Dear bethrodrigues.77, thanks again for the review!
And now, my lovely readers and reviewers, I have a new announcement ;)
To increase the drama a bit, I added Doc Roe's POV in this chapter (beside Jess's). If you see any grammatical mistakes in Gene's part of the story, they are made on purpose. I just wanted to adapt my writing to his accent ;)
Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Band of Brothers. This is purely of entertainment. It is based on the HBO miniseries and no disrespect is meant towards the real men of Easy Company.
Chapter Nineteen: Only When I Have To
Jess:
Lieb was still screaming, when Gene grabbed his bag and sprung out of the foxhole. I grasped the nearby roots, ready to run after him, when he said:
"Stay down. Leave this to me."
"But..."
Gene gave me a short glare. "Stay down."
A split second later, he dashed down the line, towards Lieb's voice.
I peered over the edge of the foxhole, watching Gene's silhouette disappearing in the night. I had no idea what was going on. However, judging by Lieb's voice, it definitely wasn't good. I bit my lip so hard that it hurt.
Oh, who am I joking? I wasn't the type who would just stay down and wait. I had to see if Lieb was okay. Flinging myself out of cover, I dashed in Eugene's direction.
In less than a minute, I almost crashed into Lieb. And then he scared the hell out of me. He was as pale as death - an he was staring at something in the distance. I turned around and saw Gene and Ralph quickly walking away.
However, they weren't alone. They were carrying a man on a stretcher. My lips parted in disbelief when I recognized Floyd Talbert – one of Bill's friends.
"What on earth is going on?" I looked at Lieb again, but he remained silent. "Lieb? Liebgott, say something!"
That was when he looked over his shoulder and spoke. But, not to me.
"Smith, you fucking idiot!"
I suddenly noticed another private, who was standing near us. However, before I managed to do anything, Lieb clenched his fist. I winced when I heard his knuckles colliding with Smith's jaw. A second later, Smith ended up sprawled in the mud.
"Were you outa your goddamn mind?", Lieb snarled, "You just stabbed Talbert!"
My eyes widened, as shock begun filling me from head to toe. Did he say what I think he said?
In the meantime, Smith swallowed loud enough for me to hear it.
"I... I thought he w... was a Kraut!", he stammered, propping himself on his elbows, "I didn't mean to hurt Tab... I'm so sorry!"
"Oh, you're sorry?" Just the sound of Lieb's voice made me shiver. If he had any remorse, he had probably left it back in Aldbourne. "If he dies, I'll get my hands on you – and THEN you'll be sorry!"
The sight of Smith flinching made me snap out of it. Bloody hell... Lieb won't let him live much longer.
"Liebgott, stop it!"
I grasped his shoulder, but he didn't pay any attention to that. His gaze was still fixed on Smith, who now looked almost like a scared rabbit.
"This is none of your business, Jess."
Lieb made another step, ready to give Smith the beating of his lifetime. However, before he reached him, I stepped between them. Liebgott sent me a long and intimidating glare. But, I didn't even blink. Glancing at Smith behind me, I hissed:
"And what are you gawking at? Move!"
The private quickly nodded. Pushing himself off the ground, he made a run for it. In the meantime, Lieb's glare became twice as scary. If it weren't for me, he would have probably gone after Smith.
"What the fuck are you doing?", he shouted.
"Preventing you from doing something insane."
He arched his black eyebrows. "And Smith? He did something smart, huh?"
"You won't help Floyd if you beat the living daylights out of someone!" Still standing in front of him, I placed my hands on my hips. "What would Winters say if he saw you now? Tell me!"
"I don't give a shit what he'd say."
"But, you will for what I am going to say!"
He tilted his head slightly. "Oh, really?"
Jeez, he's so irritating! I struggled with the urge to slosh him here and now. He really deserved it, but still...
"Do you know what Denham ordered me?" Lieb tried to say something. But, I cut him off and gave him the most serious look I could make. "As your air support, I have to make sure that you blokes get back home alive and in one piece. On the other hand, you promised that you'll help me. So help me, goddamn it, by NOT acting like this!"
He had no time to answer. I didn't give him a single second. Pursing my lips, I turned on my heel and went back into the darkness.
XXX
As soon as first light came, I grabbed my jacket and went to my trusty bird. My next stop for today was Carentan - and I had to get there as fast as possible.
Sighing a little, I placed my hand on the Spitfire's right wing. As I moved my fingers along its smooth surface, somebody's head popped up behind the plane.
"'Morning, sunshine!"
I jumped almost a foot in the air. "Damn it, George, I don't need a heart attack right now!"
"Jesus, I didn't mean to scare you!" His brow furrowed. "By the way, I thought you're our tough air support..."
"I'm tough only when I have to." I tilted my head when something moved near him. There was definitely another man peering behind the Spitfire. "And who's the chap with you?"
That was when the stranger stepped out. I have to admit – his height surprised me a bit. He was even shorter than George. He had tousled black hair and eyes just as dark.
"Perconte." The private enthusiastically shook my hand. "Frank Perconte. But, please, call me Perco."
"Nice to meet you." I warmly smiled. "So, you're an Italian?"
"Yeah. But, that ain't as charmin' as you", he said with a wink.
I frowned slightly. Is he making a flirt? Trying not to look too bewildered, I shifted my gaze to George.
"Hey, do you know where Gene might be?", I asked, "I haven't seen him for a while."
"He went to see how Tab's doin'."
I slowly nodded. But, mentally, I let out a long sigh. I didn't say this to anyone yet... but, I didn't stop thinking about last night.
God, I hope Floyd's okay.
In the meantime, Frank rolled up his sleeve, revealing one, two... no, five different watches. Luckily, he didn't notice me gawking at them. Glancing at the first one, he raised a thick eyebrow.
"It's 9:30 at night back home", he muttered, "Must be..."
"MORTAR!"
I craned my neck, wondering who'd shouted. That was when a tremendous explosion shook the earth beneath us. Something had blown up down the line, sending dirt and debris in all possible directions. My heart sank when a pillar of smoke shot up in the air.
When George looked at that direction, his cigarette fell out of his mouth.
"Jesus fuckin' Christ", he muttered.
I swallowed hard. The Germans were here.
Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of our troubles. As Frank picked up his rifle, my ears caught another sound. It was distant and familiar – but, not in a good way.
A plane was approaching us. And I didn't have to guess which one it was.
Bloody hell, he's here, too! The Messerschmitt was about to reach the companies. It was just a matter of minutes. And then...
I bit my lip again. There was only one way to solve this.
"George?" I quickly turned around. "Go and tell Winters I'm not running away."
His brown eyes suddenly widened. "No way."
"Don't argue with me. Go! You, too, Frank!"
I could see that they were both hesitating. But, they eventually nodded and dashed back to the line. As they were going further and further, I climbed into the cockpit. Taking a deep breath, I grasped the cold control stick in front of me.
Well, here I come...
The propeller begun spinning almost as fast as my heart. Its loud rumble pushed away all the shouts and gunfire. Everything that existed now was me and my plane, which was ready to reach the clouds. Trying to calm myself somehow, I made the plane move down a flat strip of land.
Everything happened as it was supposed to - it seemed almost like clockwork, actually. The Spitfire quickly picked up speed. I felt a weak nudge when the wheels separated from the grass. The ground soon disappeared from my view. Before I knew it, I was already up, soaring towards the sky.
But, then a silhouette appeared. The infamous German bird was already in the air, not far away from me. I could see it tail, covered in hues of green and brown.
Gritting my teeth, I flew straight towards it.
I moved just as Mike had taught me. I broke through the plane's route and climbed higher, while spinning in the air. The moment I straightened my Spitfire, I was in level with the Messerschmitt – and right behind it.
I held my breath. This was it.
Closing one eye shut, I prepared to open fire. But, I didn't get the chance, because the Messerschmitt suddenly moved. It quickly turned, before it vanished from my sight.
What the...? I tried to look everywhere, wondering where it had went. The answer came soon - too soon. I heard a familiar rumble, too close for my taste. That was when it hit me.
The Messerschmitt was right behind me now.
And it immediately fired at me.
Shit! With my heart in my throat, I jerked the control stick in my hand. My bird responded in an instant. It swiftly moved away, while the rounds zipped past me.
However, one round failed to miss.
I heard a loud crack when it burst through my plane. A second later, something searing ripped the skin on my neck.
And something red spattered the glass next to me.
Gene:
"MEEEEEDIIIIIC!"
The moment I heard that call, I was on my way, sprintin' down the right flank. But, that was far from easy. Men were runnin' and shoutin' everywhere I looked. But, most of them were busy shootin' at the silhouettes on the horizon. The smell of spent ammunition hung in the air, refusin' ta go away.
I tried not ta think about that. The voice that called fo help was the only thing that mattered now. I kept goin', with one hand graspin' the strap on my bag. The moment I passed lieutenant Welsh and McGrath, I found Gordon lyin' on the ground.
"Hey, Doc." He gave me a weak grin. "How does it look?"
"You're gonna be fine, Gordon", I said, almost automatically.
I pulled out a bag of sulpha, opened it and sprinkled sum on his wounds. I have ta say, he didn't look that fine. What he needed now was a hospital. But, how could he get to it in this helluva place?
As I picked up sum clean bandages, the look in Gordon's eyes changed. I wasn't quite sure, but he seemed almost... well, scared. And he kept lookin' somewhere above us.
"Hey, stay with me, Gordon!"
"Doc, I think I see Jess!"
Wha...? Followin' his gaze, I turned around and looked up.
I quickly spotted her, moving through the sky. But, then the bandages slid out of my fingers.
I was sure that my heart dropped like a stone... because her plane was fallin', too.
Jess:
When I cracked one eye open, everything was spinning.
The ground and the sky swirled together in a strange, greenish-blue colour. However, the green part was becoming bigger by the second. It didn't last long, when the silhouettes of the trees came into sight.
Just by seeing something like that made my heart hit my soles.
I can't crash... I have to get up... I have to get up...
Groaning in pain, I grabbed the control stick and jerked it as hard as I could.
The Spitfire suddenly moved. It cut through the air, making an enormous, wide curve. I bit my lip, almost begging my bird not to hit the trees.
And then I was soaring again. In just a few seconds, the hard ground was far bellow me, while the sky was greeting me one more time. I felt relief washing through me like a wave. But, that feeling didn't last long.
Oh, damn it... I also felt something warm trickling down my neck. It had already soaked a part of my shirt, making my skin crawl.
Shit, don't look that way! It took me all my power not to turn to the right. If I saw that much blood, I would pass out - and I didn't need that on my list of troubles. I pressed my free hand against my neck and winced when it stung.
It was enough to make tears well up in my eyes. I kept blinking, trying to make them go away.
The notorious humming came to my ears when the Messerschmitt went after me. It soon roared above the ground, ready to take me out for good.
But, I couldn't let that happen.
Swallowing hard, I went for another manoeuvre. I quickly turned my Spitfire to the left. And then I did another barrel-roll, parallel to the German's course.
At the top of the roll, I ended up behind its tail.
I didn't hesitate this time. I bit my lip and fired.
A series of ear-splitting bangs burst out of my Browning machine gun. The round zipped forward, tearing dozens of holes in the German plane. And then, with a short and loud crack, dark-grey smoke poured out of the bird. Its frame hung in the air for just a moment, before it plummeted to the muddy ground.
As soon as the Messerschmitt fell, something became tighter in my chest. I was relieved that I'd made it out - I admit that. But, I also felt a ping of guilt. I had just paid my survival with somebody else's life...
Oh, come on, don't think about that now! I bit my lip for the hundredth time, trying to get that thought out of my head. I had bigger worries to deal with now. Still holding my neck with one hand, I begun my descent.
However, finding a place to land became harder than I'd thought. In a short span of time, the ground had become riddled with craters, piles of mud and fallen trees. I barely managed to find a flat strip, wide enough for my plane to land on.
When I finally reached the ground, my Spitfire glided to a stop. The engine went silent soon after, along with the propeller.
The silence lasted only a few moments. As soon as I flung my leg over the edge of the cockpit, I was hit by a completely different set of sounds. I heard shouting in the distance, along with gunfire. There was also something else, that I couldn't decipher. I must have landed somewhere near the line. Wherever that was, the chaps were definitely in trouble.
The second I got out, I slid down. But, when I reached the ground, my knees buckled under me and I fell on my hands and knees.
"Oh, for the love of...!" I groaned again when my neck stung. I closed my eyes shut, struggling not to think of he pain.
But, when I opened them, something weird happened. I found out that I wasn't alone. Somebody was kneeling beside me - someone with a red cross on his sleeve.
I frowned a bit. "Eugene?"
"Yeah, it's me." His voice was almost like music to my ears. "Now, lemme see that..."
I picked up my braid, letting him see the state of my neck. Soon after, his gaze moved and his dark eyes met mine.
"You're in luck. The bullet just grazed ya." He picked up a small bag in his hands. Ripping it open, he raised an eyebrow and added: "You just can't avoid trouble, can you?"
I thought for a moment. "Something like that."
"Well, you gotta try, huh?"
I yelled when he poured some sulphur on my neck. It stung like hell and a half and it smelled horrendously. It was enough to make tears blur my vision. While I was gritting my teeth again, Eugene frowned and rifled through his medic bag.
He took a piece of gauze, pressed it over my wound, and then picked up a bandage. His fingers worked so quickly and gently, as if they had done this a hundred times before. He wrapped the bandage around my neck and made sure it would hold the gauze in place.
"Okay, you're good ta go." He grasped my arm and pulled me back to my feet. "Come on, let's get outa here."
The second I nodded, we made a run for it. In order not to become targets, we were both as bent as we could be. Gene was first, while I was right behind him, following him like a shadow.
Eugene tried to say something, when another boom shook the ground. It sounded as if somebody had woken up an ancient beast underneath the dirt and tree roots.
The trembling ground knocked me off balance. I grabbed Gene's arm for support. But, then he slipped in the mud and we both collapsed.
That was when I saw tanks, rolling nearby.
Holy mackerel... I almost froze on my spot. I had never seen one that close, let alone that many. One by one, their enormous silhouettes moved across the ground. The sound they were making made my stomach instantly churn.
But, somehow, that sight didn't worry Eugene. A smile emerged on his pale face before he muttered:
"Well, hello, Second Armoured!"
I blinked in disbelief. "Those are Yanks? Well, they took their bloody time!"
Eugene chuckled, lying in the dirt beside me. In the meantime, I watched in surprise as the Germans retreated. They were swiftly moving away, leaving the three companies - and us - behind. I could have sworn that I heard Perconte nearby, shouting:
"That's right, you sorry arses! Run!"
Judging by the cheery shouts, the Yanks had really won. Carentan was still in their hands. The Germans lost.
And we survived.
We survived this. To tell you the truth, I found it hard to believe in that. I mean, just a few minutes ago, I had almost died in the sky. But, in spite of everything, my lips curved into a grin.
I slowly turned one side and tried to get up. However, before I managed to do that, Eugene gently grasped my shoulder.
He had a really strange look on his face. Actually, he was barely blinking. He seemed as if he was deeply hesitating - but I had no idea about what. His doe eyes refused to move away from mine, when he said:
"Wait."
I gave him a bewildered look. But, I had no time to say anything, because his hand slowly moved up to my cheek.
And then his lips found their way to mine.
I forgot to breathe as his thumb moved over my cheek. While the warmth of his skin passed on mine, I let my eyelids slide down.
For a reason I couldn't explain, everything around us went silent. The tanks rolling near us, the Yanks shouting in triumph and the gunfire - everything vanished, as if it never existed. The only thing I could hear in that moment was my heart, which pounded stronger than ever against my ribs.
That was when Eugene moved, making our lips separate.
The sounds around us suddenly returned, almost twice as loud as before. Hand on heart, I even recognized Winters's voice among the shouts. He was treading somewhere down the line, calling my name.
Perhaps he had seen my fight in the air and my Spitfire flying down. Perhaps he was looking for me right now.
However, I wasn't planning to shout back and reveal where I was. Well... not yet anyway. Instead of that, I remained on the ground, still gazing at Eugene. I watched as a slightly concerned look appeared in his eyes.
I slowly moved my arm, wrapping it around his shoulders. That was when I gave him a long kiss in return.
And that's how romance found its way into this story... ;)
It would be really nice of you if you review. I'd be happy to hear what you think about this :)