Here is Chapter Four everyone! Thanks for the messages, I am still absolutely loving writing this story. We've had this entire week off of school because of snowstorms so I've been writing a lot! Reviews are always welcome, I love them!
Disclaimer: I don't own SPR or any of the characters of plot, all I own are Brooklyn, Hannah, their families and their life stories
Hope you all love it! ~xoxx, Carolyn
Brooklyn rubbed circles into her temple as she squeezed her eyes shut; the migraine was worse today than it had ever been. Every small noise felt like a hammer inside of her mind causing her to groan quietly.
"Thunder!" Rang through her head like a shrill screech.
"Flash! Come on in!"
Reiben noticed Brooklyn holding her head in her hands, "You alright?"
She looked up and forced a smile, "One of my longer migraines unfortunately."
"Ah yea, my ma used to get those, she'd lock herself inside for a day or two until it went away. . .they used to hurt her really bad."
"Yea I-" She was cut off by one of the soldiers who had been previously talking to Captain Miller, "Go easy, watch for snipers."
Reiben saw that Jackson was busy watching for snipers, "Stay behind me alright?" She nodded and followed close behind him, her BAR in her hands, her teeth gritted against the never ending pain in her head.
The soldier called out, "Jimmy T! Find Captain Hamill, bring in here!"
Another soldier made a face, "What? Up there?"
The other rolled his eyes, "How the hell should I know? Would you just go look please?. . . Thank you, you moron!. . . Alright you guys just flake out here for a while."
Reiben turned and looked at Brooklyn, "How bad is it?"
"Pretty damn bad, every little sound is intensified to the point where I feel like I really just want to die."
"Don't say that. . .it'll go away I'm sure."
"Yea thanks, so tell me, why are you such an asshole Brooklyn boy?"
"Brooklyn boy? I like that, sounds like I belong to you," he winked at her with a grin and then shrugged, "Just am, I had a fucked up childhood, I mean with my dad and all but shit happens ya know?"
"Yea I got it."
A sudden cracking noise filled the air and Brooklyn doubled over in pain, "Brooklyn!" yelled Wade. The wall of one of the buildings suddenly crumbled and a squad of German soldiers began to yell at them with their guns raised and faces full of fury. She jumped up ad began to scream back along with the rest of the squad. Her head pounded and after a minute she fired, the rest of them following suit. She dropped her BAR and leaned against the wall.
Wade came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, "What can I do to help it?"
"Nothing" she panted, "It'll go away soon."
A man jogged up to Captain Miller, "Fred Hamill, Pathfinders 101st."
"John Miller, 2nd Rangers. We're here looking for a Private James Ryan. He's part of your outfit. . . any chance at all you policed him up?"
Reiben took Brooklyn's hand and squeezed it, "Any better now?"
"A bit."
They walked in silence for a few minutes until they heard Hamill shout, "Lieutenant, redeploy that bazooka to the right side. . .and get Ryan up here!"
Brooklyn watched as a younger soldier jogged up to them. "Here comes our boy. . ." They all watched him pass through, "Told you he was an asshole," Reiben snapped.
Brooklyn sat on a small pile of rubble, rubbing her temple as she rolled her eyes, "Be nice Reiben."
Wade knelt down in front of her, "We can keep you here, there's more medical attention and I could see that you get enough morphine to completely take the pain away."
Hannah sat down next to her, "It's an idea Brook."
Soldiers passed the two women and the medic, their eyes curious, whispers kept low.
Brooklyn looked into the medic's eyes, her stare intense, Wade. . .there are critically injured men out there who need it more than I do. The squad needs a second medic, I am NOT leaving my best friend here alone, and I am NOT leaving you boys."
Hannah smiled and hugged her tightly, Wade grinned, "As you wish my lady," he joked.
The three were silent when Reiben marched up, the look on his face one that was not pleasant, "He's the fucking wrong guy," he growled.
"What?" Hannah's eyes were on fire as she marched off.
"Calm down Reiben," Wade stated.
"We just fucking lost all our ammo and Caparzo for nothing!"
"Not for nothing, we're still looking. . ." Brooklyn murmured.
Miller motioned the two girls over, "They've got a few locals here who have warm water and soap, I'm sending you two over there." He turned to Hamill, "My men are beat, we're going to hold up here for about three hours, then pull out after dark. Got anything left in this town like a three-star hotel? Something with clean sheets, soft pillows, and room service?"
Hamill looked to the side and then grinned, "How about a nice comfy church?"
Miller laughed, "We'll take it!"
Two older French women walked up to the girls and smiled, "Come with us."
The house was an old, two story red-brick home with ivy that crawled up the side. "C'est une maison belle," Brooklyn smiled.
The older of the two dipped her head, "Merci mademoiselle."
Hannah and Brooklyn were led to a large room with a small wood burning stove. The room had been divided into two rooms by a single white sheet with a white bath basin on either side. Lavender and vanilla filled the air in the room, a luxurious and comforting scent. The girls stripped down and Brooklyn sighed as warm water cascaded over her golden skin.
Hannah lathered her hands with soap and cocked her head towards Brooklyn's side, "So you've noticed that both Jackson and Reiben are fighting over you right?"
Brooklyn was quiet for a moment, "Yea I know."
"So. . . .who you like more?"
She bit her lip, "I don't know. . .I mean Jackson is so sweet all of that but there is something about Reiben. . ."
Hannah smiled to herself, "Thought so."
Brooklyn grinned as she washed her hair, He's an asshole but. . .I don't know," she laughed.
Hannah yawned, "I know what you mean hun."
The two bathed in silence as the day dusk faded into a dark sapphire blue, the stars lighting up one by one like crystals in a dark satin blanket. The warm fire dried Brooklyn's hair as she stared into the orange flames, her eyes smoldering.
"What're you thinking about Brook?"
"Finding Jamie, getting back home, Jackson and Reiben. . .everything."
Hannah's hazel eyes stared into the dying embers, "I love you Brook and I promise everything will be ok."
Brooklyn's eyes welled with tears, "Half the time I act like it's all ok but I'm so afraid Hannah. . .what if Jamie's gone? What if my dad and Shiloh are gone? What will happen to my mom if I die? Life's never going to be the same again. . ."
The other girl nodded, half of her family was probably dead, she would never see her favorite little cousins again or the aunts and uncles she had known since she was small.
Brooklyn slipped into her uniform and strapped her helmet to her pack, her long hair fell down her back, "I'm going to sleep in the church with the boys tonight."
"Me too, give me a second."
The girls walked down stairs, the warmth felt amazing from the summer night, "Merci beaucoup madams," Brooklyn smiled at the women.
"Je vous en prie mes amis, bonne chance."
The air was thick, the sound of mortar fire could be heard in the distance as flashes of light filled the darkness, illuminating soldiers moving across the fields far off. The girls walked into the church, the men turning to see who it was.
"Brooklyn, Hannah, glad you could join us," Captain Miller nodded.
Brooklyn came up behind Wade and wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a hug, happy to see the other medic again, "What are you doing?"
"Copying Carpy's letter," he said with a calm voice, squeezing her hand.
Hannah settled in next to Mellish, snuggling into his side as he stated, "I don't know how he does it."
Wade looked up from the letter, "What's that?"
Brooklyn spotted Jackson, his eyes closed, softly breathing as he slept. She smiled, "Falls asleep like that. Look at him, the guy's lights out before his head hits the pack," Mellish continued.
Reiben had a simple explanation, "Clear conscience. . ." he looked up at Brooklyn, catching her eyes, "What's the saying? 'If God's on our side, who the hell could be on theirs?"
Upham sat up and timidly corrected him, "If God be for us, then who can be against us?"
Rieben snorted at the Corporal, "Yea, what did I say?"
Wade looked up from his letter, "Well, actually, the trick is to try and stay awake."
Brooklyn scrunched her nose and thought about it, Reiben shook his head, "How is that Wade?"
Wade stared into thin air thinking about the past, "Well, when my mother was an intern, she used to work late through the night and sleep through the day. So the only time we ever got to really talk about anything was when she got home. So what I used to do, was I used to lie in my bed and try and stay awake as long as I could, but it never worked cause the harder I'd try the faster I'd fall asleep."
Reiben laughed softly, tilting his head back as he spoke, the sound set Brooklyn's heart on fire "Yea, well that wouldn't have mattered in my house. My ma? She would've come home, shook me awake, chatted me up till dawn. I swear, the woman was never too tired to talk."
Mellish laughed, "Probably the only time she could ever get a word in."
Hannah grinned, "He's got you there Reiben!"
Wade sighed sorrowfully and they all quieted down, allowing him to finish his story, "I used to pretend to be asleep. . . she would stand in the doorway looking at me and I'd just keep my eyes shut. I knew she just wanted to find out about my day cause she came home early just to talk to me. I still wouldn't move, I'd just pretend to be asleep. I don't know why I did that."
Brooklyn squeezed his shoulders, kissed the top of his head, and sighed, "Jamie used to keep Shiloh and I awake till our parents got home. I would get so mad and yell at him for bouncing on the beds. . . he'd get the saddest look in his eyes. . .I'll never forget that look. . . " Her thoughts wandered to her little brothers as she moved to go outside, her hair blowing in the evening breeze. Her eyes scanned the horizon with a dark sadness.
"Hey," a voice came from behind her.
She glanced back and smiled briefly, "Hey."
Reiben sat down next to her, his back to the wall, "You've been really quiet ever since you had that migraine. . .you ok?"
Brooklyn shrugged, "I guess."
He sat there and lit a cigarette, "What's bothering you?"
She was silent, "Just memories, this whole war has just fucked everything up, I hate it so much. . ."
Reiben blew a couple of smoke rings before pushing, "What memories?"
Brooklyn sighed and kicked a rock with her boot before beginning, "My fiancee Alex Youngblood was stationed on the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor. . ."
Reiben closed his eyes immediately, already sure of what the outcome of this would be.
"I remember him asking me to visit him through December but I couldn't go. . .on December 7th I woke up to my mama in tears, she told me what happened. . ." She swallowed hard, "They found his body in the midst of all that destruction. . .alive, barely. . .he died in a hospital from the burns. Sometimes I feel like I could have stopped his death if I had gone. . . .he might not have been on that ship that morning if I had kept him with me. . . ." Silent tears fell from her eyes.
Reiben eyed the key around her neck and then spotted her tears shimmering in the moonlight like diamonds on her cheeks, "There was nothing you could've done."
She swallowed the tears, "Yea."
Reiben reached up and pulled her down next to him, tossing the cigarette aside, "It isn't your fault. . ." he whispered softly, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his warm breath on her lips, "I know," she barely managed.
Everything was still as he looked into her eyes. He gently cupped her cheek in his palm, his hand finding the key that hung from her neck. He bent down and kissed it before closing the space between them. His lips were warm as he kissed her, her fingers wove through his hair as she brought him closer.
He gently broke away much to her dismay but pulled her up with him. He looked around and without hesitation he had her up against the wall, his tongue gently ran across her bottom lip, asking for permission to go further. She smiled into the kiss and opened her mouth as warmth filled her. Her fingers wound around his dog togs as she kept on pulling him closer. His hand pressed against the small of her back until there was no space left between them. He took one of her legs and hitched it around his hip. The kiss deepened until they heard someone clear their throat. Brooklyn looked down, blushing madly as Captain Miller looked at the two, a small grin on his face, "Get some sleep you two. . .now." Both of them looked at each other and smiled, "Yes sir."
