The Magnificent Seven Chapter 7

The rainy season had begun.  The ground was often muddy as the raindrops fell nonstop on the tin-roof buildings.  And, the presence of rain meant that the atmosphere was often moist and cold—perfect whether for people to easily catch colds.  So, the hospital was not only swamped with injured soldiers but sick civilians.  

Although the nurse trainees’ schedule was hectic, Lwg Dej would often make time to come accompany Xyooj Vaj Huam, even if it meant having to skip her break and meal times.  After cleaning and changing him, she would tell him stories of hope and courage to keep him company.  And while that brief period was exhausting, Lwg Dej never felt tire for she was experiencing a kind of happiness that she’d never had before. 

On the seventh morning after his admittance into the hospital, Noog Xi came to check Xyooj Vaj Huam’s vital signs as usual.  And as usual, she found Lwg Dej resting her head on the bed next to the patient.  While the two slept, Noog Xi quietly checked Xyooj Vaj Huam’s temperature and blood pressure.  His fever had subsided and his vital signs were stabled. 

Just as she finished writing down her observation, she heard a moaning sound.  She turned to look and saw that the patient was mumbling something.  “Water….water…water….” he called hoarsely.

His mumble woke Lwg Dej up.  “Is he speaking?” she asked tiredly. 

“I think he’s regaining consciousness,” Noog Xi remarked.

“Niam Laus Noog, you are here?” Lwg Dej asked, and quickly stood up.

The teacher nodded.  “Get Dr. Moreno!” she demanded.  “I think he wants water.  I’ll give some to him.” 

Lwg Dej nodded, and ran out to the find the doctor.

“Water…water …” the patient repeated, moving his head slightly right and left.     

Noog Xi hastily poured water into a glass cup and brought it back to the patient.  She then lifted his head, and slowly gave him a few drops of water.  After drinking, he sluggishly opened his eyes. 

She smiled.  “How are you feeling?”

He scooted his body up.  “A little sore,” he replied, touching his wounds.

“Take it easy,” she said, and helped to support him.

“Are you a nurse?”

She nodded. 

Just then, Dr. Moreno and Diana rushed into the room with Lwg Dej following behind.  Dr. Moreno examined the patient and asked him a question.  Noog Xi was about to interpret but Xyooj Vaj Huam hastily answered in broken English. 

“You are doing well,” the Filipino doctor commented.  “A few more days in the hospital and you may be discharged.” 

“Thank you,” he said.

Dr. Moreno padded him on the shoulder, and smiled.  He and Diana then left the ward. 

 

“You must be hungry,” Noog Xi remarked.  “I’ll call food service for you.” 

But at the moment that Noog Xi was about to walk away, a food service employee appeared.  “Food for Xyooj Vaj Huam,” he called.

“Yes,” Noog Xi answered and grabbed the food tray.  “Thank you, but who order these foods?”

“I did,” Lwg Dej answered, her cheeks blushing.

“Thank you,” Noog Xi said to her student. 

Noog Xi placed the food platter on top of a movable metal tray and slid it across Xyooj Vaj Huam’s front.  “Your food is here.  Can you eat it by yourself?”

He nodded, and scooted up to a near sitting position.  He lifted his right hand to grab a spoon, and while he was about to dip the spoon into the porridge bowl—he noticed that something was missing.

His face turned sour, and he pushed the metal tray aside.  He then turned his bed upside down, searching for a missing item.

“What are you looking for?” Noog Xi asked in a concern tone.  “You’ve just recovered.  You shouldn’t be so aggressive.”

“My bracelet!” he answered frantically.  “Did anyone take it off my wrist or did it fall somewhere?”

“I don’t remember seeing a bracelet?” she replied.

“No, it couldn’t have possibly fallen off by itself.  Someone must have taken it.  It has a pair of phoenix heads and a pair of bells…” he said and stopped upon hearing a jingling sound.  It was coming from the nurse standing behind the one talking to him.

A troubled expression spread across Lwg Dej’s face, and she quickly tried to cover the silver bracelet with her right hand. 

“You!  You stole my bracelet!” he slandered disbelievingly.

Lwg Dej shook her head to him, and then to Noog Xi.   

“Give it back to me!” he shouted demandingly.

“Lwg,” Noog Xi called to the girl.  “Do you have his bracelet?”

She shook her head.

“She’s lying,” he shouted.  “I’ve had that bracelet for so long.  I can tell what belongs to me.”

“Lwg, if it’s not yours, give it back to him.”

Still, Lwg Dej shook her head, reluctant to give up the bracelet.  “It’s mine,” she wanted to say.  “It was the only thing my mother left me.”  But no matter how big she opened her mouth, only silence came out and she couldn’t defend herself. 

Observing the nurse’s hesitation, Xyooj Vaj Huam grabbed her left hand and pulled the bracelet off of her wrist.  “I don’t believe that hospital staff can act this low!” he libeled, slipping the bracelet back on his right wrist and cuddling back in bed disappointingly.

His blunt words stung like sharp knives cutting through Lwg Dej’s heart.  Her eyes turned watery and tears tumbled down like raindrops to the wooden floor. 

“Xyooj Vaj Huam!” Noog Xi called.  “You may be a patient, but that’s too much!  Don’t you know…”  She was about to reveal Lwg Dej’s tireless efforts in caring for him, but saw the girl shaking her head not to divulge what she had done.  Although Noog Xi couldn’t understand that reticent student of hers, she agreed to comply for she knew that Lwg Dej had a kind heart.

Although still saddened by Xyooj Vaj Huam’s ill manners, Lwg Dej quickly wiped her tears away.  She forced a smile on for her teacher and pretended that she was alright.  Then, she ran out and returned to work.

But, Lwg Dej couldn’t lie to her teacher for Noog Xi knew the girl’s character well.  She could tell that for such a diffident person like Lwg Dej to go out of her way to tend to his needs, it must hurt excessively to have her efforts stepped all over by the one person she truly cared about.  So after Lwg Dej left, Noog Xi turned to Xyooj Vaj Huam.  “Sometimes, appearance may be deceiving.  While you rest to regain your strength, I hope you would reflect on your actions just now.”  She reprimanded him, and left.

For many days afterwards, Lwg Dej kept to herself—saying nothing and doing no more than shaking or nodding her head when interacting with the others.  So after a class session ended, Noog Xi stopped the girl from leaving. 

“Xyooj Vaj Huam wants to get some fresh air.  I promised him that tomorrow will be suitable.  But I’m a bit busy so I want you to take him.”

“I’m sorry.  I don’t think I will be able to help out,” she replied sternly.

“Are you sure?  This is a good chance to mend any misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?  I’ve treated him like I’ve treated every other patient.  There’s nothing to talk about.”  She was indifferent.  And, without saying another word or hesitating, she left the classroom. 

Receiving no volunteer, Noog Xi ended up wheeling Xyooj Vaj Huam to get some air the next day.  She faced him looking at the karst mountain terrain.  Although there weren’t much sunshine during the raining season, the woods covering the hills and mountain sides were so luxuriant that their color was illuminating a deep green hue.  The sun shone bleakly in between dark clouds, and the breezy air sent Xyooj Vaj Huam’s hair flying in the wind.

“As a child, I’ve longed for adventures in those beautiful woods,” he said and laughed, “but when I finally got the chance to, it wasn’t as how I’d imagined it.  It is a frightening place, and going there means that one’s life hangs on the edge of thread.  Fortunately for me, although I was on the verge of death twice, I’ve been saved this time by the hospital and the first time, by her.”

“So who saved you the first time?” Noog Xi asked curiously.

“I don’t know either,” he answered and sighed.  “I never saw my savior’s face, but only a blurry image of her back.  When I regained consciousness, she was no longer there.  The only thing I found was that silver bracelet.” 

“The one you snatched from my student’s hand?”

He nodded.  “Now, do you understand why I reacted that way?  I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to that nurse, but I’ve never had the chance to properly thank my savior.  If it was not for her, I would have probably left this world already.  The silver bracelet is my only clue to finding her.”

Although it was only noon, the sky already appeared like twilight had befallen.  The sun ceased to exist in the heavens, and soon, thunderous clouds roared from afar.

“It looks like rain will pour down any minute now.  Shall we go back inside?” Noog Xi asked.

Xyooj Vaj Huam nodded.

The head nurse turned his wheelchair around, and while she rolled him inside, he said, “That nurse, I don’t think she would come to see me again.  Tell her that I’m sorry.”

***

Xyooj Vaj Huam recovered well, and quickly too.  Not many days have passed before Dr. Moreno signed his discharge papers.  On the day that he was leaving the hospital, Noog Xi went to check on him one last time.  Xyooj Vaj Huam had slipped back into his combat camouflage uniform.  Healthy again, he stood tall and handsome—resembling very much in appearance to an older man standing on his left.  Holding his right arm was a perky woman, with short curly hair and fair features. 

“How do I look?” Xyooj Vaj Huam suddenly asked when he caught Noog Xi’s presence.

She smiled at him.  “Very handsome,” she responded.  “Like an undefeatable soldier.”

“I hope so too,” he replied with a smile.  He turned to the man and woman standing next to him.  “Mom and Dad, this is Nurse Yaj Noog.  She took care of me.” 

“Thank you, for taking care of our son.  We are greatly indebted to you,” the man remarked appreciably.  “We live far from Sam Thong, and due to work we couldn’t come visit him sooner.”

“I too thank you.  As his mother, I should be here by his side when he needed me the most but what can I do?  If my husband doesn’t come, then I can’t step foot anywhere,” the woman said and wept.

“It’s alright, Mom,” Xyooj Vaj Huam said and hugged his mother.  “I know that you and Dad are busy.  I won’t hold anything against you too.”

“Phauj—Auntie, don’t be sad,” remarked Noog Xi.  “I’m glad that I was able to help out.  But I must not be given all the credit.  It was the hard work of all the hospital staff together that made this happy outcome possible.”

“You are correct,” replied the father.

“Let me examine you one last time before I let you walk out of here,” Noog Xi said.  She took a stethoscope off her neck and listened to Xyooj Vaj Huam’s heart and lungs.  She took a pressure cuff and tightened it around his upper left arm, measuring his blood pressure as well.  “Everything looks healthy.”  She said at last.  “Your discharge papers are completed, so you may leave when you’re ready.  I shall take my leave now.”

“Thank you,” the Xyooj family said together.

Noog Xi nodded, and stepped out of the ward and the main hospital.  She went on a frenzy search for Lwg Dej—for she knew that this was the last chance the girl had to straighten things out with Xyooj Vaj Huam.  But before locating the girl, Noog Xi passed by a path flanked by wooden benches where she heard shouting voices, like a couple was arguing.  As a hospital staff and head nurse, it was her responsibility to ensure that there was no use of violence in or near the hospital setting.  So, she quickly examined the area for a quarreling couple, and found that the person doing the yelling at the moment was one of her students. 

“Nag!” she called to a tall and slender girl.  Her full name was Ntxhi Nag, or rain whispers.  She came from a respectable family of the Xyooj clan in Phak Khet.  Her father, however, kept two wives and the girl bored many scars of abuse by her father and stepmother.  But her eyes were filled with resilience and strength, and her heart showered with kindness for those who deserved it.  Although she was the youngest among her cohort, she was wise for her age and not someone to be trifled with.         

“Niam Laus Noog,” Ntxhi Nag answered back.

“Nag, what’s going on here?”

“Niam Laus Noog, this jerk stole pictures of me and I’m not happy about it!  I asked him to erase the photos but he just wouldn’t listen!”

Noog Xi turned away from Ntxhi Nag, and found her staring at a young man who looked younger than she but a year or two older than her student.  He had a short military-cut black hair, friendly eyes, a tall nose-bridge, and a pleasing smile that made out a sweet face.  His hands held tightly onto a camera, which was hung around his neck. 

“My student claimed that you took pictures of her without her permission.  Is this true?” she asked gently.

He chuckled a little and then nodded.

“If she said anything to offend you, I do apologize on her behalf.  However, you must know that you are not allowed to take photos on hospital grounds.  I hope you respect this rule and destroy any pictures you took here.”

“I’m sorry, older sister.  It’s just that I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful and lovely as the sister standing behind you.  I just couldn’t control my hands.  It kept on snapping my camera to capture her beauty.”

The young man’s praising words ticked Ntxhi Nag off some more.  To her, he sounded more like he was teasing than flattering her physical appearance.

“But I’m truly sorry, and will do away with the film roll,” he said.  He then pulled the film roll out of his camera and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

“Thank you for cooperating.  You sound like a decent young man.  How should I address you?” Noog Xi asked.

“My surname is Yaj.  My given name is Tshaj Koob.”

“Yaj Tshaj Koob—it’s a good name.  I am Yaj Noog.  My student here is Xyooj Nag.”

“Xyooj Nag…Nag…a name that makes me feel so lonesome,” Yaj Tshaj Koob remarked in a daze.  “Paj Huam Tsav blooms in the rain—nag, the ducks cuddled under the broad taro leaves.  Rain pours in my heart, wondering if love will sprout?”        

“Jerk!” Ntxhi Nag shouted, and threw Yaj Tshaj Koob’s camera bag at him.  He quickly jerked to avoid being hit.  “Don’t use my name again in your dirty poems!  And I better not catch you steal pictures of me again or else I’ll make sure you see hell next time!”  After warning him, she ran off.

Yaj Tshaj Koob smiled contently.  “Is your student always this feisty?” he asked.  “I’ve never met such a girl before.”

Noog Xi shook her head, and then went on with her search to find Lwg Dej.  She found the girl caring for patients at the malarial clinic.  Lwg Dej was so focused on her work that she did not even notice her teacher’s presence. 

“Lwg!” Noog Xi called.

“Niam Laus Noog!” the girl responded.  “Do you need me for something?”

“We need to talk.”  Lwg Dej followed her teacher to a corner, away from the patients. 

“Niam Laus Noog, what’s the matter?”

“Lwg, I know that I have no right to interfere but I wanted to tell you so you won’t have any regrets.  Xyooj Vaj Huam is leaving today.  If you want to see him, you should go right now.”

Lwg Dej smiled.  “Niam Laus Noog, why do you keep telling me about him?  What do I need to go see him for?”

“Lwg.”

“Niam Laus Noog, please be assured that I feel no more connected to him than to any other patient we receive here.  You don’t have to bring him up again,” she said and smiled.  “If you don’t have anything else for me, I’m returning to work now.”

“What about the bracelet?” Noog questioned, stomping the girl.  “I know you well, Lwg, and you are not the type to take anything from anyone, unless it belongs to you.  Given your expertise in herbal medicine too, you must be that girl, the one who saved his life in the forest.”

Lwg Dej was astonished to hear her teacher pieced the puzzle correctly together.  A million thoughts blazed through her mind, thinking about how to respond.  She turned around to face her teacher once more.  “So what if I am?  That doesn’t prove any special relationship between him and me.  We’re merely strangers who just happened to stumble upon one another.  And, didn’t you teach us that as nurse practitioners—we should help all those who need our help, whether foe or friend?”  After retorting her teacher’s intention, Lwg Dej turned her back to her teacher, and walked away.

“He said to tell you that he’s sorry.  He only behaved that way because the bracelet is precious to him.”

Noog Xi’s words weighted heavily on Lwg Dej’s heart and mind.  Her eyes became watery, but she squeezed her hands into a fist and repressed her tears from coming out.  With her back to her teacher, she pretended not to let the news affect her and continued to walk stealthily away.

“I know you’re suffering, Lwg,” Noog Xi remarked.  “Being stubborn will only hurt you more.”

Although she feigned indifference in front of Noog Xi, the pain of feeling attached to someone and missing that person dearly lingered strongly within her heart.  So when her teacher was gone, she sneaked out to take a peek at him.      

Hiding behind a light pole, she found Xyooj Vaj Huam standing in front of a military jeep.  Gazing at him made her heart beat strongly with each warm light beam that touched her face, and she felt a rush of adrenaline to run toward him to reveal her feelings.  But her feet were frozen, and they just wouldn’t budge. 

Then, a car pulled up and stopped behind the jeep, and a noble young lady dashed out to Xyooj Vaj Huam’s bosom.  She embraced him, and the two appeared fond and intimate with one another. 

“Do you not love me anymore?” Xyooj Vaj Huam asked of the girl.  “How come you didn’t even bother to show up this whole time?”

“I knew that you were a strong person.  You won’t die that easily.”

“And what happens if I did?”

“Vaj, don’t say that,” she said to him angrily.  She then turned toward his mother.  “Phauj, look at Vaj.  He knows that I’m busy overseeing Father’s farm and he still asks me such a silly question.  If I don’t love him, I wouldn’t have bothered to even show up.”  She complained upsettingly.

Xyooj Vaj Huam’s mother chuckled.  “Me Ntxhais Npauj Kub—Daughter Npauj Kub, don’t get mad at Vaj.  He’s still not clear-headed and just teasing you.  No matter what, you two will be married soon.  I can’t wait to have you become my daughter-in-law, so bear with him.”

“Marry?” Lwg Dej remarked surprisingly, eavesdropping on their conversation.  But that single word felt like the heavens have tumbled upon her and crushing her to the core of Earth.  She felt lightheaded, as if her heart had suddenly stopped beating.

“Don’t be mad at me anymore,” Xyooj Vaj Huam’s fiancée said to him.  “Come, I know your superior is waiting for your return.  How about I make things up by spending the whole day with you?”

She then dragged Xyooj Vaj Huam into the jeep.  “Driver, we’re all in now.  You may go,” she instructed. 

The jeep’s engine rumbled and as the jeep began to roll, its powerful hind wheels sent dust flying in every direction.  Lwg Dej watched as the jeep disappeared into the distance, leaving a puny whirlwind swirling dust behind it.  This time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t contain her water eyes from dripping tears.  They fell down, forming a stream on her cheeks. 

She quickly reflected on everything.  “Why am I crying for someone who doesn’t even know me?  Did I fancy that if he finds out that I saved him then he would suddenly feel affectionate towards me?” she pondered, and realized that she was just being silly all this time.  She needed to become a stronger person, more protective of her heart.  Lwg Dej wiped her tears and putting on a smile, she returned to work.  But deep within, she knew that her heart would never be the same.

***

As the monsoon season came to an end, so did Noog Xi’s nursing curriculum.  Fifty young ladies have started in the program, but it was so intensive and demanding that slowly, they dropped out one by one until only six were left.  And having survived the program, the remaining six were among the best of their class. 

Their graduation ceremony was not glamorous like the university graduation that Noog Xi remembered in Sidney.  Instead, it was an intimate and austere service that took place inside the hospital’s conference room.  The event was hosted by Noog Xi and Diana, with Dr. Weldon and Pop Buell there to present the nurses with their certificate of completion.  Family members of the six graduating nurses came to support their daughter or sister as well.    

“I am so proud of this first class,” remarked Dr. Weldon as his voice echoed throughout the room.  “You all are truly pioneers who will not only do great service to Americans, but to all the people of Laos.  Ladies and gentlemen, along with our very own Nurse Noog, I give you the magnificent seven!”

            The audience members applauded.  The nurses stood up and threw their nurses’ caps into the air, signaling the dawning of an era of Hmong female nurses in Laos.