Next, he pulled a thin rectangular metal block from his pocket. “This is the magazine, and it holds the bullets. Usually seven or eight. Push the flat end here into the butt of the gun then shove it in hard, all the way. Now put your hand back on the slide, pull it back toward your chest, and let it go. That locks the magazine in place. You are now loaded, but you still can’t fire, because of the… what?”
“The safety?” she asked tentatively.
He smiled. “See where your thumb is, near the top? See that little lever? That’s the safety. When you lift the gun to your eye level, your thumb needs to push that down.” He stepped back. “Point it at the ground, would you? Not at me. I mean, unless you wanna kill me. Can’t miss at this range.”
After she’d practiced moving the safety a few times, he came around behind her. “Now hold that grip tight and raise your arm like I told you, and brace your legs.”
She felt his body press against her back, and his arms went around hers. “I’m gonna do a couple with you so you don’t get hurt. After you shoot, the gun recoils.” He put his hands on hers and adjusted her wrists so her thumbs lay toward the barrel. “You don’t want your wrists to bend up with that recoil, and that means you have to hang on tight. Someone taught me years ago to focus on your baby finger. If it’s tight, your wrist won’t bend up, so make sure that baby finger is as tight as you can get it. The recoil is a pretty solid kick, so I’ll stay here while you get used to it. Okay. See that tree straight ahead? Match that with the dot, then line them both up between the little sights. Got it? All right, then. When you’re ready, pull the trigger. Remember to keep your baby finger tight around the grip.”
Marion ran through the whole procedure in her head, aimed, then fired. The recoil shoved her back against him, and she felt the shock of it through her wrists and shoulders.
“Feel that? Try it again, but this time, concentrate on the strength in your forearms and your baby fingers.”
That time, the recoil was much less violent. She grunted and was still shoved back, but it didn’t hurt.
“Yeah?” he asked.
She nodded, keen to go again. “Yeah. I get it.”
He stepped back, encouraging her to do it on her own. She missed a few times, but Daniel said nothing. He was waiting, encouraging from the side. She didn’t want to disappoint him, and even more, she wanted to accomplish this for herself. So Marion closed her eyes briefly and imagined herself standing in the emergency room. The enmity coming from the weapon was the chaos. She was the calm. She breathed in, remembered everything he’d told her in exactly the right order, then she fired. And she hit the target dead centre.
Elated, she lowered the weapon and faced Daniel, savouring the approval on his face.
“But I’ll never need to use it.”
“I hope not,” he said, but he had her practice over and over, making sure.
Another day, he took her to a park for more basic training. “I’m not going to show you much, because you don’t have time for drills or anything,but I want you to know a few things in case you’re ever in close contact with the enemy.” He frowned slightly, looking apologetic. “Though in all likelihood, if you are faced by a Vietcong intent on fighting, you’re in big trouble.”
Marion had never been in a position where she’d had to defend herself, other than with Paul, who had given up the chase after one angry slap across his face. But it was always better to be safe.
“Yes, please,” she told him. “What you teach me would work anywhere, not just in Vietnam. Where do we start?”
“Let’s pretend I’m trying to strangle you. I’m way heavier, way stronger.” He put his hands around her neck. When she felt his hold tighten, she put her hands on his arms and tried to pry them apart.
He released the pressure. “Do you think you’re as strong as I am? Are your arms going to beat mine? Never. Now, watch this. Put your hands around my throat, Marion, and squeeze.”
His skin was warm, his pulse hammering loyally beneath her fingers.
“Your thumbs are the weakest connection. Remember that, because it’s true in every case. All I have to do is duck straight down between your thumbs. Once I’m bent over, I spin out of your reach.”
He very slowly showed her the move, then he turned the tables on her, his strong hands circling her throat. Her first reaction was panic, but the steadying sense of controlling an emergency room returned, and she ducked between his thumbs then spun free. It was an exhilarating feeling, learning that she could save herself if needed.
“Now that you’re out of my grasp, kick your heel to the back of my knee, and I won’t be able to stand up. Or, well, you tell me, Marion. You’re the doctor. If you were able to shove your palm as hard as you could straight into my nose, what would happen?”
“I could kill you.”
“Lesson learned. Let’s do this exercise again then try another.” He hesitated. “Speaking of which, what happened to Big John? You know, after the cops came to get him.”
Despite everything John had done, it still made Marion smile, knowing he was being taken care of. “I called Paul McKenny. Remember him? He wasyour first doctor at the hospital. Anyway, I asked him to help me have John readmitted to the institution. So now John’s hospitalized again, and back on his meds. He most likely will never leave.”
“Better for him,” Daniel murmured.
“For everyone,” she agreed.
He exhaled, moving on. “Okay. Back to what we were doing.” His hands went to her throat. “Get me off you, Marion.”
Every day leading up to their departure, Marion learned more about herself. She was stronger, smarter, and braver than she’d ever thought. She’d never known what she was missing before, and with Daniel’s lessons her confidence soared. The night before she and Daniel were set to leave, she pulled on the boonie hat and marched down to Sassy’s apartment. Her friend gasped with surprise then laughed, which was exactly what Marion had hoped for.
