[ONE]
U.S. Naval Hospital
Pearl Harbor, T.H.
1015 Hours 20 October 1942
"So far as I can tell, gentlemen," Lieutenant Commander Warren W. Warbasse, Medical Corps, USNR, said, "you are all far healthier than you look, or frankly should be."
"Doctor, I don't know about these two, but in my case that is obviously due to the fact that I am pure in heart," First Lieutenant Malcolm S. Pickering, USMCR, said solemnly. "I did not run around the tropical islands chasing bare-breasted maidens in grass skirts."
Dr. Warbasse smiled. He was thirty-five or so, tall and curly haired, with a mildly aesthetic look. Despite this last, he had instincts that were solidly down to earth. These told him that the young officer was well on his way to being plastered. He wondered how he managed to find the liquor; the three of them had been brought by station wagon directly to the hospital from the seaplane base at Pearl.
It was a standard procedure for those returning from Guadalcanal. The percentage of returnees with malaria was mind-boggling.
"I'd like to keep you in that pure state, Lieutenant," Dr. Warbasse said. "Have they told you where you're going from here?"
"Ewa, Commander," Captain Charles M. Galloway, USMCR, said. "The squadron has been ordered there for refitting."
"The other squadron officers will follow?" Dr. Warbasse asked.
"Sir," First Lieutenant William C. Dunn said, a little thickly. "You are looking at the officers of VMF-229. Our noble skipper, his devoted executive, and this disgrace to The Marine Corps."
My God, that's all the officers out of the squadron? Three out of how many? Twenty, anyway, probably twenty-five.
"Have you been at the sauce, too, Captain?" Dr. Warbasse asked. "Or can I talk sensibly with you?"
"I didn't even know they had any until he breathed on me in there," Galloway said.
"Ordinarily, I would order you into the hospital for a couple of days' bed rest," Dr. Warbasse said. "But since you're going to Ewa, maybe I could waive that, if I had some assurance that these two wouldn't try to drink the islands dry."
"I'll keep an eye on them, Doctor," Galloway said.
"I hope so," Dr. Warbasse said. "It would really be a shame to have to scrape you off a tree, or shovel you out of a Honolulu gutter, after all you have gone through."
"I'll keep my eye on them, Commander," Galloway repeated.
"OK. You're free to go."
"Commander, do you happen to know where I could find Commander Kocharski?" Galloway asked.
"Who is that?" Pickering asked. "The Polish chaplain?"
"Shut up, Pick. You are not amusing," Galloway said.
"The nurse?" Dr. Warbasse asked.
"The nurse?" Pickering asked delightedly. "And who is going to keep an eye on our keeper while he's off chasing a nurse, I wonder."
"One more word, Pick, and you're in here for as long as they'll keep you," Galloway said, not quite succeeding in restraining a smile. He looked at Dr. Warbasse. "She's an old friend of mine."
"Commander Kocharski is the chief surgical nurse," Dr. Warbasse said. "Seven C."
"Thank you, Sir," Galloway said. "Out, you two!"
Commander Warbasse's curiosity got the best of him. "I'd like a word, Captain."
"You two better be here when I come out," Galloway said, then closed the door after them and turned to face Dr. Warbasse.
"Did I hear him correctly? You're all that's left of VFM-229?"
"All the officers, yes, Sir."
"Welcome home, Captain," Dr. Warbasse said. "One more thing, there's been some scuttlebutt that they're sending the Guadalcanal Marine and Navy aces home for a war bond tour, after they've gone through here. Is that who I'm looking at? Those boys are aces?"
Galloway hesitated a moment before deciding that the doctor had not meant anything out of line, that he probably thought of every serviceman who passed his way as a "boy." But there was still a little ice in his voice when he finally replied.
"I don't know anything about a war bond tour, Doctor, but the blond boy, who is my executive officer, is a double ace. The other boy, the boy with the big mouth, has eight kills."
"And you, Captain? Or am I being offensive?"
"Six," Galloway said. "Is that all, Doctor?"
"Except to repeat, welcome home, yes, that's all."
"Is this important, Captain?" the nurse in Ward 7C's glass-walled office asked. "Commander Kocharski has been in the operating room all morning. She's taking a nap, and I really hate to disturb her."
"Please tell her it's Charley Galloway," Galloway said.
"I think I'm in love with you, Lieutenant," Lieutenant Dunn said. "What did you say your name was?"
"Shut up, Bill!" Galloway snapped.
"Just a moment, please," the nurse said.
A minute later, a large woman in her forties appeared in the office. She wore no makeup, her pale-blond hair was cut very short, and she was in a fresh set of surgical whites.
"Hello, Charley," she said, very softly.
"Hiya, Flo," Galloway said.
"My God, I hope this isn't what I think it is."
"That ugly friend of yours was last seen boarding a transport for Pearl via Noumea," Galloway said. "He asked me to say hello."
With astonishing speed for her bulk, Lieutenant Commander Kocharski moved across the office to Captain Galloway. She wrapped her arms around him, then put her face on his chest and sobbed.
"Oh, Charley, thank God!" she said. "The sonofabitch never writes, and I've been nearly out of my mind."
The other nurse looked at Lieutenant William C. Dunn to see his reaction to this. Dunn winked at her, and she snapped her head away.
"He's all right, Flo," Galloway said, somewhat awkwardly patting Commander Kocharski on the back. "And he'll be stationed here. We're refitting at Ewa."
Commander Kocharski regained control of her emotions.
"Jesus Christ, look at me!" she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"You look good, Flo," Galloway said.
Commander Kocharski looked at Dunn.
"I know who you are," she announced. "You're Billy Dunn. Steve wrote me about you. He said even if you look like a high school cheerleader, you're the best pilot he ever saw."
The nurse lieutenant looked at Dunn just in time to hear Commander Kocharski add, "Carol, he's shot down eight Japs."
"Actually, ten," Lieutenant Pickering interjected, and added: "I have just had a divine revelation: The lady's referring to Big Steve."
"Which one are you?" Commander Kocharski asked, turning to him.
"Pickering is my name," Pick said.
"Dick Stecker's buddy," Commander Kocharski immediately identified him. "He's much better. Or have you seen him?"
"That's our next stop," Galloway said.
"He's in Nine Dog," Commander Kocharski said. "I better go with you, to make sure they let you see him."
"I gather you and Big Steve are good friends?" Pickering asked.
"Friends, hell. We're married," Commander Kocharski said. "We had our time in, we were going to retire, so we got married, and then this goddamned war came along."
"Lieutenant," Galloway said to the other nurse, deadly serious, "if what the Commander just said gets any further than these four walls, there are three officers here who will swear nothing like that was ever said."