2بخش

I’ll phone an ambulance

No, no time, Joshua’s pickup

Quick - Okay

You’re going to be fine now, You’re going to be fine

You’re in good hands

What have we got here?

It’s a severed artery, Get some sutures Yes, doctor

Put some pressure on it, Did you apply this tourniquet?

Yes, sir

Nice work, You might have saved this boy’s life

You staying with us, You’re going to be okay

What’s your name, son?

Gilbert

Surgery - Yeah, surgery

Stay with us, you’re gonna be okay

You feel pain?

Stay with us, okay?

Army physicals that way, This is for giving blood

Are you all right?

Oh, no, that’s not mine

I’m fine

Thank you for asking though, ma’am

What do you need?

My belt

I lent it to the boy who had the accident

My pants don’t hold up so good without it

Well, uh, I don’t have your belt

No, I know that, ma’am, It’s out there, It’s right out there with the boy still

Okay I’m just here to take blood

I’ll give mine

Okay, go to that room over there and wait with the others

I’ll call you

That room

You ever given blood before, Mr

Doss

But my friends call me Desmond

No, ma’am, this is my first time

I always dreamed about being a doctor But, uh, I didn’t get much school

You may be a little dizzy when we’re done

Is somebody picking you up?

No, ma’am Walking back

Where do you live?

Fort Hill, ma’am

That’s a ways

No Just five or six miles, but I cut through the woods

It’s seven that way

You must really like the woods

Yes, ma’am I sure do

Okay, put some pressure here

You okay - Yeah

Bye

Where you going looking all spruced and nice?

Met someone yesterday A nurse over at the hospital

Her name’s Dorothy Schutte I’m gonna marry her

Goodness Does she know that?

Well, not yet She’s about to

You ever even spoken to a woman, I mean, one that’s not family?

Spoke to her

Well, in that case, come give your brother a big hug

Hal - Come here

Keep your greasy paws off of me

Wish me luck, Momma

Good luck

Next

Grab a seat You ever given blood before?

Yes, ma’am I have

You’re the belt man

Desmond, yes, ma’am

Well, Desmond, we can’t take your blood two days in a row

Well, that’s good I came to get mine back

You what?

My blood I need it back

Well, it don’t work like that, we can’t just give it back to you

Well, you got to

Ever since you stuck me with that needle, my heart’s been beating real fast

Every time I think about you, it beats faster still

I never heard that one before It’s pretty corny

It is?

That’s a shame, I done practiced that all night

No good?

I didn’t say that

What’s the difference between an artery and a vein?

What are you talking about?

The boy’s accident

Arteries spurt blood

And veins?

Bleed

I think you need to practice your boy/girl dating talk at home before you come out

Yeah, I probably do

I’ll give you a book if you’re that interested

On dating?

On blood

Another medical question perhaps?

No I just think you’re the prettiest thing I ever seen

That’s because I’m sitting in the dark

No, you’re just beautiful

Out of the way

You need to watch where you’re going

I’m sorry I didn’t think you’d mind

You didn’t ask

I thought you might have liked it

Well, I might have if you’d asked

You coming?

Watch where you’re walking

Why didn’t you say nothing to us?

‘Cause you would have tried and talked me out of it,

and I know what I’m doing is right

And what about His Commandment?

It’s not killing in a war It’s protecting

Loads of boys from our church are going - Yeah

There is a war and they need men

And working in a paper mill ain’t going to save this country

Looks like a movie star, our boy

Nice uniform, good hat

Reminds me of how Artie Giddens looked in his uniform when we went to France

Remember him, Bertha - Don’t, Tom

What?

I’m just saying how snappy Artie looked in his uniform

All you girls certainly seemed to think so

He had them flocking to him He was most proud

I just hope that when our Hal gets shot, it’s through the front of his jacket

Like a simple entry wound, not much mess

Artie got hit in the back,

it blew most of his guts and intestines out his front, offal everywhere

Wrecked his uniform entirely

It was lucky he was dead, so he never knew how awful his uniform looked

Get outta of my sight