At a slow, somewhat drawn-out pace, and with a slight limp, Berry made his way towards the shower area. Looking more like an old geezer than anything else, curved and clumsy because of the pain he was in.
It wasn’t late at all, as the clock had just struck ten. Yet if you considered how heavy-eyed and drowsy he was, it could easily have been three in the morning.
Maybe even later.
He’d have sworn that he’d been living that same day for at least thirty hours by now, the same way you would patiently wait for the end of an eclipse.
“Hey,” he heard someone say behind him.
Berry turned towards the voice.
“Are you S.O.G.?” asked a young man.
Berry didn’t answer.
“Come on, man, rumour has it, well actually everybody knows there’s an SOG team sleeping here tonight.”
Berry didn’t answer the second question either, and just stared blankly at the kid still standing there in front of him.
“Oh come on... We don't talk here. We’ve been backing the Secret Services for a lifetime.”
Berry, still expressionless continued to look the young man over further.
He didn’t seem to be listening.
“Mm-mm, suit yourself. Whatever the case, I’m supposed to leave a present for the team on boss’s orders. Are you guys Special Forces at least? You could at least tell me that.”
Berry finally nodded.
“Good. You know, I just needed to be sure that it was you. Okay?”
Again, Berry stood there without uttering a single word, but this time the stranger seemed taken aback by something there at that moment instead.
There was something definitely wrong with Berry.
His eyes for starters, told the story of a month long mission.
A month of sleepless nights getting two hours a night at best, marching constantly with heavy rucksacks and, worst of all, in a state of constant risk. The constant risk of losing your life.
“Listen...” said the young man to him.
“Just go and take it easy, buddy. No one’s going to shoot at you while you’re in the shower, okay? Enjoy your gift. See ya’ tomorrow.”
The young man smiled and then left.
Berry watched him leave and then set off again for the showers.
At that hour all the mad hatters were out apparently.
Berry got into the shower, turned it on and a freezing gush of water hit up against him making him tremble all over.
That temperature was making every pain in his body seem to multiply one-hundred fold.
He could feel the pain shooting from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet so acutely that it almost woke him up
What the fuck.
To fight off the cold, Berry contracted every muscle in his body and started trembling. He knew exactly how to fight off the cold, even as he stood stock-still completely still in a shower, for instance. It was something he’d learnt in boot camp.
Be that as useful as it may, just like everything else they’d learnt in training, you got tired doing it. Unfortunately, he was already tired. Tired? Actually, he wasn’t just tired or even exhausted. He was absolutely done in.
He could barely stand on his own two feet let alone ward off the cold.
Something seemed different however didn't seem to be as icy as before.
It could be that he was just getting used to it, or maybe...
In fact, within seconds, the water had warmed to a temperature fit for humans shall we say, there in Vietnam. Only big water tanks had hot water available despite being in such a hot country. The water had become warm, and Berry, who was now showering at the same temperature he usually did couldn’t help but be suspicious. He couldn’t help but notice that the water had passed from one temperature to another in such a quick, unnatural way however.
Berry kept still, almost in an effort to listen.
The water went suddenly from warm to scorching hot in an instant, almost to the point of burning him, and before he knew it he was feeling a whole, lot better.
A powerfully warm feeling came over him, the same way sunshine warms a part of you at a time, and the sensation moved from his neck to his shoulders and then downwards.
Wicked!
How many bases could there possibly be in Vietnam with water as hot as that? Three maybe?
Had Trautman really sent them there by accident? No fucking way. He didn’t do things by accident.
That was their gift, exactly as the young man had said.
You’re great, Trautman.
You’re the cat’s ass.
Every part of him burned blissfully and he felt a couple of muscles loosen up to the point that he could have even fallen asleep. Had he been sitting in there, he would have.
Good God... I fucking love you, Trautman.
I’d even plant a wet one on ya’ !
Berry slowly let himself slip down the shower wall onto its floor.
No, no, no... don’t do it, you’ll fall asleep fell asleep.
Within seconds, he was actually feeling fever-like!
Come on.
There you go, that’s it.
Fucking rights.
That's better.
All this warmth, after so many days of cold and so much damn humidity – was intoxicating him more than getting plastered could.
Berry would have stayed there all night long, if he just could have.
That was, probably, one of the best showers he’d ever taken.
Alone that was.