Chapter Sixteen
Miracle on the Front Line
December 25, 1944
Ardennes, Belgium
It had been six weeks since Miniko and her unit had held off the German attack at Hürtgen and secured Hill 493, since then they had pushed forward to the Ardennes Forest and were now digging in and preparing for what may be their hardest fight yet. "I know everyone's cold and tired, but we have to be ready. Now that we've pushed this far we should expect the Germans to push back, if and when they do they're gonna push back hard. We need to start setting up defensive positions and preparing for the the absolute worst. Any questions?" Miniko asked as she finished addressing her troops.
"No ma'am." A few soldiers replied.
"Alright then, dismissed!" Miniko yelled as she walked over to her squad.
"Mako I need you to do me a favor please." Miniko ordered Mako.
"Anything ma'am." Mako replied as she stood at attention.
"The krauts were nice enough to leave a bunch of their supplies behind when the pulled back, specifically a fully functional MG .42 and an ass load of ammo. I want you to take that .42 and set it up in that dugout over there." Miniko instructed as she pointed to what looked like a large crater with a small sandbag wall a few feet in front of her.
"You got it ma'am." Mako replied as she walked over to the large gun and hoisted it onto her shoulder like it was nothing.
"Here Mako, let me help." Ami said as she picked up several belts of .42 ammo and followed Mako to the small dugout.
"Any thing you'd like me to do ma'am?" Rei asked Miniko.
"It might seem kind of dumb, but since it's pretty quiet right now, I want you to grab an axe and come with me." Miniko requested as she led Rei towards a forest a few hundred feet away.
"What are we doing here Mina?" Rei asked as she looked at the large forest in front of her. She didn't say it, but the snow covered trees looked gorgeous to her the way they glistened in the afternoon light.
"I'm feeling festive Rei, and I want everyone who sees our dugout to know it." Miniko joyfully replied as she looked for a nice small sapling that would fit in their little nest.
"I like that idea, what about this one?" Rei asked as she pointed to a baby fir tree that even though small was very bushy and green.
"Perfect! Go ahead and chop her down!" Miniko exclaimed as she made a chopping motion with her hand.
"Gladly ma'am!" Rei excitedly replied as she repeatedly swung her axe at the base of the small tree.
"Nice work Rei! Now let's head back, Ami and Mako are gonna be so surprised! I can't wait to see their faces!" Miniko cheered as she picked up the small tree and began walking alongside Rei back to their dugout.
"We're back!" Miniko happily exclaimed with a big toothy grin.
"Welcome back ma'am." Ami joyfully replied as she curiously watched Rei who appeared to be hiding something behind her back.
"What are you hiding ma'am?" Mako asked in a happy and curious tone.
"We'll show you, but first you both have to close your eyes." Miniko instructed.
"Yes ma'am." Ami and Mako simultaneously replied as they each covered their eyes. Rei held the tree while Miniko dug a small hole in the corner of their dugout.
"Go ahead and drop it in Rei." Miniko quietly whispered into Reis ear.
"With pleasure ma'am." Rei whispered back as she carefully placed the small tree in the hole and filled it back up with dirt.
"You two ready?!" Miniko excitedly asked.
"Yes ma'am!" Ami yelled with joy.
"Then open your eyes!" Miniko yelled happily.
"Aagh!" Ami cheered with joy as she looked at the small tree in front of her.
"I love it! It's so cute! Look Mako, a Christmas tree! I love it! I love it! I love it!" Ami squealed with delight.
"WOW! It's so small and cute! Thank you so much, I love it!" Mako cheered with joy.
"Now if only we had some decorations." Miniko said with a slight sigh.
"I have an idea ma'am!" Ami yelled as she ran off to grab a few things.
"Where do you think she's off to in such a hurry?" Rei asked as she looked back and forth from Miniko to Mako.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Miniko answered with a smile.
"Ta da!" Ami exclaimed as she came back with two armfuls of what appeared to be junk.
"What the heck is all that?" Rei asked with a chuckle as she looked at the pile in front of her.
"I found some grenade pins, some shell casings from some cannons, some empty ammo belts from the MG's, and an empty ammo can!" Ami happily replied.
"Oh what the hell, get creative private." Rei said with a smile.
"Yippee! Come on Mako, help me decorate the tree!" Ami yelled as she began stringing the ammo belts over the tree like Christmas lights.
"I'd be happy to Ami." Mako replied as she grabbed an ammo belt and began draping it around the tree.
"What are you two waiting for, it's time to decorate!" Ami yelled as she continued stringing ammo belts.
"We're coming private." Miniko laughed as her and Rei began sticking the empty cannon casings over some of the branches and hanging grenade pins on others.
"Now for our makeshift star, who wants to do the honors?!" Ami excitedly asked.
"Why don't we all do it." Miniko answered as she and Rei each placed a hand on one corner of the ammo can.
"Sounds nice ma'am." Mako replied as her and Ami took hold of the two remaining corners of the can.
"On three, ready? One, two, three." Ami counted as they all lifted the ammo can and placed it on the top of the tree.
"We did it! We made a semi beautiful looking Christmas tree. Good job everyone." Miniko congratulated her team.
"Aww, thank you captain, thank you lieutenant. You're the best superiors ever." Ami said as she hugged Rei and Miniko.
"You're welcome private, but you better not be going all soft now because it's Christmas." Rei joked as she patted Ami on her helmet.
"Definitely not ma'am, at least not anymore than usual." Ami replied with a laugh.
"That's okay, it's that soft warm heart of yours that makes you so likable." Miniko said as she hugged Ami.
"Aww, thanks ma'am." Ami replied with a smile as she hugged Miniko back.
"Alright, that's enough hogging my girlfriend." Rei ordered as she took Miniko and pulled her into her arms.
"Yeah Ami, you wont share me so I'm not sharing you." Mako said as she pulled Ami into a hug.
"You know I'd never leave you Mako." Ami replied with a smile as she rested her head on Makos chest.
"I'd never leave you either Ami." Mako happily said as she lightly swayed Ami and herself back and forth in a light dance under the setting sun.
"Those two are so cute together." Miniko said as she rested her head on Reis shoulder.
"They sure are. But you're cuter." Rei quietly replied as she began to copy Ami and Mako as she lightly swayed with Miniko in her arms.
"I love you Rei." Miniko quietly said as her and Rei continued their dance like sway.
"I love you too Mina." Rei quietly replied.
"We should probably go to sleep soon, or Santa might not come." Miniko joked.
"Yes ma'am." Rei replied with a smile. Mako decided to take first watch and looked out over the empty snow covered fields around her.
'It may be cold, but at least it's nice and quiet.' Mako thought to herself as she looked up at the full moon and star covered sky. "Merry Christmas mama, merry Christmas papa." Mako quietly said as she continued to look towards the sky, the moon hung in the center of the sky indicating that it was about midnight, which meant it was officially Christmas. An hour passed and Ami gently stirred in her sleep as she slowly began waking up.
"Hey Mako." Ami groggily said as she rubbed her eyes.
"Hey Ami, you sleep well?" Mako asked with a smile.
"Yeah, now it's your turn." Ami answered as she crawled over by Mako.
"Thanks Ami. Merry Christmas by the way." Mako said as placed a light kiss on Amis helmet and switched places with her.
"Merry Christmas Mako." Ami quietly replied. After about two hours it was Reis turn to start waking up.
"Hey Ami, what time is it?" Rei groggily asked as she lightly stretched.
"About three a.m. judging by the moon ma'am." Ami replied a bit tired like.
"That means it's officially Christmas, and I've got a gift for you." Rei said with a smile.
"Really ma'am? I'd like to accept but I feel a bit guilty since I don't have anything for any of you guys." Ami replied with a little sadness.
"Don't worry Ami, it's nothing to big. I promise." Rei said with a smile.
"Alright ma'am, I guess I can accept whatever it is if it makes you happy ma'am." Ami replied as she looked at Rei.
"Good, because I know you're going to love it." Rei quietly said.
"What is it ma'am?" Ami asked, slightly more intrigued.
"You get to go back to sleep!" Rei quietly exclaimed.
"Alright! Best gift ever, thank you ma'am." Ami quietly replied as she gave Rei a hug and curled up next to Mako. Rei couldn't help but smile as she watched Ami curl up next to Mako. Ami had a small smile on her face as she cuddled with her girlfriend in her sleep.
'Those two look so happy together, I can't imagine what might happen to one of them should something bad happen to the other.' Rei glumly thought to herself as she looked over to Miniko. 'I remember how scary it was when one of us thought we might loose the other. I couldn't live without that perky blonde in my life.' Rei thought to herself as she gently brushed a piece of Minikos hair out of the sleeping girls eye, receiving a content smile in return.
"Rei." Miniko quietly said in her sleep. About two more hours went by and it was Minikos turn to take over as the look out. "Hey Rei." Miniko quietly said as she crawled up behind Rei and draped her arms over her girlfriends shoulders.
"Hey Mina, you sleep well?" Rei quietly asked as she leaned back into Minikos arms.
"Like a rock." Miniko quietly laughed. "How about I take over and you get some sleep." Miniko said as she gently pulled Rei into her lap.
"I could, but it's just so comfy here, I don't really wanna move." Rei quietly replied as she gently curled her fingers around Minikos hands.
"When we get home, you can sit like this as long as you want, but for now, it's time for you to get some sleep and for me to do some field gazing." Miniko quietly replied as she laid Rei down next to Ami. "Good night Rei, merry Christmas." Miniko said as she gave Rei a kiss on the head and crawled over to the machine gun.
"Merry Christmas Mina." Rei quietly replied as she fell asleep. Two hours passed and everyone was loudly awoken by Minikos screams.
"Wake up! Wake up! Kraut infantry coming this way, and they've got fucking tanks!" Miniko screamed as she pulled back the slide on her machine gun and began cutting down the approaching Germans with a rain of .50 caliber rounds.
"Shit! They're setting up mortars, take them out!" Rei yelled as she began shooting at the enemy soldiers.
"They're so far away, I don't know if we can hit them with our Thompson's ma'am!" Mako yelled at Rei.
"Don't worry, I'm on it!" Ami yelled, as she quickly adjusted the sights on her Garand and began picking off the German mortar crews before they could even get set up.
"Good shooting private, keep it up!" Rei yelled as she shot at some of the other soldiers.
"What the hell are we gonna do about the tanks?!" Miniko yelled.
"There! That krauts got a panzerschreck, we'll use their own weapons against them!" Mako yelled as she began to climb out of their nest.
"Are you insane! You'll get yourself killed if you go to get that launcher!" Rei yelled back.
"If I don't then we're all gonna be killed, regardless of wether we stay here or not!" Mako yelled back as she climbed out of the nest and ran towards the launcher. She grabbed the launcher and rolled into a large crater. "Merry Christmas fritz!" Mako yelled as she squeezed the trigger and the rocket soared towards the fuel can on the rear of the tank. 'BOOM!' The fuel can exploded with a terrifying amount of force, enough to send Mako flying like rag doll several feet across the battlefield. "Agh!" She yelled in pain as a pice of shrapnel pierced her coat and she slammed into a large rock.
"Mako!" Ami screamed as she ran to Makos side. "Mako! Mako, please say something! Wake up Mako!" Ami screamed as she shook Mako back and forth. "MAKO!" Ami screamed and cried as she held Makos limp body in her arms.
"Hold on Ami!" Rei yelled as she started to run over to Ami, but she was quickly stopped when Miniko grabbed her hand.
"Stop Rei, there's nothing we can do for either of them. It may not even be safe to be around Ami right now." Miniko said as she began to cry.
"How could you say that, she's..." Rei stopped talking when she caught sight of a surviving German soldier, and she would never forget what happened next for the rest of her life. Ami slowly turned her head towards the soldier as he crawled across the snow.
"YOU BASTARD!" Ami screamed as she menacingly approached the German soldier and slammed her foot down on top of his head. "She was everything to me, and you took her away! She was the only love I ever knew and you killed her!" Ami screamed as she repeatedly kicked the soldier in his ribs. "You! You don't deserve to live!" Ami yelled as she gave the soldier another hard kick to his ribs. "You don't deserve to die quick!" Ami yelled as she placed another hard kick in the center of the soldiers chest. Finally, Ami slowly pulled out her knife and neither Rei nor Miniko wanted to watch what was about to happen, but they couldn't look away either. They were frozen in fear as they watched the sweet medic they'd come to love do something that could only be described as sadistic. "You took everything from me, and now I'll take everything from you!" Ami yelled as she drove her knife into the soldiers thigh and cut down the length of his leg. The soldier screamed in agony as blood poured from his severed artery.
"I'm sorry Minna, but I can't watch this anymore." Rei said as she drew her pistol, walked up to the German soldier, and shot him in the head; instantly killing him.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Ami screamed as she turned towards Rei, the knife still in her hand.
"I'm sorry Ami, but I couldn't let you do this anymore!" Rei yelled back.
"NO! He had to suffer for what he did!" Ami screamed, tears of rage and sorrow filled her eyes.
"This isn't right Ami! She wouldn't have wanted you to act like this!" Rei yelled back. Ami became silent as Reis words hit her like a train.
"Oh god Rei! You're right! What have I done! Mako, I'm so sorry." Ami cried, as she collapsed to the ground and continued to cry as she crawled over to Makos body. "Mako, I would do or give anything to have you back." Ami cried as she laid her head on Makos chest.
"Where am I?" Mako groggily asked as she slowly opened her eyes. "Hello!" Mako yelled as she looked around, but there was nothing but a dark inky blackness in every direction. "Ami?! Rei?! Minna?!" Mako continued to yell as she looked around the dark place she was in, until a small white dot caught her attention. "What in the world?" She asked herself as she slowly approached the dot. As she got closer the dot began to glow brighter and grow larger with each step she took, she carefully reached out to touch it until she heard a voice that made her stop dead.
"Stop! Stop!" A mans voice shouted.
"It. It can't be." Mako quietly said as she looked around the dark place she was in, only to find no one was there.
"Stay away from the light Mako!" The man yelled at her.
"Papa! Papa, I hear you! Where are you?!" Mako yelled into the darkness.
"Listen to your father Mako! You can't give up, she needs you! They all need you! Now go back, go back baby!" A woman's voice yelled at her.
"Mama! Mama don't go!" Mako yelled back.
"We'll always be with you Mako, but she needs you! You can't leave her Mako, it's not your time. Now go, go before it's too late!" Her mothers voice yelled to her.
"Mama! Mama wait!" Mako yelled as she was consumed by a bright white light. "Mama!" Mako screamed as she quickly sat up and frantically looked around.
"Mako? Mako!" Ami cried as she threw herself into Makos arms. "I thought I lost you Mako!" Ami cried into Makos chest as she clung to her with every ounce of strength she had.
"Where's mama, and papa?! Mama! Papa!" Mako yelled as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
"Shh. It's okay Mako, it's okay." Miniko cooed as her and Rei held both Mako and Ami in a gentle hug.
"No it's not! I don't know what happened, or where I am, or where mama and papa went! I could hear them, and now I can't!" Mako loudly screamed as she to cried into Reis shoulder.
"It sounds like your parents wanted you to keep living Mako, so they sent you back here to us. Back to Ami." Rei quietly said trying to soothe Makos shattered heart.
"I'm so glad you're back Mako! I couldn't live without you. I wouldn't want to." Ami quietly said as she nuzzled her head against Makos chest.
"I'm so sorry I left you Ami, I'll never leave you again." Mako quietly replied as they all sat in the snow holding each other.
"Merry Christmas Ami." Mako quietly said as she held Ami and lightly stroked her hair.
"Merry Christmas Mako." Ami quietly replied as she continued to rest her head on Makos chest.
"It's a Christmas miracle." Rei said as she rested her head on Minikos shoulder.
"Yes it is Rei, it's a true Christmas Miracle." Miniko quietly replied as she pulled Rei closer to her.
(Authors Note: This chapter takes place during a battle that came to be known as The Battle of the Bulge, and contrary to the happy ending, The Battle of the Bulge was a horrific battle that lasted from December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945. By the end of the battle there was a total of approximately 138,00 casualties between the three participating nations. The Germans had the largest number of casualties at about 74,000 followed by the American forces with the second largest casualty count at about 62,000 and the British forces loosing approximately 2,000 soldiers. For the soldiers fortunate enough to survive, the memories of that battle would haunt them for the rest of their lives. If you'd like to learn more about the Battle of the Bulge here's a link to where I got this information.
https/worldhistory2battleofthebulge./results-and-significance.html.)