I do not own Band of Brothers. This story is based on the characters in the Mini-Series, not the real men of Easy Company.
Thank you everyone for the reviews! :) I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! It means a lot! Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: There is a bit of sexual harassment at near the end of this chapter... just wanted to give a fair warning in case some readers are uncomfortable with it! And... lots of swearing... but it's Liebgott... what else do you expect? :)
"Tell me again how you keep managing to escape death." Gene smiled, inspecting my arm closely. "Another inch and the bullet would 'a severed the artery."
"Just lucky I guess Gene." I winced, feeling him pierce my raw arm with the needle.
"Well… keep on bein lucky then." He laughed, getting to work at stitching my arm. "This is gonna need about twenty stitches… you ready?"
"Do I have a choice?" I cringed, feeling him slip the first stitch through my arm.
"Well… not really. But figured I'd ask." He smirked.
"Real funny. You know I hate needles… so hurry up." I cried, turning my head in the opposite direction. Looking at the needle would only make it worse. I focused my attention on the stain glass windows of the church we were in... somehow they had managed to survive all of the day's events.
"Shit I think these are crooked, better take em out and start again." Gene joked, his eyes flickering up to meet mine.
"Not funny. You're not funny Eugene Roe." I said through clenched teeth, gasping as he threaded the needle through a tender spot on the wound. I tried to find something else to concentrate on as he snickered quietly beside me.
"Christianson… can you organize those POW's over there… get them ready to transport?" Speirs asked Christianson who was slumped over smoking a cigarette in the doorway a couple of feet from us.
"Yes Sir." Christianson replied, throwing the rest of his cigarette into the snow. I tried to focus on the small cloud of smoke rising from the still lit cigarette and not the burning pain in my arm.
"Ah… Elizabeth… I was just looking for you." Speirs' voice echoed through the church as he made his way down the aisle towards us. "I need to talk to you."
"Sir." I said, sitting up as straight as I could and gasping loudly as the fresh stitches tugged at my arm. "Uhh sorry sir." I added, trying to regain my composure.
"Sir… I can come back later if you'd like to speak with Liz alone." Gene offered, gesturing to my arm.
"No, you can stay. Keep doing what you're doing." Speirs nodded, taking his helmet off and placing it on the table in front of me. "This won't take long."
"Alright… you won't even know I'm here." Gene replied, threading another stitch through my arm.
Well, I sure as hell knew he was there.
"Well Elizabeth, I'll just get straight to the point." Speirs sighed, rubbing his forehead. "As the new C.O. of Easy Company it is my job to deal with discrepancies within my company."
"Discrepancies Sir?" I asked.
"Yes… such as one of Easy Company's medics carrying a gun on her person." He replied, his dark eyes meeting mine.
Shit.
"I apologize Sir… the sniper… he was shooting at Perconte as I was pulling him to safety. He was already injured Sir and I didn't know what else to do. He was going to kill us both if I didn't do something." I stammered, averting my eyes.
"And you probably saved his life… and yours." He replied plainly. "What I'm more interested in is where you got the gun in the first place."
"My father gave it to me Sir… before we jumped into Normandy I received it in the mail." I stuttered, glancing over at Gene, his eyes wide as he continued to work on my arm.
"Is that so? May I see the gun?" Speirs asked, gesturing to my satchel.
"Oh… of course." I replied, rummaging around in my satchel nervously for the gun. "Here you are Sir."
"Huh… how did your father manage to get his hands on a Smith and Wesson 10?" he asked, inspecting the gun closely.
"My eldest brother is a police officer back home Sir… I imagine that he got it for me." I replied, watching as he popped the ammo out of the gun.
"You're definitely right… this is a standard police issued revolver." He stated, reloading the bullets into the chamber. "Are you aware that medics are not authorized to carry firearms Elizabeth?"
"Yes Sir… I am." I replied quietly, meeting his serious gaze.
"Then why do you have this hidden in your satchel?" he asked firmly. His eyes felt like they were burning into my soul at this point as I desperately tried to avoid meeting his gaze.
"To protect myself Sir." I replied lamely, unsure of what else to say.
"And so you did." He sighed, placing the gun down on the table in front of me. "Do you have spare ammo as well?"
"I do Sir… I have a box of ammo in my backpack…" I stuttered, meeting his narrowed eyes.
"Well you only have two rounds left in the chamber so you may want to reload. And then turn the safety on." He replied simply, placing his helmet back on his head. "Carry on."
"Sir?" I asked, completely confused. Was I in trouble or not?
"Frankly I feel better with you carrying a gun, despite the rules." He replied. "Hell… I even think Captain Winters would back me up on that one." He added, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth. "It's a dangerous world out there Luz. Especially being a woman in all of this."
"I umm… so you're not confiscating it Sir?" I asked, my jaw hanging slightly open. Why was he bending the rules for me?
"Confiscating what?" he replied, winking down at me. "As you were." He added, nodding at Eugene.
I shot Gene a questioning glance as Speirs turned on his heel, half expecting him to turn around and offer me a cigarette and then gun me down or something.
"Oh and Liebgott was looking for you Elizabeth. He must have something he needs looked at. He sounded pretty irritated" He called back over his shoulder. "Should I tell him where you are?"
"That would be great Sir… Thank you!" I called back, seeing him nod at both of us again before disappearing through the huge wooden doors, some snow drifting in across the aisle as they slammed behind him.
"What the….? Gene started, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Hell?" I finished his thought, letting out the breath I had apparently been holding in.
"It's like I was just sayin… you're always escapin death." He laughed, threading the needle through my arm again. My arm was numb to the pain at this point, in fact my whole body felt numb from the fear I had just experienced.
"I thought he was going to shoot me for sure." I replied, heaving a long sigh of relief. "I can't believe he's actually breaking the rules for me... I always thought that he was a hard ass when it came to rules."
"Speirs is a good man… I think all those stories about him are all bull shit." He said, re-positioning my arm to an easier angle.
"Probably… especially considering there are no first-hand accounts." I replied. "Speirs is going to serve us well. Thank God we don't have to deal with Foxhole Norman and his compulsive yawning anymore." I smirked, wondering where he had gotten to.
"I wonder what they'll do with him." He grinned, shaking his head.
"He'll probably end up doing paperwork… that's about all he can handle without falling asleep." I laughed. "He'll probably end up getting bumped up in the pecking order somehow."
The wooden doors slammed open again suddenly, making me jump slightly as the boom echoed through the church.
"Jesus Christ Liz!" Joe exclaimed, charging towards us like he was on a mission. "The guys said you got hit and I couldn't find ya!" he cried, taking his helmet off and tossing it on the bench beside me. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Joe… calm down." I smiled, gesturing to my arm. "Just a graze see? Gene's fixing me all up."
"Fuck…" he sighed, pulling me into his arms roughly. "Skinny made it seem like you're fuckin arm was blown off."
"Drama Queen…" I smiled into his jacket, breathing in his scent. He smelled faintly of smoke mixed with cigarettes and hay.
"Christ Liebgott… please." Gene exclaimed, pointing to the crooked stitch he had just put in my arm. "At least let me finish up. I only got two more to go."
"Sorry Doc." Joe laughed, releasing the death grip he had on me. "So you really are alright?" he asked, rubbing some dirt off of my face with his thumb. "I don't know what I would have done if that prick had of… killed you." He gulped.
"I'm okay Joe… look at me." I smiled, squeezing his hands and looking deeply into his eyes. Words cannot not describe how much I want to kiss him right now.
"Those filthy pigs… they're going to pay." He growled, anger flashing through his eyes as he glanced over at the open church doors to where Christianson was gathering some of the POW's together outside. "Every single fucking one of them!"
"Joe calm down… all of the snipers are dead. The rest of them retreated. We came out on top." I said, rubbing his knuckles with my thumb.
"We're not on top till every last one of them are dead." He raged, his fists clenching beneath my hands as I felt the anger flash through him with a shudder. "Sawosko, Herron, Kenneth and Harold Webb… they're dead thanks to those bastards. And that's just naming a few! What if that sniper had of killed you too huh?"
"He didn't… and he's dead." I replied softly, trying to keep him calm as some of the German POW's chuckling outside caught his attention.
"Die Draksau! Ie sind alle verdammt Arschlöcher! Yeah! Fick Dich! (Filthy Pigs, You're all fucking assholes. Yeah, Fuck you.)" he bellowed out at the group of them passing by the door, getting up to make a move at them as they muttered back at him in German.
"Stop it! Just cut it out Joe!" I cried, pulling on his sleeve as he slammed himself down on the bench next to me again.
"You have no idea what they were just sayin about you Liz… no fuckin idea." He huffed, balling his fists up. "Those filthy pricks have no right to talk about a woman that way."
"I don't care what they think of me Joe. They don't matter." I said, wincing as Gene tied off the stitches on my arm, glancing up nervously at Joe. The tension in his neck and shoulders was visible as he muttered angrily in German beside me. I could tell that he was desperately trying to keep himself from running out the door after the POW's.
"I was so worried about you… I couldn't see any of first platoon as we were running into the town and I had to follow Foxhole Norman who decided that it would be a great idea to stop right in the middle of the wide open field..." I rambled on, trying to distract him. "And then Foley said that five people had been hit in first platoon and I thought that you might be one of those five… I could hardly take it Joe… not knowing." I sighed, seeing his fists un-clench as his warm brown eyes met mine.
"I'm sorry Liz… Foley lead us around the town to the right. I couldn't see ya either, it was… awful." He said gently, the tension disappearing from his face as he took my hands in his.
"That's putting it lightly." I laughed, waving over at Eugene who was quietly slipping out of the church doors, leaving us alone in the huge building.
The doors slammed closed behind Gene and immediately Joe's lips were on mine, hungry and needing as he laced his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
All of the tension disappeared from my body as his tongue pressed against my lips. I parted my lips slightly, letting his tongue explore my mouth as mine did the same. It was pure bliss… amidst pure hell.
I tugged at his jacket collar, pulling him in closer to me as he deepened the kiss, running his hands up my body and through my hair. I let out a small moan as he nibbled at my bottom lip, my face turning red at the sound of the noise I had just made.
He broke the kiss suddenly, leaning back against the pew and gazing at me, a smug look plastered on his face as he studied me, running a hand through his messy hair.
"What? What are you looking at?" I giggled, my face burning hot as he continued to watch me. "Joe… stop."
"Nothin… you're just so beautiful." He said softly, leaning over and placing another soft kiss against my puffy lips.
"Oh yeah… so gorgeous." I smirked, gesturing to my greasy hair and dirt streaked face. "I haven't showered in almost a month."
"I don't care. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I'm not just sayin that." He replied, cupping my face in his hands.
"Thank you Joe." I smiled, kissing his palm. "You're not so bad yourself."
"Is that so?" he laughed. "Well I'm glad you think so cause I had some kraut call me an ugly cockroach today."
"Whoa… and I thought I'd heard every bad name in the book." I laughed, burying my face in his neck. "You're the most handsome man I've ever met Joe… and the funniest." I added, feeling his heart rate increase as I pressed my lips against the hollow of his neck.
"What the hell are you doing to me Liz?" he breathed. "I'm supposed to be tough."
"You are tough…" I smiled, kissing up his neck towards his lips. "It's kinda… hot... actually... how tough you are."
"Hot?" he smirked against my lips, brushing some hair out of my face. "Did you just say… hot?"
"Don't make fun… I couldn't think of any other word." I shrugged, feeling him rumble with impending laughter beside me.
"You're such an asshole." I laughed, brushing his hair back.
"Yeah… but I'm a hot asshole right Liz?" He winked mockingly, pressing his lips against mine once again and leaning me back against the pew.
"You're lucky I love you Liebgott." I smirked, breaking the kiss. "Or this could end badly."
"Oh...Is that a threat?" he chuckled, lacing his fingers through mine.
"I don't know… is it?" I grinned, leaning in towards him and brushing my lips lightly against his.
"Medic! We need a medic out here!"
"Christ…" Joe sighed, our lips almost touching. "Not now."
"Duty calls…" I groaned, pecking him quickly on the lips once more before slinging my satchel over my shoulder.
"You're kidding me right Sir?" George huffed, taking a long drag off of his cigarette.
"Wish I was… General Taylor wants us to cut through to the North and meet up with First Army…. We take Noville at dawn tomorrow." Speirs replied, pressing his lips together in a tight line.
"Jesus…" I breathed, pulling the blanket up over my mouth as a cold wind swept down into our foxhole.
"And what's worse… we don't have any food. Everything is severely rationed for the time being until there's another drop." He sighed, rummaging around in his pocket for something.
"He can't expect us to go in there without eating?" Joe interjected, glancing up at Speirs in disbelief.
"He does… and we will." He nodded, pulling an unopened chocolate bar out of his pocket and breaking off a quarter of it. "Share it between the three of you… I don't need the whole thing." He shuddered, tossing the chocolate down to my brother.
"Thank you Sir." I shivered, attempting to smile up at him as the cold nipped at my already frozen face.
"Get some sleep if you can… we move at first light." He nodded down at us.
"Yes Sir." The three of us trembled in unison as another breeze swept more snow into our foxhole.
"Fuck Sakes… Taylor might as well come down here and kill us all himself." Joe muttered as soon as Speirs was out of earshot, slinging his arm around me.
"How the hell are we supposed to have enough strength to fight when we haven't had a proper meal in days?" George grumbled, handing me a small piece of chocolate from the quarter bar Speirs had generously gave us.
"I still have a K ration that Gene gave me when I stocked up on supplies before we took Foy." I offered, pulling it out of my satchel. "It's not much between the three of us and its cold... but it's better than nothing." I shrugged, my numb fingers fumbling with the packaging.
"Here, let me…" Joe shivered, taking the package from my hands and tearing it open.
I helped him divide the contents into three. A K ration dinner was barely enough for one soldier, let alone three… but it would have to do. It was all we were going to eat for some time. I tossed the pack of cigarettes over to my brother as I collected some snow to add to the powdered beverage packet.
"Jesus Christ… I never thought canned pork could taste so fucking good." Joe grumbled, spooning some of the meat onto a cracker and handing it to me.
I eyed the meat suspiciously before giving into my stomach's protesting growls and plopping it into my mouth. He was right… it tasted amazing.
"Thank God for you Lizzie…" George coughed, shoving a whole biscuit into his mouth. "That's all I can say."
"I love you guys…" I smiled, handing them each a sugar cube. "Just… eat the sugar like that… you don't want your blood sugar getting low."
"Trust me… I know. It's my job to know." I added, gesturing to Joe's shaking hands.
"Damn lucky you love us." George coughed again, plopping the sugar cube into his mouth. "Damn lucky."
I leaned back against the wall of our foxhole, listening to my brother and Joe giggling about the mortified look on Dike's face as he left Foy earlier that day with all of the men looking on. My stomach finally stopped growling as the food started to return some nourishment to my body.
I just hoped that it would be enough for the days to come… God knows when we'll eat again.
January 16th 1945- Rachamps, Belgium
Easy Company and Dog Company managed to take the village of Noville by noon the next day with very little resistance and thankfully very few casualties.
Despite a lack of food and insufficient winter clothing, the men charged into the town around me, taking it swiftly and driving the German's out quickly. They may have been cold, tired and hungry, but their hearts were still in it.
As if taking Foy and Noville in the span of only three days wasn't enough, we were ordered to move farther north, to clear the village of Rachamps that same day… General Taylor would not stop until we were all dead.
I gulped, looking down the sloping valley into the town below as the Germans started to fire up at us, holding on the might despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered.
"THIS WAY LIZ!" Joe yelled, snapping me out of my trance and dragging me down the sloping snow-covered hill as we followed first battalion into the centre of the village.
I threw myself down next to Sargent Hale who was crouched down behind a wagon, panting as he fired some rounds into the town.
"We need to clear the barn Sarg!" Joe yelled, pointing over to a nearby barn on the edge of the town. "There could be some of those bastards in there!" he added, pulling me to my feet beside him as I looked frantically between them. I was never in the middle of combat like this… I was usually off to the sides, waiting for the call.
I surveyed the town, seeing the Germans beginning to retreat as 2nd battalion made their way down the slope and into the town. I doubt anyone is going to be needing a medic today… thank God.
"Let's go!" Hale nodded, making a beeline for the barn as we trailed behind him, pausing just outside the barn doors.
"Stand back Liz." Joe said, protectively pushing me behind him as he raised his gun in front of him, nodding to Hale to open the large barn doors.
Hale nodded back, flinging the double doors open in one swift movement and raising his own gun up in front of him as the two made their way into the barn quickly. I reached into my satchel, placing my hand on my own gun as several frenzied voices came from inside the barn. There were clearly soldiers held up in there. I could hear Joe's voice ring out loudly through the other muffled voices and I peeked my head inside the barn, seeing him flailing his arms at six soldiers who were kneeling on the ground in front of him and Hale, their guns poised at their heads.
"YOU CAN COME IN LIZ!" Joe called out, catching me out of the corner of his eye. "These bastards won't be going anywhere."
"They're SS!" Hale exclaimed, gesturing to the lapels on their jackets as I made my way towards them apprehensively.
"Dirty pricks had no idea we were comin!" Joe laughed, shoving his rifle in their faces.
"What are we going to do with them?" I asked apprehensively, not exactly wanting to watch an execution close up.
"Hey. SHUT UP!" he shouted, pointing his gun at one of the officers who had just made a snide remark in German, looking me up and down. Great…
"It's okay…" I tried to reassure him, seeing the anger flash through his eyes. "Who cares what they think?"
"Tell them… tell them the only way the three of us are dying today is if we take them with us. I'm going to get Lipton" Hale ordered, glaring at the POW's before walking over towards the doors.
Joe relayed the information to the Germans who were now all staring at me, making me even more uncomfortable than I already am. I moved slightly behind Joe, out of their line of sight as I looked up at the top level of the barn, thankfully there didn't appear to be any other officers here.
"Joe… what are you going to do with the-? JESUS CHRIST!" I screamed as a shell hit near the barn doors, sending Hale tumbling to the ground as a piece of shrapnel hit his leg.
It all happened so quickly... the officer kneeling closest to the door lunged at Hale, pulling a small blade out of his boot and dragging it across the Sargent's throat in one swift movement. He hadn't even drug the blade across Hale's entire neck before Joe had a bullet between his eyes, sending him sprawling face down in the hay.
"Oh..." A small whimper escaped my mouth as I watched the blood begin to pour out of Sargent Hale's neck like a river. It was as if time slowed down as I watched him clutch at his throat, his legs thrashing around in the hay. I couldn't move... this wasn't supposed to happen. Taking Rachamps was supposed to be easy, nobody was supposed to die.
A couple more shots rang out across the barn as Joe swore loudly in German at the remaining officers, making me jump with each pop of his rifle. I couldn't bring myself to turn around as I heard each of them whimper with fear with each shot that rang out. I just stared down at Hale blankly, unable to register the fact that I needed to help him. It had all happened so fast. I couldn't move...
Strong arms grasped me suddenly from behind, tearing my satchel off and pulling me backwards as I stumbled to keep my balance.
"What the hell!" I protested, squirming against my captor.
I let out a yelp as I cool metal was pressed to my neck, smelling the foul breath of the person holding me as he breathed down my neck.
"Joe don't!" I screamed, holding my hand out to him as he spun around, ready to shoot the last prisoner, hatred flaring through his eyes.
"Stop right there or your bitch gets it!" the officer yelled in a thick German accent. "I mean it... back up."
"Alright... just calm down." Joe pleaded, the angry look on his face replaced with one of shock as he met my eyes.
"Put the rifle on the ground and kick it away from you." the man ordered, pressing the blade harder against my neck. I gasped, feeling the blade dig into my throat, leaving a small trail of blood where it had pricked me. "NOW!"
"Okay... don't... just don't hurt her..." Joe begged, kicking his rifle away from us, keeping his eyes locked on mine.
"I'm going to kill both of you." the officer replied plainly, making Joe snarl.
"Get off me!" I tried again to no avail.
"But first...I'm going to see what your little bitch has got." he added, lowering the blade and kissing my neck as I desperately tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp.
"You're the bitch!" I spat, attempting to elbow him in the groin as he sniffed at my hair. "Get the hell off me!"
"Oh a feisty one..." the officer laughed, blocking my elbow.
"Get the fuck off of her you fucking-." Joe growled, taking a step towards us but coming to a halt as the officer returned the blade to my neck. "Come on... it's not her fault. Let her go and you can do whatever you want to me... you can kill me... just let her go." he pleaded.
"Joe...no." I cried, hot tears filling my eyes. "Please...you can't do this!"
What are the odds that we'd get one of the few German officers who spoke perfect English? We didn't even have a language barrier on our side. I wracked my brain for ways that we could both get out of this alive, my heart rate increasing as he pressed the blade against the hollow of my throat. I glanced sadly over at Hale who was now sputtering blood, flailing his arms around as the blood spurted up and out of his neck... it wouldn't be long for him now.
"You're going to watch while I show your American bitch what a real man is... then I'm going to kill her... then you." the officer spat, sliding one of his calloused hands into my jacket. "That's how this is going to go."
"Joe please..." I cried, trying to wiggle out of the officer's filthy grasp as he began to grope me. I started to panic as my mind flashed back to James, to the day that he had almost raped me... the feeling of his hands on my neck, the bruising on my chest from his forceful attempt...
"It's okay Liebling... it'll all be over soon. I love you... just keep looking at me Liz." Joe said calmly, tilting his head slightly to the left. "That's it... you got it?"
I nodded back at him through my tears, knowing exactly what he wanted me to do. My entire body started to shake as the officer ran his rough hands across my chest, ripping at my sweater under my jacket. Filthy pig...
"Oh isn't that sweet... you love her." the officer laughed mockingly, moving some hair away from my neck. "I'm going to make her forget all about you."
I kept my blurry eyes on Joe, seeing him slowly reach towards the back of his pants, where I knew he kept his handgun in his belt. He watched furiously as the officer started to unbutton my jacket, clearly distracted at this point. It was now or never...
"LIZ NOW!" He bellowed. I elbowed the officer in the stomach, hearing the blade hit the ground as I flung myself roughly to the left. A loud pop rang out across the barn as the officers' body landed beside me instantly with a thud. My ears rang as more shots echoed across the barn. I looked up timidly to see Joe standing over the officers' dead body, firing off needless rounds into his chest. His eyes cold as he kicked the dead officer in the stomach.
"Joe! Joe he's dead stop!" I cried, trying to stand on my shaking legs as I grasped for his hand, lowering the gun slowly as he stopped firing, huffing beside me.
"DIRTY... FUCKING...PRICK!" he exhaled, turning and wrapping me in his arms, the gun falling to our feet with a crack. I buried my face in his chest, allowing the tears to fall freely as he rubbed my back, murmuring softly to me in a mixture of English and German. "It's alright Liebling... I'm sorry. I should have never brought you here with us."
Us...
"Oh my God... HALE!" I snapped out of it, pulling myself out of Joe's arms and stumbling towards Hale, picking up my fallen satchel on the way.
"Jesus Hale... just hold on!" I cried, tearing some bandages out of my satchel and applying pressure to his neck, his face turning white from blood loss beneath my hands. "JOE GO AND GET SOME HELP!" I called over my shoulder.
"It's alright Sargent... he missed your artery." I cried, lifting the bandage up as more blood spilled out of the wound over my hands. "You're going to be okay... Hale! Look at me! Keep your eyes on me! Joe's going to get someone! We're going to get you out of here."
His terrified eyes met mine as I kept pressure on his neck, hearing him wheeze with each desperate breath he took. The officer had hit his esophagus but somehow had missed both his artery and windpipe altogether… it was a miracle if I'd ever seen one.
I finally managed to stop some of the bleeding when several pairs of boots shuffled frantically through the barn doors behind me, making me jump slightly.
"Liz... let me see." Gene said gently, placing his warm hands over mine on Hale's throat.
I nodded, lifting my shaking hands and allowing him to take a look at Hale's slashed neck. I watched as he lifted the blood soaked bandage off the wound, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand and trying to pull myself together.
"He missed his artery and windpipe... but I think he severed his esophagus..." I stuttered, glancing over at the mangled body of the officer who had slit Hale's throat.
"It's alright Liz... I got him... you should go rest." Gene said softly, pouring some sulfa over the wound. "I'll come check on you later."
I swallowed thickly, nodding absently as I slumped back on my legs, squeezing my eyes shut. I couldn't get that officer's face out of my mind.
"Come on Liz... it's alright. I've got you." Joe said softly, lifting me up and practically carrying me over towards Speirs and Lipton who were standing over the group of dead SS officers.
Speirs' eyes widened as he glanced over at me, my jacket still unbuttoned and my sweater torn halfway down my chest.
"Are you alright Elizabeth?" he asked concernedly, his eyebrows scrunching together as he looked me over.
"I'll be alright Sir." I replied, shivering against Joe as I glanced down at the corpses of the Germans at our feet.
"He didn't ummm..." Lipton cleared his throat. "He didn't... harm you did he?"
"No... He was all talk." I forced a grin, trying to reassure them that I was okay.
Maybe not emotionally, but physically I was okay.
"Good." Speirs said. "Which one was it?"
"That one over there Sir." Joe glared, pointing out the officer who had assaulted me.
"How many times did you have to hit him before he went down Liebgott?" Lipton asked, his eyes going wide as he observed the many gunshot wounds to the officers' body.
"Just once Sarg... the rest were for good measure..." he replied coolly as Lipton started to check the officers pockets for identification.
"I wonder who these guys were… and why they were held up in a small town like this."
"Filthy scum sucking no good pieces of shit that's what they were!" Joe cussed, earning a warning look from Speirs.
"Too bad… we could've gotten some pretty decent Intel out of them." Lipton sighed, flipping open one of the soldiers' ID. "This guy has a personal picture with Hitler."
I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, trying not to look down at the bloodbath which was starting to make my stomach churn. I needed to get the hell out of here…
"Liebgott... get Elizabeth out of here. She's not looking so great." Speirs ordered. "The men are all held up in the convent in town. Just go straight into town… you can't miss it. We'll be staying there the night."
"Yes Sir." Joe nodded, taking me by the arm gently. "Come on Liz... let's get you out of here."
I nodded in agreement, gagging slightly as we passed by one of the officers whose head had been blown half off by Joe's rifle.
As soon as we were out of the barn doors and out of sight I threw myself into Joe's arms, desperately trying to muffle my sobbing in his jacket as he rubbed by back soothingly.
I needed to get this out before we went to the Convent. I couldn't let the men see me like this...
"I'm sorry..." I sniffled, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. "You shouldn't have had to watch him do that."
"Don't be sorry... it's not your fault Liebling." he said softly. "Come here... it's alright." He wrapped me tightly in his arms, rubbing my hair as I sobbed uncontrollably for a few more minutes.
"It's me who should be apologizing... I should have never brought you down here with us. Should have never exposed you to those disgusting pricks." he huffed, holding me out in front of him as I got my crying under control. "I'm truly sorry... I understand it completely if you're angry with me."
"Angry with you? You just saved my life Joe." I sniffled, shaking my head. "I'd say that earns you a fair number of points in the boyfriend department."
"I put you in danger... you should be mad at me."
"I'm not... I put myself in danger. I should have known better than to turn my back on a group of kraut officers." I tried to reassure him.
I didn't want him beating himself up over this… I knew Joe Liebgott… he wasn't going to let this go.
"All I could see was red when he had his hands on you..." he growled, clenching his fists. "I wanted to kill him slowly, make him feel every second of it… You probably think I'm crazy for talkin like that huh?"
"He got his." I scowled. "And I don't think you're crazy... God help the woman who ever puts her hands on you like that... Remember that woman back in Holland?"
"Hah...You're kinda... hot when you're jealous Liz. Makes me really wanna kiss you right now. Show ya that I'm all yours." He grinned, moving his hands to my lower back.
"Stop it... someone is going to see" I laughed, seeing him shoot me a lopsided grin. "Are you ever going to let the 'hot' thing go?"
"Not a chance. Come on... let's get to the convent before I kiss you right here and lose my job."