The nurse bending over the chest of Captain Fleming Pickering, USNR, was a full lieutenant who had been in the Navy for six years. She was competent, aware of this, and had a well-deserved reputation among her peers as being both hard nosed and unable to suffer fools.
She looked over her shoulder when she sensed movement behind her, and barked, "You'll have to leave. Who let you in here, anyhow? Visiting hours start at oh nine thirty."
Pickering laughed, and it hurt.
"Lieutenant," he said, "may I present the Secretary of the Navy?"
"Bullshit," the lieutenant said and chuckled, then looked, and said, "Oh, my God!"
"Please carry on," Frank Knox said. "How are you, Fleming?"
"I'm all right," Pickering said, and then, "Jesus Christ, take it easy, will you?"
"You want an infection? I'll stop."
"I thought they had some new kind of miracle drug- Sulfa?-you could just sprinkle on it," Pickering said, looking down at his chest.
"It's bullshit," she said.-"What I'm doing works."
"It should, it hurts like hell."
"Be a big boy, Captain, I'm just about finished."
"So, I suspect, am I. Finished, I mean," Pickering said, looking at Knox.
"No," Frank Knox said. "I checked with the hospital commander. Despite your grievous and extremely painful wounds, you'll live. You should be out of the hospital in two weeks."
"That's not what I meant," Pickering said.
"I know what you meant," Knox said.
"I'm not finished?"
"I bring the personal greetings of the President of the United States," Knox said. "That sound like you're finished?"
"It sounds suspicious."
"Take a look at this," Knox said, and walked to the bed and handed Pickering a sheet of paper.
URGENT
CINCPAC 0915 22AUG1942
SECRET
PERSONAL FOR SEC NAVY
INFORMATION: CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
1. CAPTAIN FLEMING PICKERING, USNR, DEPARTED PEARL HARBOR VIA MARINER AIRCRAFT FOR
SANDIEGO NAVAL HOSPITAL 0815 22AUG1942. THE PROGNOSIS FOR HIS RECOVERY FROM WOUNDS TO THE CHEST AND FRACTURED ARM IS QUOTE GOOD TO EXCELLENT END QUOTE.
2. IN VIEW OF CAPTAIN PICKERINGS UNIQUE ASSIGNMENT THERE IS SOME QUESTION OF THE AUTHORITY
OF THE UNDERSIGNED TO DECORATE THIS OFFICER, AND THE MATTER IS THEREFORE REFERRED FOR DETERMINATION.
3. IF CAPTAIN PICKERING WERE SUBORDINATE TO CINCPAC, THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD AWARD HIM THE
SILVER STAR MEDAL WITH THE FOLLOWING CITATION: CITATION: CAPTAIN FLEMING PICKERING, USNR, WHILE ABOARD THE USS GREGORY IN THE CORAL SEA ON 18 AUGUST 1942 WAS ON THE BRIDGE WHEN THE GREGORY WAS ATTACKED BY ENEMY BOMBER AIRCRAFT. WHEN THE CAPTAIN AND THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE GREGORY WERE KILLED IN THE ENEMY ATTACK, AND DESPITE HIS GRIEVOUS AND EXTREMELY PAINFUL WOUNDS, INCLUDING A COMPOUND FRACTURE OF HIS ARM CAPTAIN PICKERING ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE VESSEL. REFUSING MEDICAL ATTENTION UNTIL HE COLLAPSED FROM LOSS OF BLOOD, CAPTAIN PICKERING MANEUVERED THE SHIP DURING THE CONTINUING ATTACK WITH CONSUMMATE MASTERY, WHICH NOT ONLY SAVED THE SHIP FROM FURTHER ENEMY DAMAGE BUT RESULTED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT, A FOUR-ENGINED JAPANESE HEAVY BOMBER. HIS CALM COURAGE, ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY INSPIRED HIS CREW AND REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON THE OFFICER CORPS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE. ENTERED THE FEDERAL SERVICE FROM CALIFORNIA
NIMITZ, ADMIRAL, USN, CINCPAC
Pickering handed the message back to Knox.
"Before you start handing out any medals, you better look at this," Pickering said. It was handed to me a few minutes ago, just before Florence Nightingale came in here."
"Will you hold still, please?" the nurse snapped.
Pickering handed Knox the radio message Lieutenant Pluto Hon had sent to MAGIC headquarters in Pearl Harbor.
Knox glanced at it and handed it back.
"I've seen it," Knox said. "How do you think they knew where to deliver it?"
"You don't know what it means," Pickering said.
"I've got a damned good idea," Knox said. "I also have
this."
He handed Pickering another radio message.
URGENT
SECRET
HQ FIRST MARDIV 0845 20AUGUST 1942
SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
PLEASE PASS URGENTLY TO CAPTAIN FLEMING PICKERING USNR SERGEANT J M MOORE USMCR HAS BEEN
AIRLIFTED ON MY AUTHORITY TO USNAVAL HOSPITAL PEARL HARBOR FOR TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
SUFFERED IN COMBAT 19 AUGUST 1942. THE RABBIT DID NOT GET OUT OF THE HAT. BEST PERSONAL