Part 49 (1/2)

”You guys all right?” I yelled, looking down the street toward the soldiers on the ground, making sure they were okay.

”Yeah,” grunted the other sniper.

Ryan didn't answer. I glanced back and saw him, still down.

”Hey, get up,” I told him. ”They stopped firing. Come on.”

He didn't move. I went over.

”What the h.e.l.l?” I yelled at him. ”Get up. Get up.”

Then I saw the blood.

I knelt down and looked at him. There was blood all over. The side of his face had been smashed in. He'd taken a bullet.

We had pounded into him the fact that you have to always have your weapon up and ready; he'd had it up and scanning when the bullet hit. It apparently got the rifle first, then ricocheted into his face.

I grabbed the radio. ”Man down!” I yelled. ”Man down!”

I dropped back and examined his wounds. I didn't know what to do, where to start. Ryan looked as if he'd been hit so bad that he was going to die.

His body shook. I thought it was a death spasm.

Two of our platoon guys, Dauber and Tommy, ran up. They were both corpsmen. They slipped down between us and started treating him.

Marc Lee came up behind them. He took the 60 and began laying down fire in the direction the shots had come from, chasing the insurgents back so we could carry Ryan down the stairs.

I picked him up and held him up over my shoulder, then started to run. I reached the stairs and started going down quickly.

About halfway, he started groaning loudly. The way I was holding him, the blood had rushed into his throat and head; he was having trouble breathing.

I set him down, even more worried, knowing in my heart he was going to die, hoping that somehow, some way, I might do something to keep him going, even though it was hopeless.

Ryan began spitting blood. He caught his breath-he was breathing, a miracle in itself.

I reached out to grab him and pick him up again.

”No,” he said. ”No, no I'm good. I got this. I'm walking.”

He put an arm around me and walked himself down the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Army rolled a tracked vehicle, a personnel carrier, up to the front door. Tommy went in with Ryan and they pulled away.

I ran back upstairs, feeling as if I'd been shot and wis.h.i.+ng that it had been me, not him, who was. .h.i.t. I was sure he was going to die. I was sure I'd just lost a brother. A big, goofy, lovable, great brother.

Biggles.

Nothing I'd experienced in Iraq had ever affected me like this.