"Captain," Sergeant George Hart reported, "there's a B-17 behind us."
"A B-17?"
"Yeah. I think. I never heard of a Japanese plane with four engines."
"I have," Galloway said and unstrapped himself to have a look.
"Oh, shit!" Lieutenant Pickering said.
It was not possible to establish radio communication between the two aircraft, but the navigator of the B-17 made a sign with a question mark and an arrow on it and gave Lieutenant Killian. He held it in the window so the pilot of transport could read it.
He nodded, and in a moment a sign appeared in the pi window of the transport plane: MORESBY.
Another sign was prepared in the B-17.
ON OUR WAY. WANT COMPANY?
Whereupon the pilot of the Marine transport enthusiastically smiled and shook his head up and down in the affirmative
[Nine]
MERCY FORWARD
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
1130 HOURS 11 OCTOBER 1942
"Hello, Steve," Daphne Farnsworth said. "How are you feeling?" My God, he looks awful!
"I'm all right. How you doing?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Daphne said. She thrust a box of candy at him.
He's one ulcerous sore from his shoulders to his fingers!
"Thank you."
"I would have brought you some whiskey, but Barbara said they meant it; with the medicine they're giving you, it would make you sick."
"You mean the worm medicine," he furnished helpfully.
"I suppose."
"Doctor Whatsisname said-"
"Colonel Godofski?"
"Yeah. He said it was poison. That was the only way to get rid of them."
"He said you'll he well soon," Daphne said.
"So how come you're wearing a dress?"
"I'm out of the Navy," Daphne said.
"No fooling? How come?"
"It's not important," Daphne said, wanting to tell him.
"Just curious, that's all. I thought you had to join up for the Duration Plus Six Months, like you do in The Corps."
"I'm going to have a baby," Daphne said. Well, there, it's out.
"Oh," Steve said.
"That's why I'm out of the Navy."
"Yeah, sure. Who's the father? You married some Australian guy, right?"
"I'm not married, Steve."
"Why the hell not?"
Daphne shrugged.
"The sonofabitch won't marry you? What the hell is the matter with him? You give me a couple of days to get out of this goddamned hospital, and I'll fix his ass all right."
"He didn't know about the baby," Daphne said, "He was away."
"When did he get back?"
"Yesterday," Daphne said.
He looked at her for a long moment until she could bring herself to meet his eyes, and he saw the answer in them.
"No shit, just that once?"
"It wasn't just once," Daphne said.
"You know what I mean," Steve said. "Well, what do you know about that?"
Daphne averted her eyes.
"I don't want you to feel that you have any obligation, any responsibility," Daphne said.
There was no reply and she forced herself to look at him. He had his lower lip under his teeth, and his body was shaking, and tears ran down his cheeks.
"Steve, what's the matter?"
"I thought I was never going to get off that fucking island, and now I'm going to have a baby!"
And then the sobbing came, and she went to him and put her arms around him, and he put his arms around her, and it didn't matter that they were ulcerous from his shoulders to his wrists.
The End
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