Maria pushed Liebgott backwards hard, face compeletely red. A man swayed and stood back a little. He breathed heavily, dark eyes sparking.
"What did you say?"
"You've made your way here by screwing every high-ranked man in the U.S. Army, you're a nutcase, and people like you belong far away from places like this – especially armed"
Liebgott's voice was angry, but so was hers. They had kept abusing and screaming to each other for a while. Nobody who was watching it didn't know why. Corporal Mills attacked again, and it was Joseph's turn to push her. They continued that way and she yelled:
"You little, poor fucker are dead now. Goddamned retarded piece of shit, what were you thinking when you joined the army, being something more than you're now, huh? Being more than a fool, better than a cat's shit on someone's pillow?"
Lipton, Guarnere and Talbert were watching their episode at first amused, then it turned into a worry if another or both of them would get hurt. They weren't the only ones who were there, standing almost in a circle around Maria Mills and Joseph Liebgott. Some of men laughed and heckled, but they didn't hear it.
Liebgott felt ready to beat Maria down, his veins were full of ice. Damned hot ice, actually. He didn't even know why he was so furious, but Maria was a woman, she didn't belong there, she was crazy, a whore... He remembered why and catched her shoulders so strongly that it must have hurt. Maria didn't mind, she kicked and hit him as hard as she had power in her mucles. It was the last point.
Lipton pointed Liebgott and shouted: "Bill and Talbert, take him!"
He ran to Maria and grabbed his arms around her chest, locking her right feet at the same time by his own. Woman fought back vehemently and tried to escape to get back to Joseph. One private came to help Lipton, because it seemed like she'd set hefself free soon. Mills had a lot of power, she squirmed and shoved them both. Private grabbed her another leg and hand which tried to hit him when coming too close.
"Calm down, corporal Mills. Now" Lipton's voice was quiet and cut its way to Maria's brains. She relaxed when he tightened his hold on her for few seconds. He felt her shaking about fatigue or rage but it was easening. Carefully he let Maria free, ready to grab her again if she'd attack Liebgott again. Instead it she took a cigarette and lit it. Men saw a look like she had had an orgasm after the first drag. Lipton didn't want to go any further away, so he stayed in touching distance from her.
"Okay, I'm fine now, Lip. Nothing stupid" Maria promised.
"But someday Liebgott will be fucking dead!" she remembered to continue.
Named man was looking at her maliciously behind three men who were standing between them. He also sucked a cigarette passionately, the smoke embracing his face which was getting its original color back. Abruptly their group had to break up when they hear a scream:
"Incoming!" Maria forgot her rage and ran to the nearest foxhole. At the same time the world lost all of its naturality, the bullets of machine gun whistled in the air, bombs were crushing trees. She dropped down and hugged her rifle like a teddy bear. Sure it was much more safer than the soft one.
The artillery kept firing, the bullets were coming like a rain, without a break. She heard men yelling when they got hit or needed help.
"Medic!"
"Hold the line!"
"Medic!"
"Medic!"
"Help!" It was like Maria'd had fallen asleep, voices seemed to be so far away from her locked ears. She didn't have enough time to even think about doing something or covering herself better. Then someone collapsed on her. She hit her nose to his helmet and felt a warm blood running down her face. Breath ran out from her lungs, for a moment she just thought: This is it. They got me. The Krauts got me, it's over it's over. She took a reality back fast and damned:
"Shit, watch out next time, buddy" She didn't hear any reply, and however a man was lying on her. Maria burrowed out under him and realized it was Jospeh Liebgott. Fuck, it wasn't meant to be this way.
"Hey Joe, you hear me?"
He had blood on his left shoulder and face. Maria checked him quickly for mortal injuries, took off slightly Liebgott's jacket and searched a bandage and sulfa she was carrying with.
He was still unconscious and Maria had a change to look at him while working. Liebgott looked vulnerable, actually. His skin was pale even if it was still sunny and warm. She finished nursing his shoulder, thank God it isn't bad, and focused to his face again. She wiped the blood and noticed a wound in his cheek. Maria took another bandage and pressed it gently against the wound.
Then Liebgott started to wake up. He felt hot pain around his head and left shoulder, radiating to his chest. His sight was foggy and the world was spinning. He knew he had hit. How bad was it? Had he everything in place? Joseph realized he had been medicated, but sure not by Roe or Spina. Slowly, very slowly his sight cleared. He saw Mills who had threatened to kill him before the barrage. Bullets were still whistling all around them, so it hadn't been a long time he had been out. Mills kept pressing his cheek even if the short combat had already ended. Her touch was soft.
"How do you feel, Lieb?"
"Guess I'm fine - in case you aren't going to kill me?" he muttered "It was you wanted to do it, wasn't it?" Maria smirked and stroked Liebgott's another cheek and dark hair. He was too shocked to push her hand away, though he didn't even want to.
"Yes. But I will not let you die because of Krauts or your stupidity, dumbass. I want to do it myself"
Joe smirked too.
"Thank you fucking much, Mills"
Medic Eugene Roe walked to them and inquired:
"Anybody hurt? Liebgott? Mills?"
"No. We're fine. Go on, Doc" Medic from Louisiana raised his eyebrows because he had been there when they were fighting. When he saw Liebgott lighting a cigarette to Maria, he felt: they were, somehow, okay.