As Mick closed his eyes the images started to come to life in his head. Some were good some not so good.

Jud held his books close to his chest as he walked down the halls of the school. Some of the guys would snicker at him when he passed, but he just tried to ignore it. As he worked his way through the crowd he bumped into someone. The person was hard and Jud could tell he was a well built boy, but if he needed to he'd fight him he could, but he didn't really want to.

"Sorry. Wasn't watchin' where I was goin'. Here let me help ya." Jud said not looking at the boy, but looking at the floor.

"Hey, don't ya worry yer head over it. I wasn't payin' attention either. Name's Mick Noelman, what's yer's?" the boy asked as Jud handed him his books.

"Uh, Jud Peletrow." Jud said looking up at the boy. The boy was well built and tall. He had deep sea green eyes and wavy dirty blond hair. He had a friendly smile, one that Jud didn't feel threatened by.

"Well, nice to meet ya. Hey, do ya have any idy where Mr. Lambert's room is, I have him fer physics now and I'm kinda new here." Mick asked as he looked down at a schedule that was on top of his books.

"Um, I actually have him now. I cain take ya if ya want." Jud said smiling.

"Shore, why not?" Mick said and the two started down the hall.

The image then changed.

"Sir, we've got heavy fire. Please send more men. I repeat please send more men." Mick yelled into the phone that was on Jud's pack. The two were squatted behind some bushes.

"Sorry, lieutenant, but we can spare anymore men at the moment. You'll have to deal with what you have." the voice on the other line said.

"But, sir, we're gettin' slaughtered here. I'm not shore we're gonna make it out, any of us." Mick said into the phone as shrapnel flew over his head

"Lieutenant, it's the same answer as before. I can not send anymore men and that's final." the voice said firmly.

"Alright, sir, over and out." and that was it. They weren't going to get any more men. Heck, they didn't have enough now. The team of 20 had diminished down to 10 and a couple of those were injured.

"I take it we ain't gettin' more men." Jud said as he looked over at his friend.

"Nope, so we gotta deal with what we got now." Mick said putting a hand on Jud's shoulder. The two got up slowley to walk over to the other men. The fire was still coming and one of the granades seemed to make a beeline for Mick and Jud noticed. Jud pushed Mick out of the way before it could fall on him, but in the process the granade hit him and he died almost immediately. Mick watched in horror as it happened, he heard Jud scream in pain and he watched him struggle for breath as blood bubbled out of his mouth.

Mick woke suddenly with a start; he had beads of sweat all along his forehead. It was the same dream over and over. When they first met and when he died. Until they had left for Nam, their favorite song was not one of the Beatles or Elvis, but that of a play. The two had done the play Oklahoma in school because it was either do drama or paint class and they'd chosen drama. When they learned of the character Jud Fry and heard the song "Por Jud is Daid" they laughed hard. Jud actually played Jud Fry in it too, not because his name was Jud, but because he had a good voice and was good at the part. Now when Mick thought of the song it only made him upset, because Jud was dead. It wasn't a play, where at the end of the second act he would come on stage and give a bow, no he was dead and he wasn't coming back.

Mick became suddenly angry and threw off the covers with his hand and sat straight up. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and angrily grabbed the table by the bed with his one arm and flung it across the room. He was mad, Jud shouldn't have died, he should have. The granade was meant for him. He was the one who should be six feet under the ground at Arlington right now, not that Jud was yet, but if he was that's where Mick felt he should end up, not his best buddy Jud.

Mick buried his head in his hand, he didn't cry, heck he wasn't sure he could. He could get choked up and feel like it, but nothing would ever come. The last time he cried was when he stood over Jud's dying body. Suddenly there was a hand place softly on his back.

"Lieutenant Noelman, are you alright." a female's delicate voice said while he had his face in his hand. He didn't bring his face up right away when she asked, he wasn't sure why, but he didn't.

"Sir." the voice said again and this time Mick looked up. The nurse was young, older than him, but not by much. He felt that if he wasn't in love already he would be now.

"Yes, I'm fine." he said, trying to bring a smile to his lips. He had some success, but the smile was small though.

"Are you sure?" she asked, pointed her gaze toward the overturned table.

"Sorry, 'bout that. Don't know what came over me." Mick said looking at her apologettically. Something about this nurse made him not want to snap, not be mean. Mick believed it was the fact that she didn't have fake cheer, she was real. She didn't pity him like the others did nor did she show fake concern she really cared if he was alright.

"It's alright, but something's bothering you isn't it?" she said, looking straight at him.

Mick didn't know why he was telling her, but he was. He started at the very beginning, when they first met and he told her all about Jud. The story was a long one.