“It’s broken,” he said to Eva. “Can you get something for a sling?”
Eva ran to get the first aid kit and handed Billings a roll of thick elastic. She watched as he adeptly made a sling for Private Sully’s arm, helped the young man to his feet, and supported him as they all trekked through the driving rain to the infirmary.
Once she and Billings were back at base, they received word that Major Aston wanted to speak with them. Billings was called in first, and after a few minutes, Eva was asked to join them.
“Sergeant Billings tells me it was his idea for Private Sully to scale hell wall again, despite the inclement weather. Even though I understand his motives, it was a reckless move, given the storm. I want to make it clear that you are partly responsible, Sergeant Bailey. You should have stopped it from happening.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“And Sergeant Billings, this kind of careless leadership will not stand here on my base. Do you understand?”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“You’re both dismissed.”
As they walked away, Eva was speechless. By the time she’d found her words, Billings had disappeared, leaving her wondering whether she’d just experienced an act of collegiate honor, or if it was all part of a clever ruse to get her to lower her guard.
CHAPTER 5
EVA
One step forward, two steps back.
Eva knew that this was often the way for women in the military — and sometimes it was three or more steps back. Nonetheless, she cursed under her breath.
Her meeting with Lieutenant Marshall had started well when she’d made her case for taking her squad on wilderness survival training earlier than she would usually do. She’d explained that these recruits, with the exception of Private Sully, were more advanced than previous squads, and they were ready for it. What she didn’t tell Lieutenant Marshall was that she wanted to get away from the constant competition she and Sergeant Billings were in. She’d had enough of their endless scrabble to outdo each other, and she needed some time to regroup and focus on her goal of promotion.
So when Lieutenant Marshall approved her request but announced that Sergeant Billings’ squad would join hers, Eva had been powerless to refuse. She’d tried, of course, to make a case for the importance of bonding and teamwork within her squad, but Lieutenant Marshall had answered simply thatallofthe new recruits should have the same opportunity at the same time.
Although Eva had been hoping for a blissful five days away from Pete Billings, the reality was that she was about to spend five days with him in even closer quarters. To make it worse, First Lieutenant Armstrong was coming with them, ostensibly as an extra safety measure given the prolonged spell of unseasonably bad weather. But Eva knew the real reason had to do with Private Sully’s accident and her commanding officer’s belief that she and Sergeant Billings needed an extra pair of eyes as well as hands on site.
She tried to look on the bright side. Shelovedwilderness training. Surviving in the wilds of Alaska showed each and every new recruit what they were made of. And, as an Alaskan born and bred, Eva believed with her whole heart that to be out in the wild was to be close to a higher force that showed you every minute of the day that life was a rich and rare treasure, and one to be cherished.
Being in the wilderness exhilarated her and filled her with a joy and sense of peace, the like of which she’d never known anywhere else. To be in the wild was to bealive.
An hour after meeting with Lieutenant Marshall, Eva, accompanied by Sergeant Billings and First Lieutenant Armstrong, led both squads away from the base on a hike into the wilderness that would be their home for the next few days. At the three-mile mark, Eva announced to the recruits that this was where they’d be setting up camp. She began her explanation of the three types of shelters they could build, and the benefits and drawbacks of each. Eva explained to the recruits that they must carefully consider how much protection each shelter would offer from the elements and from wildlife predators. The wind hadpicked up in velocity considerably since they’d set out from base, and the rain, although light, had not let up.
Eva ordered the recruits to inspect the terrain for animal prints, knowing that they would find wolf and bear tracks. She knew because she had spotted several just off the main hiking trail. At this point in the training exercise, she waited to see which new recruit had the courage to suggest she was wrong in choosing this site to set up camp.
“You’re not really serious about camping here, are you?” Sergeant Billings asked, not making an effort to keep his voice down.
“What’s wrong with it?” Eva asked, annoyed by the arrogant look on his face.
“I’ve never been fond of the idea of being bear or wolf kibble,” he said smugly.
“Keep your voice down,” Eva hissed. “Let’s let the recruits decide how safe it is.”
Billings nodded as though he’d known the whole time what Eva’s plan was. She rolled her eyes and went back to watching the recruits inspect the ground.
“Permission to speak, Sergeant Bailey?” Private O’Malley asked.
“Permission granted, private.”
“I don’t mean to question your judgment, but I think it would be safer if we camped somewhere else.”
“Youarequestioning my judgment, Private O’Malley. That’s clear. And it’s insubordination.”
“Sorry, sergeant. It won’t happen again.”
