Off Limits Part 6

Alex sat up with his help as he re-bandaged the wound. The dusk had turned tobare twilight. "How are you going to be able to see?" she asked.

"Same way we did last night."

With a shake of her head, Alex muttered, "You've got the eyes of an owl, JimMcKenzie."

He smiled and gestured for her to follow him. "I've been called plenty ofthings in my life, but never an owl."

"What kinds of things?"

"Ladies don't need to hear those sorts of words. Come on, we've got a lot ofground to cover tonight."

Tonight was different, Alex decided quickly. They weren't being pursued byB-52 bombs dropping out of the night sky, and Jim was being much more careful.She was amazed at the way his bare feet caressed the damp, branch-strewnjungle floor, making no sound. Leaves swatted constantly at her face and body.Sometimes a vine would trip her. Jim merely tightened his grip around herwaist, catching her before she fell and holding her until she nodded that shewas ready to move forward again.

Hours later, they discovered a small stream. Jim carefully checked the areafor trip wires and land mines before allowing Alex to go down to the bank todrink. They rested, hidden in the tall gra.s.s along the bank. Because of hersling, Alex couldn't wash her neck or arm as Jim could. He pulled off theolive green T-shirt he wore beneath his utility shirt and washed it in thestream, then wrung it out and moved over to where she sat.

"Want to get rid of some of that dirt?" he asked, his teeth white against hisdarkened skin.

Alex nodded. "Please," she murmured, grateful for his sensitivity to herneeds. Jim positioned her near the water and wet her hair. Alex had never hadher hair washed by a man, but she closed her eyes and languished in Jim'scare. Taking the only dry piece of his green towel, he dried her hair. Alexmanaged to tame the damp strands into a semblance of order. As much as shewanted to talk, she knew it was impossible. Voices carried and could alert theVC.

"Okay," Jim whispered finally. He tied the damp T-shirt around his web belt.Reaching over, he gripped Alex's hand. "Ready?" They were making good time,and she seemed to grow strong as the night wore on. Jim was sure the sulfapowder was finally wreaking havoc on that stubborn infection in Alex's wound.She seemed to be regaining her former strength.

Near 0400, Jim heard a strange noise. Instantly, he pulled Alex next to him.His eyes narrowed as he scoped out the thinning jungle around them. At first,he thought he was seeing things, then he realized he wasn't. His heart began ahard, steady thump in his chest. His grip on Alex tightened. Straight ahead ofthem rose a small hill out of the jungle floor. It was the marine firebase!The hill was no more than a mile away, barely outlined by the first hint ofdawn on the horizon.

Another sound, a more lethal one, had caught Jim's attention. No more than ahundred feet away, ten VC walked quickly toward the hill, armed and ready tofight. He felt Alex's hand tighten on his arm. She'd seen the enemy, too.Looking around, Jim spotted a mild depression in the earth. It was a cratermade by mortar at an earlier date, he was sure. Worriedly, he gestured forAlex to move into the depression as soon as the VC column pa.s.sed.

Alex tried to steady her breathing as Jim situated her in the freshly churnedearth and began dragging banana leaves, blown off by earlier explosions,across her. She reached out and captured his hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded softly.

Jim lay on his belly, his head next to hers. "The firebase," he gasped, "isabout a mile away. VC are all around. They're gonna attack the marines." Heheld her widening eyes. "Stay here. I'm going for help. I'll thread the needlethrough the VC and alert the company commander to what's goin' down. I'll tellhim you're out here. With VC all around, the marines will shoot first and askquestions later. We don't know the code for safe entrance, Alex. I've got totry to get through. I'm not risking your life, too. Stay put! No matter whathappens, don't move. Understand?"

Jim could die in his attempt to alert the marines. Alex gripped his hand. Andhe was risking his freedom for her, too. "Why can't I go with you?"

He shook his head and released her hand. They didn't dare speak too much. "Toodangerous! I'll be back-I promise." A bittersweet feeling wound through Jim and he reached out and touched her flushed cheek. Sweet G.o.d, how he wanted tokiss her parted, ripe lips one last time. But that was merely chasing animpossible dream. And so was telling Alex that he'd fallen just as deeply inlove with her as she had with him.

There was no more time to think about his feelings toward Alex. Jim withdrewhis hand from the caress and backed away on his belly without making a sound.If he failed in this attempt, Alex could die. Everything he'd ever learned asa recon, the stealth and focus, locked into place. This was one mission hecouldn't fail. He might never be able to atone for killing Kim, but he knewthat if he could get Alex back to her people, he'd feel a little better abouthimself as a human being.

Alex pressed her hand against her lips, stifling a cry as Jim disappeared intothe jungle. Up ahead, rising through the trees and brush, she could barelymake out the hill in the darkness. Her heart pounding, she lay pressed againstthe mortar crater's wall, covered with long, floppy leaves. Jim could bediscovered by VC. They'd kill him. He had no rifle with which to defendhimself, only a knife. And even then, he wouldn't raise a weapon against them.He'd die. Tears leaked into her eyes, and Alex lay fighting back the urge toscream out her terror.

"Don't shoot!" Jim rasped as he crawled up to a listening post at the bottomof the hill. "American! I'm American!" He saw the two young marines leap to astanding position from their large, deeply dug hole. Their eyes bulged. BothM-14's swung into his face. Not daring to sit up or stand for fear the VCwould see him, Jim put both hands up.

"I'm a recon marine!" he snapped. "Corporal Jim McKenzie. There's a VC attackimminent. Get on your radio and tell your company commander. I've also got awoman by the name of Alex Vance nearby. She's the congressman's daughter. Irescued her from that chopper that got shot down. Come on! Move!"

The youngest marine's mouth dropped open. It was the older marine, anineteen-year-old private first cla.s.s, who reached for the radio in the bottomof then-foxhole. Jim nodded and slowly moved around so that he could watch thejungle front with them. Once the marine got the commanding officer, CaptainByron Johnson, on the radio, Jim gestured to speak to him.

"Hold on, sir," the marine said.

Jim nodded his thanks and took the radio. Quickly, he gave his name, rank andserial number. His eyes pinned on the jungle, he gave the officer all thevital information. His report was greeted with stunned silence.

"Get in here, Corporal McKenzie," the company commander ordered after amoment.

"Yes, sir." Jim handed back the radio and began crawling toward the line ofconcertina wire strung like three separate walls around the base of Hill 223.There was an opening through each of them, and once he pa.s.sed the last wall ofwire, he got up and sprinted the final two hundred feet as best he could onhis splinted leg.

At the top of the hill a wide trench held several more marines, their M-14'slocked and loaded. As Jim slid down into the trench, a gunny sergeant whoseface looked like it had been kicked in by a boot, met him.

"Name's Gunny Whitman. Come with me, son. The CO wants to talk to you down in his command bunker." The gunny looked down at his leg. "What outfit you with?"

Jim gave his outfit designation.

The gunny grunted as they crouched and trotted down the trench toward abunker, a large rectangular hole dug into the ground and surrounded withhundreds of sandbags. The roof was made of huge rubber-tree logs covered withmore sandbags.

Captain Byron Johnson, a marine in his mid-twenties with a black crew cut anddark brown eyes, stoically listened to Jim's story. The gunny sat nearby, hisgrizzled features set in a scowl. When Jim finished, he looked at the marineofficer directly.

"Sir, I want you to know I deserted," Jim said. "I was going to stay in thejungle and wait out this war. I'm not killing again. I'll go out and bringMiss Vance in if you give me cover fire. But I won't man a position, sothere's no use in giving me a rifle." Jim saw the officer's face go purplewith fury, his brown eyes hard with rage.

Gunny Whitman got up and placed his hand on the officer's tense shoulder."Cap'n, before we a.s.sume anything about this corporal, let's call Da Nang, getahold of Lieutenant Breckenridge and see if his story's true. In the meantime,I'll get the standby company ready for the VC attack, as well as get the artynet zeroed in."

"Very well," Johnson snapped. He glared at Jim and jabbed a finger at him."You don't move a muscle, McKenzie."

"Yes, sir." Worriedly, Jim looked out of the deep underground bunker. He'dtold the captain about possible VC attack. Alex was out there alone,unprotected and unable to defend herself. Looking up, he saw the gunny walkback to the radio operator at the rear of the stuffy, dimly lit bunker. Downanother tunnel was the medical area, where those who had been wounded theprevious day were waiting for a medevac to fly in and take them to safety.

After fifteen minutes that felt like a lifetime to Jim, the captain and gunnycame back over to him. Johnson eyed him warily.

"I just talked to Lieutenant Breckenridge. He says you're MIA, not AWOL. Justwhat the h.e.l.l's going on here, Corporal?"

"Look, I'll explain later, if you don't mind, Captain. We gotta get Miss Vancein here! Every minute puts her life on the line. She's wounded. You need amedevac for her. The VC look like they're ma.s.sing for an attack at dawn. If-"

"The boy's right, sir," Gunny Whitman interrupted. "Let's get the woman inhere and unravel this other thing with McKenzie later."

Johnson glared at Jim. "Who's to say you won't leave and never come back?"

"I'll come back, sir. You've got my word."

"Your word's no good!"

"Cap'n, with all due respect," Whitman pleaded in a growly tone, "let thisrecon do his duty, sir. He brought the woman this far. I trust him to bringher in. We're sitting on top of an imminent VC attack. Let's get her in here."

Relief plunged through Jim as the captain nodded. The gunny patted his shoulder and gave him the nod to leave. Just as Jim reached the top of thebunker, which led into the elaborate trench system dug around the hill, thefirst VC mortars whistled toward them.

"Incoming!" screamed a marine in the trench, and everyone flattened againstthe earth.

Cursing, Jim hugged the ground, his head buried beneath his hands. The mortarexploded down the hill, blowing away part of the concertina. Curses and shoutsfilled the air as Gunny Whitman went charging down the trench system to getthe marines prepared for the VC a.s.sault.

Without looking back, Jim made his way out of the trench, and through thethree concertina gates. More mortar sh.e.l.ls were being walked up the hill,becoming more accurate with each hit. The VC were firing away from where Alexwas hidden, and for that, Jim was grateful. He had no choice, he decided. IfAlex remained where she was, she would be killed as soon as counteroffensivefire began. Or the retreating VC could spot her and take her prisoner. Movingquickly past the last listening post, Jim told the two frightened marines he'dreturn with a woman shortly and not to shoot. Both marines nodded, their facesstrained and pale in the dawn light.

His heart pounding, Jim reached the jungle wall, got stiffly to his feet, thendisappeared into the foliage. The adrenaline pouring through him made himhyperalert. Every sound seemed magnified a hundredfold. The odor of rice andfish alerted him that a VC soldier was very near. Behind him, he heard themarines opening up with rifle fire. More mortars began to fall and explode.The earth shook. The stinging smell of gunpowder hurt his flared nostrils ashe hobbled toward Alex's hiding place.

Just as he reached Alex, marine artillery began exploding around him. With acurse, Jim jerked off the banana leaves. To his relief, Alex was curled up ina tight ball in the bottom of the crater.

"Come on!" he yelled above the din, thrusting out his hand to her.

Alex gripped Jim's hand and was hauled up out of the crater. Dirt, rocks andtree bark pelted them. Biting back a cry, Alex followed Jim, clinging to hishand. Bullets sang around her, crashing and ricocheting through the jungle.More than once Jim pulled her down beside him and protected her with his body.Each time, the artillery sh.e.l.l would explode, and Jim would pull her up andbegin to run for the hill again.

Alex knew she was going to die. She could taste it in her mouth. The battlejoined with new ferocity just as Jim guided her out of the jungle and towardthe listening post. They needn't have worried about the two frightened marinesshooting at them. The LP was abandoned, the marines ordered to withdrawbecause all the territory outside the concertina wire was now considered enemyterritory.

Bullets slammed into the earth nearby, geysers of dirt spewing into the air.Alex crawled through the concertina with Jim's help. More mortars exploded,Jim throwing himself across her to protect her each time. How many times he'dbeen hit by falling debris-or even shrapnel-Alex didn't know.

At the top of the hill Alex saw several marines put down their weapons, theirhands reaching outward, grasping for her. With their help, Jim guided her intothe trench. Alex's knees collapsed as she rolled into the safety of thetrench. All around her she saw the frightened faces of young marines, staringat her as if she were an alien who had just dropped in from outer s.p.a.ce.

"Get up!" Jim shouted, and he leaned over, gripping Alex by the waist andforcing her to her feet. "The bunker! Get to the command bunker!"

Dazed, Alex felt the steadying hands of other marines guiding her toward whatlooked like a darkened cave surrounded by sandbags. At the entrance, she feltJim's arm go around her waist and guide her down the series of rough-hewnwooden steps. Her legs were so wobbly she was afraid she would fall. Suddenlythey stopped and, blinking, out of breath, Alex looked up. They stood at thebottom of the steps. Naked light bulbs were strung along the dirt-and-sandbagwalls. At least five marines there manned radios at one end. A navy corpsman,blond and baby-faced, ran past Alex, heading out of the bunker.

"Come on," Jim urged, his voice strained. He guided her toward another tunnel."This medic's got things set up in here. Stay here, Alex," he said, guidingher to a wooden stool. "Stay here and don't move." At least four marines sataround her, all wounded.

"Jim!"

He turned back. Alex was frightened, her eyes huge with fear.

"I'm gonna get the corpsman, Alex. Just stay here. It's safer."

Gasping for breath, Alex sat shaking on the stool. She looked at the marines.They stared back at her in disbelief. Adrenaline was kicking in hard, and sheshook badly. The bunker quivered from the near misses of VC mortars. Alexheard shouts, screams and orders rising above the din of warfare. Shutting hereyes, she tried not to cry out, tried not to scream. Jim was gone. But where?Had he run away? Had he disappeared back into the jungle?

No! her heart cried. Lifting her chin, Alex saw a young navy corpsman carryingin a badly wounded marine. The man helping him was Jim McKenzie. Alex sobbed.Jim wasn't a coward, and she knew it. The unconscious marine was laid at herfeet, and Alex got out of the way. Jim had turned and hobbled back into thetrench. The corpsman quickly went to work.

Alex leaned over the medic. "Let me help. I'm a nurse."

He glanced up, relief etched in his eyes. "Great! Get me the scissors overthere. And the dressings." He pointed to a dark green canvas bag against thewall. "Hurry! I'm losin' this guy. Hurry!"

Time blurred to a halt. Alex was aware of the mortar attack, the M-14'sbarking harshly against the enemy trying to overrun the hill. Jim came in timeand again, carrying more wounded marines. Alex didn't have time to talk tohim. She found herself on her knees helping Peters, the corpsman. As thebattle waged and dawn crawled up the horizon, Alex found out from a marinewith a leg wound that they were surrounded and heavily outnumbered.

"If they don't get air and arty in here, we're goners," the private whispered.

Alex turned to Peters. "Is he right?" Her voice was way off-key.

"Yes, ma'am," Peters replied calmly. "They've had us pinned down here for twoweeks. We're low on ammo and supplies. The last medevac helo that tried totake out the wounded was grounded by bad weather."

"Then," Alex quavered, "we could all die."

Peters nodded and took the compress from her hand. "Yeah, but not without oneh.e.l.l of a fight."

Chapter Seven.

Jim was worried but didn't say anything. His leg was bothering him, his limpp.r.o.nounced. As he helped another wounded marine into the underground bunkerfor medical treatment, he saw Alex sitting down in the corner, her handpressed against her eyes.

Delivering the marine to Peters, Jim walked between rows of men already inbattle dressings, either lying down or sitting against the walls of theshuddering bunker as they waited stoically for a medevac. For the last hour,the battle had raged nonstop outside. Jim had delivered ammunition, helpedrelay messages to the front line when communications broke down and takenwounded out of the line of fire and to the safety of the bunker for medicalattention.

Just as he was about to check on Alex, a runner gripped his arm.

"Captain Johnson wants to see you p.r.o.nto," he gasped, breathing hard.

Nodding, Jim reluctantly turned away, heading out of the humid, dank tunneland back into the main area of the huge underground bunker. Captain Johnsonwas hovering over the radio operators. Inwardly, Jim thought of his ownskipper, Matt Breckenridge, who would have been up in the trenches with hismen, not down here taking cover in a bunker. The men taking the heat topsidewere being held together by Gunny Whitman, who knew what personal leadershipwas all about. Johnson was one of those officers who cared more about his own skin than that of his men.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Johnson's head snapped up. He jerked around. "You," he ground out. "I'mordering you to pick up a rifle right now and get out in the trenches."

Jim's stomach knotted. One look into Johnson's narrowed, angry eyes, and heknew the captain wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Sir, with all duerespect, I can't-won't-pick up a rifle."

Johnson's lips pulled away from his teeth as, livid, he repeated, "One lasttime, McKenzie. I'm ordering you to pick up a rifle and get your a.s.s upthere."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw Gunny Whitman come barreling down thewooden steps into the bunker, his face set. "Sir, I'll help any other way Ican-"

With a hiss, Johnson gripped Jim by the shirtfront. If not for Gunny Whitman'sintervention, Jim would have been slammed against the wall of the bunker.

"Captain!" Whitman breathed as he gripped the officer's arm. "Calm down, sir."

"This b.a.s.t.a.r.d thinks he can disobey a direct order. He's got another thingcoming!" Johnson snarled, glaring into Jim's face.

Whitman gently loosened Johnson's hand on Jim's utilities. "Yes, sir, butwe've got more important things to address. The VC are trying a rear a.s.sault.We've got to get arty called into position or we'll be overrun."

Johnson's eyes widened considerably. With a curse, he released Jim. "You're onreport, McKenzie, for disobeying a direct order from a superior officer. Yougot that?"

Jim nodded. "Yes, sir."

Whitman glanced over at him. "Corporal, you're needed topside. We gotwounded."

With a nod, Jim whispered, "Right away, Gunny. I'll go get 'em."

Whitman grabbed Jim's arm. "Son, be careful. They're exposed. You could getkilled just tryin' to reach them."

"I'll be careful, Gunny." As he hurried up the steps, Jim worried more forAlex than himself. She didn't look good. He knew that if he was going tosurvive, he had to think clearly, despite his exhaustion. First, he had to getthose wounded marines to safety. Then, if he had time, he'd visit Alex.

Alex felt Jim's nearness and opened her eyes. She managed a slight smile as hehunched down, his long, large-knuckled hands against his thighs.

"Are you okay?" she asked wearily.

He tipped his cap back on his head. "No sweat, gal." His eyes narrowed withworry. "You're looking peaked."

"'I've been working a little too hard. I'm not as strong as I thought..."

He brushed several strands of hair away from her brow. "That's another thing Ilike about you," he whispered, his voice suddenly emotional. Despite Alex'sdisheveled appearance, she was beautiful. She needed to climb out of herfilthy clothes, wash her hair and take a hot shower. But her gray eyes shonewith such l.u.s.ter that he felt as if his heart were tumbling on the wings ofpure joy. She loved him. Jim could feel it from her tender look alone. It lefthim humbled and in awe.