We're a Wonderful Wife Ch. 07

The wing commander was crushed, even buzzed out of her skull on pain and pain killers, Wendy knew her job better than any sober jet engine mechanic that he has ever met. He has lost a great asset.

"Tell them what happened Wendy," said Zoomer, "tell them what you told me."

Wendy deflated; her buoyant attitude failed her as she brought up the memories. "There were four of these birds and three "Mickey D" factory reps on the EOR crew. They inspected and armed all four birds, but one had a problem. They were there forever, finally three of the planes pulled down to the end of the ramp and turned right to go to the runway while the McDonnell Douglas crew worked the last one. Finally, they buttoned it up."

Wendy's voice caught; her broken face screwed up in pain. "Mac, Don's buddy, the McDonnell Douglas crew chief directed the guy to pull forward, but he didn't, he turned right and opened the throttles. Mac ended up right behind the exhaust when he turned... he went up in flame... Cynthia and I were sitting on the table in the pavilion, we were blown off it... I saw Don's truck crash way past where we landed... I saw another truck land on it... I saw the extinguisher slam into it and explode... I remember hoping that he went quick..." She looked up through her tear-soaked eye and saw Lanh standing next to her, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

The officers stood uncomfortably while Lanh held the weeping young sergeant. She cried for a long time and all three men wished they could join her; hating themselves for forcing herself to relive the trauma. This was the most emotionally painful week they've ever experienced. All three men have been through war, they know what it is to be shot at, but when someone does something this thoughtless and causes this much pain and injury, it's beyond comprehension. Finally, Lanh pulled out her phone and showed Wendy a picture that Don had sent her. It was Don standing next to an older man in front of a big gray F-15, the tail of the plane was clearly blank of insignia but it had a series of numbers. The text message was the words "My next boss?"

"That was Mac," said Wendy, her voice hoarse, "he was always trying to poach Don away from the Air Force."

"Here's your mystery plane," said Lanh and handed her phone to Colonel Gilliam, then went to find a nurse, Wendy needs something for the pain.

KING ABDUL AZIZ AIR BASE

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

98 Hours ago

Don remembered getting in the step-van and closing the door so he could hear what the person on the other end of the radio was trying to tell him. He sat in the driver's seat and reached for a pencil to write down the info that was being sent to him and suddenly he was weightless. The truck filled with hot JP8 jet fuel fumes, and he and the truck were flying sideways through the air. The ramp is built up high off the desert floor and the edge of the ramp is a steep drop onto huge sharp edge boulders.

Instinctively he gripped the steering wheel, and he remembered thinking "I asked those kids to clean out this truck" because all manner of loose objects were floating in the air inside the truck, including him. He almost got back in the driver's seat when the driver side of the truck slammed into the ground, he slammed into the side of the truck and the sharp rocks that came through the window. Then something very heavy hit the truck, bending it causing the steering wheel to clamp him against the door. He felt bones in his chest, shoulder and his left arm break, and in his blurry vision he realized that the truck he was parked next to had been blown over on top of him, and then came a soft explosion which drove the passenger door down on him breaking even more bones and breaking his right arm, then everything went purple. It was Purple K - firefighting agent. Someone was trying to put a fire out... or a Purple K extinguisher exploded.

Now a woman appeared through the purple fog. She had platinum blond hair and a kind face... was this mom? God how he missed his mother, almost as much as he missed Lanh. Through the searing pain and the choking purple dust he gasped "Tell Lanh I'm ok," she'll forgive him this little lie. It got hard to breath, the steering wheel was crushing his left lung and ribcage, his heart ached with every beat, not romantically, something was stabbing his heart. He realized that he was in a steel coffin. At least he wasn't alone, the blond kept telling him that Lanh loves him, and she reminded Don of the good times, fishing out on the pond, milking the cows together with Lanh, the joy on Lanh's face when she birthed her first calf.

"I'm tired, I'm going to go to sleep," he muttered as everything grew dark.

"NO!" shrieked the lady, "Stay with me Don! Lanh needs you! Krissy needs you! I need you! Don, I love you!"

Don tried to claw his way out of the pit he was sinking into, only three women on earth has ever told him "I love you," his mom Emily, his wife Lanh, and his sister-in-law Kim-ly which she immediately said was because she had been drinking, but she never recanted. Who was this woman? It hurt so much to breath, "maybe I should just stop..." but he heard voices. He tried to call out, but he couldn't inhale, he couldn't fill his lungs to shout. It hurt so bad, and only NOW did he realized how stupid his suicidal thoughts in the past were.

The blond was shouting at the voices Don heard but he didn't think they heard him. He started sliding down into that pit again and the blond started pleading with him, "Please Don, stay with us, I'm going to have a baby and you're going to love her, she's going to be so cute, she's going to call you "My Mister Don" and you're going to read her books and teach her to count, and Lanh will love her so much too but you have to stay with me Don... I can't do it alone..."

He was almost gone when his coffin began to open up, he could see the sun and he could hear voices around him, the pretty lady continued telling him about Lanh, and he relaxed as he was cut free and strapped to a stretcher. The weight was finally off his chest, and he could breathe but it was like his lungs weren't working, he was panting but still out of breath. "Deep breaths Don!" called the blond, "In through the nose, out through the mouth!"

"Oh two is at fifty five!" shouted one voice.

"Give him oxygen! Ten liters!" shouted another.

A mask was put over his mouth and nose and it became easier to breathe as he was carried back up to the ramp. He remembered the sky above him, the sun burning down on him then he was put in the back of a truck, all the while the pretty blond kept telling him about his beautiful wife and a cute little girl he will care for and love, but he hasn't met yet. Every now and then he decided to relax and let go, maybe go find his mom, but the blond lady would scream at him, plead with him, and wake him up. A mask over his face made it easier to breathe but hard to see, people came into his blurry line of vision, and he tried to ask about Wendy and Cynthia, but everyone told him to relax and not to worry.

He talked with the blond, he decided she was Lanh's angel because she knew all about his life with Lanh, from their first kiss, to their first handjob, to their first time back by the pond on the picnic table in their wedding finery. She even knew about the kinky stuff, how he loved it when Lanh eased her finger into his anus and tickled his prostate as she sucked his balls and stroked his cock, how Lanh loved to be tied up and fucked savagely on occasion, how they loved to play the Dragon Lady and Agent Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths and how they loved to make gentle love in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Most of all she knew about their love, and she reminded him over and over how rare and beautiful their love was, and that he needed to stay with her so she could lead him back to Lanh. Was he on an airplane? It was hard to tell, was that ringing in his ears? Or was it aircraft electronics? He decided it didn't matter as long as his friend, Lanh's angel was with him. The airplane landed with a gentle bump, but Don could tell that the airplane was taxiing fast, the big rear door opened before the plane came to a halt and cold moist air poured into the back of the airplane. After an ambulance ride, the angel still wouldn't let him sleep, a worried looking nurse had wheeled him into a room where there was so much equipment and so many people. They shifted him onto a table, put a mask on his face and then it was time to sleep.

He woke up a few minutes later and there was Lanh and a pregnant Tam. Lanh was snuggled next to him on a bed and Tam was sitting in a recliner next to them. Don was surprised that someone as slim as Tam could carry a baby, and here she was with number three ready to pop. There were curtains all around the bed and there was the sound of a radio, the news cast ended, and suddenly he heard the words come from the radio "This is AFN, Kaiserslautern." It was AFN Germany... he was in Germany?

He blinked his eyes, they seemed all gummy and only one was working, the other was covered? He couldn't raise either arm to check. He tried to sit up, but he felt like he weighed a thousand tons. Lanh noticed his movement and her head raised and she looked at him, "He's up!" she gasped.

Tam sat up in her chair and looked at Don, the look on their faces was both one of joyful relief. One of the curtains moved back and Kim-ly stepped into the area holding three of those weird skinny, soft drink cans that you get in Germany. "Get Doctor Ortiz!" gasped Tam.

Kim-ly's face lit up with joy and she set the cans on a bed table and disappeared while Lanh started to cry. Don tried to tell her he was ok, but it just came out as a croak, so he turned his head and started to kiss the top of Lanh's head.

"You're back!" She cried and kissed him gently, weeping with joy.

"Take it easy lover," scolded Tam, "wait for the doc."

"I got one right here," Don tried to say referring to Lanh, but all that came out was a hoarse croak. His throat hurt like the rest of his body.

The curtain opened and a cheerful Hispanic woman with major's oak leaf cluster on her collar entered the area. "I am Doctor Ortiz, I helped bolt you back together. Next time you drive a truck, keep it on the ground," she said as she began poking and prodding. "Doctor Campbell, can you raise the patient's head for me."

"I would be happy to, doctor," smiled Lanh as she slowly raised the head of the bed with the controls. Kim-ly, Tam, and Lanh watched, almost fascinated, as Doctor Ortiz listened to his heart and lungs, and palpitated specific areas of his body.

"Does it hurt here? Does it hurt when I do this? Can you feel when I touch here?" Finally, she wrapped her stethoscope around her neck and exhaled, kind of a sigh of exasperation. "Ok, I'll give it to you straight, you're not in good shape, but you're better off now than when we first met."

"Will I ever play the violin, doc?" Don finally was able to croak.

Dr. Ortiz just closed her eyes and shook her head. "Doctor Campbell, if you can find a part of him that's not broken, you can hit him there for me."

"Yes doctor," Lanh was wearing that cute smile that won Don's heart so many years ago.

"I'm going to go get my notes, then I'll be back, and we'll talk about your current condition and your road to recovery. I'll send down some ice chips for that throat." And she was gone.

Don tried to reach out to hold Lanh, but he couldn't move either arm. "I... I can't..." he was starting to panic, and he couldn't see that he was heavily bound and bandaged because of the quilt on him.

"Stop!" ordered Lanh, "relax. Wait for Doctor Ortiz. You have serious injuries, and she needs to discuss them with you."

"Okay," he groaned. Lanh wriggled as close as she could to him. "Ok, I know I got a little banged up, but why is everyone here?" he thought to himself. He tried to talk again, "Why..."

Just then the curtain pulled back and a staff sergeant holding a Styrofoam cup and a plastic spoon stepped into the curtained off area. "Happy New Year Sergeant Campbell!"

All the smiles faded; this was not information Don was ready for. Kim-ly whirled on Shaw and took the cup "Get the fuck out of here," she hissed. As Staff Sergeant Shaw left in terror, she handed the cup and spoon to Lanh, "I can see why you almost killed him," she whispered in Lanh's ear.

"New Years?" all the color drained from Don's face. "Sue Lin..." Oh dear God NO! Please God, not that...

"Shhhh," hushed Lanh gently and she spooned him some shaved ice. It took some convincing to get it in his mouth, he didn't want ice, he wanted information. They were supposed to leave Saudi on December 15, their last day of flying was the fourteenth. December twenty fourth was the day...

"Two weeks?" he finally said, his voice a harsh rasp. I've been laying here two weeks? he thought.

"You have to tell him, em gái," Tam implored her little sister as she put her hand on Lanh's shoulder for support.

Kim-ly came up on the other side of the bed and gently placed her hand on Don's head, praying it didn't hurt. "Everyone thought you were dying," she said, then she whispered in his ear, "I thought I lost you."

"What?"

Lanh swallowed and told Don the story of how Colonel Gilliam came and got her just hours after their phone call and how they didn't know he was alive for sure until they landed at Ramstein.

Don didn't know what to say, he wanted to ask about Sue Lin, but he knew the answer, they lost their last chance for a baby. "Oh no," he gasped. His eyes closed tightly, and his head drooped, "Sue lin," he groaned.

"It's ok," said Lanh through her tears, "You're alive!"

"But the baby..." he suddenly felt very ill, the adoption was to be final on Christmas eve, and they were both here in Germany because of him. They lost another baby and it's all his fault. There will be no more babies. "I'm so sorry honey," he whispered, "I didn't mean to..." and he broke down in deep uncontrolled sobs.

"Shhhh," hushed Lanh, "I have you, and that's all I need," and she began crying too. Kim-ly gasped and fled in tears herself while Tam placed her hand on her stomach feeling her little boy kick and felt guilty for her joy. Unseen, two blond women, one with purple hairtips joined them in their tears.

Doctor Ortiz came through the curtain with a grim look on her face and saw the couple crying. Her heart just melted for them. Before she could say a word, Don leaned his cheek on Lanh's head and said in his hoarse voice, "I'm done playing soldier doc, we want to go home."

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Don and Lanh's story is not over, Chapter 8 picks up their story as they return to Minnesota and try to restore their lives.

Note on Jet Blast Incidents. Jet blast injuries are rare, but they happen, the vast majority are due to ground crew personnel not paying attention to what they are doing or which direction an aircraft is turning. Air Crews and ground crews are trained over and over to prevent them. Has this ever happened to me? No, close but no cigar. After de-arming an F-4 Phantom II turned the wrong way but the pilot got off the throttles in time that we didn't "rag doll," but I have seen a 150 lbs. Purple K fire extinguisher get blown over.

Note on Military Education. Can enlisted personnel attain a doctorate while on active duty? In the USAF Yes. It's rare and it's difficult especially for aircraft maintainers, but it happens.