Hey guys! another chapter up. now i must warn you it is longer than most, but i had an idea and i ran with it.
so here it is! remember to read and review!
Mellish looked at the dog tag for a moment.
"As long as he is close to your heart, he will always be remembered," Harper said holding the tag out to him.
Without another seconds hesitation, he took it and hooked it back on his own dog tags.
"Just promise me something," Mellish asked.
"Anything Fish," Harper said smiling.
"If I don't make it home, take his tag and don't forget him." Harper felt tears sting her eyes, but she pushed them away and grabbed a fistful of Mellish's shirt and pulled him into a hug. She then let the tears fall. She felt tears hit her shoulder as Mellish cried too. After a second she leaned back and patted his shoulder.
"Come on. Lets go help them out."
Mellish wiped his eyes and stood, pulling her up gently after him. They jogged out onto the field where the team had he pilot out of the aircraft and laying on shore. The smell of charred skin and burning gasoline was weighing heavy on the immediate area. The smoke from the crash was slowly rising above the hills and Harper realized that it would soon become a beacon to any Germans in any direction for miles.
Wade was working diligently to stabilize the young man. As they came up he said, "Good. Harper get his head. Try to calm him down."
She replaced Jackson which left him free to scout the of the field perimeter with Mellish. Harper kneeled down and gently put his head on her knees.
"What is your name?" Harper asked him.
"Rogers," he panted. "Jamie Rogers." His face changed as his eyes focused on her face."You're a woman?" he asked. "A nurse?" Harper smiled and shook her head."I'm a Private First Class, Second Ranger Battalion, Charlie Company. B.A.R. gunner and Sharpshooter.""But how? I-"
"Save your strength," Harper said quieting him."Why?" he asked as he tried to pull away from Wade. "I'm not going to live."
Harper laughed."You would be surprised what our medic can do. You are going to be fine," she said.
She glanced up at Wade who's face looked hopeless even as he was working on saving the pilot. Harper looked back down and brushed a lock of dark hair to the side of his face. He was sweating and blood was beginning to run from the corners of his mouth. She knew, even with Wade working hard, this man wouldn't be returning to America.
He didn't say anything else, but watched Harper with dull eyes. Harper smiled at him, but she doubted it helped him any. If anything, she kept in her mind that he was dying with American's around him rather than dying in the middle of a lake, terrified and alone.
Minutes later she watched the light leave his eyes and felt a shudder run through his body. She held his face as a peaceful expression overtook him. Wade had obviously not noticed he had left this world.
"Doc," Reiben said. "Doc, he's gone."
Reiben leaned back off the shrapnel wound and the blood flowed until there was no more. Wade stared down at the soldier, then without warning, got up and threw his med kid against a tree.
"Shit!" he yelled.
Harper sighed and drew her fingers down over his eyes, closing them.
"Go find Jackson and Mellish. Tell them to come back," Miller said to anyone who wanted to go.
Weston stood and shook his head. He turned and walked away to find them.
Reiben, who was still seated next to the dead pilot, almost ran his fingers through his hair, but stopped when he saw they were dyed crimson. He got up and went to the lake, and washed them as best he could. Miller and Horvath followed and did the same. Wade leaned against a tree and simply wiped his hands on his pants.
Harper didn't move. She just watched the young man's cold face. After a while she let here eyes wander from his closed lids to the rest of his face. He was young. Younger than she was. Younger than any of the guys. For the hundredth time on that mission, she had to remind herself that she was only 19 and a woman. As a woman, she didn't belong on a battle field in the first place, but for some reason she didn't care anymore. No one with any sort of power seemed to care either so as long as no one sent her home, she was going to stay right where she was, with her brothers, fighting for freedom.
She continued to look at the dead person in front of her until a gentle hand on her shoulder brought her back. She turned to see Jackson standing behind her. He helped her up and she snaked her arm around his waist.
"He looks like he is younger than me," she said leaning against him.
"I know darlen. But there is nothing we can do now. Lets go," he said patting her shoulder.
"Lets head out," Miller said pulling his gear on. "We have already been here for to long. Lewis, can you walk?"
"Yes sir," she said.
"Good lets go." The squad fell into position, more glumly than they had started out the day. Harper could move easily, but had a feeling they were going to have to rest by nightfall. Wade had the same feeling and told Miller.
"We will stop at the next town," Miller said.
Wade nodded and fell back to his spot in the middle of the group.
It took them long into the night to find the next town. According to Weston it was east, but Jackson was sure it was west. They walked in circles for over two hours until Weston finally admitted defeat and they headed west. They found the town in ten minutes.
"Asshole," Reiben said under his breath as they entered the town.
Harper shoved him and fell back to Weston's side.
"So we haven't really gotten a chance to talk since we found you," she said dodging a rock thrown by Reiben.
"Yeah I know right?" he said smiling and throwing an arm over her shoulder. "I have missed you."
"I have too," she said.
"Have you missed home?" he asked.
"No," she responded almost immediately.
He looked at her taken back by her sure response.
"I have met my family here. My real family. My father disserved to die for what he did to me, and my mother was no help."
"Well that's not very nice," someone said.
Harper stopped with one foot still in the air, poised to take a step when she heard the voice. A tall, handsome man stepped around the corner of a building. Forty soldiers appeared after he showed himself. Miller and his team stopped and looked warily at the newcomers.
"Good job Matthews. I didn't think you could pull it off but you found her," the man said nodding to Weston.
"Thank you sir," Weston said walking forward and standing next to the man.
"No," Harper said backing away from them until she ran into Wade. "No your dead. I shot you in the head."
Her squad was beginning to understand something was wrong, and their guns were slowly ascending. Even Miller, who had no reason to raise his rifle, did.
"Well I'm obviously not. Had you stayed in town for a few hours after you shot me, you would have known that."
Harper stood, mouth half open staring into the green eyes of her father. He raised an eyebrow then turned to Miller.
"Captain Miller I presume?" he asked, seemingly not noticing the rifle inches from his face.
Miller lowered the gun and said, "Yes."
"Well this young woman is coming with us. She is an outlaw who shot and almost killed her father back home.
"Looks as if you are her father," Jackson said keeping the man's head in the crosshairs of his Springfield.
"Well… I am, but it is irrelevant at this time."
"Like hell it is. She isn't going anywhere with you," Reiben said stepping sideways so Harper was directly behind him.
Wade also pushed Harper behind him but kept a protective, and also reassuring hand in hers. Her father surveyed the scene as Mellish stepped up alongside Wade and even Upham came to stand next to her. Horvath was on the other side of Miller trying to look menacing, because this man left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Well according to these papers she is coming with us," her father said holding out papers to Miller.
He took them and looked them over more than once, then sighed heavily.
"Boys there papers are the real thing. Signed by Col. Anderson and everything," Miller said glancing back at his Rangers.
They stared in shock at their commanding officer, and Harper looked at him over Wade's shoulder with eyes as big as dinner plates.
"Take her," her father commanded the soldiers around him.
They started to move forward when Jackson fired his Springfield into the air twice, followed by a clip from Mellish, and a few rounds from Reiben. That was enough to stop them in their tracks.
"STOP! Everyone just stop moving!" Jackson yelled.
Reiben, Mellish, Wade and Upham glared at the mob of men, and realized somewhere in the back of their minds that they were outnumbered, and if they tried to stop them, they would loose. Not just loose. They would die, but they were prepared to. They would be prepared to for any of their men. Or in this case, woman.
Miller stepped back to his sniper and said, "Jackson there are transfer papers. She is being transferred to the 101st Airborne. There is nothing I can do about it. Put your weapons down men."
No one moved and Miller sighed.
"Don't make me make that an order Private," Miller hissed at Jackson then to Reiben.
Reiben glanced at Jackson waiting for him to make the first move. Finally Jackson let his breath out and let his sniper drop to his side. The rest of the ranger's followed suit and lowered their weapons.
"Take her," Harper's father said again.
The other soldiers, led by Weston converged on Harper. They pushed Upham to the ground and Wade into Mellish, who caught him. Mellish almost shot one of them with his side arm, but Miller said, "Let them pass."
Harper yelled and fought but in the end Weston put her in plastic cuffs and pulled her toward her father.
"No please stop. West you know what he did to me! Please stop!" she begged as Weston dragged her to the other side of the group.
Harper looked frantically from each of her squad members faces. Her face was easy for all of them to read. Jackson looked like he was about to explode he was so angry. Her father seemed to sense the tension and said, "Let me speak to you gentlemen. Clear some things up."
"There aint nothing to clear up. You're a sick bastard," Reiben spat angrily.
"She told you I molested her didn't she?" he asked.
Reiben and Jackson exchanged a look as did the other members who knew what Harper had told them about her father.
He continued.
"Well I didn't. Never. I have-"
"That's a LIE!" Harper shouted from her place next to Weston.
"Shut up," Weston growled and elbowed her in the ribs.
She doubled over and Jackson, Reiben, Mellish, Wade and Upham almost turned and ran to go kick Weston's ass.
"I have six other children, all girls, and all of them will tell you the same thing. Harper is crazy. She is the second oldest and just tries to get attention wherever she goes.
"Shut up, SHUT UP! That's not true! They only think I'm crazy because you pay them off! You pay them to keep quiet!" Harper screamed.
Her face was contorted in anger and pain and she was straining so hard against the arm restraints, she was making her wrists bleed.
"Shut UP," Weston said hitting her in the back of the neck with the butt of his pistol.
She crumpled to the ground and lay there moaning and whimpering.
The squad was staring wide eyed at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Jackson had tears in his eyes. He was beginning to believe the woman that he loved was actually crazy.
"So you see," continued her father. "My daughter is crazy, and needs help. That is what I am here to do. Take my daughter home and get her the help she needs. I thank you all for watching over her while she was here."
He turned to Jackson.
"And to you. I'm sorry she got a hold of your heart son."
He put a hand on Jackson's shoulder who didn't shrug it off as Reiben thought he should.
"I'm not," Jackson answered.
Harper's father nodded to them and turned. He walked to a waiting line of cars. He got in the first one and the rest of the men got in the others.
"What we don't even get to say goodbye?" Reiben yelled.
Her father didn't seem to hear him, or didn't care.
Weston drug Harper to a POW hum-vee and opened the back.
"You believe me don't you?" she yelled to her squad.
"Of coarse we do!" Reiben yelled back. "Don't worry Lewis, we will get you back."
Harper seemed not to even hear Reiben.
"JACKSON!" she fought Weston hard as the sniper looked up.
"DO YOU BELIEVE ME?"
Jackson watched her speechless and in tears. Harper's mouth dropped open and she stopped fighting. She completely stopped and let Weston push her into the back of the hum-vee. He slammed the door, and went around to the front and got in.
The squad watched the cars leave and everything was silent. For a long time no one said anything until Reiben threw himself at Jackson.
"What is the matter with you, you fucking bastard! She just wanted you to say you believed her! You damn prick you couldn't even say that!"
Reiben was on top of Jackson landing fists to his face and chest but Mellish pulled him off eventually, although it was evident in his face, that he would have liked to do the same thing.
Jackson didn't move. He just laid there, sob's racking his body. Wade knelt next to him and helped him sit up.
"I'm mad at you too," he informed him as he examined a bruise forming on his temple.
He suddenly stood almost knocking Wade on his butt. Without any warning he began running in the direction they had just come. The squad glanced around at each other then at Miller. Who watched Jackson curiously then began to jog after him. The confused squad followed suit.
Well that was a plot twist wasnt it? hahha
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well even if you didnt like it...
review! hahah
