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consternation, staring off into the bleakness. “The fog is thickening, and the chief meteorologist in San Jose is projecting that it’s going to hang around for two more days before we get some clearing.”
    Alanna crossed her legs, resting her arms on her thighs. “But you mentioned you were trucking up the supplies earlier.”
    “The trucks can only go so far and so fast. With choppers we can zip in and out, pick up the worst injuries, and have them down here for initial medical help in no time. I’ve got ten cases that require surgery, and now they’re going to have to be carried over five miles on a stretcher to the jeeps, then bounced over these mountain roads to the hospital. Or, I can leave them up there waiting, and they might die during the night.” He glanced over at her, his eyes broadcasting his undisguised concern. “Truck or auto is no way to transport people who need emergency medical treatment. They can die of shock in a matter of hours.”
    “You sound as if you know a great deal about it.”
    He shrugged, staring back into the darkness. “I’m a paramedic.”
    “I didn’t know Marine officers practiced medicine,” she commented, looking at him in a different light. The senator had always accused Breckenridge of being a bloody warmonger after a high body count. This was the second time that Alanna saw that claim refuted. He was an engineer who built structures and a paramedic who saved lives.
    Matt shut his eyes, resting his head on his arm. “I was in a special contingent of the Marine Corps.”
    “What was that?”
    “Recons.”
    Alanna felt genuine compassion flood her breast. He seemed so drained. In the pallid light, his skin looked taut and washed out. “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with them.”
    “Most people aren’t. It’s a special branch of the Marine Corps that is molded into a crack surveillance unit to penetrate behind enemy lines. The reconnaisance information gained can be very important when our troops have to engage the enemy. We recorded troop movements for a period of five to ten days and then helicoptered out to the safety of our own lines. In a way, Recons save the lives of many men.”
    She shivered. “It sounds awfully dangerous.”
    “It can be.”
    “Is that why you became a paramedic, then?”
    “Each member of the Recon team had to be a specialist in some field. I picked the medical end.” He raised his head, rubbing his face slowly. “At least there was some honor in trying to save a life instead of having to take one.”
    She looked at him strangely, wondering at the softness in his voice. “I don’t understand.”
    He smiled almost bashfully. “I delivered six babies while I was over in Nam. It sort of made up for the rest of it…. It gave me a clean feeling. Bringing life into the world instead of only watching it being taken.”
    “You delivered babies?”
    “Sure. Why not?”
    Alanna withheld her comment. It was a cruel one that he didn’t deserve. He met her gaze fully, assessing her silently.
    “You wonder how a trained soldier like me can revel in giving life rather than taking it, don’t you?”
    She trembled inwardly, suddenly tearing her gaze away from his weary features. How frighteningly honest he was. And how accepting he was of her less than compassionate view of him. It had to hurt him to see the way she stereotyped him because of the career he had chosen. Her brows drew downward, and she refused to answer, feeling the heat of a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. The moments lengthened uncomfortably between them, and she licked her lips.
    “Does—doesn’t it bother you that people are repelled by your profession?”
    “It used to when I was younger. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been through so much in such a short period of time, it’s easy to separate what’s really important in living and what is not.”
    “You make it sound as if you went through hell.”
    He managed a patient smile. “Everyone