I awoke at six AM local time, as I had set the alarm. My body clock was so screwed up that it didn't know what day of the week it was or even what month it was. The girls woke up with me and Lisa advised me, "We can stay until tomorrow. If you can't get done by then, we have to go home. They need the plane. You'll have to ride commercial or find another charter."
We were eating breakfast when a duty man came by to pick me up. At the station, the team leader for this operation briefed me. The Strike Force team was already here and was assembled and waiting for instructions at a local National Guard armory.
John walked into the station, said "good morning" and came to me and shook my hand. He said, "I didn't think you would be here until tonight?"
"Wanda hitched me a ride with the Navy and had our regular charter service waiting for me in San Diego. I got here a little after midnight."
"Great, have you had time to think of a plan?"
I said to the team leader and to John, "Let's get the Strike Force team leader and go out and look at the buildings and layout real quick. I want a plain Suburban or passenger van, nothing fancy that will give us away."
We went out to the site in a black Suburban. The windows were tinted so dark that it was difficult to use binoculars from inside.
There were four two story buildings arranged in a square, about a hundred fifty yards from the border fence. There was a huge section of fence torn down. The opening was big enough that vans kept going back and forth from the border to the building. While we watched, a fancy Mercedes came through the fence and stopped at the buildings. A couple of well-dressed Spanish looking men got out and went inside the farthest building. I said, "Mark that one as being the headquarters. See if your spotters can define what is in each building and let me know."
The Strike Force team leader said, "Since we don't know what's behind any of the walls, a straight on attack will be difficult. What do you think?"
"Here's my plan. I want some big bulldozers, backhoes, and some mobile cranes, all with bulletproof cabs brought out here. I want holes scooped out where the fence should be and concrete fence planted where it's been torn down. We'll fix it later. I want the bulldozers to dig a huge ditch around the buildings. This will have two uses. First it will tell us if there is a tunnel and second it will be a place where our troops can fight from".
I looked at the Strike Force team leader. "I want your best snipers divided into four groups to be spaced equally around the buildings. Their orders are to fire at anyone seen with a gun. They are not to shoot to wound, they are to shoot to kill."
I told the team leader from the station, "Make sure you advise your men that if they have to shoot, to shoot to kill. If they don't think they can do it, replace them with border people or anyone who is willing to protect our country and squelch this terrorist group."
"John, your job is to brief any observers and to advise them to keep their heads down. Make sure you advise them that we will only fire at men with weapons and that throughout the confrontation we will be announcing the opportunity to give up and live."
"All of you, the one thing you will do; anyone coming out of the buildings with their hands on their head will not be shot. Let them keep coming until you have them in cuffs."
The ACE had accompanied us out to the site, so I said to him, "Your job is to get two Spanish speaking men to continuously announce to the occupants of the houses to give up and live, to come out unarmed, with their hands on their heads."
"Now, let's get those concrete fence partitions and heavy equipment out here and get this show on the road."
John said, "Are you going to do this during the day?"
"You bet. All the better to see who's shooting at us. I'm going to put snipers on the tractors to return fire while we work. Hopefully I'll cull a few shooters before things get crazy."
While we had been looking at the location, calls were being made for heavy equipment and the concrete panels.
When a big truck was pulling up that had two big bulldozers on the trailer, I had the ACE drive over to it to see if it was for us. When I found out they were ours, I told them to get them off the trailer in a hurry.
Turning to the ACE, I asked, "Do you have any rifles in this Suburban. I need one until you can get some snipers out here."
The ACE opened a hatch in the rear to show me some MP5s and a stack of loaded magazines. I looked at the team leader and said, "Want to shoot from a big tractor for a while? I'd like to box that Mercedes in while we can. I'll take the tractor that will dig between the buildings and the fence and you take the tractor that will be digging between the buildings and the road. Shoot anyone who comes out with a gun."
I told the ACE, go back to the station and get everything else moving fast. Send the rest of the Strike Force out here. We'll get started here. I told John to hustle up the announcers and to send all of the borrowed troops out as soon as possible.
John grumbled, "Christ, you don't even give a group a chance to get ready, you just push ahead."
"Only way to take them is by surprise, John. We can't let them get prepared."
I told the two bulldozer operators what I wanted to do and I climbed into one cab while the Strike Force team leader climbed in the other. The big tractors moved pretty fast in getting to where I wanted to start digging our trench. He first dug down about a foot but took a long swipe before having to dump a load of sandy dirt between the trench and the buildings. We were on the next part of the trench when four men came out of the house and got into the Mercedes. I began firing at the Mercedes, trying to hit the tires before they could get far.
A rear window of the car opened and a guy began shooting a handgun at the tractor. Too bad, I put a round into the window right into the guy. Another stood up in the sunroof and fired at the tractor. He lurched forward as the Strike Force team leader hit the man from where he was.
The car spun his flat rear wheels in the sandy road trying to head back toward the opening in the fence. I had the tractor back up to try to block the car but didn't have to worry as the car dropped into the low trench and was hung up, not being able to get out the other side. Instead of shooting at the tires, I fired into the rear window of the car. It must have been effective as the car stopped and the person in the passenger seat got out with his hands up. Using the tractor as a shield, I got out and had the man come to me where I searched and cuffed him. I made him lie face down while I checked the Mercedes. There were two dead men in the back seat and the driver was seriously wounded in the shoulder. I pushed him over while he screamed and drove the car out of the ditch and parked it by the road. I went back and told the tractor operator to continue digging the trench until it was about five feet deep then to do the sides.
I used the cuffed man to shield myself from the buildings and walked toward the crippled Mercedes. A duty team had pulled up next to the Mercedes, so I gave them my prisoner and told them to get the other to some medical help, but keep him in custody.
Borrowing one of their radios, I called the Strike Force team leader to ask if he had seen anyone trying to snipe at us yet. He said he had not, but he was watching the border fence as he could see several men with rifles standing in the fence opening.
Just as he was saying this, a group of six men with rifles began walking toward the buildings and were approaching the ditch that was being built. I radioed the Strike Force team leader telling him to put his bulldozer between the advancing men and the buildings. I went to a big pile of dirt and lay across it, getting a good firing position. These guys were on my side of the border now. I was protecting the homeland.
The other bulldozer rumbled across the ground between the men and the buildings, causing all six of the men to raise their rifles. The Strike Force team leader didn't wait, and I didn't either. We began picking off the men one at a time. I started yelling to give up, to put down their weapons, and put their hands on their head.
When all six were down, dirt began flying up next to me from rounds being fired from the other side of the border fence. I didn't know what kind of trouble I would get into if I fired into Mexico, but they were firing at me. It took me a couple of seconds to find the guy firing and I shifted around, aimed, and knocked him down. Now there were rounds coming from the direction of the building.
I rolled off the pile of dirt into the trench where I hoped to find a place that would give me cover from both directions. From on the outside of the pile of dirt, I rose to look at the building. In the second building back, I could see a man in the window with a scoped rifle. I flipped up the scope on the MP5 and peered through it. The guy was sweeping the area back and forth. The shot would be a long one, but I settled down, aimed carefully, and squeezed off a round. The man pitched backward, whether out of action or not, I had hit him.
The announcers had arrived. They were announcing on each side of the buildings, but no one came out. I could see John keeping some people back from the area. They must be the ACLU observers.
I was startled by two backhoes that were starting to dig by the border fence. I could see both of them had a man on board to protect them. I heard a bunch of crack, crack, cracks, and looked around. One of the observers that John was with was down. It also looked like he might have been hit.
Crouching low, I ran back toward the group as fast as I could. In order to stay out of the line of fire, I had to circle around to the back of the group and come up behind them. John was holding a compress on the guy's gut while trying to hold his own arm.
I ripped the sleeve off John's shirt, folded up part of it, then used the rest to wrap around his arm and tie it off. Then I checked the ACLU guy's pulse to find it thready. Using the borrowed radio, I called for an ambulance. The duty man that answered said the driver was afraid to get close, so I told him to drive the ambulance himself.
As soon as the paramedic began working on the ACLU representative, another one was hit, but this time only in his thigh. While I quickly worked on the guy, I told all of them, "Move, get back, all of you. Move behind that big flatbed back there about a hundred yards."
The paramedic and I loaded the badly hurt ACLU rep and I insisted he take John and the other rep out to the field hospital to get properly patched.
I couldn't figure out how someone could be shooting with all of the men scattered around to stop that sort of thing. I sat beside the Mercedes and looked at the roofs of the building and saw a part of the roof actually rise up. They had a trap door up there to keep us from seeing them.
Leveling off, using the bumper for a brace, I sighted in on the area where the trapdoor was and waited. Sure enough, the trap door opened and the shooter poked his gun out and rose up. That's when I put four rounds into him as fast as I could.
I was wishing for a 308 instead of the MP5 for long distance accuracy.
The announcers were giving me a headache. I know it was necessary, we had to give them sufficient warning. Turning to see how the fence area was doing, I watched a giant crane lift a concrete panel from a truck then slide it into place. The crazy thing was I could hear rifle fire coming from the other side of the border. They were apparently shooting at the concrete panels or the steel and bulletproof cabs of the equipment.
I watched the roofs of all four buildings to make sure there wasn't another trap door. I didn't see anything, but noticed now that several of the second floor windows were now open that had not been earlier.
We were now at a stalemate. Men were now in the trenches around the buildings, ready to engage if anyone came out. What we had to do now was to take each building one at a time. The longer I looked at the buildings, the easier it became to make up my mind.
I radioed for the Strike Force team leader to meet me in the trench near the building where the Mercedes had parked. I went to the nearest bulldozer and had him give me a ride to where the team leader was waiting.
I told the man, "Let's take one building at a time. I think the best way would be to avoid the doorways. Let's use a bulldozer to make a big hole in the side and go in that way. We'll clear one building then go to the next."
"Good idea, we can use the equipment for cover like any other track. Let me assemble my men and we'll get it done."
As we approached the building, I was watching at the windows to make sure no one would lean out to shoot at us. The bulldozer tore a big hole into the side of the frame structure but didn't knock the building down. When we began going into the building, people were coming out of the front and back doors with their hands on their head. These people were directed where to go and were cuffed and searched quickly.
The team cleared the building, piling several weapons up at the hole that was torn in the side. I had the bulldozer operator back up and head for the next building. We weren't even to the building yet when people, men and women, began streaming out the doors. We directed them where to go and entered the building through the doors, clearing each room on both floors.
The next building in the sequence was the building that had the trap door in the roof. We went around to the side of the building and were getting close to it when men with rifles appeared at three windows and began shooting at us. I got one, the team leader got one, and another man got the third. By the time we tore a hole in the side, two more snipers had presented themselves and had been put down. The team leader and I went in first, using our knowledge of how to protect each other's back as we moved through the room to the hall door.
As we approached the door from each side, the door exploded sending big splinters of wood throughout the room. One of the men following us got a big splinter in his thigh. This told us the bad guys had grenades or explosives, so the game had changed. I motioned for everyone to get out of the building and get behind the tractor.
I told the team leader, "Get the two backhoes and the other tractor. We'll start on each corner and tear the building down. They'll either come out or be buried alive."
He nodded and dispatched some men to retrieve the equipment. I told our tractor operator what I wanted and he grinned. He suggested, "Go back to the trench and let us take the building down. These guys will come out quick. If they're firing, you'll be protected"
We assembled in the trench and watched the building closely. I began making my way around the building to make sure people didn't move between buildings. John was in a trench watching.
"Thanks, John, this was a weak link. They used a grenade in the building so I'm going to tear it down. They'll come out. How are you doing? Are you doing all right?"
"Just a little wound. No big deal, I've had worse."
"See, that's what happens when you're in the field."
"Yeah, right. I don't need this shit."
The four machines were literally tearing the building down at the corners. As one of the sides of the building sagged, four men came running out of the front of the building firing wildly. They didn't make twenty feet before all four were down.
Apparently something similar was happening at the rear of the building as we heard more firing.
The last building was the one nearest to where the ACLU people were being hidden behind a truck. I had our tractor brought around to the side of the building so we could tear a hole in it if we needed to. Just as we approached the building, a man came out of the building, holding what appeared to be a young blonde girl. He had a knife at her throat telling everyone he was going to kill the girl if he didn't get a car to get out of there right away.
One of ACLU guys stood up and began yelling for someone to get him a car. The guy was stupid as he was moving toward the guy that was holding the girl. The man holding the girl yelled at the ACLU guy then sliced her throat so deeply the girls head fell to the side. Everyone was frozen from the brutality of the act. The man ran at the ACLU guy and was plunging the knife into him as several rifles fired, killing the attacker, but not before the ACLU man was fatally stabbed.
I could see several men throwing up from seeing such horror. I turned back to the building and had the announcers warn the occupants one more time. I waved at the guy on the tractor and headed toward the front door intending to go through that way and help clear.
The door burst open and a thick Spanish guy with what looked like a forty-five hit me with three rounds, all in the vest. While I was staggering backwards, I fired my rifle multiple times as I went down.
This time it hurt. I heard several other shots, but didn't really see anything else. I was out of it.
I was in a hospital room trying to figure out how I got there. When I tried to move, my chest hurt bad enough that I just groaned and stayed still.
"Chuck, you're awake, how do you feel?"
This was a girl's voice, who would that be?
A dark face appeared over me, too dark for Tiani. "What, who, oh, Nancy, what are you doing here? How did you get here?"
"We're all here, Chuck. You've been out for two days. The doctors said you were just in a coma trying to heal yourself. We've all been so worried. Let me go tell them you're awake. I'll tell the nurse too."
Before a nurse could get to me, the room was filled with women. All five of the potential harem were there, along with Tina, Lena, and Wanda. I looked up to see Mercy and Missy smiling at me, along with Kathy, Sue, Beth, and Juanita.
The nurse came through the door with John on her heels. She was about to begin clearing the room when I said, "Come check me out. Please let my friends stay so they know I'm all right."
The lady went over me with her stethoscope, checking to make sure my heart was beating. When she touched my upper left chest, it really hurt. After being satisfied, she looked around and said, "You really don't need all this excitement you know."
"These people will heal me. What's wrong with my upper chest?"
"You have a broken clavicle or collarbone and two cracked ribs. You were really lucky. Another inch higher and you would have caught the round in the neck. You were lucky."
I smiled and said, "These people gave me the luck."
"I'll get the doctor to come look at you, but you seem okay. If you do alright, they'll send you home soon."
As soon as the nurse left, everyone crowded around the bed, so I announced, "I'm fine, I'll be even better when this clavicle heals. I definitely won't be doing anything for a while. John came up to the side of the bed, "You put down the kingpin of the group. That building was full of kids that had been recently kidnapped. From our questioning, the men you confronted in the Mercedes had just made a deal for all of the kids. You interrupted all of them. The one child who was killed is one of three that were taken from one family."
"I'm glad we were able to put a stop to what was happening. I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to save that little girl. Now you guys have to get me out of here and feed me, I'm starved."
Brandy leaned over and kissed me, "You're always hungry. I'm happy, because now I know you're alright."
Nancy and Frieda were side by side as they leaned over me. Both kissed me and said softly, "We're so glad you're going to be with us as a dad."
I had to smile to think these two ladies wanted me to be the dad of their soon to be kids. All I could think of was the wild time Steve had with his kids.
Missy and Mercy came and asked, "Are you going to come back with us? We still want you to spend the rest of your convalescence with us."
Wanda said, "It's really convalescence this time. He won't be doing any field work for a while."
John said, "The ACLU guys are saying we were very lenient on the bad guys. Considering three of their own were injured, with one killed, and that they had to watch that little girl slaughtered, I think those that were there will have a new attitude. We are getting some flack from the other side of the border. A few of the drug gangs are threatening retaliation. I don't think our men are going to hesitate to shoot anymore, so they won't get the drop on us. Oh, we have had those four buildings all torn down as nuisance structures. That won't cure everything, but it will cure that spot."
I looked around and suggested, "Why don't all of you go out to eat and I'll see you all either later or in the morning. I'm going to sleep a little more and get ready to get out of here."
They all left except Lisa and Lena. Lisa said, "I'm glad you'll be alright. You really worried me. Actually you worried all of us."
Lena leaned over me and kissed me on the forehead, "I don't care what my stupid sister says or does; you are one hell of a man. I just wanted to tell you how much the family thinks of you and how concerned they were for you."
Lisa said to me, "I have to leave and go back to work. Get well, okay? If you go back to Hawaii, I'll miss you, but you probably need to be out on that boat for a while."
"We'll see, Lisa, I don't know what I should or will do. It depends on my boss. You two go eat with the others. I'll see you both soon, either way."
"Bye, Lena, thank you for coming. That was very sweet. Say hi to all of your family for me."
The two left and I was just relaxing when the doctor came in. He checked me over and checked my eyes several times. He said, "You were really lucky this time. Your boss says you've been shot several times lately, but this one was up close. You have two cracked ribs, the broken clavicle, and a concussion. The jolt from the one that hit you high snapped your head back. You're lucky you didn't break your neck. You need bed rest for at least a week, probably two and you'll be wearing a sling for about four to six weeks. No lifting, no swimming, no strenuous activity whatsoever. A desk job might even be too much. You'll need to be good with this one or the clavicle won't heal correctly. If you can do this, I'll let all your friends take you away. If not, stay here. We'll take care of you."
"I can be good, doc, but I need some food. Can you get me something, anything? I'll check with everyone to make sure where the best place would be for me to take it easy."
The doctor smiled and said he would see about some food.
I was dozing when a soft voice said, "How about some soup, Mr. Johnson. Eat this and I'll try to get you some chicken salad with some crackers. I've even brought you some milk and a cup of coffee."
The soft voice was connected to an older nurse with a warm smiling face. She stayed and spooned some soup into me to make sure it wouldn't make me sick. Using my right arm, I moved it up to get the glass of milk. When I realized I was mostly laying down I asked, "Can you raise me so I'm sitting up?"
The nursed raised the head of the bed slowly watching to make sure the movement didn't hurt me. When I was high enough, I reached for the glass of milk again and drank it. The nurse told me to try to eat the soup on my own and she would hunt for some chicken salad and crackers.
I drank the rest of the broth straight from the bowl, then had a sip of coffee and a drink of water. When the nurse came back, I asked her if I had to use a urinal or could I get up to use the bathroom.
"You have a catheter. That's probably why you feel you have to urinate. Just relax, we'll remove it a little later. First we have to make sure you're alright. Keep in mind you do have a concussion along with a broken left clavicle and a couple of ribs that are in trouble."
I was lying still, almost feeling human after the catheter had been removed. Steve walked in the door with Sue and Mercy, smiling at me. "How are you doing, did you get something to eat?"
We chatted for a few minutes before Steve said, "You probably shouldn't come back to the boat as it will be too hard for you to go up and down the ladder to get below."
Sue and Mercy were looking at me expectantly when I said, "I think I could manage the ladder with one arm. I just won't be fast. If you think I would be too much of a burden on you guys, I understand, but I would enjoy staying on the boat a little longer. I still have some lessons to give to the kids. I think I can still do that, or at least will be able to very soon."
Steve was smiling, "We were hoping you would say that. Dewey had his G5 come get us and bring us to you. If you want, you can ride back to Hawaii with us. If it looks like it will be too much for you, we'll get you a ride back home."
The three friends were all smiling at me when Lisa came in. "Chuck, I have to leave to get back. I'm so glad you're doing okay. I want you to come home, but I wouldn't be around to take care of you. You might enjoy being with Steve and family a little longer. Go back to Hawaii and see how you do. Get some more sun and salt air."
Lisa kissed me, gave me a sweet smile, and left. I hadn't noticed Tina was there, but as Lisa left, Tina came to my bedside. She said, "I'm glad you're okay, Chuck. You had all of us worried. Lisa really has it bad for you, but you're a tough guy to get close to. Come home as soon as you can. I'm riding home with Lisa."
Soon the Fab Five and Lena came in and all of them talked to me a few minutes. They said that now that they knew I was among the living, they were going to go back to Florida so they could go back to work. They said they had the opportunity to fly back with Lisa so they would be leaving. All of them gave me kisses and were leaving. Brandy hung back a little. "I'm so happy you're alright. I wanted to stay to be with you, Baby, but the others think I should go back to work. I would rather stay, but the five of us do things together. Take care of yourself. I miss you."
Steve, Sue, and Mercy were still in the room and were now joined by Kathy, Juanita, Missy, and Beth.
Missy came to the bed and said, "What's it going to be. Will you come back to Hawaii with us? We all want you to come. We've called the kids to tell them you're alright. The doctor says you'll be OK to travel tomorrow but you have to be careful. Will you come back with us?"
At that point, John Scott walked into the room, with his arm in a sling. "So where should I hide you this time, Johnson. You don't stay in convalescence very well. I guess part of that is my fault. I won't be able to use you for a minimum of six weeks, more likely two months. Why don't you go back to Hawaii for some more vacation? Plan on coming back to work in about two months. Stay in touch with Wanda, she'll keep you up with what's going on."
I asked John, "How bad is your arm?"
"Not bad, they ended up putting a bunch of stitches in it and suggested I keep it in a sling for a week. I'll be leaving and heading back to D.C. Now I'll have to face the wife. She's not very happy with me getting hurt, but it's part of the job, isn't it?"
"Take care of yourself, John. I think I will go back to Hawaii to see if I can manage to get around on the boat. I hope so, I would like to stay with these folks for a while."
John left me with Steve and family. We chatted for a few minutes then Wanda came in with John Truant. Wanda gave me a gentle hug and said, "You may have gotten hurt, but you know what? I think this made John think about spending some extra time with me. John's asked me to marry him. Don't fret; he's moving in with me instead of me moving out with him. I told him I have a responsibility to my job and I promised to help with the house. When you get back, we'll figure out what we're doing. John flew here to be with me and needs to get home. He and Lisa have charters. When you feel like it, call me."
Wanda leaned down to me and whispered, "I still love you, Chuck. I'm not leaving you yet." Wanda kissed me, smiled, and left.
As they left, Mercy and Missy came up to the bed and said, "Are you stealing that man's lady before he even has her?"
"No. I don't know what that's about. We are really close friends though. We were tight when Bobby was still around and have been through all the changes since then. I know she really likes and respects John, so I don't doubt she might be interested in settling down with him. She may not be the settling type though unless John has a few wild bones in his body."
Steve came up, "John's no wallflower. I think he really would like to settle down. He's been floating around alone for a while, so Wanda might be a good fit for the guy. John likes to go out to the nudist camp. Usually he takes DeDe or Star, but I know Wanda has gone there with him a few times."
I said, "Wanda likes the naturist park. Perhaps they will make a good pair."
Sue asked, "So you are coming back with us? Do you think you can travel tomorrow? It's a long, long flight."
"Let's do it. I want to play in Hawaii a while and I definitely want more time at sea with all of you. I'm having a great time with the kids, splitting time between the boats is interesting, and the kids seem to get as much attention as they need. Bonita is the one who will need a real professional to teach her. She needs piano lessons and a lot of guitar lessons."
Kathy was smiling, "She is gifted, isn't she? I'm so proud that you've spent so much time with her. She has really flourished."
As the people began saying goodnight, assuring me they would get me out in the morning, my head was filled with smiling faces of all the children. Missy and Mercy were grinning at me when I looked around. Mercy said, "Enjoy the children. We'll see you in the morning."
Alone in the room, I contemplated all of the attention from everyone and what all the various people really meant to me. I kept thinking of how Mercy and Missy seemed to be in my mind so much, but knew they belonged to someone else. It was uncanny the way we seemed to be attached to each other.
I was lovingly thinking of Lisa when I somehow knew I was filling her head with my image and was softly singing to her. I could feel her emotions and knew we had a bond.
Brandy was right there in my mind, as well. I focused on Brandy and felt her open her arms and mind to me. I whispered into her mind, thanking her for being so loyal and so attentive. First it was just Brandy in my head, but then she was joined by Tiani, followed by Nancy, Judy, and Frieda. I guess those five were all or none.
I was just about to doze off when the nurse came in and checked me over. She did the light in the eye thing, and asked me if she could help me to walk to the bathroom.
When I sat up, I was dizzy for a minute. She slowly helped me onto my feet and helped me put on my prosthesis. I was able to get to the bathroom, pee, and wash my hands before returning to the bed.
Sitting on the bed, I asked, "Do I have a toothbrush? I want to brush my teeth before bed."
The nurse brought me a toothbrush and watched as I got up and walked to the bathroom. This time I wasn't so unsteady and was able to go and return without any dizziness. Yep, I would be able to make it on the boat.
When I was back in bed, the nurse said good night and that was the last I remember until...
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious