BETA NOTE!: Dude, I never get one of these! THIS IS AWE- *is brick'd by Hansolo*
My hand was so pale against the misty cloud that we called heaven. Deformed even, with its misshapen layer of red. As I laid there in the snow, I wished I could see the sky. A sky so red it would make the blood disappear so I would only see my pale white hand.
Julian, poor Julian, lay there in the snow, his dark eyes still livid in death. His hand reached out, cold and spectral. The forest seemed silent except for my throbbing heart.
My leg was wet, so sickeningly wet. I was so hot despite the snow. I pushed myself up, my backpack giving support to my slouch. I looked at my leg and fire works exploded in my eyes. "Oh God." My voice waved like a violinist teasing the stings. I fell back against my pack, watched my breath disappear into the fog.
I struggled to flip myself over. The wound sent tremors up my body as it struck the cold snow. My body seized and I moaned. Movement returned to my limbs at a snails pace. I moved onto my elbow and pushed with my good leg, slowly moving forward. A streak of red marked my sluggish progress.
My eyes were locked on a tall fir. I was halfway there when my body failed me. My chest heaved and my sight grew dull. Fingers clutching at blood washed pants; a scream tore out my throat. A flock of crows burst from the trees, swirling into the white abyss.
If it weren't for the inner turmoil of my mind, I may have noticed the crunch of snow under boots that was steadily getting closer. A hand touched my shoulder and my eyelid flicked open. "Hey…" My voice sounded weak.
"Everything's going to be O.K." I tried to see his face, but the light was behind him in such a way that I could only see shadow. He flipped me over and pulled out a bandage. He fit the large square over my thigh, wrapping up tight.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Fey…Frank Russo."
He was silent for a moment as he pulled me into a sitting position. Kneeling before me, he pulled my arms around his shoulders and slid his arms under my knees. He faltered slightly as he tried to get up before staring to walk.
Each step sent a little wave of agony through my being. I gave a small grunt with each step. My head was growing heavy and I rested against his shoulder.
"Don't fall asleep, you got me? Stay here!"
Stay here? Stay here? Where was I going to go but here? The two words rested heavy in my mind. I thought of the road to Carentan. "Stay with Eugene." Buck had said. "Stay back. Stay out of this." I remembered the roadside ditch and the hiding soldiers. I remember thinking Buck was in trouble, I wanted to help him. I remember falling, a hand triggering my decent. "Stay here," It has said.
The snow crunched underneath size nine boots. My eyes opened slowly and my words were thick. "Who are you?"
"Speirs… Ron Speirs."
As we walked ,I drifted in and out of awareness, not quite unconscious ,but hardly functional. Speirs tried to keep me awake, but he too fell silent.
No one noticed when we came upon the clearing. The patrol was wrapped up in its loss, their minds thick with grief.
"WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!" Speirs shouted, breaking the solemn mood. Heads snapped in our direction and Lipton charged over. He wriggled his arms under mine and the two men lowered me to the ground. Lipton placed my helmet on the ground beside me, yelling, "GENE GET OVER HERE!"
My eyes flicked open and I smiled weakly. "Hey Lip."
"Hey Frankie, how you doing?"
I let that one slip and gazed around at the faces that loomed over me. Gene's beautiful complexion entered my view for a moment before disappearing.
"Did you give him any morphine?"
"I didn't have any," Speirs muttered, " Only the bandage."
"Ok, Lip, stick this in his right leg." Lipton followed his orders and slid the needle into my leg. "I need to check his wound before we move him. It's bleeding bad." Gene ripped open the old bandage and prodded my skin.
"God Gene!" My fingers tore at the snowy ground. "Stop it that…!" My vision swam and I didn't remember anymore.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
I woke up seven hours later and wished I was still asleep. People were screaming, the air stunk of blood and waste. I was so doped up it took me a while to realize where I was.
I wasn't in hell, I was in a hospital.
Nurses were rushing around while doctors poked their heads into the main room to scream orders between surgeries. It was a constant movement. New patients were brought in, dead were removed, and those waiting would be taken into surgery.
My heart pounded each time a nurse drew close; I prayed that they wouldn't pick me, that my wound was superficial and therefore not the most dire thing around.
I tried to locate Eugene to see if he was still here, but I couldn't sit up to gaze over the cots for fear of being noticed. I lay back down on the cold stone floor and gazed at the high stone ceiling.
Thirty minutes later, a small group of men charged down the stairs and brought a flurry of movement. They placed their charge on one of the stone tables and a nurse joined them. I craned my head trying to see if it was Gene, but the only identifying mark on the soldiers outfit was his medic's band.
The men whirled about as they struggled to save the man, finally amidst as small temper tantrum and growling in French I realized one of the medics was indeed Gene. The torrent of movement slowed to a trickle as the hospital staff shooed the medics away. The Doc gazed slowly over the wounded possibly looking for me, or other men from the company.
I winced and I propped myself up on an elbow, waving for him. He glanced around before floating over, rubbing his hands on an already blood stained towel. He crouched beside me and I sunk back to the floor.
"How you doin' Fey?"
"Scared Gene. Their going to call my bluff soon, if they haven't already. I ain't been in into the surgery yet, but when I do, they're going to know, and they're going to tell Winters or colonel Sink. Hell, Doc, I don't know what to do." I looked at him desperately, praying he had some sort of answer.
He licked his pale lips and stared dully at my face. I gazed into his eyes and saw the flashes of insanity in them. He was wearing down. I had seen men who had been stolen by shell shock. I remember watching them leave when Lipton sent them back off the line for a few days. I remember feeling as if I was losing them. I looked at him in horror, realizing that insanity had even touched our medic.
Gene stood, breaking our eye contact and gazed around, his eyes locked on one of the nurses. "I'll be back." He charged off without another word.
I lay back down and closed my eyes, trying to desensitize myself to the noise of the hospital. Darkness slowly overcame me and I fell asleep.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
They came for me that night. The two of them, Eugene and the nurse, Renee, lifted me up onto a trolley and pushed me down the candle lit hallway. I gazed at both of their faces and swallowed. We entered one of the surgical rooms and the Renee flicked on one of the lights. I was moved to the operating table, looking at both of them uneasily. "Are you sure about this?"
Eugene approached me with a syringe in hand. His half crazed eyes glinted in the bright lights,"It's the only way." He pricked my skin and I plunged into oblivion.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
I had been billeted at one of the houses near the hospital and Renee would visit every so often to make sure infection wasn't setting in. Luckily ,we found that my wound scabbed over quickly and the possibility of gangrene was halved. Despite this, Renee estimated it would be another month before I would be fully healed. Not to mention the time I would have to spend in rehabilitation. These were statistics I didn't agree with.
Carefully, when I was alone, I would hobble around my small room, struggling to perfect walking once more. The muscles of my injured leg were tight, and with Renee's help I practiced stretching. I had been at the house for 5 days and deemed progress to slow. I wanted to get back to the men as soon as possible.
Five more days past and my movement had nearly returned, I had taken to delivering messages for the town's people and my strength had begun to return as well. Unfortunately running, or even jogging, was still beyond my limits. I tried a few times, but my leg would cramp and the muscle would burn.
Snow covered the streets and I was coming back from a message run. It was cold even in the trench coat I borrowed from one of the wounded. I limped down the slushy streets and paused momentarily by the motor pool. I scanned the faces hoping I would see one of the 101st men. I sighed and turned away.
"You probably shouldn't be walking around just yet." A man commented dryly.
I turned around, looking the man over. "You probably shouldn't be going without a jacket sir. It is December." I smiled slightly, chiding myself for my insolence. This is not a man you tease.
Lieutenant Speirs snorted and shook his head, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his helmet. "One of the boys in Dog Company lost his in a shelling; he's borrowing mine while I get a replacement."
My eyebrows rose slowly. Who knew he cared so much…"Right, Sir, I shouldn't have…"
"Shouldn't have what? Stated the obvious or said something that could have made me mad? "His tone was slightly condescending." What, you think I'm going to kill you?"
"No sir, that's just rumor, you know they hold no merit." I said carefully.
Half a smile crossed his grit covered face, "If you say so Russo." He turned towards the jeep and pulled open one of the doors. "Get your stuff. We're going."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
The Jeep came to a sliding halt before a pulsing mass of men. I hopped out of the jeep with a grimace, the cold air making my muscles stiff even with my new jacket. I turned and gave Speirs a salute, which he returned, before stalking off.
I hobbled through the men shooting out greetings as I passed acquaintances. Happily, I noted, that most of the faces I knew were still there. Buck waved me over to where he, Joe, and Bill were eating. He squeezed my shoulder and smiled in that way of his, "Wasn't expecting to see you so soon."
"Yeah, figured you'd be out till after Christmas." Bill put in between bites.
Joe just shrugged and whapped me on the helmet, his form of a greeting. I grinned at them and shrugged, "I don't know, just figured you guys needed me."
"Well you figured wrong," Bill chirped before he held out his hand. "Good to see you back kid. Buck was getting lonely without ya."
I shook his hand and snickered, "I'm touched Buck. I didn't think you cared so deeply for little ole me."
Buck glared at both of us before saying, "Yeah ok, go get yourself some grub Frankie, I don't want you going on any missions until your completely healed. You hear me? I'm going to go report to Winters, so you stay with them. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, He's got it Buck, go do your thing." Bill wrapped his arm around my shoulder and dragged me to the food line.
Another week past with little excitement. I would sleep, watch the line, work the leg, laugh with Bill, wait for Buck, cheer up Doc Roe, and hide from shells. It was a normal with until the morning I woke up to clear skies. I pulled the blanket back off the fox hole and gazed up at the blue sky.
The army made a supply drop that morning, and for the first time that month we actually had equipment.
The city of Bastogne was bombed that night. Gene had gone into town with Lt. Welsh and returned with the news. The hospital got hit, and so had Renee.
Authors note- Why Hello all, as I am sure you have noticed I now have a beta. (waits for claps to die) Yes indeed it is a momentous day and I hope you enjoyed the chapter(after waiting for 2+ months) as my Beta, Sam, just reminded me. So as always sorry for the wait, I shall try to update faster. I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break.
-Hansolo18