The three of them looked at each other, sitting there with blank faces as Angie folded up the letter and placed it in her trunk.
"Well come on then you two, shall we?" Angie said with a soft smile as she stood. She walked out the door and went to tend to a young soldier in Triage that Margaret was looking over. Hawkeye and BJ followed her outside, with one final glance at each other they went their separate ways to tend to the wounded soldiers flooding in and covering the ground, Hawkeye stopping only once to glance over at Angie.
That's when the shelling started, it was distant at first, but it ever so gradually grew closer, closer and closer, each thud ringing through the ears of every single camp member. Dust flew up into the sky around them, enveloping the compound and its inhabitants in a cloud of brown. A second shell dropped, but on the outskirts of the camp this time. Somewhere amidst the chaos was Angie crouched over the young soldier. Just before the shelling had started Margaret had left her alone to tend to another soldier on the other side of the compound, so no one was there to see the single tear rolling down her cheek. As she crouched over, she didn't know if it was to protect the boy who laid they're helpless, in much the same state she was when she arrived, or if it was instinct, reacting to her fear. She knew she wasn't the only one who was scared but she couldn't help it. She couldn't move, but she knew she had to, if she didn't she would crush the poor kid underneath. As she forced herself to sit down beside the soldiers she saw him open his eyes slightly she gave him a weak smile, he looked back up at her with a sad look in his eye. She quickly finished bandaging up his side and sat on the dirt as the corpsmen carried him away. Another shell dropped and she flinched, dust flew around and her head spined. All she could see was a woman, tall, dark hair, and dainty but with a wise look in her eyes, looking back at Angie, there was a scream. A child, a young girl, standing there, the women tried to run, but she tripped and the dust and rubble devoured her. The girl screamed again as two large hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her and carried her away. The girls hand outstretched, reaching out to the cloud of dust where the woman had once been. The dust subsided and Angie found herself looking down at her hand planted firmly on the ground, red and covered in a light sprinkle of dust, like a child's painting. She didn't move, as people dashed past her. From the distance, she heard someone calling her name.
"Angie!"
"Angie!" They cried again.
It was Radar, his feet scuffing on the ground as he jogged over to her.
"Quick, get inside" Angie couldn't help but admire his courage.
He stopped short of where she was and saw her sitting there in the dirt covered in blood and dust.
"Angie, are you okay?!" He said as he helped her to her feet. He was strong for his size.
"I-I'm fine." She managed to get out with a smile. "Come on Radar, let's get inside while we still can."
Inside pre-op things where hectic, the room was filled to the brim with wounded and nurses. Angie stood right in the centre, still, and unable to move. It was a like a scene from a horror movie, and she'd only really noticed just now. Her hands shook at her side a tear fell from her eye as people dodged past her, not noticing. Angie watched as a nurse wheeled a stretcher past her with a sheet pulled over the shape of a body. She could she just see underneath, it was the boy she was with in the compound. He didn't make it. Suddenly she felt so small. Stretches where carried passed, people rushing by, orders being taking and in the distant she heard a call.
"Anna!? I'm looking for Anna? Is she okay?" It was the man, he was standing and behind him on the bench sat the girl, fumbling with her figures.
Angie went to take a step but she couldn't, she stumbled, and the shakes got the better of her. As she stumbled forward two hands caught her, she looked up and saw BJ's kind eyes looking down at her.
"Woah there cowgirl" He took one look at her and his tone changed. "Angie?" he asked "are you okay?" She closed her eyes and sobbed.
As he helped her steady herself he took hold of her hands, she was shaking like a leaf. He led her over to the bench, to sit her down, and as he did so, Hawkeye was making his way through people to get to BJ. He didn't know at the time. He stopped when he saw Angie, pale and shaken. He rushed over and looked at BJ, a questioning glance on his face. BJ shrugged.
"Angie? Are you okay?" Hawkeye asked as they sat her down.
She looked at the two men and smiled; she sat up and composed herself. "I'm fine" She said with a smiled. Just then another shell dropped and shook the wall behind her. She leapt up and run straight into the arms of BJ and Hawkeye, she was shaking even more now, and the two men didn't know what to make of it. Angie, pulled away, still shaking and sat back down with her head in her hands.
"My … my mother… she was killed … by a bomb" another shell dropped "I was there… I was 11." She stopped and her tone changed from fear to anger "No child should ever witness her mother's death. Not in a war and you know what war I'm damn well talking about. Dammit! We wear visiting my father, and she died!" Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to grasp for breaths. Her strong stubborn outer shell was breaking down, right in front of Hawkeye's eyes, and there was nothing he could do. And it was reminding him of himself.