~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I’d finally given up on getting any sleep. After showering I got dressed for our party at Brady’s expense. I pulled out my Aloha shirt from my closet and slipped it on, letting it hang over my sidearm. For those of you folks that don’t know what an Aloha shirt is. It’s those loud colorful shirts people wear in Hawaii.
Anyway, we were wearing them in Brady’s honor. We’ve been teasing him about wearing the wrong shirt on the wrong island so he went out and bought everyone on the team one for Christmas.
We were going to travel to Montego Bay on our two cabin cruisers, the Monster Hunter and the Island Hopper. We were leaving our new cigarette boat behind. I knew better than to take a boat that could do 120mph plus out when these guys were letting their hair down.
Everyone who was going on the mission was coming tonight. Red Dog’s men and Chief York’s men were being included as well as the two men I have running the engine room and their wives. We would have a final meeting tomorrow to make sure everything was ready to go and we were leaving for Cuba the next day.
I had just gotten a panicked call from the Governor General. It seemed Christopher Ducus wasn’t among the dead. That’s twice now we did a mission and missed our primary target.
I walked down to the lagoon with Karen to find most of the team already there.
“LT you’re styling now!” Brady crowed. “It was awful thoughtful of you to wear your shirts in my honor tonight.”
“We did it to deaden the blow we have in store for you,” I said grinning at the unsuspecting Brady.
“What blow are you talking about LT?” Brady asked while looking at the grinning faces around him. He knew it wouldn’t be good.
“We naturally invited a few more guests along. They’ll be added to your bill.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Brady’s face.
“What guests are you all talking about? That wasn’t part of the bet. I’m going to go broke here LT!”
“It’s just another 15 or 20 people. Chief York’s guys and Red Dog’s men and the engine room guys and their wives. Everyone who is going to be on the mission is coming tonight for the send off.”
“It seems to me that this is a Sea Demons outing and should come out of the general fund,” Brady said in protest.
“They take American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club Card,” Patch said with a grin. “By the time we’re done with you tonight you’ll probably want to stay in Cuba where the card companies can’t find you.”
“Now Patch you know what the bet was! It was dinner for the entire team and not all of these here extra folks we have coming.”
“Are you going to tell me that Red Dog and Chief York aren’t part of the team?” I questioned him.
“You know full well what I mean. When we made the bet it was for the original team. The stockholders of this here company we formed.”
“I don’t remember you clarifying that Brady. I was listening on the radio, sitting right next to you. All I can remember is you said for the team. Is that what you heard Patch?”
“That’s the way I thought the bet was. I didn’t know Brady was mean enough to exclude men he might be fighting alongside of.”
“Wait a second, the dinner was supposed to be in Kingston the day of the dedication. They wouldn’t have been there for the meal.”
“But circumstances prevented us from having it there so now it’s here and so are they. You buy tonight Brady and I don’t see any way for you to get out of it and save your honor. After all you did say a bet was a bet. You are a Texan and a man of your word aren’t you?”
“Now’s a hell of a time to be throwing that in my face,” Brady grumbled.
By now the others were all assembled and laughing at Brady’s predicament. Brady looked about as uncomfortable as a porcupine in a balloon factory.
“Red Dog, Chief, your men are out of uniform,” Brady said, pulling on the bottom hem of his shirt.
“That’s only because you haven’t bought us our shirts yet,” Red Dog said with a lopsided grin.
“Get back to me later on and I’ll get you my men’s shirt sizes,” the chief added.
“Good God almighty, now they want me to buy them shirts too,” Brady moaned in disbelief.
Everyone was rolling in laughter. Every time it quieted down someone would take a look at Brady’s face and it would start all over again.
“On a more serious note,” I said after it was finally quiet. “We missed Ducus last night. He wasn’t among the dead in the clearing.” I looked at our new team members. “Does everyone have their sidearm on them?”
“All of my guys are armed LT,” Chief York promised. “They know the only time it’s off is when they’re showering or sleeping.”
“Same with my Marines LT. We wouldn’t be a very good security force if we went around unarmed.”
“Good, let’s go to Montego Bay and have us a party!” I looked at Patch and Sam. “You two are in charge of keeping an eye on Doc tonight. Keep him off of the damn chandeliers.”
“How are we supposed to have any fun if we have to keep an eye on him?” Sam protested.
“You don’t have to worry about me LT,” Doc promised. “The last time I thought I’d broken my back when I landed. I’d be okay if Patch would just stop jumping up and grabbing my legs.”
Danny and Chris were piloting our two Cabin Cruisers across the Bay to the restaurant we’d picked out. A half hour later we were tied up and trooped into the bar in a group. We’d called ahead and made reservations for 35 and they had an area set-up for us. I could see a reggae band setting up to play music later. It was going to be a fun, fun night.
We all ordered drinks and were relaxing giving each other a hard time. In two days that would all end as our mission would begin.
“LT, when we came thru the ravine on the way out last night we talked about Doc having wood ticks or sand fleas. I think I have it figured out, I think he has chiggers,” Patch informed me.
I grinned at Patch and glanced at Doc to see if he was paying attention, he was. “Is chiggers something you have to be worried about Patch?”
“It can be an awful disease to have. They pick-up diseases from rats and mice, if it’s not treated it can be fatal.”
“Now hold on just a second here! I didn’t pick-up any damn chiggers!” Doc protested.
I looked at Doc and shook my head in sympathy. “Is there any hope for him Patch? I’d hate to lose our medic to a disease that’s treatable.”
“We can treat it but it isn’t any fun for the feller being treated. In order to get rid of them you need to strip the victim, I mean sick person naked and get four or five guys to hold him down. Then you need to take lye soap and scrub brushes and scour him down. You need to make sure you get into all of the crevices because those little suckers can hide anywhere. The screaming is an awful thing to hear and that’s just coming from the guys trying to hold him down.”
Doc looked at the wolfish grins and predatory looks of his teammates as he backed away from the table. “I don’t have any damn chiggers! I’m the only team medic. You’d be wise not to mess with me! You like diarrhea? I can give you a case of it that will last as long as we’re in Cuba. How about rashes? I can give you a skin rash that will have you peeling your own hide off. The first man who lay’s a hand on me is going to get shot. I’d hate to have to treat a gunshot I inflicted so I’d probably have to leave you lay right where I drop you!”
The din of the laughter echoed off of the restaurant’s walls. The team was red faced and slapping the table top gasping for breath.
“Sit back down Doc, I was just funning you,” Patch said, holding his sore ribs.
Doc slowly sat back down, not knowing if he could really trust his team to let it drop or not.