Soldier Doll Ch. 03

As luck would have it, there was an emergency stretcher clamped to the roof of the passenger compartment, so Pip and Tibor unhooked it and laid it more or less level on the compartment floor, giving Louise their jackets to cover with and act as a pillow while she stretched out on it. She fell asleep almost immediately, lulled by the swaying of the vehicle as it crawled through the scarred city, the 6-wheel suspension smoothing out the worst of the potholes and ruts in the bomb-heaved roads of North-East Kabul as they threaded their way south-west to the A1, the Kandahar-Bamiyan Highway.

She awoke several hours later from a dream about her and Dylan swaying in a rowboat when they were little, disorientated and momentarily panicked before remembering where she was. Pip and Tibor looked like they hadn't moved the whole time she'd slept. She checked her watch, noting she'd been asleep almost five hours. She started to get up, but Pip motioned her back.

"Stay comfortable, Louise; still six hours to go, and these seats ain't exactly armchairs!"

Louise was immediately stricken with guilt that she was able to at least stretch out, while the boys had been perched on uncomfortable jump-seats for five hours, and had another six hours more of it.

"Please, Pip, fair's fair; you take the stretcher, or Tibor, and I'll have the seat; I'm rested now, honest!"

Pip skinned his teeth at her, the closest he ever got to a smile.

"Thanks kindly, but we're okay; one time in Venezuela we laid-up in a tree for 20 hours, at least here we can snooze without falling off!"

After a journey of 400 miles and 11 hours, the Mastiff finally rumbled into Camp Bastion, the British Armed Forces sector in Helmand Province and drew up close to the entrance to the medical block, the vehicle parking in such a way as to shield Louise from view from the Stand-Off perimeter.

The Colonel who greeted her made a big show of taking her around and introducing her to the other doctors on-station, all military; Louise was the only civilian, and his constant hand in the small of her back, his constant touching was making her uneasy. Pip didn't like it either, she could tell, and even Tibor made a point of standing closer to her and staring at the colonel, who eventually got the message and removed his hand.

As Louise chatted with the other specialists there, she could feel his eyes on her, boring into her, making her squirm with the knowledge that he was mentally undressing her. After the meet and greet, an orderly was detailed to show her to her quarters, an unprepossessing concrete bunker, but with reassuringly thick walls and small windows set high-up in the walls. On the way across the compound there was much good-natured wolf-whistling from the various squaddies relaxing after their duty for the day, and she was quite pink and flustered by the time she arrived at her quarters.

Pip and Tibor were assigned their own quarters, but on the other side of the enclave, several hundred yards away, something they didn't like at all. Louise promised she'd have a word with the colonel and get them changed as soon as possible.

Just as she was getting settled-in there was the sound of running feet. A nurse stuck her head around Louise's door.

"Casualties, Doctor Lewis, ambushed patrol, at least three traumatic amputations, they're airlifting them in now, scrub up!"

Louise headed for the Medical Centre at a dead run, where she was hustled into the changing area and fielded a set of scrubs. The senior MO nodded to her as he finished scrubbing-up.

"Doctor Lewis, welcome aboard, your assistance is appreciated. Mike Bruce gave me a quick run-down on your background, thank you for joining us at such short notice. You'll be with the Triage team, remember, most urgent cases first, and let's get this mess sorted; they'll be on top of us in ten minutes or less, places, people!"

As the nurse finished sliding the surgical gloves on her she heard the clatter of rotors as a pair of Chinook helicopters grounded, disgorging a stream of men carrying their fallen comrades. Louise was appalled at the blood and carnage as she quickly assessed the injured, following the example of her peers as she decided on the survival chances of the injured soldiers, a sniper suppression patrol caught in a double roadside IED trap.

After Triage came surgery, as the wounded were funnelled through into the Trauma unit and stabilised enough to hopefully get them to the UK for surgery at a proper surgical unit, or Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for the more urgent trauma cases. Louise worked her way through the stream of bodies, holding her shock and horror in check and letting her skills come to the fore as she worked on saving the lives of the boys caught in the ambush.

After 15 hours in Trauma 1, Louise dragged herself back to her quarters, shell-shocked and numb from the work, and the heartbreaking decisions she'd had to make. Tibor was waiting for her, and half carried her to her room, where she rolled into her bunk, dog-tired, but not too tired to cry herself to sleep.

And so it went; very occasionally days would drag by where she did nothing except patrol Trauma 1 and try and ease the pain of the boys who'd been so badly injured, quickly learning that telling an injured soldier that he was no longer needed for service was one of the hardest things to do; men with missing limbs, sometimes multiple amputations, trying to gain assurance that they were still going to have some kind of life, and Louise quickly fell into the lie, trying to convince these men that they could still lead relatively normal and useful lives out of the service. Now she understood how Dylan had felt when he was told his service days were over, as she watched these broken soldiers recover enough to realise they were finished with the service, and that the service was finished with them.

Interspersed with days where her heart broke a little more each day would be the full horror of life in a war-zone where no-one was showed mercy or restraint; civilians, mainly children, who'd picked up the wrong thing, or been in the wrong place, and the resultant traumatic injuries; operating in body armour as Bomb Disposal teams tried to defuse and make safe live munitions still embedded in the bodies of ambush victims; waiting on tenterhooks for the one local brought in who'd detonate a bomb-vest or a hand-grenade once inside the hated westerner's medical unit; then there were the days Louise swore she would ask God to sponge from her memory, the days when she had to rely on God and guesswork to figure out how to reassemble the shattered meat-puzzle in front of her that used to be a person, or how to stabilise and save the life of a child who'd been blown up by a car bomb, or a roadside bomb, or been too close to a patrol when someone decided to fire an RPG at them, or had just been standing in a crowded bazaar, or a bus queue, or on a school bus when someone decided to lob in a handful of grenades. Pip and Tibor watched her slowly retreat into a shell of isolation as she tried to escape the horror of the place.

As if that were not enough to deal with, there were the increasingly unwelcome attentions of Colonel Winton, the man who'd welcomed her when she first arrived; he was getting more and more bold with her, refusing to let the wedding ring she wore keep him from forcing his company on her every chance he got, finding excuses to intercept her and engage her in trivial conversation while touching her, holding her arm, his eyes crawling all over her, haunting her footsteps, and generally giving her a major case of the creeps.

The only reason she tolerated it was that if she mentioned it to Pip or Tibor, they'd do something painfully final to him, and she didn't want them shouldering that kind of trouble. Pip and Tibor knew what was going on, though, and after less than two weeks, they decided she'd had enough, and, after a quick conversation with Mike Bruce, made preparations to spirit her away and back to the company compound.

Louise was well aware of her precarious position here; as she was a civilian outside the military hierarchy, not even an employee of the military, and officially not even there, just filling-in at the request of a friend, she had no authority she could report him to; he was effectively the highest military entity she had access to. She was at his mercy, something he was fully prepared to use to his advantage. However, he had forgotten about, or discounted Pip and Tibor.

One night, as Louise dragged herself into her quarters, the colonel was waiting for her, with two Redcaps, Military Policemen. He smirked as he sat at ease on her bunk.

"Doctor Lewis, I have here several surgical and post-op care reports, and they make interesting reading. In my estimation, and from careful examination of these reports, you've been neglecting care of our troops and those of our ISAF allies in favour of locals and what we have assumed to be injured Taliban fighters. This does not look good; this appears to show you are favouring those enemies who are dedicated to undermining and destroying what we stand for; I am saddened that you've chosen to use your skills to offer aid and assistance to our enemies, and can really only report you to the civilian authorities; that will mean you will be struck-off and will no longer be able to practice as a doctor, and may well involve detention for a suitable length of time on charges of treason in a time of war."

Louise gaped at him in disbelief; he was accusing her of being a Taliban sympathiser! Winton smirked at her as he ordered the MP's to wait outside.

"There is a way to make this whole mess go away, however," he oiled, smirking even wider. "Why don't we stroll over to my quarters and discuss this...unfortunate turn of affairs there, it's much more comfortable, and so much more private? I'm sure you're dying to get out of those scrubs, and I do have a private shower, you could be so much more...comfortable there!" he leered."I'm sure, given the proper incentive, I could be persuaded to let this matter drop; it's all up to you...Louise. The possible alternatives, including extending the period of your secondment here indefinitely, should be sufficient incentive for you to consider my proposal; after all, I only have your best interests at heart, and I think you should consider cooperating with me to make sure this unfortunate situation is resolved in an...adult manner!"

Louise stared at him, real fear slowly percolating through her; this creep was going to destroy her unless she...she...slept with him. Her skin crawled at the thought, while Winton leered at her victoriously, confident he was finally getting what he wanted. Just as she opened her mouth to reject him utterly, the lights went off. Louise froze as various loud snapping and groaning noises emanated from the corridor outside the room, plus several other unpleasantly organic noises. A light-stick flared green, revealing Tibor, with one of the Redcaps curled-up and gasping in agony at his feet, the other lying some distance away, out cold, with his right arm seriously dislocated and the elbow pointing entirely the wrong way. As Louise gasped, Pip stepped back into the room and picked up her bag with all her possessions in it.

"Pip, what have you done? Look at him, is he...?

Pip Collins, ex-SAS Sergeant and ferociously efficient killing machine looked at the maimed Redcap dismissively.

"I think he fell over, Louise, I didn't do that, did you, Tibor?" he asked, sincerity ringing in his voice.

The huge Czech shook his head, his face, as always, impassive as he lied through his teeth to her.

"It pitch dark in here, I not see anything, come in after two men run out of here, maybe Taliban insurgents, they probably long gone by now...!"

"Where's Colonel Winton, Pip? He was here just a minute ago." asked Louise, staring in horror at the man with the maimed arm.

Pip Collins looked her in the eye without a flicker of an eyelash.

"He must have run away when it kicked off. I'm sure he's fine, don't worry about him! And now we have to go. I've got us a Snatch Land Rover, don't ask how, and hopefully a rendezvous at Kabul airport, best we make tracks before these square-headed morons come round and start asking questions."

Pip and Tibor trussed the two Redcaps and pulled their boots off, yanked off their socks and wadded them up, shoving one in each man's mouth and tying the other around his head as a crude but effective gag. The two men were then slung unceremoniously in the back of the Land Rover.

"We'll drop sleeping beauty and his boyfriend off in Kabul, that way they don't get to raise any alarms until we're well away!" stated Pip, again that quick skinning of his teeth he used as a grin.

They climbed into the desert-camo Land Rover parked outside the medical block, Pip talking urgently into what looked like an oversized cell phone. He saw her questioning look and clicked off.

"Satellite phone; we've got transport out of here waiting at Kabul, time to go!"

Once in the vehicle, Louise started shuddering in reaction, and Tibor immediately folded his arms around her, holding her close as she had her first ever bout of hysterics, stroking her hair and crooning softly to her in a strange mix of Czech, Russian, German and English until she calmed down, eventually dropping off in the shelter of his arm on the long drive back to Kabul.

The vehicle slowing to a halt roused her, and she watched as Pip clambered out and went around to the rear door. He yanked it open and launched a kick at something in there, snarling "Out, you, we're going to have a talk, now!"

Louise gasped as Col. Winton half climbed, half fell out of the back of the Land Rover. Pip dragged him upright.

"Right you, now we're miles from anywhere, this is where you fucking die! You tried to force my friend to have sex with you; sounds like attempted rape to me, and I can't fucking abide rapists, so I'm going to cut your balls off and bone you like a fucking fish; say your prayers, you gutless prick! I hate desk-jockeys like you, you're no soldier, so I'm not gonna treat you like one; when I've finished with you you're gonna be begging me to slit your throat and put you out of your fucking misery, and you better fucking believe it, boyo!"

Winton watched in terror-struck silence, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing like a beached fish as Pip pulled his favourite K-Bar knife out of his boot-top and yanked him close, to prod him in the genitals with the point of the knife. Winton gave a strangled shriek, obviously believing the big man was going to carry out his threat, and the front of his DPM trousers darkened as his bladder let go in his terror.

Pip looked at him with contempt as he pushed him back a little, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Strip, you fucking pansy!"he barked, sticking the point of the knife up one of Winton's nostrils just far enough for him to feel the razor-edge of the lethal-looking American knife. Winton rose up to stand on tiptoe as he sought to get away from the viciously sharp blade, his eyes darting around as he hurriedly unbuckled his pants. Once he was done stripping, Pip picked up all his clothes and threw them into the Land Rover, then wrapped his hand around Winton's neck, hauling him up until they were nose to nose.

"Right you fuckwit, Camp Bastion's 200 miles that way, start walking; and just in case you get any idea's, the Waziri's get really offended at seeing naked white men, so I'd keep out of sight if I were you, otherwise you're going to be first course at a buggery banquet. Just remember this, though, after they've finished gang-raping you, they'll cut off your fucking head and send it back to the lines, so you better keep out of sight for your own good! I don't care what story you make up to explain how you got out here naked, make yourself out to be a hero for all I care, but I swear to God, one mention of Doctor Lewis or this conversation, even a hint, ever, and I'll come back and cut your balls off and knot them around your neck, understand, you worthless cunt? Just be grateful it's me; if Dr. Lewis' husband was here, what he'd do to you makes even me feel sick to think about! Now fucking walk or die, I don't care which, just get out of my fucking sight before I kill you anyway!"

Winton nodded, then staggered at the contemptuous, open-handed slap Pip gave him. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he stumbled in the direction Pip indicated, never once looking back.

Louise watched in horrified silence as Pip gave Winton his marching orders, then turned to him.

"Pip, don't...he didn't touch me, please, he'll die out here, the Waziri's...!"

Pip grinned wolfishly at her.

"No he won't; the Waziri's are 200 miles away, but he doesn't know that! in about four hours, once we're on the plane, the Bastion will get an anonymous call telling them where that prick is; until then we'll just let the bastard sweat while he shits himself out here in the wilds; he'd better watch out, though; I meant what I said about the Waziri's, or just about any of the tribes out here; way I see it, he needs to suffer a little out here, 'cos the alternative is me and Pip in a locked room somewhere a long, long way away, and he really wouldn't want that!"

Louise smiled in spite of herself. Winton was getting a lesson he'd likely never forget, and he was getting off lightly; she was in no doubt that if she were not there Winton would have just quietly disappeared, never to be heard from again. She was silent the rest of the journey to Kabul, feeling safer and more protected out here in the wastes of Afghanistan than in the security of Camp Bastion, thanks to the two men with her right now, Dylan's friends, her friends.

Once they arrived at the airport, Tibor cautiously led them by a roundabout route to a Gulfstream G650 parked in one of the hangars while Pip made sure the two Redcaps remained uninterested in the proceedings. As they approached it, the door swung open and Mike popped his head out to grin at her.

"I told you we'd come and get you, Louise! Hop in, we're getting ready to take off, find a seat, there's a washroom aft, and there'll be some food as soon as we're at height. I'm sorry about what happened, as soon as I heard what was going on, I told Pip and Tibor to pull you out of there no matter what, so let's get you back home before Dylan comes down here and does a number on that bloke!"

Pip called in the location of the two MP's and the probable location of Winton, then switched off the sat-phone and pulled the chip out of it, crushing it underfoot to make sure they were untraceable.

Louise sighed in relief as she sank gratefully into the deeply padded seat, unutterably grateful to be leaving the horror of this place and going back to a place of safety. She found the washroom once the aircraft levelled-off and was pleasantly surprised to find a small but serviceable shower unit, so she was able to luxuriate in the hot water while the jet arrowed back to Jeddah and safety. Mike had brought a selection of clothes for her, so, in jeans and a sweatshirt instead of fatigues or scrubs for the first time in days, she was able to sit down, relax, and break bread with her boss and her two guardians. Mike also had a surprise for her.

"Louise, you'll be happy to hear Dylan will be back with us shortly; I knew sending him was a good idea! He's wrapped up the security issues in Brunei almost a week early, so he'll be flying back tonight and he'll be here tomorrow. I've got you off the books now anyway, so your final salary payments, plus your bonuses, and an ex-gratia payment to make up for what you had to endure with that little cock have all been passed and paid. You're a free woman, Louise Lewis!"