Now they were alone. Colonel Peterson pulled some strings to get them access to a VIP suite at the BEQ for a few days. After that, Ricks and the rest would probably be returning to duty. Su Lynn decided she would go back to the shelter and run the kitchen.
Ricks turned on a light and led Su Lynn to one of the easy chairs. He sat down and pulled her into his lap. After snuggling a few minutes he looked at her. “Tired?” he asked.
She nodded. “Just let me sit here with you,” she said placing her head on his shoulder.
Ricks held her gently. When he had come to Korea he had been just a snot-nosed kid, barely able to hold the rifle he was issued. Now he betrothed himself to a woman he met only a little over two months before. He recalled seeing her for the first time, being held frightened and naked by the North Korean soldiers and fighting back as best she could. He actually enjoyed squeezing the trigger that brought it to an end. He remembered the look on her face as they came out of the bushes and pulled the dead men off her. He remembered the mixture of fear, defiance, and shame on her face as he helped her into the Jeep and took her away from her home and a dead family. He remembered the charge he got when she placed her hand on his shoulder when he was so tired. There were so many little things. The first time she smiled at him, her first words, the touch of her fingers in his and finally her kiss. Since then there had been no turning back.
“I’m going to have to get you a passport,” he said suddenly.
She looked at him like he was crazy. “Why I need passport?”
“To take you home to America. I need to let you meet my family,” he said.
She smiled at that. “Okay. Where they live?”
“A little place near Macon, Georgia. Mom is a teacher and Dad runs the farm. My brother is finishing up his degree from the University and Sis is with her husband in Savannah. I was the runt of the family,” he joked. Su Lynn didn’t understand what a runt was, but when he smiled it told her it was okay.
“Is Georgia nice place?”
Ricks eyes glossed over as he remembered home. “I think you’d like it. It’s a little like Korea. We have hills and mountains. But the weather’s nice and we have about 250 acres we farm. I guess that’s a little like your Mom and Dad,” he said.
“Yes. We grow things,” she sighed.
Ricks pulled her around. “Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a bad memory.”
“It okay,” she said, the smile returning to her face. “Not your fault. I miss just a little.” She lay her head back on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry for all the terrible things you’ve gone through. I’m just glad I was there for you,” he said. “But in a way I’m glad all those things happened. If they hadn’t I wouldn’t have met you, and I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you,” he said slowly and gently. “And now I just want to make you happy.”
She squeezed him once more and held on tight. After a moment she looked at him through moist eyes. “You want make me happy?”
He smiled and nodded.
“Then let me give you baby.”
Ricks smiled and pulled her into a kiss. No other words were spoken that night.
Chapter 17
The DMZ was just as Hufham and Ricks left it. Both men returned to the fighting two days before and were with the troops when they reached the Z near the east coast. Hufham was still a little sore and stiff, but it hadn’t slowed him down.
They had retaken the old motorpool the day before. It was a complete shambles due to their efforts. The buildings were burned and there were gaping holes in the ground where the fuel tanks had been. The North Koreans hadn’t tried to recover the bodies or bury the Americans who died there. Hufham called up a detail to collect the remains and ready them for their return home. He and Ricks took care of Old Charlie themselves. What pieces they found were carefully placed in a wooden foot locker Charlie used and buried beside his shack.
As they approached the Z, Hufham pulled the trusty Jeep into some brush just out of sight of the compound. “We walk from here,” he said grabbing his rifle.
Ricks nodded and jumped out as well. Small groups of soldiers were huddled across the area, staying out of the open areas of the compound. Occasionally the crack of rifle fire could be heard as someone on the other side decided to take a pot shot at some movement. Within a minute Hufham and Ricks stood beside the clearing looking in at the carnage. Two trucks were overturned and rusted. You could tell they had burned. Even the tires were missing. The tower was still bent over and resting on its top. Hufham could see the blasted area of concrete and rebar sticking out at the bend. The wooden door was open on what was the roof. The bullet-marked remains of the latrine were to the left. The small station house was still there, but the roof had collapsed where a grenade had gone off inside. There was evidence of looting. Boxes and cans from inside the station house littered the compound near the entrance. It appeared the soldiers had enjoyed the small cache of sodas the guard post maintained for their breaks. Even the small cook stove had been pulled into the yard.
Hufham turned to a sergeant standing next to them. “Did anybody get Corporal Masters out of there?” he asked.
The sergeant nodded. “Yesterday. We kept them busy while the team got him out.”
Hufham nodded. “Seems like a long time ago doesn’t it, Dale?”
“Speak for yourself, Paul. I still have nightmares about cowering behind that shithouse,” Ricks said.
Hufham grinned and looked at the sergeant. “He gets promoted and thinks he can just say anything. Where has the respect gone?” he moaned.
The sergeant chuckled and Ricks flipped Hufham off. Then he glanced at the new set of Staff Sergeant stripes Su Lynn had sewn onto his sleeve. “Yea, this arm does feel heavier,” he said.
Hufham chuckled and looked at his own new stripes as a Sergeant Major. “Me too,” he said as he turned back to the DMZ. “OK, back to business. You see any changes from before?” Hufham asked.
Ricks took some binoculars and scanned the line. “There’s a new emplacement over there,” he said. “They tried to cover it up, but I can see the slit and some activity inside. Let me get a better view,” he said. Ricks skirted through the trees and over near the old trash barrels that had been there seemingly forever. Cautiously, he peered over the top of the barrels.
The DMZ was like it always was. The North side had watchtowers and some emplacements along with the barbed wire fence that was standard issue with a border. But something was different. He motioned Hufham over. “Take a look along our side of the line,” he said.
Hufham eased up and looked down the South Korean side. The ground had been disturbed recently and in some places the recent rains caused the soil to compact where it had been dug up. Every few feet there was a sort of indentation in the ground. Even though there was some grass covering the place, it was not at the same height as the rest. Hufham scanned the far side. There were no such indentations. Looking further along the edge, it appeared some poles on the fence had grown. Closer inspection of the base of the poles gave another clue. A portion of the dirt was not quite the same color as the rest. There was also another pole leaning up against the fence pole from the back to give it support. Every fourth pole was the same.
“You looking at the new poles?” Ricks said interrupting his thoughts.