It drives me insane. So when ever I can, I try to subvert the assignments and writing something balls weird with a little bit of sci-fi. In this instance we had to write a continuation of the story "The Things They Carried". Supposed to write about how the main character is after the war and what its like after he meets up with his girlfriend and how that pans out. So this is what I wrote. If you'd like to have a little more context you can read the spark notes here.
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED PART II
It has been only a month since Jimmy came home. The past few days he had been too tired to move. He was in the hospital and still trying to come to terms with what he had seen in the war, and what he is seeing now in this strange clean and safe world. He shook with stress at what he was attempting to do within his own head. Trying to cope with the death of his whole squad on the way back home. Trying to cope with the loss of his arm. Trying to cope with what had taken it’s place.
He sighed, and shifted his legs over the bed side. He gripped the railing on the wall with his left hand, and with shaking legs, tried not to look as he reached for the bathroom doorknob with the right. When he caught sight of the slender wrist and long manicured finger nails, he threw himself into the bathroom and vomited.
He looked into the bathroom mirror dabbing away the remaining detritus from the corner of his mouth. He saw a shaken and weakened man. His face told it all and he could remember it like yesterday. The jungle and the terrors that lurked there, the day he got the news that he and his boys could come home. The joy of getting off the plane and seeing his Martha waiting nervously waiting for him. Followed by the explosion and a half mad and rash decision.
An air born plane had a engine failure, and plummeted out of the sky right into the plane Jimmy had just walked off. The resulting crash killed his squad mates who were still on the plane and took his right arm clean off. He was rushed to the hospital. He remembered the lights, the noise, and the hot sticky memories of the jungle. They had all flooded his mind. He remembered the fear. The fear of loss and death, and when the doctors offered him a chance to give him back his arm, in a fit of pain, fear, and desperation, Jimmy had agreed.
At the hard return of the memory, Jimmy, looks away from his reflection in the hospital mirror and down at his feminine arm. The thing was soft, gentle, and thin, but was patchy and grotesque where the donated arm stopped and he began. Apparently experimental surgery involves a lot of stitches and patch work. He sighed and gritted his teeth, he had to do what he need to do. His legs were feeling steadier but his spirit was still shaking. But he was still a solider, he thought, he could still do this, he had to make his peace. He changed out of the hospital gown and into his regular cloths and half hobbled down the hallway trying not to look too suspicious.
He was wearing a long sleeve sweatshirt so no one could really notice his one girlish arm. He approached the door labeled “coma ward”, breathed in deep, and pushed open the door. He walked down the long dark room that was filled with beds and the rhythmic beeping of unconscious hearts. Finally he came to Martha’s her eyes closed and sleeping mind dreaming. He gulped as his eyes fell from her peaceful face down to the stump where her right arm used to be.
Martha had been hit by the explosion except it didn’t kill her. She was badly hurt and had taken some shrapnel to the head. Apparently before they took it out she heard me screaming down the hall about my missing arm and probably in similar mad fit of pain and fear herself, offered her arm to me. At least that’s what the doctors told him. Jimmy guessed, that if she had come out of that operation room conscious, the thought of the experimental procedure would not have been entertained for a second. Jimmy then looked back up at Martha’s face and said,
“Hey Martha, I know you probably cant hear me right now but” he pauses “but I wanted to… to thank you, for what you’ve done for me. And not just the arm, I mean for everything. You kept me going out there in the war for a long time… I’m- I’m sorry I burnt your letters, I guess… you really did love me.” He chuckled as he wiped away a tear “ Musta been love at first sight I guess, I mean we didn’t really even …” he trailed off.
He still never understood why Martha would make the sacrifice she did for him, he supposed he never would. He did understand that, whatever the reason, he loved her for it. Jimmy bent down and kiss Martha on the forehead before saying good bye.
He walked back to his room with a heavy heart and a head full of memories and pain. Walked back through the harrowing hospital halls carrying nothing with him but his fear, his hope, and his new love letter from Martha. Maybe this time, he thought, he wouldn’t have to burn this one.
He sighed, and shifted his legs over the bed side. He gripped the railing on the wall with his left hand, and with shaking legs, tried not to look as he reached for the bathroom doorknob with the right. When he caught sight of the slender wrist and long manicured finger nails, he threw himself into the bathroom and vomited.
He looked into the bathroom mirror dabbing away the remaining detritus from the corner of his mouth. He saw a shaken and weakened man. His face told it all and he could remember it like yesterday. The jungle and the terrors that lurked there, the day he got the news that he and his boys could come home. The joy of getting off the plane and seeing his Martha waiting nervously waiting for him. Followed by the explosion and a half mad and rash decision.
An air born plane had a engine failure, and plummeted out of the sky right into the plane Jimmy had just walked off. The resulting crash killed his squad mates who were still on the plane and took his right arm clean off. He was rushed to the hospital. He remembered the lights, the noise, and the hot sticky memories of the jungle. They had all flooded his mind. He remembered the fear. The fear of loss and death, and when the doctors offered him a chance to give him back his arm, in a fit of pain, fear, and desperation, Jimmy had agreed.
At the hard return of the memory, Jimmy, looks away from his reflection in the hospital mirror and down at his feminine arm. The thing was soft, gentle, and thin, but was patchy and grotesque where the donated arm stopped and he began. Apparently experimental surgery involves a lot of stitches and patch work. He sighed and gritted his teeth, he had to do what he need to do. His legs were feeling steadier but his spirit was still shaking. But he was still a solider, he thought, he could still do this, he had to make his peace. He changed out of the hospital gown and into his regular cloths and half hobbled down the hallway trying not to look too suspicious.
He was wearing a long sleeve sweatshirt so no one could really notice his one girlish arm. He approached the door labeled “coma ward”, breathed in deep, and pushed open the door. He walked down the long dark room that was filled with beds and the rhythmic beeping of unconscious hearts. Finally he came to Martha’s her eyes closed and sleeping mind dreaming. He gulped as his eyes fell from her peaceful face down to the stump where her right arm used to be.
Martha had been hit by the explosion except it didn’t kill her. She was badly hurt and had taken some shrapnel to the head. Apparently before they took it out she heard me screaming down the hall about my missing arm and probably in similar mad fit of pain and fear herself, offered her arm to me. At least that’s what the doctors told him. Jimmy guessed, that if she had come out of that operation room conscious, the thought of the experimental procedure would not have been entertained for a second. Jimmy then looked back up at Martha’s face and said,
“Hey Martha, I know you probably cant hear me right now but” he pauses “but I wanted to… to thank you, for what you’ve done for me. And not just the arm, I mean for everything. You kept me going out there in the war for a long time… I’m- I’m sorry I burnt your letters, I guess… you really did love me.” He chuckled as he wiped away a tear “ Musta been love at first sight I guess, I mean we didn’t really even …” he trailed off.
He still never understood why Martha would make the sacrifice she did for him, he supposed he never would. He did understand that, whatever the reason, he loved her for it. Jimmy bent down and kiss Martha on the forehead before saying good bye.
He walked back to his room with a heavy heart and a head full of memories and pain. Walked back through the harrowing hospital halls carrying nothing with him but his fear, his hope, and his new love letter from Martha. Maybe this time, he thought, he wouldn’t have to burn this one.
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