Hey watch where you're goin
Step light on old toes
Cause until you've been beside a man
You don't know who he knows -"Shame on the Moon", Bob Seger

Chapter 4

After she finished with Jen's ankle Lil concentrated on helping the other medics with the wounded that continued to flow in. She wanted to stay busy because then she didn't have to think about him. She refused to think or say his name. While somewhat childish, it made her feel better. Rolling her eyes she headed into another part of the building they were occupying to get away from Jen. The woman had not shut up about Ron. He was all Jen could talk about. How handsome he was, how sweet, and how sexy.

Well the last part Lil could get behind. He definitely had the market cornered on sexy. Giggling to herself she wondered how Jen would feel about him if she knew he had been the man she hooked up with in New York. Jen and Meg knew she'd found a man that night, but that's all she'd ever said. Hell she'd never expected to see him again and now…well she had a feeling no good could come from this situation. Especially since he seemed preoccupied with being near her.

She been so lost in her musings she failed to hear Jen come into the room. "So Lil, what do you think? I mean do you think he'll come back around or was he just saying that to be nice?"

In her head Lil heard her mother's voice, oh yeah, he's coming back. But she managed to not repeat those words aloud. "Look Jen, he seemed interested to me. I'm sure he'll stop by when he has the time, but remember he is a paratrooper, they lead dangerous lives."

Jen frowned, "So are you trying to warn me off him? I mean who are you to give advice, you've made friends with two enlisted men." The way she said enlisted had Lil grinding her teeth. Just because he was an officer didn't make him any better than Bill or Joe.

"Look, that's not what I meant. What I was trying to do was remind you of the fact we are in the middle of a war zone and well, people do get injured or killed. Just keep that in the back of your mind before you start picking out china patterns."

Jen sniffed and sat on the edge of a box. "Well I know that, you didn't need to point it out. I was just wondering if he'd stop by since it looks like we'll be here for a day."

Giving up all pretense of being nice, Lil turned to face her. "Look, I don't know and I don't care. I'm a little busy right now, so if you have nothing better to do than moon over him, how about you start to inventory what's on hand?"

She heard Jen mumble under her breath about someone getting up on the wrong side of the bed and all Lil could think was how much she wished she'd been in a bed last night.

"Hey can I get some help over here?"

Moving quickly to the medic's side, "okay so what do we have?"

"Solider shot in the butt, bullet passed straight threw, want to take a look?"

"Aw you can't let no lady go lookin' at my ass, Gene." Came the voice of the soldier currently trying to twist away from her.

"Okay, calm down. I'm a nurse. I've seen lots of asses, some that even have two legs. Now all I'm doing is looking at the wound." She kept her eyes locked with those of the soldiers. "Now tell me your name, let's start with that. Mine's Lil."

She saw the grin split the soldier's face and the chuckle quickly followed. "Ah so you're Bill's Lil. Damn now I know why he never brings you around. You sure are pretty."

Trying to laugh it off she looked over at the medic, "How much morphine did you give him?"

The medic laughed, "Not enough to make him say that, but I have to agree with him. You are pretty and Bill's smart to keep you away from Easy." The medic held out his hand, "Eugene Roe, company medic and the man whose ass we are currently staring at is Popeye Wynn."

Lil smirked, "Nice to meet both of you. So you guys know Bill and Joe?"

At this point the morphine was starting to really kick in on Popeye, making him more talkative that usual. "Oh yeah, how do you think I got shot in the ass? We was busy taking them guns at Brecourt and well I got my butt in the way."

Lil frowned but kept her thoughts to herself. Joe was one tough cookie, he'd hurt his hand last night in the jump and truthfully had no business out there, but hey, she wasn't his mama. "Okay then Popeye, let's get you patched up and then off the rear for hospital duty. You'll be spending a lot of time on your stomach."

"Oh yeah, maybe I'll get ice cream, that would be nice."

Lil shook her head. She'd forgotten how funny people could be when they'd had morphine.

Bill and Joe and stopped by as soon as they were done and Bill, as usual, was talking a mile a minute about taking the guns. She'd tuned out most of it, nodding and saying 'uh uh' when needed, but at the mention of Speirs name she paid attention. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Jen, who'd been ignoring the whole thing, was suddenly interested as well.

"You shoulda seen him Lil, he was like a mad man running through all the German fire and when he jumped out of the trench, well we all thought he was done for."

"He's okay isn't he? You're sure he isn't hurt or anything?" Jen kept her voice just this side of panicked and Lil tried hard to hold her comments. Please could the girl be any more obvious.

"Oh no, he's fine. Guys like him could walk through a wall of machine gun fire and not get hurt."

Lil focused on treating Joe's hand and ignored the conversation going on. She didn't want to hear about Speirs and she sure didn't want to hear anything about Jen's fascination with him. "Okay Joe, good to go."

"Thanks Lil, so you coming with us when we move out?"

Bill and Jen had stopped talking and were waiting to see what her answer was. Bill's look was expectant, while Jen had her eyes narrowed in mistrust. Oh yeah, she'd brave the Germans just so she wouldn't have to put up with Jen staring at her. "Sure, just come get me."

They hadn't moved that far during the night and somehow second platoon confiscated the back of the truck and were piled in like sardines waiting for something Malarkey called "Irish Stew" to finish cooking. To Lil's way of thinking she'd smelled better things in the morgue, not to mention the smoke from the fire they were cooking on was about to choke all of them to death.

Bill and Joe had contributed several bottles of what appeared to be French wine, so at least you could drink to forget you were either going to die from smoke inhalation or food poisoning.

Lil had squeezed to the front of the truck and was facing the back when the flap was flipped up and Dick Winters appeared inside the truck. As she watched him speak with everyone and finally turn and speak to Bill she was relieved when Dick took a drink making Bill smile. When they exchanged a few more words, she saw the stress leave both of them and tension over what'd happened on D-Day passed away.

Smiling and relaxing back she glared at Malarkey as he handed her a pan of questionable substance. "Okay…do I eat it or dissect it?" When she saw Compton reach for it she pulled it back toward her. "That's okay, I'm sure I'll get over being squeamish."

"Doll, had can you of all people be squeamish, you're a nurse." Bill taunted from the end of the truck.

"Well to be honest, I hate the sight of blood, it makes me nauseous." Pausing she looked around the truck waiting for a reaction. She wasn't disappointed when Bill and Joe both busted out laughing.

"What I don't get it? What's so funny about a nurse that can't stand the sight of blood?" At Malarkey's crazy question, no one answered but only laughed harder.

Speirs had been in a foul mood ever since Brecourt. The run on the last gun had cost him three men. He wasn't necessarily mourning the loss of those men as much as the fact he wouldn't be getting replacements for them for some time and they were pulling out tomorrow morning. He really needed to find somewhere to sit down and grab a few hours sleep. He was just passing a parked truck when a voice caused him to pause.

"Well to be honest, I hate the sight of blood, it makes me nauseous."

Closing his eyes he couldn't believe the luck, he knew that voice and when the laughter of several men joined in the joke he clenched his hands at his side. That woman always seemed to be surrounded by men, well maybe it was time to put a kink in her party. Jerking up the back flap and sliding underneath he didn't spare a single one from his glare.

"Need I remind all of you we are still under noise discipline." While he spoke to the entire truck his eyes hadn't left her. He was struggling to keep the smirk off his face as he stared at her. She was a very beautiful woman, too bad she was as vicious as a wild animal and if the glow from her green eyes was any indication she'd like to attack him.

Glancing back around the truck one last time, pinning each of them with a stare he paused a moment longer on the solider closest to him. Guarnere was what he thought his name was, was currently giving him a strange look. Almost like he knew something. Frowning he pulled his head back and decided to go find somewhere far away from the truck to sleep. The last thing he needed was the sound of their laughter keeping him awake.

Lil felt her whole body relax when he slipped his head back under the flap and left. The man made her crazy and the worst part was she knew he was doing it on purpose. She was just beginning to let the whole incident go when she happened to glance over a Bill currently wearing a smug grin. "Not one word Bill, not one."

Everyone in the truck turned to look between the two of them and try to figure out what was going on. Bill merely kept the same smug smile and raised his hands, "Sure doll, whatever you say."

"Okay Gene, I think this is covered for now, anything else you need me to do?"

Gene looked up from picking the piece of metal out of Dick's leg. "Nah, that should do it Lil. Just let me patch up the commander here and we're done."

Lil leaned over Gene's shoulder to watch him pull out a tiny piece of metal that had found its way into Winters leg, just next to his shin bone. "Uh, that looks like it hurts, you going to stay off it?"

Dick laughed and held out a pan for Gene to drop the metal into. "Nope, not unless you have people lining up to take over command from me."

Lil pursed her lips in deep thought, "Well there really isn't a name that comes to mind, but I'll give it some thought."

When Buck walked in he winced at Dick's leg but drove on with why he was there. "Okay so what's the plan chief?"

"Well", Dick winced as he got back to his feet, "the Germans are going to counter attack, they want Carentan as badly as we do, so we're moving out to try and cut them off." Turning back he gave Roe a smile, "Thanks Doc. We'll police you up when we move out. Lil you'll be staying here, I'll leave someone from Dog Company to keep you company."

Wrinkling her nose at the thought of anyone from Dog Company keeping her company, "Uh, well if it's all the same to you, I think I'd rather take my chances in the trenches."

Dick gave her another piercing stare, equal to the one he'd given her on D-Day. She swore the man was a walking lie detector. "Lil, there something you want to tell me?"

"Nope nothing, just thought I would go and keep Bill out of trouble. I mean you know what a bone head the man can be, besides, I'm sure Gene could use another set of hands, couldn't you Gene?" Kicking him in the shin to make him agree.

"Awe, yes sir, I guess another set of hands couldn't hurt none." Reaching down he rubbed the shin she'd just kicked giving her a strange look at the same time.

Dick nodded, "Alright but stay with Bill and stay out of trouble."

Smiling sweetly she watched Dick leave before turning back to Roe. "I'm sorry Gene, but I had to get you to agree, I couldn't stay here. Hope you forgive me?"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with what happened in the back of the truck last night would it?"

Lil's eyebrows shot up into her hair, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just don't like being left out."

Gene nodded, "right, sure whatever, it's just that everyone who was in that truck mentioned that Speirs had a slight problem looking away from you. But I can't say as I blame him."

Lil growled, the first thing she would do when she saw Bill was kick him in the shins, both of them.

"Bill Guarnere, if you don't want it put permanently in your medical record that you have gonorrhea you will never mention last night again to me or anyone else."

Bill rubbed his chest where Lil had dug her finger in, "Look doll, it wasn't me. You forgetting that the entire truck saw that? Why you blaming me?"

Dropping back down in the cold foxhole with him she crossed her arms and pouted. "Cause. It seemed like something you would do."

"Well I can tell ya, it wasn't old wild Bill, maybe you should be hittin' up some of them others."

Casting a sideways glance at him she sighed, "Yeah I'll do that tomorrow. Right now I'd like to sleep."

"Medic, we need a medic. Oh shit, Talbert's been stabbed." Lil was pushing out of the foxhole and moving before Bill could help her. The cry for a medic had put her into a single tract focus. That same focus that was suddenly broken when a hand wrapped about her upper arm pulling her to a stop and back up against a tree.

She had only a moment to realize it was her living nightmare currently pushing her up against a tree with his body pinning her in place. When she opened her mouth to yell at him she saw his head dip and his lips were covering hers.

This was no teasing or coaxing kind of kiss, this was a full, dark, angry passion. The kind that sought to memorize every detail of the other persons mouth kind of kiss. She felt herself leaning into him, sucking his tongue further into her mouth. Nothing but the desire to be closer to him took over. What seemed to last minutes only lasted the span of time it took her rational brain to rejoin the party.

Bracing her hands against his chest she pushed hard, forcing him to release his hold on her lips. The minute his lips released hers, her right hand connected with his face. "Don't you ever do that again. You don't have that right."

The feral smile that crossed his sensual lips should have warned her, "What, you only play the whore when it suits you? Guess if I was Guarnere you wouldn't have pushed me away would you?"

Narrowing her eyes she pushed away from the tree and left him standing alone, stomping her way back to Bill's foxhole and dropping in with anger radiating from every pore.

"Hey doll, what's got you so worked up? You were fine when you left, somethin' happen?"

Looking over at Bill she took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to let the anger slip away with it. "No everything's just fine. I just didn't realize that snakes walked on two legs and that there is such a thing as the big bad wolf."

Bill opened his mouth to ask what she meant but was distracted by Lieutenant Speirs walking past. The man didn't slow his pace or even speak. But Bill could see that when he did walk by Lil and him didn't look away from one another, and he could tell both were madder than hell. Leaning back he decided to say nothing, he'd just wait and watch. One thing was certain, there was a fine line between love and hate.

Disclaimer: No disrespect is meant to the real men of Easy. We own nothing but the OCs and any original plot line that you do not recognize.

HUGE! Thank you to captain ty. After all, she wrote this wonderful work of literature. As always, we are hoping and praying for some nice people to review. :P