Grace finished. She pointed up with her finger.
“Are you sure they called in more troops?” Leah asked.
“Yes, that’s what it sounded like. But,” she shrugged, “I’ve only been speaking the language for a year.”
Leah nodded while talking. “Sure, but you’re really good. If you heard they had reinforcements coming in, then, they’re probably on the way.
The helicopter fired a few more rounds and then peeled off, but there was another noise taking its place.
“What’s that?” Grace asked.
“That’s a car,” Leah said.
“No ma’am,” Joshua disagreed. “I think that’s a heavy truck.” Joshua ran around to second of the three-legged tank, where he could get a better view of the road coming up the ridge. He then ran back to the others.
“What is it?” Leah asked.
“It’s a military troop transport, but I don’t think it’s one of ours,” he said.
“Mom, what should we do?” Grace asked her mother.
CHAPTER 14
Bob ran as fast as he could, crossing the field and past the oil pipe terminal without looking. Bob had seen more gunshot wounds than he ever wanted to remember as a Marine, but nothing quite prepared him to see his own son with one of those wounds.
“Adam! Adam!” he said, sliding down next to his son.
“It looks like it went right through the right shoulder,” Ian said, holding two strips of cloth to the boy’s wounds. “I think he’ll be okay if we can stop the bleeding.”
Adam was unconscious and bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound. The next two oldest Boy Scouts were in the process of tearing more strips of cloth. Mary held the boy’s head in her lap, stroking his hair gently.
“Adam,” Bob said, leaning close to his son.
Adam opened his eyes at the sound of his father’s voice.
“Dad,” his voice came out soft and raspy.
“I’m right here, son,” Bob said, holding his son’s left hand.
“Is everybody okay?”
Bob looked up at the people around him. He recognized the Scouts as Troop mates of Adams’, but he had never actually seen Ian or Mary. Mary nodded to him that everyone else was okay.
“Yes, they are, son.”
“You save my life,” Mary said gently, as she stroked his hair.
He rolled his eyes back to see her.
“I did?”
She nodded.
“Bob,” Ian put a hand on his shoulder, and Bob stood up. “Thank you,” he said, extending his hand.
Bob shook it and nodded. “We need to get him home now,” he said, referring to Adam. “We’ll need to build a stretcher, it’s a couple of miles up and over the pass.”
“I might have a better idea,” Ian said, and then turned to run back across the road towards the terminal.
Two minutes later, he returned with a full medical kit that he had taken from the helo. He gave it to the Scouts to use.
“Your farm is over that ridge, right?” Ian asked.
“Right, why?”
“I can fly that thing,” he said to Bob, and pointed to the helicopter.
“You can?” Bob asked, not believing the turn of events.
“Three months at Rucker between tours,” Ian answered in reference to the Army base where helicopter pilots are trained.
“Let’s do it then,” Bob agreed.
Ten minutes later, Adam was strapped into the back, with Mary next to him, holding the compressions on his wounds.
“As soon as you get to the other side of the ridge, you will see the red stable,” Bob said, as Ian looked over the controls of the aircraft. “I’m going to radio Violet and tell them it’s you and that you have Adam, and to be ready for a gunshot wound. Set down in the field between the stable and the house, she will meet you there.”
“Roger that,” Ian said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Bob nodded more than he should, trying to keep the emotions down. “Yeah, Adam’s a strong boy, he’ll be fine. We’re going to open these valves, collect their weapons and get rid of the bodies.”
“I’ll get back here as soon as I can,
“Are you sure they called in more troops?” Leah asked.
“Yes, that’s what it sounded like. But,” she shrugged, “I’ve only been speaking the language for a year.”
Leah nodded while talking. “Sure, but you’re really good. If you heard they had reinforcements coming in, then, they’re probably on the way.
The helicopter fired a few more rounds and then peeled off, but there was another noise taking its place.
“What’s that?” Grace asked.
“That’s a car,” Leah said.
“No ma’am,” Joshua disagreed. “I think that’s a heavy truck.” Joshua ran around to second of the three-legged tank, where he could get a better view of the road coming up the ridge. He then ran back to the others.
“What is it?” Leah asked.
“It’s a military troop transport, but I don’t think it’s one of ours,” he said.
“Mom, what should we do?” Grace asked her mother.
CHAPTER 14
Bob ran as fast as he could, crossing the field and past the oil pipe terminal without looking. Bob had seen more gunshot wounds than he ever wanted to remember as a Marine, but nothing quite prepared him to see his own son with one of those wounds.
“Adam! Adam!” he said, sliding down next to his son.
“It looks like it went right through the right shoulder,” Ian said, holding two strips of cloth to the boy’s wounds. “I think he’ll be okay if we can stop the bleeding.”
Adam was unconscious and bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound. The next two oldest Boy Scouts were in the process of tearing more strips of cloth. Mary held the boy’s head in her lap, stroking his hair gently.
“Adam,” Bob said, leaning close to his son.
Adam opened his eyes at the sound of his father’s voice.
“Dad,” his voice came out soft and raspy.
“I’m right here, son,” Bob said, holding his son’s left hand.
“Is everybody okay?”
Bob looked up at the people around him. He recognized the Scouts as Troop mates of Adams’, but he had never actually seen Ian or Mary. Mary nodded to him that everyone else was okay.
“Yes, they are, son.”
“You save my life,” Mary said gently, as she stroked his hair.
He rolled his eyes back to see her.
“I did?”
She nodded.
“Bob,” Ian put a hand on his shoulder, and Bob stood up. “Thank you,” he said, extending his hand.
Bob shook it and nodded. “We need to get him home now,” he said, referring to Adam. “We’ll need to build a stretcher, it’s a couple of miles up and over the pass.”
“I might have a better idea,” Ian said, and then turned to run back across the road towards the terminal.
Two minutes later, he returned with a full medical kit that he had taken from the helo. He gave it to the Scouts to use.
“Your farm is over that ridge, right?” Ian asked.
“Right, why?”
“I can fly that thing,” he said to Bob, and pointed to the helicopter.
“You can?” Bob asked, not believing the turn of events.
“Three months at Rucker between tours,” Ian answered in reference to the Army base where helicopter pilots are trained.
“Let’s do it then,” Bob agreed.
Ten minutes later, Adam was strapped into the back, with Mary next to him, holding the compressions on his wounds.
“As soon as you get to the other side of the ridge, you will see the red stable,” Bob said, as Ian looked over the controls of the aircraft. “I’m going to radio Violet and tell them it’s you and that you have Adam, and to be ready for a gunshot wound. Set down in the field between the stable and the house, she will meet you there.”
“Roger that,” Ian said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Bob nodded more than he should, trying to keep the emotions down. “Yeah, Adam’s a strong boy, he’ll be fine. We’re going to open these valves, collect their weapons and get rid of the bodies.”
“I’ll get back here as soon as I can,
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