Combat! is owned by ABC TV. This story is meant only for the enjoyment of Combat! fans, with no intention to infringe on any copyrights, and no monetary compensation has been received.
Hopefully you are enjoying the reacquaintance of two friends as much as they are. You may want to reread the first part to keep the continuity. Please feel free to leave a review when you're finished. Your thoughts help keep me writing, and often give me new ideas.
Enjoy part two.
AULD LANG SYNE
Part 2
CHAPTER 13
In spite of the cold, Saunders found himself dozing off. At one point, he woke to find himself curled up in the dirt, shivering. He sat up and rubbed his arms to warm them. Hitting his wounded bicep, he gasped and, with eyes closed, he rocked and held his arm until the pain subsided. Don't do that again, Saunders, he thought.
The NCO fumbled in his pocket for his lighter. He flicked it on and checked his watch. 0340 hours. Long way to go before the sun came up to hopefully warm them again. Shivers were flowing in waves down his spine.
Holding the lighter off to his side, he checked on Hanley. The officer was asleep, but occasional shudders were going through him as well. Even with the extra jacket, he was obviously still cold. Saunders couldn't do much about him lying on the cold ground.
The sergeant slid closer so that his leg and hip were up against the lieutenant. Leaning across the man's body, he laid his arm next to the other side of the sleeping man, trying to give him a little extra warmth.
The NCO slid the lighter back into his pocket, blew on his free hand and rubbed it on his thigh. His head, shoulder, arm and ankle were all throbbing. How he wished he had a few aspirin. And a cigarette.
But Saunders had long ago trained himself to sleep under just about any conditions. He closed his eyes and drifted off.
CHAPTER 14
Hanley grunted, and Saunders' eyes flew open. The sergeant found himself draped across the lieutenant's stomach, having slid down from resting on his elbow as he tried to keep the man warm.
He pushed himself upright as Hanley said, "The warmth was welcome, Saunders. But you were getting pretty heavy."
Saunders yawned and looked around. "Sorry."
He yawned again and looked at his watch. He realized that he could see it. 0720 hours. A new day. Hopefully it was coming with good news for both of them. He didn't think that they'd survive another night in the cold with no food or water.
"How're you feeling?" the NCO asked the lieutenant as he stood up and stretched. He winced in pain and looked at his arm. There didn't appear to be any fresh blood.
"Still pretty cold…and hungry…and thirsty," the lieutenant replied.
Saunders could see an occasional shudder as he watched the officer. He could feel that the temperature was beginning to rise a bit, but it didn't feel like much. He could still just see his breath.
They probably wouldn't starve to death, but he was growing concerned about hypothermia. There wasn't much more that he could do for his friend to keep him warm.
Suddenly he froze and swung his head toward an opening above. Gunfire. He stooped down and scooped up his Thompson, and half limped, half hopped over to stand directly under the opening, with Thompson at the ready. It was definitely gunfire.
CHAPTER 15
The lieutenant had heard it too. He twisted as best he could to follow the NCO's movements. They both knew that their lives could very well depend on who won the fight going on up in the streets. And they'd have no idea who was the victor until someone showed their face up above.
They would either eventually hear someone from their platoon calling out to them…or they'd starve or freeze to death waiting for help that never came. Or it could all end for the two of them when a kraut tossed down a grenade.
Both men instinctively remained totally silent and still as they listened to the firefight above them. Occasional streams of dirt and small pieces of debris rained down with the vibrations from the grenades and mortars.
As the fighting continued, Saunders slowly backed away from the opening above him and limped back to Hanley's side. He lowered himself carefully down, keeping the Thompson across his lap.
"Can you tell who's winning?" the lieutenant whispered, even though they both knew that no one could possibly hear them through all of the noise above.
Saunders shook his head. "Sounds pretty equal right now." He reached out and tucked the field jacket tighter around Hanley's sides. His hand automatically went to his pocket for cigarettes. He stopped. His thumb began to nervously tap the cold metal of the Thompson as they waited and watched the hole above them.
CHAPTER 16
Hours passed, and still they silently waited. Hanley's eyes had been closed for awhile, and Saunders realized that at some point the man had fallen asleep in the middle of the fighting. The sergeant knew that the soldiers fighting above them would be sweating from the exertion, adrenalin and fear. But below in the dark cellar, it was still very cold.
Saunders had been shivering on and off since he took his icy cold shower what seemed like a million years ago. It wasn't that the two of them would actually freeze to death. It wasn't that cold. Slipping away quietly from hypothermia, however, was a very real possibility. The constantly lower temperatures were sapping him of strength.
Between the cold and the boredom, he could feel himself wanting to nod off again. Fortunately, the hunger and thirst were helping to keep him awake. He needed to just wait…and stay awake.
He gave a short laugh. The Army's mantra: Hurry up and wait.
"What?" Hanley asked, looking up at him, yawning.
Saunders shook his head. "How're you doing?"
"Bored," the lieutenant replied. "And cold…and hungry…and thirsty."
The sergeant laughed again. Then he stopped mid laugh, listening. Knowing that the soldier had heard something, Hanley instinctively went silent and waited. Saunders was now staring at the hole above them.
"Hear it?" the NCO whispered.
Hanley listened. It was quiet. And then a short burst of gunfire was followed by more silence.
"It's getting more sporadic," Hanley replied. "Someone's winning. Can you tell who?"
Saunders pulled himself up and hopped back to the hole, Thompson in hand. His ankle didn't seem to be getting any better, he thought. Maybe he should have taken off his boot.
He stood directly under the hole and cocked his ear upward. Listening intently for several moments, he finally turned back towards Hanley.
Limping closer, he smiled. "We are."
CHAPTER 17
Leaning heavily on his Thompson, he slowly sat down again. "The gunfire is pretty much all ours now. Looks like K Company is finally catching up to us."
He wiped some of the grime from his face and scratched his beard. "As soon as they finish clearing the town, they'll start looking for us."
"You mean you, Saunders. They'll be looking for you," Hanley said, staring at the debris overhead.
Saunders caught his meaning. "Don't underestimate yourself and your worth. The men like and respect you. They'll be searching for both of us."
The NCO looked up at the ceiling of debris as well. "They'll find us. I'm sure. This is probably the first place they'll look, since it's the last place they saw us."
He shifted his injured leg. "Question is, can they get us out?"
More time drifted by as they waited patiently in the chill air. Saunders was growing even more worried about Hanley. Conversations were shorter, and he seemed weaker and confused sometimes.
And he continued to shiver periodically, even with the extra field jacket. Saunders watched him, quietly observing his breathing.
Suddenly the NCO's head jerked up with a start. He realized that he'd fallen asleep himself. He pulled himself up slowly, and began to limp around, now worrying about his own body temperature. He was shivering, and felt that he could easily curl up on the dirt floor and sleep.
But he knew that he needed to stay awake and keep moving. If someone called out to them, and they missed it, there probably would be no second chances.
Pacing was painful on his ankle, but the pain also helped to keep him awake. He felt his swollen cheek. It was extremely painful to the touch. Probably had a real shiner, he thought. Nothing seemed to be broken, however, and he could still see out of his eye. So it was soon forgotten.
He stopped pacing in mid stride and looked up. Voices. Men talking…and they were coming closer.
Then came a faint but familiar and welcome sound. "Sarge?"
CHAPTER 18
Quickly hopping under the biggest opening, Saunders called out, "Brockmeyer? Over here, Brock!"
He was rewarded with a shout, "Hey, guys! I found him!" And then, "You alone, Sarge? We can't find the Lieutenant."
The NCO shouted, "Han…" He stopped. "The Lieutenant's with me. He's pinned under some rubble. Is Doc there?"
"Wait one," Brockmeyer called down to him.
Saunders stopped him. "Brock?"
The private looked back down. "Yeah, Sarge?"
"How's your ankle, Brock?" the sergeant called up to him.
Brockmeyer was silent for a few moments. "Uh, it's ok, Sarge. Hardly hurts at all now. Thanks. Let me go get Doc."
As he waited, he heard Hanley chuckling. "What?" he asked, looking over at the prone lieutenant.
"Mother hen," Hanley chuckled again.
Saunders was about to reply when he heard the medic, "Sarge? You two ok?"
"Lieutenant Hanley's pinned under some debris. I think he might be hypothermic. Can you get a blanket down to us?" the NCO shouted.
"I've got my bedroll," the medic replied. "Wait a minute."
When he returned, the blanket slid through the opening, and the sergeant reached up to grab it.
"Is he awake?" Doc asked. "Try to keep him awake until we can get you both out of there. The others are working on it right now."
"Thanks," Saunders responded, and limped back to kneel next to his lieutenant. The officer's eyes were closed again.
"Hanley," the sergeant said, shaking the man's shoulder. "Hanley?"
Sleepy eyes slowly opened and looked up at him. "Where are we?" Hanley asked in a confused tone.
"We're stuck in a cellar, remember? The squad's found us. We'll be out soon." Saunders talked as he draped the blanket over the prone man, tucking it tightly around his neck, shoulders and chest.
"Hey, Sarge?" came Kirby's voice.
Saunders struggled to his feet again. Each time was becoming more and more a chore. He laid his Thompson down next to Hanley. He wouldn't need it, and it was growing very heavy. He stood under the opening, and looked up to see Kirby's face peering over the edge.
"How ya doing? How's the Lieutenant? We knew you two would be ok if you were together." Looking closer into the dim cellar, Kirby added, "Man, you're face is a mess!"
"We're ok, but we'll be a lot better when we get out of here," Saunders answered. "Did we have any casualties? Did everyone make it out?"
"Couple of guys got hit with some small stuff when they were heading out of town," Kirby replied. "Flying junk. Nothing serious. Everyone got out. Little while after that, K Company caught up to us. Just in time, too."
The relief was obvious on the sergeant's face. "What's your plan?" he asked.
"Littlejohn and Billy commandeered a supply truck that just came into town. They're backing it up to this building right now. We've all looked at this pile here, and we think we can get you free. Right above you is a big chunk of the roof. But it's still in one piece. Gonna hook some chains to it and pull it off. Looks like it'll stay together, but you just gotta get as far against the back wall as you can, in case pieces fall off.
Saunders replied, "The Lieutenant's pinned under the rubble in the middle of the cellar. We're just going to have to take our chances. Let me know when you're going to do it, so we can get prepared."
"K," the BAR man answered. "I'll give you a shout when Caje say's they're ready."
The NCO made his way back to his lieutenant and knelt down next to him. "Hanley?"
The officer opened his eyes. The sergeant smiled. As he talked, he tucked the blanket tightly around the man, leaving extra folds up by his neck.
"We're about to get some sunshine, Hanley. But there might be a little dust and dirt coming down, so I'm just going to give you a little extra protection."
Saunders reached across the officer and stayed on his hands and knees, with Hanley under his chest. "Any minute now and we'll have some warm sunshine and fresh air."
"No, Saunders. I know what you're doing. It's too dangerous. Get against the wall. It'll be safer for you," Hanley said, looking up at him. He struggled to pull his arms out from under the blanket, but he was wrapped too tightly to free his arms.
"You did this on purpose, Saunders. Get against the wall!"
"We're all hooked up and good to go, Sarge!" Kirby yelled.
"We're ready!" the NCO shouted in return.
"Get over to the wall, Saunders!" the lieutenant called out.
"Shut up, Hanley. Close your eyes and your mouth or you'll be eating dirt!" Saunders replied. He pulled the extra folds of Hanley's blanket up over the soldier's face as the roof groaned, the skies opened up and the heavens fell in.
CHAPTER 19
The roof above gave a loud screech, and slowly began to move. Bits of wood and metal rained down on the two soldiers, covering them both in dust and debris in spite of Saunders' efforts. A short length of metal pipe struck him on his injured shoulder. As he shouted out, his arm collapsed, and he fell onto his elbows. Leaning forward, his hands instinctively went to protect his head and neck as dirt and dust billowed up out of the cellar.
The noise and flying debris slowed and finally stopped. Coughing, Saunders leaned down to rest his forehead in the dirt.
"Hanley?" he managed to get out through the dust swirling around them. He slowly sat back on his heels and pulled the dirt covered blanket off of his friend's face. "You ok?"
Spitting dirt, Hanley replied, "Saunders, one of these days you're going to get killed doing stuff like that!"
The NCO ran a dirty hand through his debris covered hair. "Hope not."
Squinting up into the sunshine that was filtering through the dust, Hanley said, "Thanks. Sun feels good already." He coughed a few times then added, "I should have made that an order."
Saunders smiled. "What happened to us being friends down here, just like old times? You would have pulled rank on me, Hanley?"
Hanley smiled and shook his head.
The sergeant slowly pulled himself up. He looked at the remaining rubble overhead. Some of it was teetering precariously around the edges of the now much larger hole.
"We're not out of this yet," he remarked, still looking up.
An anxious voice from above made him squint to try to see a face. "Sarge? Lieutenant? You two ok?"
It was Doc, but he couldn't see him. "Yeah, Doc. We're ok so far. What's happening?"
"We don't dare get any closer to the opening or the rest of it might collapse," the medic answered. "Caje and Kirby are getting ropes that we can throw down to you."
"We still have to get the Lieutenant out," the sergeant responded.
"Got some ropes, Sarge," Caje called out. "We attached them to the truck. If you get them secured around the debris, we can pull it off of him. You just need to guide us."
The two ropes came unfurling down, and Saunders grabbed both of them and pulled them towards the Lieutenant. He placed a board on one to hold it in place, then went to tie the other one around the section of planks that was pinning Hanley down.
The NCO looked at Hanley and followed the rope lines up and out of the hole. "Kirby, you said the ropes are attached to the truck already?" He tugged on the rope, pulling it taught.
Kirby replied, "Yeah, Sarge. Nice and tight. Ready to go."
The sergeant looked down at Hanley again. He looked at the rope in his hands and yelled, "We got a problem."
CHAPTER 20
"What's wrong?" Caje asked.
Saunders limped back to the spot where the ropes came into the opening and looked back to where Hanley was lying.
"The angle is wrong. If we pull from this direction, the slab will be dragged over the Lieutenant's head and kill him. Can you move the truck to the opposite side?"
"No," Caje responded. "Too much rubble everywhere. This was the best we could do."
"Then we can't use the truck," Saunders said flatly, still looking at Hanley.
"What do you want us to do, Sarge? It's your call," Caje replied.
The sergeant looked back and forth from up the ropes and the opening to the prone officer. "How many men do you have up there?"
"Me, Kirby, Doc, Brockmeyer, Billy and Littlejohn…six of us. If you want more, it'll take a little time. Everyone's setting up our billet outside of town in the fields."
The NCO looked at Hanley, still tucked under the blanket. "I think we need to do this now. Bring the ropes around to the opposite side of the opening. That will pull the slab away from the Lieutenant. Both ropes. Put three of you on each rope. I'll get it ready down here."
"You got it, Sarge," Kirby called down. "Just give us a few minutes."
Saunders limped back to Hanley and began to tie the ropes around the wooden slab. The lieutenant watched him as he occasionally grunted in pain from his shoulder, arm or ankle while he worked. When he finished, the sergeant pulled on the ropes to test the knots, even though he knew they were good.
He yelled out, "Let me know when you're ready up there."
"We're good to go, Sarge," came the reply.
Saunders checked the knots one more time, then looked at the new positioning of the ropes as they disappeared over the edge of the opening above. He calculated the angle and decided that it would work.
"Ok, pull!" he yelled, stepping back out of the way. He reached down quickly to remove Hanley's blanket and the extra field jacket.
"Get ready, Hanley. As soon as you feel your legs coming free, let me know. I'll help pull you out."
The ropes became taught as the men above began to pull. "Slow and easy!" Saunders yelled.
The wooden slab moved upwards slightly. The lieutenant got up on his elbows and began to work his legs free.
Saunders reached down to help him. "You free?"
The officer shook his head. "My foot's still stuck. It needs to go higher."
CHAPTER 21
"It needs to go higher!" Saunders yelled up to the men.
"We're trying!" came the strained reply.
Seeing the slab wavering in place, the sergeant quickly stepped over the officer, straddling him with his back to the slab. Stooping down, he firmly planted his feet on either side of the prone man, and slipped his shoulders under the edge.
Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he heaved upwards with everything he had. He yelled in pain as his shoulder, arm and ankle all rebelled.
Hanley pulled and twisted his foot until it finally came free. Seeing both of the lieutenant's feet, the sergeant released his shoulders and quickly stepped away from the slab. It dropped slightly behind him as he grabbed Hanley's arm and pulled him out farther.
Dropping to his knees, he took a few deep breaths and called out, "He's out. Drop it!"
Instantly the wooden slab crashed back down, with dust and debris billowing out from beneath it.
"If you tie the ropes around you, we'll pull you both up," Caje yelled down to them. "The Lieutenant ok?"
Hanley waved as he wiggled his foot. "He's good. Give us a minute," Saunders answered as he slowly stood up. He bent over with his hands on his knees, eyes closed, trying to catch his breath and wait for the pain to subside.
When the sergeant reached up to hold his injured shoulder, Hanley could see that fresh blood was soaking Saunders' arm. In a concerned tone, he asked, "How's the shoulder and arm?"
Trying to keep the pain out of his voice, the NCO replied, "They're ok."
He stood upright and limped to the slab and began to untie the two ropes.
"You're a lousy liar, Saunders," Hanley called after him.
Untying the first rope, the NCO limped back to the lieutenant. "That's one of my biggest faults, Hanley. Can you stand up?"
When the officer sat forward and held up an arm, Saunders braced himself, took hold, and pulled him up. As the lieutenant started to slide back down, the NCO grabbed under his arm, holding him upright.
"Too much time spent hitting the bars, Hanley," Saunders laughed while he guided the officer over to sit on the slab.
As he sat down, Hanley shook his head. "Not enough time. At least I'm not cold anymore."
Wrapping the rope around the officer's chest, Saunders looked up at the sunshine flooding through the large opening above. "Looks like the cold spell finally broke." He tied off the rope and pulled on the knot.
"Let's get you so you're right under the men and the opening. Otherwise they'll be dragging you face first through the dirt and rubble."
The NCO pulled the officer up again and put one of the man's arms around his own shoulder and winced.
Making their way slowly to the opening, Hanley noted, "The shoulder hurts."
"Told you, Hanley," Saunders said through gritted teeth. "It's fine."
"Still a lousy liar, Saunders," his friend replied.
The sergeant looked up and answered, "I'll work on it." Then he yelled, "We're ready. You can bring the Lieutenant up. Slow and easy."
As the rope tightened, and the lieutenant lifted up from the rubble, Saunders clapped him on the shoulder.
"Have a nice trip, Hanley. Been really good talking to you."
CHAPTER 22
Saunders watched until the men had pulled Hanley up over the edge, and then he half limped, half hopped to untie the second rope from the slab of wood. Once it was free, the NCO sat down, leaning forward in total exhaustion. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. Everything was aching. But at least Hanley was safe. They'd made it through.
He looked over at the stiff arm of Corporal Porter, still reaching skyward. One didn't make it, he thought grimly. Saunders pushed himself off of the slab and scooped up his Thompson. Slinging it over his good shoulder, he limped slowly over to the rubble covered body, dragging the rope as he went.
"You ready to come up, Sarge?" Kirby called down from above.
"Wait one," the NCO yelled back wearily. He began to pull rocks and wood from the pile until he uncovered Porter's shoulder. Reaching between the debris, Saunders pulled out the soldier's dog tags. He removed one and tucked it into his shirt pocket. He thought about going back for his field jacket, but decided it just wasn't worth the effort.
The NCO started to wrap the rope around his chest, but realized that once they began to pull him up, his shoulder would be in absolute agony. He didn't know how much more that his shoulder could take.
Instead, he made a loop at the end, and went to stand under the opening. Slipping his good foot into the loop, he caught the heel of his boot on the rope. Then he wrapped his good arm around the rope and hung on tightly.
Adjusting the sling of the Thompson over his shoulder, he yelled, "Ok! Take it up!"
CHAPTER 23
Saunders blinked in the bright sunshine as Kirby and Caje leaned forward to pull him to a more stable spot, while Littlejohn and Billy kept hold of the rope. He gasped and grimaced when Caje pulled on his injured shoulder.
"Sorry, Sarge," the Cajun apologized.
"It's ok. I'm out. Thanks," he replied.
The NCO closed his eyes for a brief moment, relishing the sun on his face. He couldn't remember the last time he was this warm. The sheer joy of being warm again made him almost forget about how hungry and thirsty he was. And about the pain. The longer he was a soldier, the more he was aware of how the simplest things in life could bring the most pleasure.
Slipping his foot from the loop in the rope, he laid down on the rubble to rest his tired body, and absorb more warmth. The soldiers stood around him, waiting quietly.
Looking up at his men, the NCO saw Brockmeyer.
"You sure your ankle's ok, Brock?"
"Me? Sarge…" Brockmeyer replied incredulously, staring at his sergeant's appearance.
"Well?" Saunders asked.
The soldier looked at the rest of the men and finally answered, "Yeah. Like I said…" he wiggled his foot. "Better."
"How's the Lieutenant?" the sergeant asked, looking around.
"He'll be ok," Doc replied, as he approached the men and knelt down next to his sergeant, opening his med kit.
"I'm fine, Doc. Take care of Lieutenant Hanley," Saunders said, trying to wave the medic off.
"The Lieutenant said you'd say that. Sorry, Sarge. Orders. Besides, you're definitely not fine. Let me clean you up a bit, check your eye and cheek. And that cut over your eye. Get some sulfa and a new bandage on that arm. The Lieutenant also said something about your ankle."
The NCO was about to object again when the medic interrupted him. "Orders. Let's get that boot off."
Saunders held up his hand. "How about we wait til we get off this shaky pile of rubble? Not looking forward to it collapsing and me having to do this all over again. Don't think I'll be so lucky the second time."
Littlejohn and Billy reached down to help their sergeant up.
CHAPTER 24
Hanley came from his tent into the warm sunshine. Definitely a good day. As he began to walk through their billet, he headed toward the makeshift shower that had been set up the day before. Catching sight of the blond hair, he veered over to the sergeant rinsing the soap from his hair.
As he drew closer, the lieutenant stopped. The NCO was only visible from the chest up and the calves down. And Hanley couldn't believe how painful it was to see his friend, even with the sergeant facing away from him.
The dark stitches in his bicep were like mean slashes in his fair skin. His entire shoulder was one large, ugly bruise of deep purple and blue, fading around the edges to a hideous green. His ankle looked just as bad, distorted by the swelling.
Just as Hanley started to say something, the sergeant stopped and grabbed the top edge of the wooden stall. The soldier hunched his shoulders and bowed his head under the water, lifting his injured leg off of the grass to rest it. He stayed that way for a short while until he finally flexed his shoulder and returned to rinsing his hair.
"Saunders," the Lieutenant called out to get the man's attention.
The NCO, still running both hands through his hair, turned. "Yes, Lieutenant?"
A deep ache tore at Hanley's gut when he saw the raw gash over the man's eye, and the swollen, bruised cheek and eye that rivaled his injured ankle.
Hanley didn't bother asking how he felt. He knew the answer would just be 'fine.'
"I thought Doc wrapped your ankle?" the officer asked instead. "And what about that?" he added, pointing to the man's forehead.
Saunders turned off the water and grabbed his towel. Drying his hair, he answered, "Doc said my forehead will probably do better uncovered. Just need to keep it clean. And he did wrap my ankle, but I figured it would only come off in the shower, so I took it off. I'll fix it up again later. How're your legs and back, Lieutenant?"
"They're doing ok," Hanley replied. "A lot of bruises, but that's about it."
The sergeant wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower, favoring his injured ankle. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"
Hanley looked around to be sure there was no one within earshot of the two of them. "I wanted to thank you. And…well…it may sound strange, but in spite of it all, I enjoyed having a chance to have my friend back for awhile, even under those circumstances."
The two seasoned soldiers looked at each other for a long moment in silence.
Then Saunders replied with a faint smile, "Me too, Hanley. But I can't say I'd want to go through it all again. Next time we want to catch up or talk about old times, how about we just grab some beers and go sit in the middle of a nice open field…somewhere with nothing but blue sky and sunshine over our heads."
Hanley laughed and was about to answer when a corporal interrupted from behind them. "Lieutenant? Captain Jampel is looking for you. He's in the CP tent."
"Thanks, Corporal. I'll be right there," the officer replied. Then he turned back to his friend as more soldiers began to approach the showers.
"When you get dressed, Sergeant, have five of your men get ready for a patrol tomorrow. Caje can head it up. Have him stop by my tent later."
"Yes, Lieutenant," Saunders said as the officer turned away and went to his meeting…and the sergeant smiled slightly and limped back to his squad.
THE END