The only word she could say in English was;
"hello".
But the attraction was shared between them almost immediately.
Dark hair, dark eyes and a smile to die for.
Charlotte called her Megan, as her name sounded similar to Megan. And she responded to Megan. Though, very few words were exchanged between them, as they spent the majority of their time together kissing deeply and passionately.
Megan lived with her younger sister, who slept in a small room down the stairs. Megan had set up a nice room in the attic. Charlotte was shown to the attic pretty quickly within meeting the Polish woman. She didn't know how old Megan was, Charlotte would have guessed mid-twenties, as her little sister looked only a year younger than Charlotte.
Their clothes landed on the floor.
The pair of them lay down in bed.
It was way past curfew. Charlotte wasn't aware of the time. Megan wasn't aware of the time. No one knew where they were, so, it didn't matter what time it was. Charlotte wasn't thinking about much else, expect the heat of the moment.
Holding each other in moments of pleasure and passion, their time ended.
Charlotte smiled, while staring up at the ceiling.
Megan lit up a cigarette.
She was panting, smiling and speaking softly in Polish.
Turning to face her, Charlotte smiled;
"me too".
Megan placed her hand on the back of Charlotte's neck.
She said something else, before their lips met.
When the kiss ended, Charlotte whispered;
"it's so good".
"It…so…good". Megan repeated back to her.
Her lips twitched; Charlotte nodded;
"yeah".
Charlotte left Megan's house and made the walk back to the farm.
With a large grin on her face, her mind drifted into happier moments.
She truly felt like a new person, after spending the night with Megan.
Zell am See was sleeping.
But Charlotte practically skipped down the road, while soft rain fell onto her head.
Her boots gently tapped against the cobbled street. She walked by a few houses, until she turned up towards the small country path, which would lead her back to the farm. However, the sound of a short scream caused Charlotte to still.
It was a woman; she was sure of it.
She heard the scream again.
Charlotte's eyes moved towards a cluster of trees, where she was sure the scream was coming from. Holding up her rifle, she moved into the trees and searched for the scream. Charlotte soon heard a few distressed moans and the rustle of leaves and bushes.
Stepping towards a bush, she moved the branches and saw a sight she hadn't come across before. It made her feel sick to the stomach and the happy feeling was soon gone, replaced by dread and a huge amount of anger. Charlotte took the safety off her rifle;
"get off her". She demanded.
The guy was obviously drunk.
Because he laughed;
"m'caught". He slurred.
"Aye, you are". Charlotte hissed, "get the fuck off her, or I'll shoot you".
She was even more disturbed to see it was an American from the 506th, who was trying to rape this poor young woman. And when he didn't move, Charlotte grabbed a hold of his shoulder and pulled him off the frightened woman. The guy fell to the ground, with a thud.
With the drunk scum on the ground, Charlotte knelt in front of the woman.
"It's okay". She assured her calmly, "I'll walk you back home, we'll get you cleaned up".
The woman grabbed onto Charlotte's jacket, sobbing out words in a different language.
Charlotte did her best to calm the woman down.
She was well aware; her back was to the drunk guy.
But Charlotte figured he was too drunk to do anything.
However, she was very wrong.
Charlotte didn't hear the shot being fired out, not right away.
She didn't have much time to react, for seconds after that shot was fired, Charlotte felt a horrible burning pain in her back. She went down like a sack of potatoes, too shocked to react for the first few moments. Breathing quickly, her eyes looked up towards the dark and cloudy sky. Charlotte could only feel the shock. She didn't feel any pain, just the shock of it all. The woman started to scream again. Charlotte tried to reach out;
"s'okay". She mumbled, voice weak, "I'll get you…you help".
"HEY! DON'T MOVE!" Someone yelled.
Charlotte recognised that voice.
It belonged to Martin.
Blinking a few times, her lips parted;
"J-Johnny?"
Someone had tackled the drunk guy to the ground, she could hear hard punches hitting flesh. Blocking her view from the sky was Martin, her drinking buddy. He stared at her, trying to keep his eyes calm but Charlotte could see the worry in them;
"been shot". She choked out, "back".
"Okay". Martin's voice shook, "alright – we'll get you out of here. Huh? We'll get you help".
Charlotte nodded her head slightly.
"Bull!" Martin called for him, "help me move Lottie!"
She was shaking now;
"what's…what's going on?"
Shaking his head, Martin took her hand;
"nothing, pal". He told her softly, "we was just patrolling, huh?"
She gave a faint nod;
"aye…".
Martin's smile was small and brittle;
"need anything?"
"No". Charlotte said, "think…think I need a doctor".
"Yeah, that's alright". Martin said softly, "we're 'gonna get you a doctor".
Turning to his side, he then ordered;
"you two, get that piece of shit back to the farm!"
The two replacements from Martin's squad took away the drunken guys weapon and dragged him away. Martin didn't know any other way around it, expect to pick her up. And he carefully did, though, Charlotte didn't make any noise, indicating that she was in pain. Martin could feel the blood in his arms, coming from her back. And he felt sick. She was too young to die.
Bull was standing next to him;
"we've 'gotta be quick". He mumbled, "she's bleeding".
"I know". Martin said, with a tiny tremble. "I can feel it".
Charlotte moaned quietly;
"I feel woozy".
Martin looked down at her;
"it's alright, kid". He cooed, "you're 'gonna be fine".
They began jogging quickly down the path.
But Martin wasn't heading for the farmer, he was heading for HQ.
Their Battalion doctors lived there; it gave Charlotte a better chance of surviving the wound. The officers inside the hotel were already up, having just received the news of Grant, who had been shot in the head, by the same person who shot Charlotte. Martin and Bull stood in the main entrance;
"we need a doctor!" Martin yelled.
His yell reached the ears of Lipton first, who was only in the other room.
When he saw Charlotte, his eyes widened;
"oh, shit". He whispered. "Lay her down". He instructed them, "put her on the table – I'll get the doctor".
Martin entered one of the living areas.
Bull shoved all the plates and glasses off the table.
They crashed onto the ground.
Martin gently placed her on the table.
Giving her a tiny smile, he smoothed her hair off her forehead;
"okay, Lottie?"
"I 'dunno". She whispered.
Charlotte's face had turned a horrible shade of white.
She was trying to fight off the shock and not pass out from the blood loss.
But it was getting harder with every passing second.
Lipton arrived with a doctor.
As well as the doctor, Winters was running into the room.
He didn't mean to push Martin out of the way, but the man was extremely worried.
Charlotte could see that worry in his eyes.
And, as soon as she saw his face, her calm composure broke.
"I'm scared". She cried quietly.
"It's okay". Winters took her hand, "it's 'gonna be okay".
A tiny sob burst out from her;
"I'm scared". She cried again.
The doctor injected Charlotte with plasma, to stop her blood pressure from dropping low.
"Call the ambulance". The doctor ordered someone, "we need to move her now – she needs surgery".
Charlotte's heart picked up;
"sir?" She sounded truly terrified. "Sir – I don't 'wanna…I don't 'wanna-"
"I'm right here, Lottie". Winters assured her, "I'm not leaving you".
Charlotte grabbed his jacket sleeve;
"will I wake up?" She cried quietly, "what if…what if I don't?"
Martin felt a few tears roll down his face.
With a sniff, he wiped them away.
Winters placed his hand on her forehead;
"I'll be there when you wake up". He promised her, "I'll be right there, buddy".
Charlotte's throat went tight.
She could feel a horrible, sickening feeling in her stomach.
Coughing, she choked and gagged.
Carefully, Winters and the doctor rolled Charlotte onto her side, so she wouldn't choke on her own vomit. What came out from her mouth, gave the doctor a small amount of hope. She wasn't puking up blood. Meaning, the bullet hadn't cut into any organs. Charlotte wasn't bleeding internally.
Winters gave the top of her back a gentle rub;
"it's alright, trooper". He assured her.
The doctor gave the men around him a tiny nod;
"she's 'gonna be fine". He assured the men, "she's in shock but the plasma will start working soon".
Moments after she finished vomiting, Nixon entered the room.
His face dropped;
"Lottie?"
Looking over his shoulder, Winters sent him a tiny nod;
"doc say's she's 'gonna be fine".
"What happened?" He almost demanded.
Martin sniffed and cleared his throat;
"same guy got Lottie in the back".
Nixon's eyes hardened;
"did you find him?"
"We did". Bull replied, "piece of shit's back at the farm".
"You two head back". Winters ordered the two Sargent's, "Lottie's 'gonna be alright. But I need you both back at the farm".
Martin's eyes looked towards Charlotte.
Letting out a shaky breath, he told her;
"I'll see you soon, Lottie".
Charlotte spat out the bile from her mouth;
"m'kay". She mumbled.
When the two Sargent's left, Charlotte was rolled back onto her back.
"Can I have a tissue?" She asked, in a croaky voice.
"Of course, trooper". Winters eyes looked over at Lipton, "Lip?"
The 2nd Lieutenant blinked a few times and looked away from Charlotte;
"sir?" He asked quietly.
"Get Lottie a tissue".
The front door from the hotel suddenly burst open;
"hello?!" A voice called, "ambulance is here!"
"We're in here!" The doctor called back, "get the stretcher!"
Lipton handed Winters the tissue, who then wiped Charlotte's mouth, nose and eyes.
"Sir?" She whispered.
Winters took her hand again;
"yeah, Lottie?"
Her bottom lip trembled;
"can't feel my legs".
…
Charlotte was placed in the back of the ambulance with Winters by her side.
The Major had given orders for Nixon and Welsh to keep on top of things.
When the doors shut, Winters placed an oxygen mask over Charlotte's nose and mouth. She was instructed to breathe normally and try to "relax". Which was near impossible, when she started feeling the intense and burning pain in her lower back. Because she couldn't move her legs, or any part of her from the waist down, Charlotte's upper half squirmed from the pain.
"Try and stay still". Winters told her, "we don't want the bullet to move".
Charlotte's body stilled.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It hurts". She cried softly.
His frown deepened;
"I know, buddy". He mumbled, "you won't feel anything soon, alright? They're 'gonna get you some morphine to help with the pain".
Charlotte felt dizzy again.
And nauseous.
Closing her eyes, she tried to take in a few deep and calming breaths.
But her racing heart wouldn't allow that.
Charlotte placed her hand on Winters wrist, removing the oxygen mask from her face.
"I'm 'gonna be sick".
It was a fast and bumpy road to the hospital.
Charlotte managed to vomit everywhere.
Including on Winters lap.
Not that the Major minded and Charlotte was in too much pain to care.
Feeling lightheaded, Winters carefully lay her back down and placed the oxygen mask over her face again;
"nice and easy, trooper". He reminded her, "we're almost there".
Giving her head a tiny nod, Charlotte took deep breaths in threw the mask.
She felt her eyes slip shut a few times.
Winters would give her hand a squeeze;
"don't sleep yet, trooper". He told her softly, "it's not time".
"Not…not lights out?" She croaked weakly.
Feeling his eyes well-up with tears, Winters shook his head;
"not yet, Lottie".
"Sir?" She whispered.
Blinking back the tears, he looked back at her.
"Can we…get a dog?" Charlotte asked him weakly.
A small and brittle smile reached his lips;
"as many as you want". Winters whispered back.
When they reached the hospital, Charlotte was carried inside by the stretcher.
Winters still had a hold of that oxygen mask, with the tube of oxygen in the other hand.
And Charlotte was getting tired, too tired to notice all the loud noises of doctors and nurses rushing back and forth. Or their doctor calling out for a surgeon. Charlotte didn't even notice Speirs and Roe, who had arrived an hour before Charlotte. Grant required a brain surgeon. And Charlotte required a surgeon too.
Winters didn't have time to explain to Speirs what had happened.
He was too busy running down the corridor with Charlotte.
But soon, a doctor took the oxygen out from Winters hands;
"please". The German doctor told him, "we will operate now".
"Okay". Winters whispered, "look after her".
"Yes". He replied, "we will do our best".
The Major didn't like that answer.
Charlotte opened one eye to look at him.
"Sir?"
He leaned down;
"I'll see you soon, trooper". Winters told her quietly, "I'll wait for you".
Charlotte gave him a tiny nod;
"aye, sir". She whispered, "see you soon".
Winters gave her forehead a quick kiss;
"love you, Lottie".
Charlotte's eyes closed again;
"love you". She whispered.
She was carried away into an operating room.
Leaving Winters outside to worry.
Running a hand down his face, he let out a shaky sigh.
"Major Winters?"
Turning to the voice, Winters walked over to Speirs and Roe.
"They've found him". He told the Captain, "he's back at the farm".
"He got Sargent Gallagher too?" Speirs asked.
Winters nodded;
"he did". He whispered, "in the back".
Winters eyes moved into a room, where a few patients were left sleeping in their beds.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked Speirs;
"Grant?"
"He'll live". Speirs replied, "he's out of surgery".
Winters frowned;
"which room?"
Speirs nodded to the room where the sleeping patients were;
"in there". He told him, "it's 'gonna be a long recovery but Grant will pull through". Speirs then added, "as will Lottie. They're both too damn stubborn".
And while Charlotte was inside the operating theatre, Winters sat by Grant's bed.
And he prayed for both of them.