Disclaimers: all the usual apply
Chapter 16
Amelia POV
She wasn't sure how it was possible, but somehow she felt even more sore and worn out standing outside the house, soaking up the early morning sun, than she had the night before.
Pinching the bridge of her nose she waited for the aspirins she'd taken moments earlier to kick in and provide some relief from the pounding behind her eyes.
"Sergeant Jones, there you are." The booming voice of Colonel Sink snapped her head up and she made to straighten out but he waved it off.
"Sir, it's wonderful to see you again," she said, only half lying because she knew why he had come all this way to see her.
"Likewise Sergeant. Walk with me." He started to walk towards the waiting British tanks where Easy was assembling and she fell in beside him.
"A runner found me early this morning with a report telling me one of my soldiers had gotten into a fight with a member of the Dutch Resistance."
"Yes sir," the bruise on her face made it impossible to play dumb so she wasn't even going to try.
Sink nodded his greeting to the men steeling glances at them and when he saw Winters he waved him over. "I spoke to Captain Winters before coming to find you and he told me the whole story."
She briefly glanced over at her friend, trying to guess which details he'd left out, and his lips gave away the smallest hint of a smile.
"It seems the man admitted to starting a fight with you completely unprovoked."
"Yes sir, he was drunk which I suspect contributed to his actions."
"Yes, that's what I was told as well. I also heard you beat him resoundingly, even holding a gun to his head at one stage," he said and she thought she saw a proud glint in his eyes.
"I was lucky sir, but yes, at the end I had my sidearm drawn."
"If anything like this happens again, shoot the bastard. We'll sort out all the paper work later," he said gruffly.
"Yes sir."
"Keep up the good work, I've heard excellent things so far. I expect more of the same."
"I won't let you down sir."
He nodded to her and Winters and walked off, quickly joined by his aid and a handful of junior officers.
Winters placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled up at him. "I thought I was in trouble," she admitted.
"No, Sink demanded the Dutch hand him over to us, but in the end he let it go when they assured him he'd be dealt with appropriately."
The roar of the row tanks starting their engines signaled it was time to move out. She winked at Winters and briskly walked to the tank where Babe and Bill were sitting on-top of it like kings.
Babe held out his hand to her and she grabbed it as he easily pulled her onto the tank. Taking a seat next to him she placed her hand next to his, the sides of their fingers brushing.
He looked over to her and his eyes drifted to the bruise covering her left cheek. His jaw clenched tightly and his fingers twitched before they came to rest over her hand.
"I'm fine. It looks worse than it actually is. I don't know why I always get hit in the face. It's so annoying." She tried to joke to put his mind at ease, but instead he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Always?" he asked.
"I'm a soldier Eddy, I've been one for years. This wasn't my first fight."
He took off his helmet and let go of her hand as he ran his hand through his hair.
She looked over to Bill who was sitting just behind them. He shrugged and handed her his canteen. Taking a drink from it she waited for Babe to tell her what was bothering him.
Babe replaced his helmet and rummaged in his jacket pocket until he found his pack of smokes. He held out the pack to her and she accepted the offered cigarette, allowing him to light it for her as well.
"I thought you only smoked when someone was shooting at you," he said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
She nudged his shoulder and said, "Let's call it trying to kill me."
"Are there enough smokes on the world for that?" he teased her.
"Yeah-yeah. Bill, what did you tell him?"
"Just how you have a knack for finding trouble."
"What can I say? It's a gift."
Bill laughed and Babe shook his head. "Fuck Amelia, you're gonna be the death of me," he said and threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug before they settled in for the ride.
The noise of the tanks made it nearly impossible to have a conversation without shouting so she settled for trying to find a position where her ribs weren't jostled around every few minutes.
After they'd been on the road for what felt like ages she spotted a young woman with a shaved head, cradling a baby, standing on the side of the road and she forgot her own discomfort. One of the men threw a ration down to a soldier walking beside the tanks and she called him over, handing down a bar of chocolate. She watched as he tentatively gave the woman the food before the tank she was riding on passed the her by.
Meeting Babe's eyes he squeezed her hand while Bill reached over and touched her shoulder.
They passed a road sign and she saw they were nearing the small town of Nuenen. She frowned, the name sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it.
"Hey, get a load of General Patton!" Hoobler shouted from somewhere behind her and she saw some replacement lieutenant walking out in-front of the convoy, completely exposed.
"He makes quite a target, don't he Em?" Hoobler shouted at her.
She just shook her head at the man's utter stupidity.
"Lieutenant!" Bull shouted and the man turned his head to look at them.
Suddenly the man's body went limp a split second before the sound of a rifle shot rang in her ears.
"Shit," she swore under her breath, scanning the area for the source of the shot.
"Sniper," someone yelled and finally her eyes found the muzzle sticking out of a nearby line of hedges.
"Amelia c'mon!" George yelled at her from the ground.
She blocked him out and brought her sights up to her eyes, focusing on the space just behind the muzzle where she knew the German's head would be.
"In, out, pull," she said to herself, feeling the satisfying kick of her rifle when she pulled the trigger.
A bullet rang off of the metal of the tank at her feet and she jumped off, running towards Bull where he was crouched down next to the bleeding lieutenant.
"Medic up front! Medic up front!" she heard him shout as she pressed her hands over the soldier's neck wound, blood still seeping through her fingers.
As a medic fell in beside them she shouted without looking up, "Go Bull, get the men moving. I'll help here."
She was about to move her hands for the medic to get a clear look at the wound when another shot rang out and he fell over, clutching his leg and screaming in pain.
She looked from one man to the other, unsure of who to help first while trying to shield them both from the bullets now hitting the ground all around them.
Suddenly Gene skidded to a stop next to her and he immediately took control of the situation, quickly assessing what needed to be done.
"Amelia, when I say so move your hand from his neck so I can get in."
She nodded.
"Now."
Gene's steady hands replaced hers and he went to work. "Go Amelia, I've got this."
She slapped him on the back and swung her rifle from her shoulder as she followed the steady stream of men into the town.
Dropping into a ditch next to Derek and Bull she said, "Where are they?"
"Who?" Derek asked her.
"The Germans?"
"God only knows."
With the exception of their initial encounter the entire town was deadly quiet, not a sign of the enemy anywhere to be found.
Hashey came up behind them and stopped in the middle of the road when he spotted a lone German soldier running away from them. He lifted his gun to shoot but nothing happened and he started to struggle with the jammed piece of equipment.
"Move! Goddamn it, move!" Bull yelled at him and Hashey ran to the side of the road.
Bull ordered the men remaining in the ditch to move out and she climbed out and jogged next to Derek.
"You know that age old strategy where you pull your enemy in and then trap them. I suspect it looks kinda like this," she remarked, glancing sideways at him.
"There's only one way to find out," he said as they followed Bull's squad deeper into the town.
Deeper and deeper they went, scanning windows, roofs and alleys and yet she couldn't see the enemy she could feel was there.
This is gonna end badly, she thought to herself, the dread growing by the second.
Bull's squad crouched down beside the wall of a large building while she and Derek followed him around the front, using the large brick pillars for cover from the unseen enemy. Coming to a stop against the third pillar she peered around it and something strange caught her eye. Sticking out of a haystack was the muzzle of a German Tiger tank. Glancing down the street she saw their own tanks approaching at a leisurely pace, right in the path of the waiting German.
She grabbed Bull's shoulder and pointed in the direction of the camouflaged Tiger. "We need to tell them," she said, looking towards the oncoming British.
He nodded and signaled to Johnny, who was crouched behind the low wall of a café across the street from their position.
She watched as he got up and ran towards the British with a soldier who looked like Babe following him, before she turned her full attention back to the German tank.
She heard Bill say, "What the hell's he doing?" and as she glanced over her shoulder she saw the British tank rolling towards them, still on a collision course with the Tiger who had started to rotate its muzzle.
It was like a horror movie, she wanted to look away because she knew what was coming and yet she couldn't tear her eyes from the horror unfolding in-front of them.
A plume of white smoke erupted from the Tiger's muzzle and a moment later the second tank in the British convey burst into flames, sending a shock wave across their position which momentarily pinned her back against the pillar.
The Tiger crawled out of its cover and took aim directly at them. Bull grabbed her shoulder and screamed, "Fall back!"
A heartbeat later the wall they'd all been standing behind erupted, showering men in concrete and dust. She saw Bull stumble, but before she could turn to help him a spray of bullets went up all around them, cutting her off. Bull got to his feet and waved at her to keep going as he dashed in the opposite direction, trying to avoid the bullets raining down on him.
It was as if the entire German army had been waiting for that one Tiger to fire the first shot because suddenly all the Germans she'd been looking for came streaming out of the surrounding buildings. Looking around she could see they were vastly outnumbered and with their heavy armor support now a smoking wreckage they were also out gunned.
She pinned herself against the wall of another building and looked around for Derek. A man fell down next to her and moments later two more followed. Someone was picking off the retreating soldiers one by one and the thought pissed her off to no end.
Stepping out from behind the wall she shot the first German she found. Seeing him crumble from the corner of her eye as she took aim at the second one. Pulling the trigger with a cold proficiency she became aware of Derek running towards her, a wounded soldier holding onto him as they made a stumbled retreat.
She heard the distinct sound of a rifle cut through the surrounding noise and saw Derek fall forward as if he'd been tripped by some invisible hand.
"Derek!" she yelled and ran towards him as her blood turned to ice in her veins.
Dropping to her knees she felt the air move as a bullet flew past her cheek but she ignored it as her stomach sank at the sight of the large red stain spreading across his left leg.
Throwing her rifle over her shoulder she grabbed his jacket and pulled him onto his back. He groaned but his eyes met hers and she was relieved to see they were clear and focused.
"You need to move Amelia," he told her through gritted teeth.
"You're hit and I'm not leaving you!"
Looking up she saw Germans swarming towards them.
"Can you move?" she asked the wounded soldier Derek has been supporting.
"Yeah, it's not that bad," he replied, clutching his side.
"Go!" she ordered him.
He hesitated for a moment but a German bullet passing close to his head quickly convinced him it was best to follow her order.
"I can move," Derek groaned, sitting up and grabbing his rifle from the where it lay near his feet.
"You're gonna have to!" She put her hands under his shoulder and helped him to his feet.
He draped his arm over her left shoulder and she took as much of his weight as she could. Her ribs screamed in protest at the pressure he was putting on her left side but she pushed the pain away, she'd worry about the consequences later.
Spotting a group of American soldiers laying down a base of fire from behind a wall maybe fifty feet away from them, she pushed them in that direction.
When they were a few feet away she made out one of the men as Penk and shouted to get his attention. His head swiveled around at the sound of her voice and he broke cover, running to her side. "He's hit in the leg. Take him and get out of here!"
Penk nodded and took her place. Derek shot her a warning look and she said, "I'll be right behind you. I need to help the retreat."
Before he could order her to leave with them she ran to join the group of men behind the wall and was instantly relieved to find George shouting into his radio. In the chaos of the retreat she'd lost sight of her friends so to find even one out here felt like a small victory.
Bill slammed into the wall next to her but her relief at seeing him alive was short lived when a soldier dropped next to him from a direct shot.
She knew that sound, she'd heard it at the start of the action and again when Derek was hit.
"Son-of-a-bitch. That's enough," she swore under her breath.
Stepping out from behind the wall another soldier fell down close to her and that final shot gave the sniper's position away. Following the path of the bullet she saw him standing in the small upstairs window of a home about a hundred-and-fifty yards away from her. Lifting her scope, she saw him adjust his sights onto her, but she never flinched and a thin cold smile crossed her lips. She knew she had him dead-to-rights and for a split second after she pulled the trigger she saw the look of surprise on his face before he disappeared from view.
"We are pulling back!" she heard George yell over the radio as men kept streaming past her.
"Go-go-go," she shouted at them.
She felt someone's arm around her waist and the next thing she knew Bill was half carrying her backwards just as the building they'd been hiding behind was blown to pieces.
As soon as they were clear of the debris he put her back down.
"Thanks Bill."
"Someone's gotta keep you alive," he replied, shaking his head.
They ran towards the ditch running along the road leading out of town and dropped into. Turning around she saw men still streaming towards them so she rested her rifle on the edge of the ditch and started picking off any German she could find.
"Is that Don?" she shouted over her shoulder to Bill.
"What the hell is he doing?" he shouted, having spotted Don and Muck running back into the town.
"Go get them, I'll lay down fire."
Bill jumped out of the ditch and she kept one eye on him as he ran to the nearest building where Don and Muck had kicked down a door.
What on god's green earth are they doing?
Bill ran back and dropped down next to her. Shouting into her ear he said, "Buck got hit in the ass. They're using the door as a gurney. I gotta help 'em carry him."
"OK, let's go."
When they got to Buck he was already holding onto the top of the door while Don and Muck lifted the front end off of the ground. Bill slotted in beside them and together the three men started to drag their wounded friend to safety.
She ran next to them, turning around every so often to let off another shot, all the while shouting at the stragglers to get a move on.
She saw the trucks waiting to take them to safety behind a line of their own tanks who were providing intermittent covering fire. Entering the line, she stopped next to one of the tanks and turned to provide whatever covering fire she could to the men still running towards them.
With each passing face she ticked another friend off of her list, but there were still so many unaccounted for that she felt like she was going to be sick at the thought.
A hand on her shoulder made her turn around and when she saw Winters looking down at her she threw her arms around him without thinking. He returned her hug for a brief moment before they both turned back towards Nuenen.
Black smoke was rising in thick clouds from the town and you could still hear shots ringing out every so often. She looked for another enemy soldier to fire at but she could only make out the retreating forms of their own soldiers.
"Let's go! Let's go! Keep it moving! Keep it moving!" she heard Winter voice beside her.
Nixon joined them, his face holding all the shock and horror she felt. "How bad?" he asked them.
"I don't know yet," Winters replied.
The sound of metal hitting metal made her duck, but then she saw Nixon sprawled on the ground and she flung herself in his direction.
"Nix!" she shouted, running her hands through his hair looking for the entry wound.
Winters shoved past her and pulled Nixon up into a half sitting position as she checked the back of his head franticly.
"I'm all right. I'm all right," Nixon said, but glancing at her he asked, "Am I all right?"
She nodded and Winters said, "Yeah. Yeah, you feel all right?"
"Yeah! Quit looking at me like that the both of you!"
Nixon scrambled over to the side of a nearby tank and she grabbed his helmet as she and Winters followed him. She ran her fingers along the dent where the bullet had hit and gave thanks that her friend was still alive.
Handing his helmet back to him she grabbed hold of his hand and held onto it tightly for a few heartbeats. He nodded and returned the pressure as the enormity of what had happened settle over him.
"You're one lucky man Nix," she said.
Glancing down at the dented metal he said, "Tell me 'bout it."
Lipton skidded in next to them and she crossed his name off of her list. "Captain! We've got four dead and eleven injured."
"OK, let's move them out."
"Oh, and sir, Randleman's missing too."
The words were like a stab to her heart and she squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from forming.
"OK, let's go," she faintly heard Winters say before she felt his strong hand pat her shoulder.
Running up to the nearest truck, Bill held out his hand and she grabbed it, allowing him to drag her to the seat next to him.
"I saw Doc, he told me to tell you Derek's gonna be fine," Bill said.
She nodded and took her helmet off. Dumping it at her feet she dropped her head between her hands, needing a moment to collect herself. She felt Bill rub her back in small comforting circles and slowly her world started to center itself.
Bill bumped into her as someone took the open seat on the other side of him. Turning her head so she could see who it was she marked Johnny off her list as well. He was heaving and she'd never seen the man look so defeated and shocked before.
"Where's the Bull?" Bill asked him and she cringed internally.
"Don't know," Johnny replied, breathless.
Sitting upright she pulled the pack of smokes from her breast pocket and held them out to the men around her, ticking another name off of her list with each cigarette they took.
Finally looking to her other side she found Babe looking down at her, his eyes no longer holding the brave innocence they had a few days earlier. They were harder now, no less brave but their innocence was all but gone. He pulled her into a tight side hug and as much as her ribs complained now that the adrenaline was wearing off, having him close to her and alive made all the pain worth it.
Laying her head down onto his shoulder she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for all her friends who'd made it out and for the ones who hadn't. But mostly she prayed that Bull was still alive and would somehow find his way back to them.
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Walking into the large aid tent the smells and sounds attacked her senses all at once and she had to take a deep breath and swallow hard to stop herself from turning and leaving the way she came.
Injured men were spread out all over the room, some in a morphine induced stupor while others moaned and screamed for their mothers as the surgeons and medics tried to save them. The whole place was covered in the sweet metallic smell of blood and sweat and the air felt stuffy from the lack of circulation.
She took a tentative step inside and searched the rows of stretchers for Derek or Gene. Spotting a mop of dark black hair, she quickly made her way over to the man hoping it was her friend.
"Gene?"
The medic looked up from the wounded man he was tending and frowned deeply. "Amelia, are you hurt?"
"Oh no, sorry Gene. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm looking for Derek."
"Oh, he's back there." Gene jerked his head to the back of the tent which was separated from the main area by a large flap.
"Thanks."
"Sure," he said, already back to working on the man.
Pushing the flap aside she found five low beds, each one containing a sleeping wounded man, all of them officers by the looks of the clothing she could see.
Quickly scanning each face she found two she recognized. Buck and Derek were sleeping next to each other and she made her way over to them, trying her very best not to wake anyone.
Coming to stand between their beds she looked from the one to the other. Looking each one over carefully she tried to judge the severity of their injuries.
"Amelia?" She heard Derek's raspy voice and knelt down onto her haunches so she could bring her face close to his.
"I'm here," she whispered and reached for his hand.
"Gene said you made it."
"He told me the same thing about you. How'ya feeling?"
"Groggy from the meds. Can't really feel my leg through all the morphine. The surgeon said I was lucky. Bullet must have deflected off of something 'coz it didn't get in too deep."
"That's good news. Do you know how Buck is?"
"One bullet four holes, must be some kinda record huh?"
"Probably, he's gonna be out for a while. You?"
"Doc said I need to rest for four weeks."
Her lips turned up into a small smile and she asked, "So I'm seeing you back here in three then?"
"Ha-ha, make that closer to two."
She just shook her head; she knew there was no point in arguing with him.
"I heard you got the bastard who was shooting our guys during the retreat?"
"I got a bastard and I hope he's the one that tried to off you."
"That's my girl."
"I need to head back, if I'm gone to long Bill gets worried and then I get a speech."
"So Bill made it? Anyone else?"
"Joe, George, Babe, most of the guys." She sighed and dropped her head as she thought of Bull who hadn't yet returned to them.
"What?" Derek asked.
"Bull's missing."
"You're not going after him. If I need to order you I will." Derek squeezed her hand with so much force she she scowled as her fingers pinched together.
"Don't worry, Bill and George already told me I can't go. I was going to do it anyway, but then some of the guys from Bull's squad volunteered."
He relaxed his grip on her hand and closed his eyes. "You behave yourself while I'm gone Em."
"Will do," she said, smiling down at him as the frown lines and worry that marred his handsome features were all smoothed out as the morphine lulled him back to sleep.
Once she was sure he wasn't waking up any time soon she stood and gave him and Buck a kiss each on the forehead before leaving the tent.
The cool air felt amazing against her skin after the stuffiness of the tent and she filled her lungs to capacity trying to expel all the old air from her body.
An orange glow on the horizon caught her eye. She walked towards it and cresting a small ridge she could make out the silhouettes of Nixon and Winters framed by the flames and smoke rising from Eindhoven.
She walked over to the two men and stopped between them, awed and appalled at the same time by the site of the bombed and burning city.
"Seems you were right Em," Nixon said without looking at her.
"I wish I was wrong. I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah," both men replied absentmindedly.
The men had all dug in for the night in the small field just below the ridge so she made her way over to them, looking for the foxhole she was sharing with George and Frank.
She wanted to go and find Babe, truth be told the thought of tucking herself in next to him and feeling his arms encircle her was enough to make her heart constrict with longing, but whatever was going on between them was still so new that it took effort and thought and right now she didn't have the energy for either one.
Finally finding her foxhole after what felt like ages she crawled in, trying her best not to disturb the already sleeping men.
She accidently kicked George's boot and he cracked open one eye and glared up at her. "Christ, can't a guy get some sleep around here?"
"Sorry George," she whispered, still trying to find a corner to sit down in.
"Come here." He lifted his left arm and she crawled in next to him as he pulled her closer.
He kissed the top of her head and a moment later she heard his breathing become deep and slow as he fell back to sleep.
She sat there for a while, her body exhausted and her side throbbing but her mind still running over the events of the day, trying to take stock of everything that had happened. She laid her head down on-top of George's chest and used the steady rhythm of his heartbeat to lull her to sleep at last.
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"God, who turned on the lights?" She squinted up at the early morning sun, trying to shield her stinging eyes with her hands.
"George, make it go away."
"Wish I could Em."
"Fine," she said, slowly climbing out from under his arm and stretching out.
A sharp pain shot up her side and she let out a hiss while instinctively clutching her side.
"You OK?" Frank asked from his side of the foxhole while George moved over get a better look at the side she was holding.
She waved him off with a scowl and said, "Yeah-yeah, it's fine. The ribs just hurt after yesterday. Doc gave me some pain meds for it."
George raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"I'm sure," she said and Frank handed her a metal mug with coffee in it, "Thanks."
George sat back down and started to tinker with his radio while she and Frank shared the coffee and a cigarette.
When Bill and Toye sat down on the edge of their foxhole she handed them a new smoke wordlessly. If they'd heard anything about Bull they would have told them already so no one even bothered to ask.
"So Em, now that Derek's out for the count for a while you have to stick close to us you hear?" Toye said, flicking the stump of his finished smoke to the ground.
She smiled at his concern and patted his knee. "Winters already put me in Bill's platoon, and he said he'll move me around if I'm needed somewhere else. Shifty will go with me if I need to go out."
"Can't wait to be in-charge of this one," Bill smirked and winked in her direction.
"Nice try darling, but luckily our rank's the same."
"It was worth a try."
She smiled up at her friend and lightly shook her head. "Excuse me boys, I need to go find the little girls room to powder my nose."
Climbing out of the foxhole she made her way behind some bushes the men had set aside for her the previous day. Her ears perked up at the sound of a jeep driving into the camp and moments later Johnny's voice rang out across the small field. "Bull!"
She hurriedly finished up and dashed towards the group of men standing around a dirt streaked and tired looking Bull and the soldiers who'd gone looking for him. Pushing her way through the crowd she threw her arms around Bull's neck. The big man gently hugged her, barely lifting her toes off of the ground, and for a brief moment all the men fell into hush as the two friends reunited.
"It's good to see you Em."
She let go and wagging her finger at him she said, "If you ever scare me like that again, I'll come looking for you myself."
He chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately.
Joining them Bill casually draped one arm across her shoulder and shook Bull's hand with his free hand. "I don't know whether to slap you, kiss you or salute you. I told these scallywags you was OK."
Hashey, Hoobler and the rest of small rescue party all smiled broadly at the compliment.
"They didn't listen?" Bull asked.
"Nah, these salty bastards, they wanted to go on a suicide run to drag your ass back."
Bull glanced over to the men and she thought she saw some of them blush.
"Is that right?"
"Yeah, I told them don't bother."
She rolled her eyes. She knew full well that besides for her, Bill had been more than ready to go in search of Bull the moment they'd settled in for the night. The only reason they hadn't gone themselves was because Hoobler and some of the replacements from Bull's squad had volunteered.
Bull looked like a proud poppa bear when he said, "Never liked this company none."
"C'mon Bull. Let's get you something to eat and have Doc look at that shoulder," she said.
He looked surprised and she added, "I can see you holding it funny."
Walking away from the group of men, who were now all congratulating the rescue party, they made their way to the waiting trucks and tanks where Gene was checking medical supplies.
"So, they found you?" Bill said.
"What did you say?" Johnny teased him.
"Johnny, don't irrigate me," Bill replied and she smiled at his slip of the tongue.
"They found you? I don't know who's more stupid, you or the hick."
"You sure you're happy to be back?" she asked Bull with a lopsided smile.
He chuckled and rolled his eyes at his bickering friends.
"All right! Mount up! Up, up! Let's move out!" Lipton's voice rang out and everyone jumped into action.
"Bull, I gotta get my stuff real quick. Gene's right up there." She pointed in the medic's direction.
"I'll see you up there beautiful."
Running to her foxhole she quickly collected her kit before heading up to the waiting trucks and men, searching for 2nd Platoon.
She found Bill and Babe waiting for her to catch up and as soon as she joined them they started to walk down the road, following the convoy of trucks and marching soldiers.
A truck pulled past them and she saw Gene bandaging Bull's shoulder. The relief of having her friend back where he belonged brought a welcome smile to her face and she gave him a small wave which he returned with a grin and a nod.
"So, this is what retreating feels like?" Babe said from beside her.
"I don't think we're gonna be home by Christmas," she replied.
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Happy weekend everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.