Thank you again for the constant reviews! And sorry for the cliffhanger - kind of ;)

His weight bore down on her and he covered her mouth with a hand when she tried to yell for help. Evelyn bit down on his palm, causing him to rear back and cry out in pain. When he removed his hand from her teeth to look at the blood streaming down it, she screamed with everything she had. He backhanded her across her face, silencing her. She felt her lip split open.

"Fucking bitch!" he growled, shoving his knee between her legs. He caught her wrists between his hand and squeezed hard. She cried out; she swore her bones cracked. "Be quiet and I'll make it quick." His breath reeked of alcohol and she gagged, but with him on top of her, she couldn't take air in very well.

Evelyn spit in his face before screaming for help again. She bucked against him, but it was no use; he was too heavy.

His fingers of his free hand ripped open her OD shirt, the buttons flying everywhere. Before he could do the same to her tshirt, he was pulled back from her and she was free.

She had to blink a few times in shock, but the sound of flesh hitting flesh woke her. She sat up and saw Liebgott pummeling his fists into the man's face and stomach, his face darkened and laced with fury.

She stood and ran over to him, trying to pull him off. The private was already knocked out. "Joe! Stop! You're going to kill him!"

Liebgott raised his fist once more but stopped and looked at her. When he saw the blood on her face and the colors forming around the bones of her cheek, he snarled. "That's what I was going for." He punched the man again.

Tears ran down her face and stung the cut on her lip. She pulled on his arm again. "Joe, please. They'll court martial you. You could be shot. Don't do this."

After another punch to the gut, the fight went out of him. He stood and stared down at the man, his expression ugly. Resigned, he said quietly, "Then let's go report him."

"No."

Liebgott turned to her then, his eyes disbelieving. "No? You're going to let him get away with this? Cassidy, he was gonna rape you!"

Evelyn nodded solemnly, the tears still coming. "I know," she said quietly. She glanced over her shoulder. "Let me take a look at those knuckles. You could have torn a tendon." He opened his mouth again to argue but she beat him there. "And I'll tell you why. I promise."

He stared at her for awhile before finally nodding. Together they slipped quickly to the aid station before anyone could see. Inside, she pointed to the examination table. "Slide on while I get some supplies."

He did as he was told, but he wasn't about to let her forget what she said. "Tell me why you aren't reporting the son of a bitch."

Evelyn sighed as she gathered cloths and water to clean his wounds. She took in a deep breath before answering him. "Because they'll kick me out."

She walked over and sat down on the stool in front of him. Silently, she took his injured hand in hers and got to work, knowing she had to continue, but focusing on work was helping. "When I signed up for the Army, I had to agree to a few things. One of those was that if a male soldier attempted or succeeded in taking liberties with me, I would be discharged."

Liebgott watched her work for a moment before responding. "I don't understand."

She nodded and didn't meet his eyes. "It's backwards, to be sure, but my being here is a test. Something like tonight would be a failure by the military. Failures aren't supposed to happen, especially during war."

He ground his teeth, furious with the damn Army, but he didn't say anything more. He watched as she quickly cleaned the blood from his hand and wrapped the cuts and scrapes. Finally she wrapped it all with a frozen bandage. She smiled and looked at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since the attack. The tears still fell from her eyes. "To help with the pain. I have some aspirin, too, if you'd like."

Liebgott shook his head. When she turned to go back to put the remainder of bandages away, he stopped her with his voice. "What about you? Do you want me to go find Doc?"

Evelyn bit her lip, but cried out silently when she hit the open wound there. She attempted another smile, more for herself than anything. It felt almost like he cared. "That would be great, thanks."

He stood up to go and got to the door before turning to look at her again. Her back faced him, but she could feel his gaze. She closed her eyes and sighed before turning towards him. "And Joe?" But she waited too long; he was gone.

Roe didn't press her for what happened. Even after he saw her ruined OD shirt and the bruises on her wrists. He only cleaned her up and stitched up her lip. She felt his worry in his eyes and sighed. "I'm fine, Eugene."

He nodded silently, but continued to work. She looked at him, curious. "Did Liebgott tell you…?"

Roe shook his head. "He didn't tell me anything."

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. He saw it and grimaced. She placed a hand on his arm. "I'm relieved because he's keeping his word to me, Eugene. Not because I don't trust you." And then she told him what happened.

She had never seen Roe angry before, but the color in his eyes turned almost ice blue and his already pale skin seemed to glow as the blood left his face. They didn't discuss it further; he was silent with fury.

The next day, she gained more than a few curious glances from the men. She hated keeping anything from Luz, but knowing how protective he was over her, she fed him the same story that she gave everyone else - she fell. Her wounds would be believable with this tale, except for the bruises around her wrists where his hands grasped them hard. She had to sleep in her OD shirt to hide them.

That night, as she was ruminating the violent scene over and over again, Guarnere, Randleman and Martin walked into the aid station with matching wounds to their right knuckles. Together, they silently gave her a nod, which she understood immediately. She expected to be furious with Liebgott, but instead she only felt gratitude. Quickly, she treated their hands without saying a word.

It was several days until she saw Liebgott again, and by that time, the cut on her lip was healing nicely, but her cheek was ugly and yellow. She just rounded a bend when she almost ran into him. She gasped, her heart racing. She was still incredibly jumpy; her lack of sleep didn't help.

"Joe," she murmured. "You scared me."

Liebgott placed his hands in his pockets and stared at her silently. His gaze felt hot on her skin as he took in her wounds and the new circles under her eyes.

She took a breath. "I didn't get to thank you the other..."

He cut her off. "You don't have to worry about him anymore."

She met his eyes; she couldn't read him. Slowly, she nodded. "I know."

Liebgott snorted and rolled his eyes. "No, you don't know cos it's obvious you ain't sleeping. You look like shit, Cassidy."

Evelyn laughed loudly, immediately covering her mouth with a hand, just as surprised as he was at the sound. She gave him a small smile. "That's two times you've made me laugh now, Liebgott."

Almost as if he was fighting it, the smirk at the corner of his mouth twitched before sliding across his mouth. "Can't have that. Somethin' to work on."

She glanced at him, the humor dying in her chest as quickly as it came. "Joe..."

Again he cut her off. "I'm serious," he said before turning to walk away. "That asshole won't show his face again. Get some sleep."

And this time she believed him.

Evelyn slowly returned to her usual cheerful self. The men may have believed her when she first fed them the crock and bull story of a fall, but they quickly realized it was a lie when she became distant. This was especially true for Luz, who made it his life's mission to stay by her side at all times. At first she thought it was endearing, but after several days of only being able to sleep and use the bathroom by herself, she was quickly becoming crazy.

"George," she whined when he took her hand again. They were heading back into town after another useless exercise with Sobel. "I'm not a baby."

Luz was silent and only squeezed her fingers. She could feel the tension rolling off him until she finally sighed. Taking charge, she pulled him in the opposite direction the rest were headed. She found a quiet bench in a garden quickly. She sat down and patted the seat next to her. Frowning, he obeyed.

Evelyn took his other hand in hers. She stayed like that until he finally met her eyes. "I just didn't want you to go after him," she said softly.

He nodded automatically, but his eyes still held pain. "I figured."

She smiled sadly and scooted closer to him. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

What she saw on his face next broke her heart. He grimaced. "Don't be sorry, sweetheart. I just can't stand the thought of someone putting his hands on you. I love you, Ev. If somethin' happened..."

Evelyn moved one of her hands to cup his cheek. "But it didn't. And what Liebgott tells me, I don't have to worry about him anymore."

Luz's eyebrows shot up. "Joe?"

She nodded. "He found me before that soldier could do anything. I was afraid he was going to kill him."

He snorted. "Lucky bastard. What I wouldn't give to have just a minute alone with that son of a bitch."

She grinned lopsidedly. "And this is why I couldn't tell you. I can't lose you, George. I love you too much, knucklehead."

It took awhile but Luz grinned back. "Can't wait to tell the fellas that Evelyn Cassidy professed her love for me."

She laughed and his smile widened at the sound, something he hadn't heard in awhile. Her ability to laugh easily was one of the things he loved best about her. She shoved him in the shoulder. "As if they'll believe you."

"Hell, if you just marry me, Ev, we can give in to the rumors and just get to consummating our marriage right away." His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

She shoved him again and giggled. "Don't make me reject you, George. I'd hate to see you cry."

"Already cryin' in my heart, doll."

January 1944

Just when it seemed like everything was getting back to normal, Easy's NCOs changed all that.

Evelyn was pacing again in the garden. Luz laid lazily on the bench, chain smoking and his eyes closed. "They are going to get shot!" she cried, throwing up her hands.

Luz sighed out a huge cloud of smoke. "I know."

"They are committing a mutiny! Telling Sink they refused to go to war under Sobel!"

"I know, sweetheart."

She began stuttering, her point not coming across as well as she thought it was. "George! They are going to be killed! For being idiots! Christ, men are so stupid!"

Luz rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that, Ev."

She collapsed on the ground, leaning her back against the seat of the bench by his feet. "First we lose Winters, and now Bill? Johnny? Lip? How the hell are we supposed to survive without Lipton?"

"I know, Evelyn."

She turned to glare at him. "And yet you continue to lie there."

He popped his eyes open and returned her glare. "What am I supposed to do about it? They made their decision. Hell, I would have joined them if I had the rank to catch Sink's attention."

Evelyn growled angrily before standing up and stomping her feet. "Jesus Christ, you...you.. men! You remind me so much of Henry, it's frightening." She turned to stalk away.

"He is your favorite brother, after all!"

"Piss off, George. None of you are my favorite right now!"

She stomped away quickly, her head down as she was deep in thought. She couldn't stand not knowing what was happening while the NCOs were being chewed out in Sink's office. If she would even see them again.

Not paying attention, she ran right into the still figure of Liebgott. Falling backward, she staggered until she was upright again. It didn't escape her that he seemed to always be nearby since that night with the A company private.

"Christ, Cassidy," he drawled, smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Where's the fire?"

Evelyn had had enough of men for one day. Seeing the smirk, she just about lost it. "It's about time for me to light a fire under all your asses, Liebgott. Why are you all so fucking calm about what's happening right now?"

He shrugged and lit a cigarette. "It will work itself out."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No one wants to make a move, just wait and see! Be a goddamn man for once!"

He smirked again. "You're one to talk. Ready to grow a set?"

Evelyn swallowed down her anger, trying to remind herself of his most recent heroics and not that she wanted to strangle him. "As a matter of fact, yes." She started walking again, heading straight for headquarters.

Liebgott jogged to come up to her side, matching her quick strides. They made their way to the officers' quarters in record time. "What the hell are you doin' here, Cassidy?"

She snorted. "I'd reply 'same as you, Liebgott,' but we both know that isn't true this time." She walked up the stairs of the large building.

"Don't be stupid."

Before she could reply or open the door to find Sink, it opened from the other side and a long line of NCOs began filtering out. She stood to the side until she found a friendly face.

"Bill!" she cried, walking along his side. She could feel Liebgott following them. "Bill, what happened? You're alive, so that's a good sign."

Guarnere grinned and Martin came up on his other side. "Yeah. We're alive. All is well, doll. You can't get rid of me yet." Martin chuckled, nodding.

The group of men stopped short when Evelyn stood in front of them, not allowing them to move forward. Behind her, Winters stood nearby with a supply truck. Her eyes flashed angrily as she looked at them silently until they could feel daggers. "Each and every one of you outranks me, and I will expect a reprimand from you if you believe what I say next is unjustified; I'm ready for it." She paused, her eyes flashing again, and she had the satisfaction of seeing some of them actually cower. "You are smart men. What you just did was incredibly stupid. If you were shot or transferred or kicked out, what do you think would happen to your soldiers?"

"Evie," started Grant, but she cut him off with another look. He silenced immediately.

She took a breath before lowering her voice. "We can't go to war without you. You almost just sentenced us to death, not to mention your own. Do something like that again, and I promise you, you haven't seen me angry yet," she growled.

And with that, she stalked away, saluting Winters along the way. She hoped he hadn't heard any of that, but he had. He tried not to show it.

Martin whistled after a long moment of stunned silence. "That wasn't angry? Shit."

Liebgott smirked. "Nah, that wasn't angry. I've experienced angry."

Guarnere snorted. "I bet ya have, Joe. You could piss off a nun if given the opportunity."

Somehow, and to the immediate indignation of Evelyn, what the NCOs pulled worked. Although Sink was furious, he was a smart man. He had heard stories of the failures of Sobel in the field, and the strong leadership of Winters. And he couldn't go to war without the NCOs. Truth was, he made his decision to transfer Sobel before the men walked in and threatened mutiny.

Martin ruffled Evelyn's hair, destroying her bun. "Did you hear, Evie? Turns out we were right."

Guarnere gave her a wink. "And you were wrong, sweet cheeks."

Evelyn rolled her eyes hard before pinching his side, causing him to yelp. "Dare you to say that again." But she was grinning. Winters was back and Sobel was gone. Meehan of B company would be their new lead CO. She saw for herself the care he took for his soldiers, and Easy wasn't any different. He got them to work immediately, and they could feel how much dedication he held for them. For the first time in England, their morale was boosted.

She was also a little nervous. Meehan was bound to find out quickly that she wasn't a real medic; she was worried he would be angry for her lie when she first met him.

Meehan did catch on quickly. He made it his job to get to know each of his soldiers, their strengths, their weaknesses, and more. He watched them in training and spoke with them when he could. He asked Lipton about the medics, and stated how impressed he was with Evelyn when she treated his soldier. Always a man of integrity, he agreed with Meehan on her superior skills, but let him know that she held the title of medical assistant only.

From that day, Meehan watched her more closely, and she could feel it. She tried not to let it get to her, but she was waiting for the reprimand any day now.

As the new year turned the corner and January brought a deluge of wet and cold weather, she was busy with a lot of bruised tailbones after the soldiers continued to slip in the mud and ice.

"Yours is the fifth ass I've treated this week, Popeye," she said, grinning at the bashful private on the medical table. She had just pushed Roe and Spina out of the aid station to go get some lunch before they collapsed. "You don't even need to drop your drawers, just your pants."

"Gosh, Evie, I'm sorry," he said, blushing, but did as he was told. He wiggled his trousers to his knees.

Evelyn smiled again and gently prodded him near the waist of his boxers. "Don't worry. I've realized once I've seen one ass, I've seen them all." They didn't hear Meehan entered the room.

She felt along the hips and lower back. "Does any of this hurt?"

Popeye shook his head. "No, ma'am."

Evelyn nodded. "Good. That's good. But I got some bad news for you, Pop."

"I broke my ass?"

She laughed loudly before helping him up to stand. He quickly pulled up his pants, blushing. "No, just bruised it hard. But I can't do anything about it. It needs to heal on its own." She turned to grab some aspirin from the counter. "Try not to sit and come by for more aspirin every morning. You should feel better in a few days."

Popeye gave her a grin. "Thanks, Evie. And sorry for making you look at my scrawny butt."

Evelyn grinned back. "I forced you in here, remember? And you're welcome. Wish there was more I could do." They turned to the door together and noticed Meehan standing there. "Sir! Is there something wrong? I can find Doc Roe or Spina."

Meehan shook his head. He turned to Popeye. "Can I have a moment alone with Cassidy?" Popeye nodded and gave Evelyn a commiserating look before going out the door.

Evelyn braced herself. Not only did she lie to Meehan weeks ago, but he just caught her treating another soldier without permission. Christ, I'm in trouble.

He studied her a moment silently before beginning. "Private, I've been told that you are in fact not a combat medic."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

He looked at her for another moment. "That you secretly underwent medical training and passed with flying colors."

"Yes, sir."

"Colonel Sink is already aware of that, but I do not think he knows that you've been treating men without the direct supervision of Roe or Spina. Or at least he didn't know before."

Evelyn winced, but didn't say anything. She waited and looked at her hands.

A smile twitched at the corner of Meehan's mouth. "Colonel Sink gave me your file, and I see that you were training to become a registered nurse before this war."

She didn't look up. "Yes, sir, but I didn't graduate. Not yet."

"Well, that's a damn shame." He paused until a full smile graced his face and she looked up to see why he was silent. "For them. If you are as good as the officers and NCOs tell me you are, and from the work that I've seen, I hope you'll stick with the Army long after this war is done."

Evelyn blinked. "Sir?"

Meehan gave her another smile before opening the door. He only added before he left, "I spoke with Colonel Sink and he agrees. I'm promoting you to corporal and the title of combat medic. Keep up the good work, Corporal Cassidy." And then he was gone.

It took several minutes for what he said to sink in. When it did, Evelyn couldn't help it - she squealed with delight. A real combat medic. The added rank was a nice surprise as well, but if she was honest, it was nothing compared to Meehan believing in her enough to allow her to treat the soldiers.

She stopped then and grinned. According to Meehan, it wasn't just him. She thought of Sink, Winters and Welsh, the NCOs, and she expected Roe and Spina as well. Her heart throbbed with pride and happiness. A goddamn combat medic.