the base, she would instantly become a pariah in the barracks. Meredith didn’t want to be that person. She resolved to get up and at ’em as soon as the first notes of reveille sounded instead of trying to grab a quick catnap while she waited for the crowd in the shower to thin out.
    “I run a tight ship here, ladies,” Lt. Col. Daniels said unnecessarily. Meredith could tell just by looking at her she wouldn’t let any of them get off easy. “I expect each one of you to live up to the standards Uncle Sam and I set for you. Don’t let me down.”
    After Flynn made sure all the i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed on everyone’s paperwork, Meredith picked up her duffel and prepared to leave. She had first shift tomorrow. She planned to collapse on her bunk as soon as she had some chow.
    “Robinson, Chase,” Lt. Col. Daniels said. “Private Flynn will make sure your belongings are taken to your respective hooches and placed on your designated bunks. In the meantime, you’re with me. I have an assignment for you.”
    Meredith tried and failed to meet Robinson’s eye. She had an uneasy feeling the assignment would involve the body bags she had seen shortly after her plane had landed. Sure enough, Lt. Col. Daniels briskly led her and Robinson on the same route the ambulances had taken