Saving Private Robbins
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this story, I do not own the plot or the script from Saving Private Ryan, nor do I own the characters from the Series Grey's Anatomy. No infringement intended. The story and characters are used purely for fun and are not used for any kind of profit.
(For the sake of this story, women served on the frontline. I don't have extensive knowledge of the finer details of WW2 apologises in advance for any mistakes)
Chapter 4
Callie and Addison continued to watch discreetly as Bailey spoke with Arizona, it was only when they saw the rest of their platoon enter the court yard that their attention was finally drawn away from the private conversation.
'Still standing?' Yang asks as Callie and Addison walked to meet them.
'Just' Addison replies tiredly while looking at Callie.
'You should have seen Teddy in action' Christina explains excitedly. 'She got into hand to hand contact with one of the Germans'
Callie looks up worriedly, her attention directed to Teddy. She gently turned her chin to left, allowing herself and Addison a better view. 'Jesus' The black eye Teddy was sporting gave away some idea of just how brutal the fight must have been. 'Are you ok?'
'I'm really fine' Teddy answers trying to play the whole thing down. The truth was, the fight had shaken her up badly. But she couldn't, wouldn't admit that.
'She kicked ass' Christina smiled triumphantly clearly unaware of Teddy's discomfort.
'Where were you when this hand to hand combat was taking place?' Addison asked, the anger clear in her voice. Christina looks around, clearly not wanting to answer the question. 'Yang I asked you a question. Why the hell weren't you there to help another member of your unit?'.
'She was helping me' Lexie spoke from behind Christina.
'What?' To say Addison was surprised was an understatement.
'My weapon locked as an enemy solider approached. I couldn't fire it, Christina left her position to help me' Lexi explained quietly, clearly feeling uneasy about being the centre of the Platoons attention.
Callie turned to look at Yang. 'Don't look at me like that, it was a one time thing' Callie smirked as Christina played with helmet uncomfortably. 'It won't happen again'
'We all know you're a big softie Yang' Callie smiled throwing her arm around Christina's shoulder.
'Noooooo, don't do that' Christina says struggling to break free of Callie's grip.
'And here we thought you were just a big meanie' Addison said with the best pout she could muster while putting her arm round the opposite shoulder.
'I hate you all. I should have just let her be shot' Yang says breaking free from the grasp of the other two women. It was then her eyes locked with Lexie's.
'I am grateful' Lexie says sadly before turning to walk away.
'Lexie' Christina shouts after her. Slowly Lexie turns round, sure she was about to receive another on-slaught of abuse. 'I didn't mean that. I would never leave you defenceless. You are part of this Platoon, we always have each others back'.
Addison turned to Callie, not quite believing what she heard. This was the first kind word Yang had spoken to Lexie since she joined just over two weeks ago.
X
'You need some time, I understand that. My Platoon is going to set up camp on the outskirts of town' Bailey explained. She needed to give Arizona some space.
'We will find you when she's ready' Mark answered, acutely aware of the distress Arizona was experiencing.
Bailey nodded once; as she turned she saw the rest of her Platoon stood in courtyard. She excuses herself, heading over to meet her other troops as Mark gently begins to lead Arizona away from Bailey's unit.
Arizona hadn't really been listening to what Bailey had just told her, her thoughts were muddled, her emotions numb. The fact she had lost almost all of her family in one fell swoop was too much for her to comprehend; however the thought of going home when there was still a war to fight, a war her father and brothers had been determined to win, was even harder.
X
Bailey listened carefully before deciding to make her presence known within the group. She watched as her Platoon lost themselves in playful banter, all desperate to ease the tension that had filled their minds and bodies earlier.
'Enough with the love in' Bailey said, commanding the groups focus. 'We need to set up camp, let's get a shelters made up and some food ready. You all need a decent meal after today so lets move to the perimeter of the town'
The group slowly herded themselves off the courtyard.
'I nominate Torres to cook' Yang yelled turning on her heels to look at Callie who was walking behind her.
'I believe it's your turn Corporal' Callie replied with a small smile.
'Yeah but you're a much, much better cook then me. Plus we're celebrating a good day; we found the Robbins woman and captured an enemy strong hold'
'I have to agree Callie, last time Yang cooked I had an upset stomach for a week' Addison rubbed her hand gently over her stomach remembering the memory.
The women didn't usually cook as a group, they all had their individual ration packs so the fact that their Captain had allowed them to eat together was a big deal to them all.
'Yeah come on Torres, you're the best cook out of the lot of us' Teddy chipped in. Callie looked at her friend, she could feel the unease rolling off her in waves, finally she gave in.
'Fine, but you all owe me, understand' The women let out a small cheer, each taking their turn to pat Callie on the back.
Arizona had watched intensely the interaction that had gone on between the 6 women; however she couldn't stop her focus from landing on Callie. There was something about this woman that was drawing her in. It was stupid, they had just met and she was sure the feelings she was experiencing would not be mutual. But all the same, it didn't stop her from having them.
Unable to stop herself Arizona stole one last glance over her shoulder to the women walking behind her. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Callie watching her as she walked away…maybe her feelings weren't one sided after all…
X
The evening sun was starting to hang low casting a red haze across the evening skyline. Arizona watched as masses of American soldiers now commanded the streets that had been so barren early that day. She watched, every one of them having a job, a task to be done. They were so busy, her mind drifted…what had her brother's been doing the day they died. No, she couldn't have these thoughts, they would eat her alive.
Returning to her own unit had been harder than she had imagined, she didn't want to face them, didn't want them to see any weakness in her.
Arizona watched as Alex Karev approached them; her Platoon had set up a small base at one of the entrances to the town.
'Captain, we've set up two command tents. We're trying to establish contact with other units in the area now' Arizona didn't miss the extra second Karev spent taking in her appearance.
'Good job Karev, I need you and Grey to pack up your things'
'Sir…'The disconcerted tone was evident in his voice.
'Do it now Karev' Mark ordered not waiting for a response he turns to Arizona. 'I'm not going to ask you if you're ok, because that would be dumb. What I am going to do it make sure that one of the best serving soldiers in my unit gets home to her mother safely'
Arizona looks up at him unsure of what to say.
X
Callie's Point Of View…
We set up base camp outside the town.
More reinforcement soldiers had stormed the town after we put the enemy soldiers on the back foot earlier in the afternoon. Bailey had ordered us to take the town by night fall and we had done it.
One of Sloan's Platoon had sort out Bailey, saying Arizona wanted to have another conversation with her, that had been over an hour ago. Despite having the town under American command one of us still wanted to escort Bailey to the meeting point, not surprisingly she refused point blank. She wouldn't let anyone else be present so in order to keep ourselves busy we started to prepare so food with the little rations we had.
I couldn't help but let my thoughts drift back over the afternoon, the feelings I was having were dangerous, but that didn't make them any easier to suppress. I would be in the company of this woman for the next couple of weeks until we returned to base camp. I wasn't sure if I could successfully hide my feelings until then.
X
'Nothing like a bloody afternoon battle to work up your appetite' Yang mused as she watched Callie stir the stew cooking in the pot.
Teddy raises a questionable eyebrow in Christina's direction.
'What?' Yang asks simply. 'I'm hungry'
To the groups surprise it's Lexie who speaks up. 'How can you be so…cold?'
Christina eyes Lexie carefully. 'You think I'm cold?'
'People died today'
'Yeah they did, thankfully none of us died, in my book that's another victory'
Lexie shook her head firmly, clearly upset by Christina's words. Despite their earlier bonding, it was clear both women still had very different attitudes towards this war.
'After lunch we'll need to set up a look out for the night' Teddy says drawing their attention away from Lexie and Christina. 'We'll take turns, just on the edge of the forest; we'll rotate ever five hours'.
'Good call' Addison agrees. 'We'll decide an order after…' Addison sentence dies in her throat as she sees Bailey, Arizona and Mark approaching along with Meredith and another solider she did not recognise.
All the women quickly rose to their feet saluting the approaching two Captains.
'At ease' Bailey answered mindlessly. The women sat back down silently. Bailey watched as Lexie's eyes fell on one of the soldiers of Sloan's Platoon.
She eyes Lexie carefully as the young woman stands slowly, her chest raising and falling heavily. 'Meredith?' The name comes out in a haggard breath.
Meredith drops her pack on the floor before rushing over to her younger sister. 'Jesus Lexie' She replies swiftly pulling her into a tight embrace. 'Are you ok? Why are you on the frontline?' Meredith had some many questions as she took at good look at Lexie from arms length. It had been almost one year since she had seen her younger sister.
'Grey you wanna tell me what the hell is going on?' Mark barked across the group, trying to regain some order.
'Captain, this is my younger sister Lexie Grey' Meredith answers her eyes never leaving her only sibling.
The other women in the Platoon watched silently, Lexie had never mentioned her family. It all made them suddenly think of home, their families, their friends, and the people who had been lost to this god forsaken war.
Mark looks at Bailey who nods silently. 'You all know what our mission was' She commands the attention of the group once again. 'We have achieved the first part in successfully locating Private Robbins. You all better believe that the hardest part is yet to come'
They all notice the edge Bailey's voice had suddenly grown.
'We have lost the strong hold of one of the towns we past through on our journey here. The enemy has taken the main bridge through the town, it just so happens we need to cross that bridge in order to get back to base camp'
Bailey watches as slowly one by one each of her Platoon dropped their heads, the moral they had gained from finding Robbins was quickly being replaced with yet more desperation at the new situation they found themselves in.
'We are going to make it to that bridge and we are going to reclaim it' The confidence in their Captain's voice was unwavering. 'We will then proceed with our mission to return Private Robbins to base camp'
'With respect Captain, I don't want to return home, I want to stay and fight along side the only family I have left' Arizona hated the fuss that was being made of her; she was being spoken about like she wasn't even there. She didn't want to leave the frontline; she didn't want the deaths of her family to be in vain.
'Well I'm sure that will be a great comfort to your mother when she receives another folded American flag' Bailey knew her words were harsh but she needed this woman to understand the sacrifices they had made in order to find her.
'What makes me so different?' Arizona yelled angrily, she took a deep breath slowly regaining her composure. 'Why do I deserve to go home?' The last part came out in barely a whisper.
Bailey couldn't answer her.
'See, you don't think I should go either' Arizona laughed dryly.
'I think your mother has sacrificed enough for this war' Bailey states simply. 'So that means you get to go home'
'You can get them to tell my mother that I chose to stay and fight, it's what my father would have wanted' Arizona tried to keep the sob from entering her voice but it was no good.
'HEY!'
A voice filled with bitterness snapped Arizona from her thoughts.
'You don't have a choice in this, just like we didn't have a choice when we were ordered to come and rescue you' Yang said fiercely.
'I didn't ask you too'
'No you didn't but that doesn't change anything, we still had to' Yang moved to stand in front of Arizona. 'Now you have to come with us because I'll be damned if we've came all this way just for you to turn round and basically give us all the finger by not following orders'
Arizona stares at Christina intensely.
'That's enough Yang' Callie says coming to stand by the Corporal.
'It isn't right' Yang spits pushing Callie away before leaving the circle she had been sat in.
Teddy gets up to follow her but Callie stops her. 'Give her some time' She says softly before turning back to Arizona, she hoped her eyes showed that she understood where Arizona was coming from.
'Corporal Grey and Karev will be joining our unit until we retake the bridge' Bailey explained introducing the two soldiers trying unsuccessfully to ease the tension in the group. The frosty welcome wasn't missed on either of the new additions.
'We haven't needed any assistance up until this point' Teddy stated coming to stand in front of her Captain.
'These soldiers have fought along side Robbins, we need strength in numbers, they are coming with us. We'll leave first thing in the morning; it's a good three day walk from here. Let me assure you, this unit will stand united' Bailey emphasised the last word before turning and leaving the circle.
Arizona turned to look at Mark, her eyes pleading with him. 'I'm sorry Robbins, these are orders from the top. You are going home. It took all my charm to get her to allow Grey and Karev to accompany you to the bridge'
Arizona smiled slightly. 'So this is it?'
'You've been a damn fine solider, one of the best I have ever served with' He rested his hand on her shoulder. 'You deserve to go home Robbins' He turned to Alex and Meredith. 'You will follow Captain Bailey's orders. When you reach the bridge make contact, understand'
'Yes Sir' They answer simultaneously.
He looks at the three members of his Platoon. 'I will see you all again soon. Be safe'
'Don't worry Captain; I'm sure we'll be able to look after them, after all we are the best'
Mark turned and his eyes locked with Callie's, the smile on her face was contagious and he couldn't help but mirror it.
'Get settled in' He orders his troops before walking over to his friend. 'It has been too long Torres' He replied pulling her into a tight hug. 'God I've missed you' He whispered so only she could hear him.
'I've missed you too' She replies holding him tightly. The last time she had seen him they had both been on a military run way being assigned to different regiments. Their goodbye had been brief and rushed, both could only pray it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other.
Callie's eyes flicker behind him as she spots Arizona watching them both closely before she hastily turns away.
He pulls away holding her at arms reach. 'You look good'
'You look like crap' She states honestly, his facial hair was mattered and she was sure his hair had become greyer since the last time she had seen him. The bags beneath his hollow eyes showed the full effect the war was having on him.
'Yeah well, its been a rough few months' He sighs deeply. 'And now I'm temporarily losing two of my Platoon and one permanently. Things are tough'
'Why have you sent Robbins with an escort?' Callie asks. 'We are more than capable of returning her to base camp' Mark gently guides Callie further away from the group.
'Callie, pretty much her whole family has been wiped out in one blow. Her unit is the only family she has left; Meredith and Alex are there for support as much as physical back up. She needs her friends right now' Mark whispers. 'She is a good person, she doesn't deserve this'
Callie lowers her head, the full of effect of his words hitting home.
'This unit was picked specially for this mission, I promise she will make it home safe' The conviction in Callie's words made Mark really believe what she was promising.
'Thank you Torres'
They hug, realising that their brief reunion was coming to end.
'When this all over I believe you owe me a drink Mr Sloan'
'What for?' He asks.
'If I remember rightly I kicked your ass when we played our last game of darts, we got called up before you got the chance to pay the debt'
'You're memory is kinda hazy Cal, if I remember rightly, I won our last game, with an amazing amount of skill I might add'
Callie laugh loudly as Mark slowly started to back away.
'When this is all over, we will have a rematch and once again I will kick your ass'
'In your dreams Torres' He shouts before turning round and leaving the camp. The feeling of loss that hit Callie nearly dragged her to her knees. Not knowing when she would see her best friend again was all of a sudden too much, she wanted to run after him, beg him to stay with her. But she knew that wasn't an option. Seeing him had made her realised how much she missed her old life, the old life that she was sure wouldn't be the same when she returned home to it.
X
An hour later and the three newest members of the Platoon had unpack their kit and tried as best they could to settle in amongst their new team mates.
'Food is ready' Callie shouted, taking the stew off the heat.
They all lined up patiently but they were all unbelievably excited. Beef stew was an extremely rare meal, a real treat for the unit. They all thanked Callie as she dished the stew into their ration tins.
Arizona was the last in line, she paused hesitantly before stepping closer to Callie. 'Thank you' She said dipping her head to meet Callie eyes.
Callie smiled shyly. 'You're welcome' she said before turning round to sit with Teddy.
Arizona joined Alex and Meredith who were sat on one side of the circle, Lexie, Yang, Teddy and Callie were sat on the other.
Addison and Bailey emerged from one of the near by tents. Both look at each seeing the clear divide between the team.
'Seen as we have three new recruits we are going to have to change our sleeping arrangements' Bailey said coming to stand in the middle of the circle.
'What?' Yang asked her mouth still full of the stew she was eating.
Bailey turns her focus to Christina. 'Yang you are now bunking with Meredith. Lexie, you will share with Addison. Torres, you are with Robbins. Altman, you will bunk with Karev' Teddy nods, clearly unfazed by the whole situation. 'Get to know each other, when we move out tomorrow morning I want you all to be able to tell me three interesting facts about the person you shared a tent with. This is not a choice, you will do it!'
With that Bailey returns to the tent she had emerged from moments ago.
A stunned silence fell over the group, they had all been so used to sharing with their regular bunk mates. They knew each others habits, what their triggers were. Now they would have to learn all these things all over again with someone new.
'This will be fun' Yang said dryly.
'Yeah a barrel of laughs' Alex added before feeling a sharp jab from Meredith. 'Hey'
Callie stood up placing her ration tin on the floor as she did. 'This doesn't have to be hard' She half yelled. 'We are all working towards the same thing, we all want to get Arizona home safely. It doesn't matter that we didn't start this journey together, or that we might not end it together. But for right now we all need to be on the same page, the enemy is out there, not here within this unit. My company, we are the best for a reason, lets show our three newest members why that is'
Silently Karev walks over to Teddy taking a seat next to her. 'I'm Alex Karev, I lost my virginity when I was 14. Interesting fact number one' He said extending his hand. The whole group couldn't help but laugh.
Following Alex's lead Christina shuffled over to Meredith. 'Christina Yang, I don't do personal' Meredith smiled before shaking Yang's hand.
This had been Callie's intention, to get the group talking, to break the ice.
She slowly moved away from the group picking up her tin as she did so. Hoping for a few minutes of rare silence, she leisurely wondered to the outskirts of the camp. She could still just to say make out her camp mates voices as she sat down on the grass surrounding the camp site. Using water they had collected from the stream nearby earlier on she peacefully began to clean her tin, simply enjoying the quiet.
'Can I join you?' A small voice asked. Startled slightly Callie turned and saw Arizona stood nervously a few meters away from her.
'Sure' Callie said waving her over. Arizona took a seat next to Callie, they sat crossed legged, their knees every so slightly touching each others as they moved to clean their tins. Callie closed her eyes hard; those dangerous feelings were starting to reawaken.
'So Yang doesn't do personal, Altman hates the word moist would prefer we say damp, Lexie speaks three languages and Addison doesn't like sweetcorn'
Callie chuckled as Arizona listed off the interesting facts her friends had shared with them.
'What about you?' Arizona asked, she turns to sit in front of Callie so they were sitting face to face.
Callie placed her tin to one side, slowly looking up to meet Arizona's eyes. 'I like to cook' She says simply.
'That's it' Arizona asked flatly.
'Yep'
'That's your first interesting fact'
'Yeah' Callie laughs uncomfortably.
'I'm kinda disappointed'
'Excuse me'
'Well I was hoping for something a little more exciting from the woman who hours ago dragged me out of the line of gun fire to safety' Arizona explained.
'Well what do you want to know about me?' Callie asked softly.
'Everything' Arizona answered sincerely.
The silence that hung between them was powerful. Arizona hadn't meant to say what she was thinking, but it was the truth. Once the words left her lips she instantly regretted it.
'I'm sorry, I just meant… you intrigue me' She added lamely before getting to her knees to stand up.
'No wait' Callie said grabbing her hand pulling Arizona back down into a sitting position. 'Calliope' Arizona looks at her with a confused expression. 'My full name is Calliope Torres'
'That's a beautiful name' Arizona smiled brightly.
Callie shakes her head. 'Bailey is the only person in my Platoon who knows my full name. Bailey and now you' She says simply. She was unsure why she had just revealed one of the most personal things about herself to a complete stranger, but there was something about Arizona that Callie wanted to let in.
Arizona looked down to see that Callie was still holding her hand, she could hear her heart thumping in her ears. How did she have this effect on her?
The moment was lost as Addison's voice broke the silence that had hung between the two women. Callie quickly let go of Arizona's hand before getting to her feet.
'Any water left Callie?' Addison asked strolling over to the two women.
'Yeah plenty, help yourself' Arizona slowly stood up next to Callie.
'Thanks' Addison offers a sympathetic smile to Arizona. 'Sorry about the whole sleeping arrangement thing. Bailey thought it might help the other guys bond faster, well mainly Yang' She added bluntly.
'No I agree, I think its already helping' She said her eyes locking with Callie's.
Despite being in the middle of a war zone, Arizona felt completely at ease and she could only put this down to one thing or rather one person…Calliope Torres.
X
A/N The feedback from the last chapter really did blow me away; I really appreciate you guys taking the time to post such constructive comments. I'm so totally pleased that you're enjoying the story. It's really motivational.
I'm still trying to stick to the 'Saving Private Ryan' storyline, but as I'm sure you've gathered I'm making my own twists. Called it creative licensing ;) Enjoy.