Homecoming Page #5

A distinction.

Yeah. I could splash

Everybody else

Right out of the pool.

Can't do half

As well now.

You're doing

All right.

Oh. This is wondrous.

Oh, yes. This is

Really wondrous.

Hey, snapshot!

What?

Are you standing guard?

Certainly. Go on.

Nobody's going to see you.

I haven't had so much

Fun since I was a kid

And went swimming

In the creek.

You used to go swimming

In a creek, useless?

Of course I did.

What do you think?

With all the other

Little boys?

Yes, with all

The other little boys.

Why?

I don't know. I just can't picture it.

Why not?

Well, you don't

Seem like-

Well, I don't know.

Am I so different from all

The other men you've known?

Well, I've never been around

Very successful people before.

What's she like,

Useless, your wife?

Is she pretty?

Beautiful.

Well, why didn't you

Ever have any children?

We had a lot

Of fun together,

Didn't want to spoil

It, I guess.

Whose idea was that?

Mine, I'm afraid.

Well, what did you want

Out of life, useless?

I don't know. I guess

More than anything,

I wanted

To be successful.

And so you just

Stopped living.

What?

Nothing.

Maybe I just got so in the

Habit of being successful

I stopped living

For a while.

What would you say to that

As a diagnosis, snapshot?

Pretty good, doctor.

Hey, useless. There's

A truckload of nurses

Bearing down on us.

What?

You better hurry.

I don't know how long

I can fight them off.

Oh, look here!

Get stalling!

Colonel Johnson.

Yes?

We have a few

New cases in.

Would you care to come

Into receiving?

Aren't they being

Taken care of?

Yes, sir. Captain gellar's in charge,

And colonel silver's

With him,

But one of the men

Asked for you.

He says he's

A friend of yours.

Friend of mine?

Yes, sir.

His name's monkevickz.

Monk?

Where is he?

Number 6.

What's wrong

With him?

Ruptured spleen.

How did that happen?

Malaria.

Malaria?

Is he pretty bad?

Yes. There's nothing

We can do.

Some friends to see

You, sergeant.

Hello, monk.

Hello, doc.

Nurse mccall.

Hello, monk.

So we've got

You again, huh?

This time

For keeps, doc.

You sure there's

No more to be done?

Not only

The acute condition.

The poor lad's full

Of hookworm.

It's bled him white,

Anemic,

No resistance.

Doc.

Yes, monk.

Lean over further.

I'm right here,

Monk.

Remember...

Remember what

You promised, doc.

Give... Give the old man

A kiss for me.

I will.

29 verrick street,

Chester village.

I won't forget.

Sure. Sure.

Thanks for

Everything, doc.

It's all over.

Match?

Of course, that kid

Should never have been

In the army

In the first place.

His spleen would never

Had ruptured

If he hadn't

Had malaria.

He had that

Before he enlisted.

It wasn't on his records.

He lied about it.

Told me he'd had it

For years.

Of course, if he'd had

Medical attention earlier,

This probably never

Would have happened.

Well...

Malaria. Huh.

Doesn't that

Make you mad?

An american soldier

Dies on the battlefield-

Killed, but not

By the enemy.

What's the matter

With us, anyway?

I always thought we were the

Kindest people in the world,

And yet here we are, allowing

Things like this to happen.

Oh, I know a lot's

Being done at home,

But it's not enough.

It's never enough.

I can just imagine

What kind of a hole

This kid had to live in

Back home.

But weren't there

Any doctors around

Who knew

What was going on?

Why didn't they

Do something about it?

Not enough of them cared,

That's why.

And that's

Our whole trouble.

We just don't

Care enough.

You're wrong.

The town

Monk lived in

Had plenty of

Doctors who cared,

But I wasn't

One of them.

Oh, I'd forgot.

He came

From your hometown.

Colonel Johnson?

He's not here, snapshot.

Oh. Thank you.

Come in.

Um, you don't know

Where he is?

No, I-I haven't

Seen him for some time.

Well, it doesn't

Matter. I only thought-

What?

What's wrong, snapshot?

Nothing.

It was

Something I said.

I'm afraid

I upset him very much.

Yes, you seem to have

A... Faculty for doing that.

Why do I always

Shoot off my mouth?

Will I ever learn?

He isn't-

He isn't heartless,

You know.

Neither are you,

Snapshot.

What?

You've got a heart, too.

Don't let it

Get you into trouble.

I'm not a child,

Sir.

I know you're not.

That's the point.

The kind of trouble

I mean,

Children don't get into.

Too late, colonel...

But thanks.

Look what I found growing

In a crater-lupine.

Well,

What do you know?

Back home in california,

The fields were full of

Them this time of year.

Ha ha!

Say, snapshot...

Has Johnson

Been in yet?

I... I haven't

Seen him this morning.

I don't think we'll have

To operate on this boy.

We'll send him

To the base.

I didn't know

You had started,

Or I would have

Come straight in.

It's quite all right.

Uh, could I get you

A cup of coffee?

No, thanks.

Coming pretty close.

Yes.

Take cover!

Take cover!

Better get down there

Until it lets up.

All right,

Step on it!

Take cover!

Take cover!

Sounds as if

They meant business.

We may have some work

On our hands.

Yes.

He used to

Deliver our laundry.

He lived in a slum back

Home called chester village.

I fixed his leg

For him.

He was just

Another case.

That's the way it's been

With all my patients-

Just cases...

Not human beings.

You were right,

Snapshot.

I've never cared

Enough.

Oh, useless.

Don't.

I'm sorry

For what I-

It's not that.

Don't let it worry you.

There was a man

Back home who cared.

Dr. Sunday.

He knew

What it was all about.

He got something.

My father had it, too,

And my grandfather.

Silver's got it.

You've got it, too,

Snapshot.

I'll never forget

That boy

As long as I live.

You're a swell guy,

Useless...

A swell guy.

I know.

I know exactly.

I'm very fond

Of you, useless.

I'd like you

To hold me close.

I'd like it very much.

But you belong

To someone else.

And...

That hit something.

Colonel Johnson!

Colonel silver's

Still in there!

Hit the dirt!

Lie still.

Don't try to get up.

Bed number 3-

Desmond.

He's safe.

Get me one ampule

Of c.s.b.

Miller, bradford.

They're all safe.

Are you in pain?

No.

No pain at all.

Come in.

I'll be out

In a moment.

Bob!

Hello, penny.

What are you

Doing here?

Lee wrote me.

He wanted me to come

And see mr. Monkevickz.

Oh. Well...

Just a moment.

He's very ill,

Penny.

I told him

You were here,

And he's

Very grateful,

But I think

It'll be better

If you don't

See him now.

Oh, I'm sorry.

How have you been,

Penny?

Fine, Bob.

Thanks.

Where is Lee now?

England, for the last

3 months or so.

I'm sorry I haven't

Been over to see you.

Always wanted to, but

I've been very busy.

I guess everybody is

These days.

Penny...

You look

A little pale.

Is anything wrong?

No. I'm all right.

Why don't you come home

With me for a cup of tea?

All right, Bob.

I'd like to.

Fine.

You, uh,

May very easily

Be exaggerating

Everything, you know, penny?

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