Taming Her Navy Doc

by Amy Ruttan

  Erica smiled. “Pretty awesome.”

  “I have some books for you to read, if you’re interested.”

  “I don’t have time to read.” Then she moved away from him to look at some old pictures after the battle of Okinawa. “Crazy. They say it was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.”

  “It was and 149,193 of those lost were Okinawan civilians.”

  “Such a loss of life.”

  “It is,” he said. “It’s a hard line we walk as surgeons who serve. We don’t like to see death, but yet we serve something bigger and greater. Something that helps innocents remain free.”

  * * *

  Gooseflesh broke out over her at his eloquent words. She often felt at war with herself and her beliefs. Even though she was in the Navy she wasn’t one who went out to fight. Though she’d learned about armed combat as part of her training during Annapolis, she hoped she’d never have to be in a situation to use it.

  Thorne was different.

  He’d actually served in combat situations.

  He carried a gun and as a SEAL had undertaken covert operations that she couldn’t even begin to imagine. She wanted to ask him if he’d ever killed someone before, but she could tell by the pain in his eyes when he read the names on the list, the names of those who had fallen during the Battle of Okinawa, that he had.

  And it pained him.

  Besides it wasn’t her business to ask him that and she was enjoying his company; the last thing she wanted to do was drive him away by prying.

  The moment he’d mentioned his brother he’d put a wall up.

  “It is a hard line to walk,” she said. She moved away from him into a hallway, which was carved. They were heading under the hillside and she could hear water running. When they got down at the end of the hallway there was a hole in the ceiling letting the light filter through and in the center was a pond where pots of incense were burning.

  Misty rain fell through the opening, causing smoke to rise from the incense. It was beautiful, and the smell was spicy but welcoming.

  “What’s this?” Erica asked as she moved closer.

  “It’s called a Kaa, I believe. Water is holy, hence the incense.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Thorne nodded. “It is.”

  They stood in companionable silence for a while around the Kaa. There was no one else in the room with them and suddenly she was very aware of his presence.

  It was like there was some sort of spell being weaved here in this moment, next to the water and with the incense thick in the air, and for a moment she thought about kissing him.

  It had been a long time since she’d kissed a man and the thought of kissing him here made her pulse race and her body ache with anticipation.

  “It’s pretty damp in here. Why don’t we go find somewhere to have a cup of tea and maybe lunch?” He didn’t wait for his answer, but turned and walked down the hall back to the entrance.

  Erica followed him.

  The spell was broken, for now.

  * * *

  After the temple and that moment in the Kaa, they drove back toward the base. The drizzle was making it impossible really to enjoy anything. Thorne did suggest heading over to the American village, but Erica didn’t really feel like shopping.

  Half the stuff she could or would buy, she couldn’t even wear on a day-to-day basis anyway. She was either in scrubs working in the hospital, in fatigues or in dress uniform when she was on duty and that was what she was most comfortable in. It was no big loss.

  Shopping had always been a luxury in her youth.

  With her mother on a widow’s pension, there hadn’t been much money to go around.

  After high school she’d gone straight to college and then Annapolis to help pay for her medical career.

  Regina, her one close friend on the Hope, had always teased her about being tight with her money. When they would go on shore leave she would be the only one who didn’t buy a lot of things.

  Things were hard to transport.

  Things took up space. Erica was a bit minimalist.

  So they headed back to the base and found themselves at the Painappurufeisu.

  “Isn’t it a little early to drink?” Erica teased, though she was really ready for a drink. The ride back to the base had been silent and awkward.

  “Scooby runs a full-service pub. He’s got the best pizza near the base.”

  “Really?” Now she was intrigued.

  “Do you like pizza?”

  Erica shrugged. “It’s okay, but then I really don’t have a lot of experience with pizza besides the offerings of chain restaurants. The Hope didn’t sail in the Mediterranean, so I didn’t even get to experience any real Italian pizza. I’m not sure that pizza is my thing.”

  Great. You’re rambling about pizza.

  Thorne looked at her like she was crazy and she didn’t blame him. She was saying the word “pizza” a lot. Instead he surprised her by asking, “How can pizza not be your thing?”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know?”

  “Pizza has to be everyone’s thing. Well, in moderation.”

  She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh. “I take it pizza is your thing?”

  “And beer.”

  “Right. You have a taste for the local brews.”

  “They’re good. You’d be surprised. They can have more of a kick than some American beers.”

  “I can give you a kick if you’d like.”

  He laughed. “No thanks. I’ll take my chances with the local brew. So, are you up for trying some of Scooby’s pizza?”

  “Sure, but I have to tell you that sounds inherently weird and kind of sacrilegious to my childhood.”

  Thorne laughed. “His real name is Sachiho, but he actually prefers Scooby. Back before we were ever serving in the Navy, a drunk airman couldn’t say his name and called him Scooby instead and it stuck.”

  “Sachiho…what does that mean?”

  Thorne shrugged. “No idea. You could ask him. He would be impressed that you knew it.”

  “Or he’ll just answer me, ‘no problem’.”

  Thorne shook his head. “Again. I’m sorry for that little farce.”

  “Sure you are.”

  He pulled in front of the Painappurufeisu. Rock music was filtering through the open windows. The neon sign was flashing, letting every­one know the bar was open for business.

  “You know, I was hoping you would take me to eat at a local place. Somewhere authentic.”

  Thorne held open the door to Scooby’s. “Trust me, the pizza here is authentic.”

  “I don’t know whether I should be eager or worried about that.”

  “You’ll have to wait and find out.”

  As soon as they entered the bar Scooby waved at them. “Hey, Captain Wilder and Commander Griffin, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  Thorne waved and then led them to one of the bamboo booths, which was upholstered with a jungle theme material. It was then Erica noticed the wall beside their booth was lined with a green shag carpet.

  “I think I’ve fallen into a time warp.” She reached out and touched it to make sure that it was really green shag.

  “Why’s that?”

  “This reminds me of Elvis’s jungle room at Graceland.”

  “Have you been to Graceland?”

  “Yes. A couple of times. My mamère was an Elvis fan.” It was only about four hours from her home in Louisiana to Graceland.

  “Ah, I like Elvis too,” Scooby said, interrupting. “The King of Rock and Roll. I’ve been to Graceland too. It’s where I got the idea for my jungle-themed dining room.”

  “Well, Elvis lined the ceiling of his jungle room. Why did you line the walls?”

  Scooby shrugged. “I wanted to go all out.”

  “That you did.”

  “I told Erica that your pizza was the best around these parts,” Thorne said.

  Scooby beamed with pride. “This is tru
e. Would you like a pizza?”

  “Your house special.”

  Erica’s eyes widened in trepidation. She hoped the special didn’t have some kind of delicacy she’d never heard of or something like eel or other sea creature that she had no stomach for.

  “No problem—and two beers?” Scooby asked.

  “Please.” Thorne grinned.

  Scooby glanced at her. “You look concerned, Commander.”

  “I’m not a big fan of pizza.”

  “No problem, Commander. You will be.” Scooby nodded and left.

  “He’s a man of many layers,” she remarked. “Elvis, Graceland and pizza?”

  Thorne nodded. “Don’t forget bowling. He loves bowling. He loves all things American.”

  “I can see that, but why didn’t he move there?”

  Thorne leaned across the table, his eyes twinkling. “His wife wouldn’t let him.”

  Erica rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but laugh, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d let loose like this. This was better than the tense silence, which had fallen between them at the old temple in Ginowan.

  “You know, I would really like to go see the Cornerstone of Peace in Itoman one day,” she said, but then realized she was somewhat angling for another date when that was the furthest thing from the truth.

  Was it?

  Even though the drive to Scooby’s had been a little tense, when Thorne had put up his walls again, she was enjoying herself.

  Besides, maybe she wasn’t exactly angling for another date, but another outing with her friend, because that was what they were.

  That was all they could be.

  “It’s impressive. I think everyone should see it once in their life.”

  “Have you been, Thorne?”

  “I have. It lists everyone who died during the battle. Civilian, allied forces and axis powers.”

  “I’d like to see it.”

  “We can go after lunch if you want.”

  “S-sure.” And their eyes locked across the table. His was face unreadable as they sat there, that tension falling between them again.

  “Here we go. Two beers,” Scooby said cheerfully, breaking the silence between them as he set down two dark bottles of beer.

  “These have Shisa on them.” Erica winked at Thorne.

  “Ah, you learned about Shisa today, Commander Griffin?” Scooby asked.

  “I did. I also learned your name isn’t really Scooby but Sachiho.”

  Scooby grinned. “Aye.”

  “What does it mean in Ryukyuan?”

  “It’s not native to Okinawa. It’s more common in Japan. My mother was from Japan. But, in answer to your question, it means ‘a charitable man’.”

  “You’re very charitable, Scooby,” Thorne teased.

  Scooby’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting a free lunch out of me again, Captain.”

  They all laughed.

  “I’ll go grab the pizza.” Scooby hurried away.

  “Did this drunk soldier try to get out of a tab and felt that Sachiho maybe didn’t suit Scooby at the time?” Erica asked.

  “I never thought of that, but I’m not going to ask him.”

  Scooby returned and set the pizza down in front of them. “Specialty of the house.”

  Erica breathed a sigh of relief. “The specialty of the house is pineapple?”

  Scooby looked confused. “Painappurufeisu means ‘pineapple face’. What did you think my specialty would be?”

  Erica laughed. “I have no idea, but I have to learn not to trust Captain Wilder.”

  Thorne took a swig of his beer, amusement in his eyes.

  Scooby tsked. “Captain Wilder, you should be nicer to your second in command. Don’t listen to a word he says, Commander.”

  “I’ll take that to heart, Sachiho. Thank you.”

  Scooby grinned and left them to eat.

  “Is this why this posting was vacant with hardly any applicants? Do you drive your commanding officers away, Captain?”

  He smiled. “Possibly.”

  “Well, I think I’ll take Sachiho’s advice and not trust you. Unless we’re working in the OR.”

  “Probably best.”

  “I’ve never had pineapple on a pizza before,” she remarked.

  “Well, then, I wasn’t totally off base. It is a delicacy and something you’ve never had before.”

  They dug into the pizza and Erica really enjoyed it. While they ate they chatted about life on base and about some of the more colorful characters.

  When they were done, she leaned against the back of the booth, staring at the green shag carpeting, chuckling to herself.

  “What’s so funny?” Thorne asked.

  “My mamère would really like this place. Hawaii was her favorite vacation spot, the second place being Graceland.”

  “How many times have you been to…where is Graceland, exactly?”

  “Memphis, Tennessee.”

  “Really?” Thorne asked. “I thought that’s where Beale Street was—you know, the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, home of the million-dollar quartet, where Cash got his big break.”

  Erica cocked an eyebrow. “And who do you think was part of that million-dollar quartet? It was Cash, Perkins, Lewis and Presley.”

  “I only know about Cash,” Thorne said. “Cash was awesome.”

  “Well, Memphis is home to Beale Street and Graceland. Who do you think invented rock ’n’ roll?”

  Thorne grinned. “You have me there. That would be interesting to see one day, but don’t let Scooby know I have any interest in going to Graceland.”

  “Why?”

  “He’ll start the slide show.”

  Erica laughed and then her phone began to vibrate. She glanced down and saw it was from the hospital. When she looked up she could see that Thorne was looking at his phone as well. “Incoming trauma.”

  “I know,” he said. “Accident on trawler.”

  “We better go.”

  Thorne nodded. “Agreed.”

  They slipped out of the booth and he paid Scooby. As they headed outside Erica could hear the choppers bringing the wounded from the trawler out at sea. The chopper was headed straight for the helipad at the hospital. Several vehicles whizzed by as on-call staff raced toward the hospital.

  As she opened the door to Thorne’s car a large chopper zoomed overhead. It was loud and nearly ripped the door from her hand, it was flying so low and so fast toward the hospital. It reminded her of the chopper which had brought Thorne aboard the Hope.

  Only this time it wasn’t night, they weren’t on a ship in the middle of the ocean, which had gone into silent running and it wasn’t a covert operation. This was what she was used to, though she couldn’t even begin to fathom the kind of emergency, which would’ve happened on a trawler off the west coast of Okinawa.

  “Let’s go, Commander.”

  Erica nodded and climbed in the passenger seat.

  “You know,” Thorne said as he started the ignition. “I had every intention of taking you to the Cornerstone of Peace today.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded. “I did.”

  “Well, maybe another day, then.”

  Thorne nodded. “Another day.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “WHAT HAPPENED?” THORNE asked the nearest nurse as he came out of the locker rooms, his casual attire abandoned for scrubs. Once they’d pulled up to the hospital Erica had left, running ahead into the fray. Thorne couldn’t keep up with her and when an emergency like this was called it was all hands on deck.

  He grabbed a trauma gown, slipped it over his scrubs and then grabbed gloves.

  “There was an explosion on a trawler. It burned a lot of men and then the trawler started to go down. We have some men with hypothermia and water in their lungs.”

  “Okinawan?”

  “Some. Most of the men are Indonesian, but the trawler was registered to several different countries off the east c
oast of Africa.”

  Thorne frowned. “They’re fishing far from home.”

  “You said it, not me.”

  Thorne nodded at the nurse. Maybe the trawler hadn’t been fishing exactly and maybe the men had been up to something else. Either way it didn’t matter and it was out of his juris­diction. Right now he had lives to save. He headed out to meet the gurneys as they came in.

  It wasn’t long before the doors opened and the rescue team wheeled in a burn victim, who was screaming.

  “Male, looks to be about twenty. Indonesian, doesn’t speak a word of English.”

  Great. It was going to be tricky to get any kind of history.

  “Get me a translator that knows Indonesian here, stat!” Thorne demanded.

  “Yes, Captain!” someone in the fray shouted. He didn’t know who, but it didn’t matter, as long as his order was taken care of. He needed to know if this boy was allergic to anything and he needed to know what had caused his burn.

  Was it fire? Was it chemical? These were the questions he needed answered before he could help his patient. He wanted to make sure if it was a chemical burn that any trace of the chemical was washed from his skin.

  “I’ve got it.” Thorne grabbed the gurney and wheeled it to an open triage area. “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor, and you’re in good hands.”

  The young man just whimpered, his brown eyes wide with fear and pain. It was obvious that the boy was in shock by his pale complexion, his shaking and his shallow breathing. Thorne slipped nose cannula into his nose.

  The boy started to freak out, but Thorne tried to calm him down.

  “Breathe, just breathe. It’s oxygen.”

  The boy began to shake, but his breathing regulated as he inhaled the oxygen.

  “We need to start a central line.” A nurse handed Thorne a tray and he moved into action. The boy reached out and gripped his arm. His eyes were wild as he watched Thorne in trepidation. “I’m sorry, this will hurt—but only for a moment and then it will help.”

  The boy shook his head, not understanding. He took one look at the needle and started to cry out in fear.

  “I need that translator now!” Thorne barked.

  “I’m here. I can help.” Erica stood in the doorway.

  “You know Indonesian?”

  “I know a few languages and we helped out in Indonesia quite a lot when I was on the Hope.”