Hello guys! Thank you very much for your amazing responses to the last chapter. I'm so happy you liked it.
Warning: This chapter deals with attempted sexual assault (nothing graphic) and a fight. So, if this upsets you or is a sensitive topic for you, please please proceed with caution!
They didn't get too far. Just as they wanted to turn a corner, they found their way blocked. The soldier wasn't anyone they knew and judging by the strange curl of his lips, all three of them were inclined to keep it that way.
"Well…", the corporal drawled, pushing off the wall and flicking his eyes over them. "Whaddaya say to that, Rawlins?"
Another unfamiliar soldier, apparently Cpl Rawlins, came to stand beside his comrade.
Theresa narrowed her eyes. Catherine tensed. Mia backed up a half-step.
"Huh", Rawlins made, his mildly impressed expression just as disconcerting as the weird gleam in the other man's eyes. "Not bad, Steele", he said with a slow nod. "Not bad at all."
Catherine rolled her eyes and ordered: "Let us pass", pretending not to notice the other two men that were now standing behind them. Mia had turned to keep an eye on them.
Steele's lips parted into a grimace that was more leer than smile. "Nah", he said with a lazy shake of his head. "Where'd the fun in that be?"
Theresa let out a squeak of shock when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. She heard Mia gasp followed by a thump that sounded like a body being shoved into the wall.
"Hey!", Catherine called, outrage and frustration covering a vague note of fear.
.
Struggling against the hands trapping her, Theresa saw her friends in much the same situation as her: Pinned against the wall by one of Steele's accomplices, her expression a very specific blend of angry and scared.
Disgust twisted in her stomach as the hands began to roam across her body. "What do you think you're doing?!", she heard herself demand. She didn't catch the reply – if there even was one – because the paralysing feeling of horror that had her heart pulsing in her throat turned into undiluted revulsion as the man groped her breasts.
All the lessons of unarmed combat she'd had rushed to the fore, instincts taking the reins and commanding her muscles to move. A loud thwack and a shrill yowl told her that her friends were fighting back as well.
What followed was sheer pandemonium. In the confines of a narrow hallway, fending off one 6-foot-tall soldier in battle-ready condition wasn't easy and fending off four of them made it all the more difficult. But that didn't stop the three women from fighting tooth and nail.
.
The regular sounds of a scuffle filled Catherine's ears, flesh hitting flesh, clothes rustling, boots stumbling, breaths panting. They were accentuated by grunts and groans, yelps and gasps. She tried to keep an eye on the other two women, but it was nigh-impossible in the chaos. She only caught a glimpse of Theresa kicking her attacker in the shins before her attention was drawn back to her own predicament as Rawlins came at her, features contorted into a vicious snarl.
"Oi! Get the fuck out of here, you bastards!", a very familiar voice shouted over the din, just as Mia got slammed into the wall for the fourth time. Or was it the fifth? She had lost track. She ducked as another fist came swinging towards her.
One of Mia's assailants – Steele had been joined by one of his buddies in trying to subdue her enough for something she didn't let herself think about – was yanked backwards. He didn't have time to do more than blink in surprise before he got clocked so soundly that his ears started ringing. His head spun and he dropped to his knees.
Easy's very own Louise Fields marched past the incapacitated soldier, jaw clenched and pure murder on her face. "You disgraceful, vile, perverted, impulse-driven troglodytes!" She shoved one guy back, noting with no small amount of satisfaction how the man, who had been beleaguering Theresa, wilted like a daisy when it dawned on him that the odds were no longer in his and his buddies' favour.
Theresa staggered out of harm's way, leaning against the wall and trying not to retch. Catherine, who had used Rawlins' temporary distraction to her advantage, hurried over and wrapped an arm around her friend's quaking shoulders.
A high-pitched whimper and a choked grunt marked the end of the melee as Steele and Rawlins both sank to their knees, hands firmly clutched over their private parts. Realising that his pals were all on the ground, two of them writhing in absolute agony, the last guy standing hastily scurried out of the way as Louise breezed past him.
Not liking the pallid expression of shock setting in on Theresa's face, Catherine tightened her hold on the Nebraskan and urged: "Let's get out of here."
Nobody disagreed and as quickly as they could, the four women headed down to Easy's allocated bunk area.
Patience worn thin by her own terror and concern for Theresa, whose breaths came out in shaky, too fast half-sobs, the ranking medic found herself unceremoniously pushing through the packed room. All the while, she kept up a steady stream of soothing nonsense for Theresa. The young woman was on the verge of a panic attack, flinching away from every shadow, jumping at every loud noise and frantically looking around her.
"Where's Mia?", she kept asking, wide eyes with blown pupils swivelling to Catherine before scanning the crowd once more. "Where are they?"
"They'll be here soon", the mother of two kept replying. "Louise is with her, they are behind us."
.
Their arrival didn't go unnoticed, but Catherine ignored all the shocked exclamations and worried questions in favour of getting Theresa to sit down on the nearest empty bunk, which happened to be Ana María's. The Puerto Rican wasn't in sight and even if she had been there, the ranking medic very much doubted that she'd have had any objections.
"There we go, Reese", Catherine said, helping her friend sit down. "Now, can you try and take some deep breaths for me?"
Theresa hiccoughed, the sobs barely getting past her closed-up throat. "Where's Mia?", she repeated.
"What's going on?" "Who did that?" "What the hell happened?" The shouts and clamours for an explanation got louder and louder, the men crowding around the bunk in concerned curiosity. Unfortunately, that only served to increase Theresa's distress and if Catherine was honest with herself, it made her more uncomfortable, too.
Once again, Louise saved the day.
She easily garnered everyone's attention by planting herself in front of the bunk that held the two women, furious scowl still in place. Arms akimbo, she raised her voice to be heard over the din and hollered: "Everybody shut up and move back! Bloody hell, can't you see you're making it worse?!"
.
A spark of relief ignited in Theresa's chest at the sight of the British sniper, but it was quickly drowned when panic welled up once more. Mia isn't with her! Where is she? She tried to spot the young medic, but to no avail. Is that her shirt in Louise's hand? By now, tears were streaming down her face, but she still couldn't catch her breath. Her chest felt like it was being squashed between large clamps and something was lodged in her throat.
"Breathe, Reese, breathe", Catherine coached, encouraging her to lean forward and put her head between her knees. Her hand was rubbing circles on Theresa's back. Between her sobs, she could once again make out the name of her fellow female medic. "Mia's gonna be here soon, don't you worry." Where are you, Mia?
As the frenzy around them settled down, Catherine felt herself relax a little. She could understand the reactions from the rest of the company. After all, if it had been somebody else bursting in, clearly terrified and a little banged up, she would be itching to know what happened, too.
Just as Theresa asked for the missing half-German again, the woman in question squeezed past a worriedly hovering Dukeman and dropped to her knees before the bunk. "I'm here, Reese, I'm here", she said, her small hand resting on Theresa's knee. "You're safe."
Meanwhile, Louise had managed to get everyone else to give the three women some privacy, with the capable help of Maxine and Lipton.
"Go and get some chow, boys", Maxine suggested, her order clear despite her smile and friendly tone.
Lipton, bless his heart, quickly shooed them off, keeping a close eye on the hotheads that seemed quite ready to protest. "Give them some space", he said. "They've been crowded by men enough already."
That had the desired effect.
Righteous anger blended with horrified realisation and sheepish guilt as even the brashest of the company visibly reined in their tempers. Theresa's tear-streaked face and Catherine's tense form were bad enough to see; none of them wanted to add to their friends' distress. The NCOs quickly took charge and herded everybody out and towards the galley for dinner.
Liebgott shot Louise a questioning look as he left.
"Later", the sniper mouthed, catching his nod before Maxine lightly grabbed her by the elbow to get her attention.
"Are you alright?", the Staff Sergeant asked.
Louise blew out an aggravated breath and dragged a hand through her hair. "No", she ground out, lips pressed in a thin line as she watched Theresa, nice, loveable Theresa, huddled on the bunk, pale as a ghost and shaking like a leaf. "I am absolutely pissed. If I see one of those pieces of shit again, they'd better be hoping that I'm unarmed or that somebody's there to stop me 'cause otherwise, they won't be breathing for long."
Maxine didn't bat an eye at her friend's threat. Not that she thought it was an idle one, but she knew Louise. The Brit had an impressive temper and was infamous for her colourful language when venting her anger and voicing her displeasure, but she wasn't stupid and she wasn't reckless. As a sniper, she had to have a vast amount of patience and restraint. She might be very vocal about her opinion, but she didn't go off half-cocked.
Catherine decided that she needed some air. Exchanging a few words with Mia, the ranking medic shimmied out of the bunk, her younger colleague taking her spot.
"I need some air", she explained to Lipton, who gave her an understanding smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Are you alright?", he questioned, his voice holding just as much concern as his gaze.
The mother of two considered for a moment before offering her reply. "Not right now, but I will be." Turning to Louise and Maxine, she requested: "Will you go with me? I need some fresh air."
The two women agreed without hesitation, Maxine adding that she was already looking forward to getting off the ship and out of these claustrophobic quarters.
Mia watched them go before returning her attention to her patient. Theresa was calming down now, her breaths slowing and evening out. Tears were still trailing down her cheeks, but she was no longer choking on her sobs. Her posture was tense, but the shaking was ebbing.
.
Lipton approached, his footsteps clearly audible in the comparably quiet room. Mia's eyes came up to meet his, sadness and worry rippling in them.
"Can you make sure that nobody kills somebody over dinner?", she asked, gaze shifting away again. "I don't want them to get in trouble."
He had to chuckle at the wording of her request. "You got it, Mia", he said with a small smile before the concerned frown returned to his features. "Are you sure you'll be okay down here?"
The young medic gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes sir. We can move to a higher bunk that would be easier to defend."
Lipton nodded. "What about food?", he then asked.
"I'm not hungry", Mia replied, confirming his hunch. "And I'm sure that Catherine will make certain that we get something to eat."
He couldn't disagree with that statement. After all, the ranking medic didn't have the moniker 'Mom' for no reason. "Okay", he relented. "Look after yourselves, alright?"
"Yes sir."