Jim nodded. “You always worry about others first and yourself last?” he teased, placing the sack on the deck next to his chair.
Cathy nodded. “Second nature, sir. Up until recently, I was a squad leader. My people came first, last and always. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Another commendable trait of yours,” Jim said, meaning it. “Here—something for you…” He picked up the sack and held it out to her.
Her eyes widened and she took the huge bag, grappling with it, her arms still too weak. Boland stood up and settled it across her lap.
“What’s in here?” she asked, excitement charging her husky voice.
Cathy’s voice was stronger. “I told Gomez we had a beautiful swan in the rear recovering from sunstroke and, of course, he outdid himself. Go on, take a look. It’s all yours.” Jim sat back, crossing his arms, taking delight in her radiant expression as she carefully opened the parcel.
For the next ten minutes, she was a child at Christmas. Her eyes got saucer wide as she drew a brush from the sack. She quickly tamed her shining hair into a semblance of order. Gomez had also found her a number of toiletry articles, among them lipstick, blusher, pancake makeup and a bottle of expensive Giorgio perfume. Jim wasn’t sure she’d even use them, but it was the thought that counted. Cathy was indeed a feminine woman who deserved to be recognized as one, despite circumstances. If nothing else, it boosted her ego, because she laughed, nervously touching the articles.
“I can’t wear any of this, but it’s wonderful that Gomez got it.”
“Why not wear it?”
“The odor. You can smell makeup, you know. And a good point for the LA would smell me coming a quarter of a mile away with this stuff on.”
“Oh.” He’d never thought of it from that angle, but she was right.
Cathy tilted her head, hearing his disappointment. “It’s all right. Just getting to see these things again makes me feel human! I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be a woman.”
“Believe me, you’re a woman.”
She hesitated, her hands frozen in midair at his husky inference. Her throat grew dry and Cathy avoided Boland’s dark, unreadable gaze. The man was affecting her like a heady wine, and she was unaccustomed to allowing anyone to reach her like that. Maybe it was because she was ill; Cathy wasn’t sure. But his tone reverberated through her and she languished in that wonderful out-of-time moment beneath his caressing compliment. She managed a half smile. “Thank you,” she said softly, continuing to dig in the sack again.
Gomez had not only gotten her magazines, but there were newspapers from the major cities in the U.S. as well as paperback books.
Jim grinned as she studied each paperback. “I ordered Gomez to take out the more embarrassing titles.”
Cathy felt heat stealing into her face. “Look, this is a recent edition of the New York Times. And this—Time magazine.” She rummaged through all the treasures, over half her cot smothered in reading material and she gave Jim a helpless glance. “I owe you so much…all of you. You and your men have been wonderful….”
Jim winced internally. Glancing at his watch, he reluctantly stood. “That supply chopper is going to be taking off soon and I’ve got to make it to the landing zone or I’ll be stranded here all night.” He smiled down at her. “Not that I’d mind, but you need your beauty sleep. Good night, Cathy.”
She watched Boland turn, his shoulders broad and capable beneath the worn flak jacket, the bronze of his well-muscled arms gleaming in the low light. “Wait,” she called, holding out her hand.
Jim turned, thinking she looked incredibly fragile in that shadowy light.
“Yes?”
“Will I—I mean, will I see you again?”
He gave a lazy shrug with a crooked smile to match. “Bad habit of mine. I always check up on my people. Yeah, I’ll be back when I can. You just get plenty of rest, let Young pamper you, and get better. That’s an order.”
Cathy grinned, resting her hands upon the books. “Yes, sir.”
“That’s more like it.”
After he left, Cathy laid her hands gently across all the magazines. Boland made her feel less lonely. Still, her mind revolved back to needing to see her friends. Right now, she needed them and there was no way any of them would be allowed to visit her. Sadness blanketed Cathy as never before.
“PENNY, ONE way or another, I’m getting back to the rear to find out how Cathy is.” Lisa’s set face was shadowed by the hootch cover above them as they sat in its protective shade. “It’s been three days since she got sick. Dammit! It isn’t right. Captain Ingram should allow me permission to go and see her. That bitch.”
Penny, who had been cleaning her M16, put the green cloth across the stock of her rifle. “She won’t let you see Cathy. You know that.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m not going to be a good girl about this.” Lisa looked up, her eyes dark with worry. Her hair was still damp and lay across her skull from the patrol they had just come in from.
Penny watched her covertly, continuing to clean her piece. Three months in the bush had changed Lisa Gardner into a hard shell of her former self. No longer was Lisa the airy, lighthearted girl they had known at Camp Pendleton. Combat had changed all of them to a marked degree. But it had altered Lisa drastically, Penny thought. One of the few who seemed to remain a constant throughout all of it was Cathy Fremont. It was as if combat didn’t touch her one way or another. Her paramount focus had been her squad. Maybe that was the secret, Penny decided, lightly oiling each piece from the field stripped rifle that lay scattered around her on a clean cloth. Concentrate on your people and ignore what combat is doing to the inside of you. Penny spit to the left, getting rid of the red grit in her mouth. There was no successful way to ignore the war. Well, Cathy’s kind of philosophy would work for a while, too, but sooner or later, pay-up time came.
“Look, why don’t you wait until Major Lane gets back? That’s another two days. Ask her instead of Ingram.”
With a groan, Lisa rubbed her sunburned face with her callused hand. She had lost plenty of weight, her utilities now hanging on her frame. Hot tears leaked into her eyes and she bowed her head. “Cathy’s like a sister to me. She took care of me through boot camp. She cared, dammit. If I can’t do the same for her now, what the hell does that make me?” And then she took an angry swipe at her eyes and looked round to make sure no one saw that she was crying. Penny could be trusted, but if Cassidy or Ingram saw her crying, there would be all kinds of hell to pay.
“Ingram will tell you none of us are allowed off our little piece of sacred real estate.”
“That’s pure bullshit! She sends Hayes and a few other of her “favorites” to the rear for supplies all the time.” Lisa slowly made a fist with her dirty hand. “I’ve got to know how she’s doing.”
“Listen, Lisa, wait this one out. Maybe you can talk to the major. Talkin’ to Ingram about this is gonna be like talkin’ to a brick wall.”
Zeroing her attention to the hill where the Marine regiment was situated in the distance, Lisa’s mouth turned downward. “I’m getting over there, one way or another.” Her eyes flashed with animosity as she met Penny’s brown gaze. “I haven’t spent three lousy months over here learning to sneak around without getting caught, not to use what I learned now.” With a jerk, she picked up her rifle, beginning to disassemble it. “Let’s just hope the LA drop a few mortars or rockets tonight. I’m going to need some distracting cover so I can sneak off the reservation and hitch a chopper ride to the rear.”
CATHY MOVED restlessly and looked at the watch on her wrist. It was nearly 2200. Lonely, she sat up in bed, an array of magazines surrounding her. In spite of the reading material, it had been a long, boring day. Her only visitor was Young, who had made it his personal responsibility to make sure she ate three square meals. And all day, Cathy had wanted to hear Boland’s already familiar, heavy footfalls coming down the corridor. Picking up a pocketbook, she ran her fingers ab
sently over the smooth cover, staring at the silent entrance. On the third day of her recovery, the captain hadn’t come back. Disappointment flowed through Cathy. Well, what did she expect? He had a company of men to take care of. Besides, she wasn’t even from his outfit.
All day, Cathy had tried to concentrate on resting, sleeping and reading. Jim Boland’s words, their conversations and his smiling face kept popping into her mind at the most unexpected times. What the hell was happening to her? Could a sunstroke make her feel this emotionally vulnerable or was it the combat finally catching up to her? Maybe it was the penalty for burying her feelings so she could function and keep her women safe. Thanks to Ingram, she didn’t even have a squad anymore. Cathy worried how they were doing without her care. A jagged ache tore through her and, unconsciously, she rubbed the area between her breasts, trying to ease it.
Cathy’s head snapped up as her acute hearing detected the faint sound of combat boots coming her way. Her heart banged away and she sat up, watching the entrance.
“Lisa!” she whispered, stunned.
Lisa grinned. Her face glistened with sweat and she lightly tiptoed through the area to her bed. Unslinging her rifle, Lisa sat it against the wall. Without a word, she threw her arms around Cathy, holding her long and hard.
“You had us worried,” Lisa muttered, her voice thick with tears as she released Cathy. Squatting down next to the cot and gripping her hands, she studied Cathy hard.
“I’m okay…okay. But how did you get over here? Captain Boland said no one was allowed—”
Lisa squeezed her hands and then took off her cap. She grabbed the folding chair, sitting down. Taking a quick look around at the facility, she gave Cathy a wicked smile. “I sneaked over. No one knows I’m here. Penny’s covering for me.”
“Lisa, if Ingram or Lane finds out…” terror choked off the rest of Cathy’s reply.
“What are they gonna do to me? Send me to Thailand and put me on the front line?”
Shaken, Cathy clung to her hand. “No, listen to me. Ingram…you know she’s stalking you. If—”
Lisa saw the tears beginning to flow from Cathy’s eyes. “Dammit, don’t cry!” she whispered, feeling her own eyes fill. “You’re such a sentimental sop when you’re sick, you know that?”
“I don’t care, Lisa. Listen to me! If Ingram finds out what you’ve done, there will be all kinds of—”
“I don’t care anymore, Cathy. Now stop crying! This is supposed to be a happy occasion, not a wailing wall. Come on! Aren’t you glad to see your sister?”
Cathy threw her arms around Lisa, holding her tight. “I love you, you silly, crazy lady,” she snuffled. It was a long time before she finally released her. “How are you? And my squad? Are they all okay? And Penny?”
“Whoa, whoa!” Lisa laughed, holding up both hands. “One question at a time. We’re all okay. No KIAs, no WIAs.”
Relief surged through Cathy. “Thank God…. Do you know what the firefight report said that Mead filled out? Does Lane know Thatcher and I had a disagreement?”
Lisa grinned. “There was nothing in Mead’s report about the Ka-Bar incident. Matter of fact, Lane has put Thatcher up for a Silver Star for extricating her patrol from certain annihilation. Not bad, huh?”
Cathy stared at her in disbelief. “Are you sure?” Lane was always putting anyone she could up for a medal, deserved or not. Medals were political as hell and Cathy knew it.
“Of course I am! Our beloved sergeant died heroically leading her charges out of enemy territory.”
They both laughed, although death held no humor, just relief that it hadn’t been them instead of Thatcher.
“Get that worried look off your face,” Lisa cajoled. “There isn’t a woman around who will speak up on the Ka-Bar issue. The word’s been put out that if anyone tells on you—” Lisa drew her hand across her throat. “Listen, I don’t have much time, so tell me what’s going on and when you’re coming back.”
Cathy laughed delightedly and told her everything. When she spoke of Jim Boland, her voice automatically dropped to a husky whisper.
“He’s an honest-to-God real officer, Lisa. He cares a lot.”
Lisa grimaced. “A people officer,” she confirmed. “The type we prayed for and never got. Our karma sucks, doesn’t it? Don’t answer that question.”
Lamely, Cathy agreed. “He’s been here to check up on me whenever he could. Ingram dropped me in his lap. She could care less if I lived or died and probably was praying for the latter.”
“Yeah, you’re not real popular right now, that’s for sure.” She squeezed Cathy’s hand. “But there’s a hell of a lot of us enlisted women who are rooting for you, so hang in there. When do you think you’ll get back?”
“The medic who’s on this ward tells me it might be a another two days if I keep recovering like I am.”
“Can you walk?”
She grinned. “Sure. But none too steady yet. Young had to keep his hand on my arm today or I’d have lost my balance. He said tomorrow I’d be better. I hope so. I can’t stand being bed bound. I’m bored to death. If Captain Boland hadn’t scrounged the books up for me, I’d be going crazy.”
“He sounds terrific. Let’s trade him for Lane. Think they’ll let us?”
They laughed and giggled. Cathy’s smile disappeared when Lisa released her hand. She reluctantly stood and put the folding chair back up against the wall. Moments were precious and she hungrily watched Lisa as she picked up her rifle and slung it casually over her shoulder.
“Gotta go, sis. One of those sweet, good-lookin’ Huey pilots gave me a ride over and I gotta be back at the LZ. If I miss the return flight, my ass is grass.”
“I know, Lisa. Look, be careful sneaking back to Delta. I couldn’t stand if they—”
Lisa leaned down, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be lookin’ for you when they release you. Penny said she sends you her love.” Lisa’s voice roughened. “I love you, too. Just get well, dammit. And let this captain coddle you a little. God knows, you deserve it….”
Cathy’s throat ached with tears as she watched Lisa slide back into the shadows and disappear out the doors. She bowed her head, feeling the hotness of the tears flood her closed eyes. How long she sat there silently crying, Cathy had no idea. She missed her friends acutely. She worried about her squad, who were now being browbeaten by Irene Rogers, one of Ingram’s handpicked glory hounds. She didn’t dare think too much in the future tense. Just getting to see Lisa and knowing that someone cared for her made her happier than she had ever been since joining the WLF.
Chapter 8
THE NEXT morning, Cathy found she was finally able to shower and dress herself. The B12 shot had to be working because she actually felt good, although still weak enough to feel exhausted after brushing her teeth and washing her hair.
She was sitting on the edge of her cot when Jim Boland appeared. “Hi,” she said with a welcoming smile.
Jim halted. At the sight of soft and shiny hair framing her face, color in her cheeks and her green eyes sparkling with incredible warmth, he felt his breath momentarily catch. A slow smile spread across his face.
“I should stay away more often. You look ten times better than the last time I was here,” he said by way of greeting, coming toward the end of the cot where she sat.
“I heard from Young that there was a lot of shelling going on yesterday. You look tired. How are your men?”
He wondered if her care was a cover for her own awkwardness in responding to his man-to-woman compliment. “A few shrapnel wounds, nothing else. The LA decided to scare us. By being active last night, they afforded our night patrols some good targets. I think the shelling hurt them more than us.”
Young came around the corner. “Hey, Captain Boland! You’re just the dude I wanted to see,” he said with a big smile.
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir. How’d you like to help Corporal Fremont with her first morning walk to our prize-winnin’, wor
ld-renowned chow hall? She’s still a little weak yet, but Doc York says for her to start building up her strength again.” His eyes widened, the whites showing. “Hot chow, Cap’n. You can’t pass that up. Or are you in love with those MREs?”
Jim returned the medic’s engaging smile. No one got hot chow unless it was a holiday. The whole regiment lived off Meals Ready to Eat. The promise of hot food was too tempting to pass up. Besides, he had a breather and wanted to spend some time with Cathy.
“You made me an offer I can’t refuse, Young. I’ll take her down there myself.”
Young came over and patted Cathy’s shoulder. “You look scrumptious this morning, Corporal. Now, I realize that’s not a neutral remark….” He grinned teasingly.
Heat stole into Cathy’s cheeks. She’d felt wonderful putting on a bit of makeup to cover the darkness beneath each of her eyes and lipstick to lessen the impact of her paleness. “Thanks, Young. I’ll take any compliment I can get nowadays.” She looked up at the captain. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You really look exhausted.”
Jim smiled and slid his hand beneath her elbow, helping her up. “Pretty lady and hot chow. What more could a Marine want?”
Young chortled. “See you later.” And then he grew stern. “And, Corporal, you better come back stuffed like a Christmas goose or I’m gonna be upset with you.”
Uncomfortable from all the attention, Cathy patted her stomach. “I’ll eat,” she promised Young fervently.
The medic waved his hand toward them. “Later, Cap’n.”
“Later,” Boland agreed. He looked down at Cathy. “Ready?”
She nodded, tucking her lower lip between her teeth as she followed him out into the corridor. “I’m starved, but I’m sweating out the chow hall.”
He checked his normal stride for her benefit. “Why?”
“All those men. They’ll be staring. I’m WLF, remember? A misfit.”
“You really are a shy violet, aren’t you?” he teased gently, realizing that she was honestly worried.
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