"Harry? Frank? What's going on? Harry Welsh along with the rest of first platoon and Frank Reis from Battalion HQ were gearing up to go and meet Dick.
"Dick has called for reinforcements down at the Crossroads. Boyle said on the radio that they 1 KIA, but never said who it was." I resisted the urge to panic. My brain wouldn't allow it for starters. Joe had been wounded before he had left here earlier this morning but had he been killed? Had Bill or Toye been hurt too? Had their luck ran out? Don't think like that Betty, it won't do you any good. I rubbed my temples. "Okay, take Roe and anyone that knows how to suture and is authorised to administer morphine, I will ride down with Lewis."
As it turned out I wasn't required for the main assault, I travelled down with Colonel Sink and Lewis in the Jeep. After little sleep, the drive gave me the chance to think over the download that once again rudely invaded my brain. I had not had a download since before the company had jumped in the September. Giving me the information my dormant future subconscious already knew. There were screens with block titles; books and chapter headings; films and strange voices telling me what lay ahead. I wished so desperately hard that I could tell someone, anyone the things that I knew. To be able to tell Dick that there were hard times heading our way would be the biggest of reliefs. But as reality of the burden I carried dawned on me, I knew there was nothing I could do. My 'downloads' did not include names or faces of those that died. Thankgod I whispered. Could you look at someone you cared about only to know that they would not see the sun rise or set? It wasn't something I could bear thinking about. My thoughts were interrupted as I could hear someone calling my name.
"Betty!" I turned to find Lipton shaking my shoulder gently. "Lip!? I'm sorry, I was miles away." I said quietly as I climbed out of the jeep. "We've got half a dozen walking wounded krauts." I made a mental note to have Spina or Roe check their papers and get as much detailed information about them as could be collected.
"Who did we lose?" It was the worst question to have ever left my lips; it felt better to ask it than to be told. The dread was unbearable; the thought of not knowing was even worse.
"We lost Dukeman early hours of this morning. Boyle got caught in the leg when the German artillery started and Webster got pinged as well but he's not so bad." I bowed my head. Corporal William Dukeman had been a Toccoa man and his death would affect everyone.
"I'll have his body taken back to HQ with me." Carwood patted me on the shoulder as he left to speak to the other men. I headed over to where Johnny Martin was holding a small group of prisoners.
"You got any injured over here Johnny?"
"Not that I'm aware of Lieutenant. Webster gone to get his leg sorted and Liebgott is popping off the survivors so I got no translator." I tried to ignore his last comment. Joe was known for being hard on the Germans, even more so than anyone else in the company. I had overheard Dick calling him a "born killer". I sickened me to think that the man I love, the man who was so gentle and caring with me, could take another human life without so much as a second thought. I turned my attention to the Germans who were all huddled together.
"Bist du verwundeter?" Are you wounded? I asked the group of prisoners. They all shook their heads even though it was clearly evident some of them were bleeding. "Didn't know that you spoke German Lieutenant?" Martin commented. "Enough to see to this lot" I replied. I hadn't spoken German since I had been in Africa, which seemed like a lifetime ago. I didn't believe what the Germans had told me. They were all scared and quiet rightly so. Hitler had claimed the American Paratroopers were thieves and hooligans and murdered people for fun. None of these boys had done anything of the kind before he had decided to take over the world. But some of them thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Johnny, tell whoever takes them back to HQ, to make sure they all go via the aid station first. I don't like the way that kid is holding his shoulder." I pointed at the young blonde lad huddled at the back of the group. Martin nodded as I left to find Dick, who was in the process of stopping Joe from popping off any more of the survivors.
"Joe! Joe! Knock it off!" I stood and watched as anger flashed across his face. There was so much of it within him, it frightened me. "Dam it…What!" this wasn't the man I loved, the one who would hold me till I no longer shook from the nightmares. This was Jekyll – his own personal monster. It had been weeks since we had been alone together, maybe if we had, I would have been able to stop him being so angry. Dick had noticed Joe's neck.
"You're bleeding." "It's nothing Captain." Dick wasn't buying his excuse "I want you to take these prisoners back to battalion CP. Why don't you head back and get yourself cleaned up?" I knew it wasn't as much an idea as it was an order, but I knew the look on Joe's face too. He was mad. Angry at Dick for interrupting him. Angry that his fun had been interrupted. Dick mentioned for me to come over.
"Sir, I'm fine." Joe tried to cover his ass once he saw that I had been sent for.
"Sir, you wanted to see me? " I knew what this was about.
"Betty, take a look at Joe's neck. If needs be, take him back to the aid station." Peering under the self-applied bandage, I couldn't have been angrier with him.
"Christ! Liebgott. What happened? He went to open his mouth, but I cut him off. "I don't care. I want you back at the aid station at HQ….now!"
"Lt….Really…it's just a scratch." I knew how to read between the lines. He didn't want to go back to the HQ, because he wanted to stay here, on the off chance that he might be able to carry on popping off the Germans. Not gonna happen. I thought.
"Not up for discussion Corporal. I expect to see you at the aid station before noon." Part of me felt guilty for using my rank against him. But with Dick there and how Joe had behaved towards him, my authority felt justified.
"Joe, take the prisoners back to Battalion CP. Get yourself cleaned up whilst you're there." Dick wasn't the kind of officer that had to tell someone twice. Something else flashed behind Joe's eyes. Excitement maybe, at the chance to supervise the prisoners. Everyone knows how the Germans ended up with Joe. This is not gonna end good. As though Dick had read my mind, he called out to Joe.
"Come on Kraut boys." I closed my eyes, hoping that Joe didn't behave like he did last time.
"Joe?" Dick wasn't going to give him the opportunity for it to happen again. "Drop your ammo." All Joe could do was stand and stare in disbelief. "What? "You gotta be kidding me. What are you doing?" Dick wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination. "Give me your weapon." Joe look horrified as Dick took it off him. He knew he had screwed up the last time; three of the prisoners had come out with broken bones. Dick may not have had witnesses or had evidence, but it was enough to take precautions.
There was nothing that I could do. I couldn't calm him down or suggest he rides with me in the jeep. There's nothing you can do for him Betty. He has to know he can't beat on them. Dick gave Joe one round. When asked, Johnny shouted loud enough for everyone to hear that there were eleven prisoners.
"You drop a prisoner the rest will jump you. I want all prisoners back at the CP…alive." As Joe headed off to escort them to Battalion, Dick turned to me. I felt bad for Joe, but it had to happen like this.
"Elizabeth," I had subconsciously moved my hand to the necklace round my neck. "Elizabeth" I broke out of my revere. "Yes, sorry sir." Dick smiled, inviting to walk with him. We walked out to the edge of the dike. The scene in front me…was something out of a horror movie. There were dead and dying Germans everywhere. Lt. Peacock had been surprised when it turned out they were all SS.
"I know you and Liebgott are…close." My throat went instantly dry, my heart started to thunder in my chest. My eyes were wide before I could do any damage control. "But I need to know if he steps out of line…" the request was open ended. Is he implying that he knows about our relationship? Is he asking me to choose? "Sir, my loyalty lies with my unit," Dick stopped me from talking. "I know you are loyal to the Company Elizabeth, but I need to know, if things got too bad, could you….cope appropriately without him around." Dick was checking his bases. If Joe stepped out of line and he was forced to make it official, would I be a nervous wreck watching him be dragged away by the MP's? Of course I would be a nervous wreck. "Yes, Sir I could cope." You are a liar Elizabeth Mae, a big horrible liar. Dick nodded. As we both overlooked the devastation, Dick slid down against a fence post resting on his heels. You didn't need to be a doctor or a brain surgeon to know he was exhausted, that we were all exhausted. Deciding it was best to leave him to his thoughts I headed back to where the transport was waiting to take the wounded. Passing Lewis who was heading towards where I had left Dick. I was glad that he could not hear my heart or had asked to shake my hand, as both of them would have given my deceit away. If something happened to any of the men I was closer to than normal, it would break my heart and fuel my hatred of the Germans. But to lose Joe, Bill, Toye, Lewis even Dick…I don't know what I would do, how I would cope…I would have to survive, it would be the only thing to do.
Making sure that Dukeman had been sent back to the headquarters, I checked on the others that had been wounded during the attack. I had requested only two ambulances follow me down to the dike, but by the looks of how many there were, I would need them to come back to ferry the rest. Webster had been caught by a piece of shrapnel, it wouldn't take that long for him to heal up, couple of weeks in an aid station in France and he'd be good as new. Boyle on the other hand, he was lucky to be alive. He had been caught by shrapnel aswell when the kraut artillery had started, but a piece had opened up his thigh like it was a hot knife in butter. Bill and Pat Christenson had patched him as best they could till Roe could get too him. "How we doing there boys?" I asked as I climbed on the back of the jeep. Webster was lucid and asking long I thought he'd be out for. "I don't know Web, just depends on what the docs say back at the aid station." Boyle was out cold from the morphine. Checking his vitals, I wrote them on a piece of paper and shoved it into his top pocket. Climbing down, I gave the all clear for the truck to depart.