Ride the Tiger by Lindsay McKenna Page B

but if possible, Gib wanted to remain near Vinh for as long as it took, so the boy wouldn’t come out of surgery without someone he knew being there for him.
    Gib entered the tent. The navy corpsmen on duty looked up from their respective desks and stared at him. It was then that he looked down at his shirt and realized it was smeared with Vinh’s blood. Gib went to the nearest phone. When he’d squared things with Parsons for the moment, he dialed Dany’s number. The phone rang and rang before it was finally picked up.
    â€œH-hello?”
    â€œDany? It’s Gib. Listen, Vinh is in good hands here at the base. He just went into surgery and I’m going to hang around until he comes out.”
    â€œThen he’s still alive?”
    Gib’s heart wrenched in his chest at Dany’s voice, raw with unshed tears. “Yes, honey, he’s alive. The corpsman stablized him on the way in. He’s going to make it, I’m sure.”
    â€œOhh...thank God....”
    â€œDoes Ma Ling know yet? Or Vinh’s parents?”
    â€œVinh’s parents have been told. I’m waiting for Ma Ling. She should be home any moment now. When can we see Vinh? Or hear about his condition?”
    â€œI just talked to the head nurse, and she said that since Vinh is a civilian, she’ll see that his parents and relatives get permission to come on board and see him as soon as he’s out of danger. That will be at least two or three days. I wish it could be sooner, but you’re dealing with the military and we’re in a wartime situation.”
    â€œI understand. Then you’ll be there for Vinh?”
    Gib closed his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll be here. Maybe you could drive that Citroën back to Marble Mountain in the next week sometime, and I can get it back to my friend?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œGood. I’ll call you just as soon as Vinh’s out of surgery and anesthesia. It might be a while,” he warned.
    â€œThank you, Gib. I—I don’t know what I’d have done if you weren’t here when it happened. You didn’t have to call the medevac for help, I know that.”
    Gib smiled wearily and leaned against the gray metal desk. “I’d do anything in the world for you. Buck up, Vinh is going to make it. How are you doing?” Gib wished with all his heart that he could be there to hold Dany. This was a second huge shock for her. Her emotions had to be in tatters.
    â€œI’m fine...fine. Gib, I have to go. Vinh’s mother is distraught. She needs support right now.”
    â€œI understand,” Gib said. He began to truly comprehend the commitment and responsibility Dany had to her extended family. Silently, he commended her for her loyalty and love. “Listen, I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”
    Sniffing, Dany whispered, “Thank you.”
    Gib slowly replaced the receiver. The adrenaline rush was ebbing, leaving him shaky in its wake. The incident had triggered the same reaction in him as when he was in the cockpit flying a dangerous mission. He left the tent and headed back to the MASH unit to wait. Sooner or later, he’d return to Marble Mountain to face squadron problems and responsibilities. Rubbing his face, Gib took a ragged breath. He needed Dany just as much as she needed him right now. Yet there was a chasm between them. She saw him as a transient GI, incapable of loyalty or responsibility toward her. And deep in his heart, he knew Dany would never leave Vietnam or her land, that she was tied to it by her bitter past. Only the land had remained loyal to Dany.
    With a muffled curse, Gib continued to walk slowly toward the tents and helicopter landing pad. Life without war was tough enough, but with the wartime situation thrown in on top of everything else, Gib felt as if he were drowning in complexities he had no idea how to face. Maybe getting back to his squadron would help dissolve some