Sunday Snippet: Napalm at Night

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We're having some unseasonably chilly and rainy weather but it's nice to have my youngest home for the weekend.

Had a weird mix of editing work and a bunch of stuff I needed to catch up on this week. I did manage to get some solid writing time in also, which makes me very happy. I finished up a manuscript I've been working on for a long time and got it ready for some beta readers! I also finished a sexy short and have it ready for some critique as well.

Not a bad week for television. I started a new to me show on Hulu with The Hardy Boys. The first episode had a lot going on but I enjoyed it. My brother highly recommended the series because he liked it a lot. We remember the original Hardy Boys from way back in the day so I'll go with his recommendation.

I started a Master Class series on graphic design. I'm not going to win any awards, but I have an interest in the topic and I like to know what goes into making things like book covers and media for marketing purposes. I have several more classes to watch and I'm looking forward to them.

Caught the second episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. So far, I'm still in. I like looking at the world through Sabrina's eyes and watching how everyone reacts with her. I'm split down the middle with the aunts and I love her cousin. Harvey and Sabrina's friends are fun also. The jury is out on the teacher. I have a bit of a hang up about the actress because she played a character I really didn't like on Doctor Who. That's not her fault, it's part of the Moffet era that I didn't enjoy.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and it was a tough one, but I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to seeing the next one even though Beth and Jack are kind of going through the wringer right now.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers. It's interesting to see how witness protection works in another country. I also love to see how the small-town heelers have a better grasp on how things work than the big city guys.

I finished the first season of Picard and, wow, I did not expect to be a sobbing mess. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It took me some time to really get into the series, but I ended up getting pretty invested in the core group. I am left with a couple of questions, which isn't a bad thing. I'll look forward to seeing if those get answered in the second season.

Caught another episode of Chicago Med and it's part of a crossover event I remember watching. I'm ready for the next episode, hopefully this week.

Last but not least, I caught another Passionflix holiday Quickie with Just Say When. It was on the shorter side but didn't suffer for it. A nice little bit of angsty merriment.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Napalm at Night, a novella that's actually one of my favorite stories to write.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Napalm at night is dangerous stuff. Jensen Wallis, an extraordinary helicopter pilot, makes her fair share of early dawn rescues after enemy forces unleash the potent explosives on her fellow soldiers. She comes to the aid of Rip Rafferty's squadron and gets them to safety, but not before the enigmatic man sets her curious nature on fire.

And a sneaky peek…

Jensen smoothly landed the helicopter at the mobile hospital and shut everything down. The hospital staff came and offloaded the three soldiers she'd brought in. Two wounded, one dead. He'd died during the flight because she hadn't been fast enough to get him here. The loss settled on her shoulders.

Her head slumped forward. "At least I have forty-eight hours downtime." Two days and then back out to death and carnage and mysterious soldiers that somehow defied the odds and managed to get under her skin.

She couldn't stop thinking about the gunnery sergeant. Rip Rafferty. He'd taken up residence in her head for the past two weeks.

Sliding out of the bird, she grabbed her maintenance log. "Maybe I'll ask about him … and his men." She hoped they'd all recovered or were on their way to doing so.

Dropping off the log, she gave a brief rundown of several repairs she'd like to get while on leave. The mechanic on duty assured her they'd get to her helicopter before she left. Jensen thanked him and headed for the command center to check in with the quartermaster or the clerk, Marie Bider.

The much cooler interior had goose bumps rising on her skin. "Wow, it's so much cooler in here." She sent a smile in the clerk's direction.

Her lips curved in return. "I know. The guys in the motor pool devised what they're calling swamp coolers." Her finger crooked and she gestured for Jensen to come around the desk.

She eyed a bucket with a fan on top and holes cut in the sides under the brim. The fan blew over water soaked pads and the air expelled blew cool and breezy out of the vents. Jensen glanced up and found one in each corner of the squared space.

She chuckled. "Ingenious. And it really makes a difference." Going back around the desk, she handed the clerk her papers. "I've got forty-eight hours of downtime. Do you have any quarters?" If they didn't, she'd have to hop a ride to the next mobile unit.

Marie smiled. "You're in luck. Had a group of entertainers ship out last night. Their quarters are available." She snagged a clipboard and jotted Jensen's name on the page. "Sign here and you're set. You can get your gear and head over."

Jensen scribbled her name on the line. "How far are the showers from where I'm staying?" She couldn't wait to wash the grit from her skin.

Marie laughed. "About two units down on the opposite side." She grabbed a shower kit and handed it to Jensen. "Got these from those entertainers. A group of singers and, man, they had a butt load of supplies. The soap is to die for."

Jensen tucked the kit under her arm. "Terrific. Thank you." Might be nice to not smell like military issue blandness.

Marie nodded. "You're welcome. I'm happy to share." She settled back down in her seat.

Before Jensen headed for the door, she paused. "Hey, I brought a group of five marines in a couple of weeks ago. The commanding officer is Rip Rafferty. How are they doing?"

Marie's face fell a little. "They're all right, but it was a close call for Gunnery Sergeant Rafferty." She huffed out a breath.

Jensen's eyes went wide. "But he didn't seem badly injured. What happened?"

Marie shook her head. "He demanded that his men get triaged first. By the time the med team got to the gunny, infection had set in. What should've been a simple procedure turned into a race to get him pumped full of antibiotics and keep his fever down." She tsked. "He's lucky. Really lucky."

Jensen didn't have to make much of a leap to imagine how things played out. "So, he's going to be okay?"

Marie got up and came around the front of her desk. "He will be, yes. He's still in limited quarantine because the doctors don't want him back out in the battle yet. He's still too weak for extended action."

Jensen had doubts about that. He'd proven to be almost superhuman.

She lifted her chin. "So, he's still here then."

Marie's lips quirked. "He is. Right now, he's probably in the canteen, the one that serves alcohol. He gets up to six hours a day of light exercise before he has to go back to quarters." She leaned in. "From what I hear, he's stir-crazy and pushing to be released so he can meet up with his men."

Jensen snorted. "Not surprising. From my brief experience with him, he wouldn't want them out there without him." But at least she'd have a chance to maybe see him again.

The man intrigued her a lot.

Marie jerked her head toward the door. "You're not wrong. And you have about an hour before he's back in mandatory confinement." Her lips twitched.

Jensen laughed. "Better get that shower in pretty quick, huh." She waved and headed out to do exactly that.

I'm hoping I can work on this a little more in the near future. I'm excited about Jensen and Rip's journey.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye