He threw back the covers and sat up on his bed， his feet feeling along the cold floor for his house slippers， the telephone ringing insistently¹ a little distance away.

He turned on the light and picked up the phone.

\"This is Dr. Benson，\" he said.

The November wind was bringing sounds of winter as it blew around the little white house. The doctor got into his clothes， went to the table， and stared a moment at his watch， his spirit complaining at the job ahead of him.

2:00 A.M.

His mind complained at the hour and at why people in such remote， rural parts of the country chose such improper time to be born. He picked up his two bags: the short pill² bag， as the people of the twon knew it， and the long obstetrical³ case -- the baby bag， they called it.

He debated⁴ whether to bring his cigarettes. He knew he should stop， knew he was setting a bad example for people -- a doctor smoking! Imagine! But old habits die hard. He put the pack in his pocket. The cold wind felt like a surgeon's knife at his face as he opened the door and ran， bending low， around the driveway to the garage.

His car started with difficulty， coughed a half-dozen times as he drove down the driveway， but then began to run more smoothly as he turned down⁵ Grass Street and onto the deserted highway.

Mrs. Ott Sorley， whom Dr. Benson was on his way to visit， already had almost a dozen children， but it seemed to the doctor that never once had she had a baby in good weather， not in daylight. And while Dr. Benson was a country doctor， he was still a young man and couldn't find the pleasure that his father， \"the old Doc Benson\"， had found in seeing Ott， the father， always for two or three babies behind pay his baby bills.

It was a long ride out to the Sorley farm and the sight of a man walking alone along the country road， as seen just ahead by the lights of the car， was a welcome relief to the doctor. He slowed down and looked at the man walking along with difficulty against the wind， a little package under his arm.

Coming alongside， Dr. Benson stopped and invited the man to ride. The man got in.

\"Are you going far?\" asked the doctor.

\"I'm going all the way⁶ to Detroit⁷ ，\" said the man， a rather thin man with small black eyes filled with tears from the wind. \"Could you give me a cigarette?\"

Dr. Benson unbuttoned his coat， then remembered the cigarettes in the outer pocket of his overcoat. He took out the package and gave it to the rider， who then looked in his own pockets for a match. When the cigarette was lighted， the man held the package a moment， then asked， \"Do you mind， mister， if I take another cigarette for later?\" The rider shook the package to remove another cigarette without waiting for the doctor to answer. Dr. Benson felt a hand touch his pocket.

\"I'll put them back in your pocket，\" the little fellow said. Dr. Benson put his hand down quickly to receive the cigarettes and was a little irritated to find them already in his pocket.

After a few minutes， Dr. Benson said， \"So you're going to Detroit?''

\"I'm going out to look for work in one of the automobile plants.\"

\"Are you a mechanic⁸?\" asked the doctor.

\"More or less. I've been driving a truck since the Vietnam war ended. But I lost my job about a month ago.\"

\"Were you in the army during the war?\"

\"Yeah， I was a medic⁹. Used to fly in medical helicopters right up into battle conditions. I saw a lot of action.\"

\"Is that so?\" said Dr. Benson， \"I'm a doctor myself. Benson is my name.

\"I thought this car smelled like pills，\" the man laughed. Then he added， more seriously， \"My name is Corrigan.\"

They rode along silently for a few minutes， and the rider moved himself in his seat and placed his package on the floor. As the man leaned over， Dr. Benson caught his first good look at the small， cat-like face.

The doctor also noticed the long， deep scar on the man's cheek， bright and red-looking as though it were of recent origin. He thought of Mrs. Ott Sorley and reached for his watch. His fingers went deep into his pocket before he realized that his watch was not there.

Dr. Benson moved his hand very slowly and carefully below the seat until he felt the leather holster¹⁰ in which he had an automatic handgun. Ever since he was robbed at gunpoint¹¹ eighteen months ago， he always travelled with his gun under the seat. Especially late at night.

He drew the pistol out slowly and held it in the darkness at his side. When he had to slow down for a sharp bend in the road， he stepped on the brake hard and pushed the nose of the gun into his rider's side.

\"Put that watch into my pocket，\" he said angrily.

The rider jumped with fear and put up his hands quickly. \"My God， mister，\" he whispered. \"I thought you...

Dr. Benson pushed the pistol still deeper into the man's side and repeated coldly， \"Put that watch in my pocket before I let this gun go off.\"

Corrigan reached for it， and with trembling hands， tried to put the watch into the doctor's pocket. With his free hand， Dr. Benson pushed the watch down into his pocket. He opened the door and forced the man out of the car.

\"I'm out here tonight， probably to save a woman's life， but I took the time to try to help you，\" he said to the man angrily.

Dr. Benson started the car quickly and the wind closed the door with a loud noise. He put the pistol back into the leather holster under the seat and hurried on.

The drive up the mountain to the Sorley farm was less difficult than he had feared， and Ott Sorley had sent one of his older boys down the road with a lantern to help him across the old wooden bridge that led up to the little farmhouse.

Mrs. Sorley's many previous experiences with bringing children into the world apparently helped her greatly because she delivered this child with little difficulty， and there was no need on Dr. Benson's part for the instruments in the long bag.

When it was over， Dr. Benson gave in to his vice and sat down for a cigarette.

\"A fellow I picked up hitchhiking¹² on my way here tonight tried to rob me，\" he said to Ott. \"He took my watch， but I somehow summoned¹³ my courage and pulled my gun on him. He quickly decided to give it back to me.\"

Ott smiled wide at such an exciting story coming from young Dr. Benson.

\"Well， I'm glad he gave it back to you，\" Ott said. \"Because if he hadn't， we wouldn't have any idea what time the child was bom. What time would you say it happened， Doc?\"

Dr. Benson took the watch from his pocket.

\"The baby was delivered about thirty minutes ago， and right now it's...\" He walked over to the lamp on the table.

He stared strangely at the watch in his hand. The crystal¹⁴ was cracked¹⁶ and the top was broken. He turned the watch over and held it closer to the lamp. He studied the worn inscription16:

\"To Corporal¹⁷ Tim Corrigan， Medevac¹⁸ Unit， whose personal bravery preserved our lives the night of Nov. 3，1971， near Saigon on the Mekong River. Nurses Hohorst， Walsh， and Bryan.\"

Notes：

1．insistently adv．堅(jiān)持地

2．pill n．藥丸，藥劑

3．obstetrical aaj．產(chǎn)科的

4．debate vt．盤算，辯論

5．turn down拐入

6．a(chǎn)ll the way一直，完全

7．Detroit n．底特國(guó)港口城市)

8．mechanic n．技工

9．medic n．軍醫(yī)助手

10．holster n. 手槍皮套

11．gunpoint n．槍口

12．hitchhike vi. 沿途免費(fèi)搭便車出行

13．summon vt.鼓起(勇氣)

14．crystal n. 石英玻璃表蒙子

15．cracked adj．有裂紋

16．inscription n．題字

17．corporal n．美陸軍(或海軍)軍士

18．medevac n．軍醫(yī)運(yùn)送傷兵的直升飛機(jī)

他將被子往后一推，從床上坐起，兩只腳在冰冷的地板上試著尋找那兩只拖鞋。不遠(yuǎn)處電話不停地響著鈴。

他打開電燈，拿起電話。

“我就是本森醫(yī)生，”他說。

十一月的冷風(fēng)在那座小白樓的四周鳴鳴地叫著，帶來了冬天的聲息。醫(yī)生穿好衣服，走到桌旁，定睛看了一下懷表，內(nèi)心里抱怨著這迫在眼前的差事。

時(shí)在夜間兩點(diǎn)整。

他心里抱怨著這個(gè)呼叫時(shí)刻，也抱怨著遠(yuǎn)在偏僻地區(qū)的鄉(xiāng)民選擇這么一個(gè)不適當(dāng)?shù)姆置鋾r(shí)間。他拎起兩個(gè)大手提包：一個(gè)是短小的藥包，鎮(zhèn)上的人對(duì)這個(gè)都熟悉；另一個(gè)是長(zhǎng)些的產(chǎn)科用箱——人們稱它為嬰兒大包。

他盤算著要不要帶上香煙。他知道他應(yīng)該戒煙，知道那是給人們樹立了壞的榜樣——一個(gè)醫(yī)生竟然吸煙!想想看!但是老毛病去掉難，他還是將煙包裝進(jìn)衣兜。當(dāng)他打開大門，彎著腰，繞過車道，朝車庫(kù)跑去時(shí)，那呼呼的冷風(fēng)象外科醫(yī)生的手術(shù)刀似的割在他的臉上。

費(fèi)了大勁才將車發(fā)動(dòng)起來。沿著自家車道，向前開動(dòng)時(shí)，那車噗哧噗哧地連著叫了好幾聲。然而一拐入格拉斯路，上了僻靜的公路，它才開始較為順暢地奔馳。

本森醫(yī)生前奔去救助的那位奧特·索利夫人早已生過十來個(gè)孩子，然而就這位醫(yī)生所知，似乎沒有一個(gè)是在和風(fēng)送暖的天氣或是在大天白日生下的。

在本森醫(yī)生干這鄉(xiāng)村醫(yī)生之際，還仍然是個(gè)年輕人，便不能像其父，老本森醫(yī)生那樣，能看到一樁趣事，即那位做父親的奧特常在他的兩三個(gè)嬰兒出生之前，就先將那幾個(gè)嬰兒的接生費(fèi)預(yù)付給醫(yī)生。

車子要開很長(zhǎng)的路才能到達(dá)索利莊園。順著車燈的亮光，朝前望去，有個(gè)孤獨(dú)的人影，在鄉(xiāng)村馬路上行走。這對(duì)這位醫(yī)生來說是個(gè)可喜的寬慰。他放慢車速，觀瞧那個(gè)頂著寒風(fēng)吃力行走的男人。在他掖下還夾個(gè)小包袱。

走著，走著，本森醫(yī)生把車停住，招呼那人過來搭車。那人照辦。

“你要去的地方很遠(yuǎn)嗎?”醫(yī)生問。

“我的目的地是去底特律，”那人說。他長(zhǎng)得相當(dāng)瘦，兩只黑色小眼睛因?yàn)楣物L(fēng)而噙著淚水。“你能給我一只煙嗎?”本森醫(yī)生解開外衣，忽又想起香煙放在了大衣的外兜里。他掏出那包煙，順手遞給搭車人。那人窺視自己的衣兜去找火柴。煙點(diǎn)著之后，他手握煙包停了一會(huì)兒，然后問道，“先生，如果我再抽出一只準(zhǔn)備下次吸，你介意嗎?”沒等醫(yī)生回答，搭車人就從煙包中抖出了第二只。這時(shí)本森醫(yī)生覺得有一只手碰到自己的衣兜。

“我要將煙放回你的衣兜，”那瘦小的漢子說。本森醫(yī)生急忙騰開手去接煙，當(dāng)發(fā)現(xiàn)煙包回到了自己衣兜時(shí)，心里還是有些不高興。

幾分鐘之后，本森醫(yī)生說，“原來你是要去底特律的。”

“我這次出來是想到一個(gè)汽車工廠找活干?！?/p>

“你是個(gè)技工嗎?”醫(yī)生問。

“也算是吧，自從越戰(zhàn)結(jié)束之后，我一直干卡車司機(jī)，但是大約在一個(gè)月之前我丟了工作。”

“越戰(zhàn)時(shí)你在部隊(duì)里?”

“是的，我是個(gè)戰(zhàn)地衛(wèi)生員，經(jīng)常乘醫(yī)用直升機(jī)飛上藍(lán)天進(jìn)入戰(zhàn)斗狀態(tài)，我多次目睹作戰(zhàn)的情景?！?/p>

“真的?”本森說，“我是名醫(yī)生，本森是我的名字?！?/p>

“我覺得這輛車有一股藥味，”那人哈哈一笑說。之后就更加認(rèn)真地補(bǔ)充說，“我名叫科里根。”

他們乘車默默地走了一會(huì)兒，搭車人在座位上挪動(dòng)一下身子，將小包裹放在了車底板上。當(dāng)他把身子倚向一邊，本森第一次看清楚他那張貓樣的小臉。

醫(yī)生也注意到那人面頰上的那條又長(zhǎng)又深的傷疤。它鮮亮而又紅紅的，仿佛是新近落下的。醫(yī)生想起奧特·索利夫人便伸手去掏表，他把手插進(jìn)衣兜，才知道他的表沒在那里。

本森醫(yī)生的手慢慢地謹(jǐn)慎地伸到座位下，直到他摸到他那只自動(dòng)手槍的皮革槍套。從打十八個(gè)月前，他在槍口威脅下被槍劫之后，每次外出他總是帶上手槍，放在座位下，尤其是深夜外出。

他緩慢地抽出手槍，暗中將它擱在身邊。當(dāng)他在路上急轉(zhuǎn)彎放慢車速時(shí)，他使勁地一踏制動(dòng)器，同時(shí)把槍口頂住那搭車人的腰部。

“把那只表放進(jìn)我的衣兜，”他忿怒地說。

搭車人嚇了一跳，迅速地舉起雙手。“我的天哪!先生，”他低聲說，“我還以為你……”

本森醫(yī)生的手槍更深地頂人那人的腰部，冷冷地叫著，“在我開槍之前，把那只表乖乖地放進(jìn)我的衣兜!”

科里根伸手去掏表，用那雙哆哆嗦嗦的手將表放進(jìn)醫(yī)生的衣兜。醫(yī)生用他那只閑著的手將表推到衣兜深處。他打開車門，將那人逐出車外。

“今夜我遠(yuǎn)道趕來這里，或許就為挽救一位婦女的性命。然而我卻浪費(fèi)了時(shí)間企圖幫助你，”他氣憤地?cái)?shù)落那人。

隨后本森急忙啟動(dòng)車子，借助風(fēng)力砰地一下關(guān)上車門。他將手槍放回坐墊下的皮革槍套，便一路疾馳。

朝著索利莊園的方向，驅(qū)車上山時(shí)，情況比他擔(dān)心的略微輕松些。而且奧特·索利已然派出一個(gè)較大的兒子，提著燈籠，沿路走來，目的在幫他跨過那座通往莊園小樓的老式木橋。

索利太太以往多次的分娩經(jīng)驗(yàn)顯然對(duì)她大有幫助。因?yàn)樗@次分娩沒有出現(xiàn)大的困難，這對(duì)本森醫(yī)生來說，也就無需動(dòng)用那些裝在大手提包的手術(shù)器械了。

完事之后，本森醫(yī)生依舊屈服于原有惡習(xí)，坐在那里吸起煙來。

“今夜在我來這里的路上，有個(gè)家伙搭上我的車，竟試圖行竊于我，”他對(duì)奧特先生說，“他掏走我的懷表，但我不知怎的，來了勇氣，抽出手槍對(duì)著他，他立即決定把表退還給我?！?/p>

奧特聽了這位年輕醫(yī)生講述的激動(dòng)人心的故事，開心地笑了起來。

“那好，他把表退還給你，我聽了也高興，”奧特說，“他要是不還，我們也就不知道這孩子是幾點(diǎn)鐘生的。當(dāng)時(shí)是什么時(shí)辰，醫(yī)生？”

本森醫(yī)生從衣兜掏出懷表。

“這孩子大約在三十分鐘以前生下的，而現(xiàn)在是……”他向桌上有燈處走了過去。

他驚異地注視起手中的懷表，那石英玻璃的表蒙子上有裂紋，表的頂部破損。他把表靠近燈亮翻看表的背面仔細(xì)辨認(rèn)那些蹭模糊的題字：

“獎(jiǎng)給軍醫(yī)直升飛機(jī)小隊(duì)的提姆·科里根陸軍軍士。該名軍士于1971年11月3日之夜在西貢附近的湄公河上奮勇拼搏，搶救了我們的生命。護(hù)士霍胡斯特、沃爾什和布賴恩（三人署名）”