Ride the Tiger (24 page)

Ma Ling agreed. “You plan wisely, daughter. I'm proud of you. Yes, I will pack. Things must go as if we know nothing.”

Gib ached to kiss Dany, to hold her and protect her, but he could do none of those things. He looked at both women and said, “The truck will be here at 0800. Dany, if you get into any trouble or suspect a problem, call me immediately. Promise?” He drilled her with a hard look.

Licking her suddenly dry lower lip, Dany nodded. “I promise.”

“I'll send Tess over to help you as soon as possible.”

“Yes...thanks....”

As soon as Gib had left, Dany ran into the house and got violently ill. She came out of the bathroom to see Ma Ling standing in the hall waiting for her.

Ma Ling came forward and put her arm around Dany's waist. “Daughter, your illness is more than just flu,” she said in Vietnamese as she guided Dany to her bedroom. “I'm calling Dr. Perot. He will examine you.”

Dany wearily sat down on the double bed. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

Ma Ling's stern features melted. “Have you noticed any changes in your body, my daughter?”

Dany's eyes widened. “Changes?”

“Yes. I see your breasts have become fuller. You are sick every day. There are changes....”

Dany pressed her hand to her breasts. Her heart started to pound. “What are you saying?”

Ma Ling stroked her hair gently. “I believe you are pregnant, daughter.”

Thunderstruck, Dany opened her mouth, then shut it. Moving a hand to her belly, she stared up at Ma Ling. She had told no one, not even Ma Ling, that she'd made love with Gib almost three months ago. “But—”

“The signs are there,” Ma Ling said in a quiet tone. “Dr. Perot will confirm it, but I already know. You are with child. Major Ramsey's child?”

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Dany bowed her head. “My God, Ma Ling....” No longer did she deny what her nanny saw. She didn't have the flu, she had morning sickness. Flu didn't cycle every morning with such regularity, she realized in a daze. And every morning, like clockwork, she had thrown up. Her hand still pressed hard against her belly, she realized there was life in there, a symbol of the love she'd shared with Gib. Dany whispered, “Yes, get Dr. Perot over here right away.”

* * *

Dr. Perot, a rotund man in his early sixties sporting a thin mustache and goatee, smiled at Dany as she entered the drawing room. Ma Ling was waiting beside the doctor.

“No doubt about it, Dany. You're pregnant. I would say two months, perhaps a bit longer.”

Miserably, Dany looked over at Ma Ling. She tried to smile, but failed terribly. “I...thank you, Doctor.”

“Now, I'm going to leave you a homeopathic remedy for that morning sickness.” He took a dark, amber-colored vial from his black leather bag and placed it on the coffee table. “Four pellets under the tongue once a day, and you'll scoot through this trimester without any discomfort.”

In shock, Dany asked Ma Ling to see the doctor out. She went up to her room, and, standing at the open window overlooking the rows of rubber trees, felt hot tears trickle down her cheeks.

She had behaved exactly like every other Vietnamese woman who had ever fallen for a GI—she was pregnant. A part of her, the woman who loved Gib fiercely, was overjoyed. But her head shrilled at her that she was going to be abandoned once more. Rubbing her aching brow with her trembling hand, Dany had no idea how Gib would take the news, or indeed, if she should tell him at all. Would it make a difference? It didn't seem to with other GIs.

A soft sob broke from Dany, her entire body shaking in the wake of it. Deep within her, she knew Gib would make a wonderful father. He had been a wonderful lover to her. Dashing the tears from her eyes, Dany fought to control her unraveling feelings. She was in the process of losing her home, the land that had never betrayed her.

Dany turned, her hand protectively moving to her belly, to her baby.
Their
baby. That was the only solace Dany felt in a world that was suddenly coming apart before her very eyes. In two days she'd be moving. She had to force herself to pack. Overwhelmed, Dany decided not to tell Gib about her pregnancy until she was situated in Da Nang. Then, she'd have the time to feel her way through what decisions had to be made.

“M
a Ling and the marine truck just drove away,” Tess said as she walked into Dany's spacious bedroom, dusting off her hands. “After the sergeant takes her to the village, he'll take your furniture to Da Nang for storage. We have to finish packing the second truck out front. Where do you want me to start?”

Dany was sitting on the gleaming teak floor beside one of her bamboo dressers, several boxes open around her. Pointing toward the closet, she said, “I've got some large boxes in there. You can begin packing my clothes.”

Tess smiled and nodded. “I love looking at other women's clothes. Not that I've got a job or place to wear nice things, but it's always nice to look.”

Dany managed a strained smile. “You're just like me, Tess—a farmer first. I don't really have that many good clothes, as you'll discover. Most of my life has been spent here, working.”

Tess grinned. “Yeah, but when we clean up, we look pretty good, don't we?”

“I guess so,” Dany agreed with a small laugh. Just having Tess here was helping to lighten her heart.

Afternoon sunlight streamed in through the open doors that led to the balcony. Wiping her brow, Dany continued to pack with a sense of urgency. She'd slept poorly last night, tossing and turning, dreaming of her baby, of Gib's reaction and of Binh Duc attacking her plantation.

Shaken, Dany had dressed this morning in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless blouse instead of her usual farming clothes. Still barefoot, she had begun to help Ma Ling pack her valuables. There was so much still left in the house. Was Gib right? Was attack so eminent that she couldn't take the time to move all the furniture? What about the pictures of her parents—the memorabilia that sometimes made the house feel more like a museum than a home?

Gib.
His name flowed through Dany, easing the anxiety that threatened to turn to panic. More than anything, she needed to see him, needed simply to be held and feel safe for just a moment. Tess had informed her that Gib was out on a mission and would return late this afternoon, and then he'd drop by and see her.

Dany sighed. She had no idea where she would go after the hotel in Da Nang. Saigon? Somewhere around Da Nang? Perhaps move to southern France and live near where her father's relatives farmed?

Closing one box and taping it shut, Dany sighed again. She didn't want to leave Gib. But his tour was up in three months, and he'd be heading back to America. Rubbing a trickle of sweat from her temple, Dany got to her feet and retrieved another box. At no time had Gib suggested that she come stateside with him.

Trying desperately to stop the burgeoning ache within her, Dany listlessly opened another drawer and began to pack her lingerie. Bitterness coated her mouth as she wrestled with the reality of her situation. She was worth bedding down here in Vietnam, but not worth marrying. Worse, she was carrying his child. Shame blotted out her hope for some kind of future with Gib. If her father were alive, he'd be outraged at her behavior—sleeping with a man without even a promise of marriage. That kind of behavior just wasn't tolerated.

How badly Dany wanted to find a few quiet minutes alone with Gib to tell him that she loved him. That was the first and most important step. If he accepted her love, perhaps then she could tell him of her pregnancy. This evening, once she was in Da Nang and Gib was off flight duty, those minutes would become available during their agreed-upon dinner date. And after she told him her real feelings, what would he do? Drop her, as so many other GIs did when their Vietnamese women spoke their hearts' truths?

By three o'clock, Dany and Tess sat in the small but bright kitchen having an iced tea break. Dany liked Gib's tall, confident sister. Tess was a hard and uncomplaining worker. She'd accomplished just as much as Dany had during the day of packing.

Just as Dany opened her mouth to speak, a huge, jarring explosion sounded behind the house.

Tess leaped to her feet. “Mortars!” she cried.

“What?” Dany jumped up from the stool, looking toward the billowing black cloud roiling upward as one tall rubber tree cracked, groaned and fell toward the churned-up earth.

“Come on,” Tess muttered, gripping her arm. “We've got to get out of here—now!”

Her heart slamming into her throat, Dany turned. Four more mortar explosions shattered the stillness. More rubber trees fell. The closest shell exploded with deafening impact near the perimeter of the backyard, and the concussion shattered the kitchen windows. Dirt, clods of grass, and shrubbery peppered the kitchen like projectiles. Dany was thrown off her feet. She heard Tess groan.

Rolling onto her stomach and hugging the tile floor for safety, Dany looked around. The blast had knocked Tess against the wall. Semiconscious on the floor, she was weakly trying to move. Blood was flowing from her nose.

Just then, Marine Lance Corporal John Heath, who'd been loading the truck out front came running into the kitchen. His eighteen-year-old face was flushed, his eyes wide with fear.

“The VC are attacking! They have the road blocked,” Heath gasped, looking around. “We'll need help. I'm gonna radio Marble Mountain from my truck for gunship protection, and then I'll come back and help defend you. Just hang on.”

Tess crawled shakily to her hands and knees. “Hurry!” she said.

The lance corporal nodded jerkily and ran out of the room, his heavy combat boots clunking loudly down the hall.

Tess jerked her head toward Dany. “Stay down!” she ordered.

Voices! Dany heard angry, high voices. Binh Duc! Gripping Tess, she hauled her beneath the huge butcher-block table in the middle of the kitchen. Crawling over to the back door on her hands and knees, Dany quickly locked it. Would the young marine be able to call the base for help? Binh Duc was attacking her plantation!

“We need weapons,” Tess rasped from beneath the safety of the table. “Those guys out there mean business, Dany. We've got to hold them off until the gunships and marines get here. You got any rifles? Pistols?”

“Yes. I know where they are,” Dany gasped. “Stay here. I'll get them.” Crouching low, she ran out of the kitchen and toward her father's little-used den. More mortar shells rocked the area. Dirt, rocks and trees vomited upward outside the window as Dany entered the dimly lit room deep in the center of the house. With trembling hands she pulled open a small drawer in the teak desk and drew out a key. Her father had been an avid hunter. On the wall in a glass case were ten rifles and small arms.

Her hands shook so badly that she had trouble unlocking the gun cabinet. Finally she got it open. Grabbing two rifles, she heard the front door slam shut. It was the marine.

“I'm in the den,” Dany called out, her voice high, off-key.

Heath appeared at the doorway, his M-14 rifle clutched in his hands. He was breathing raggedly, sweat dotting his strained features.

“I got through, Miss Villard. The gunships and marines are on their way. They're gonna send helicopters in to soften up the area, and once we've got an LZ, a landing zone secured, they'll land and off-load the grunts right here on the grounds of your plantation. It'll be at least twenty minutes before they get here. We gotta keep down and defend this place till then.”

“A-all right. Tess and I have the back door covered.”

“Yes, ma'am. I'll take the front door. Those are the only entrances?”

“Yes.” Dany balanced the two rifles with several boxes of ammunition in her arms.

“Good,” the lance corporal whispered unsteadily. “Man, I've only been over here a week. This is hairy.”

Dany tried to smile. “Just do the best you can.”

“Will you ladies be okay back there?”

Touched by Heath's concern, Dany nodded. “We'll be fine. Just guard that front door and stay safe.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Dany ran back toward the kitchen. Tess was sitting up beneath the table holding her head with her hands. The floor was showered with dirt and shards of glass. Dany crouched down at the doorway and made her way over to Tess.

“Are you hurt?”

“Naw, just shook up. A lot of glass in my hair, is all.”

“Thank God. Here,” Dany quavered. “Rifles and ammunition. Do you know how to work one of these things?”

Tess glanced ruefully at Dany. “Texas born-and-bred—I was raised with a rifle in one hand and a knife in the other.”

“You're better off than I am, then,” Dany said, loading the rifle, “because I hate guns. My father tried to teach me to use one of these things a long time ago. Now I wish I'd paid more attention. We're going to have to defend ourselves until the marines get here.”

Getting to her knees, Tess expertly slid the cartridges into the rifle she held. “Did Heath call the base?”

Trying to control her shaking, Dany nodded. “Yes. They're sending marines by helicopter. They should be here in twenty minutes.”

Stumbling to her feet, Tess crouched by the splintered door, which barely hung on its hinges. She lodged her back against the refrigerator so she had a clear view of anyone trying to attack the back of the house. “Good, because if we don't get help, we're dead. Take a look.”

Her heart pounding wildly in her breast, Dany quickly made her way to Tess's side. “Oh, no,” she whispered. There, no more than five hundred yards away, coming in a long, broken line, were at least forty Vietcong. “It's Binh Duc and his men,” Dany hissed angrily. “The bastard!”

“You'd better find yourself a window to defend,” Tess warned her grimly. “I can handle the door, but some of those VC are liable to try and get in through the windows.”