Hello, everyone! :)

I have to apologise for not updating so long. Please, don't get mad. In the last few weeks, I was extremely busy with my studying and I didn't have any time to sit down and write. But, I'll make it up to all of you now, by adding a quite longer chapter (and changing the picture that goes with the story).

By the way, dear readers, I want you to know that I won't leave this story unfinished. If (one day) I don't update for a while again, just be patient. I'll come back with a new chapter sooner or later. :)

Okay... and now, it's time for me to thank my reviewers: beth-rodrigues.77 (Thanks again for the lovely review! It really wasn't easy to write that chapter. I felt sorry for Jess and Gene all the time... As for Mike's plan, all I can say is that it will be revealed soon. :) ), musichette (Thank you again. :) I wish you a lovely day. ), Dustori (I hope you had a wonderful birthday. ;) Enjoy the latest chapter! ), Amanda (Thank you for the wonderful review, as well as your support. :) You're absolutely right, as I write a new chapter, I always spend some time thinking about its name. I don't want to reveal a lot in the title... which sometimes isn't an easy task. As for the previous chapter, it was definitely one of the hardest for me to write. After so much time writing this story, I became really fond of Jess, as well as Doc. ;) ), Hector Barbossa (Hello! Thank you very much and welcome to the story!), imthebeginning (Thank you for your wishes! I passed all the exams and I'm so happy... :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! ).

And now, without further ado... welcome to chapter 30!

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 Thirty: Everyone's Not Me

I had been working for almost a week at the Newcastle Airport. It was early morning, and Dad and I were already in the workshops, repairing a damaged plane. I was checking if the rudder was unscathed, when I heard the radio suddenly buzzing to life. For a moment, I thought it was just another news broadcast. But, it wasn't. The bloke who spoke from the other side wasn't the usual one. He had a much deeper, and more solemn voice. What was even stranger, he sounded familiar.

"In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history..."

Without any warning, all the workshops seemed to stop, plunging into silence. Every mechanic and passing pilot turned around almost in the same time. That was when we all put down our tools and sprinted to the radio in the corner. We were gathering around it in a hurry as the broadcast continued:

"...I send to every household of my peoples, both home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same debt of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself. For the second time in the lives of the most of us, we are at war..."

The last word created a small lump in my throat. The Prime Minister had announced the same not so long ago. Although some time passed, I could still feel something tightening slightly in my chest. I had heard a lot about the previous war from Dad, but I found it hard to imagine all that despair, destruction and death. And I found it even harder to believe that a similar thing was about to reach our shores for the second time.

Wringing my shawl in my hands, I glanced at Dad, who was standing nearby. In all my life, I had never seen him so serious. His brow was furrowed and his lips pursed tightly during the whole King's speech. Even when the broadcast ended and the King's voice was replaced by static, he was still gazing in the direction of the radio. However, I had a strong feeling that he wasn't seeing the old wireless. As the mechanics and pilots begun walking back to their jobs, I made a few steps closer.

"Dad?" I stood right beside him. "Dad?"

He was quiet for some time. And then he blinked, moving his gaze to me.

"Aye, hinny?"

"Are you all right?", I asked.

At first, he didn't answer. I assumed that he would remain silent. But, after a moment or two, he slowly nodded. To my surprise, he even smiled. I clearly saw a smile emerging on his lips. Soon after, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me a bit closer to him. And then he said:

"I think I'll be all right, Jess. Because I have you beside me."

…

The darkness seemed to last forever.

It was engulfing me from all sides like a thick, black veil, hiding everything from me. I wasn't sure if only minutes had passed, or maybe entire hours. But, eventually, I found out that I could actually see something in the dark. It took me some time to realise that I was gazing at the inner sides of my eyelids.

I could also hear something. Distant, almost whispering voices were floating around my head. I heard somebody's quiet steps, too, as they rushed past me.

I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids had become unbelievably heavy. It was almost impossible to move them. I gave it a go, but they just fluttered, almost making me bring them down and drifting back into the darkness. However, I wasn't planning on giving up. I decided to grit my teeth and fight it. Clenching my fists and taking a deep breath, I forced my eyes to open. The next thing I remember was looking at something white, riddled with thin cracks. It might have been a wall. Or, more likely, a ceiling.

"Jesus Christ, Prichard…" a familiar voice said, adding a quiet sigh, "What have you done to yourself this time?"

I moved my head slightly, searching for the owner of that voice. However, instead of a face, all I could see was a blurry silhouette with blonde hair. Or at least I thought it was blonde hair. I blinked a couple of times, hoping that my vision would clear, when everything swiftly sharpened in front of me. All of a sudden, the silhouette with the deep voice had turned into a smiling lieutenant Compton.

He wasn't standing, nor sitting beside me. Instead, he was lying on his side on a neighbouring bed. But, that wasn't the only odd thing. His face was so pale, that it could almost match his hair.

"This… heaven?", I wheezed out.

Compton chuckled. "Nope. This ain't hell, either. We're both alive and kicking."

That was when the pain returned, making me sigh. It was dull and weak, but it was still there, smouldering in my stomach and back.

"Where's… Gene?"

This time, he looked at be in bewilderment. "Gene?"

"I need to… see him."

"I don't think that'll happen soon, Miss. Doc and the rest of the boys moved out two days ago." He shrugged. "New orders, I guess."

I furrowed my brow at him, when I suddenly felt exhausted. Although I had said only four words, I had a feeling that I had been running over ten miles without a break. I was so drained, that I only had enough strength to nod.

Bloody hell...I moved my hand, when I noticed something strange on the back of it. It looked quite blurry in front of my eyes, but I could tell that it was an IV.

"Where… we?"

"Gee, those painkillers really messed you up. We're in a hospital, far from the line." Compton was quiet for a second, before he added: "You have the same proportion of luck as you have troubles. Do you know that? If they'd brought you just a few minutes late, you would have been our ex-air support."

I looked at the way he was lying on his side. It took me almost a whole minute to discover that he was in a hospital bed, too.

"…Hurt?"

"Shot in the ass", he replied with a smirk, "It looks like you can't get away from the company's tradition, can you?"

I could feel a corner of my lips curving. But, I could also feel my eyelids becoming too hard to be kept open. They were sliding down, further by the second. I grasped the corner of the blanket that was covering me, trying to stay awake.

"L… lieu…" I tried to pronounce 'lieutenant', but my tongue had decided not to take orders from me. "Oh, damn it…"

In the meantime, Compton became a bit more serious. "Save your strength, kid. You gotta get better soon, so that you can see me givin' the guys hell for this…"

I slowly nodded again and muttered: "Be… nice… okay?"

My eyelids held on for a second or two more. But, then they dropped and, in less than a heartbeat, I slipped into the dark again.

XXX

In almost a week, I managed to sit up in bed. But, believe me, getting shot again might be less painful than this. My wounds had been stitched up, but they burnt in pain every time I moved. However, after I saw the other patients around me, I should probably consider myself lucky.

The nurses and doctors were rushing to and fro, trying to help as much as they could. Unfortunately, there were too few of them and too many wounded to look after. What mattered worse, something terrible was happening on the line and more wounded were finding their way here. And so, there was only one thing left to be done. The ones with life threatening injuries were treated first, while the others just had to wait.

After some time, I learnt one thing. When men called out for help here, they would do it in three ways. Some would shout for God to help hem, some would ask different saints to come down and ease their pain, while the rest would beg for their mothers. And, truth be told, that third group was the hardest to listen to. Just by hearing a man cry and mutter the words like 'mum' or 'ma', made my heart clench hard. Although they were much older than me, they were still somebody's sons. And their mothers must have been thinking about them right now, praying for them – oblivious what their boys were going through.

I was just about to rip off a part of my shirt and stuff it in my ears, when I heard another voice. It was hoarse and almost stifled with sobs as it muttered:

"Ma… ma, please, make it stop…"

I swallowed thickly as two men walked past me, carrying a lad on a stretcher. They quickly moved away, but not quick enough. I had a long enough moment to see that the poor soul had a bandage around his head – and that he was missing a part of his arm.

Holy Christ. I suddenly felt the urge to lean over the bed and retch. While I struggled not to do that, the stretcher-bearer near the lad's head whispered:

"You're gonna be okay, mate. Just hang in there. Hang in there..."

I could hardly believe my own ears. Instead of a thick American accent, the lad was talking as if he had lived in Tyneside. And, except me, there was only one Geordie in this part of Holland.

"Mike?" Propping on my elbows, I tried to get his attention. "Mike!"

The stretcher-bearer suddenly turned around and looked in my direction. Aye, it was definitely him. And, judging by his face, he must have recognised me, as well. His brow was furrowed, while his lips were parted in complete shock.

"Jess?" He gawked at me as if he had seen a ghost in my bed. But, then he snapped out of it and shouted: "Hold on, I'll be back soon!"

He disappeared from my sight for some time. However, he kept his promise. It didn't last long when I heard his hurried steps and saw him rushing to my bed. He gave Compton a quick salute and muttered a 'sir', before he stopped a step away from me. But, he didn't say anything after that. He kept standing there, staring at me with wide eyes.

Whatever had happened to him, it wasn't anything good. Under the dirt which had smeared his face, I noticed dark circles under his eyes. I bit my lip hard when I saw a dark yellow bruise spreading across his cheek.

"Mike, what..."

However, I didn't have time to say anything else. He smiled, came closer and hugged me so gingerly, as if I could easily break in his hands. I couldn't help, but smile in return, as I wrapped my arms tightly around him. I had no idea how long we stayed like this, when I heard Mike whispering in my neck:

"Don't you ever do that again, Flygirl. You scared the hell out of me."

"I'll do my best, wingman."

When he let me go, he sighed and sat on the corner of my bed. Just a second later, I saw the bruise on his face again and I had to wince.

"Are you okay?", I asked.

"Aye." Noticing the look on my face, Mike turned his smile into a boyish grin. "Holy smoke, I don't look that bad, do I?"

"Actually, you do. What's going on out there?"

His grin soon slipped away. In a matter of moments, he looked more tired than ever before. He let out a quiet, exhausted sigh, before he said:

"If you want the short version... it's a bloody rest position, Jess."

"And what's the long version?"

"We're stuck between the Lower Rhine and the Waal, with Jerries nearby. Bloody hell, they have so much supplies, that they can shoot at every fucking thing that moves."

That was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I also felt guilt, slowly filling me up from bottom to top. As the lads' air support, it was my job to help them in dire straits like these. But, how could I do it, when I was bedridden with two holes in me?

"Jesus Christ... what about the others?" Hand on heart, I wanted to know if Eugene was all right. But, I felt too embarrassed to ask that, so I settled for asking about everyone. "How are they now?"

"Fine. Don't worry." Mike placed one hand on my leg, hoping to reassure me in some way. "The Jerries will need bigger guns to get rid of us."

The last sentence made me swallow hard again. "Damn it, I have to get out of here."

"What?" He arched his eyebrows in surprise. "You want to dodge bullets again?"

"I'm not the type who can just stay here, while you lot are almost surrounded out there! I mean, you know me, don't you?"

He nodded. "Aye. Unfortunately."

I frowned at him. "Hey!"

"I was only joking, Jess." Mike glanced at the cracked hospital walls around us. He soon looked back at me and added: "Anyway, there's nothing you can do now. You won't see the line in a while, especially where you'll be soon." For some reason, a faint smile returned on his lips. "Promise you'll write to me?"

One of my eyebrows begun to rise. "What do you mean by that?"

This time, Mike seemed confused. "Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"I've heard a few words from the nurses. It looks like they'll evacuate this place in a few days." I couldn't hide my bewildered look when Mike pointed his finger at me. "You, Flygirl, will be shipped to London to recover."

"London? Oh, that sounds really..." All of a sudden, I trailed off, while my mouth became half-open. Had I heard him properly, or were the medications messing with my head? "London? You mean, London in England?"

"Well, I haven't found a London in Holland yet." Mike smiled again. "Okay, I know it's not like home, but at least it's close. And it's far enough from this hellhole."

Good God... In a span of a few seconds, I could see Aldbourne in front of my eyes. I saw a glimpse of my street, my house and Neve in the garden, smiling and picking flowers. I was overwhelmed with such strong emotions, that I barely remembered to breathe. However, after that one moment, my heart begun sinking under the weight of doubt. Aye, the thought of returning home was more than wonderful. But, it seemed too bloody good to be true.

"Mike, tell me you're still joking", I said in the lowest possible voice. However, he didn't say anything. I gazed at his left eye, and then at his right. "So, are you? You'd better not be, because the last time I was on my way home, a bloke called Denham strolled by and told me that I was under his damn command!"

"Jess..." He carefully moved his hand to mine and grasped it tightly. "This is really happening. Believe me. Your fighting in the air, recce, briefings, the whole shebang... everything is over now. From here, your next stop is good old England. And then, one day, it will be Aldbourne."

My gaze shifted from his face to his hand, and then back again. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what do to. I wanted to laugh out loud until my stomach hurt. But, I also wished to dig my face in his shoulder and sob like a child.

"Are you..." I was surprised how hoarse my voice was. "Are you coming with me?"

He shook his head, slowly becoming serious again. "You know I can't. I still have to liaise between the Yanks and the 6-th Airborne, especially after Market Garden turned into a disaster."

I nodded. That was when I thought of something. Although Mike was happy for me returning home, there was one person that wouldn't be so pleased.

"Denham will lose his air support. I bet he'll be over the moon."

"Don't worry about him", Mike said, this time in a lower voice than usual, "I got that covered with Doc."

I blinked, more than taken aback. "What? With Eugene?"

"Aye, him. When you got to the hospital, Eugene and I had a little talk. And we found a way how to keep that bugger Denham away from you."

I quietly chuckled. However, when I noticed the solemn look on his face, my laughter swiftly faded away. Before I knew it, I felt nothing more than dread. He was actually serious about all of this.

"You've got a plan, haven't you?"

He nodded instead of an answer. In the meantime, I was sure that something in my stomach had clenched hard.

"Oh, no, you won't..." I grasped his hand tighter and pulled him closer to me. I sighed when my wounds hurt again, but I tried to keep my focus on Mike. Leaning a bit forward, I hissed: "You're talking about revenge here, Mike. And there's nothing more stupid than that! I don't know what Eugene and you planned, but I bet that won't care of Denham. It will get you two court-martialed... or maybe even shot!"

"There's no way that could happen!"

"Do you really think so? Michael, your scheme is not aimed against an ordinary bloke. Denham might be a bastard and he might be ruthless, but he's not stupid. He didn't earn his reputation by sitting and doing nothing. He'll see that you're up to something. And you'll be up to your eyeballs in trouble."

"He threatened you, Jessica. He forced you to work for him, to kill people for him." As he talked, a furious look appeared in his eyes, while his lower lip trembled. I did my best not to shudder in front of him. "You almost died because of him. Something has to be done."

"So, you just decided to take things in your own hands? What if Denham finds out?"

"He won't. I can guarantee that."

"And why do I doubt so much, then?", I scoffed.

I thought that Mike would glare at me and retort. But, instead of any comments, he just stood up from my bed.

"I have to go back now", he said, "Don't get shot again while I'm gone."

He was about to walk away when I snatched his sleeve, making him stop to his tracks. "Michael Sullivan, you're not leaving until you tell me what you've up to!"

To my horror, he didn't say anything. He only gave me a long, serious look, before he pulled his arm out of my grasp. And then he rushed out through the nearby door. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I lay back on my bed.

"I can't bloody believe this, Compton!" After one more sigh, I glanced at the bed beside mine. "Compton?"

He seemed as if he hadn't heard a word between Mike and me. He kept staring in the distance, while his face was as pale as the surrounding walls.

"Compton." Reaching over the gap between our beds, I slapped his leg. "Sir!"

He jerked, instantly switching to reality. "Uh? What?"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing." He quickly shook his head. But, he still looked dreadful. "I'm all right. I'm all right."

If you say so. When I let him go, my gaze slowly found its way back to the door. Mike had already gone, but I kept looking in that direction. Although I tried, I couldn't get him and his words out of my head.

How he acted was more than just odd. I didn't know when was the last time I had seen him so serious. He had such a look in his eyes that he scared me. They were almost burning with hate towards Denham. But, that didn't surprise me as much as Eugene's commitment. I could hardly believe that a bashful person like him had accepted to do something against his superior. There was no way I could imagine him doing that – even though all of that was because of me.

What on earth is Mike up to? There was only one way to find that out. But, I have to admit that I didn't like it.

Grasping my left sleeve, I pulled it up, revealing a shawl tied around my wrist. In spite of everything that had happened, Neve's gift was still in its old place. A smile tugged a corner of my lips while I looked at it.

I wanted to get home more than anything else. I secretly wished to run away from this mess and never look back again. But, I would have to leave Mike, Gene and the other lads behind, along with Mike's secret plan. Don't get me wrong, it would be really nice if something horrible happened to Denham. However, I had a feeling that the scheme Mike and Eugene had wouldn't fulfil like they wanted. The odds weren't in their favour, but, on the other hand, they weren't planning to give up.

Running my thumb down my shawl, I watched it for a long time. And then I let one more sigh whoosh between my lips.

Neve's gonna turn me into ash for this.

I had made up my mind. With their lives on the line, I had to stay in Holland and stop them before it was too late.

I had to go AWOL.

XXX

Two days later, my chance for escape arrived.

I was in the middle of the night, when two nurses rushed past my bed. I also heard another feminine shout, asking for help. I assumed that they had brought another wounded man to the hospital. Whoever he was, the nurses rushed to help him. And I had only minutes to make my move.

Okay, here is the moment of truth. I sat up in bed as quickly as I could. My back was killing me, but I clenched my teeth hard in order not to groan. That was when I swung my legs on one side of the bed and touched the floor with my feet. Wincing from the cold, I grasped the edge of the bed. And then I carefully stood up, when...

Shit. Shit! My knees suddenly wobbled underneath me. I barely managed to grab a nearby table and save myself from collapsing. I felt so faint, so weak, that it terrified me. I could barely stand without holding onto something.

However, I couldn't go back now. I had to keep moving, before anybody noticed. Nervously biting my lip, I slowly made my way towards the door. I noticed that Compton was asleep in his bed, but I didn't have time to stop and say goodbye. Instead, I kept tottering through the room, grasping anything to keep my balance. After a few more steps, and God knows how long, I found myself in a dark corridor.

I glanced over my shoulder, just in case if anybody was coming. When I found out that nobody was in the room behind me, I turned around... and tripped on a chair.

It was so dark, that I hadn't even seen it. Before I managed to blink, I crumpled to the floor with a thud. As I shrieked in pain, the chair got tipped over and hit the floorboards. In the silent, empty corridor, both sounds resonated like mad.

"Who's there?"

Without any warning, a nurse's silhouette stepped out of the darkness. With my heart in my mouth, I quickly crawled behind a nearby desk. Just a couple of seconds later, a short woman with black hair stopped beside me. With a lamp in her hand, she looked at the chair, and then left and right, searching for the culprit.

Damn it... don't yelp. Don't yelp. I closed my eyes shut and curved behind the desk, trying not to think of the pain. But, it was too damn strong. I was on the edge of groaning again. Struggling to remain quiet, I raised my arm and bit my sleeve as hard as I could.

In the meantime, the nurse moved from her spot. She went to the left, until her steps faded away in the distance. That was the sign for me to keep moving.

I grasped the edge of the table, ready to get back to my feet, when something caught my eye. The chair which I had tripped on had a coat sprawled over it. I didn't know to whom it belonged. But, it would really be useful to me now. Grabbing it from the chair, I pulled my arms through the sleeves and wrapped the coat around me. That way, if anybody saw me, he or she wouldn't think I was a runaway patient. However, there was a small flaw in my escape plan - I had no shoes on. I could only hope that nobody would look down as I walked.

Taking a deep breath, I kept walking down the corridor. And then I turned to the left and stepped into a much wider one. I saw a wide wooden door on the end of it. It was closed, but the cold air freely passed under it. I felt it nibbling on my bare feet.

This must have been my way out.

My heart was pounding from fear, as well as strain that my body was going through. I had been in bed for more than a week and I was in a terrible shape. A few steps later, I my chest was heaving and I thought about having a break right where I was.

Oh, come on, you can do it. You're almost there. Keep walking. Left, right, left, right… Biting my lip and fighting for each step, I reached the end of the corridor. Turning a bit to he right, I pushed the door open with my shoulder and walked outside. The next thing I saw was a surprisingly empty street. There was only one passer-by, who quickly disappeared behind a corner. The only source of light was the half-moon, which hung high above the rooftops.

A chilly breeze soon greeted me, nipping my toes. If I wasn't making a mistake, it was the beginning of October. But, it was bloody cold. As I let out another sigh, my breath instantly turned into steam. Christ, I should have stolen somebody's shoes, too. And a hat.

Leaning against the hospital wall, I prepared to hobble to the far corner. It would be a good place to hide and get my bearings. However, I made just a few steps, when a sudden flash burst through the night. And then something rumbled, making me root to my spot.

Oh, damn it… I hadn't the foggiest that a Jeep had been parked beside me. But, I knew now. I stood there for a second like a startled rabbit, until somebody asked:

"Jess? Is that you?"

I blinked a few times, almost lost for words. The driver, who was gaping at me, was far from a stranger.

"Joe?"

Still staring at me, Liebgott got out of the Jeep. He smiled at first, but that vanished the second he looked down.

"Holy shit, are you barefoot?"

"Are you going back to Easy?", I asked in return.

"Well, yeah…" He tried to say something more, but I cut him off.

"Good. Because I'm coming with you."

I tottered to the Jeep. However, my knees soon decided to give out again. I gasped in pain when Joe caught me.

"You're going AWOL?", he asked in disbelief, "Like this? Fuck… just look at yourself. You can barely walk, for chrissake!"

Well, of course I'm barely walking! But, with Mike and Eugene planning a disaster, I don't have much options, do I? I was about to say the whole lot out loud, but I bit my tongue hard. What if Gene wasn't the only one involved in Mike's plan? What if more lads from Easy knew about this? If that was true, it was probably the best to keep my mouth shut.

"Did you hear what I just said?", Joe asked.

"So, you're going to leave your comrade here?", I asked, placing one hand on my hip, "In the cold?"

"Nope. I'm gonna carry ya back to the damn hospital."

"Don't you dare, Joseph."

He sent me a long, threatening glare. I was almost certain that he would lash out at me, or something like that. However, he didn't have that in mind.

"Just hold on tightly", he muttered under his breath, "And watch your step."

To my complete surprise, he wrapped his arm more firmly around my waist. And then he helped me get in the Jeep. I cringed when pain tore through my wounds, which made Joe furrow his brow at me. While I was trying to make myself comfortable, he made a turn around the vehicle and hopped in the driver's seat.

"Goddamnit, Jess…" He was still frowning as he placed his hands in the steering wheel. "Why can't you be like everyone else?"

I shrugged. "Well, everyone's not me, Joe."

He gave me a strange look. That was when he chuckled out loud. As I raised my eyebrows in bewilderment, he swiftly turned the steering wheel, as if he had done it a hundred times before. With a loud noise from the engine, the Jeep moved away from the pavement. And then it rumbled through the night, leaving the hospital far behind us.

I know, I know... I had ruined my chance for going back home.

All that was left for me to do was to cross my fingers and hope I would reach Mike and Gene in time.

If you're curious, the radio broadcast Jess listened to was the speech of King George VI. He had addressed his people on September 3-rd 1939, after Britain's declaration of war against Germany.

So... what do you think of this chapter? Don't forget to review... ;)