Soldier Up Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’m Nancy by-the-way, if you need anything else just buzz.”  With that she left his room.
                  The reason Nancy was so short with the Major was because they were under explicit orders to limit the amount of time with the occupant, unless accompanied by specific personnel which had been spelled out in an access list.  For the medical staff, who were for the most part, in the Army too, they understood, they didn’t see this often, but when it did they knew the need for operational security. 
                  An hour later the Doctor came in and didn’t say a word to him, grabbed his chart and looked it over.  She sort of grunted to herself a couple of times, “You’re lucky to be alive Major. An eighth of an inch closer the bullet would have nicked a major artery and you would have bled out wherever in the world you were when you were wounded.  You were in surgery for seven hours while we stitched you up.”
                  “Thanks Doc I appreciate it.” While thinking ‘It’s your fucking job to patch people up, what are you looking for a pat on the back?’ he then asked, “How long will I be here?”
                  “Well that’s entirely up to you Major.  It’ll take a couple of months for your wound to heal entirely.  I don’t know whether or not you will need any rehab yet for the left side of your body. It took a pretty hard hit.”
                  “I have to stay here the entire time?”
                  “No, no…once I see that you’re able to travel you will be sent back stateside, to the base Hospital where you’re stationed at.”  She looked at his chart. “Odd it doesn’t say your home station on your chart, it normally does.”
                  “Bragg, Fort Bragg.” Said Major Clayton.
                  The Doctor nodded, “Ah…probably explains why.”  She went on to examine the Major, looked at all of his vitals, inspected the bandages and made sure all of connections were good.  By the time she was done John had fallen asleep.
                  While at Landstuhl he underwent weeks of poking and prodding, test after test.  He could feel himself getting stronger day-by-day, he didn’t think he needed any rehab but they sent him to a physical therapist anyway.  Then finally after four weeks of this they were sending him back to Bragg, not to his unit, but to Womack (Womack Army Medical Center).  He would get on a medical transport that would apparently only carry him, and enjoy a lovely seven hour flight back home, ‘Oh joy,’ he thought.
                  It was a long and very boring flight which fortunately he was able to sleep and read most of the way.  When they arrived he was ushered away to Womack in an ambulance that was standing by, he was able to get into the back of the ambulance under his own power, in fact he insisted on it.  In the back was a single EMT or what he thought was an EMT.  He sat down and lifted his legs onto gurney, leaned back and closed his eyes wondering when this nightmare was going to be over.
                  “What the fuck took you so long? I can’t take you any place anymore without you catching a bullet!” said the EMT.
                  “I know that voice!” The Majors eyes popped open and he looked over to see one Master Sergeant Dognillo sitting there, not an EMT, and he smiled at his friend. “Damn glad to see you boy!” said Major Clayton.
                  “I’ve got your boy right here.” Dognillo grabbing at his crotch.  Both men laughed.  “It’s good to see you to John, how was the vacation?”
                  “If this is a vacation then I don’t want another one anytime soon. Do you know when they are going to release me back to the unit?”
                  “Nope no idea when and even if they