Field of Blackbirds - Clayton Jeppsen & Lindsey Jeppsen (me reader txt) 📗

back out of the tent.
“Leaving so soon Doc?” inquired Lazar.
“No offense Corporal, but it would have been easier for us if the Private left you exactly where he found you. He carried you here. Now he can baby sit you. I’m dealing with soldiers with missing limbs and burns over ninety percent of their bodies.”
Lazar was quite for a moment. He suddenly felt awkward in front of Radenko. And then another moment went by and he felt grateful. He looked over at the Private and nodded his head.
“You would have done the same for me, Corporal.” confirmed Radenko.
“Yeah,” was all Lazar could muster.
“I guess I owe you a ‘Thank you.’”
Radenko admitted, “Actually, I was looking for something else when I came across your body. You had such a sorry look on your face that I couldn’t leave you behind. But you do owe me something.”
Lazar looked curious.
“A new pair of pants,” Radenko stood and turned around. “Whatever you had for lunch, it’s right here, all over the back of my pants and my boots. The boots should clean up okay, but the pants have to go. The smell is just starting to get to me.”
Lazar laughed and it hurt. “Veal soup with Serbian potatoes and cabbage,” he admitted.
It was easier for Lazar to cope with the lighter side of things. How could you possibly thank someone for saving your life, he wondered? Not only was he thankful Radenko saved his life, he was thankful he made it easy for him to accept. He made it seem like no big deal. Lazar recalled a time when he didn’t want to go on living, a time when he was willing to take his own life. And now here he was, thankful that it had been preserved. One intervention he owed to God and the other, he owed to the Private First Class, standing next to him. Lazar looked up and Radenko nodded again.
“Private,” Lazar tried to sit up a little, “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you looking for out there?”
“I’m still not used to that title. Please, call me Radenko.What was I looking for?” Radenko repeated the question. “My briefcase,” He admitted hesitantly.
“Oh yeah, the briefcase, I was wondering about that. What could have possibly been so important that you risked your life for it? What was in it?”
Radenko wasn’t sure he wanted to explain. He thought he could trust Lazar, even felt a certain bond with him, but he didn’t know where Lazar stood politically. He didn’t know how he felt about the recent conquests of the Vojsko Srbije.
“Just some notes, some of my thoughts I guess you could say.”
Lazar knew there was more to it, but he respected Radenko enough to postpone the interrogation.
Lazar changed the subject. “Then tell me this, where have I heard the name, Gavrillo? It sounds so familiar.”
“One of two places, or both,” explained Radenko. “General Marshal Gavrillo, that’s my dad.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together. General Gavrillo of Montenegro, the last commanding officer from Tito’s cabinet. I should have known.” admitted Lazar.
Radenko was impressed that the Corporal knew this.
“You also might know my name because of the Slatina trials. I defended Nikola from the crimes charged by the Albanian parliament.”
Lazar was astonished. “Lieutenant Nikola Obilic, our Lieutenant. What do you mean?”
“I’m a lawyer, Lazar. I went to law school in Pristina. I’m not supposed to be in the infantry. It just turns out this is where I ended up. And just in time to save your butt.” Radenko laughed.
Lazar was still trying to soak in the totality of what Radenko was saying. “Radenko, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I was hoping Nikola would pay the price for that one. Pay for what he made us do. I never felt right about it. It’s not why I joined the Yugoslavs People’s Army.”
Radenko felt that he knew now where Lazar stood on the political scale just by the way he used the title, Yugoslavs People’s Army as opposed to the new Serbian People’s Army. This somewhat persuaded Radenko that he could share his views with him. Maybe in time, he would.
“Radenko, you did well that night. You did your job and you won. You got him off. I remember the night when the brass celebrated at the restaurant. Some of them were hung over for days. Nikola was one of them. That day, I felt I had lost an inner struggle.”
“I was with them Lazar, the night they celebrated. I left early. Let’s just say it has something to do with why I’m in the infantry now and not practicing law.”
“I don’t understand.” said Lazar, “You won the case for them. Why would they do this to you?”
“The trial seemed predetermined. I don’t think it would have mattered who defended Nikola, or General Pec. Alcohol talks Lazar, and some things were said at Pjata that caused me to ask some tough questions of myself. Not about what I was doing, but who I was doing it for. I still believe in truth and justice, Lazar. I really do.” Radenko paused, “You said that you lost an inner struggle that day. Well that day, I discovered what my inner struggle really was. My conscience got the best of me. And at the end of the evening, I was no longer welcome at the celebration. Why do you think I’m in Nikola’s unit? So they can watch me and make sure I don’t make any more friends in high places.”
“It’s not right what they did to you, Radenko. It proves that they are even more rotten than they let on. I know your father. By the way he was brought up he would have something to say about all this. Why is he allowing them to do this to you?”
Radenko walked over to the tent flaps and gazed outside. “He doesn’t know. I don’t want to cause strife among the Generals. Some of them are already waiting for him to retire so they can assume his control over Montenegro. And I can’t run to him every time things get hard. I know he could have me transferred out of here, but I think I should move through life on my own merit, Corporal.”
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Lazar sat up in his cot with his feet touching the ground. “If you hadn’t followed your conscience that night, I wouldn’t be here now.”
Lazar explained, “I wanted to defend Serbia. I still want to defend Serbia, but I hoped my actions could be honorable. I didn’t want to kill innocent people. Day by day goes by and I feel further away from everything decent. I feel like I don’t fit in anymore. I wonder if Milosevic even knows what goes on in the ranks. He couldn’t possibly approve of it. It’s a mess Radenko, a mess. I think we’re in for some real troubling times.”
Lazar never told anyone those things. He worried one day he would go to far and say too much. But Radenko had triggered the feelings and he hoped he could trust him. So far, he was the only one he had heard speak out against what was happening. He hoped this was the beginning of trust.
Lazar wanted to tell Radenko about Milla, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt like a prisoner in solitary confinement. It was like a darkness inside him that yearned for light, a feeling he wanted to set free. As much as he wanted to believe she was alive, it was eating him up not knowing. He wasn’t ready to share that with Radenko, he didn’t know how.
The rattle of gunfire and mortars was constant. Recently it seemed to be getting closer. Due to the surprise attack by the Croatians, the front had moved up approx. one hundred and twenty kilometers, just outside of Tuzla. They were able to fall back and hold a line behind some old farmhouses. The medical tents were set up by the creek’s edge to get water to the soldiers who suffered burns. Lazar stood up slowly and walked over to where his jacket was lying on the floor. He felt new pain in new places.
“Let’s go!” motioned Lazar, as he buttoned up his jacket. “Let’s go see if Doc could use our help.” He looked at his watch; it was 1432 hrs. “How long was I out?”
“Almost two hours.” answered Radenko.
“That’s a nice watch Lazar, how did it manage to survive the blast? Mine was completely destroyed.” Radenko showed the broken glass on the face of his watch.
Lazar looked down again at the watch on his wrist, watched it tick. Of course it fit him a little better now, but he’d worn the watch since he was eight years old. He too, was amused it was still intact. Maybe Lazar would explain his relationship with Mr. Nowak to Radenko sometime. But for now, he simply replied, “I know a Polish guy who makes them. If you like it, I’ll have one sent to you before the end of the month. It’s the least I can do for a man who saves my life.”
“I would like that. Thank you.” Radenko looked pleased.
Lazar began to walk out of the tent, “A Lawyer must have a nice watch, right? And don’t worry Private. I’ll make sure you get Corporal out of the last stunt you pulled.”
“I like being a Private,” claimed Radenko with a slight degree of sarcasm. Then he grabbed a couple AK-47s near the opening of the tent. “Don’t go out there with out one of these, Corporal.”


Chapter 15 – The Wedding Dress


Milan, Italy 1992

The bells of a distant cathedral rang 5:00. Marianna changed lanes as an excuse to check her rearview mirror. She was relieved to see the gray Mercedes make a right turn onto Corso Europa. She continued on Via Pietro Verri. She would feel safe once she reached the interstate, which would lead her right out of the city.
Marianna knew she was being overly cautious, but she’d never left the base without Marcielli. He had warned against it. But she was on winter break from her studies and the three weeks she already spent alone on the base, seemed to crawl