Hello, everyone! Believe it or not, it has been exactly five months since I begun writing this story. Time really flies, eh? ;)

I want to thank all of you who recently added this story to their list of favourites. I would be really happy to hear your opinion about the chapters to come, so leave a review if you have time.

But, special thanks goes to bethrodrigues.77 for the amazing review. As for the question regarding Mike... well, all I can say is that the answer will come soon. I'll have to ask for a little bit of patience. :)

Okay, here we go... chapter 27. 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.

I'm looking for a complication

Looking cause I'm tired of trying

Make my way back home

Where I learn to fly...

Foo Fighters, "Learn To Fly"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Rescue Party

It felt as if somebody had kicked me hard in the stomach. I couldn't even breathe, let alone scream. My mouth half-opened as the tank rolled towards Mike.

And then, with a loud and harrowing screech, it ran over him.

"Holy Christ", Don muttered, "Poor kid... JESS!"

His silent voice turned into a shout when I pushed him away and ran out of cover.

I wasn't quite thinking where I was going. All I felt in that second was the urge to sprint, to get over there as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Germans shifted their aim from the squad to me. However, I just bent and ran.

My every breath hitched, but I kept sprinting, while tears were blurring my vision. In spite of that, I could still see the silhouette of the tank. It kept rumbling and moving – this time towards me.

I quickly pinned myself at the nearest house when it came. Luckily, it just ran past me and rolled through the town.

"No, no, no...", I muttered, "Mike, you bastard!"

By that time, I was struggling not to sob. During our days in Newcastle, he had always been there for me, helping me, keeping me out of trouble. For goodness sake, he was my wingman! He couldn't be gone. Especially not like this. Never like this...

As my stomach tied itself in an agonizing knot, I made another few steps. And then I dropped on my knees, weeping. I almost expected to see his body, crushed somewhere near me...

"Flygirl?", somebody asked.

That was when my heart almost stopped. What the...?

I slowly turned around... just to see Mike's head peering through the grass.

Before I could blink, he crawled out of a hole in the ground. He was covered in scratches and sweat was trickling down his forehead, but he was... he was fine. This might sound completely insane, but he was looking at me, alive and in one piece.

"Jesus...", I whispered.

"Long time, no see?", Mike asked, with a lopsided smile.

I didn't have a chance to say anything else, because an explosion echoed down the street. Mike threw himself over me, shielding me from any debris.

Goddamnit! Looking sideways, I noticed that the tank had stopped. Thick, dark smoke was pouring from its bottom and climbing towards the sky.

That sight made me blink in disbelief. Mike did his crazy stunt after all...

"Jess, get up." Mike's voice suddenly pushed me into the present. "Move!"

As he got up, he grabbed my hand and yanked me back to my feet. And then he led me back towards the wall, where the rest of the lads were hiding.

But, the moment we begun running, gunfire echoed somewhere from the front. Bullets showered that part of the street, driving Bull's squad out of cover. The lads quickly scattered, disappearing among the nearest gardens.

I could feel my heart sinking to my boots again. Bloody hell...

"LOOK OUT!"

Mike's shout made my head snap to the left. That was when I saw a corner of a house being blown up to smithereens. Just a second later, another blast came. Unlike the previous one, this one was only a few meters away. I almost yelped as dirt shot up in the air and showered both Mike and me.

Before I knew it, we were running again. We made a quick turn to the left, just as the nearby garden wall burst into a hundred pieces. And then I saw it – a ditch, not so far from our spot. Something like a huge pipe was peering through one side of the ditch. It might have been of the town's irrigation system... or was it the sewer?

I didn't give a sod. I just ran towards it, shouting:

"Mike, follow me!"

I literally leapt into the ditch, landing on its muddy bottom. Soon after, Mike jumped after me. We crawled into the pipe just as another explosion rattled the ground. All of a sudden, dust was chucked up everywhere, filling the air around us. It was loud enough to make my ears ring. I huddled against one side of the pipe, closing my eyes shut.

And then, without a single warning, everything became silent.

For a second or two, I didn't even dare to get up. I was just looking at my hands, which were shaking like mad. Clenching one into a tight fist, I slowly turned on my back. A moment later, I saw Mike lying next to me.

"Mike? Mike, are you all right?"

Still covering his head with his hands, Mike looked at me. His helmet was gone and, with all that dust, his hair now seemed almost yellow.

"I'm okay... and I think those blasts stopped", he almost whispered. But, he soon jerked, because I smacked his back hard. "Jesus...! What was that for?"

"I was mourning you a minute ago, you...!"

I was cut off by voices, which came from behind us. I had no idea what was going on. But, I was about to find out. Slowly getting on my knees, I approached the edge of the pipe. And then I took a peek outside.

At the garden wall – which was now more like a ruin – I spotted a German. But, he was just the beginning.

A few moments later, another one strolled by. Soon after, some sort of a vehicle rushed past the ditch, followed by more Germans. I clearly heard somebody shouting orders in the distance, but I couldn't see the bugger.

Where the hell is Easy? Shouldn't they try to attack them or something? As I was watching the men moving away from my sight, the answer hit me with all its strength. And it was far from good. There were only two reasons why Bill and the others weren't fighting back. The first one was that they were all dead – which was bollocks. And that left the choice number two.

While I thought about it, I could feel a large lump forming in my throat. I wondered if I could ever manage to swallow it.

"What's wrong?", Mike asked in a whisper.

I slowly turned my head and looked at him. And then I answered:

"I think the lads pulled back."

For almost a full minute, Mike just stared at me. His look was completely blank, while silence lingered between us. When he eventually spoke, all that he said was:

"Shit."

Hand on heart, I was having the same word on my mind. Out of all the troubles I could get into, this one must have been the worst of all. The entire company had retreated who knows where and who knows when, leaving Mike and me behind. On top of that, we had not so friendly strangers strolling nearby - which would be more than happy to shoot both of us.

I swallowed thickly just by thinking of it. Trying not to make too much noise, I looked outside again.

No, there was definitely no way for us to get out now. I could see Germans almost everywhere I looked. In slow, quiet steps, four men went beside the ditch, searching the nearby houses. They didn't have a bloody clue that two Geordies were nearby, hiding in a... well, judging by the smell, it must have been the sewer.

That was when I heard something moving behind me. And it wasn't Mike.

I almost jumped out of my skin. I quickly turned around, just as Mike picked up his rifle. My lips parted in disbelief when I saw another man in hiding. However, that wasn't just any man.

My brow slowly furrowed. "Bull?"

He sent me a faint smile. "Hey, Jess."

I had no idea where he had been in the meantime. But, whatever he saw must have been awful. He seemed exhausted and almost ten years older than the last time I had seen him. I could clearly see small creases emerging on his forehead. However, in spite of that, I was really happy to see him alive.

"You too, sergeant?", Mike asked as quietly as possible.

He curtly nodded. That was when some sort of rumble broke through the silence. That sound was too familiar for my ears.

As I leaned against one side of the pipe, I saw a tank moving outside.

After what had almost happened to Mike, I became scared of those things. I couldn't make a single sound as it went past the ditch. To tell you the truth, I was too scared even to whisper. I even kept holding my breath, until the tank finally vanished from my sight.

Soon after, I glanced at Mike. In the shadows of the sewer, his blue eyes seemed wider than ever before. He was obviously terrified. And perhaps I didn't look too different.

"I don't want to stay here for good, lads", I whispered.

"You won't", Bull replied in his deep voice, "We just have to wait for the night. The Krauts won't be movin' around then."

I slightly raised an eyebrow. That plan sounded good. However, there was one tiny problem...

"Bull, what if the Germans don't go away in the meantime?", I asked.

He just shrugged as he gazed outside. "You can always hope."

XXX

After God knows how much time, night finally decided to show up. It covered the sky and earth and enveloped all the houses in Nuenen. And, in addition, my hope came true.

The Germans, who had been treading through the town during most of the day, were now gone. There was nobody nearby, except for the three of us.

As quietly as possible, we slowly crawled out of the pipe. I was almost thrilled for finally getting away from that smelly place. But, as soon as we climbed out of the ditch, my joy quickly faded away.

In the light of the moon, Nuenen seemed more than just eerie. Nothing around us was moving, and that included the grass. Its blades were completely still, as if they had been made of stone. What was more strange, there wasn't even a trace of a breeze. Actually, the only sounds in this Dutch town were our breathing - and our steps.

While I followed Mike and Bull down a path, my heart begun thumping faster and faster. A drop of sweat slid down my back as I looked left and right. I was almost certain that somebody would soon jump from behind a corner and shoot at us.

"Over here", Bull whispered, holding his rifle at the ready.

Mike and I went after him to a barn, which was just a few steps away. Its door was slightly ajar, but there was no light coming from inside.

With quiet steps, Mike stood at he right side of the door. Meanwhile, Bull stopped on the left side. Their back were almost leaned against the wall, as they held their rifles firmly. After all my days with Easy, I knew that they were about to search the barn. I stood right next to Bull as he whispered:

"Three...two..."

The moment he said "one", he gently kicked the door, making it open a bit more. That was when Mike entered the barn, aiming at the shadows inside. Just a second later, Bull was behind him, watching his back.

Jeez, Mike definitely learnt a thing or two in the Airborne... Frowning a bit at that thought, I went after Bull.

Luckily, there was nobody inside. The barn was clear. Moonlight was coming inside through holes in the nearest wall. As my eyes adjusted to it, I saw hay lying all over the place. There was a large pile of it in a corner, right next to a small table. I noticed that somebody had left a bottle and a glass there – probably the last person who had visited the barn.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I closed the door behind me. And then I went to the place where Bull and Mike were standing.

"Holy mackerel, that was a close shave", I said under my breath, "I guess the lads won't send the rescue party for us, eh?"

"Nope. We're gonna have to be our own rescue party", Bull replied. For some reason, he was looking a bit pale. Actually, he almost seemed as if he was in pain. "Sullivan, can you give me a hand?"

I wasn't sure what he meant. But, when he sat down and turned around, I noticed a dark stain on the back of his shoulder. That was when the lump in my throat turned into a stone.

He was hit.

"Sir?"

Wondering what was going on, Mike quickly came. I moved away, so that he could sit down and have a look at Bull's wound. It didn't last long when his brow furrowed and when he muttered:

"Holy..."

"I think I have somethin' in there", Bull said, cutting Mike off, "Can ya pull it out, Sullivan?"

What?! I gawked at both of them, hardly believing what I had just heard. Even from this far, I noticed that Mike's jaw clenched.

"Can ya?", Bull asked again.

"Well, I... I can try, sir", Mike replied.

"Try, then."

My eyes suddenly widened. Without any hesitation, Bull pulled out his knife and handed it to Mike.

Holy smoke, is he going to dig that thing out? I sincerely hoped that Mike would somehow talk Bull out of this. However, when my wingman took the knife and knelt right behind Bull, I felt my stomach churning again.

Jesus... he IS going to dig that out.

That was it. I felt almost sick just by thinking of it. Watching it was something that I really couldn't do. Biting my lip hard, I turned my head and gazed at the wall... and at the half-full bottle on the table. The liquid in it seemed clear, although it had colour similar to gold.

Wondering what it was, I picked it up. As soon as I pulled the cork out, a familiar scent of alcohol reached my nose. This must have been some sort of beverage.

That was one of Gene's lessons came to my mind.

"Mike. Mike, wait!"

When I turned around again, Mike didn't start yet... luckily. I came closer and almost shoved the bottle in his free hand.

"Take this. You need to disinfect that first."

"Oh."

Judging by his face, he was almost terrified. But, he forced himself to smile, just for a second. A corner of his lips curved before he muttered:

"Thanks, Jess."

To be honest, I felt very sorry for him. Just a few months ago, he had been flying in an old plane and sprinkling pesticides on crops near Aldbourne. And now, he was in occupied Holland, hiding from Germans in an old barn. With a knife in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other, he was currently staring at a hole in a man's shoulder. His voice trembled a bit when he asked:

"Ready, sir?"

Bull gave him a nod. That was when Mike turned the bottle, spilling some of the liquid on the wound. I couldn't help but wince as Bull groaned. However, that wasn't the worst part – the worst was just about to begin.

In a span of just a few seconds, Mike's pale face had become almost greyish in the moonlight. He grasped the bottle tighter and took a long swig from it. His grimaced in disgust as he swallowed. But, for what he was about to do, he really needed a drink.

And then, after taking a deep breath, he started working.

I didn't see any blood. I was sitting far enough from them. But, just by seeing Mike trying to fish out a piece of metal out of Bull made me feel dizzy again. Everything went ten times worse when Bull swore and yelped in pain. I turned my back on them again, with both hands on my stomach – and tried not to pass out.

I couldn't remember when I had felt as helpless as this... and useless. I could barely stand listening to Bull's shouts, let alone doing what Mike was doing now. If it wasn't for my wingman, I had no clue how could I help Bull. And I almost loathed myself because of that.

"Sullivan, just pull it out", Bull said behind me, "Just... fuck!"

"I'm done." This time, I heard Mike's voice. "It's... it's out."

A sigh whooshed out of my lips. When I looked at them, Mike had already taken out a long piece of bandage. He was now trying to dress the wound as best as he could.

As I watched him, I silently admired Eugene. In spite of everything, I would never understand how he could put up with all of this, almost every day...

That was when something screeched outside, making me snap back to reality.

A second later, all three of us were on our feet. Leaning against the nearest wall, I glanced through some of the holes. I managed just to catch a glimpse of a vehicle, quickly vanishing down an alley. And that was about it.

The moment that thing disappeared, Bull sighed in relief beside me. Meanwhile, Mike just closed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself down.

My heart was still thumping when I looked through the hole again. Thank goodness, there was nobody else around. I didn't see a single man walking nearby. Even the eerie silence was back. In the meantime, the moon kept shedding light on the paths and houses, as well as the field behind it.

"Jess?" Mike's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Jess, is that your plane?"

"What...? Where?"

Still peeking through the hole, I looked around. And then I saw it.

I blinked a couple of times, almost expecting to see my Spitfire disappearing in thin air. It seemed too good to be true. But, it was true. The plane was standing near the edge of the field, exactly where I had left it.

Before I managed to say anything, it suddenly gave me an idea. A grin soon found its way on my lips.

That greenish bird could be our ticket out of Nuenen.

However, I quickly realised one thing. The Spitfire had only two seats. And there was three of us.

Oh, damn it... I felt my chest becoming tight with dread. There was nothing that could make me choose. I couldn't just tell one of them to come with me, while the other would stay behind. I did my best to get that out of my head. There had to be another way to solve this.

But, unfortunately, Mike had had the same thought. And he already made a choice.

"Sergeant, you go first."

My heart sunk faster than I could blink. Meanwhile, Bull furrowed his brow at him. "Sullivan..."

"You need a medic, sir." His face was almost dead-serious when he added: "I don't."

I gave him more than a serious look. "Mike, you can't stay here."

"And you can't leave him", Mike replied, pointing at Bull with his thumb, "You can come back for me later. I can wait."

"But, what if the Germans come in the meantime? What will you do then, huh?"

"I'll try to come up with something."

Well, the Airborne didn't make him less stubborn, that's certain! I bit my lip again, in order to stop myself from swearing. However, that didn't help too long.

"You daft little... why do you have to get on my nerves again?"

"You'll argue with him later, Jess", Bull said, interrupting Mike, "We have more important things to do now."

With all my anger, I almost forgot that he was in the same place as us. I had a lot more things to say about this, but I didn't have much choice. I had to keep my mouth shut. Not so far away, Mike just nodded in agreement.

"All right..." Bull glanced at his watch. "We have almost an hour before daybreak. If we're quick, we might all get out of here. Clear?" He waited for the two of us to nod again. Soon after, he added: "Let's move, then. Jess, go!"

All of a sudden, his giant hand pushed me towards the door. The only thing left for me to do was to dash in that direction. But, I didn't have time to get out of the barn, because the door suddenly moved. It opened right in front of me with a short, screeching sound.

Before I knew it, I saw a German entering the barn. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone.

To be continued...