He broke out of the woodline and saw a figure in a sergeant’s uniform standing on the hilltop, looking over the valley. His spit-shined jump boots glistened in the sunlight as he turned around. The Class A Army greens fit him perfectly, and his silver parachute wings caught the glint of the sun.
Jason heard himself whisper, “Cat.” The man standing ahead of him was horribly thin, and on his face was the same strange smile Jason had noticed the first time he had seen him in Nam. All that was missing was the low-riding pistol.
The sergeant raised his hand in a salute. “This ol’ coon dog is back.”
Tears rolled down Jason’s cheeks as he tried to run up the hill. The two men met at the crest, embracing each other in a bear hug. Ty squeezed his brother tightly, ignoring the pain in his chest. “I missed ya, brother. I thought about you every day and night. You got me home.”
Jason returned the hug. “God, it’s good to see you! I’ve missed your ugly face.” Grabbing his shoulders, he gently pushed Ty back. “Jesus, Mom is going to be pissed that you didn’t call. We were all going to pick you up at the airport.”
He grasped Ty’s arm to lead him down the path, but Ty stopped him and looked into his eyes. “It’s truth time,” he said softly.
Jason smiled to cover the discomfort his brother’s strange look caused him. “Whatta ya talkin’ about? You have people to see and …”
“We’ll go home when it’s over,” Ty said. “The hunt needs to end … it’s time.”
Jason kept his weak smile. “Ty, I loved George, but I don’t believe in all that stuff he told you. If you have to go, I’ll understand, but it’s not for me. I’ll try and explain to Mom but …”
Ty walked to the log bench and picked up his old pack. “I got the stuff we need from the cabin. I won’t go without you, and I know you wouldn’t do that to me. You care for me too much. Come on.”
Jason’s shoulders sagged. “That’s not fair, Ty.”
The sergeant nodded in silence and began walking down the path. He passed the old oaks without looking back. He knew his brother was following him.
Jason tossed and turned on the wool blanket and suddenly sat up, looking into the darkness. The sounds of pleading men were replaced by the soft crackling of the fire. Ty was sitting across from him, his face golden in the fire’s glow.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, yet he shivered from the cold and scooted closer to the fire. He looked at Ty again and could see that he was worried. He shut his eyes, knowing he couldn’t lie to him. “They’re so DAMN real. I can see and hear them like it was … like …” He lowered his head. The explanation was locked somewhere inside him.
Ty looked past him into the darkness. “Like it was happening all over again? You’re there seeing and feeling it but can’t seem to say or do anything to change what happened … they die anyway?”
Jason lifted his head. “How did you know?”
Ty kept his distant stare. “I’ve had a lot of practice. I used to dream about my dad. I would even come here and …”
Jason felt his heart breaking as he listened to Ty. He had lived with him for years and had never known. His eyes began to pool and he felt guilty for not loving his brother more and understanding. And yet in his heart he knew there would have been nothing he could have said or done. Nothing would have stopped Ty from praying, hoping, and dreaming his dad would return.
He closed his eyes to stem the tears. Like his brother, there was nothing he could have done to save his men.
Ty shifted his legs. “… the dreams of Dad went away in Nam. They were replaced by the guys who were in my squad. We called the squad a family. Funny how close you get, but it was a family. The first one in the family to get hit was Teddy Bear. We were walking on this paddy dike and …”
Hours later, Jason huddled against Ty for warmth. “… when I looked at my RTO lying there after they hit our flank, I wanted to lay down and cry. Bagley was from Vermont and always talked about home and going skiing. I thought he was nuttier than a fruitcake, loving the cold the way he did. Now I know he was … I’m freezing my ass off.” Jason chuckled and felt strange hearing himself laugh. “Damn, that cedar smells good, doesn’t it?” he said.
Ty quietly stood and placed his blanket over Jason’s still form lying by the fire. He had known the second he looked into Jason’s eyes that his spirit had been taken. The men in his old platoon and the wounded and dead on eight hundred seventy-five had taken it.
He moved closer to the fire and stared at the red embers. The glowing coals crackled as he lifted his head. Today he had discovered a new truth: Jason’s spirit hadn’t been taken. His brother had given it, willingly. He had given all of himself, but it had not been enough … it would never have been enough. The men he had loved had been Chosen.
The past days together, sharing tears and laughter, the Chosen had restored most of Jason’s spirit but, as always, they had kept a small part. It was their way of never being forgotten. The Chosen would never leave his dreams, but their pain and pleas had been stored away for only the sad days. Their suffering had been replaced by their smiles, laughter and the memories of the better times.
Ty lay down and looked up at the stars. It was time to go home. The hunt was over.
About the Author
Lt. Col. Leonard B. Scott served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne and 75th Rangers. His combat decorations include the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman badge. Born in Minco, Oklahoma, Scott has returned to stateside duty from his previous post in Berlin.
the Hill (1995) Page 44
