When the vehicles pulled up, Major Baldwin and I gave the medics a wide berth for the litter bearers. The vehicle raced up to the front of the building and skidded to a stop, throwing a light brown dust in front of it after it came to rest. The TC quickly stepped out and opened the rear door. He leaned in and helped a young, blond-haired private out of the humvee. The private's pants were splotched and spotted with blood, but he was able to stand with his arm around the sergeant's neck. Two of the medics ran the litter back into the building and another one ran over to the other side of the private and helped him limp up into the building. They helped him up onto a raised stretcher in the makeshift aid station area next to the concrete staircase.

The medics pulled the soldier's pants off, then removed the field dressing that had been applied to the wound on his thigh. The private sat propped up on his elbows looking down at his leg. The bleeding had stopped, and the bullet had passed straight in and then out his inner thigh.

"Looks real good," Major Martinez the PA said.

"You think so sir?" the private answered, looking down at his leg smiling.

"Oh yeah, nice and clean, no bones, no arteries," Major Martinez added and then leaned over the private's leg and began to pry inside the entry wound with his forceps.

"Owwwww!" the private shouted, and his smile quickly left, replaced by a panicked look. His eyes widened, and he began to breathe rapidly. He sat up higher on his elbows and his body tensed. The medics had started an IV on his right arm now and the PA told them to inject morphine.

"Owwwwwwww!" the private cried again as Major Martinez placed the instrument in the wound, spreading it apart and looking into the red, fleshy hole with a small flashlight.

"Lay back, lay back," one of the medics said. "Let the morphine work. You gotta straighten your arm. Don't tense up."

Major Martinez stepped back away from the private and looked up at the IV bag. He put a hand on his hip, signaling a pause. The private laid back, staring intensely at the ceiling and breathing hard and fast, fearing what he knew was to come.

"Hey, I know this kid," I said to Major Baldwin. He and I were standing at the foot of the stretcher.

"Oh, yeah?" he said, turning his head toward me.

"Yeah," I replied and then quickly worked my way up to the private's head. "Private Bell, right?" I said.

Private Bell looked up at me with wide, half-panicked eyes. "Yes sir?" he answered, still breathing rapidly.

"I remember you from the BP up the road. You're the one whose sergeant fired a shotgun by your head, right?"

"Yes, sir," he said, still looking up at my face confused.

"Combat stress guy, remember? I hung out with you guys back around Thanksgiving."

"Oh, yeah," he said, and smiled. His teeth were speckled with the remnants of a dip he had obviously put in his mouth after he was shot.

"Didn't you also tell me you'd been blown up like 12 times?"

"25 now sir," he said proudly, looking up at me.

"Owwww! Owwwww!" he cried and tensed, looking back down at his wound, starting to prop himself up again, as the PA began again.

"Lay back, man, lay back," I said. "Try not to bend that right arm, it slows down the morphine."

Major Martinez stepped back again as one of the medics opened a package of sterile gauze.

"Look at me, man. Look at me."

Private Bell looked back up to me and I nodded down to him, narrowing my eyes.

"So what in the hell are you doing out there getting yourself shot anyway?" I added, and smiled with the corner of my mouth, widening my eyes again.

"I don't know, sir. I just got back from leave, too. My parents are going to freak."

"Leave? Oh yeah? So where did you go?"

"Michigan."

"Is that home for you?"

"Yes, sir."

"So what did you do on your leave?"

The major was beginning to stuff the wound with gauze, and Private Bell grimaced and winced but did not look down.

"Owwwwwww! God, that fuckin' hurts!"

"Lay back, man," I said calmly. "So what did you do?"

He looked up at me and inhaled and then exhaled deeply. "Got drunk, got laid."

"Excellent, excellent," I said. "Sounds like you had a good leave."

"It was awesome, sir," he said, squinting his eyes and gritting his teeth. "Owwwwww!" he cried and his body curled and flexed. "Owwwwww!"

I looked down at his wound and saw Major Martinez packing it tight with the sterile gauze.

"Lay back, lay back," I said. "Try not to bend your arm."

"It's hard, sir," he answered through his clenched teeth.

"You're doing awesome, man, awesome," I said.

Major Martinez paused now as the medics prepared the gauze for the exit wound. "You're almost done," Major Martinez said.

"Halfway there, buddy," I added.

"Halfway?" he said fearfully, lowering his chin to his chest, trying to look down at his leg. "Where is my weapon, sir? Where is all my stuff?" he asked, looking up at me.

I stepped away from him, piling his things together near the entrance to the building and came back. "Don't worry, all your stuff is going with you, man. Your platoon sergeant has your weapon."

"Thank you, sir."

I nodded and gave him a half-wink.

"Owwwwww!" he cried again as the PA began to stuff the exit wound.

"Grab the side of the litter, man, keep that morphine flowing," I said. Private Bell did what I said, and I noticed the dripping in the chamber just below the IV bag speed up. "There you go, man, just like that." He was gritting his tobacco-speckled teeth and tensing stiff over his entire body.

The worst was over and soon the PA and the medics were covering the wound with a large dressing and strapping him down on the litter. The bird was on its way, someone announced, and I ran outside to make sure the path to the helopad was clear. The first sergeant was already out there doing the same.

Moments later, we began to hear the sounds of the helicopters approaching the patrol base. When the medics lifted the stretcher and began out of the building, I stood outside and showed them where to walk. They lowered Private Bell behind a few barriers as the bird landed on the pad. The sound of the rotors was deafening and I turned away, crouching down as the sand and rock flew at my side and the back of my head. When I felt the blast let up, I stood up again, facing the helicopters. The medics carried out Private Bell and the flight medic signaled them to stop a distance away as he came out.

I was at the foot of the litter a step or two to the side. I looked up at Private Bell and he looked down toward me and mouthed, "Thank you," nodding his head. I nodded back and winked, raising a fist to him out in front of my face, to tell him he was strong. He smiled and jerked his head back slightly into the stretcher as if letting out a little laugh.

The medics lifted him up and brought him into the helicopter. The flight medic strapped him down and they lifted off. I turned away again to avoid the barrage of sand and rock, and then straightened, looking up at the helicopter as it rose and turned, fading off into the blue sky above the palm groves and fields.