Chapter 2

As I opened my eyes the first person I saw was Captain Jack. I tried to talk but my mouth was dry. He hollered for a nurse and in she came. Here I know you are thinking, a young beautiful Navy nurse in a uniform two sizes too small. Well, no. this woman was probably 40 years old, a little heavy with a face that looked like she had went 15 rounds with Tyson. She told me to lay still and put a straw in my mouth. “Small sips, easy now.” Then she put some ice chips in my mouth. As I got my voice back I asked what happened. The Captain told me I had been run over and in a coma for 3 days. As I sat up, I noticed that I was missing my right foot. I panicked. “Where is my foot? Oh shit! My foot?”

Captain Jack grabbed my shoulders and forced me back on the bed. “Look me in the eye,” he demanded. “Your lower right leg was run over by both tires. It was crushed beyond repair and had to be amputated.” He kept staring at me with that one eye of his and I did find some inter peace. “You also had your spleen removed so you need to lay still. You have a catheter in you.”

I did as the Captain said.

The doctor came in and checked my eyes, then made me wiggle my fingers and toes. He told the nurse he wanted me to start sitting up and moving around. He removed the catheter. The nurse brought me some crutches. I was told to use them when I needed to go to the bathroom. They left me alone with the Captain. I lay looking at the ceiling and started to cry.

“Stop that right now. You will not feel sorry for yourself. You have been given a challenge, and you will accept it and move forward. Remember your training. Adapt and overcome. It will not be easy, but nothing ever is. This will make you a better man.”

After his speech I stopped crying and looked at him. Here was a man who had been awarded a silver star and two bronze stars. He was a Captain in line for a promotion to Major and a career in the Marine Corps when it all came to an end. He battled back his whole life and was the patriarch of a rich and prosperous family. If he could do it so could I.

I turned to him and asked, “Just what am I supposed to do? I majored in History. I am only a laborer on the farm. I have no scientific knowledge of farming. Uncle John, along with my mom and dad take care of the cattle. You have Joe running the harvesting business and building whatever you need. So where would I fit in?”

“We will figure all that out when you get better. First things first. How do you feel? Think you can move around some?” With that I threw the sheets back and sat up in the bed. I studied my missing foot.

“They left the knee and about 10 inches of leg below the knee. That way you will be able to walk without a limp when you are fitted with a prosthesis. You’ll have to practice but I don’t think anyone will notice. I have to go back to the hotel. Dove is waiting for me to take her to breakfast. She drove all night to bring me here, so she slept in this morning. We’ll see you after lunch. Eat a big lunch you’ll need your strength after sleeping for 3 days.” With that said, he left.

I did feel better after talking to him. I can work this out. I practiced sitting on the side of the bed. It was odd looking at the missing part of my leg, but I was going to get used to it, I promised myself.

I checked out the incisions from the spleen removal. They seemed to be fine and there was no pain from that. My right foot did hurt but it was not there, so what was up with that? I asked my nurse and she explained it was ghost pain, and that it would eventually go away. I used the crutches to get to the bathroom and pee. The nurse did not want me to flush until she checked it for blood. No blood so she told me to flush and get back in bed. Around noon my lunch arrived. I was hungry and I ate it all. Not bad for hospital food. I was laying there drifting off to sleep when the Captain and Dove walked in. She hugged and kissed me on the cheek. I should mention that this girl and her sister have been in my fantasies since I was a teenager. Her being in the room with me covered with a thin hospital gown and a sheet brought back memories and then it started. I could tell I was going to get a hard on. Dove was wearing a thin summer blouse with a bra but I could not help noticing those big tits of hers. She had on pants but that butt of hers! I sat up in bed, adjusted the pillows and put one between my legs. If a black guy can turn red, I was red with embarrassment. She noticed, I could just tell by the look in her eyes.