W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps 03 - Counterattack

"Aye, aye, Sir," Ensign Cotter replied.

"And go by ambulance," Commander Charles E. Whaley, M.D., USNR, added.

"Ambulance?"

"With a little bit of luck, Captain Pickering will inquire about the ambulance. Then you will tell him that the immunizations sometimes produce terrible side effects," Dr. Whaley said, pleased with himself. "And that the ambulance is just a precaution."

"You’re serious?" Barbara chuckled.

"You bet your ass I am," Commander Whaley said.

(Eight)

The Elms

Dandenong, Victoria, Australia

1755 Hours 6 June 1942

When Barbara Cotter saw The Elms, she was glad that Dr. Whaley had sent her and not come himself. This Captain Pickering, whoever he was, seemed one more proof that Karl Marx might have been on to something when he denounced the over-accumulation of capital in the hands of the privileged few. Navy captains, for rank hath its privileges, lived well. But not this well. Dr. Whaley could have gotten himself in deep trouble, letting his Irish temper loose at this Navy brass hat.

A middle-aged woman opened the door.

"Hello," Mrs. Hortense Cavendish said with a smile. "May I help you?"

"I’m Ensign Cotter, to see Captain Pickering. I’m from the hospital."

"Are you a doctor?"

"I’m a nurse," Barbara said.

"I think he was expecting a doctor," Mrs. Cavendish said. "But please come in, I’ll tell him you’re here."

She left Barbara waiting in the foyer and disappeared down a corridor. A moment later a man appeared and walked up to her. He was in his shirtsleeves and wearing suspenders. And his collar was open and his tie pulled down. He held a drink in his hand.

Barbara was prepared to despise him as a palace-guard brass hat with an exaggerated opinion of his own importance-and with what Dr. Whaley had so cleverly described as "an overdeveloped sense of medical self-protection."

"Hello," Pickering said. "I’m Fleming Pickering. I was rather expecting Commander Whaley, but you’re much prettier."

"Sir, I’m Ensign Cotter."

"I’m very pleased to meet you," he said. "We saw the ambulance. What’s that all about? Is the Navy again suffering from crossed signals?"

"Sir, I’m here to administer certain injections," Barbara said. "There is a chance of a reaction to them. The ambulance is a precaution."

"Well, the first stickee seems to be doing fine," Pickering said. "We’re hoping that your intended target will show up momentarily. I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait until he does."

"Sir?"

"You’re here to immunize Corporal Koffler," Pickering said. "At the moment, we don’t know where he is. You’ll have to wait until he shows up. If that’s going to pose a problem for you at the hospital, I’ll call and explain the situation. This is rather important."

"I was under the impression the immunizations were intended for you, Captain."

"Oh, no," Pickering said, and smiled. "I suspected crossed signals. Shall I call the hospital and straighten things out?"

"If I’m going to have to stay, I’d better call, Sir," Barbara said.

"The phone’s right over there," Pickering said, pointing to a narrow table against the foyer wall. "If you run into any trouble, let me know. Sometimes the Regular Navy is a bit dense between the ears."

She looked at him in shock.

"Between us amateurs, of course," Pickering smiled. "I presume you’re a fellow amateur?"

"I’m a reservist, Sir, if that’s what you mean."

"I was sure of it," Pickering said. "When you’re through on the phone, please come in the sitting room." He pointed to it.

"Yes, Sir," Barbara said.

"Oh, Barbara," Dr. Whaley said when she called him at his quarters. "I hope you’re calling because you’re lost."

"Excuse me?"

"You found The Elms without any trouble?"

"Yes, Sir. I’m here now. I’ve just met Captain Pickering."

"How did that go?"

"It’s not what you thought, Doctor."

"I already found that out. The men to be immunized, the Marine officer who was here at the hospital, and the one you’re there to see, are about to go on some hush-hush mission behind the lines. High-level stuff. And I learned five minutes after you left that Pickering is not what I led you to believe he was."

"He’s really nice," Barbara said.

"He’s also General MacArthur’s personal pal," Dr. Whaley said. "And Frank Knox’s personal representative over here. Not the sort of man to jab with a dull needle."

"No, Sir," Barbara chuckled. "The other man to be immunized isn’t here yet. Captain Pickering said I’ll have to stay here until he shows up. That’s why I’m calling."

"You stay as long as you’re needed," Dr. Whaley said, "and be as charming as possible, knowing that you have our Naval careers in your hands."

"Yes, Sir."

"You better send the ambulance back, Barbara. When you’re finished, I’ll send a staff car for you."

"Yes, Sir."

Barbara hung up, walked out of The Elms, sent the ambulance back to the hospital, and then reentered the house.

"Everything go all right?" Captain Pickering asked her when she reached the room he’d directed her to. "Come in."

"Everything’s fine, Sir," Barbara said.

"Gentlemen, this is Ensign Cotter," Pickering said. "Ensign Cotter, this is Major Ed Banning, Lieutenant Vince Donnelly, and Lieutenant Joe Howard."

Lieutenant Joe Howard, who had been mixing a drink at the bar, turned, looked at Barbara, dropped the glass, and said, "Oh, my God!"

"Joe!" Barbara wailed.

"Why do I suspect that these two splendid young junior officers have met?" Banning asked dryly.

"Lieutenant Howard," Captain Pickering said, "Ensign Cotter was just telling me that sometimes these shots have adverse effects. Why don’t you take her someplace where she can examine you?"

He hardly had time to congratulate himself on having produced-snatching it from out of the blue-a Solomon-like solution to the problem of how to handle two young lovers who were embarrassed to manifest a display of affection before senior officers. For, unfortunately, his brilliance was wasted; Ensign Cotter, forgetting that she was an officer and a gentlewoman, ran to Howard and threw herself in his arms, and cried, "Oh, my darling!"

After a moment, Captain Pickering spoke again.

"Joe, why don’t you take your girl and show her the grounds?"

Howard, not trusting his voice, nodded his thanks and, with his arms around Barbara, led her out of the sitting room and started down the corridor.

All of a sudden, she stopped, spun out of his arms, and faced him.

"You’re on this mission, aren’t you?" she challenged.

He nodded.

"Oh, my God!"

"It’ll be all right," he said.

"They don’t send people on missions like that unless they volunteer," she said, adding angrily, "You volunteered, didn’t you?"

He nodded.

"Goddamn you!"

He didn’t reply.

"Why? Can you tell me why?"

"It’s important," he said.

"When do you go?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she wailed. He nodded.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked.

He shrugged helplessly.

"We could go to my room," Joe blurted.

She met his eyes.

"They’d know," she said.

"Do you care?" he asked.

She reached out and touched his face and shook her head.

He took her hand from his face and held it as he led her the rest of the way down the stairs and then up the broad staircase to his room.

Chapter Thirteen

(One)

The Elms

Dandenong, Victoria, Australia

2105 Hours 6 June 1942

As Corporal Stephen M. Koffler and Petty Officer Daphne Farnsworth approached Melbourne, they came up to a road sign indicating a turnoff to Dandenong. It occurred to Corporal Koffler then that he’d better check in before he took Petty Officer Farnsworth home.