Gilbert Morris by The Angel of Bastogne Page A

us. They’ll be heroes. They’re already heroes to their families, I’m sure, but now other people will know their stories. It’s a great gift, Ben.”
    Ben suddenly felt warm. “I never thought of it like that, but as long as we know where we stand, all right.”
    â€œGood. When are you going to visit the first family?”
    Ben reached over and squeezed her hand. “As soon as you can fly me there, Doc.”

Chapter Five
    The plane, which had flown level and steady for the past two hours, suddenly dropped like a stone. Ben made a wild grab, seeking something to hold on to, and felt the weightlessness as the aircraft dropped. He let out a small, frightened sound and then felt the pressure on his bottom as the plane leveled off again.
    â€œAir pocket.”
    Ben turned to see Charlene studying him. Humor danced in her eyes which, at this moment, seemed to be as green as the waves of the sea.
    â€œYou did that on purpose,” Ben said accusingly.
    â€œNot really. We just hit an air pocket. It happens all the time. Nothing to worry about.”
    â€œI’ll find something.”
    Ben slowly forced himself to relax and glanced down at the earth far beneath. They were high over Montana now, not far from the landing field at Billings, or so Charlene had informed him. They had left Evanston early in the morning and had stopped once for fuel and to get something to eat.
    â€œHaven’t you ever flown in a small plane before, Ben?”
    â€œNo. Just a big jet.” He looked down at his hands and saw that his fists were clenched tightly together. He forced himself to straighten his fingers out and cleared his throat, saying defensively, “You’re insulated on a commercial flight.”
    â€œThat’s right. You don’t have any sense of being in the air after the takeoff. It’s like being put in a big box. You get in the box and a few hours later you get out of the box.” Charlene shook her head, and he saw she was smiling at him. “This is the real thing. You have the sense of flying.”
    Ben looked down at the earth again and shook his head. “I’d rather be in the box. As a matter of fact, every time I get on an airplane, I have the impulse to ask for a general anesthetic. I just want to get from one place to the other.”
    â€œThat’s an awful way to live, Ben.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œJust getting from point A to point B is no fun. It’s the journey that’s important.”
    The steady hum of the twin engines had lulled Ben, a time or two, until he felt drowsy. He knew that Charlene was a good pilot, for he had carefully checked on her reputation at the airport. All the mechanics and other workers there said she was outstanding. One of them, the manager of the airport, had nodded confidently. “Why, she could be a commercial pilot if she wanted to. You can’t say better than that.”
    Ben gave Charlene a cautious glance. She was wearing a pair of pleated jeans and a loose-fitting wool sweater. Her hair was pulled back carelessly and tied with a black ribbon, and she looked right somehow flying the plane. “I guess I’m just a coward,” Ben said.
    â€œNo. We’re all afraid of something.”
    â€œWhat are you afraid of?”
    â€œSnakes.”
    â€œWhat kind of snakes?”
    â€œAny kind. If it doesn’t have legs and goes along the ground, I’m petrified. We’ll probably see some in Montana. Then you’ll have to take care of me. Are you afraid of snakes?”
    â€œNo. Never was. As a matter of fact, my nickname was Snake when I was growing up.”
    â€œWhere’d you get a nickname like that?”
    â€œA bunch of us guys were out camping. A rattler made a strike at one of the guys, and I reached out and grabbed him by the tail and flung him off into the woods.”
    Charlene turned and her eyes were enormous. “You grabbed